Friday, January 16, 2009

Weekend Potpourri!



Bust out the beach gear, the mercury is rising! Saturday promises highs in the mid 20's in the Chicago area, but since the pools aren't open yet I'll be hitting up Circuit City in search of some deals. The company's remaining 567 stores will close, leaving 30,000 unemployed. But the liquidation sale starts Saturday and run through the end of March. The Feds need to send out another round of stimulus checks we can blow on CDs, DVDs and plasma screens!

If you're like me and have no money to waste on electronics, but still want something fun to do this weekend, I have a few suggestions for you:



The annual Cubs Convention kicks off today at the Chicago Hilton. I know it's sold out, but having went a couple years back, I can tell you that the ticketing system is a joke. They give you badges on lanyards that have some sort of logo on them. There was no one checking badges at the door - probably because regular hotel guests use the same entrance as convention-goers. If you want some added assurance, turn on WGN news and find out what the badges look like. Print off some fake ones at home tonight and head downtown tomorrow. Oh and say hi to Ronnie for me!

Movies you should go see (or illegally download)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (my rating 3.5/5)
In case you haven't heard, it's a Forrest Gump like tale starring Brad Pitt as a man who ages in reverse.

The Wrestler
(4/5)
Mickey Rourke is oscar-awesome in this. Plus Marissa Tomei shows of the goods, again. If you were a WWF fan as a kid, even better! (Spoiler alert - wrestling is fake) Oh, and the new Bruce song in the end credits is fantastic!

Slumdog Millionaire (4.5/5)
India + Who Wants to be a Millionaire + Danny Boyle = best film I have seen in a long time. It's Boyle meets Bollywood in this story of a young man who is arrested on suspicion of cheating in the Indian version of the popular gameshow. Very refreshing film. Again, stick around for the end credits...

I haven't seen it yet, but next on the list is Gran Torino. Anything with Clint Eastwood holding a gun, stating "get off my lawn," seems worthwhile to me.



If a movie ticket is out of your price range, and illegal downloads are not your thing, you'll probably be spending the weekend in front of the TV or online. Check out the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks for a good laugh or twelve. Should you need a break from porn, check out this crazy video of WGN radio's morning host, John Williams doing a little science experiment in the cold.
TV is all sports this weekend! Hawks game tonight and basketball all day tomorrow. Sunday's NFL games should be pretty entertaining. I'll be working, but my money is on the underdogs (with the point spreads): Arizona (+4.5) and Baltimore (+6). If you want the safer gamble go for Philly and Pittsburgh, straight up. Bet for free @ centsports.com

Stay warm everybody, and watch for flying geese!

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