Blog Posts For: November 2008

Sometimes I look at the NFL’s slate of games and think they are kind of the like the typical dysfunctional family gathering. This season, the day looks no different.

The rather amicable divorce of Madonna and Guy Ritchie apparently ends her time as a de-facto citizen of England, accent and all is over. She quickly established herself as an American again by doing her best to force a divorce between Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and his eventual ex-wife Cynthia Rodriguez.

I was sitting at home watching the first slate of games and monitoring my fantasy scores when I was simply struck by the scores running along the bottom of the screen. They were falling somewhere between Arena Football and the typical NFL week. Eight teams reached the 30s, two teams scored in the 40s, and one team reached the 50s. Call it a result of a pass happy league, call it inflated scores because of several defenses that went MIA, call it the NFL front office’s wet dream, or simply call it a scoring bonanza.

The NFL season is coming into the final few weeks and all the preseason predictions have been left behind. The importance of each game is now related to teams’ immediate record and not the far off games on the schedule.

So in between the forced viewings of Sex in the City on TBS (the cost of being in a relationship in the 21st century) I have been subjected to the desperate plea by the new “Very Funny” cable station to try and get me to watch Ellen on a variety show (Really?!?, What’s next Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson are reunited Sonny and Cher style for a two hour special?).

New York Jet (7-3) 34 – New England (6-4) 31

It was a battle of upstarts with two surprising starters in a game for the AFC East lead. Matt Cassel thought he would be sitting behind a legend in the making, but instead through for 400 yards in a losing effort for the resilient Patriots. Brett Favre was supposed to be a retired legend, but instead came back and found a home in New York. He threw fro 258 yards and two touchdowns and helped lead the Jets to victory, while Jay Feely’s 34 yard field goal won the game in overtime.

In a world that seems to be obsessed with fusion-with the mix of rock and rap, of business and pleasure, of banking and –it is fun to play around with the world of fiction and the mass produced images of entertainment.

Imagine a world where the music stars of today are the main characters of a world set on the edge of destruction, a world whose very survival depends on the talents and careers of these celebrity magazines that only focus so much more on their celebrity.

The Rascal Flatts may have just finished touring this year, but they have not finished promoting their fifth album, Still Feels Good, which they released in September 2007. They have announced 20 more shows in 2009, with the grand expecting to come to 25 shows.

What strikes me is that the tour is extending into its third calendar year. Why would they begin a third calendar year on tour? What this means to me is that Joe Don Rooney, Gary LeVox, and Jay DeMarcus must really must have pissed off their wives. Two of these women are former beauty queens, and one of those was the Playmate of the Year in 2005.
 

These women must be very, very angry or very, very expensive to keep. I am not sure, but I think it is the former.

Of course, the Rascal Flatts are compensating by having

Jessica Simpson

as their opening act. Not many people would mind watching from the sidelines as she strut her stuff for her stage show. I think Dallas football fans cannot wait for this tour to start.

They bought Cowboys tickets thinking they were going to be in the Super Bowl not wavering on the edge of missing the playoffs in a loaded NFC East division. Fans are convinced that Simpson alone is the reason for Tony Romo’s departure from the “Future NFL Legend Club”.

The sooner she “concentrates” on music the sooner they believe he will realize that Terrell Owens has beat his corner and the safety is trying to make up 20 yards to stop him from getting an easy path to the end zone.

I’m surprised that fans did not just arrange her tour for her, in Malaysia, and buy up all the tickets, so she thought she would have a sold out performance somewhere. She, of course cannot carry a major tour by herself, unless they had really cheap concert tickets.

The “crossover artist” label is a nice way of saying she could not sex it up enough to be a pop star. So now she has “returned to her roots” as a simple country girl. My other theory is that she realized that being a pop star meant she would have to be knocked up by a short emo kid like Ashlee Simpson did.

Denver Broncos 34- Cleveland Browns 30

This game proved once again that not only is the Broncos offense a potent machine, but the team’s defense is bent on making every other offense in the league look like it has been born out of genius. I think that every Broncos game should be watched because every weekend it will be a shoot out. It has the kind of allure of the Sacramento Kings a few years ago. You knew they were going to put together an exciting game, but you also knew they were destined to be stopped well short of the championship. On another note, Cutler’s performance helped my little brother get a much needed win in our fantasy league.

Atlanta Falcons 34- New Orleans Saints 20

Drew Brees reached his weekly quota for yards with 422 and picks with three in a game that helped keep the Falcons in the playoff hunt in the NFC South. I would have thought that Michael Turner would have had 150 yards and three touchdowns in this game, but he managed a very respectable 96 yards as Matt Ryan proved that a pocket quarterback can work in Atlanta as he threw for 10.8 yards an attempt and two touchdowns.

Tennessee Titans 21- Chicago Bears 14

The Bears allowed less than one yard a rushing attempt and stopped most of the long passes (until the end of the game), but forgot that Kerry Collins can pick up 284 yards nickel and diming you with tight end Bo Scaife. The Bears looked like they were on their way to another quarterback controversy as Rex Grossman started to lead the team back from 14 down in the fourth quarter, but he quickly ended the hopes of defeating the last undefeated team with an awful pass as the two minute warning was approaching. At the very least, Bears fans can be thankful that Orton will be welcomed back without any doubt whether it is the right decision.

Jacksonville Jaguars 38- Detroit Lions 14

A strong running game by Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew (who had three touchdowns) dominated this game. David Garrard performed like a true professional with a 119.1 quarterback rating to top off the Jaguars efforts to avoid losing to a winless team for the second week in a row. The Lions hoped that the newly signed Dante Culpepper would have an immediate impact, but he could do little to stop the bleeding as he went from coaching a Pop Warner football team to playing for one.

Miami Dolphins 21 – Seattle Seahawks 19

When a team like the Dolphins beats all odds and comes into week 10 with a 4-4 record after every expert picks them to win less than four games overall, something has to give. The Dolphins have won with an unconventional offense meant to hide their obvious flaws, but an offense based on trick plays means that any team can beat you, including the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks made the game a close on, but their futility was just enough to lose the game to the “Wildcat” and big plays.

Minnesota Vikings 28- Green Bay Packers 27

The game came down to a 52-yard field goal attempt by Packers kicker Mason Crosby. His miss ended the game for the Packers. Adrian Peterson ran for 192 yards and was able to make up for the three interceptions by Gus Frerotte with his lone touchdown on a 29-yard scamper with 2:22 left in the game. Both teams were able to shut down the passing game so it came down to Peterson versus Ryan Grant, and Peterson trumps Grant.

New England Patriots 20- Buffalo Bills 10

In the first half of the season the Bills looked like the team bound to benefit the most from Tom Brady’s injury. Now that the second half has begun, the Patriots have managed to find themselves in a first place tie after beating Buffalo. Matt Cassel has been the unexpected season hero and BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the unexpected hero of this game with 105 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots put together a fine offensive performance and a dominating defensive effort to tie the Jets for the division lead.

New York Jets 47- St. Louis Rams 3

It turns out when you turn the ball over five times in the game and cannot stop the run it is going to be a long game. Jets running back was sensational with 149 yards and three touchdowns. Brett Favre only had 19 passing attempts and only threw for 167 yards as excellent field position and a terrific ground game that totaled 206 yards made the game a blowout quickly. The Rams looked awful. The line made this a long day for Trent Green and Marc Bulger, who both had time behind the center. The Rams only have to endure seven more games until this unfortunate season is over and the hurting can stop.

Baltimore Ravens 41-Houston Texans 13

Joe Flacco was never really expect to do more than “manage” games this season, but the rookie has continued to prove that his big arm can lea a potent offense. This Sunday he only threw for 185 yards, but had two touchdowns, including a 43-yard bomb to Yamon Figurs. Willis McGahee had a strong game as well, running for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The balanced offense and a defense that picked off the Raven’s Sage Rosenfels four times made this game a laugher quickly.

Carolina Panthers 17-Oakland Raiders 6

The Raiders are bad. Jake Delhomme threw nearly as many picks (4) as completions (7) on 27 attempts and only managed 72 yards, but the Raiders could still not make this game look even close. Running back Deangelo Williams had 140 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers ad that was plenty to embarrass a pitiful Raiders team. Justin Fargas had a pretty good game with 89 yards, but the rest of the offense looked awful. Andrew Walter was the latest quarterback to commit career suicide be taking snaps for Al Davis and will surely not be the last this season.

No video, just audio, but a funny truth from Gabriel Iglesias my favorite pluis-sized comedian

Indianapolis Colts 24- Pittsburgh Steelers 20

Ben Roethlisberger took the field again with his injured shoulder and threw three interceptions. At the age of 26 he is looking like an aging fighter taking too many hits and throwing desperation punches. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning is looking like the graceful veteran reminding everyone of his greatness. He threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. It took 40 attempts to complete 21 passes, but the master technician is keeping the Colts within striking distance of the postseason. The Steelers may be in the lead in their division, but they need to do some work to keep that lead and be more than first round fodder in the playoffs.

San Diego Chargers 20- Kansas City Chiefs 19

The Chargers used to be the team nobody paid attention to because the played in Southern California. Now they are the team nobody cares about because they can barely beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Philip Rivers was good (316 yards, 2 touchdowns) and bad (2 picks) in this “effort”. LaDainian Tomlinson continued his tough season as the Chiefs focused on him to hold him to 78 yards on 22 carries. Tyler Thigpen put together another nice effort for the Chiefs with 266 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Still, the Chiefs could not win in a season that was never anything more than a rebuilding year.

New York Giants 36- Philadelphia Eagles 31

The Giants have proven that despite their easy first half schedule they are the truly the best team in the NFC East. The Eagles had won three straight and were hoping to begin the journey from last place to first with a win in New York, but could not get Brian Westbrook going (thanks to the Giants game plan). Westbrook, the focus of the Eagles offense, was held to 26 rushing yard and 33 passing yards. Donovan McNabb threw three touchdowns, but when the game came down to the final minutes, he could not rally his receivers for a win. Eli Manning was good with 2 touchdown passes and Brandon Jacobs was great with 126 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants won this game far more easily than the scoreboard reflects and answered any doubts as to the legitimacy of their record.

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The Giants or the Eagles? That is the question. The NFC East teams match up for the first of two second half schedule games. Is Philly really the team to challenge the Giants after New York survived a schedule that I’m pretty sure had a couple Division III college teams on it. Did the Phillies win end all of the city’s cursed sports teams struggles or was the victory limited to baseball. Without question, this is the game the fans and the NFL want to see.

The Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots game deserves some mention, as both teams are playing well above expectations, making the playoff hunt in the AFC East (one of the most underrated divisions this season) interesting.

The Indianapolis Colts-Pittsburgh Steelers game looks interesting because Ben Roethlisberger’s status is uncertain (as of right now). Could this be the game the league’s toughest quarterback finally goes down for good (this season). Big Ben has become one of my favorite players because of that fact. You can injure his throwing shoulder, his planting foot, and poke out one of his eyes and he would still drag himself onto the field and engineer at least one scoring drive.

The throw away game of the week appears to be the Chiefs versus the Chargers. The Chargers have been underwhelming this season at 3-5 and the Chiefs have been almost unbearable to watch at 1-7. Tyler Thigpen has been magic for the last two weeks, but, even with the worst pass defense in the NFL, I do not see Kansas City putting up big numbers.

Meanwhile I think the Arizona Cardinals might break 50 points on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. I think the only shot the 49ers have to make this game interesting is if Head Coach Mike Singletary suits up and stars down Kurt Warner.

Singletary getting angry on NFL.com…

Singletary Smash (thanks to YouTube)…

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Rarely has a comedian unintentionally chosen a name so perfect for a tour. While Robin Williams has jokingly said that the Weapons of Self-Destruction tour is his last chance to make fun of President Bush, I originally thought this might be some sort of self-deprecating humor from the man who let movies like Flubber define his career.

Let’s face it, while people older than 25 may appreciate the shocking and dirty nature of his humor from his days on cocaine and whatever else he could get his hands on, the younger generation remembers him as a cuddly cross dressing nanny, a voice in animated features, and several other misguided box office attempts.

This does not mean that I think this tour will not be funny. I come from a large Irish Catholic family on my maternal side. I remember my aunts and uncles being hilarious and, often times, drunk at my massive family gatherings. Then, as my cousins and I reached our teenage years a damper of “good examples” sucked all the life out the family gatherings. No longer were people thrown in pools, men dared to skateboard inebriated down a street with a steep slope, or somebody’s fist going through the screen door as a joke.

The good times would return, as soon as most of us could drink, things returned to normal. My Aunt X would say wildly inappropriate things in front of her son and stories involving “questionable” substances from decades ago were told. I think Robin Williams tour will be something like that. I expect cursing and not a fake proper British accent, talk of drugs and not of three magic wishes, and general offensive lunacy and no remake of safe movies from the ‘50s.

Yes, Robin Williams is probably going to relive his early days as a comic, but with better pay. Here is some early political humor from the man himself thanks to the giant catalog of videos called YouTube…

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What would have happened if Barack Obama had not won on Tuesday? Not in terms of the economy, constitutional questions, or social issues. No nothing like that. I am sure CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News had all those areas covered.

I am talking about the silent issue that would have gone unnoticed. What would have happened to Will.I.Am if Obama had lost? No other artist seemed to have put so much effort in attaching his celebrity to a presidential candidate than the hip hop solo artist and Black Eyed Peas frontman and songwriter. Sure, Hank Williams Jr. played at a few McCain rallies, including the depressing denial-fueled “party” in Arizona where McCain gave his concession speech, but Will.I.Am is well on his way to completing an albums worth of songs for his presidential choice.

Here is the McCain-Palin Tradition at a rally via YouTube…

Will.I.Am’s “Yes We Can” is the ultimate sample, taking advantage of Obama’s incredible public speeches. This is the other celebrity-bonanza “song” that is more about sampling a chanting crowd and a collection of celebrities looking pretty with a beat in the background than actual lyrics.

Here is “We Are The Ones” via Youtube…

I predict that the planned third song will just be Obama’s speech from Grant Park after he won. There may not even be a beat this time, but Will.I.Am is sure to make an appearance in a black and white at the end praising him.

I think Will.I.Am would be better served writing actual material. I may or may not be as gleeful as a little kid holding an ice cream cone (I am), but I prefer to see artists creating art as a political statement rather than using a political statement as art. I think he should hand the Emmy he won for “Yes We Can” to Obama since the presidential-elect did most of the work (also because it would be pretty cool to have an Emmy Award winning president.)

Maybe this is the beginning of a political career though. He could be the campaign manager for Al Franken in the next election on the “celebrities we recognize, but cannot quite place without the rest of their ensemble” ticket.

So while this website may go on selling concert tickets for performers like Madonna, Coldplay, and AC/DC, Will.I.AM can go out and start campaigning via Music Video and pick up a second daytime Emmy along the way.

The Detroit Pistons were the one true basketball “team” in the NBA. Individually, the starting five had tremendous faults that kept them from being true NBA stars. Rasheed Wallace had an attitude problem, Chauncey Billups had a spent too many years as a journeyman, Tayshaun Prince had a limited offensive game, Richard Hamilton could not play alongside dominant personalities like Michael Jordan, and Antonio McDyess had his prime dampened by injuries. Together they erased each others flaws. Together they beat the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals.

Let’s refresh the memory with a top ten list from NBA TV…

NBA lore has it that the team came and conquered the sure champions. It was a lesson in the lack of appreciation for teamwork. It was a return to the phenomenon reminiscent of March Madness where no powerhouse is safe from the inspired Cinderella with nothing to lose. It was a great story, but it was also mostly fiction.

Much like Wicked tells the story before Dorothy came to Oz and defeated the Wicked Witch of the West, this blog entry will tell what happened before the Pistons unexpectedly arrived in the championship series. The volatile relationship between Shaq and Kobe had become too much to bear. Both wanted to be the leader of the team and no matter how many alley-oops and kick outs highlight films show from those playoffs, the team had become split with factions and egos that even Phil Jackson could not hold together.

The other two stars, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, were shadows of former great players. Malone was hobbled and useless apart from an occasional spot up jumper and Payton rarely made it off the bench as it seemed Jackson held a grudge despite beating him in the 1996 NBA Finals.

Warning, this clip contains language some may not find appropriate from www.faym.ebs.com…

The Lakers were waiting to fall apart and the Pistons were simply good enough as a team to beat a Los Angeles squad that played as individuals and not the team that the team that won three straight championships. The following year the Detroit Pistons returned to the NBA Finals and put up a fight, but could beat the San Antonio Spurs, a team with talent and an all for one mentality.

The reality is that Joe Dumars knows this and is starting a new philosophy – star talent. Allen Iverson is hungry for a championship. His career is entering its limelight and he wants to go out with more than a single game win in the finals. His hunger, his drive, and his still-shocking ability to score at will are what Dumars wants.

Iverson will have Hamilton, Wallace, and Prince to help him. That is a much better supporting cast than he had in 2001 when he led the 76ers to the finals and single-handedly won game one before dropping four straight.

These are some highlights from one of the most dominating single game performances in NBA Finals history from the NBC archives…

The loss of Billups will hurt and whether or not McDyess accepts a buyout and returns to Detroit remains unknown (but highly suspected). The change at point will mean a new game in the Motor City. It is too early to tell what will happen, but not too early to guess. I think the abrupt change in team chemistry destroys the team. Luckily, Iverson’s $20 million contract expires after the season so it is a calculated risk.

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So if Obama wins the election will there be a Presidential Concert Series? Seriously, it seems like every well-known artist is playing a benefit concert or a rally for the Democratic presidential nomination. I think if Barack really wanted to get the youth out to vote he should promise that the incredible lineup that backs him behind their mikes will go on a presidential-elect festival tour.

Imagine being able to see this lineup live in a single day, instead of buying individual Jimmy Buffet tickets, Chris Rock tickets, Grateful Dead tickets, Bon Jovi tickets, Usher tickets, Melissa Etheridge tickets, Bruce Springsteen tickets, and James Taylor tickets you could get a day pass and see them perform in celebration of Obama’s victory leading up to his State of the Union Address.

This is an example of his celebrity support and in no way is an endorsement or condemnation of the candidate.

New York Jets 26- Buffalo Bills 17

Bills quarterback Trent Edwards nearly threw for 300 yards, but those numbers are misleading because the only the Bills could move the ball was through the air. His fumble and pick did little to help the Bills create some sort of separation in the AFC East. The Jets relied on their defense for this win and entered into a three way tie for first place with the Bills and the Patriots.

Chicago Bears 27 – Detroit Lions 23

The Bears expected to walk away from this one with a laugher, but instead squeaked out a win with Rex Grossman coming in for the injured Kyle Orton. Let the annual Chicago quarterback controversy begin. The Lions put together a solid first half with a sudden hint of chemistry between a Lions quarterback this season and Calvin Johnson. This game was a scare for Chicago and Detroit walked away with a moral victory knowing it had started the annual question at quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals 21 – Jacksonville Jaguars 19

The Bengals ended their misery this season with a victory and the graduation from just sad to still very sad, but approaching mediocre. The Jaguars could not take advantage of the porous run defense with their dual back attack and suffered the biggest embarrassment of the weekend. To add insult, Cedric Benson rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars defense.

Baltimore Ravens 37 – Cleveland Browns 27

In what I though would be an ugly game, the Ravens stayed with in striking distance of first place in the AFC North and the Browns recent run at recovery was cut short. Joe Flacco had his weekly highlight with a 47 touchdown pass to Mark Clayton and Derek Anderson did his best to justify the first year of his new contract. In the end the Ravens defense ended the game with a 42 yard touchdown return by Terrell Suggs.

Tennessee Titans 19 – Green Bay Packers 16 (OT)

The Titans moved to 8-0 after a hard fought victory by a Packers team trying to keep pace with the Bears. The Packers were able to move the ball against the vaunted Titans defense, but were not able to score more than one touchdown. The Titans continued to surprise with a 41 yard field goal in overtime by Rob Bironas to end the game and keep the streak alive.

Tampa Bay Bucs 30 – Kansas City Chiefs 27 (OT)

Yes, the Chiefs defense is awful. The worst in the NFL, but they have been able to breakout with Tyler Thigpen at quarterback to make the games more than just a joke. In fact, this week they nearly beat the Bucs. The Bucs are a good team that everyone expected to come out and simply handle Kansas City. Instead they had to tie the game on a quick touchdown drive with less than two minutes left in the fourth. In the end Matt Bryant won the game for Tampa with a 34 yard field goal.

Arizona Cardinals 34- St. Louis Rams 13

Few games tend to play out how the experts and the fans expect, but this one did. The Rams could not stop Kurt Warner as he spread the ball to eight receivers threw two touchdowns. The telling sign of the game was the use of Tim Hightower as the main back, signaling the end of Edgerrin James’ attempt to make a comeback in nicer weather.

Minnesota Vikings 29- Houston Texans 21

The Vikings ran over the Texans in a game that was much more a blowout than the score would suggest. The Texans scored two touchdowns in the second half with Sage Rosenfels, who replaced an injured Matt Schaub. Gus Frerotte looked good as the Vikings quarterback with three touchdown passes with just 18 passing attempts.

Miami Dolphins 26–Denver Broncos 17

The Dolphins have surprised everyone this season with a 4-4 record and the Broncos have disappointed everyone with a 4-4 record. The Dolphins were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league, but trick plays and the play of Chad Pennington have kept them afloat and out of the race for worst place. The Broncos were supposed to breakout, but the running game has not been there and Jay Cutler has been the only weapon as his receivers have fought injuries. In this game the Dolphins simply managed the game better.

Atlanta Falcons 24- Oakland Raiders 0

The Falcons scored all their points in the first half and felt little pressure from a Raiders offense that only managed 77 yards. Meanwhile, Michael Turner ran for 139 yards and Matt Ryan passed for two touchdowns. There is nothing really more to say about this scrimmage.

New York Giants 35- Dallas Cowboys 14

The Cowboys woes continue as they dug deep into their depth chart and brought Brooks Bollinger out to start the second half. The Giants rolled with a running game to minimize turnovers. Eli Manning had his bit of magic with three touchdowns despite only connecting on 16 of 27 passes for 147 yards. He still fumbled the ball twice and threw a pick, but the toothless Dallas offense could not turn his miscues into scores.

Philadelphia Eagles 26- Seattle Seahawks 7

The Eagles won the game. They were supposed to do that, but they won despite a less than stellar performance from Brian Westbrook. Westbrook fought for respectability in the second half to finish with 20 carries for 61 yards and 6 receptions for 35 yards. Instead, Donovan McNabb spread the ball to 10 receivers for 349 yards. The Seahawks were playing catch up for the most of the game, but did open up the contest with a 90 yard bomb from Seneca Wallace to Koren Robinson.

Indianapolis Colts 18- New England Patriots 15

Last season this game would have been touted for the potential to break the 100 point total scoring mark. This season the Colts managed to find a little offense while Patriots kicker Stephen Gostowski worked out his leg. The game was exciting though. The Colts broke the 15-15 tie with 8:05 left it he fourth quarter before the defenses took over, or the offenses sputtered (depends on how you look at it).

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Michael Jackson might not be making any more music. He might have had trouble with bankruptcy. He might be responsible for the sacrilegious use of Beatles songs on television ads. He might even be the best example that celebrity is like asbestos, a powerful cancerous mutagen that can dramatically alter a personality to a state beyond repair. But he is not going to join the rest of the family to bring the band back together.

Jermaine, Tito, Marlon, Randy, and Jackie may be on board and Janet may be willing to give the group some much needed help on the road, but Michael is not that desperate. The reports started with Jermaine claiming that the King of Pop would join the ensemble and ended when Michael corrected his older brother.

Since Michael is not going to be performing, what is the point? He was always the talented one. He was always the one destined for greater things, despite the singles released by the rest of the brothers. He is not even crazy enough to do this.

Let this be heard correctly. Even a man who thinks it ok to name a baby Blanket and dangle an infant outside of a window thinks this would be a colossal mistake. It would be like Barry Bonds deciding that he should play in the independent league. It is not going to happen. Michael is perfectly happy selling a re-released version of Thriller and a compilation disc rather than tour with his dysfunctional family.

The Jackson 5 should remain unspoiled anyways. Millions of college students who “discover” the greatness of the young Michael before he became a solo sensation will shun the group for needlessly tarnishing their bell-bottomed image. Fans of the classic pop should be spending their money on Tina Turner tickets and Madonna tickets rather than waste their time on a train wreck reunion.

They will never be able to capture this kind of magic again…

with this scary, scary man as the leader.