Friday, March 7, 2008

How I Spent My Week Off (In Bed)

Friday March 7 8:15 PM

It's Picard's fault. Two weeks ago we had a grand time at Hotel Nelligan celebrating The Team 990's 2nd Sports Personality Of The Year luncheon. Robin Burns told dirty Irish jokes. Donald K Donald told a dirty Bo Diddley story. Shayne Murphy played dirty guitar. And Bob Gainey dropped an F bomb on live radio. And then we partied.

I'm still not sure what happened between the time I headed home for a quick nap and the following Monday but I do know that Picard lost his voice. Rod Francis lost his dinner. Scott Saxon lost his way (again). Connor McKenna lost his good sense. And Marco Polo almost lost his license.

I should have insisted that Francis stay away form the office because when he finally returned mid-week he sounded like Dave Manson. Looked like Marilyn Manson. And bled from the nose like Charles Manson (I have no idea what the connection is but it sounds right). Three days later I felt like I had been hit by a train. No way was I going to miss back to back concerts by Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen. So into my box of medicine I checked and out came these huge music notes with words from "Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again"


Now the rainman gave me two cures,
Then he said, "Jump right in."

The one was Texas medicine,

The other was just railroad gin.

An' like a fool I mixed them

An' it strangled up my mind,
An' now people just get uglier

An' I have no sense of time.


Back to the stage in just a few minutes...


What I had planned to say before I was knocked off my feet was that Bob Gainey was doing a terrific job as GM of the Habs. Even before he questioned which language Noel Butler spoke. 


Not to re-hash trade deadline day but you could see the Huet trade coming from a season away. No way Gainey was about to lock up seven figures for a back up. Au revoir Cristobal et merci. Where exactly is the playoff experience that Gainey's detractors keep poitning to? Six games for Huet, with four losses. Carey Price meantime...ah, you know his story by now.


Heres what you really need to know about Gainey and the Habs:





That's the roster of the Canadiens and Hamilton Bulldogs when Gainey began work in Montreal in May of 2003. Now check out the draft, in the seasons just prior to Gainey's arrival and-just as important-when Trevor Timmins replaced Pierre Dorion as chief scout:


Gainey also hired Guy Carbonneau. And-vital for a team that had to re-build-hired Doug Jarvis then Don Lever and Ron Wilson to coach in Hamilton.


Now anybody who looks back four seasons (five years including the lockout) and doesn't see significant progress is simply not paying attention. Or choosing to ignore the obvious.

What's even scarier for opponents is that in addition to being about "a year ahead of the curve" (according to Carbonneau) is that Gainey has positioned himself to strike dramatically in the off season. For example, if I'm the Florida Panthers and looking to trade Olli Jokinen (actually I would keep Jokinen and fire Jacques Martin), is there a better group of cheap, talented players than the ones held by Gainey? NHL ready, almost NHL ready and just drafted?


If patience is a virtue than Canadiens fans have themselves a virtuoso. So what if he didn't get Marian Hossa.



Now back to the show.........


Steve Earle and Allison Moorer played (almost) solo acoustic at Theatre Outremont last Saturday night. I love the place. I'm certain Earle does too after the old palace lost complete power about one third of the way through his set. After telling fans to settle down, Earle correctly pointed out that most old theatres have great acoustics, so he stepped to the front of the stage with no light or microphone and sang and strummedd two long beautiful songs including "Goodbye" which earned him a standing ovation. 10 minutes of a true troubadour.

Then came the power and the beats, courtesy of DJ Neil MacDonald which went over a lot better than I thought it would. It gave Earle the opportunity to play almost his entire new album-Washington Square Serenade-without a band.


Other highlights included Moorer's own set of female covers from her gorgeous new album "Mockingbird"...Earle shaking his head after his newest wife left the stage muttering "I am seriously over-married"....and dedicating a song he hasn't played in years "Little Rock 'N Roller" to his now 26 year old son Justin Townes Earle (also a recording artist) and his recently deceased dad. Yes Copperhead Road sent everybody home happy. Except one or two heard muttering about the fact that there was no band.









Sunday morning and I felt like I had been hammered all over my body as I slept. But Springsteen and the E Street band were back in town. And I had an early date with Little Steven.


Bada-Bing!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Michel F*&@ING Beaudry & Dan F#$%ING Burton

Friday February 15 8 PM

What a ridiculous week.

Ryan O'Byrne and Tom Kostopolous are arrested at a bar in Tampa. Nobody in Montreal really knows what happened. Yet we're supposed to believe they "sullied" the good name and reputation of the Montreal Canadiens and their fans. (Fake outrage & humiliation before proceeding.)

I love Chris Chelios. I'd rank him alongside Larry Robinson on my all- time Habs team. But he may have done more "damage" in a single hour circa 1987 than O'Byrne & Kostopolous could have possibly done in eight hours or so at and following the rookie dinner. Ditto for Shayne Corson. Mike Keane. Brian Skrudland. Guy Lafleur. John Ferguson. Want to hear that some of the best players of any given era were squeaky clean? Go read a fairy tale. The over-the-top reaction to the story will, in the end, likely far surpass the actual events of the night in question.

I have no clue what O'Byrne was thinking. Wait, scratch that. I'm a guy. I have some idea. What I'm more certain of is that Kostopolous, without getting physical with anybody, got himself arrested to make sure rookie O'Byrne didn't spend the night in jail by himself.

Kostopolous already made a name for himself-for all the wrong reasons-very early in the season when he had the audacity to cough up the puck in his own end which led directly to a Senators goal and victory in Ottawa. Reaction? You would have thought that he had impregnated Mitsou with the anti-Christ.

Slowly, Canadiens' fans have come to, if not fully appreciate the guy, understand why he's on the team. Hard work. Tireless. Selfless. Stands up for his team and teammates. Harder along the boards than Mike Johnson. Very limited ability but appreciated by the people who matter most.

So when Michel Beaudry decided to childlishy make fun of the winger on 110% he thought he was merely playing to the crowd. But the more sophisticated fan saw it for what it really was. Not necessarily a racist comment (loved that Friday on air apology to PJ Stock when Beaudry claimed he couldn't be racist because he "lives in (racially mixed) Brossard". Yes, but does he live next door to a non-white resident? Yeesh.) but a direct hit on an English guy who was playing at the expense of a French player (Steve Begin). Let's be honest about this. No way does Beaudry-or anybody on that panel-criticize a French player by poking fun at his name. No way. And if you believe otherwise you likely also believe Roger Clemens' denials of steroid use.

http://www.tqs.ca/videos/110/2008/02/debat-110----partie-2-24460.php

TQS is at least as much at fault as Beaudry. They hired him for a reason. 12 different guys yelling at each other was not enough. So they decided to hire somebody else who's NHL-knowledge expiration date coincided with the ousting of the Rejean Houle regime.

Beadry is to TQS what Rush Limbaugh was to NFL Today.

We received an enormous amount of e-mails as a result of what Beaudry said. Many from the Greek community. But an equal number came from French Montrealers who were also embarassed. Unfortunatley we also got a few from those who will always try to exploit a situation like this to try to paint all French citizens with the same xenophobic brush. Not fair.

Michel Beaudry is not a French Asshole. He's just an asshole.

.......................................................................................................................

Now that the Leafs have hit the rock bottom of the Eastern Confrence standings here's a mini "I told you so" from an early October post:

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

NHL East; Who's The Boss?
Tuesday October 2 10:22 PM (Bucky "Effin" Dent Day-no longer nearly as painful)Listening to "Magic" by Springsteen while wondering what Habs marketing genius Ray Lalonde has planned after placing billboards all over town of Maxim Lapierre, the 22 year old checking centerman who has a total of 47 games of NHL experience. Oops, now playing at an arena in Hamilton. What's next-television commercials featuring the key to the Habs blueline-Jean-Phillipe Cote?

Ok, here we go...drumroll please....how the NHL's Eastern Conference will wind up:
1. Ottawa: Spezza, Alfredsson & Heatley...who can possibly defeat me? (How about that 8th place team)
2. Pittsburgh: Crosby wins everything, including the Cup, then asks for trade to Montreal
3. Carolina: Back to top of Southeast but an early spring exit
4. NY Rangers: Sean Avery hosts season finale of SNL
5. Philadelphia: Paul Holmgren, Executive of the Year (By 2009 he'll look like an idiot)
6. Buffalo: Still stacked with talent; Tim Connelly is comeback player of the year
7. New Jersey: Brent Sutter takes them to the top...once they're in Newark
8. Montreal: Stop laughing; Carey Price makes the difference; all bets are off it's Huet
9. Florida: Olli Jokinen still looking for a playoff game
10.Washington: Olie Kolzig runs out of gas
11.Atlanta: Kovalchuk demands a trade by Christmas
12.NY Islanders: Di Pietro wins a Cup in 8th year of his contract
13.Tampa Bay: Tortorella finally fired; Feaster too
14. Boston:Next team for Claude Julien, the Leafs...
15. Toronto: Dysfunctional goofs would rather have John Ferguson Jr. than Scotty Bowman

Not bad, huh?

In addition to finding somebody to play alongside Saku Koivu & Chris Higgins Habs GM Bob Gainey has to be looking for some useful muscle. If not, by season's end Alex Kovalev will go from looking "sexy-ugly" (courtesy Andie Bennett) to just plain scary-ugly. Can former Hab Scott Thornton (LA Kings) still play?

Want to know more about the guy who made the biggest fool of himself this week on Capitol Hill in Washington? No, silly, not Roger Clemens. Indiana congressman Dan Burton, who seemed pained that Brian McNamee had previously lied to reporters and others about steroid use by Clemens and others he worked for.

"This is disgusting!", huffed Burton while questioning McNamee. "All lies!...the only thing I believe at this point is that I don't believe you!"

Here's the skinny on Mr. Burton, courtesy of Wikepedia:

Drug Warrior
In 1990, Burton introduced legislation that would require the death penalty for drug dealers. "We must educate our children about the dangers of drugs," Burton said, "and impose tough new penalties on dealers." In 1994, son Dan Burton, Jr. (Danny) was arrested while transporting nearly eight pounds of marijuana from Louisiana to Indiana. Just five months later, while awaiting trial in that case, police raided his Indianapolis apartment and Danny was arrested again for growing thirty marijuana plants. Police also found a shotgun in the apartment. Under federal law, Danny faced a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison just for the gun, plus up to three years in prison under state law for all the marijuana. Federal charges were never filed, and Indiana prosecutors got his charges dismissed. In Louisiana, he wound up receiving a mild sanction: a term of community service, probation and house arrest.[15][16]

[edit] Golf junkets
In 1997, Burton played in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with the AT&T's chairman. At the time, Burton headed the congressional committee overseeing the award of a federal telecommunications contract. AT&T hosted a fundraiser for Burton at the tournament.[17]
In 2004, the Guam government and tourism industry paid for Burton and two aides to fly to the Pacific Island in December. In addition to some official events including touring a military facility, Burton played in a charity golf tournament. After he returned, Burton tried to help Guam's tourism industry get a sought-after change in visa rules.[17]
In 2005, Burton accepted a trip to Taiwan paid for by the ROC-USA Business Council. The junket cost $15,520.[18]
Burton missed the beginning of the 2007 legislative session, choosing instead to play golf in California[19]. Upon his return, a measure banning lawmakers from accepting gifts and free trips from lobbyists and discounted trips on private planes was put before Congress. The measure passed 430-1, with Burton the sole vote against the measure.[20]

[edit] Missed votes
In February 2007, a review of House votes by the Indianapolis Star for the past decade showed that Burton had been absent every year votes coincided with the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Burton ranked last in voting among Indiana lawmakers in 2006, casting ballots in 89% of the 541 recorded votes.[17]

[edit] "... off the coast of Bolivia"
On March 29, 1995, during congressional hearings on the US War on Drugs, Burton proclaimed that the US military should place an aircraft carrier off the coast of Bolivia and crop dust the coca fields. It was later pointed out to him that a) Bolivia is landlocked and has no coast (Burton was chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee); b) the Bolivian coca fields (in the yungas and Amazon lowlands) are beyond the reach of any carrier-borne crop-duster, being separated from the nearest coastline (the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile) by the 20,000+ feet high peaks of the Andes; and c) F-18s cannot crop-dust. While criticism of this mis-statement was muted in Washington, it sparked a major anti-American backlash in Bolivia, derailing the same War on Drugs that Burton purported to be speaking for. [21] [22]

[edit] Investigation of Democratic Party fund-raising
Main article:House Government Reform and Oversight Committee investigation of alleged campaign finance abuse
In 1997, Burton headed an investigation into possible Democratic Party campaign finance abuse, focusing on the 1996 Presidential election. The committee investigation ran for several years and issued over 1,000 subpoenas of Clinton administration officials and cost over $7 million.[23]. The committee, and Burton's leadership, were labeled a "farce"[24], a "travesty"[25], a "parody"[25], and "its own cartoon, a joke, and a deserved embarrassment".[26]
In March 1997, as the investigation began, Burton was accused of demanding a $5,000 contribution from a Pakistani lobbyist. The lobbyist said that when he was unable to raise the funds, Burton complained to the Pakistani ambassador and threatened to make sure "none of his friends or colleagues" would meet with the lobbyist or his associates.[27]
In May 1998, Burton apologized for releasing edited transcripts of prison audiotapes of Webster Hubbell, a former associate of President Bill Clinton. The edited transcripts omitted substantial information and differed significantly from the original recordings. Burton was harshly criticized by members of his own party, including Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who called the investigation a "circus", and chided Burton for initially refusing to admit any error.[28].
David Bossie, the staff member who arranged the editing and release of the tapes, resigned on Burton's request. Noting that Burton had personally released the tapes and had supported Bossie's plans over the objections of other committee staffers and attorneys, Democrats urged Burton to step down as well. Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt said, "A committee staff member should not be made the scapegoat for Chairman Burton's mistakes, missteps, and misdeeds."[28] Burton said, "I take responsibility for those mistakes," but never resigned nor faced any consequences for his actions[28].
In President Clinton's final year in office, Burton was mentioned in a short film for the White House Correspondent's Dinner. President Clinton: Final Days, which depicted Clinton as a lonely man closing down a nearly-deserted White House. Clinton is shown hitting golf balls from the South Lawn, and gets excited when he hits a car parked in a spot near the U.S. Capitol that says "Reserved for Chairman Burton."

Insert laugh track here.

Until next week..in the meantime check out Dawn Tyler-Watson & Paul Deslauriers at
http://www.dawnandpaul.com/
They were tremendous in studio on Friday.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Oops

Monday February 4, 12:15 PM

Ok, I got it wrong. And my numbers were slightly skewered. In the words of the immortal Dick Pound, "So sue me".

More later....

Friday, February 1, 2008

19-0

Friday February 1, 9 PM

"Predictions are for Gypsies" - Toe Blake

Always thought I had gypsy blood so here goes...The Patriots can't be stopped. It's almost as if it's all been pre-destined. I've had this feeling a few times in my life. The 1971 Canadiens, once Ken Dryden showed up. The 1993 Habs (once they beat Quebec).The 1994 Rangers breaking a 50 year drought to win the Stanley Cup. Ray Bourque running out of time as Colorado won the Cup. John Elway winning a Super Bowl. Peyton Manning a year ago.The '81 Expos....oh, never mind.

How can a team go 18-0 and lose the Big One? No, silly, not easy. Tom Brady steps on a white rose petal meant for Giselle and breaks his ankle. Or Michael Strahan busts on through to the other side and does to Brady's leg what Lawrence Taylor once did to Joe Theismann (I still can't watch):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPBy21OD4rA

I know the Giants haven't lost on the road since Rudy Guliani was the Republican front-runner but this is the Patriots they're playing. It's not happening. Eli Manning goes 17-33 for 175 yards with one td & one intercption. Brady does a lot more. Pats win 33-17. (Hmm...just noticed this 17-33 pattern. Add 'em all up and it equals 14-two conversted touchdowns. See!(ever notice those numbers they put up on the RDS telecast after each period. Some of them are meaningful. But then there are the bafflers, like on Thursday night; Victor Kozlov has 24 points in 37 career games against the Canadiens. So?).

Most amusing story of Super Bowl week is Pennsylvannia Senator Arlen Spector complaining about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall destroying Bill Belichick's stash from "spy-gate". The same Arlen Spector who came up with the cockamamie single bullet theory to help prove that Lee Harvey Oswald assasinated John F Kennedy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Fl9ZVJ7B8

So I'm back...to the velvet underground Back to the floor....that I love To a room with some lace and paper flowers Back to the gypsy...that I was...to the gypsy...that I was...

Monday, January 21, 2008

Warning! Music ONLY!

Monday January 21 7:45 PM

I miss Jeff Blair. The former Gazette baseball writer (think about this: The Gazette once had Blair and Michael Farber in the sports section at the same time) has moved on to become one of the best baseball columnists in North America. He's still only a phone call or e-mail away but I miss hanging with him. Always an adventure. Always a lot of laughs. Almost always aided by alcohol. And once in awhile I'd actually learn something. Like the time we were chilling at Toronto's famed Horseshoe Tavern in the late 90's and he mentioned a group called the Drive By Truckers. I had never heard of them but I loved the name. Filed away for future reference.

About two years later I finally found one of their cd's called Southern Rock Opera, dedicated to Lynyrd Skynyrd. I was hooked. Country. Rock. Country-Rock. Swamp. Blues. Soul. Sung by four different and distinct vocalists and songwriters. Bloodlines directly into Muscle Shoals. They quickly became my favorite group. To say they're closest to The Band since The Band might be a valid reference point but I actually prefer the songs of DBT. The comparison to The Band isn't lost on them either. One of their finest tunes is called Danko/Manuel.

My friends Gary Silverman and Lloyd Fischler (BillyBob Productions) have been trying to figure out a way to bring these guys into town. But, thankfully, with the release of their new CD they'll be touring and hitting Montreal (Le National) on Thursday March 20th. Can't wait.

Brighter Than Creation's Dark **** Is their newest CD. More tales of loss, hope and redemption. And abuse. Shifting easily between country and guitar-driven rock. With a lot of instrumental help from legendary soul man Spooner Oldham. Female vocalist Shonna Tucker sounds like Neko Case. Don't miss their show.
www.drivebytruckers.com


More music you might like, most recent; some I've just recently gotten to:


Jason Isbell: Sirens Of The Ditch *** Former member of Drive By Truckers now on his own. Still soul-based but with more of a pop sound than a typical Truckers CD. Not a bad thing at all, just not quite as gritty. www.jasonisbell.com

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Follow The Lights *** Seven more songs, including four previously released in a different form, while we wait for the not-surprisingly-delayed box set
www.ryan-adams.com

Ryan Bingham : Mescalito *** 1/2 25 year old sounds 30 years older. Think Tom Waits and Guy Clark. www.binghammusic.com

The Black Angels: Passover **** I love this group. Dark, brooding, guitar-droning music from Austin, Texas I first heard driving to NYC courtesy of Lorne Rubin's buddy Mike Kweatek. (Legit)Descendants of the Velvet Underground. Played here in 2005 & 2006 when I didn't know a damn thing about them.

Buck 65: Situation **** Back to what he does best. This baseball playing Canuck (and former Montreal resident) can rap. And write. www.buck65.com

Jeff Buckley: Grace (Legacy Edition) ***** How do you improve on Grace? If you've wondered if there was more, yeah there sure was. How about studio covers of "Lost Highway" and "Mama, You've Been On My Mind" and a kick ass live cover of "Kick Out The Jams"? Plus a DVD. As painful a loss as Kurt Cobain. Might as well splurge on Live at Sin-E Legacy edition while you're at it.
www.jeffbuckley.com

Luke Doucet and The White Falcon: Blood's Too Rich *** Hockey playing ace guitarist and songwriter, touring w/Blue Rodeo. Get to your seat early for show at Theatre St. Denis Jan 31 & Feb 2. www.lukedoucet.com

Robert Hazard: Troubadour *** Former Philadelphia rocker (Robert Hazard and the Heroes-best cover of "Blowin' In The Wind" I ever heard) who wrote "Girsl Just Want To Have Fun" quiets down a bit. Way under the radar.
http://www.phillyrockers.com/robert_hazard_and_the_heroes/history.htm

Levon Helm: Dirt Farmer **** Tremendous comeback by former drummer with The Band. Couldn't sing for years because of throat cancer. Near miracle at work. Gets a lot of help from former Dylan guitarist Larry Campbell. You can actually watch Levon and Larry and a host of others in Levon's living room in Woodstock. One of the most joyous musical experiences I've ever had.
http://www.levonhelm.com/midnight_ramble.htm

Highwaymen The Road Goes On Forever: 10th Anniversary edition **** 1/2 Final get together for Willie, Waylon, Johnny Cash & Kris Kristofferson. Try to find even more poignant DVD edition.
http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/highwaymen_country_/969778/album.jhtml

The Hives: The Black And White Album *** 1/2 Glorious hard driving punk directly from Sweden. www.thehivesbroadcastingservice.com

I'm Not There: Original Soundtrack ****1/2 Dylan songs from the movie performed by everybody from Eddie Vedder to Antony & The Johnsons to Willie Nelson to Jack Johnson. Includes title track from The Basement Tapes in its first official release. Pretty good "House" band, The Million Dollar Bashers, featuring Tom Verlaine, Nels Cline, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley, Tony Garnier and John Medeski. Almost as spectacular as the movie.
http://www.myspace.com/imnottheresoundtrack

Willie Nile: Streets of New York **** Title says it all. Willie's been around to tell the tale; inevitable comparisons to Dylan and Springsteen, etc. Thankfully he's lived to tell more including "The Day I Saw Bo Diddley In Washington Square".
www.willienile.com

Jennifer Warnes: Famous Blue Raincoat (The Songs Of Leonard Cohen) 20th Anniversary Edition **** If you missed it in '87, Warnes singing "First We take Manhatten", "Bird On A Wire", "Joan of Arc", "Song Of Bernadette" and more; backed by Steve Ray Vaughan, Robben Ford and Van Dyke Parks
http://www.jenniferwarnes.com/

STAX 50th Anniversary Celebration ***** Discover what made Memphis-based Stax one of the most vital labels in American music history. Essential.
http://stax50.com/blog/

Dave Van Ronk: ...and the tin pan bended, and the story ended ***** His last concert. An absolute must for anybody who cares about the history of music. Van Ronk taught everybody. A two hour crash course on jazz, folk, and blues. Listen while reading his book "The Mayor Of MacDougal Street".
http://www.elijahwald.com/vanronk.html
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/feb2002/vanr-f14.shtml

And some of the best in local music:

Annakin Slayd: Stalwart Empire http://www.annakinslayd.xbuild.com/

Angela Desveaux: Wandering Eyes http://www.angeladesveaux.com/

Echo Hunters: Cabin Fever http://www.echohunters.com/echos/

Rob Lutes: ride the shadows: www.roblutes.com

the Jimmyriggers: Traveling Salesman, Killer On The Run http://www.myspace.com/thejimmyriggers

Ladies Of the Canyon: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=90123180

Lee Mellor: Ghost Town Heart http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=36616999

No Barbers Required: Hard To Hold On To www.nobarbersrequired.com

The United Steel Workers Of Montreal: Kerosene & Coal www.uswm.ca


"Without music life would be a mistake" -Frederic Nietzsche

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

(Will it be a) Happy New Year (?)

Wednesday January 9, 2008 8 PM

Still trying to come to grips with the fact that Elliott Price is in his 50's....David Bowie turned 60 this week...and Bobby Hull, 69 earlier this month, looks like all those vodkas have finally caught up with him...Me?...Thankful that I still have the "I survived Crescent Street 1982" t-shirt in my closet (always good to check it out every Christmas) but man, I keep getting wider everytime I see myself on TV....Happy 2008

The Habs seem to be getting better...credit to Guy Carbonneau and the coaching staff for the rapid development of so many young players....and apparently finding the right line combos....imagine if they had one more slam dunk top six forward to play on Saku Koivu's right wing...normally I shut it down during the holidays but actually looked forward to watching them play each night...they've been picking up points at a brisk pace even though their goaltending has dipped dramatically...Carey Price will be fine...The Bulldogs play 9 of their next 10 games in Hamilton...hopefully he'll play 'em all, get his game and technique back to where it should be and then come back and help the Habs because Huet will not steal as many points...Bryan Smolinski ready to return?...The guy has been a useful NHL player for a lot of years but unless he picks up all parts of his game the team would be better off with Kyle Chipchura...trade winds starting to blow? (Love what TSN's Gord Miller said about trade rumours, "They're started by two kinds of people; 13 year olds who live in their parent's basement and 30 year olds who live in their parent's basement"...Also love what Gord said to Jack Todd in the press room prior to Tuesday's Habs-Hawks game; "Go fuck yourself"...)

Got to see two superb movies over the holiday, "Juno" and "The Great Debaters"...Juno starring incredibly talented Canadian Ellen Page (watch "Hard Candy" before you see Juno) and written by former stripper Diablo Cody...

http://diablocody.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/diablocody

Debaters directed by and starring Denzel Washington plus Forest Whitaker and Whitaker's son Denzel...based on a true story of an all-black school in the U.S. south in the 1930's...

http://www.thegreatdebatersmovie.com/

Also watched plenty of music DVD's including two history-making events:
The Other Side Of The Mirror; Bob Dylan Live At Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965 *****
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Monterey *****

No Doubt about it, the folkies booed Dylan when he plugged in at Newport in '65. The fact that this seminal moment is captured on film (by director Murray Lerner) is remarkable...So is Dylan's performance when he is called back (yes there were plenty in the crowd who loved it... they had already heard "Like A Rolling Stone" on the radio that summer) and plays "Mr. Tambourine Man" and the ultimate kiss-off to the staunch left wing folk crowd, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Dylan's rendition of "Chimes Of Freedom" the previous summer is also transcendent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3NN7F74Uq8

Two years after Bob plugged in, Hendrix was introduced to America, with his two British mates Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell...the stories of following The Who are legendary...but to watch the whole set again is to realize that thousands at Monterey were stunned by an artist who put them through something they had never previously been through. And then Jimi "sacrificed" his guitar. For love.

http://www.jimihendrix.com/index.php

Peace.