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Oscars
I have reached a very important milestone with regards to the Oscars - I no longer care who was most deserving (although I will root against things I see as least deserving, i.e. Gwyneth Paltrow or rip offs of Fern Gully). I just want people to win that will give speeches that entertain me.
Notables:
1. I was sad that Gabby Sidibe didn't win. Because let's face it, her speech would have been epically awesome. There would have been tears. And giggling. And possibly, had Gerard Butler been giving the award, making out.
2. The guy who won for one of the screenplays was just so darling. By far my favorite speech of the night, because you could tell he was overcome with genuine emotion, not something scripted. (Although I did love Steve Martin's jab of "I wrote that for him" afterwards.)
3. I don't care what folks' opinions are of him...one of the best presenters of the night was Tyler Perry. I'm sorry, but if you're a freaking actor, there's no excuse for a bland, boring, dry, robotic presentation. Perry was having a blast and his timing was perfect.
4. What the heck was up with Tom Hanks just announcing who won best picture with no rundown (again) of who the nominees were? It was sudden and jarring and I think partially responsible for the fact that Kathryn Bigelow looked like she was going to throw up/pass out. Hell, I don't know how she made it back out on stage.
NASCAR
Apparently hell is freezing over, and the result is that, 9 years after his death, I'm becoming a fan of Dale Earnhardt Sr. (I accidentally typed that at first as Dale Earnhardt St. And laughed. Because to his fans, he was a freaking saint. An evil saint, but a saint nonetheless.)
And I blame the current crop of drivers who are either too politically correct or too self-centered while acting like their crap don't stink. But I really blame the drivers in this crop who pull the PC or self-centered deal when they've been driving for more than 10 years. Because let's face it, if you were around during Senior/Terry Labonte/Rusty Wallace's era of wrecking each other, then you've taken part in aggressive racing. So don't go telling guys coming into the sport that they're doing things wrong, because there is no right or wrong (well, there is wrong, but it's a lot harder to quantify than you'd think), there's only winning.
If everyone's thinking I'm sounding like a Keselowski apologista, well, here's the thing...I think I am. Wanna know why? Cause he owns that shit. And he doesn't get mad about owning that shit. He just does. And you know what? That's refreshing.
I don't mind the feuding (when there's reason for it, not just ire at a driver's fanbase*). I would love to see some of the guys get in fist fights again (except please everyone stay away from Matt, because I just don't see him being the knock down drag out kind). The key is, own your shit.
Examples of Owning Your Shit:
1. Carl Edwards v. Kyle Busch at Bristol a couple years ago. That was a racing fight (they both wanted the win, Carl booted Kyle out of the way for the win, Kyle took out his ire on the track away from competitors, Carl retaliated, they both acknowledged their actions post-race and owned that shit without apologizing). It was awesome. It was great. Kyle didn't expect Carl to own his shit, but Carl did, so it was all even and awesome.
2. Robby Gordon and everyone he's ever been mad at. Nuff said.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya pretty much all the time. He says it like it is, and you'll know if he's mad at you. Plus you'll know if he's really mad at you, because he'll take it out on you on the track. But he owns that shit.
4. Kyle Busch pretty much any time that doesn't include Junior. He drove like a bat out of hell and didn't apologize for it. (There hasn't been as much bat action in the last year and a few races. Not sure if it's due to maturity or bad cars, but the point is that it means less feuding if you're not being all bat out of hell anymore.)
5. Any driver that has ever been in a wreck, been mad about the wreck, then later in the race (or a few races later) lost the car just slightly and "accidentally" took out the other guy. And then batted their eyelashes innocently at the camera (with a sly smirk, or not if you're Junior, who just does the innocent routine, and yes, I use him as an example because he's my boy and plus he's perfected that form of retaliation) and left the reporter (and viewers) guessing as to whether it was intentional. Because that's owning that shit in a different way, but it's still owning the shit. The attitude is consistent throughout.
Examples of Not Owning Your Shit:
1. Carl Edwards v. Brad Keselowski this past Sunday. Yeah, I'm saying Carl didn't own his shit. Why? Because while you don't tip your hand to NASCAR brass (by saying "next time I'm near him, I'm going to totally wreck his ass"), you also don't sit there and be all pleasant and forgiving and then go and punt someone in a very obvious manner and be mad at them. You act pissed as hell from the get go (again, without tipping your hand - see Junior for how to execute this maneuver if you're a "nice guy" or Tony Stewart for tips if you're a "bad boy"). Carl did with Brad what Kyle thought he'd do back at Bristol - at one point in the feud he played innocent. But he didn't play innocent at the right point. He was too politically correct at the point when people would have understood him being mad. And then his anger after the wreck painted him in a bad light because Keselowski's car went airborne. I know it sounds like I'm being harsh on Carl here, and I do agree with his sentiment that taking it to Bristol would have been a bad idea, but here's the thing. Carl is the poster boy for public relations in NASCAR. Some would say Jimmie is, but he's too bland. Carl has the perfect image (the back flip is part of that image) and he was from the beginning very adept at working the media and that image. It took awhile for the veneer to crack for us to see that under the surface there's an edge. At the time he came into NASCAR, his image worked perfectly. Knowing what we know about him now, though, plus NASCAR allowing personality back into the sport, he needs to just own that he's a nice guy who gets pushed too far at times. I understand that, because I'm a nice person who can go from nice to infuriated-Tony-Stewart-on-roids in a heartbeat if the right buttons are pushed. Carl can own his shit if he acknowledges both sides of himself. And when you own your shit (which is individual), there is peace in the force.
2. Rusty Wallace versus everyone. Rusty didn't own his shit, he just whined because he felt he was entitled.
* Ire at a driver's fanbase is a direct jab at Kyle Busch. Cause he owned his shit except when he was getting into it with Junior. That was the fatal flaw to his earlier years in Cup. Because he owned his bad boy status for awhile, but when he got mad at Junior's fanbase (and I understand why, being a member of said fanbase, which makes me feel like beating someone over the head with a bat some days), it became a weird feud that didn't make any sense. Plus that whole feud still pisses me off because at the time I'd gotten past my Kyle Busch issues and was starting to root for him because he didn't apologize for who he was. And then he went and did something hair brained. And yes, I consider it hair brained to take on Junior Nation because every driver has a crazy portion to their fanbase. It's just that Junior's fanbase is way larger than anyone else's.
Something else I've decided: if Dale Sr. were alive today, Kyle Busch and Junior would be teammates. Also, Dale Sr. would have hired Keselowski at some point. Senior would have counseled Kyle on owning his shit early on.
Wrecking Competitors/Retaliation: The Rules
Now, the other part of Sunday's issues: retaliation. How to do it and when. This is keeping in mind that I think Brad was racing too hard too early in the race (because you can race hard and be ruthless and own your shit, but it does no good if you don't get to the finish line). And no, I don't think he lifted like he claimed. So this isn't about me being a Keselowski apologista. LOL
1. There are certain tracks you don't wreck anyone at intentionally, unless it's under caution: Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta. (Remind me if there are any other tracks that run as fast as those three. My brain is fried from night shifts.) As SOON as Carl wrecked Brad and Brad went airborne, I was yelling (in a whisper, as my grandmother was asleep) at the TV that you don't do that shit at Atlanta because the speeds are too high and high speeds plus this wing mean the car goes airborne too often. Yeah, Carl didn't know it would go airborne. Nor did he know that it would hit the wall at exactly the wrong spot so that the driver side of the car was crushed. But I do think that common sense should make it kind of obvious that the higher the speeds, the more likely the cars will get in really bad crashes. And really bad crashes can hurt people. M'kay?
2. You also don't retaliate on the track if you could potentially take out other drivers. Carl retaliated when it was just him and Brad right there, which is good. And he's right, at Bristol would be bad (but mostly because everyone would be really pissed and Carl would be a pinball in the machine for a few weeks *g*). So would Martinsville. Unless it was like Kyle and Carl did a few years ago at Bristol, which was retaliation on the track without endangering anyone else. Shall I repeat that one was awesome?
3. Never retaliate with the car while on pit road. Endangering pit crew members is a major no no.
4. Fist fights are always way more awesome than wrecking, though. Need more fist fights! (Note: this kind of retaliation can happen on pit road, but it should be noted that this puts one in proximity with officials (who cut down on our fun) and pit crew members (who have considerable more muscle than all the drivers). So if you want to really retaliate with a fist fight, we the fans would appreciate it if you'd do so in the grass after a wreck where we can see you and where it can't be broken up very quickly. M'kay?)
There'd be a fifth, but I think it's something that's just my personal preference (aka, possibly not a logical unspoken rule, even though it makes sense to me). This would be - don't wait to retaliate until the end of the race. This is different from two guys wrecking each other for the win - they're both in the same position. I'm talking about waiting until three laps to go. Carl was 154 laps down. It's entirely possible that once he got back on track, that was the first time he was near Brad and other cars weren't. (It's not like FOX ever showed much about the surrounding cars who weren't lead lap at that point. Yes, that irked me. Because regardless of what Carl says, they should have been anticipating retaliation. Bad FOX!) But three laps to go just feels like bad form, especially when it's clear that driver is very competitive that day. Yeah, they took you out and made you not competitive, but that's why you save it for another race - make sure the most perfect opportunity arises when you won't take out other drivers, where it's not too dangerous, and where you're not destroying a whole team's hard work that was paying off. See why I didn't give it a number there? Too much thought has to go into that. LOL
I have reached a very important milestone with regards to the Oscars - I no longer care who was most deserving (although I will root against things I see as least deserving, i.e. Gwyneth Paltrow or rip offs of Fern Gully). I just want people to win that will give speeches that entertain me.
Notables:
1. I was sad that Gabby Sidibe didn't win. Because let's face it, her speech would have been epically awesome. There would have been tears. And giggling. And possibly, had Gerard Butler been giving the award, making out.
2. The guy who won for one of the screenplays was just so darling. By far my favorite speech of the night, because you could tell he was overcome with genuine emotion, not something scripted. (Although I did love Steve Martin's jab of "I wrote that for him" afterwards.)
3. I don't care what folks' opinions are of him...one of the best presenters of the night was Tyler Perry. I'm sorry, but if you're a freaking actor, there's no excuse for a bland, boring, dry, robotic presentation. Perry was having a blast and his timing was perfect.
4. What the heck was up with Tom Hanks just announcing who won best picture with no rundown (again) of who the nominees were? It was sudden and jarring and I think partially responsible for the fact that Kathryn Bigelow looked like she was going to throw up/pass out. Hell, I don't know how she made it back out on stage.
NASCAR
Apparently hell is freezing over, and the result is that, 9 years after his death, I'm becoming a fan of Dale Earnhardt Sr. (I accidentally typed that at first as Dale Earnhardt St. And laughed. Because to his fans, he was a freaking saint. An evil saint, but a saint nonetheless.)
And I blame the current crop of drivers who are either too politically correct or too self-centered while acting like their crap don't stink. But I really blame the drivers in this crop who pull the PC or self-centered deal when they've been driving for more than 10 years. Because let's face it, if you were around during Senior/Terry Labonte/Rusty Wallace's era of wrecking each other, then you've taken part in aggressive racing. So don't go telling guys coming into the sport that they're doing things wrong, because there is no right or wrong (well, there is wrong, but it's a lot harder to quantify than you'd think), there's only winning.
If everyone's thinking I'm sounding like a Keselowski apologista, well, here's the thing...I think I am. Wanna know why? Cause he owns that shit. And he doesn't get mad about owning that shit. He just does. And you know what? That's refreshing.
I don't mind the feuding (when there's reason for it, not just ire at a driver's fanbase*). I would love to see some of the guys get in fist fights again (except please everyone stay away from Matt, because I just don't see him being the knock down drag out kind). The key is, own your shit.
Examples of Owning Your Shit:
1. Carl Edwards v. Kyle Busch at Bristol a couple years ago. That was a racing fight (they both wanted the win, Carl booted Kyle out of the way for the win, Kyle took out his ire on the track away from competitors, Carl retaliated, they both acknowledged their actions post-race and owned that shit without apologizing). It was awesome. It was great. Kyle didn't expect Carl to own his shit, but Carl did, so it was all even and awesome.
2. Robby Gordon and everyone he's ever been mad at. Nuff said.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya pretty much all the time. He says it like it is, and you'll know if he's mad at you. Plus you'll know if he's really mad at you, because he'll take it out on you on the track. But he owns that shit.
4. Kyle Busch pretty much any time that doesn't include Junior. He drove like a bat out of hell and didn't apologize for it. (There hasn't been as much bat action in the last year and a few races. Not sure if it's due to maturity or bad cars, but the point is that it means less feuding if you're not being all bat out of hell anymore.)
5. Any driver that has ever been in a wreck, been mad about the wreck, then later in the race (or a few races later) lost the car just slightly and "accidentally" took out the other guy. And then batted their eyelashes innocently at the camera (with a sly smirk, or not if you're Junior, who just does the innocent routine, and yes, I use him as an example because he's my boy and plus he's perfected that form of retaliation) and left the reporter (and viewers) guessing as to whether it was intentional. Because that's owning that shit in a different way, but it's still owning the shit. The attitude is consistent throughout.
Examples of Not Owning Your Shit:
1. Carl Edwards v. Brad Keselowski this past Sunday. Yeah, I'm saying Carl didn't own his shit. Why? Because while you don't tip your hand to NASCAR brass (by saying "next time I'm near him, I'm going to totally wreck his ass"), you also don't sit there and be all pleasant and forgiving and then go and punt someone in a very obvious manner and be mad at them. You act pissed as hell from the get go (again, without tipping your hand - see Junior for how to execute this maneuver if you're a "nice guy" or Tony Stewart for tips if you're a "bad boy"). Carl did with Brad what Kyle thought he'd do back at Bristol - at one point in the feud he played innocent. But he didn't play innocent at the right point. He was too politically correct at the point when people would have understood him being mad. And then his anger after the wreck painted him in a bad light because Keselowski's car went airborne. I know it sounds like I'm being harsh on Carl here, and I do agree with his sentiment that taking it to Bristol would have been a bad idea, but here's the thing. Carl is the poster boy for public relations in NASCAR. Some would say Jimmie is, but he's too bland. Carl has the perfect image (the back flip is part of that image) and he was from the beginning very adept at working the media and that image. It took awhile for the veneer to crack for us to see that under the surface there's an edge. At the time he came into NASCAR, his image worked perfectly. Knowing what we know about him now, though, plus NASCAR allowing personality back into the sport, he needs to just own that he's a nice guy who gets pushed too far at times. I understand that, because I'm a nice person who can go from nice to infuriated-Tony-Stewart-on-roids in a heartbeat if the right buttons are pushed. Carl can own his shit if he acknowledges both sides of himself. And when you own your shit (which is individual), there is peace in the force.
2. Rusty Wallace versus everyone. Rusty didn't own his shit, he just whined because he felt he was entitled.
* Ire at a driver's fanbase is a direct jab at Kyle Busch. Cause he owned his shit except when he was getting into it with Junior. That was the fatal flaw to his earlier years in Cup. Because he owned his bad boy status for awhile, but when he got mad at Junior's fanbase (and I understand why, being a member of said fanbase, which makes me feel like beating someone over the head with a bat some days), it became a weird feud that didn't make any sense. Plus that whole feud still pisses me off because at the time I'd gotten past my Kyle Busch issues and was starting to root for him because he didn't apologize for who he was. And then he went and did something hair brained. And yes, I consider it hair brained to take on Junior Nation because every driver has a crazy portion to their fanbase. It's just that Junior's fanbase is way larger than anyone else's.
Something else I've decided: if Dale Sr. were alive today, Kyle Busch and Junior would be teammates. Also, Dale Sr. would have hired Keselowski at some point. Senior would have counseled Kyle on owning his shit early on.
Wrecking Competitors/Retaliation: The Rules
Now, the other part of Sunday's issues: retaliation. How to do it and when. This is keeping in mind that I think Brad was racing too hard too early in the race (because you can race hard and be ruthless and own your shit, but it does no good if you don't get to the finish line). And no, I don't think he lifted like he claimed. So this isn't about me being a Keselowski apologista. LOL
1. There are certain tracks you don't wreck anyone at intentionally, unless it's under caution: Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta. (Remind me if there are any other tracks that run as fast as those three. My brain is fried from night shifts.) As SOON as Carl wrecked Brad and Brad went airborne, I was yelling (in a whisper, as my grandmother was asleep) at the TV that you don't do that shit at Atlanta because the speeds are too high and high speeds plus this wing mean the car goes airborne too often. Yeah, Carl didn't know it would go airborne. Nor did he know that it would hit the wall at exactly the wrong spot so that the driver side of the car was crushed. But I do think that common sense should make it kind of obvious that the higher the speeds, the more likely the cars will get in really bad crashes. And really bad crashes can hurt people. M'kay?
2. You also don't retaliate on the track if you could potentially take out other drivers. Carl retaliated when it was just him and Brad right there, which is good. And he's right, at Bristol would be bad (but mostly because everyone would be really pissed and Carl would be a pinball in the machine for a few weeks *g*). So would Martinsville. Unless it was like Kyle and Carl did a few years ago at Bristol, which was retaliation on the track without endangering anyone else. Shall I repeat that one was awesome?
3. Never retaliate with the car while on pit road. Endangering pit crew members is a major no no.
4. Fist fights are always way more awesome than wrecking, though. Need more fist fights! (Note: this kind of retaliation can happen on pit road, but it should be noted that this puts one in proximity with officials (who cut down on our fun) and pit crew members (who have considerable more muscle than all the drivers). So if you want to really retaliate with a fist fight, we the fans would appreciate it if you'd do so in the grass after a wreck where we can see you and where it can't be broken up very quickly. M'kay?)
There'd be a fifth, but I think it's something that's just my personal preference (aka, possibly not a logical unspoken rule, even though it makes sense to me). This would be - don't wait to retaliate until the end of the race. This is different from two guys wrecking each other for the win - they're both in the same position. I'm talking about waiting until three laps to go. Carl was 154 laps down. It's entirely possible that once he got back on track, that was the first time he was near Brad and other cars weren't. (It's not like FOX ever showed much about the surrounding cars who weren't lead lap at that point. Yes, that irked me. Because regardless of what Carl says, they should have been anticipating retaliation. Bad FOX!) But three laps to go just feels like bad form, especially when it's clear that driver is very competitive that day. Yeah, they took you out and made you not competitive, but that's why you save it for another race - make sure the most perfect opportunity arises when you won't take out other drivers, where it's not too dangerous, and where you're not destroying a whole team's hard work that was paying off. See why I didn't give it a number there? Too much thought has to go into that. LOL
