Hot new artist

Just heard this song, can't get it out of my head. She's not available on the U.S. iTunes store, so I might have to take a dip in the torrent pool:

U.S.- heyyyyyy....

"I love a woman with whom I can share hair-care product."

So I know many of you did not watch the absolute 8-0 ass-beating that the U.S. soccer squad, bench, and eventually some homeless guys dealt out to hapless Barbados. Yes, Barbados, the country that is begging on their website for people to play on their team.

Since World Cup qualifying is starting, and our U.S. boys are beginning their travels across the world, let me introduce you to our finest defender, Carlos Bocanegra. This 29-year-old California native was recently released from his contract with Fulham FC of the English Premier League (so he's back on our soil, ladies). According to the U.S. team site, Carlos loves Mexican food and bagels, his nickname is Los, and I swear to Kenneth Cole I'm not making up this next part, enjoys watching "The O.C." and long walks on the beach.

I just don't even know what to do with that....

In case you needed reminding

"I may be psychotic, but I'm still pretty."

So I'm listening to a pop station on the iTunes, and the new Mariah Carey comes on, "Touch My Body." So it's all trampy and "loosen up my buttons" like you'd expect, except this is interspersed in the lyrics:

"Cause if you run your mouth and brag
About this secret rendezvous
I will hunt you down"

So Mimi just wants to remind you that although she's pretty, and can sing sugary-sweet ballads, inside that sometimes crowded head is the personality of a serial killer. It's like "Silence of the Lambs" meets "Glitter."

Don't you want to see that movie now?

A Thing of Beauty

I've always thought of food and drink as more than fuel (which is how I got the body type I have now). My grandmother taught me at an early age that food and drink can be beautiful, almost making it taste better. So you can understand why I really, really want a latte right now:

Evening things out

In the wake of the ridiculousness that is Cedric Benson and Pacman Jones, as a football fan it was really great to read this story by Peter King about an Iowa town of about 1,800 that was struck by a tornado a couple of weeks ago. This was the hometown of four current NFL players, including Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman, who rushed back home as soon as he heard the news.

I strongly suggest you read the entire article, because it does show that not all NFL players are the selfish bastards that have been making the news lately. Here's a snippet:

When Kampman walked a couple of blocks over to his high school football coach's house, his heart sank. Thomas and his wife were outside ... outside of nothing but rubble.

"I see Aaron coming,'' Thomas said, "and I just started crying. I lost it. And he gives me a big hug and says, 'Coach, everything will be OK.'"

Kampman stayed for the day and was one of a swarm of volunteers who removed rubble, chain-sawed fallen trees and worked the phones trying to raise money for relief efforts. The other NFL guys from the area pitched in too, vowing to come and help the recovery and send aid.

Nice to see NFL players who understand there's something bigger than themselves.

Jim McKay 1921-2008

Jim McKay brought us the horror of the Munich Olympics, my first look at Moscow and its minarets, the reckless wildness of competitive surfing, and was the unforgettable voice in ABC's Wide World of Sports opener: "Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport, the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat; the human drama of athletic competition. This is ABC's Wide World of Sports." He launched Evel Knievel, and brought Muhammed Ali into our homes.

He introduced me to Nadia Comaneci and Mario Andretti, and opened my eyes to other sports besides the Big 3. More than anything, as a little girl he fueled my unbridled love for the Olympics and all that it could mean, all the promise that they held every four years. Back then in the waning days of the Cold War, when films like "Red Dawn" were made about our fears of Communists with imperialist goals, Jim McKay put into context how important it was that the U.S. and U.S.S.R. compete on a level playing field together and athletes interact, just to prove JFK's point that we are all all mortal and all inhabit this earth.

I also got a weekly world cultures lesson from Jim McKay, revealing to me why U.S.S.R. was on their singlets rather than Russia, that Spain calls itself España, and that while it was the United Kingdom, they competed as Great Britain and Ireland and there's a great bit of fighting about a little place called Northern Ireland.

He considered horse racing one of his favorite sports, and it's a shame that he won't be here to see Big Brown win the first Triple Crown since Affirmed did it in 1978.

Rest in peace, Jim.

Opening round

Congratulations, Jan Koller and the Czech Republic, for the Euro 2008 opening match win. Granted, Switzerland are terrible, but you were in their house and all. Good luck Wednesday against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, my friends.

One of the things I had forgotten that I love about soccer is the Scottish on-air crew. There's usually at least one guy with an accent, and when he's doing play-by-play you never see him, so you can always picture Gerard Butler speaking to you, shirtless, making you creme brulee or something. Even when you see the guy (like today), and he's pudgy and bald, it makes him just a little sexier. Sigh. GO SCOTLAND. Oh, wait, they're not in Euro...