From 32 to 16 to the Elite Eight. The 2015 edition of the Hottest Canadian showdown has reached the regional finals stages with two women left in each region. In the Sweet Sixteen, we had two #1 seeds go down including #1 overall seed Danielle Knudson and defending Hottest Canadian champion Kristin Kreuk. Of these remaining eight, one will be the new Hottest Canadian.
Who will make it to Hottest Canadian Final Four? Voting starts today and builds to the Final Four on Monday.
For better or worse, that time of year is upon us. The WWE’s annual “sports entertainment” spectacular, WrestleMania, is upon us for the 31st time. This year’s edition got a last-minute boost of intrigue with the late re-signing of Brock Lesnar so for the first time in about 9 months, the outcome of the main event is up in the air.
So to get you ready for the five-hour show (that includes two pre-match shows expected to start at 3:00 PM PDT), I found some of the best “hype” videos to get you ready for The Granddaddy of Them All, The Showcase of the Immortals, WrestleMania Play Button.
Two weeks removed from the season opener in Melbourne, Australia, and there are two things that F1 fans are hoping for: 1) More than 11 cars crossing the line at the end of the race; and 2) A race that isn’t so ungodly boring that it puts people to sleep in the middle of it. Our first trip to a Hermann Tilke designed track may help us answer the question of which of the Mercedes drivers will have the advantage this year and who is the favourite in the battle for 2nd in the Constructors’ Championship.
I’m pretty sure that I warned you guys on Sunday that there were wrestling links coming. Wrestling Christmas comes but once a year. But since I didn’t watch New Japan until WrestleKingdom 9 in January, I guess we have to settle for being excited about WrestleMania 31. But there are plenty of links to read that are about more than just Vince McMahon’s ego.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Natalie Dormer. Good time to reminds you that Game of Thrones is back next month. I’m looking forward to it.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that the new national security bill should be fast tracked because everyone supported it. He might want to pump his brakes because the reality is the exact opposite. (Metro)
Talk about irony. The Republicans might get embroiled in their own birther controversy over prospective Presidential nominee Ted Cruz. (Washington Post)
Loblaw’s has a new plan to cut down on waste. They’re taking less aesthetically pleasing produce and selling it for a discount rather than tossing it in the garbage. (Think Progress)
Tuesday night brings us the back half of the 2015 Hottest Canadian bracket’s Sweet Sixteen. Much like the Arctic and Maritime Regions, upsets were few and far between in the Shield and Prairies region. The 2012 runner-up, Evangeline Lilly, was the third #3 seed to fall victim to the #3 curse. Coincidentally, three #3 seeds fell in the first round of 2012’s bracket too. The Prairies Region also had our biggest upset with #2 seed Elisha Cuthbert falling to #7 Lindy Booth. We could see more upsets this round too.
Voting runs through Thursday night. On Friday, we kick-off the Elite Eight with the finals of each region.
Am I on too much of an infographic kick right now? Maybe yes. Maybe no. But maybe I stumbled upon an even better one than last week’s. While our old friends at Movoto didn’t put together this look at the homes of Middle-Earth, it’s a fairly comprehensive look at many of the homes, cities and lands that you’ll see in Lord of the Rings. You might even be able to figure out where in Isengard that the Hobbits were taken.
It’s the first day of the second round of the 2015 Hottest Canadian showdown. The original field of 32 has been cut in half to 16. The first half of our Sweet Sixteen shows that the 5/12 upset isn’t the only one you’ll see in a bracket. Both the Arctic and Maritimes regions had three of four high seeds go through. The ones that didn’t go through were the two #3 seeds which both fell victim to the #6 seeds. Will we see more upsets in the Round of 16?
Voting runs through Thursday night. On Friday, we kick-off the Elite Eight with the finals of each region.
Every so often, we look at the most spectacular fails that the internet has to offer. Well today, we look at the most spectacular fails that Facebook has to offer. This week, we have five of the best fails Facebook has to offer.
Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again, there was snow in Northern Ontario over the weekend. I guess we were spoiled by above zero weather. And I suppose there’s this WrestleMania thing happening in a week that’s a big part of this Sunday’s linkdump. I suppose that’s worth mentioning and covering on top of the usual stuff.
Anyway, it’s Sunday so it’s time for the links. Let’s kick things off with Gigi Hadid. I can finally understand why she was a frontrunner for this year’s SI Swimsuit cover.
How will possible Republican Presidential hopeful and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker help the state’s budget problems? Not paying back the state’s debt. (Washington Post)
Just to make things worse for the Republicans, it turns out that Obamacare isn’t too back for the creation of new jobs. (Bloomberg)
SXSW is ongoing right now. What is SXSW? No one’s really sure anymore. (Fusion)
As I mentioned yesterday, we’re big fans of beer here at The Lowdown. More importantly, we’re even more habitual coffee drinkers. One of our biggest posts of all-time was our look at how alcohol affects your brain when it comes to heavy drinking and hangovers. Now, we look at things from the perspective of how alcohol and caffeine affect your brain before you’re too far gone to function.
The Lowdown 