A Sunday Afternoon at the Cinema

I spent this wonderful Sunday at the movies with my friend. It was SO beautiful outside today. I can't believe Pittsburgh had sun. Anyways, we saw the new end-of-the-world, aliens-from-outer-space flick Battle: Los Angeles. I had very high expectations because, except for 2012, I love these type of movies. Anything with aliens/zombies invading the world gets me hooked.

I really can't say the same for this one, and I have my reasons. It was nothing more than two hours of fast-paced action that was too much to handle.

The best movie ever made is I Am Legend. You know why? Because it is REALISTIC. It is hard to believe that a human being would survive 150 chemical explosions and thousands of alien laser shots.

Oh, and it is equally hard to believe that one military squad (with less than ten people) can save the world and defeat endless waves of extra-terrestrial creatures. Things don't work that way.

Plus, it started too quickly. They barely introduced any of the characters and provided no background story. The plot was also very predictable. In the first five minutes, I could tell that the old, washed-up vet would somehow find a way to save the planet.

And that is exactly what he did. Hey filmmakers- if you want to keep me entertained, think of the REAL WORLD.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Irony in the Final Minute: NCAA Rant

It was a great day today, but the night didn't end too well. Pitt's ended another NCAA Tournament run in disappointing fashion. But what did you expect? We got an unfavorable early matchup with a Butler team who isn't any different from last year (remember, they were inches away from winning the championship game against Duke).

Still, that isn't what I am going to talk about tonight. Let me start by using my journalistic skills to paint a picture in your mind:

There are 40 seconds left in a matchup between two conference rivals. They have been battling all game, back and forth. It is tied up. Everything rests in the last 40 seconds. I, the fan, am standing inches away from the TV biting my nails. I am about to see an incredible end to an intense game. Coach #1 takes a timeout. They take the court again. The ball is inbounded, but Coach #2 takes a timeout. I sit back down in frustration.

I don't get it. The most exciting part of a sporting event is the last minute. With every timeout and intentional foul, the intensity decreases. The multiple stoppages in play are ridiculous.

In football, teams are given two timeouts. I realize that basketball is a fast-paced game, but what is getting accomplished when a coach calls three timeouts in half a minute? I can't imagine that the game's result would be any different if coaches were only allowed to use one timeout in the final minute. That is the only resolution I can think of. Or maybe they should add a "one-minute warning". All I know is that there needs to be a change.

A Lil Bit of Everything: From the Draft to Spittin' Lyrics

I feel like I want to rant right now, so I'm going to throw in a random topic along with what was supposed to be an NFL Players Union rampage. I'm about to drop a beat right now (that's the first of many rap-related references I am going to make). POSSE UP!

Since I discovered the wonderful world of alternative when I was in my early teens, hip-hop and rap have been my mortal enemies. I have constantly spread the ever-so-popular argument that rap is just words without meaning. Maybe I'm just being stereotypical, but how many songs can you write about keeping your ladies (for lack of a better word) in line? This goes out to you, 50 Cent. I'm not going to get started on that, but it isn't right to tweet about hoes in Japan hours after the tsunami.

But now I am starting to see a light (somewhere, somehow). My cousin, who has unsuccessfully tried to get me to listen to classless rappers like Mac Miller, persuaded me to listen to some of the new Lupe Fiasco album last night.

<---------- Lasers by Lupe Fiasco









I rarely like songs the first time I hear them, but "Words I Never Said" is incredible. It has so much meaning, so much emotion, so much credibility. The cuz' did tell me that he is one of the only rappers who raps about world affairs, but I didn't believe it...until I heard it. I am probably going to head down to the Exchange this weekend and pick up the entire album (yeah, I'm shocked as well).

Anyways, onto the main topic of today. I heard a little bit about this yesterday, but Mike and Mike expanded on it this morning. The NFL Players Union, who has been in a battle with the NFL over the last couple months, is asking upcoming draft picks in the 2011 Draft to skip the ceremony.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, "when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the name of the first player selected, the player will not walk onto the stage at Radio City Music Hall as has been the custom."

This is getting absolutely ridiculous. These players have been working their entire college careers to take the stage to meet the commissioner. It is their moment to shine, not the NFLPA's chance to take a shot at the NFL.

Yeah, the NFLPA is fighting for the betterment of the NFL. But is it really necessary to ruin a spectacular moment? No.

Hopping on the Bandwagon: Five Reasons why Kemba Walker is Incredible

After finishing up watching the Connecticut Huskies beat Syracuse in OT (not six of them this time), it is now clear in my mind. Yes, I have jumped on the Kemba Walker bandwagon.

"Julian, why didn't you like him before?'- Well, being a Pitt fan for life, I didn't like seeing him single-handedly dismantle the Panthers as the buzzer went off yesterday. (If you didn't see the play, Walker stepped back and hit an impressive shot from the top of the key, shaking Pitt big-man Gary McGhee out of his jock).



Now, I can come clean and admit that I was wrong for yelling "break Kemba's legs!" at the TV last night (while watching the replay, keep in mind). Here's my solid reasoning behind this new revelation:

1. UConn has now played FOUR games in FOUR days. That's the Big East Tournament for ya'. But Kemba hasn't let it bother him one bit. He has scored 111 points so far in the Tourney (best in the tournament's history), averaging over 27 PPG.

2. He led his team across the board in almost every category tonight: points (33), rebounds (12), assists (5), and steals (6).

3. I am pretty sure that I saw a stat during tonight's game that he has played 157 out of the 160 minutes in the team's four contests. He needs a break.

4. He has completely stolen the spotlight from Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough, who won the Big East Player of the Year. Kemba, you're in the spotlight.

5. He still managed to give a humbling post game interview.

Walker and the Huskies will play the winner of tonight's match between Notre Dame and Louisville. I would love to see ND and UConn battle it out tomorrow night. Hansbrough vs Walker. (And finally, I'm rooting for you Kemba).

First post ever...Lemme introduce myself

Hello everyone :)

I'm gonna introduce myself here, even though you can easily click on the "About Me" tab to your right --->

My name is Julian and I am 16 (yeah, I'm a junior). While the other classy children in my school are aiming to be the ever-so-popular superstar athletes and film actors, I want to go to school for journalism and spend the rest of my life with a pencil in my hand (wait, let me modernize that: keyboard and mouse in my hand). When I was in my younger years, instead of playing PlayStation and eating gummy-worms, I would sit in my room and make "fake" newspapers with a notepad. I would write stories about anything that would enter my mind (superheroes, ice cream, sandbox romance).

Basically, I have had my career decided for as long as I can remember. Journalism is my key to happiness. So now it is time to enter the great world of blogging (thanks to my wonderful friend, Michelle, who you can follow at http://www.trashyfoes.blogspot.com/). I have had a sports blog before but realized that I wanted to expand and write about a wider variety of topics that interest me. So here it is: My opinions on EVERYTHING. (sports, music, politics, popular culture!)

***Warning: One of the main reasons I started this is because I am sick of writing in a journalistic, formal style. This is going to be my informal blog. You can see more of my formal work at http://www.purbalite.com/***