Link-Off

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Sunday Link-Off: Hung Up And Hungover

It’s 8:00 AM on the east coast on the day after St. Patrick’s Day so I don’t expect anyone to read this until at least six hours after it was posted. Anyway, I’ve been a bit busy this week covering the entertainment beat and working on the 2012 Hottest Canadian showdown. However, I haven’t forgotten the usual Sunday posts. But first, let’s kick this one of with my favourite SI Swimsuit model Cintia Dicker.

Would you believe that the biggest casino in America is actually in Connecticut? But Foxwoods Casino might not be able to hold onto that title as the casino industry is in massive trouble. (New York Times)

Don’t like the current state of professional wrestling? Well, blame Rick Santorum. The candidate for the Presidential nomination for the Republican Party was a lobbyist who helped get the wrestling industry deregulated which started us toward modern pro wrestling. (Mother Jones)

If you thought wrestling was bad for doping, wait until you find out what’s happening in wheelchair curling. (Deadspin)

After the jump, strange sports stats no one asked for, the guy behind Kony 2012 has too much fun in public and Gus Johnson’s greatest hits. Continue reading →

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Entertainment Link-Off: Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition

Hide your kids. Hide your wife. I’m doing the entertainment beat this week. This St. Patty’s Day, everybody’s a bit Irish. Except the movies because we’re still two weeks away from the next Liam Neeson movie, Wrath of the Titans. We do have two Nick Offerman (AKA Ron Fucking Swanson) movies with this weekend’s releases of 21 Jump Street and Casa de mi Padre. Right, before I go too far off-track, here’s one of the stars of Casa de mi Padre, Genesis Rodriguez.

Here’s one of the biggest and strangest stories to circulate the blogosphere in recent years. Folks are speculating that the tell-all blind item commenter “Himmmm” is actually Robert Downey Jr. That might actually be the ballsiest thing any A-list star has ever done if true. (Gawker)

After the jump, Community is back, an R-rated cut of Galaxy Quest might exist, Lamar wants off reality TV and The Walking Dead does Office Space. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Twitter Wars

It’s a busy week on the blog this week between the Hottest Canadian bracket and our 2012 F1 season preview. But we still have time for the mid-week links. To kick things off, we have… Miley Cyrus? I guess she’s not banking on Disney dollars anymore. And that’s a good thing.

The latest Twitter feud wasn’t so much a fight as an absolute massacre. It was Norm McDonald vs. Rick Reilly. If this was a boxing match, Norm would’ve won by KO in the first sixty seconds. (Awful Announcing)

For such an influential man in many lives, Don Cornelius’ death went by without much of a mention. The Times profiles the man and his fall from grace. (New York Times)

The new purpose of the Gawker Media Group is to out people behind anonymous comedy Twitter accounts. This includes their recent investigation of @DadBoner. (Deadspin)

After the jump, March Madness, the science of video game difficulty and Community returns tomorrow. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: Social Media Meltdown

It’s the end of another week so it’s time for another set of links. I was hoping to kick off this post with an as of yet undiscovered woman but the return of Jennifer Love Hewitt is definitely a treat.

Twitter is the current big social network but it has one small problem: Nobody at Twitter had any idea as to how to make money from the damn thing. (Gawker)

Social media has also brought to light LRA leader Joseph Kony. However, the Invisible Children charity that’s taken social networks by storm with their Kony 2012 video have taken care of a tweet first, ask questions later public to distort the facts surrounding their case. Here’s a breakdown of what’s really going on with Kony. (Foreign Policy)

The biggest benefit for Invisible Children from the Kony campaign is the increased fundraising. But that increased money that the charity is raising isn’t likely to support the cause. (Jezebel)

After the jump, there’s a Hulk Hogan sex tape, the greatest TV network seasons of all-time and revenge of the carjacked. Continue reading →

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Entertainment Link-Off: Mars Attack!

After spending decades in the works, John Carter has finally made it to the big screen this weekend. Sadly tracking has been a bit low and it looks like it will be a box office flop. It’s rather unfortunate since it is a solid film despite minor pacing issues and spotty dialogue at times. The visuals, the story and the acting can make up for whatever flaws the film has. Plus, there’s Lynn Collins in it! That should be a definite plus! (And c’mon, support your fellow Canadian Taylor “Riggins” Kitsch of FNL fame).

After the jump, Terra Nova got canned, The Simpsons tackles Game of Thrones, the return of Community is near, a bit more on John Carter and check out a faux trailer for Where’s Waldo. Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: #3

I should be playing Mass Effect 3 right now but my hard drive had to suffer a catastrophic failure in January and cost me two (and a half) saved characters. But with ME3 out yesterday, it’s only fitting to lead-off with Yvonne Strahovski.

We all know that Rush Limbaugh is a moronic, misogynistic blowhard whose views lower the intelligence of everyone that hears them. Fortunately, after his latest tirade and thanks to the power of social media, Rush’s advertisers are leaving in droves. (Think Progress)

Speaking of advertising, since the NBA is expecting over two-thirds of teams to lose money this season, they’re looking at selling ads on jerseys. (Sporting News)

Mass Effect 3 is out! Let me repeat that to reflect my excitement: MASS EFFECT THREE!!!!!1!!3! Here’s a pretty detailed, but not spoilerish, review. (Kotaku)

After the jump, Valve’s secret project, another reason why newspapers are dying and the obligatory ME3 trailer. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: In Like A Lion

It’s the beginning of another week and another month here at The Lowdown Blog. I’m hoping to get a big post or two done this week. That’s unless the craptacular weather keeps screwing me up. Anyway, here’s Freida Pinto.

I remember watching this live on WDIV, AKA NBC Detroit, but I didn’t know the whole story. It’s an oral history of the Malice at the Palace. (Grantland) As an aside, because this is a feature article, Grantland won’t let you comment on the article. That difference in treatment between commenting on feature and blog articles is a massive failing of Grantland.

Mothers, lock up your daughters. Brett Favre is on Twitter. Fortunately for the sexting fiend, he’s getting some tips on how to properly use the social network. (Sports Pickle)

Obscenely cool fact of the day: Jon Hamm reads and used to comment on Deadspin. (Deadspin)

After the jump, a Community roundtable, Canada and Iceland could be joining forces and Jimmy Kimmel’s ideas for Oprah’s TV network. Continue reading →

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Entertainment Link-Off: Hug a Tree

It’s Saturday again, so it’s time for another edition of the Entertainment Link-Off. In theatres this weekend, there’s the kid friendly Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s the party-hard flick Project X. In other words, nothing noteworthy, so let’s start this edition of the ELO off with Charlize Theron. She’ll be appearing in Prometheus this summer and later in this entry, a new viral video related to the movie has hit the interwebs.

After the jump, The Lorax isn’t sticking to its environmentally friendly message, Adam Sandler smashed a Razzie record, the Oscars are on a downward spiral, showing a movie trailer can get you into the Phillippines (well only for Taylor Kitsch), Alec Baldwin shows no boundaries when hosting morning shows and new music recommendations courtesy of David Choi and Esther Lee! Continue reading →

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Wednesday Link-Off: Leap Day

Normally, I’d break down the Oscars during the linkdump after the Oscars but Twitter and the Daytona 500 are much more interesting. The good news is that we can still lead off this linkdump with Natalie Portman on the red carpet.

The Daytona 500 was yesterday. Well, more or less. It ended in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Anyway, the big story of the race (besides exploding jet dryers) was driver Brad Keselowski tweeting during a red flag period. (Jalopnik)

And while NASCAR is very liberal about its social media policies, ESPN is tightening the strings regarding its employees’ Twitter accounts. (Deadspin)

Why do I bring these two stories up back-to-back? Because ESPN NASCAR analyst Brad Daugherty, who got his job because he liked NASCAR, not because he’s in any way qualified, thinks Keselowski should be fined because he must be in capable of tweeting while all cars are parked and nothing is happening for several hours then driving a race car afterwords. (The Daly Planet) After making those comments, Daugherty demanded that everyone get off his lawn.

After the jump, WWE stars do zumba, CBS screws up Sherlock Holmes and Seth Rogen has the best monologue of awards season. Continue reading →

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Sunday Link-Off: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Okay, the Star Wars Episode I 3D premiere was two weeks ago but that doesn’t mean that we can’t run scads of Star Wars links today. Let’s kick off with Cris Urena. She wasn’t in Star Wars but she is out of this world… I’ll show myself out.

For a while in the early 2000s, BlackBerry was the biggest name in smartphones and mobile devices. Then the iPhone happened. This is the story of the RIM’s downfall. (The Verge) In all seriousness, BlackBerry will be a case that will be used in business school strategy classes for years to come.

CM Punk apparent feud isn’t some publicity stunt but rather a legitimate beef with a woman beater who acts entitled because of a Grammy. (Hot 97FM)

Remember that fish that ended up on the ice in the Toronto/Vancouver game last weekend? The perpetrator did it as a tribute to his son. (Off The Bench)

After the jump, scads of Star Wars links, details on Mass Effect 3 and what if somebody had a hand in The Phantom Menace other than George. Continue reading →