...For The Ride Home: Anderson Cooper has himself a new show, what the 'like' button really means and rest in peace Greg Giraldo

Why Phil Collins today, you ask? Well, after writing that Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame post yesterday, the lovely people at the Hall decided to follow us on Twitter (something you fantastic friends should do as well!). This, in turn - and because we are nice people - led us to start following them. The result? Well, today those fine people tweeted that on this day in rock history, Mr. Collins joined Genesis! That's right. Little did the world know that 40 years ago on this very day, the history of music would forever be rewritten as one (if not THE) greatest band in the storied history of the musical universe would undergo a lineup change. It's such a landmark day, you know. It's also a rainy day (at least at The Unusual Suspects world headquarters). And I like that. No. Wait. I love that. Rainy days are my favorite, and if I could only come across one during which I didn't actually have to work, my mind could be at ease. But alas, that's what we grown-up people do. Work hard for the money. Whether or not it is raining wherever you are, we suggest taking a few minutes to click on a link or two, check out our take on the latest and greatest NFL prank and cuddle up with a nice, loving lover. Because nice, loving lovers are the best. They really are.

Anybody out there see yesterday’s comments from Bubba Watson about this year’s Ryder Cup? Check this out and I dare you to tell us you aren’t rooting for the United States now. (ESPN)

Oh, wow. Don’t know if this is the right move. The Boston Globe will begin to offer two Web sites – one you have to pay for, the other will remain free. (Boston Globe)

Anderson Cooper is going to have a daytime talk show. And I’ll bet it’s good. (New York Times)

Recession-proof style. What more could you want? (GQ)

I admittedly know absolutely nothing about this kind of stuff. So this, to me, at least, is interesting: What the “like” button means in regards to Web traffic. (CNN)

So, someone from The XX is already putting out a solo album? Damn. Who do these dudes think they are? (Pitchfork)

Greg Giraldo died yesterday. That’s sad. (People)

Spencer and Heidi: Love perseveres. (TMZ)

...For The Ride Home: 'Deadliest Catch' guys walk off show, soccer star gets caught in sex scandal and an interview with Ben Folds

This was good. Really, though. It was. I know it opened to bad reviews, and anyone who had seen it before me advised I stay away from it. But I enjoyed it. Of course it's not a candidate for Movie Of The Year or any such nonsense. But it's really worth a watch if you dig 1960s rock & roll, Mr. Hoffman or any of the people you see in one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, "In The Loop." Honestly. Check it out. Welcome to Wednesday, or, well, hump day as many dirty minds may suggest. How are you doing? September is nearly gone and October looms its head right around the corner. While driving today, the forecast on the radio said that temperatures are set to peak in the 50s throughout the weekend, so for those of you who may still be clinging to the last scraps of summer, you may be hit with a firm dose of fall within the next week or so. Cold weather. Rain. Dark. Dreary. Not to sound too depressing, but... Yeah. You get it. In any case, maybe a few of the following links may help ease the pain colder weather can bring. If not, maybe a look at who will possibly be in 2011's class of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame could do the trick. Either way, here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful evening.

Am interview with Ben Folds. That should be enough to get you to click, right? (Popmatters)

Fulham defender meets transsexual. And, then, well… (Deadspin)

The Washington Post will no longer run ads for (possible) prostitution. I thought of a few different jokes, but none seemed fit to print. (Washington Post)

Still can’t understand this: The Academy Is… and a photo gallery of their tour with Kiss. (Alternative Press)

“Deadliest Catch” stars quit the show. Does this mean the dudes on “Ice Road Truckers” are going to call it a day, too? That’d be sad. (Yahoo)

The Rider Cup begins this week. This is interesting only because Tiger made some “we are a team” comments yesterday. Maybe this year will be worth watching. (Fox Sports)

“American Idol” judges come together for first try at being judges. Somewhere, Kara weeps. (USA Today)

The Grande Ole Opry is back. Having spent a few days in Nashville over the summer, I can confidently tell you I am happy about this. Good for them. (Pollstar)

...For The Ride Home: Doc's kid makes John Wall look silly, Emmys fashion and movies you may want to check out this month

To begin Week 23, we offer a picture of both Jan Jones and Christina Hendricks at last year's Emmy Awards ceremony. And that, naturally, segues us into Monday's official "Mad Men" recap (as always, any and all suggestions/comments are welcome in the forum below). Before I begin - and because this was brought to my attention by the better half of this blog - keep in mind these recaps will contain spoilers. If you don't want to know what's going on with the show, kindly scroll to the links. You there yet? OK. Good. So last night, we got to relive when Don and Roger first met, and this, to me, provided some of the greatest moments of the entire series. To see how eager and wide-eyed Don was initially, and to see how dismissive Sterling was to him, was simply fantastic. Now to the award. Oddly enough, I felt this was the first real time we got to see Don's drinking (kind of) get in the way of his professional life. When he rushes back from the awards ceremony to pitch ideas to LIFE, all you can do is cringe as he mindlessly throws ideas against the wall to have nothing turn out well. And yes, the writers are way too smart for you to even begin to think that showing that kind of episode on the same night as the Emmys wasn't done on purpose. Peggy continues her "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore" moments, but - and I honestly hate to say this - there are times when she simply becomes more annoying than confident or empowering. For as bad as she treated Don's former secretary when she "needed to get over" the fact that Don slept with her and she wasn't happy with the fallout from that, Peggy needs to consider getting over a few things herself instead of pouting all the time. Still love her, though. And finally, Pete stood up for himself and laid a little bit of the law down. "He always looks like he's over-acting," my roommate said. He's right, but at this point, you have to think it's done on purpose. Have to. Whew. That was a lot. As you digest that, take some time to click on a few links and enjoy the second to last day of August. Be happy, friends.

John Wall gets crossed the eff up by Doc’s kid. Remember when I talked about ooking a kid a bunch of months ago? Yeah, watch this video. (The Big Lead)

A look at the best movies September will offer. Mildly excited for the new Clooney movie. (Popmatters)

Ooohhhh. ESPN travels to high school and treats everyone and the town like poo. You HAVE to read this. (Sacramento Bee)

So, exactly how many people turned out to that rally in D.C. over the weekend again? Depends on who you talk to, really. (Yahoo)

Emmys fashion. The young girl from “Modern Family” looked fab. Absolutely. (NBC)

It’s a Monday tradition. Your “Mad Men” recap. (Entertainment Weekly)

And speaking of both of those above things, Ms. Christina Hendricks talks about how hard it is for her to find dresses these days. (New York Daily News)

Tiger stumbled back to assure himself another week on the tour Sunday afternoon. Here’s a recap of the People article that his ex-wife granted. (Bleacher Report)

...For The Ride Home: The Emmys are Sunday, older people love social media and 20 years ago today, Stevie Ray Vaughan died

I usually try to send you off into the weekend with a nice, "kick off your shoes, put on your dancing hat and let's have some fun because it's Friday and the weekend!" offering. Not that Mr. Rob Thomas can't do such a thing, but I had the weirdest dream last night about how I was informed he had died. It was super odd. Because it has stuck with me all day, I now offer this, a live version of a song I had no idea was, at one point, a single, "Mockingbird." Huge place in my heart for Mr. Thomas. Today, we say goodbye to Week 22 and to let you in behind the curtains for a few seconds (and only because we are all best friends around here, you know), this was tossed around as being the very final day of this blog's existence. If you haven't noticed, today, we celebrate our five month anniversary, and, it should be noted for those who are counting, that this is our 201st post. Over 200 posts, five months and thousands of page views (can't thank you guys enough for that), and because of other obligations, we contemplated the notion of giving it up. But alas, love prevailed in the end, and we shall push through until...well, until you guys stop reading. So, this is good news, right? You don't want us to do away, right? Come on, now. We need a little bit of our ego fed (more so than words can say), so any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. All of that said, here's to another five months, eh? Now with the curtain swiftly being pulled in front of us again, we'd like to offer the following links to kick off the last weekend of August. Did you remember to check out today's Blogspot Banter? It's a goodie, you know. Give that a read, follow Ms. Indy Grrrl to her site to see what she has to offer, and as we wait to find you back here, ready to go Monday morning, I must remind you, the people who truly keep this operation going, love you, miss you.

So, Melo is gone, we know that. But he wants his extension, too? And Denver is honestly willing to blow the entire operation up once he leaves? Don’t really know if that’s necessary. (Yahoo)

Oh, college newspapers. You crazy. (Independent Florida Alligator)

Remember the Fox News guy we linked earlier in the week? You know, the one who was leaving to go to print? Yep. There’s a pay cut involved. (Media Matters)

People 50 and over love Facebook, too! Actually, they do, though. There are numbers to prove it. (Pew Research Center)

Good. Question. (Salon)

What would you give for lower concert ticket prices? (Pollstar)

Twenty years ago today, Stevie Ray Vaughan died. Way too young. (Contact Music)

The Emmys are Sunday. Don’t forget. We root for “Dexter,” “30 Rock,” “Mad Men” and “House.” And “Modern Family” got robbed. (NPR)

OH! Levi’s mad at Bristol! Levi’s mad at Bristol! (CNN)

Mike Lupica’s take on Tiger. I find myself feeling more bad for him each day. I shouldn’t. But I do. Weird. (New York Daily News)

...For The Ride Home: Tiger and Elin talk, Christina Hendricks named spokesperson of London Fog and Brownie goes back to New Orleans

"Last night. She said." And then I have no idea what is sung after that. It's weird how the older you grow, the more you find yourself liking music you dismissed when you were at the age in which you should have liked the said dismissed music. The Strokes are slowly gaining ground on my conscious and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. The same kind of thing happened with Hanson, but, as you read earlier, we already scratched that itch. Anyways, welcome to Wednesday, a hump day for the ages. Why? It's the last of such a day August offers. Can you believe it? Summer is gone, friends. Its last breath will be uttered next weekend, and, only if the plans I happened to make last night are followed through will the summer truly go out in style. How about you? Oh, nevermind. I'm sure a "how was your summer?" post will be lurking somewhere around the corner by either one of us. Or, wait. Maybe even both of us (gasp!). Before we get around to any reflection, though, we must deal with the current, and we currently offer you wonderful readers the following links to enjoy on this, the last Wednesday of August 2010. Remember - eating healthy may assure your life to be longer. Just sayin.'

Elin talks. The world listens. (People)

Tiger talks. The world listens. (TMZ)

Michael Brown returns to New Orleans five years after that incredibly big storm made its way through the city. Naturally, he loves his life. (Westword)

Fox News talking head leaves Fox News to delve back into print journalism. Score one for the good guys! (Mediaite)

Lifehouse is going to tour in the fall. In shocking news, Kris Allen will open the shows. No Name Face is one of my favorite “nobody can ever know this is one of my favorite CDs” CDs. (Pollstar)

Elisabeth Hasselbeck supports gay marriage. And she wants you to know she’s not nearly as conservative as you think. This is certainly going to lose her Republican votes when she tries to run for president in six years. (New York Daily News)

I like Chris Broussard. But why write such things as this? Especially about Baron Davis? (Sports By Brooks)

When there is ever a link involving her, rest assured we’ll link it. Christina Hendricks is the new spokesperson for London Fog. She’s fabulous. (Fox News)

...For The Ride Home: Esstential movie performances, is Tiger Woods someone you'd root for, and "Mad Men" Monday!

Week 20, week 20. Hello. Welcome back. How do you do? On a scale of 1 to 100, how much did you miss us (anything under 500 is unacceptable)? What have you been up to? Do you enjoy bagel sandwiches? All of these are pertinent questions, and though tradition expects me to return from vacation beginning with Monday's Ride, I thought of penning a "let's catch up" post, but alas, such things have not happened. I justified that by telling myself I would toss out a few things in this particular space, but then I remembered, "NO! This space is reserved for 'Mad Men' talk!" So here we go. We find out Joanie has had two abortions last night, which in an odd way is acceptable and predictable at the same time, while inexplicably not taking anything away from her character. And that's hard to do. More evidence of Don's life crumbling comes when he gets news out west that Anna is probably going to die. This, in turn, led to a few lines that were noteworthy uttered by Don, though they escape me now, a day later (maybe I should start taking notes when I watch). The Brit's life is crumbling as well, leaving the door open for a "what's going to end up happening with this character" discussion that deserves far more than a mere Ride paragraph. Though, all of that said, the scenes from next week finally suggest that after the last two episodes' worth of build-up, "when will this come to ahead" material, we are going to see a few things explode, which excites me beyond belief. The writers made it a clear point to suggest that even before next week's previews began when Joanie sits down at the table to announce to everyone that it is now 1965. Oh, and, as you will see if you follow the link below, any thoughts on Anna having a messed-up leg and the correlation it may have with the journalist Don ran into at the beginning of the season? Just food for thought. Whew! As always, all suggestions/comments are welcome as I will check back through the day and evening to see if we can't share some valuable "Mad Men" chatter. Oh, and I saw "The Kids Are All Right." Anyways, check out the links, check back tomorrow, and try not to write too many checks. It's always good to save money in a recession, you know.

The Premier League kicks its season off Saturday. I’d give you a full post about it, but something tells me you may never come back if I do. Instead, I’ll note that Manchester United beat Chelsea for the Community Shield, and whoever wins the Community Shield typically has a pretty good shot at winning the Premiership. I’m not sayin’ but I’m just sayin.’ (Soccer Blog)

An updated list of essential film performances. Leo in “The Departed” and Boogey make an appearance. (Popmatters)

Wolf Blitzer has been at CNN for 20 years. Here’s a profile on the guy. (The Baltimore Sun)

Magazine circulation is down. This is bad. Really bad. (Paid Content)

Any magazine that labels itself as the “Anti-Maxim Magazine” is a magazine I want to check out. (Boston Globe)

That long-awaited Jay-Z memoir is finally going to see the light of day. Good. Now you know what to get me for Christmas. Just send it to The Unusual Suspects headquarters. (Rolling Stone)

John Goodman wants you to know how to lose weight. Love, love, love him on “Treme.” (Showbiz Spy)

Tiger shot 602 over-par this weekend. Question that may just be made into a post: Do his recent struggles incline you to begin rooting for him to do well this weekend at the year’s final major? (Los Angeles Times)

Man Men. Expect these every Monday. (Vanity Fair)

...For The Ride Home: A funny writer says funny things, Mike weighs in on LeBron and Soul Week kicks off!

Good news! Week 17 is going to be our second themed week! Two exclamation points means business. For those of you who may remember, we first did such a thing here at The Ride back in April, when the showcased a video featuring the lovely Norah Jones each day. This time, and because no, I will not share the gamillions of stories I came by during my week away from you, the always-loved reader, we offer Soul Week, a week dedicated to soul music. Each day's Ride will contain a video that features various artists rooted in what everyone who knows me knows is my favorite kind of music: Soul music. This begins to today with (by my calculations) the fifth greatest song to ever be written and recorded in all of music (rock, pop, country, hip-hop, polka, etc.), Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Makin' Love." If only more videos of these artists existed, I would post live versions of these songs much like we did with Ms. Jones. But alas, such things are few and far between. Soooooo, with that behind us, how are you? How have you been? Did you miss me? Yeah, I didn't quite think you did. My friends always tell me how I should take vacations and how much I deserve/need them, but I don't think I've ever invested in that notion until now. It was so nice to press the reset button, make 5,000 memories, remove myself from the entire world (and this, I learned, also provided me with the time I most enjoyed not having a cellular phone), and stumble upon some of those rare slices of life you can only be so lucky to encounter every now and then. Goodness. Listen to me. I sound like a Christmas card. In any case, it's good to be back, and as July continues to fly by on this muggy Monday, take some time to check out a few links, enjoy the first installment of Soul Week and watch the season premiere of "Mad Men" again. Be nice.

Yes, sir. Michael Jordan says LeBron is stupid for playing in Miami with the overrated Chris Bosh, the bound-to-be-underutilized Dwayne Wade and Mr. James’ personal butler, Big Z. Have to love Mike. (New York Post)

Twenty questions with Gene Weingarten. If you care at all about newspapers or feature/humor writing in general, you really ought to check this out. Funny: “Q: You feel best in Armani or Levis or? A: Natalie Portman.” (Popmatters)

Geeky, but I have to offer it up. A list of winners for this year’s Alt Weekly awards. (Alt Weeklies)

Wasn’t able to get back in time last night to check out the first episode of this season so no spoilers please. That said, this guy talks about revealing too much when writing about the best show AMC will ever see. (Variety)

There was only one thing news story that leaked into my peripheral while I was gone and it was completely by accident. Here’s a discussion concerning the idea of George Steinbrenner being in baseball’s Hall of Fame. Think what you want about him, but I came across a priceless quote he once offered: “If you do something nice for someone, and more than two individuals know about it, then it wasn’t worth it.” (The Big Lead)

Tiger’s former mistress is going to be on the next installment of “Celebrity Rehab.” So, what’s the definition of celebrity again? (ABC News)

Glenn Beck is going blind. This one’s too easy. (Kansas City.com)

Comic Con begins this week. I only know what Comic Con is because of “Entourage.” Victory! (Washington Post)

Because I was gone and couldn’t link it then. Jason Whitlock’s take on LeBenedict. Dude got booed at the ESPYs? (Fox Sports)

...For The Ride Home: Bristol Palin goes back to her ex, Erin Andrews will probably not be back at ESPN and Game Seven is tonight

Tonight's the night. It's what every sports fan hopes for - a Game Seven in a finals series. Boston vs. Los Angeles. The Celtics vs. The Lakers. One superstar vs. one team. Gold vs. green. Need more? Yeah, that's what we thought. Seems a bit unfortunate that it's on a Thursday, though, right? I mean, come on. You've had no problem putting light years in between games in the playoffs, anyways, NBA. Why not break the rules a bit and push it to Saturday so everyone could watch? In honor of such a monumental event, we give you the Kobe mean face to giggle at. Is it me, or has he seemed extra touchy during these finals? A lot of unpleasant one-word answers in a tone that seems annoyed. Hey, if they win, that's five rings for him, and 5,201 for Phil. And should the Celtics pull it out, we can all be assured that Boston will be a 30-win team next year. This is your last chance, KG. Utilize it. Our prediction? Boston wins, 93-90. Daring, we know. In any case, before you settle in for the culmination of this year's NBA season this evening, take some time to click on a few links, get strapped in for tomorrow morning's United States World Cup game at 9:30 (prediction: 1-0, Americans), and read about how surprisingly good summer television can be. Have fun, friends.

You knew this was coming sooner or later. All signs point to Erin Andrews not returning to ESPN after this recent stint on “Dancing With The Stars.” (The Big Lead)

Garry Shider, guitarist for Parliament/Funkadelic, dies at the age of 56. (Pitchfork)

Pajama jokes about bloggers are getting old, or so says this particular blogger. Untrue. I thought all bloggers were always naked when they wrote. (Daily Finance)

Wow, Rupert Murdoch. Quite the interesting way to try and get people to pay for news online. (Business Week)

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Bristol Palin is getting back with Levi? Super weird Thanksgiving dinner on the way. (Showbiz Spy)

To win tonight, the Boston Celtics need to play like a team. According to Bob Ryan. Note: If Kobe wants in on all this “best player ever” talk, he needs to remember that Michael Jordan would never ever lose tonight’s game. I’m not sayin’ but I’m just sayin’. (Boston Globe)

...And that’s not Tiger’s baby after all. (New York Daily News)

This is interesting, and something I’ve been pondering for a few weeks now. Everyone seems to be cancelling their summer tours. What does this say about the music touring industry? (Billboard)

...For The Ride Home: Rush really likes the new DVD, Megan Fox is engaged and a new show from ESPN?

Watched this last night. Yes, it's foreign, so if you don't like foreign movies, or, well, if you don't like to read, skip the following few sentences. Penelope Cruz is now officially in the "If you are in this movie, I will watch it" category for me, and I can't think of many other actresses like that. She's just wonderful. Didn't know this going in, but from what I understand, this movie is celebrated for the fact that she trounces around naked for a little while at some point. Message to perverts: Don't ruin her! She beholds the type of beauty that even when you see her naked, you feel as though she's too fragile to mess with. Just let her elegance speak for itself. Pretty good movie. Couple that with "Vicky, Christina, Barcelona," and she now officially has my trust when it comes to movies. Yes, I've heard "Nine" is bad, but... So it's Wednesday. How are you doing? That's good, assuming you said you were doing well, of course. Seems to be humid where we are, so we hope you find a way to stay cool if you happen to be suffering through the same sticky weather (weather, which, I'd like to add, I enjoy). We sincerely hope you click on a few links below - though if you'd like to read a thing or two about running, or vacations beforehand, you wouldn't hear any argument from us. Be good, and remember, if you stay in the sun too long, you'll burn.

Search through if you’d like, but it’s there. Dan LeBatard, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon and Bill Simmons are all a part of a new project. Nobody knows what it’s about, or where it will be, or in what form, but this has to pique interest in at least a few of you. (Miami Herald)

Rush is excited about its upcoming DVD. This is just an excuse to link a story about Rush. (Rolling Stone)

NBC News pretty much cleaned house in this year’s Edward R. Murrow awards. If only that counted for late-night television. (RTDNA)

Fight! Dana Milbank rips former college newspaper editor in column. The problem? His editor is running for a seat in the Senate. When rich people spat, it’s fun. (Washington Post)

Eminem recruited the Shamwow dude to help him promote his upcoming album, an album that some people say could be his best lyrically. This particular link comes fully equipped with a video, too. (All Hip-Hop)

And now Tiger Woods is the father of more children. Have fun this weekend, Earl. (New York Daily News)

Megan Fox is engaged. Never bought in to how attractive most men think she is. (Access Hollywood)

Cameron Diaz is not dating A-Rod. Really? And she likes touching. Unlike the jail officers in “Arrested Development.” (People)

Signs of Summer: Playing golf with friends

Despite the agonizing fact that the official start date of summer isn’t until June 23, we’ve already had a few waves of summer-like weather in my neck of the woods. Its days like these that energize and invigorate the lion’s share of us who live in areas with over 225 days a year of “gray” weather, and these nice days deserve their due.

With that said, every Tuesday and Thursday until the official start of summer we’ll bring you an ode to the signs of summer, one marvelous item at a time. And PS – we would love it if you would pepper in your thoughts as well.

Today we pay homage to the game of golf.

Or as it may be the case for 90 percent of us, taking in the beauty of nature, enjoying time spent with friends and drinking a bevy of Bud Light w/Limes… while pathetically attempting to get a weird little ball in a tiny little hole that is sometime positioned 500+ yards away.

Who came up with this sport anyways?

I only started playing last summer, so my game is absolutely abysmal at this point, but when I went out with my brother for the first time the other day, I was downright floored with a feeling of elated relaxation. The birds were chirping, the sun was bobbing in and out of puffy white clouds, the grass was freshly mowed…

And then I shanked my tee shot into the woods DIRECTLY to my left.

But even despite that, it was such a nice escape. The one part about golf that amazes and occasionally infuriates me is the complexity of a seemingly simple game. I always thought it was a bunch of slightly overweight bankers hitting a ball around. Now that I’m into the game a little, I realize just how wrong I was.

My internal thoughts/questions/setup for each shot:

– How far to the hole – Which club to use – How far apart are my feet – Keep my left arm straight – Keep my head down – Keep my eye on the ball – Don’t try to kill it – Keep my left foot planted – Relax my shoulders – Don’t forget to follow through – Am I lined up to where I want the ball to go – Keep my wrists locked – Don’t grip the club too tight – Don’t turn the club face accidentally…

This explains it much better.

And so it goes. The better half of this blog and I plan to get at the sticks next week. Expect a complete synopsis and a healthy dose of smack talk, gloating and excuses.

Speaking of golf, Tiger “returns from injury” to defend his crown at the Memorial Tournament next week… and I hear he has a new girlfriend already.


I got nothing.

Be good and come back for The Ride Home links at 4 p.m. today.

...For The Ride Home: A legend dies, a perfect game is thrown and a Hot 100 list that has Katy Perry at the top

Took some time and settled in to this Academy Award winning movie (the great Herbie Hancock won for original score in 1987, I believe, and the lead role, played by Dexter Gordon, was up for best actor, and damnit, he should have won) last night. Taken from the lives of two jazz greats, Lester Young and Bud Powell, if you claim to have any interest in good jazz music, this is a complete must-see. Hell, even if you would like to see a pretty good movie, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. It may run a bit long, but it's definitely worth it. In any case, moving forward, we begin week seven on a sad note. As you will see, Lena Horne passed away last night, and keeping with the jazz theme, we highly suggest you take a look at the woman's obituary, linked below. The Pens, Magic, Lakers and Bruins go for sweep tonight in playoff sports. Though I clearly had some time to catch up on the best reality television out there this weekend, I did squeeze in Real Madrid's late attempt at trying to overcome Barcelona's lead in the Primera Division. They cut it to a point, but we can all agree it's highly unlikely the club moves into first by season's end. Lionel Messi is far too good. Wow, we touched on a lot here, didn't we? Anyways, onward and upward...

One of the 20 most important women in music/film/Hollywood/life of the last 100 years died last night. If you follow one link today, make sure it’s this. Educate yourselves, friends. (Philly.com)

Dallas Braden threw the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history yesterday. Like any good man would, he turned to his grandmother for a hug afterward. Great read. (San Francisco Chronicle)

It’s Maxim Hot 100 time. Completely, utterly, maddening-ly disagree with Katy Perry as No. 1. (Maxim)

Really, really neat idea: 48 Hours magazine created over the weekend. It’s like bringing the Internet to print. (Wall Street Journal)

That was the funniest “Saturday Night Live” in years. The only thing missing was a "What Up With That." And, as the headline so elegantly proclaims: Jay-Z crushed it. (Pitchfork)

Interesting: After pulling out of The Players’ Championship yesterday, a vote for Tiger to shut it down for the rest of the year. (The Big Lead)

Piracy caused “Iron Man 2” to not do as well as some may have thought during its opening weekend. Guess $133 million isn’t enough. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Yeah, what’s this all about? (Twitter)

...For The Ride Home: It's tax day, Something Corporate is back and Lisa de Moraes is a better writer than you

Plan on watching "Broken Flowers" tonight based strictly on the recommendation that it is along the same lines and is as good - if not better - than "Lost In Translation." Has anyone seen it? Got excited when it was put in the que months ago. Lost the excitement. Have it back now that it's here. Should be fun. It's Thursday, which means this is the night when pretty, young people usually go out and begin their respective weekends early with time at the bar and the occasional one-night-stand. Good luck with all that. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, or e-mail us at theunusualsuspectsblog@gmail.com. Again, anyone who submits a good link will receive a box of sour patch kids. If none of that interests you, read about microwaves and think of Jack. Be good.


Today is tax day. Hope you filed your taxes. Big brother is watching. (Yahoo)

Easily the best story from all the Pulitzer prizes: 28-year-old in Bristol wins for investigative work. We give it three months before one of the big boys grabs him up. (Mediamatters)

Remember what we said about Eminem’s “Relapse 2?” Hours later, he announced plans for “Recovery.” (Rolling Stone)

Man delivers obituary, then commits suicide. Sad. (Sacramento Bee)

“One Sponsor Car Company Youth Market Car Model Music Video later, it's time for another Seabiscuit Moment of High Tension and Drama, as Casey James, Andrew Garcia, and Aaron Kelly are called to center stage.” Going to keep linking her Idol recaps until somebody recognizes her brilliance. (Washington Post)

A complete roundup of all the Tiger parody commercials with his dad’s voice. Funny. (Deadspin)

So, Something Corporate is back. Does this mean Jack’s Mannequin is dead? (Spin)

More from the Pulitzers: Washington Post writer Howie Hurtz is not happy that the Washington Times didn’t mention the Post winners. (Twitter)

The last Tiger Woods post until the next Tiger Woods post

Held off on a lot of possible Tiger posts last week. Thought it was cliché, and while you may not think to believe it, we do try and tackle things that other, better, more powerful blogs may decide to skip. It was simply too easy. Sure, we offered a link here or there, but no narrative came at any point. Why even try it? Honestly. You’ve already made your mind up about the golfer by now, anyways. What are you going to learn here that you couldn’t read elsewhere?

But as the weekend went on, and as Tiger became more determined to come back to the tour with a bang, a question popped in and out of my head as the cheers became louder and the coverage became more forgiving. Come on: Those airplane banners were the only two things that even remotely looked critical when it came to discussing the golfer. And even those were quickly dismissed as juvenile. That question? How did he happen to regain everyone’s heart so quickly?

Yahoo’s Brian Murphy wrote Sunday night about how nothing surrounding the golfer has changed.

“We’d forgotten – through all the tabloids and TMZ.coms and weird statements in front of blue curtains and five-minute time limits and hearing Earl’s voice again – that Tiger is the best in the world at what he does, anytime, anywhere. He’s beyond maestro. He is the uber-maestro, if there is such a thing. We’ve just made it up, right here. And yet, there were so many moments of poor golf, it reminded you that just five months ago he wheeled his Escalade into a fire hydrant and tree, and hadn’t played competitively since.”

He cussed. He yelled. He acted like a brat. By the time Sunday evening came, it was back to the “Gosh, I played awful and now I just want to call the nearest pancake waitress to let off some steam” joke he’s become. Moreover – and more importantly – having viewed his four days at the Masters as nothing more than an extension of what we have all grown to see him as on the golf course – for all the good and all the bad – why aren’t we to suggest nothing else about his life has changed, either?

It wasn’t too long ago that each day, we’d awake to find a different woman, with a different story, talking about a different instance in which Tiger cheated on his wife, the notoriously absent-from-this-weekend Elin. Because he was in the hunt Sunday afternoon, did almost every golf fan in the world forget about how he duped an entire world filled with Tiger-lovers for years, proclaiming to be a disciplined role model who you could always count on to take his vitamins and win golf tournaments?

Ironic: What made Phil Mickelson’s victory so special Sunday, and the first place he turned to after securing the win was ….his wife. Who would have Tiger turned to had he been able to pull off a miraculous Masters triumph?

...For The Ride Home: Treme and more Treme, Weekend Update's radical reunion and Tiger Woods (y'all)

Oh, how so sad it is to see Norah Jones week come to an end. Today, we offer up the absolute cutest song ever written. And that's no overstatement. No spoilers, but if you've never heard the song before, wait until something clicks inside your brain at the 1:30 mark. You'll smile for days. Anyways, we love you Ms. Jones (to make ourselves feel better, we sometimes pretend that people stumble across this particular blog. We know you're out there, Norah. It's all out of love). Moving forward, and something we have so absentmindedly forgot to mention. If you, the fantastically pretty reader, happen to come across any links you'd like to share with the world in this particular section, or, if you'd like to tell us that we are idiots in a more personal manner than the comments section, feel free to e-mail us at theunusualsuspectsblog@gmail.com. All links used will be given complete credit. And a Popsicle. That's it for this week, friends. Can you believe we have been running two weeks strong? Crazy, we know. Big weekend ahead. A premature birthday celebration of sorts, and more importantly, the premiere of "Treme" on HBO (and yes, there will be multiple links below concerning that alone). Can't recall being more excited for the premiere of a television show...ever. That said, probably won't be able to get to it until way after it airs. Those who feel the same passion and excitement for this lovely television show may use the comments section here as a thread for what your first impressions may be. And yes, we'll drop by to see if any of you actually do such a thing, participating in intelligent and substantial conversation ourselves. If none of such things happen, we will count on seeing you back and better than ever Monday with new posts and new conversations. As for now, don't forget that broadcast media needs to re-think some things (or thangs), and, well, take time to appreciate how great women can be. Because, they most certainly are. Until Monday, love you, miss you.

Long, extensive read on Tiger. It's pretty good, too. Insightful, if nothing else. Nearly through with his second round, you would be an idiot to bet against him winning this weekend. (Golf.com)

The "Flight Of The Conchords" crew is coming back to the states! Over-looked and under-appreciated show. Should have went way longer than two seasons. (Pollstar)

Speaking of television shows, the dude from "Burn Notice" edged out Charlie in the finals today. That's upsetting. To make him feel better, be sure to watch your favorite "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" episode this weekend. (Chicago Now)

"Treme" time. First, an extensive interview with the creators literally hours before a writer died on the set last week (NPR). And then yet another journalist who believes the show will live up to the hype (Los Angeles Times).

There have already been terrorist threats against the World Cup. (Fox Sports)

How it works: If you comment on our blog, we will link your blog. (Julielynn)

Anybody want to take out ads in the Wall Street Journal or New York Post? Rupert Murdoch offers up to an 83 percent discount. (The Guardian)

Brody Jenner and Avril Lavigne? (TMZ)

An announcement concerning Big Ben is set for Monday (ESPN). If you don't remember, there may be some racial implications as a result of the conclusion. Never like to see that.

Super cool to see all these guys last night on the same stage. Is Amy Poehler pregnant again? Has to be. She's huge. (Late Night With Jimmy Fallon)

Tiger begins his journey back... no, seriously... Yeah, the same Tiger from CNN with the apology and stuff...

It was reported late last week that Tiger Woods began filming his first commercial since the incident... err... 15 incidents that became public around Thanksgiving. The commercial will be for Tiger's most prominent sponsor, Nike. So, this obviously begs the question, is this a good move on Nike's part? My first instinct says Nike needs to maintain its distance from the fallen former prodigy - but is that a bit short sighted on my part? If there's one thing America loves, it's a winner, and you know Tiger will win again. And for better or for worse, winning seems to be the cure-all elixir for public image problems among professional athletes, Dwight Gooden notwithstanding.

(Seriously, give this video a minute before moving on - so worth it.)



Now we've all heard the juvenile golf jokes and immature quips about some of the companies who have sponsored, or continue to sponsor Tiger Woods (Nike - Just do it; Accenture - High performance delivered; and my personal favorite Gatorade - Is it in you?). And while I typically would avoid such childish cheap shots, I can't help myself here. Here's a little list of some companies and their tag lines (past or present) that Tiger could consider aligning himself with - feel free to add to this list.

L'Oreal - "Because I'm worth it"
Timex - "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
Las Vegas - "What happens here stays here"
AT&T - "Reach out and touch someone"
Energizer - "It just keeps going and going"
Holiday Inn - "Pleasing people the world over"
Courage Tavern Ale - "It's what your right arm's for"
Exxon - "Put a little tiger in your tank"

Scene.

We'll be here all week folks - leave comments, let's discuss.

- TS