Mila Kunis

Milena Markovna Kunis (Милена Маркoвна Кунис), born August 14, 1983), better known as Mila Kunis, is an American actress. She is best known for playing Jackie Burkhart on That '70s Show, and also performs the voice of the character Meg Griffin on the popular animated series, Family Guy. Kunis was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), to a Jewish family, with whom she moved to Los Angeles, California, in the United States, when she was 7. Kunis has stated many times that she is nothing like Jackie, her character on the show, insisting that she is really more of the cute girl-next-door type with a dash of tomboy thrown in for good measure. Despite this docile description, she has shown a different attitude by her sultry appearance on the cover of the men's magazine Stuff in December of 2005. Maxim magazine named her #47 on its 2006 Hot 100 list.

Kunis' inimitable, instantly recognizable voice has earned her several other notable roles, including starring in the Aerosmith music video "Jaded", The Strokes music video "The End Has No End", as well as several movies, such as Piranha (1995), Santa with Muscles (1996), Krippendorf's Tribe (1998), Gia (1998), Get Over It (2001), American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002), and Tony n' Tina's Wedding (2004). She is starring with Jon Heder in the upcoming film Moving McAllister.

Kunis is the voice of Meg Griffin in the animated TV show Family Guy, and of several characters on the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken. She has acted as the voice of Tanya Winters in the video game Saints Row. She is filming a movie in Fiji called Boot Camp.

TomC

College Basketball Wrapup

Well we have a national champion in DIV 1 basketball. And it is Florida. Again. The Gators beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 84-75 to win the title for the second year in a row. And now my official commentary on it all:

YAWN. . .


Above are the NCAA and NIT Brackets one last time with the tourney winners. If you want to find out about the NCAA women, you are going to have to look it up yourself. This pretty much effectively concludes this years NCAA Basketball converage. Hope you enjoyed.

TomC

Uninspiring Start.

(Schilling was Unimpressive Today.)

(Dustin Pedroia Turning Two.)

Well led by a less than stellar start by Curt Schilling (4IP, 8H, 5ER, 5K), the Red Sox looked positively anemic today in a lame 7-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Royal's starter Gil Meche was downright stifling. The only bright spot to me was the plucky rookie 2B Dustin Pedroia (2-3, and a couple of slick plays around the bag) looked pretty good today, hopefully this is a tone setter for the whole year for him. On Wednesday, the two teams meet again, with Josh Beckett facing off against Odalis Perez. Hopefully the results then will be more promising.

TomC

RED SOX OPENING DAY!

	Active Roster
	Pitchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	19 Josh Beckett	R/R	6-5	220	05/15/80
	53 Brendan Donnelly	R/R	6-3	240	07/04/71
	48 Javier Lopez	L/L	6-4	220	07/11/77
	18 Daisuke Matsuzaka	R/R	6-0	190	09/13/80
	37 Hideki Okajima	L/L	6-1	194	12/25/75
	58 Jonathan Papelbon	R/R	6-4	230	11/23/80
	36 Joel Pineiro	R/R	6-1	200	09/25/78
	32 J.C. Romero	S/L	5-11	205	06/04/76
	38 Curt Schilling	R/R	6-5	235	11/14/66
	39 Kyle Snyder	S/R	6-8	215	09/09/77
	51 Julian Tavarez	L/R	6-2	195	05/22/73
	49 Tim Wakefield	R/R	6-2	210	08/02/66
	Catchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	28 Doug Mirabelli	R/R	6-1	220	10/18/70
	33 Jason Varitek	S/R	6-2	230	04/11/72
	Infielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	13 Alex Cora	L/R	6-0	200	10/18/75
	12 Eric Hinske	L/R	6-2	235	08/05/77
	25 Mike Lowell	R/R	6-3	210	02/24/74
	23 Julio Lugo	R/R	6-1	175	11/16/75
	15 Dustin Pedroia	R/R	5-9	180	08/17/83
	20 Kevin Youkilis	R/R	6-1	220	03/15/79
	Outfielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	10 Coco Crisp	S/R	6-0	180	11/01/79
	7 J.D. Drew	L/R	6-1	200	11/20/75
	22 Wily Mo Pena	R/R	6-3	245	01/23/82
	24 Manny Ramirez	R/R	6-0	200	05/30/72
	Designated Hitters	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	34 David Ortiz	L/L	6-4	230	11/18/75

There are the guys the sox are going to war with this year. Their first game is today at 4:15 against the Kansas City Royals. Curt Schilling goes for the Red Sox versus Gil Meche for the Royals. I love Opening Day! Every thing seems so fresh and new, and the possibilities are endless!! I know I will be getting up earlier than usual (mind you I work overnights) to watch this bradcast on ESPN! On this day everybody thinks their season can end like this:



Okay disclaimer Time, this is not exclusively, and was never really intended to be a Red Sox Blog. That said I am a rather big fan of the Sox and odds are I will be talking about them a lot, mixed in with the cigars, whiskey, and other assorted ramblings that are part of the regular scheduled broadcast. Just thought you should be warned.

Okay, that said the opening day lineup will probably look like this:

SS Julio Lugo
1B Kevin Youkilis
DH David Ortiz
LF Manny Ramirez
RF J. D. Drew
C Jason Varitek
3B Mike Lowell
CF Coco Crisp
2B Dustin Pedroia

SP Curt Schilling

I would take my chances with those ten, especially against Kansas City!

LETS GO RED SOX!!

TomC

Kitty Meow Meow Update!

Thanks to a little ingenuity, a lot of hard work, some kind prayers, and a good luck cat named Minou, Our Kitty Bella was safely returned to us as I came home from work this morning. Thank you for all the kind thoughts. YAY!

TomC

Here We Go Again!

GROAN! Not again! Just like the NCAA DIV 1 football championship in January, the NCAA men's DIV 1 basketball championship game is set, and it is The Ohio State University Buckeyes versus the University of Florida Gators. Ohio State got to the game by beating the Hoyas of Georgetown by the score of 67-60. Florida advance past UCLA 76-66. The Buckeyes and Gators played earlier this season, with the Gators stomping the piss out of the Buckeyes 86-60 in December, in a game in which freshman phenom Greg Oden only had seven points and was in foul trouble most of the game.

Both the Buckeye and Oden will have to play better to not have a repeat performance of December, or for that matter to have a repeat of the Football Title Game.

GO BUCKEYES!!


TomC

5 Vegas Gran Reserva Double Corona

6 X 48, Natural


I don't really feel like writing a full review of this cigar today, but it really did need mentioned. This very firmly packed stogie was another one of the revelations in my recent run of revisiting Natural Wrappered Cigars. It burned beautifully, and the draw was just right. The volumes of smoke revealed flavors of tangyness and rich sweetness, natural one, like honey and raw cane sugar. There was also just enough spice to keep it from being cloying. I really have to keep a more open mind selecting cigars to try, because there definately still are light wrappered stogies out there worth my time.

TomC

Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage \'90

(yes I realize this is a 1993 vintage bottle, but dammit the 1990 bottle looks the same!)

Name (full): Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 1990

Barreled Date: September 18, 1990

Barrel #: 343

Proof: 86.6

Price: $23.10 @ Marion County State Store, Marion, OH.

Bottle: A Sleek , Curvaceous, black wax sealed bottle with a minimalist label. The front says “Kentucky’s Firsts Distiller: Put in Oak in the Autumn of 1990”. The Back label explains the Integrity of a Single Barrel Bourbon & then there is the hand written barrel date and #. It says “Distilled & Bottled by Old Evan Williams Distillery, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky 40004.”.

Color: A very pretty red toned amber. Quite Inviting.

Mash Bill: From what I can gather all Heaven Hill Bourbons are Corn 75% Rye 13% Malted Barley 12%.

Nose: Maple, Mint, Damp Wood, Wispy Smoke, Pine Knotholes, Burnt Sap. . . At the same time fresh & grassy-like.

Taste: Subtle. Some of the smoke and Pine carry over. As well as Baked Apples and sap. I hate to use the work cause I think it is silly, but this bourbon is SPRIGHTLY , in a good way. The tastes are hard to describe, but refreshing.

Finish: Medium, but coating and pleasant. Quite yummy. (maybe just a little too short for me).
Mouth feel: Medium but not very viscous smooth and pleasant, refreshing.

Conclusions:.
First I gotta say I had one helluva time with this tasting and that I am still not satisfied with it but will have to be, because after 6 different tasting samples, the bottle is now empty !!!!! That said, I really enjoyed this bourbon because it is a decided break from almost all the other bourbons that I have bought so far. This Is a good example of how there are bourbons for just about every mood. There are some days when you just don’t want Huge and Creamy like Woodford Reserve or something with a bunch of big flavors, like Elijah Craig 12, and on those days this bourbon is the thing for me. It is really a good refreshing bourbon to have on warm summer days, who says whiskey can’t adapt to the heat.


So I Hope I didn't blow it totally,



TomC

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

4 X 47 Sun Grown Maduro

I finally got an opportunity to try one of these cigars! Among the cigar lovers I associate/speak with, very few lines of cigars generate quite as much positive reviews/hype as the Padron 1926 line, which intrigued me more than even the line itself. I have long wondered whether my personal experience regarding this stogie would be as transcendant as everyone elses. Well now I had the chance to find out.

One of the first thing that strikes you about this ciagr is something common to every Padron Cigar I have had, no makker what the price point. Impeccable construction. I have never had a Padron cigar that has ever looked shoddy or burned badly because of a construction problem. (I once had one that was plugged very early on in my smoking experience, but upon further review, decided that was a storage issue by the local B & M and not Padrons fault). This one was no different. A rich dark Chocolate brown wrapper adorns this firm box pressed gem. It burned razor straight and produced a firm holding ash as pure as the driven snow. It made for a beautiful contrast. The draw was easy but not oo much so, procduce a volumnous amount of snow. This cigar also burned quite cool which helped in the appreciation of the subtle nuances involved.

This cigars is mighty effing tasty. It just needed said. it started a little spicy (and woody, cedar notes maybe?) but after 1/2 inch it was rich and creamy and full, chocolate and cinnamon, almost drinkable. about halfway it built steam and gained strength with some tobaccoey depth and leather, but never reliquishing that Mocha Creamy taste. The beauty of this cigar is the experience was in constant flux, always lovely little notes waftng in and out, but built on this lovely creamy unchanging base. One thing I was worried about at first was that this 4 inch cigar would be too fleeting an experience, but at one hour and fifteen minutes, it wound up being a long languid experience.

Nedless to say, this is one true gem of a cigar that lives up to every last bit of the hype. If you get a chance to try one, do not pass it up.

TomC

The 66th Best TEAM!

We now have the winner of the Men's NIT Tournament, the 66th best team in the country:

The University of West Virginia Mountianeers! They managed to defeat the Clemson Tigers 78-73, to win the tourney. Now lets hear it everyone!


YAAAAAAAWN!

TomC

Why Being a Video Game Geek Isn't Too Bad After All...(Part Trois)

G4 seems to have the formula down. Gaming and tech info, and lovely ladies:

Morgan Ailis Webb (born October 5, 1978, near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 television program X-Play and "The Gaming Goddess" of FHM, where she used to contribute a monthly video game column.

Kristin Holt (born August 17, 1981 in Plano, TX) is a television personality and entertainment news correspondent. She is most noted as the current host of G4's Cheat!, a television show dedicated to video game cheats and strategies; she also substitutes hosting roles for the network's other shows. She also was an American Idol semi-finalist during its first season. In the second season of American Idol, she was hired by FOX to replace Brian Dunkleman as co-host, however, on premiere night, she found out that the producers edited most of her footage out of the show, and she was later credited as correspondent for the show instead.
Blair Butler (born in Fairway, Kansas) is a dedicated comic book aficionado, a stand-up comic, and a host for a segment called Fresh Ink on the G4 program, Attack of the Show. Butler is also a stand-up comedian featured on Premium Blend on Comedy Central and appeared in the Top 10 Games special on MTV.


TomC

Tessie - Dropkick Murphys

"Tessie" is the title of a Broadway song, as well as another song about how the singing of "Tessie" helped the Boston Red Sox win the first World Series in 1903. The name Tessie itself is a diminutive form used with several names, including Esther, Tess, and Theresa.

The original version of "Tessie (You Are the Only, Only, Only)" was written by Will R. Anderson and was featured in the Broadway musical The Silver Slipper, which ran for 160 performances between October 27, 1902 and March 14, 1903. The song was about a woman singing to her beloved parakeet "Tessie".

While a popular tune, the song gained greater notoriety when it was adopted as a rallying cry by the Royal Rooters, a collection of loyal Southie fans led by Michael "Nuff Said" McGreevy, owner of the 3rd Base saloon. (McGreevy earned his nickname "'Nuff Said" due to the way he kept peace in his bar; when he grew frustrated with arguments over the Red Sox and the Boston Braves, he would pound his hand on the bar and declare "Nuff Said!") Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, grandfather of President John F. Kennedy, was another member of the Royal Rooters.

After the first four games of the 1903 World Series, Boston was down 1-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. (It was a best of 9 series; 5 wins were needed to win the series.) The Royal Rooters began rallying their team with every song they could think of; ultimately "Tessie" helped win the day. Pittsburgh outfielder Tommy Leach credited at least part of Boston's win to "that damn 'Tessie' song." He continued: "It was a real hum-dinger of a song, but it sort of got on your nerves after a while." (Boston won Game 5 and went on to win Games 6, 7, and 8 to win the series 5–3; however, Boston only won two out of four at home and three of four at Pittsburgh, so the true impact of their home-town fans' song is uncertain.) There are stories that the Royal Rooters actually traveled to Pittsburgh and hired a band to play Tessie to annoy the Pirates even at their home field.

The chorus to the original "Tessie" goes:

Tessie, you make me feel so badly.
Why don't you turn around?
Tessie, you know I love you madly.
Babe, my heart weighs about a pound.
Don't blame me if I ever doubt you,
You know I wouldn't live without you.
Tessie, you are the only, only, only.

In 2004, the Boston-area punk rock group Dropkick Murphys recorded a cover of "Tessie," released on an EP of the same name. The Murphys said it was their intent to "bring back the spirit of the Rooters and to put the Red Sox back on top." The goal of the Murphys was realized when later that year the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. The song is also featured as the bonus track on their June, 2005 release, "The Warrior's Code" with a lead-in from the WEEI broadcast of the final play in the 2004 World Series:

"Swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke. He has it. He underhands to first. And the Boston Red Sox are the World Champions. For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball's world championship. Can you believe it?" -Joe Castiglione

The second "Tessie" — which featured backing vocals from Red Sox players Johnny Damon, Bronson Arroyo, and Lenny DiNardo, Red Sox Vice President of Public Affairs Dr. Charles Steinberg; and Boston Herald sportswriter Jeff Horrigan (who co-wrote the new lyrics with the Murphys) — has become a theme song for the Red Sox and tells the story of how the Royal Rooters stormed the park one time when they found the game was already sold out:

The Rooters showed up at the grounds one day
Found their seats had all been sold
McGreevy led the charge into the park
Stormed the gates and put the game on hold

The chorus to the Dropkick Murphys' version of "Tessie" goes:

"Tessie, 'nuff said" McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only




Enjoy and GO SOX!

TomC