1st PAC-12 PICK'EM CHAMPION is...

We'll get to the winner in a bit. But first a quick recap of the last couple of weeks of the Trojan football season. Just when it felt like it couldn't get any better, after the big "upset" (only for the doubters) of Oregon by SC, the Trojans outdid themselves and eviscerated the UCLA Bruins, shutting them out 50 - 0. Wow, still takes my breath away thinking about it.

And the result? Opposite Day. The Bruins represented the PAC-12 South division for the league championship game (because of sanctions against USC, by whom is debatable, apparently) against the North division leaders, Oregon. Oregon won and will face my alma mater, Wisconsin, at the Rose Bowl. Another win-win game for me, I love Wisconsin and I love the PAC-12, so I'm looking forward to the game on January 2nd. Hey, being a Pollyanna is beneficial to mental health. There is actual social psychological research showing that peeps who view the world through rose-colored glasses are less depressed. More deluded perhaps, but hey, bottom line, they're happier.

Which leads into the announcement of the first PAC-12 PICK'EM Champion, none other than...me (hey guys, you have to play in order to win). You know, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. You had your chance. So while I bask in the glory of knowing I know my football, a prize in and of itself, I'll give you one more chance to see if you can outwit me: pick the Rose Bowl winner.

This is a tough one, mixed allegiances aside. Honestly, I thought Michigan State was going to beat Wisconsin again last week. I thought they had a little bit more going for them all through the game, and it kind of all unraveled with some odd calls at the end. And Wisconsin perked up in the second half, and at the right time. If Oregon comes out strong, and keeps it up, I think they will win. I love Ball and Wilson for Wisconsin, both excellent, but James and Thomas are excellent also. Even as I am writing this I'm wavering. But, heck, I think Chip Kelly's pride is on the line here, too. I'm picking Oregon.


Please share your thoughts and predictions...and Fight On!

Remember to Fight On!

LOVE this!

PAC-12 PICK'EM for Saturday, 11/19/2011

Is it me or is time just whizzing by lately? Another week, another round of picks, another undefeated champion (me).  Going into turkey week, I'm predicting a couple of upsets. USC has a daunting opponent in the Oregon Ducks, but I think there's going to be a surprising outcome for non-Trojans. I also think OSU at Corvallis will get a burst of fight again. Anyway, here are my picks:

USC over Oregon
 
UCLA over Colorado

Oregon State over Washington

Utah over Washington State

Stanford over Cal

ASU over Arizona

Please let me know your predictions in the Comments section.

Good luck to all and remember, Fight On!

PAC-12 PICK'EM for Saturday, 11/12/11

Picks for this week:

Arizona over Colorado (let's face it, whatever the outcome, it will be utterly demoralizing for one of these teams with disappointing seasons)


USC over Washington (Kiffin and Sarkisian used to coach side by side at SC, so winning this match-up must be sweeter than most for these guys)


OSU over Cal (Cal just won big last week, but has been inconsistent...and OSU has a winning streak against Cal)


Utah over UCLA (UCLA has done really well lately, tied for first in the South division, but because they are also an inconsistent team and have a tendency to sometimes shoot themselves in the foot against weaker opponents for some reason, I think the Utes will win)


Stanford over Oregon (I think this is Stanford's year, not Oregon's, plus it's at Stanford, hopefully it will be a good game though)


ASU over WSU (I think the Sun Devils will win and wind up tied with SC for first in South division, but since they beat SC, they will win the division overall, Stanford will win the North, and then take the whole PAC-12 championship. You heard it here first, folks...okay, maybe not)


My risk-taking picks last week caused me to stumble...but not fall, as the reigning champ. I know, I know, it takes two to Tango, and more than one person to compete...theoretically. But, honestly, I'm enjoying myself, so why complain, right? If any of you brave football fans out there care to make this really interesting, please post your predictions for today's games in the Comments section which I've actually blocked to insure I win (joking, but seriously thinking about if anyone challenges my reign as champ).

Good luck to all, and remember to Fight On!

PAC-12 PICK'EM for 11/5/2011

Fellow football lovers! Time to pick (actually, running late since Stanford v OSU game is in progress). But not to worry, since it won't affect my reign as champion, of that I'm pretty sure. Given my secure tenure as champ, I've decided to take more risks this week. Okay, now for picks:

OSU over Stanford (The score is currently Stanford 14, OSU 7. OSU looks perky, and their home games have a lot of energy from their fervent fans. I'd love to see Stanford go down, after the close game with SC. So I'm going out on a limb and predicting an upset here).

Arizona over Utah (I just think the wildcats will do it again at home, like their last home game)

Oregon over  Washington (Washington's a great team, it's at Seattle, but Oregon's on a mission, and possibly involved in a conspiracy theory with OSU to have an Oregon team win the PAC-12 championship [see above]).

UCLA over ASU (Like I've said in other posts, UCLA can pull out surprises, especially Prince, so let's see if they can do two in a row).

Cal over Washington (Cal needs a win)

If you want to post your predictions, have at it in the Comments section.
Good Luck! And Fight On!

PAC-12 PICK'EM FOR FRIDAY 11/4/11

Whoops! Where is the time going (it's November, holiday season, the clock ticks in doubletime). Will add Saturday's games soon.

But no surprise, I pick USC over Colorado.

Later. Fight On!

PAC-12 PICK'EM for Saturday, October 29, 2011

Hey there, lads and lassies. It's time to pick this week's PAC-12 winners. I'm still the reigning champ (okay, yes, it is still by default, but guess what, it still counts). Last week I picked 4 out of 6 correct, including SC's sweet victory over Notre Dame, and Arizona's win over UCLA.

Here are my picks for Saturday:

Oregon over the Washington State

ASU over Colorado

Cal over UCLA

OSU over Utah

USC over Stanford (that's right!)

Arizona over Washington

Okay, you know my choices. Care to differ? Anyone? This is your chance to match wits with the unbeaten Champ, try to beat me, if you dare. Remember, no material prize, just the smug satisfaction of knowing you're smarter than everyone else when it comes to knowing PAC-12 football. And another thing to keep in mind (another sad try at reverse psychology), if you don't compete, you're letting down Pete (yes, I made that up, but it's true). Also, if you complain, you're letting down Lane. More? That's what I thought. Just play (pretty please), and make this a real competition. Otherwise, I win. Again. And man, I'm starting to get tired of always winning. (Not really, just ask Charlie Sheen). Adios, fellow football fans. And whatever you do, don't forget to Fight On!

Care to make it even more interesting? Post your picks in the Comments section before game time on Saturday.

PAC-12 PICK'EM October 20 - 22, 2011

Hello, PAC-12 lovers, it's time for this week's predictions and time to match wits with the reigning PAC-12 PICK'EM Champ, yours truly. The weeks seem to start rolling by more quickly this time of year (only 66 days until Christmas--yikes!), and it's about now that football gets even more interesting because...

This is the time in the season for upsets. For the unpredictable. Bearing that in mind, and trying to put aside my many and conflicted loyalties for all the PAC-12 schools, not to mention straddling the line on decisions made by heart versus head, here are my predictions for this week:

Arizona over UCLA (I am still upset about Stoops being dropped mid-season--does that kind of disruption ever help? Granted, UCLA is one of those unpredictable teams, often surprising everyone as fans file out of the stadium only to pull out a win, but trumping that, the Wildcats desperately need a win and it's at home--Win one for the Stoopser)

Oregon over Colorado (Yeah, this would be an unbelievable upset if the Buffs win, but I don't believe it will happen, unless more injuries knock out Duck star players)

Utah over Cal (After last week's games, with the Utes clawing their way back to win, and the Golden Bears shooting themselves in the foot, even though their records are the same and it's at Cal, I see Utah having more fire right now to show it is PAC-12 worthy, needing a its first ever conference win as a PAC-12 school)

USC over Notre Dame (okay, the head-heart struggle is still waging, hoping that Woods and Lee can both play and not get injured again--all the Trojans need to say to the Fighting Irish is Fight On!)

Stanford over Washington (Sorry, Huskies, would love to see you pull it off, but with the Cardinal crowd smelling Heisman and BCS Champ, don't think it's gonna happen)

Washington State over Oregon State (Both looking for their second conference win, it's at Pullman, I think the Cougars have it over the Beavers)

Remember, there are no prizes for winning, just the smug satisfaction of knowing you know football better than your competitors. So join in the fun and post your predictions in the Comments. And if you don't, thank you in advance for allowing me to remain the reigning PAC-12 PICK'EM Champ (now that's what I call a win-win situation). Be brave, stay classy, PAC-12 fans, fellow Trojans, and football lovers, and don't forget to Fight On!

Still Winning!

What if you played a game where you could never lose? No, that's not the new log line for the latest Tom Cruise movie. It's a description of me playing PAC-12 PICK'EM. At least that's been my experience so far. Dang, I get tired of always being right (lie).

Okay, okay. I didn't pick all the winners. All but one. This week Utah pleasantly surprised me by beating Pitt. Go Utes! Go PAC-12! Did I underestimate them...maybe...or was it my conscious and cunning ploy to shame them into winning by picking Pitt? You decide, but I think we all know the answer. After all, I am a psychologist...and a PAC-12 loyalist. Muwhah, hah, hah. (And yes, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, thanks for asking).

So at the risk of sounding like I'm tooting my own horn (again), this is the reigning PAC-12 PICK'EM Champion signing off and wishing you all better luck next time.

Be sure to check back soon for this week's PAC-12 PICK'EM post. And for the very brave among you, be the first to pit you wits against the Champ (me). Later. And remember, Fight On!

The Student Film that Became 'Gumby' - The Atlantic

The Student Film that Became 'Gumby' - The Atlantic

Gumby's a Trojan!

PAC-12 PICK'EM For October 15, 2011

Saturday's Predictions:
Pitt over Utah
Washington over Colorado
BYU over OSU (holds grudge against Beavers for UofA Stoops firing)
Stanford over WSU
Oregon over ASU (win won for James)

Okay football lovers. Post your predictions in the Comments section. Winner gets smug satisfaction of feeling smarter than everyone else (however fleeting). Good luck. Fight On!

Cool New USC YouTube: Global USC

I really love the ending. Naturally, it brought tears to my eyes. I know it's basically a promo tape, but I've always been a sucker for school spirit (obviously, look at this blog). I was super rah-rah in high school and college, a song girl. Don't know if school spirit gets to me because of the sense of common identity, the emotional venting, or feeling of family. It's not just the sports, though (but I do love sports). I think it has more to do with the joint striving to be the best you can. To excel. And to celebrate that with like-minded souls with whom you share similar experiences. And even when the shared experience comes to an end, you can relive it by maintaining ties, staying connected through school spirit.
But I hate the Us versus Them aspect of school spirit. The opposite of being kind and inclusive. Yet that is the essence of competition, isn't it? Quite the paradox.

That being said, in other news...sweet 30 - 9 win over Cal tonight, Trojans. And (risking irony) Fight On!

Gak! It's PAC-12 PICK'EM Time Again-10/13-15/2011

Right, I know. Not like I have a lot of fan pressure to post this. But interest is building. Gradually. Baby steps. Meanwhile, I'm still the reigning champion, so there's a huge upside for me if no one competes (#attempt at reverse psychology).

Tonight's Game Predictions:
USC over Cal

Saturday's Predictions:
Pitt over Utah
Washington over Colorado
BYU over OSU (holds grudge against Beavers for UofA Stoops firing)
Stanford over WSU
Oregon over ASU (win won for James)

Okay football lovers. Post your predictions in the Comments section. Winner gets smug satisfaction of feeling smarter than everyone else (however fleeting). Good luck. Fight On!

Spirit of Troy Named One of 10 Best College Marching Bands

 The Spirit of Troy named one of 10 Best College Marching Bands of All Time! Cue 1:00 to 1:05, the drum roll intro to The Tribute to Troy. Anyone who's been to a SC game knows the band will keep repeating this dirge as they troop into the Coliseum. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. So effing moving, screams loyalty, perseverance, determination, all those good things. Love it. Fight On!

http://www.zencollegelife.com/the-10-best-college-marching-bands-of-all-time/

Top 10 on 10/10/11

Okay, my first attempt selecting the Top 10 Tweets from the 100+ Twitter accounts I follow. I feel like I cheated by selecting three from a  professional comic, but I have stuff to do. No ranking. Just 10 tweets that made me laugh. Thank you, funny tweeps.

ConanOBrien Conan O'Brien

Just reached 4 million Twitter followers. IS THIS GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, DAD?!??

ConanOBrien Conan O'Brien

I want to apologize to all the people of Tampa for my last tweet. I’m sure Tampa is a fine place to live, if you’re a mosquito.

 

ConanOBrien Conan O'Brien

Just found the first honest psychic hotline that told me I would soon regret giving them my credit card number.

 

trydzinski Tamar Rydzinski

Putting "writing is the easy part" in your query letter=not a good idea #pubtip

Bookgirl96 Kathleen Schmidt

Lady in her 70s at Best Buy w her huz just said to me: "They (men)don't listen unless you yell at them."

jennawrites jenna mccarthy

WHAT? MY KIDS DON'T HAVE SCHOOL ON MONDAY??????????????

 

JulieALindsey Julie Anne Lindsey

3yo calls guinea pig "gimmee pig" #Boredtweeting #randomthought

 

JulieALindsey Julie Anne Lindsey

I need to edit. Gave 8 & 3 yos some markers and paper for quiet coloring. They attached the markers end to end & are sword fighting - loudly

 

jessetyler Jesse Tyler Ferguson

“@ericstonestreet: my kansas state wildcats vs. the mizzou tigers tomorrow. let's block & tackle boys. block and tackle." Yeah What HE said!

 

shitmydadsays Justin

"You can't come...Because it's not a vacation if my family is with me. I could vacation in my fucking house if you people left it."

Hope they put a smile on your face, too. Taking suggestions for Novembers 10 on the 10th. Please post your faves in the Comments section.

Trojan in Tinseltown's Top Ten Twitters on the Tenth

I only have five so far and trying to have a top ten on the tenth of every month--that's tomorrow. Help! Twitter or Comment your faves. Thanks. 

jennawrites jenna mccarthy

WHAT? MY KIDS DON'T HAVE SCHOOL ON MONDAY??????????????

 

JulieALindsey Julie Anne Lindsey

3yo calls guinea pig "gimmee pig" #Boredtweeting #randomthought

 

JulieALindsey Julie Anne Lindsey

I need to edit. Gave 8 & 3 yos some markers and paper for quiet coloring. They attached the markers end to end & are sword fighting - loudly

 

jessetyler Jesse Tyler Ferguson

“@ericstonestreet: my kansas state wildcats vs. the mizzou tigers tomorrow. let's block & tackle boys. block and tackle." Yeah What HE said!

 

shitmydadsays Justin

"You can't come...Because it's not a vacation if my family is with me. I could vacation in my fucking house if you people left it."

Book trailer: If It Was Easy They'd Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoo...

LOVE THIS! There's a similar refrigerator moment in Chapter One of Fright On! Just when you think it's only your husband that's refrigerator-challenged, haha. The constant channel surfing drives me nuts, too. And don't even get me started on snoring.

PAC-12 PICK'EM Oct 6 - 8 2011

Hello fellow Trojans, football fans, and fiction lovers -- it's that time again. Time to pick the winners for this week's PAC-12 football. I'm a little nervous (being the defending champion and all), but at least the Trojans get a bye this week.

Okay, down to business. My picks:

Tonight's game at Eugene: Oregon over Cal (the Duck fans are a boisterous and dare I say daffy bunch, in other words it's a tough house to win in, not to mention the Duck's are ranked 9th nationally)

Saturday's games:

Arizona over Oregon State (it's at Corvallis, but the Wildcats' tough recent schedule (Stanford, Oregon, USC) accounts partly for their losses, the Beavers, except for Wisconsin [Go Badgers], not so much; plus UCLA beat OSU, 'nuf said:)

ASU over Utah (It's at Utah, but ASU beat SC and SC beat Utah, so...)

Stanford over Colorado (unless their "Luck" changes, Stanford will continue its roll)

WSU over UCLA (In recent years I've seen UCLA, against all odds, come from behind to get two touchdowns in the last two minutes to win big, but I just think the Cougars offense will rack up too many points for the Bruins to match them)

So those are my picks.

Remember there are no prizes--simply the smug satisfaction of knowing you're "smarter" at sports than the average guy or gal, boy or girl, dude or dudette.

Now it's your turn. Don't be shy. Leave your predictions in the Comments section (hears fans furiously typing), see if you can be the next champ. If you think it's easy, prove it.

Good luck to all. Stay hungry. Stay foolish. But whatever you do, don't forget to Fight On!

I'm A Trojan Trailer

High Five!

I picked'em!!!!! All five games!!!!! That's right, I'm a regular football phenom. Go, Me! True, it's my "contest" on my blog. And, okay, so no one else "competed." But whose fault is that, football fans? To be fair, I was too busy licking my wounds from last week's game to praise last week's winner, (not me, it's someone who will remain anonymous, because I...um...don't know who they are...or more accurately, who he or she was). Yes, anon nailed it last week and I didn't. Belated CONGRATS! But this week I even surprised myself with my football acumen (and when was the last time you saw those last two words in the same sentence? Definitely a weekend of firsts).

Good thing I don't give out prizes (remember the prize for winning is the smug satisfaction of knowing you're smarter than everyone else who played and didn't win and PICK ALL FIVE CORRECT) because if I did, today I'd be dealing with awkward conflict of interest issues instead of pure joy.

Anyhoo, I'm bracing myself for the upcoming week's entries. Once word gets out about PAC-12 PICK'EM...well, who knows, the sky's the limit. In fact, I'm worried that once more people find out about this gem of a cheap thrill it won't be as much fun, like Facebook after they let anyone join. So before PAC-12 PICK'EM goes the way of Facebook, football lovers, be a winner, make sure to check in later in the week, and pick the winners! Fight On!

PAC-12 PICK'EM for October 1, 2011

Yikes, it's nearly October already, PAC-12 lovers, time to vote for tomorrow's winners. Since practically are my choices were wrong last week (a self-sacrificing move on my part to allow all of you to feel superior...yeah, right), I can only go up. This week my picks are the Washington State Cougars over the Colorado Buffaloes, the Washington Huskies over the Utah Utes, the Arizona State Sun Devils over the Oregon State Beavers, the Stanford Cardinal over the UCLA Bruins, and the USC Trojans over the Arizona Wildcats. This week you can post your predictions in the comments section if you like. Good luck to all teams...and Fight On!

‘One for the Money’ Trailer Released - GalleyCat

‘One for the Money’ Trailer Released - GalleyCat

No, no, no, no. I am a HUGE Janet Evanovich fan, but no, the trailer did not capture her brilliant characters. I liked Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up, but hated her character Izzy in Grey's Anatomy. Sorry, but she is not Stephanie Plum. Okay, I've only seen one trailer, but she's tentative. Stephanie's not tentative. She might feel tentative, but she usually doesn't show it. Outwardly, she's nothing but swaggering badass. That's why I love her. She pulls off badass even though half the time she has no idea what she's doing.

Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur. No. Hair is wrong. Grandma Mazur is more like Estelle Getty in Golden Girls--too bad she's no longer with us--she would have been perfect.

Jason O'Mara as Joe Morelli. I'm okay with him and Daniel Sunjata seems okay as Ranger.

Sherri Shepherd seems good as Lulu.

Let me put this in perspective. I am open to movie adaptations of novels. I try to be open. Loved the first Bridget Jones movie, I thought Renee Zellwegger nailed it. I liked the Harry Potter cinematic trio, but obviously, the books have the movies trumped in spades due to the intricacies of the world, the humor, and all the characters.

I want to like this movie and maybe I will. But I must say I am disappointed in the casting. Like others, top of the head pick to play Stephanie would be someone like Sandra Bullock. Or Courtney Cox. Or even Eva Longoria. Someone more spunky, scrappy, and seemingly confident. Thoughts?

Winning. Not.

Hey, fellow Trojans. Done licking your wounds yet? I'm slowly recovering. Damn, that was a tough loss. Bizarre night with the dust storms, fumbles, and penalties--I honestly kept thinking the Trojans were going to rebound. But no. My other fave team, Arizona, also got brutalized. And now the two (dare I say loo-hoosers ala Jim Carrey) meet each other this Saturday. Since my older daughter graduated from UofA I always have split allegiance and mixed emotions when these two teams meet up. On the bright side, I win either way.

In  other news...how about the bad call on the missed extra point caught on tape in the Syracuse-Toledo game? According to SI.com "Mid-American Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said Monday that NCAA rules say there's no route to reverse the outcome once the game is declared over." Really? I'm thinking the SC-Utah game. True, the Trojans would have won anyway even if the TD hadn't been reinstated two hours after the game, but really? Isn't that why all of us hate rules (okay, I'm assuming you're all like me, maybe some of you love rules), that they so often are used as excuses by the people who set them to basically do whatever the heck they please (okay, maybe it's just my parochial school background coming back to haunt me, too). Anyway, I don't know why games can't be postponed for a couple more minutes anytime there's a blatant mistake caught on film. Come on. Nothing wrong with a re-do. It's only fair. Thoughts?

PAC-12 PICK'EM for 9/24/2011

Okay, fellow football fans, let's hear your predictions for Saturday's PAC-12 games!  This week there are 5 games. I've ordered the teams listed above in pairs, with the first team in each pair followed by the word "or" (mainly because I am technically-challenged and it was the only way I could figure out how to make the poll add-on work for this type of format). Anyway, stop judging my technical skills and vote in the above poll and let's see how we do as a group in predicting this week's outcomes. ONLY  VOTE FOR 5 TEAMS. My picks are SC, Cal, Colorado, UCLA, and Arizona.

Unfortunately, there are no prizes, just the smug satisfaction that comes from being right (or the equally smug superiority of brushing it off as a stupid quiz if we're wrong)! Hey, with that attitude, we can't lose, right? Win-win all around. So vote for who you think is going to win this week. Happy guessing! Poll closes Saturday, 9/24 at 12:00 pm PDT.

Inside USC with Scott Wolf: USC Fan Base

Inside USC with Scott Wolf: USC Fan Base

USC Football - Friday Night Video: Utah

Sweet W for SC!

Nice win, Trojans! Sorry some of the other PAC-12 teams didn't fare too well, but congrats to the victors. I agree with Matt Barkley, felt like the Trojans of old tonight. Hope we can keep it up. Even Traveler seemed peppier last week, doing some neat circus horse tricks in front of the student section. Love Traveler, Spirit of Troy, Song Girls and Cheerleaders, too. I didn't remember until I heard it reported tonight that we won our first three games last year, too, so don't want to get too confident, but I'm getting the sense that Lane and the team are starting to gel for real. Yay Trojans! Fight On!

Welcome One and All!

It's going to be a busy weekend in Tinseltown, sports lovers and TV fans. Home games for the USC Trojans (against Syracuse) and the UCLA Bruins (against Texas)...Plus, the Emmy Awards on Sunday night downtown at the Nokia Theatre LA Live, promising more stars than even our lovely skies, which eerily have been full of falling meteors and satellite debris of late. The freeways will be overflowing with fans heading to the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl on Saturday. I'll be sitting this one out, forgoing the joys of gridlock, watching from the comfort of my living room and the luxury of bathrooms without lines. But I did attend that wild SC-Utah game last week--the last 20 seconds were crazy--the Ute field goal attempt ended up sucker punching Trojan Torin Harris who then ran down the field for a goosebumps-producing touchdown as the time expired on the clock. The scoreboard read 23-14...for about a minute. Then it was changed back to the score before the T, 17-14. But we got the win, no one knew why the touchdown didn't count, yeah, it seemed like the whole SC team was off the bench and running down the field at one point, pretty powerful scene, but honestly, it seemed to coincide with the time running out. After that everyone filed out of the Coliseum fast--like Derek Fisher running off the court after his game ending basket--as if we were all thinking the same thing, better leave before the officials change their minds again and put more time back on the clock and let the Utes have another shot. I know that sounds kind of paranoid in a Soup Nazi kind of way, but guess what? Two hours later, the PAC-12 "officials" reinstated the TD and the 23-14 score now stands. What? I'm not complaining, I thought they got it originally, but can any of you remember a score being reversed like that before? Me neither. Even when it's captured on film, the attitude always seems to be, oh well, yeah looks like a bad call but we NEVER change scores after a game has ended. So what happened? The power of the Trojan Family? Don Corleone? New PAC-12 Conference clout? Thoughts? Thanks for stopping by, remember to always wear you Cardinal and Gold colored glasses, and whatever you do, don't forget to Fight On!