Amazing Piece of Art from Blu

This is really amazing. Done completely with still frame photography.

Not sure about the repeat though - but who cares??

Ewwww weeeee ewwww I play just like Jesse Holley!!!

If any of you followed Spike TV's reality show, 4th and Long, you know that former UNC wideout Jesse Holley (and a walk-on to the basketball 2005 National Championship team) "won" the show, getting a spot on the Cowboy's 85-man roster. Here's the story on WRAL.

Here's a video of his big moment in the preseason. :) What a happy thing!




Unfortunately, Holley was cut from the roster, but he maintains a spot on the 8-man practice squad.

Ominous Music Heard Throughout Country

Ominous Music Heard Throughout U.S. Sends Nation Into Panic

Read the titles that come up throughout the story - awesome.

UNC @ Georgia Tech Preview

Will Sturivant lead the UNC defense to another shutdown of Tech's unique triple option?

Here we go!

The first ACC game of the season - and a huge matchup in addition.

Georgia Tech was considered by many to be the best team in the ACC (or at least 2nd behind Virginia Tech) heading into the season. The primary reason - their maddening triple wishbone option offense (or whatever you want to call it).

Very few teams had an answer for it - except, of course, for UNC, which won 28-7 last year in Kenan.

UNC played their best game of the season against Tech last year. Tech is coming off a prime-time shellacking at the hands of now top-10 nationally Miami. With the big loss last week and last year vs the Heels - the Yellow Jackets are going to be pumped up for this game.

Keys to the game:
Offense: The continued emergence of the wide receivers and offensive line. Against ECU, UNC showed a surprisingly potent passing game - thanks to the emergence of WR Erik Highsmith, and in smaller part, Jerhaine Boyd. They will be facing a more talented secondary this week, so their ability to get open will be tested. I'm not convinced that Highsmith is ready to be a go-to guy yet - this game could go a long way towards changing my mind. Dwight Jones might play, but probably in a very limited role - so it will probably be another week or two until he can be a steady contributor.

The offensive line, on the other hand, might have better luck than it has in the past two weeks, as Georgia Tech has some holes on the defensive line. Hopefully, Draughn can finally emerge as the primary offensive threat we all thought he would be this year. Jonathan Cooper should be closer to 100% this week than last, which should help. Also, on the injury front, Ryan Taylor is still a few weeks away (85% according to Butch), so don't expect him to help block in the H-Back role for a game or two more.

Key player: TJ Yates - he should have a little more time to make reads in the pocket - will he take advantage and pick the defense apart?

Defense: This is the key to the game - winning or losing against Tech depends on the ability to defend against their option. Last season, UNC had a bye week to prepare for this unique attack - no such luck this year. Butch did say that they spent some time in the preseason working against it - so we'll see how prepared they look.

How our defensive line and linebackers perform will be of paramount importance. Luckily, the Tar Heels are nasty-good in both respects. Austin, Wilson, Thomas, and Quinn should eat up blocks and blow up plays against an iffy Tech offensive line. This will give our stellar linebacker corps the ability to get upfield and make tackles. With the speed of our outside linebackers, and the smarts of MIKE Quan Sturdivant, we have a chance to shut Tech down. One of the primary indicators Tech's potential success is if their fullback can get to the second level to make blocks. I doubt they'll be able to do this consistently, as he'll be hitting our defensive line like an Citrogen into a brick wall.

And the mediocre performance of the UNC's secondary last week against ECU should be forgotten as we face a team that rarely passes. As long as they stay focused and in position, expect big hitters like Charles Brown and Da'Norris Searcy to make some plays on the edge.

Key Player: Quan Sturdivant. Sturdivant has a nose for the ball - if he plays as smart as he nearly always does, Georgia Tech's talented backs will be forced to the edge, where speedster athletes Zach Brown, Bruce Carter, and Robert Quinn will be itching to make plays.

- Of note - long snapper Trevor Stuart tore his ACL last week against ECU and is out for the season. Last season's starter, Mark House, will be taking over. Let's hope the snaps are on target.

- Tech is favored by 3 points on bodog, my preferred betting site.

- UNC also really needs to improve it's punting game. Punter Grant Schallock averaged a disturbing 31.2 yards per punt on four attempts. UNC has lost the matchup in punting average in all three games this year. That could affect outcomes against better opponents, no question.

- Three different Tar Heels completed passes last week. Yates, obviously, but also Shaun Draugh on a trick play and AJ Blue in a surprise pass out of the "Wild Ram" offense (as I call it).

My diagnosis: I changed my mind (see below) I'm still not convinced about UNC's offense yet - but if our OL has its best game so far, that should go a long way towards scoring just enough. And while our defense isn't perfect, our run defense could be pretty damn near stellar - and that's a tough matchup for Tech.

My pick: UNC wins 21-13

Note: I changed my mind on this one - here's what I originally said:

My diagnosis: I will try not to let my bias affect my predictions - so I'm afraid I'm picking against the Heels today. I'm not convinced of our offense yet - maybe because I haven't shaken off that UConn game...and Tech's offense will be fired up at home after losing big to Miami (and our win last year) - with the way they play, all it takes is one missed tackle and it's the end zone.

Tech wins it - 17 to 14

Here's to hoping I'm wrong!!



Go Heels!!

Michael Jackson Homage

I'm not a huge MJ fan (because the real MJ went to UNC), but this video is pretty damn cool.



Though I'm wondering what's up with this dude's crotch...

Dr. Horrible is Excellent

So, inspired by the (apparent) hosting of the Emmys (which I didn't watch) by Neil Patrick Harris (who is hilarious), I decided to finish watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It actually won an Emmy (Outstanding Special Class - Short-format Live-Action Entertainment Programs).

The music is way better than what you'd expect.

I decided to simply post the link, so you could enjoy it in widescreen. :)

Enjoy!

UNC - Updated Injury Report

Offensive guard Jonathan Cooper (ankle) and fullback Bobby Rome (swine flu) have returned to practice and should play Saturday - which is good news for UNC's running game heading into their matchup with a dangerous ECU team.

As mentioned earlier, Pianalto and Dyer will be out for a few more weeks.

Also, it looks like Dwight Jones is 75-85%, but probably won't play against ECU.

That's all I know for now - I'll keep you updated!

Go Heels!

Neat AMEX Commercial

Simple - but must have been a real bitch for the creatives to think of all these.

I like it - especially the nuances of the expressions. YouTube comments claim "Faces in Places" had the idea first, so that's worth noting.

SI says UNC has toughest schedule next year

Marcus Ginyard will need to show some serious leadership, along with his tenacious defense, for the Heels to fare well early next season.

Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn rightfully named UNC as the team with the toughest non-conference schedule for the 2009-2010 season.

The Tar Heels play Michigan State, what should be an excellent Kentucky squad, and a "neutral" game against Texas in the state of Texas. Add in a fight with Ohio State and possibly California in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, and you've got quite a test for a young Tar Heels squad.

I think this is a little overboard - and if we play Cal, I'd predict a 2-3 record against those 5 teams. It sure will be exciting though - and what momentum the Heels would have it they performed well in those games!

Go Heels!

UNC vs. LSU at the GA Dome

It's official!

UNC will take on LSU at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 4th, 2010 to kickoff next season in the now annual Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game.

It's quite a matchup, and will have the complete focus of a national audience and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Clemson and Virginia Tech have shown that the ACC is not ready to compete with the SEC this year and last year in the same game - so if UNC could pull of a win, it would be huge.

While next year has been slated by many fans to be the time for the Tar Heels to have their breakthrough season, LSU will be a very tough test. Our ability to pull off what will likely be seen as an upset will depend heavily on the development of our young offense this year.

Here's a game I'll be rooting hard against the SEC.

Go Heels!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/09/16/lsu-carolina.ap/index.html

Pianalto, Dyer to Miss 3-4 Weeks

It could be worse.

UNC leading receiver TE Zack Pianalto and starting center Lowell Dyer will miss 3-4 weeks. For Pianalto, this is actually kind of a relief, as he had to be carted off the field after essentially winning the game against Connecticut.

Losing Dyer, who strained a shoulder during practice and missed the UConn game, is a different story. This injury seemed minor to me.

We also don't know yet about starting offensive guard Jonathan Cooper, who tweaked his ankle and missed the UConn game as well.

This means big problems for the next little while for the two weakest parts of UNC's game - the O-Line and the WR corps.

Young and unproven players had better step up, or we won't score more than 3 points a game.

Injuries sideline two UNC starters - ESPN.com story

Louis Murphy has Big Night for Oakland

Former UF #2 receiver and current Oakland Raider Louis Murphy had a big night on Monday against the Chargers, reeling in 4 catches for 87 yards. Even better, Darrius Heyward-Bey, former Maryland mediocre WR and the annual boneheaded high draft pick for the Raiders, was shut out.

Go Gators!

HBO Imagined Launches

I know I mentioned this yesterday - but HBOimagine just officially launched today. Click around - it's very cool.

No Freakin' Way - Tyler Hansbrough Does his First Promotion!!

No way. I don't know if I'm mortified or ecstatic.

Either way - thank God Tyler Hansbrough loves to help little girls and puppies! And throw down monstrous dunks on seven-foot-seven Kenny George, of course.

9 - Quick Review

The new computer-animated 9 was almost as good as my high expectations for it.

The aesthetics are gorgeous - and the concept is even better. In a dystopian future (my favorite movie genre), after a battle between AI and man, one of the last human survivors creates little rag dolls that go on after our world has ended.

They must band together to avoid being hunted and killed by a roaming "beast." Don't worry, I won't give any more of the plot away.

My favorite part about 9 is the realistic feel of it. The way the little dolls are constructed, down to the last detail, from bits and pieces their Creator could find, are ingenious. Their interactions with an over-sized world are more than appealing.

The execution of the story line is great as well. So what if the source material is a little bit ho-hum? Who cares that the characters are tip-toeing the line of cliche? My only serious gripe with the story line is the ending, which completely departs with the grounded attitude the plot embraced up to that point.

So - in summary - 9 is a spectacular concept kept out of the realm of greatness due to a mediocre story. I know I'm biased because 9 is aimed squarely at my interests - so take my "stars" with a grain of salt.

out of 5.


And here's the trailer - which by the way is fantastic in its own right.

HBO - Imagine Campaign

HBO looks to have another award-winning campaign on their hands.

The "trailer" for it is very cool in its own right.




Their website, HBOimagine.com also features several short, interconnected films (done by Biscuit Filmworks). Why is HBO handing out 10,000 teddy bears in Manhattan? Check out the website to see.

I can't wait to see how this one unfolds.

UNC survives UConn, 12-10

What an awful game to watch.

My thoughts on the game:

Defensive Player of the Game: Charles Brown. This newcomer was supposed to be one of the few weak links on defense, after he replaced a mediocre Jordan Hemby at corner. But against the Huskies, Charlie was all over the place. Breaking up passes, tackling runners, making an interception, even forcing AND recovering a fumble. I feel great about our secondary with this guy back there.

Offensive Player of the Game: Zack Pianalto. Well, I've got to give it to Pianalto, whose 7 receptions for 87 yards and the Heels only TD saved the day. Unfortunately, the first jump of what would be a joyous celebration turned into a dislocated foot. Poor guy - and one less go-to target for our very weak WR corps.

Things that looked good: Our entire defense was impressive. Notable performances (other than Charlie) were given by Marvin Austin, Quan Sturdivant, Bruce Carter (with the exception of his heinous roughing the kicker gaff), and Kendric Burney (the ball was never really near him, but that's because he was doing so well in coverage.

Things that need work: Our entire offensive was abysmal. I'd say the shakiest part of our game was our offensive line. TJ Yates was constantly harassed (and sacked six times I might add). The line got no push whatsoever until that final relatively impressive 13-play, 76 yard drive in the 4th quarter to tie the game.

On that note, TJ had an awful game as well. The first INT he thew was just a very badly thrown pass. The 2nd one wasn't quite so much his fault. His pocket presence, however, was non-existent. Given, the OL didn't help him, but I swear Charlie Weis could have outrun him. He just looked like he was stuck in molasses. However, we couldn't run the ball, which brings me to my next point...

Shaun Draughn could be a very talented back. He's elusive, he has better than average vision (which is saying something considering his lack of experience on offense), and he doesn't go down easily. But he is going to be frustrating to watch if he doesn't learn to hit his lane hard without hesitation. Too often Draughn is shifting around in the backfield and juking for about 20 minutes until the defense decides it's about time to take him down. WR Greg Little has a propensity to do this too, but it works a little better past the line of scrimmage, when there's fewer defenders around. Being a RB is all about momentum, and Draughn rarely has any built up by the time he hits the line of scrimmage. Maybe he got away with this last year behind a deeper and stronger line, but this year he needs to take what he can get and take a couple of yards instead of going for the home run every play. Thank goodness Ryan Houston got some carries to help us on that final 4th qtr drive.

Also, the Tar Heels are very weak at WR (news flash, right?). I missed the news that the original starter, Dwight Jones, had to get knee surgery will be out for maybe another game or two. No wonder he was a no-show against The Citadel. Josh Adams was nowhere to be found against UConn (though we could blame Yates). And the one guy who looked to be a real threat on WR might have ended his season by jumping around after a TD (for the record, I don't blame him for that injury - he was just excited, and wasn't going nuts - just bad luck). However, I do have to give props to Erik Highsmith, the freshman listed as an athlete on the roster, who finished with 4 catches for 59 yards, including a 21-yard gamesaver when the Heels were facing 3rd and 18 against their own goal (that's the drive that led to the game-tying TD). Also of note, Highsmith is sporting number 88 - Hakeem Nicks left some big shoes (or should I say big gloves - literally) to fill with that jersey, so here's hoping he lives up to 10% of that talent.

So, in conclusion, our defense looked very good. But if we keep playing offense like we did on Saturday, we might get shut out several times this year, especially when we play the likes of Virginia Tech and FSU. Those defenses will eat us up (though FSU had trouble with Jacksonville State on Saturday, so I could be mistaken on that one).

There were so bright spots (i.e. Erik Highsmith) on offense, and the good news is that OLs tend to get better (barring injury) as seasons progress, and Yates and our very young WR corps should get a better repoire built as the season moves on too. The return of Dwight Jones should be helpful as well.

So here's hoping Pianalto is okay. I was a few inches from him on the sideline when he got injured during his last TD last year against Georgia Tech last year - he's a talented receiving TE, and both he and the Tar Heels deserve his speedy recovery.

That's all for now. ECU next week should be a tough test. Hey - at least we're undefeated, right?

Swine Flu Hits UNC Players

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4464879

Bobby Rome (starting fullback) and Jordan Nix (backup DT) won't be playing against UConn because they probably have swine flu.

Great...

I think we'll be okay, even though Rome is great and we were trying to integrate him more into our passing game (not to mention his importance blocking for our running game).

I just hope we don't end up like other universities who have a ton of players going down to the flu. I know 'Ole Miss is temporarily without Jevan Snead and Dexter McCluster because of the flu. Wisconsin is missing some peeps as well. The Rebels at least have a bye week to recover.

A flu outbreak would be so like UNC football...

"Training Exercise" on Sept. 11th

Um...bullshit? Well, maybe not bullshit, but this seems a little fishy. At least there are some idiots in the Coast Guard scheduling department.

The gist is, while Obama was doing a commemoration for Sept. 11th in DC, shots were fired on the Potomac. A bunch of people freaked out, including local law enforcement.

And after a DELAY, they say it was "just an exercise."

I mean, don't you think it's a little odd that they would schedule a random, live-fire exercise on Sept. 11th during a commemoration event? And not tell anyone?

Call me skeptical I guess...

Click to read original article

Halo 3: ODST Commercial

Video game commercials just keep getting better and better.

Debose out for Season

:( Sad news.

Florida's Andre Debose is out for the season. Two season in a row with a potential big-time player going down (last season was Cornelius Ingram, but that was a bigger loss admittedly).

This is a real shame. This doesn't necessarily leave a big hole to fill for the Gators, as Debose was a true freshman, but filling Percy Harvin's absence will certainly be tougher. Just an exciting wrinkle that Gator fans were looking forward to seeing. Oh well, that's what medical redshirts are for, right?

Expect much more Demps, Rainey, and Brandon James now.

The Hobbit, The Movie

A legal settlement gives New Line the right to make a movie based on The Hobbit and another movie based on other Tolkein works.

My first thought is hell yeah. I'm nuts for the LOTR trilogy movies, and can't wait to see what comes next. However, I'm a bit apprehensive, because I remember reading The Hobbit as a kid and being a bit disappointed in the lack of action.

And what other works will they build the second movie from? The Simarillion? That could be a snoozer.

I am really excited about Guillermo Del Toro at the helm though - he's the perfect choice.

Hopefully this comes to fruition - with the money the first trilogy made, we can actually be glad that the movie industry will always bank on "shaking their moneymakers," so to speak.

My First Post

Okay - so I'm sort of embarrassed to join the blogging community. But I find myself finding interesting articles, tidbits, and wanting to share my opinion about them - even if no one is listening!

I am a recent graduate of UNC. My blog posts, as of now, will consist of the following:
- My opinions of media (primarily movies)
- Sports (I'm an avid Tar Heel and Florida Gator fan, so expect a minor bias)
- other interesting things

I know the blogs that find "success" find a niche, and I realize that I do not have that here, but I'm not looking for 100,000 readers - just a place to write on my proverbial cave wall.

Peace and love.