SUNDAYHOP

Taco Bell Introduces Breakfast Menu, Charmin Stock Explodes

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Taco Bell is introducing First Meal, the next logical step after the success of their Fourth Meal marketing push. T-Bell execs have finally accepted that 95% of customers are in an altered state of consciousness when flock to Taco Bell. Fourth Meal caters to the inebriated, First Meal will target those who are still in a groggy haze, too disoriented to make it to the office without a fast food breakfast stop.

Last week, Taco Bell introduced their breakfast offerings in around 800 locations mostly in the western US. If successful, executives at parent company Yum Brands Inc. hope to have the breakfast menu in all Taco Bells by 2014.

Just imagine, bacon gorditas, egg chalupas and sausage/hashbrown Meximelt Crunchwarp supremes at over 5,600 locations in the US... Delicious and nutritious.
Taco Bell is teaming with such popular brands as Johnsonville, Cinnabon, Tropicana and Seattle's Best for its breakfast menu items that range in price from 99 cents to $2.79. Decent brand names that should lend some legitimacy to the new breakfast offerings.

The California HQ of Taco Bell says that the chain is a bit behind the 8-ball when it comes to breakfast. Subway got into the game in 2012 and Burger King and McDonald's have recently been expanding their offerings. With Wendy's due to jump into the pool soon, Taco Bell wanted to get in before them.

they also wanted to get the bad taste out of their mouths from a 2011 lawsuit alleging that their beef didn't contain enough, get this, beef to be called beef. The suit was filed by an Alabama-based firm and dropped after three months, but the bad publicity hit Yum Brands hard. Hopefully some delicious breakfast burritos will be the cure!

What You Tweeting 'Bout, Willis?

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:44:00 +0000

Chad Ochocinco has always been a flashy, me-first type star in the NFL. People either loved him or hated him, but they damn sure paid him attention. He was an outspoken headliner who generally backed up his talk. And he loved the spotlight.

Over the last couple of seasons, his stunts have become a little bit more muted. He's no longer keeping lists in his locker trashing the cornerbacks that he'll go against each week, crossing them off as he catches TDs on them. He tried out for the Kansas City Wizards of the MLS when an NFL lockout looked imminent, but that was never going to happen.

One thing that Ochocinco has been known for is his Twitter account. He can tweet with the best of them and has over 3.1 million followers. This story from Yahoo! is a pretty heartwarming one:
A college kid named Victor Gonzalez had been tweeting @ Chad for two years and apparently was just getting ignored. No retweets, no responses, no nothing. Finally he got fed up and let Ochocinco know that he was tired of no response.

So Chad decided to make it up to him - he invited Victor to the Patriots game a few weekends back against the Denver Broncos. Chad got him a flight, hotel and ticket to the game in New England. What a way to make it up to a Twitter follower, eh? Very kind of you, Chad, well done.`

Eli Manning Definitely in My Top Three Mannings

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:54:00 +0000

Eli Manning is taking the New York Giants back to the Superbowl this year, cementing himself firmly in my personal top three Manning's. His solid year included only 16 interceptions and 6 fumbles, a stark contrast from his typical ratio of 1 completion::1 turnover.

Yes, Eli has won back my confidence and is now easily amongst my top all-time Mannings. That group of course includes father, Archie Manning, his wife Olivia and kids Cooper, Peyton and lil' Eli.

After a woeful 2010, I had Eli ranked near the bottom of the barrel, but with a win last night over the San Francisco 49ers, I can now honestly say that he has vaulted into the top three in both power rank and overall.

Each Manning has a solid list of pros, cons, tangibles and intangibles that I consider. The fact that Eli has a working neck means he's above Peyton in the power rankings, but it's the overall rank that really matters, so let's take a closer look:

Archie Maninng
-Three-year started for Ole Miss
-Still holds the SEC record for all-purpose yards in a game with 540
-1971 NFL draft second-overall pick
-Ten seasons in the NFL, two pro bowls

Peyton Manning
-1998 NFL draft 1st overall pick
-Four MVP awards, most in NFL history
-11 time Pro Bowl selection, Superbowl XLI winner, MVP
-Make hilarious advertisements with fake mustaches

Olivia Manning
-Senior year homecoming queen
-Member of Women of the Storm, Hurricane Katrina charity group with badass name
-Delta Gamma alumnus
-Three-time delivery room MVP '74, '76, '81

Cooper Manning
-All-State Wide Receiver and blue chip recruit, playing career ended by spinal stenosis
-Convinced Peyton to wear brown paper bag on his head to a Saints game during their father's playing days
-Partner at an energy investment firm in New Orleans
-Is still filthy rich

Eli Manning
-2004 NFL draft 1st overall pick
-Superbowl XLII winner and MVP
-two-time Pro Bowl selection
-Regularly captured on film wasted out of his gourd, with sharpie on face

Superbowl XLVI will be a rematch between Eli and his arch nemesis, Tom Brady. It will be a rematch of Superbowl XLII in which the Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14. New York was a major underdog then, becoming the first team to win the Superbowl after coming from the NFC wildcard spot to defeat the previously undefeated Patriots.

This time around, New York will be underdogs once more. Brady will be vying to tie Terry Bradshaw (Pittsburgh Steelers) for most Superbowl victories. We'll find out in two weeks if Brady is going to turn in a winning performance. In the tranquil indoors of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, my thoughts are that Brady will be tough to overcome. So it's up to the youngest Manning to pull of another stunner, can he do it?

Mad Men is Almost Back!

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:12:00 +0000

If you're like me, you have been waiting quite a while for the fifth season of Mad Men. Christina Hendricks - who plays Joan Harris - has said the upcoming series will be "worth the wait."

Season four's finale aired on AMC on October, 17 2010. It's been a long year and a half wait for fans of the slick 60s advertising drama. Finally on March 25th, viewers will get to get back into the swing when the season premier debuts.
Sky Atlantic bought the UK rights and will air the episode shortly after the US debut. Sky outbid the BBC for the rights and will be airing the show very close to the air dates of AMC in the US. the lag time since a new episode of Mad Men was last on television was due to intense contract negotiations between creator Matthew Weiner and AMC.

The year off meant that AMC and Mad Men broke their streak of four consecutive Emmys for Best Drama. John Hamm, who plays Don Draper, is stepping behind the camera to direct the series 5 premier episode and Matthew Weiner says they are plotting the arc to conclude at the end of a prospective 7th season.Season five will hopefully pick up with the storyline of Don Draper proposing to his smoking hot secretary. With all the major players signed up and back in the fold, I expect nothing to be lost from the end of series four. And now, gratuitous Christina Hendricks picture:

Kim Jong Il Reaves North Korea So Ronery, Sooo Ronery

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:24:00 +0000

After North Korea lost their 'Great Leader', it was as if millions voices suddenly cried out in fear and then were silenced... by state-run censors. Koreans were taken by surprise and left wondering who would be batshit-crazy enough to fill Kim Jong Il's diminutive shoes.

Kim Jong Il died on 17 December, 2011 from a severe myocardial infarction in combination with a massive heart attack. The KCNA state-run news agency said, "millions were engulfed with indescribable sadness." We can safely assume they were referring either to Kim Jong Il's death or having to live in North Korea. Attention then turned to finding the 'Great Successor', but who would it be?

Then, at their winter break government PTA meeting, one man tentatively raised a hand and declared, "Me. I'm batshit crazy enough to lead these people, now someone get me my sippy cup." North Korea will have to look no further than one of Jong Il's four known sons, Kim Jong-Un, aka Un-Part-Deux.

To be fair, Kim Jong-Un does bring an impressive set of credentials to the table: He shares two out of three names in common with arguably the greatest leader in the history of the world. He is adept at slapping anyone across the face with either hand - back or forehanded. He leads the cutting edge of North Korean fashion, pioneering new shades of slate and taupe while staying a step ahead of Burberry in trench coat design. Thanks to his dedication to nutrition and agriculture, he's twice the man his father was.

Yes, Kim Jong-Un has the potential skills, but does he have the crazy intangibles that North Koreans demand of their leader? Though he has shown from an early age that he has complete disregard for anything the UN says, some worry that Un-Part-Deux won't be as irrationally angry as his father.

"Kim Jong Il would torpedo ships if weather fronts swept in from the south, but does Kim Jong-Un have enough lunacy to blow up Japan if don't send a Christmas card? I just don't know," said comrade factory worker Sum Yung Gai. "Maybe if he proclaims that his sweat cures cancer then he will have some more credibility."

For now, Kim Jong-Un has declared his birthday a national holiday, however all non-government people will still have to work/starve as usual. He's gone ahead and tossed in that any criticism of his leadership will result in extended holiday trips to re-education camps; fun! What else can he bring to the world to start defining his own brand of crazy?

I Don't Always Drink Whiskey, But When I Do I Prefer Johnnie... Holy Schnikeys!

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:52:00 +0000

Who am I kidding, I never drink whiskey. That was until Johnnie Walker brought Christina Hendricks into the mix to promote their Black Label blended Scotch whiskey. Now all of a sudden I'm getting an urge to buy a bottle. You know, for the holidays.

Hendricks who is famous for her role on Mad Men (and her significant assets) was photographed for Men's Health earlier this year with a glass of whiskey. Clearly somebody in the Johnnie Walker marketing team managed to tear his eyes away from her cleavage long enough to see the advertising opportunity.

A curvaceous, bodacious redhead who acts in a show about advertising being the ad herself is a stroke of well, obvious. Too bad none of us will be invited to an office Christmas party where a girl that looks like that will be pouring the scotch.

As Ron Burgundy once so eloquently put it, "Scotchy scotch scotch, I love scotch. Down it goes, down into my belly." Mmmm.

For her work on Mad Men, Hendricks won an Emmy in 2010 for Best Supporting Actress. The show is now filming its fifth season which fans have been waiting a since 2010 for. Some contract disputes delayed production, but now we can all look forward to more Christina in 1960s garb glamming up the small screen in 2012.

NFL Makes the Logical Choice, Taps Madonna For Superbowl Halftime

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Because when you think football, you think Madonna, right?

As with most years, the NFL's choice of performer to headline the Superbowl halftime show is pretty much what you would expect: a mainstream performer, controversial and popular in their time but now past their creative prime; living on royalties, hits compilation albums and the various live stadium gig.

It makes perfect sense in that Superbowl halftime isn't about football fans, since the majority of people at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012 will be celebrities, politicians, upper class casual observers and ticket contest winners. Basically only a small portion will be the diehard fans of either team.

So naturally the choice for this year's Superbowl is Madonna.

She's launching a new album in March, so why not get a bit of national attention in February at "the most watched music event of the year" (according to the NFL)? 162 Million viewers watched the Black Eyed Peas last year, the freshest act the NFL has booked in quite some time.

To be fair, Madonna is a Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame inductee from 2008, has sold millions of records throughout the 80s and 90s and doesn't generally get her boobs out on stage like Janet Jackson did in 2004. Though, Madonna did release an X-rated picture book called 'Sex' to coincide with her album 'Erotica' in the 1990s.

However, she does fit the mold of classic artists whose one-edgy personae are now considered tame when compared to entertainers of this age. In recent memory Prince, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen have all fit that mold. They are all as non-controversial as you can get.

To spice things up a bit, Madonna is collaborating with some Cirque Du Soleil choreographers to make things a little extra weird.

Will the Guinness Book of World Record's top-selling female artist of all-time deliver a memorable show? Only if she stays away from tunes off this new album and goes for the singalong songs that everyone knows.

Angry Coke Addicts Are Upset With Coca-Cola

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:22:00 +0000

Coca-Cola Co. is pulling the plug on their 2011 holiday snow white cans just one month after rolling them out in the US.

Coke heads, as I like to call 'em, have been up in arms over the new can design. Diehards have claimed that the soda tastes slightly different from the white can. Others have said it's confusing with the silver Diet Coke can and they've grabbed the wrong one by accident. Still others argue that messing with the Red can is simply sacrilege.

Coca-Cola typically rolls out a holiday-themed line of cans and bottles each year, but this is the first time they've abandoned the red altogether. Seasonal red replacement cans will begin shipping next week and production of the white can has been halted.

Marketing heads at Coca-Cola said that this year's white can is part of a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to highlight the plight of arctic polar bears and their habitat. Too bad American consumers rose up in a collective 'screw that!' to WWF and cuddly polar bears and demanded the red back.

This is nothing compared to the uproar in 1985 when New Coke was introduced. I'm told people literally took to the streets with pitchforks and torches. I don't know where they went, but Coke quickly backpedaled and relaunched Coca-Cola Classic within weeks.

To help less-than-intelligent consumers who won't read or use their eyes, Coke has added a Fact Sheet to their website to help identify differences in the Diet Coke vs. White Classic Coke cans. Among the tips are: Regular Coke is labeled "Coca-Cola'' and states the calories at the front of the can, while Diet Coke's holiday can—silver as always—is labeled "Diet Coke'' and features snowflakes.

Well played, Coke.

What You Call 'Love' Was Invented By Guys Like Me, To Sell Nylons

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:44:00 +0000

Thus spoke Don Draper, Creative Director at Sterling Cooper Advertising in season one of Mad Men. And one thing Americans LOVE is their post-Thanksgiving consumerism.

Some other things that advertising created and consumerism fueled? The rampant and at times out-of-control sprees revolving around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Don Draper and his real-world advertising brethren are collectively patting one another on the back today.

Initial reports are saying that on US Black Friday, consumer purchases totaled around $52.4 billion - up 16% from last year. As of 3pm yesterday, Cyber Monday e-sales were put at $1.2 billion and climbing, pacing around 15% higher than 2010.

'Cyber Monday' was coined by advertising masterminds in 2005. By 2009 the US had more online sales on that monday than it did on Friday. That is marketing at work. Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Best Buy and others have led the charge to make Monday bigger than Friday, at least in online terms. And this year they took it one step further, with 12% of users browsing from mobile devices and tablets - making 7% of purchases from those devices.

With Black Friday came 226 million shoppers visiting stores. More joined them online to post record revenues for the day. In-person store visits alone accounted for 6.6% more sales than 2010. It was the largest single-day increase since 06-07 when sales rose 8.3% from year to year.

It will surprise you that "Black Friday" was actually coined by the Philadelphia Police Department to describe Friday after Thanksgiving in 1966 because of the massive amount of traffic/crime-related incidents. Travelers returning home, consumers out shopping and general post holiday congestion all contributed. Sorry Don Draper, can't give you that one.

Maybe the police departments will start using the term in its original context now that violence and shopper-rage has become the norm for retailers like Walmart and Best Buy. Over the past several years, Americans have trampled employees and each other - to death, put pregnant women in the hospital, threatened to go explosive "Call of Duty" on stores, shot/robbed one another (in line, in parking lots, in cars) and this year pepper sprayed people over $20 Nintendo Wii games.

Maybe Americans have ruined another good thing by making it unsafe for one another. Maybe marketing is at fault for over-hyping or perhaps it's the competitive shopping ideology that Walmarts and Best Buys encourage.

Those incidents won't make a man like Don Draper too pleased. As he tells it, "Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of a road that screams with reassurance that whatever you're doing is OK. You are OK."

Buffs End Road Losing Streak

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:30:00 +0000

A lot of things have happened since October 27, 2007. Among them: a new US president, world governments being overthrown, the last space shuttle launch, the Kardashian's had multiple marriages and divorces, I even moved to a different country. But the Buffaloes of the University of Colorado, Boulder had not won a road game until this past Friday.

The Buffs had 25 attempts since their last road victory in Lubbock against Texas Tech. Colorado had some near misses and some epic collapses away from Folsom (see Lawrence, Kansas). Somehow, they were able to hang on against the Utah Utes on November 25, 2011 to win 17-14 and finally get the monkey off our collective CU backs.

It took some luck and three missed field goals by the Utes kicker, but the Buffs did it. Colorado was a 22 point underdog going into their final game of the season, they were also 4 quarters away from the first 11-loss season in school history. They avoided it, but the victory is only bittersweet as it capped a forgettable 3-10 year.

With two seconds remaining on the clock, Utah placekicker Coleman Petersen missed his attempt from 48 yards out. CU coach John Embree had chosen to not ice him by taking a timeout and apparently the strategy worked. Before that, Utah had the ball as close as the CU 22 yard line heading in. Back-to-back sacks from the Buffs defense drove the Utes back and likely made the difference on the kick. Earlier in the game, Petersen had missed from as close as 26 yards away - it just wasn't his day.
With the loss, Utah saw their opportunity to represent the south division in the Pac 12 championship game skip away. Colorado, who previously had faced off against Nebraska each season on the day after Thanksgiving, went into the Utes backyard and took it away. The Pac 12 has billed the two conference newbies as rivals, but it just didn't feel like one last week. Maybe the memory of this Thanksgiving loss in 2011 with stoke some bitterness in Utah and we'll see a true Rocky Mountain rivalry in the seasons to come!

CU Notches First Pac-12 Win on Senior Day

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:32:00 +0000

The Colorado Buffaloes finally got their first victory in Pac-12 play when they defeated the Arizona Wildcats 48-29 in Boulder. The win came just in time for 28 seniors who were playing their last game at Folsom Field.

The Buffaloes had turned in a woeful season until Saturday under first year head coach John Embree. Following their narrow non-conference victory over rivals Colorado State, the Buffs were defeated by all opponents at home and on the road in the newly expanded Pac-12. They even entered Saturday as double-digit underdogs despite playing on home turf. Arizona (2-8 with only one conference win) is sharing the bottom of the pack with the Buffs, so the odds were even more insulting to Colorado.

Colorado persevered through winds gusting up to 71 mph to send their seniors off with a W. In the post game press conference, Embree brought all 28 seniors into the media room. Three rushing TD's and one passing TD from Rodney Stewart helped the buffs outpace the Wildcats in the second half. QB Tyler Hansen also passed for two TD's, going 16/26 for 213 yards with one INT.

Stewart ended the day with 181 yards rushing against a loose Wildcat defense. Senior WR, Tony Clemons extended his hot streak on Saturday with a 35 yard TD reception included in his 5-catch, 115-yard day. Sophomore running back Josh Ford opened his scoring account at CU as well, hitting a hole for a 17-yard TD scamper in the second quarter.

With the remaining two games away at UCLA and Utah, the questions stands, will the Buffs be able to get their first road win since 2007? Colorado has been plagued by horrible road trips since they last put up a W away from Folsom in the old Big XII. The streak of consecutive road losses is over 20 now and could climb further unless the Buffs can put together a complete game against the Bruins or Utes.

Playboy Classes Up Image of Teenage Drama Queen Lindsay Lohan

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:55:00 +0000

Lindsay Lohan is going to pose for the January/February edition of Playboy in the US, a spokesperson for the publication announced Monday.

This move might signal an effort to turn a corner after her years of turmoil or it might be the death throes of her troubled career. My guess is the second, judging from her cringey post-2007 IMDB resumé.

Lohan was released from jail (again) in the early hours of Monday morning after a judge ordered her to 30 days, but she was released only a little while after being booked. That ruling was handed down after Lohan admitted to violating her probation stemming from a necklace theft charge.

Lohan also has 53 days of court-ordered community service left which she is serving hilariously at a morgue. 'Six Feet Under' wishes their writers had gotten this creative. Lindsay must work a minimum of 12 days a month at the county morgue and also attend 18 psychotherapy sessions - I presume to help her deal with having to be around shit-tons of dead bodies.

Her representative, Steve Honig, defended her Playboy shoot saying, "Lindsay is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful women on the planet, and is regularly sought after by some of the top photographers in the world to appear on covers of magazines around the globe."

Easy on the 'planet', 'world' and 'globe' talk there Steve... Maybe Honig is caught in the time warp of Lindsay looking amazing back in 2004, when Mean Girls was released.

Now sadly, she's an alcohol addled cry for attention. A shell of her former self that is constantly appearing in front of a judge in disheveled attire or being picked on by paparazzi as she stumbles home from parties. What happened, Lindsay? You once were so hot!

Maybe the magicians in Playboys airbrush department can pull out a few tricks to spruce things up, but I'm more than a bit skeptical.

Divorce Cab for Cutie

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:45:00 +0000

So you're saying there's a chance! Zooey Deschanel has separated from her husband of two years, Ben Gibbard, the frontman of alternative rock band Death Cab for Cutie. I just knew 'Zooey Gibbard' didn't sound quite right! Gibbard, also a member of The Postal Service, married Deschanel in 2009.

Zooey is known for her quirky roles in movies like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Yes Man and 500 Days of Summer. She's also a bit quirky in real life as half of the alternative group He & She. It's probably her weirdness that makes her endearing and cute to the public. She's non-traditional, not trying to be the "hot" actress, but rather the demure girl next door. I think she's one girl who if she said, "I'm actually a complete nerd," I would believe it, sorry all your bikini models who claim that.

The separation is supposedly mutual and amicable and no "third parties" were involved. So send out the nerd alert because Deschanel is back in the singles pool. And she's looking cute as ever.

Music Month: Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Sundayhop has been wanting for new articles over the past several months. For that I'm sorry and I hope you'll accept my gift of some cool music for the rest of September as recompense. You may have heard these bands or they could be completely new to you, but in my humble opinion they are worth a listen. Enjoy my picks, maybeeven drop me some suggestions of your own - hopefully you'll discover some new tunes to enjoy!

Yeasayer is a Brooklyn, NY based group that describes their sound as "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel". They first appeared on the music scene with a solid performance at the SXSW festival in 2007. However, it was their second Album Odd Blood that has really started getting them attention by mixing more rock pop into their music. The single, 'Ambling Alp' has some reggae/ska elements and their second single 'O.N.E.' has gained consistent radio and music video play in the UK.

The album reached number 63 on the US Billboard 200 and number 64 on UK charts. However it hit number 5 for independent releases according to Billboard. In January 2011, 'The Hype Machine' blog labeled the group the "most blogged about group of 2010", so I guess I'm a little late to the party on these guys!

Yeasayer's two main lyricists, Keating and Wilder, shared writing duties for the 10 songs on Odd Blood. Keating, whose grandfather was a boxer in the late 1930s and early 1940s, was inspired to write "Ambling Alp" after reading about American boxer Joe Lewis.

Music month: Plan B - She Said

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Plan B is an extremely talented artist from London who started out as a rapper. Since he first emerged around 2005, Plan B (named Ben Drew) has expanded into acting, film directing and stretched his music into the realms of soul, funk and rock. He gained some noteriety while playing the role of Noel Winters in the film 'Harry Brown' starring Michael Caine. Plan B was responsible for the hit title track, ' End Credits'. The tune was Plan B's first top ten hit in the UK charts.

Plan B then released his second album and the film of the same name, 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks' on 12 April 2010. It was Plan B's further foray into a soul/rock style and the lead single 'Stay Too Long' reached number 9 on the UK charts. After the success of that soul concept album, his record company told him they were no longer interested in Plan B as a rap artist. Since then he has released his own rap albums - the music he originally intended to make - independently and carried on recording with his label on the stuff considered more radio-ready.

The tune below is from Plan B's alter ego and album Strickland Banks. It's a catchy little number that swings a long a little in a big band kind of way before morphing into straight time for a section. It's a pretty simple two-chord progression but relies on the instrumentation and singer to carry it along. Enjoy!

Music Month: Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Sundayhop has been wanting for new articles over the past several months. For that I'm sorry and I hope you'll accept my gift of some cool music for the rest of September as recompense. You may have heard these bands or they could be completely new to you, but in my humble opinion they are worth a listen. Enjoy my picks, maybe even drop me some suggestions of your own - hopefully you'll discover some new tunes to enjoy!

This artist is one of my favorites of the moment! Ed Sheeran is a bit of a newcomer to the scene. He recently broke through in the UK around June 2011 with his single "The A Team". That tune debuted at number 3 on the UK charts and helped him launch his first album with Asylum/Atlantic Records "+".

He was born in West Hampshire and through relentless touring from 2008 he built a following in England and released several EPs. While visiting Los Angeles, Jaime Foxx heard him playing at an open mic at The Foxxhole. That eventually led to Sheeran's first studio release with the hit, The A Team released as the main single.

'You Need Me' was announced for release as the second single for the album on August 28th. Sheeran got the opportunity to do a headline set at this summer's Glastonbury festival in the BBC Introducing Tent. His fame is snowballing in the UK as he will also play the Reading Festival this year. He's been on several BBC shows including 'Later...with Jools Holland" and I'm fairly certain he'll break into the US charts given a little time.

He draws influence from typical accoustic singer songwriters, but mixes it with rap and a bit of an electronic/urban edge. His debut album mixes all his sounds in a very ecclectic build up and cool down flow. I highly recommend getting your hands on his music; if you're in the US you'll have to wait though as it's not been released yet. + is definitely an album you can listen straight through start to finish.

Music Month: Cage the Elephant, 'Ain't No Rest For the Wicked'

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Sundayhop has been wanting for new articles over the past several months. For that I'm sorry and I hope you'll accept my gift of some cool music for the rest of September as recompense. You may have heard these bands or they could be completely new to you, but in my humble opinion they are worth a listen. Enjoy my picks, maybe even drop me some suggestions of your own - hopefully you'll discover some new tunes to enjoy!

Cage the Elephant was formed in 2006 and its members are mostly from Bowling Green, Kentucky. After gaining a following through live shows, the band moved to London in 2007 and released their self-titled debut album on 23 June, 2008. The album later released in the US and Canada April 2009 and scored a hit with their single 'Ain't No Rest For the Wicked' which hit 32 on the UK charts.

The tune actually started out as an accoustic effort, but evolved slowly into the form below. I like it because of the pared down, nylon strung slide guitar. It has an edge that makes gets you pumped up. Lead singer Matt Schultz stated the song was inspired by an old co-worker of his who at the time was a drug dealer. When Schultz asked him why he dealt drugs, the co-worker responded: "ain't no rest for the wicked." Because he was working in construction at the time, Schultz ended up penning the lyrics to the song on a piece of unfinished drywall while installing a ceiling.

Since then, the band has released two more studio efforts and continued their relentless touring around the world with performances at South by Southwest, Coachella, Glastonbury and various television shows like the Late Show and Tonight Show.

Music Month: Brett Dennen - Comeback Kid

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:17:00 +0000

Sundayhop has been wanting for new articles over the past several months. For that I'm sorry and I hope you'll accept my gift of some cool music for the rest of September as recompense. You may have heard these bands or they could be completely new to you, but in my humble opinion they are worth a listen. Enjoy my picks, maybe even drop me some suggestions of your own - hopefully you'll discover some new tunes to enjoy!

Brett Dennen is an awkwardly tall, ginger kid with a high vocal range and goofy shoes. I first heard him playing in an Apple store with just an acoustic guitar and mic. He tours insatiably and has several albums released now. He's worked his way from Boulder's B-side lounge up into Dave Matthews Band's tour caravan in 2011. It's quite a long way to come for the California kid.

His music is a bit of Paul Simon circa Graceland mixed with Jack Johnson's easy tunes, Bob Dylan's lyrics and a dash of straight John Mayer rock. His songs are quiet and easy to listen to, all clearly built around him and his guitar. His backing band has steadily grown and become more plugged in over the years, but if yougo back and check out his earlier stuff like 'Ain't no Reason' or 'Darling Do Not Fear' you'll hear those early Simon/Dylan influences.

I'm convinced his hard work is going to get him into public favor. His following has grown by leaps and bounds over recent years. I think he'll eventually break on through to the other side and then I get to say "I listened to him when..."

California Economy Collapses After HIV Scare Halts Porn Production

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:07:00 +0000

California's fragile economy was dealt a massive blow on Monday when the porn industry was forced to shut production across Los Angeles. The shutdown came after news that a performer had tested positive for HIV. The San Fernando Valley was quiet as stunned residents wondered how to carry on in the face of such tragedy. Will California's economy be able to overcome a blow as massive as no more porn?

Performers in the adult film industry are obliged to be tested for HIV every 30 days according to the Free Speech Coalition, an industry trade group. "According to the information that is available, the performer in question may have tested positive for HIV," The FSC said in a statement. A moratorium on production is in effect until the degree of exposure to other performers is determined.

Those who were exposed to the actor in question will be quarantined and retested. The performers name, age and gender were not made available to the public.

Industry standards require a performer to show a clean test report before they are allowed to film/perform. The 30 day testing policy is voluntary, but in this case it is believed to have been followed according to the industry standard. On Monday, an AIDS Advocacy group used the latest development to push for a measure on the state June 2012 ballot requiring all porn actors to wear condoms in films. But people quickly told them that sucks and to shutup.

Following news of the porn stoppage, the New York Stock Exchange fell 500 points and the United States Dollar dropped in value versus the Pound Sterling, Yen and Euro. Truck stops across Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska have begun turning people away and boarding up their windows. Hilton and Marriot Hotels are reporting that revenues from in-room pay-per-view have dropped dramatically. Rioting occured in LA, Kansas City, Miami and New York when the news broke.

However, reports are pouring in from across the United States that internet browsing speeds are at their highlest rates ever. Youtube videos are buffering faster and Facebook albums are loading at unheard of speeds. Authorities in Salt Lake City, Utah reported that all was quiet and peaceful as normal. Click here to see more at MSNBC.

Nasri out as Arsenal, Wenger Turn Hopes to Gunner's Youth

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:43:00 +0000

With Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri out of London, Arsene Wenger has turned his hopes to new youth in the Gunners camp. Despite those two players being only 24, they were some of the most veteran and experienced members of the Gunners squad. Fabregas joined from Barcelona at 16 and Nasri from Marseille at 21, both were fixtures in Arsenal's starting lineup. Wenger is famous for building up youngsters, but has he gone too far this time?

Arsene expects Welshman, Aaron Ramsey and Englishman, Jack Wilshere to be the most likely replacements. The two should flourish in their increased playing time. However, injuries and suspensions have left Arsenal dangerously thin. Wilshere is still out, along with defender Laurent Koscielny and mids Abou Diaby and Thomas Rosicky. Suspensions have been handed out to Emmanuel Frimpong, Alex Song and new signing Gervinho.

If this keeps up, Wenger might have no choice but to call up Robin Van Persie Jr. (four) from the youth ranks/team nursery. Despite having around 35 million gbp from player sales this transfer window, Wenger will probably fill out the squad with Arsenal under-13s academy players.

The most likely picks would be these three: Baby Bendtner, Gervinho Junior and Lil' Arshavin, pictured here in nursery training camp. He can move them up from their weekly allowances of 5gbp/week to salaries more in line with premier league first-teamers.

My guess is that he'll use the three mostly to distract and confuse opponents. Have them run in circles, tug at players' shirts and generally get in the way to cog up the midfield. It will be less of a beautiful style from Arsenal, but perhaps they need that scrappy play to make it in this year's league.

Still, it's sad to lose great players who are only just coming into their prime. Fabregas returned to Barcelona where he grew up. Arsenal signed him from Barca at age 16 and nutured him into the great field commander he is now. The desire to return to a club that wins on every level was too strong for Cesc - and 30 million Euros plus incentives was too much for the Gunners to turn down.

Nasri leaves to an over-crowded Manchester City midfield as well. The 25 million gbp transfer fee will probably sit unused in Arsenal's coffers. Meanwhile, Nasri will have to compete with Silva, De Jong, Adam Johnson, Milner, Barry, Toure and Wright-Phillips for playing time. The cash-rich City side have more good players in the outfield than they know what to do with. It remains to be seen if Samir will get solid game time or if he'll be relegated to the bench.

Will it Be The Death Penalty for Miami Football?

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:51:00 +0000

Most of you have read about the developing Miami Football scandal and I will sum it up later, but let's first look at a couple facts. Not so long ago, the USC Trojans were docked 30 scholarships and given a two-year bowl ban over the issues stemming from two players: Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo. Miami's whistleblower is implicating himself, Hurricane assistant and head coaches, school board members and 73 former and current players over an eight-year stretch. It's not looking good for Miami...

Nevin Shapiro is in prison for 20 years due to his role in a $930 million Ponzi scheme uncovered by the feds a couple years back. With his free time in prison, Shapiro decided to spill the beans on his involvement in another scandal. He claims that from 2002-10, he provided thousands of impermissible benefits to at least 72 University of Miami athletes.

These benefits included cash, prostitutes, meals, entertainment at his mansions/yacht and in one case an abortion. Shapiro claims he spent millions on the players in addition to his booster donations to the athletic department - which came from his earnings in the Ponzi scheme. He was allowed on the field, led the team out several times, hosted fund-raising parties attended by coaches and the school prez and even hosted recruits' families during stays in Miami.

In short, things look a bit dire for the U. The paperwork turned over to the NCAA infractions committee is extensive and exhaustive. It has led NCAA president Mark Emmert to reassert that he's willing to back up his tough stance on rule-breakers, including use of the death penalty. "If, and I say if, we have very unique circumstances where TV bans and death penalties are warranted, then I don't think they are off the table and I would be OK with putting those in place," Emmert told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.

The last program to receive the death penalty was Southern Methodist Univ's football team in the 1987. After discovering that players had been paid, the NCAA brought down the axe and ended the program - it returned in 1989 but never fully recovered. The SMU Mustangs have had only one winning season since the scandal.

The number of players and coaches involved and the fact that it happened consistently over eight years makes this arguably a more serious infraction. The NCAA is five months into their investigation and are certainly going to bring more pain than they brought on USC. But will they go as far as to give the Hurricane's football program the axe? I believe it isn't warranted, but perhaps a post season ban matching the number of years the scandal was allowed to carry on would be enough. Perhaps cutting at least as many scholarships as USC had cut - 30 - would do the trick. It would certainly be the most high profile program to get the curtain. Only time will tell.

Sony Wins Big at the 2011 Pwnie Awards

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:44:00 +0000

A big win at the Pwnie Awards for Sony is actually a bad thing. Sony won it for being the most high profile hacking case of the last year. The award they won was titled "Pwnie for Most Epic Fail".

For the uninitiated, 'Pwn' is the gamer jargon for being owned, controlled or otherwise dominated. the myth has is that some early online gamer spelled own wrong and PWN was born. Add the 'ie' to the end of it and you get a word that is pronounced 'pony', and the award given out by hackers to hackers.

Held in conjunction with the Black Hat Computer Security Conference in Las Vegas, the Pwnies is a tongue-in-cheek awards show for feats of supremacy in the hacking world. The two major awards given out are "Pwnie for Most Epic Fail" and "Pwnie for Most Epic 0wnage".
The latter was awarded to the Stuxnet worm for it's 0wnage of Iranian nuclear facilities attack. Widely thought to have been produced by the US government, the worm basically destroyed Iran's nuclear hopes for the next several years by taking control of their centrifuges and causing them to spin out of control. The spinning eventually destroyed the centrifuges altogether.

Sony won the Most Epic Fail award for succumbing to hacker attacked on it's Playstation platform. After a couple hackers published ways to unlock your PS3 online, Sony sued them for everything they had. This is turn, riled up every other hacker on the planet pretty much, which led to a massive Sony attack that resulted in them losing tons of personal data, including credit card numbers, to the hacker community. Really it was friends standing up for friends. And it was epic: 77 million names, addresses, emails, birthdays, etc were stolen and the PlayStationNetwork went down.

Hackers coined a new phrase after that - Sownage, or 'getting owned as much as Sony'.

Of course, the award given at the Pwnie Awards is basically a My Little Pony statue. The golden horse has a mane of purple or pink and is awarded to the winner in each class. Ironically, this little toy is the Oscar of the world's computer hacking community.

Haynesworth Skips Patriots Practice for Burger King

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:41:00 +0000

Defensive Liveman Albert Haynesworth was officially acquired by the New England Patriots on Saturday, then promptly missed his first practice on Sunday. Albert's absence fueled speculation that he had failed the team conditioning tests due to too many off-season burgers. Coach Belichick's non-answer didn't help either as he said, "There are things we still need to do with Albert for him to be able to get on the practicefield, and when those things are done, he'll be out there."

Haynesworth has a long history of skipping practices to go to Burger King. Last season with the Washington Redskins, coach Mike Shanahan held Fat Albert out for several weeks as he repeatedly failed team conditioning test. Shanahan was vocal in the press, calling out Haynesworth for his love of Whoppers and inability to walk up a set of stairs without stopping to take a knee.

During the same interview, Belichick didn't really give ringing endorsement to Albert. Asked whether he thought football was important to Haynesworth, Belichick said, "Of course, otherwise I don't think he would be playing football. But those are questions you can ask him. I don't want to speak for him." ...Ouch.

Later in the day, rumors spread through various media outlets when this picture was posted, supposedly showing Albert having a mid-afternoon snack instead of attending team fitness and conditioning practice.

Invasion of the Beautiful British Broads

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:48:00 +0000

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Emma Watson have conquered US box offices so far this summer and with Hayley Atwell set to step into the mix in Captain America: the First Avenger, Summer 2011 has definitely been a British invasion.

Rosie Hungtington Whiteley's Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon has already turned in a summer's best total of $302,878,797 gross domestic revenue in the US. Emma Watson returned as Hermoine in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the final chapter in the Potter saga, clocking a new record for largest opening weekend ever with $168,600,000 domestic gross. Hayley Atwell will complete the trifecta and the Americans are really nowhere to be seen.

Is this post just a gratuitous excuse to post pictures of beautiful Britsih women? Perhaps, but it definitely makes me wonder what happened to the American gals?! Megan Fox is so two years ago, Scarlett Johannson is busy making obscure Woody Allen art pieces, Fast Five's Jordana Brewster isn't up to the international stunner challenge yet and even Pirates of the Carribean 4: On Stranger Tides opted for Spanish leading ladies in Penelope Cruz and Astrid Berges-Frisbey (smoking hot mermaid newcomer).

Only Natalie Portman in Thor cracks the domestic top five in gross revenue. I'm fairly certain that Hayley Atwell's character, Peggy Carter, will knock Portman down a notch or two. That is considering that Peggy can, "do everything Captain America can do, but backwards and in high heels." Summer '11 will definitely be ruled by the ladies from across the pond.

Captain America: The First Avenger releases this weekend and marks the final piece of the puzzle that Mavel Comics has been putting together for years. It follows the release of Thor, Ironman, Ironman 2, The Incredible Hulk and the Spiderman series. Though Spiderman supposedly won't feature in 2012's The Avengers, the rest of heroes will be there led by Captain America.

Despite coming into the spotlight from three different directions; Emma via childhood stardom, Rosie from the modeling world and Hayley cutting her teeth in Victorian period dramas, all three are now certified blockbuster stars. While I'm excited to see Ms. Atwell in the new Captain America, but I still vote for Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's entrace scene in Transformers 3 featuring a men's button-down and no trousers as the current reigning champ for best scene.

Heineken Light Is For Folks With Handlebar Moustaches

noreply@blogger.com (JayPwn) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Whenever I try to grow out some facial hair, friends and concerned colleagues stop me around the 5-day mark; before things get out of hand. Perhaps it's for the best so I don't scare women and children with my multicolored beard. Heineken Light, however, it encouraging the return of old-timey facial decorations!

I don't know whether this new spot is inane or brilliant, but it does make me long for a Victorian era renaissance of gentlemanly mustaches. I imagine a world of Dustin Hoffman Captain Hook's wandering the streets of London and Manhattan.

However, Heineken warns us that 'there are things best saved for the right occasion,' but then go on to say, they can make that right situation even righter. The spot below is from Weiden+Kennedy New York, enjoy!