Ananas

The Canadians won't buy into the whole Beckham thing on principle.....They prefer Stalteri...

The number seems either way too high, or LA and MLS are in trouble with this signing. The funny thing is, I thought there was a low salary cap in MLS.

So it's a 5 year $250,000,000 contract, that's 50mil per year: Okay, so the Home Depot Center (Galaxy's home stadium) seats 27,000. Let's say the average ticket is $50. 16 home games, let's say they sell out every game... that's $21,600,000. So if they can make up $28,400,000 in merchandising, licensing, broadcast revenue, away gates... they can start paying off everyone else's contracts and other expenses. Anyone else having trouble making financial sense of this deal?

That looks so stupid it may just be brilliant.

House - "Words And Deeds" - 8/10 That was the only plausible ending to the Tritter saga that wouldn't suck. It didn't come off silly, it didn't make Tritter look weak and it left House as a true bad ass. Great stuff.

Silverchair - Freakshow Great album. Someone needs to bring the rock back.

Freedom Writers - 7/10 You know in the past 2 years, according to my lists (yes, I am so patently self absorbed as to keep lists), the only January film I have enjoyed is "Coach Carter". For most studios this month has in the past been the dumping ground for projects too unmarketable or unwatchable for release during more competitive months. Last year the first film I saw was "Bloodrayne", and appropriately enough that would go on to hold the position of worst of the year. In fact, all 4 of the January films I saw (the others being "Underworld: Evolution", "Big Momma's House 2" and "Grandma's Boy") would go on to factor in my yearly bottom 10. How encouraging is the year 2007 then that its first major new release is also very good. Directed by Richard LaGravenese ("Living Out Loud") and starring Hilary Swank, "Freedom Writers" tells the inspirational story of Erin Gruwell, a bright eyed new teacher who inspires her inner city English class to demand more out of their lives. I can't say as though I went into the film with particularly high expectations (the idea that a Hilary Swank film should be delayed until January doesn't bode particularly well), but what I got may end up being the surprise of the winter. Hilary Swank is very solid as always, and she is rounded out by a tremendously spirited cast of newcomers. The narrative is grounded by the gritty-for-PG-13 looks at life in Long Beach ghettos, and fueled by soft parallels with "The Diary of Anne Frank". The cynic may not find the grit and authenticity he or she may be looking for, but for the rest of us there's some real heart in this one.

SherryBaby - 6/10 This is all Gylenhaal. Without her it's a wreck, but with her it's a marginal pass. I wouldn't say she's tops in lead performances this year, but kudos on singlehandedly carrying a film like this.

Blood Diamond - 6/10 The most disappointing aspect of this movie is not that it's weak, it's that it could easily have been so much better. Leonardo Dicaprio and Djimon Hounsou give great performances and the story is told with gruesome realism, but at 2 hours and 20 minutes it comes off as bloated and fractured. As I've already said Dicaprio is great, but I'd still say he was better in The Departed. I do give the studio's credit for financing a film on such an important issue though, and it's ultimately a watchable if clearly flawed epic.

A guy got 3 years in jail for posting a DVD screener of Star Wars Episode 3 before it leaked. Surely anyone who fucks with Jack Bauer will get the chair? And I shall wait, because there's no excitement quite like watching it live, waiting with anticipation for commercials to end and the like. 24 is the best event TV around.

Okay I hate to bump, but now that I've seen all the best picture nominees, just thought I'd rank them: 1. The Departed 2. Borat 3. Little Miss Sunshine 4. Little Children 5. The Queen 6. Dreamgirls 7. Babel 8. The Devil Wears Prada 9. Thank You For Smoking 10. Bobby All very good except for Bobby, which was a sentimental clap trap. Good on the HFPA for some really good nominees this year. With the exception of Children of Men's snub of course, which considering Bobby's nod ranks as one of the more severe moments of lunacy in recent GG history.

Little Children - 8/10 Man, every year there seem to be a few films that critics blow out of proportion and give (what I believe to be) undue accolades to. If the Golden Globe Best Picture nominees of 2007 are any indication, this may not prove to be one of those years. Kate Winslet and Jackie Earle Haley give outstanding performances, and I really love Jennifer Connelly in her understated role. Patrick Wilson has to be one of the gutsiest actors in Hollywood, having first played a pedophile in "Hard Candy" and now an adulterer in this film. Director Todd Field plays it completely unbiased; like "Hard Candy" before it, the film makes no judgements, only presents the series of events with a mix of tragedy, dark humour, irony and literary illusions. It's an immensely put together film and very entertaining.

Little Miss Sunshine - 8/10 This is a great comedy that comes off sort of like Wes Anderson but with more heart. Its "dysfunctional" family is actually quite beautiful, and the film illustrates just how well this cast of characters, which includes a recent suicide attemptee, a heroin addict, a bespectacled beauty queen hopeful, a teenage boy on a vow of silence and a failing motivational speaker, really serve to compliment each other. There are some tremendously funny moments, and the last 20 minutes or so are perhaps the best I've seen in any film this year. Just really great, funny, inspirational stuff here. P.S. Toni Collette and Beyonce for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy? Now that's a tough choice.

They shot the show in the leg when they moved it to Thursdays at 8pm after one season and without a decent timeslot partner. You notice they haven't made that mistake with 24, House or Prison Break, and it's because they realise it was a mistake. This week's episode was the weakest of the season, but still better than arguably anything in the 2nd or 3rd season outside of "Rainy Day Women". I sure hope the Seth-Summer marriage avoidance thing isn't something that's a really long drawn out arc, but I can take it as a 2-3 episode thing. Sandy was particularly awesome this week; it's good to see Peter Gallagher finally having some material to work with this year.

Rocky IV - 6/10 This whole series depends on the ability to rally the audience around Rocky, and I must say that so far, this one is the least effective. Still, the "revenge" plot against the Communist oppressor storyline clearly rang true in the 80's, and even now it's easy to get behind it because we all love Creed. Good enough, even though it's the worst of the 4 I've seen so far.

Children of Men - 8.5/10 Okay 2 Mexican heavyweight directors down, 1 to go. So far they're 2 for 2, and Children of Men is better than Babel in every way. It's a raw, foreboding vision of the future complimented by Alfonso Cuaran's visual style and a great lead performance by Clive Owen. After Prisoner of Azkaban and now this, Alfonso Cuaran is about a film away from being a true Hollywood heavyweight. Dreamgirls - 8/10 I only saw this one because time constraints forced me to buy my CoM ticket on debit, leaving me with a gift certificate to cash in on a whim. Thank God for long lines. Energetic musical sequences, exciting visuals and standout performances make this film the best movie musical in some time. I almost feel sorry for Beyonce; her pitch perfect turn as Deena Jones is almost certain to be overshadowed by the amazing Jennifer Hudson come Oscar time. Eddie Murphy is also great as Jimmy Early, and it's a shame that next up he prepares to don a dress and play 500 roles in some shitty comedy again. Great movie, and an excellent surprise.