12. Gymkana. Thanks for playing.
11. Steven Retchless. You are gross, sir.
10. Fatally Unique. West Springfield Dance Team called and they want their concept back.
9. Sihouettes. I personally didn’t get it.
8. Summerwind Skippers. The mistakes are finally going to cost them.
7. Snap Boogie. He did well, but lacked the wow factor.
6. Landon Swank. I’ll give the magician credit – he did well.
5. The Kinetic King. He’s not a performer in the same way that everyone else is, but he’s still got talent.
4. Professor Splash. The judges wanted to see him do something else, so he did, and they said they liked the other thing better.
3. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Is the fact that he’s sort of a one-trick pony going to catch up with him?
2. Smage Bros Riding Shows. Can we get these guys a bigger stage? Professor Splash gets to go outside.
1. Anna Graceman. Having mastered Alicia Keys and Louie Armstrong, she moves on to. . . Motley Crue? The other contestants have to be worried – it’s hard to imagine that she won’t win or at least be there at the very end.
I’m usually pretty good at picking who will go through – I was four for five last week. I predict that these five will advance tonight:
Anna Graceman
Smage Bros Riding Shows
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.
The Kinetic King
The judges will be left to choose between Professor Splash and Landon Swank, and the magician will edge the diver by a 2-to-1 vote.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Ranking AGT Semifinal Show #1
The first semifinal show was on last night. And I can't help myself. I have to rank them.
12. Kevin Colis - As Helen Hunt once said, buh-bye.
11. Sandau Trio Russian Bar - It saddens me to say it, because I had them ranked #2 overall, but they're done. When asked by the judges why they went for the upside-down piano act, they stated that they didn't have any more that they could do on Russian Bar. But if that was their second-best talent? Yikes.
10. Matt Wilhelm - The judges really built this guy up a couple of weeks ago, only to tear him back down last night. The only people more intolerant of a mistake are Olympic gymnastic TV commentators. As for me, he is who I thought he was. He's good, but not quite good enough.
9. Beth Ann Robinson - I guess my problem on young Miss Robinson is that I don't have a good frame of reference for what she does. I haven't watched enough dancing to know what's good and what's bad.
8. Team iLuminate - We're moving into Li'l Sebastian territory here. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I like other acts more.
7. Daniel Joseph Baker - He gives flawless performances every week, so there's no question about his talent. But I wouldn't ever be disappointed if I missed his act or if he was eliminated, so there's something missing.
6. Zuma Zuma - A lot of what they do seems kind of repetitive. Like Matt Wilhelm, it's kind of unclear how they would be able to come up with enough material for a full show.
5. Lys Agnes - I wonder if she ever feels weird that the judges are always praising how beautiful she is. Personally, I'm kind of running into the frame of reference problem a little bit with her singing.
4. Melissa Villasenor - My concern is that she probably isn't going to have enough ammo to beat the big guns. What she has going for her is that she is very likeable. You can't help but smile when she's on stage.
3. West Springfield Dance Team - So, if you haven't been watching, they first appeared on the YouTube show, but were not one of the four acts selected for the semifinals. But Sharon selected them for the Wildcard show, and they did make it through on that round. They're growing on me, and I think they are a serious contender.
2. Poplyfe - Performed "Come Together" last night and pulled it off quite well. I had them ranked in the middle of the pack because I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but I think they are clearly one of the top 10 at this point.
1. Miami All-Stars - I had them ranked WAY too low - probably because it has been so long since I've seen them perform (I think they were the first act of the Top 48 to perform - which was six weeks ago). These fools can dance! I think they were probably the best act from last night.
So that's how I would rank them. But here are the five who I predict will go through tonight:
Miami All-Stars
Poplyfe
Team iLuminate
Daniel Joseph Baker
Lys Agnes
12. Kevin Colis - As Helen Hunt once said, buh-bye.
11. Sandau Trio Russian Bar - It saddens me to say it, because I had them ranked #2 overall, but they're done. When asked by the judges why they went for the upside-down piano act, they stated that they didn't have any more that they could do on Russian Bar. But if that was their second-best talent? Yikes.
10. Matt Wilhelm - The judges really built this guy up a couple of weeks ago, only to tear him back down last night. The only people more intolerant of a mistake are Olympic gymnastic TV commentators. As for me, he is who I thought he was. He's good, but not quite good enough.
9. Beth Ann Robinson - I guess my problem on young Miss Robinson is that I don't have a good frame of reference for what she does. I haven't watched enough dancing to know what's good and what's bad.
8. Team iLuminate - We're moving into Li'l Sebastian territory here. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that I like other acts more.
7. Daniel Joseph Baker - He gives flawless performances every week, so there's no question about his talent. But I wouldn't ever be disappointed if I missed his act or if he was eliminated, so there's something missing.
6. Zuma Zuma - A lot of what they do seems kind of repetitive. Like Matt Wilhelm, it's kind of unclear how they would be able to come up with enough material for a full show.
5. Lys Agnes - I wonder if she ever feels weird that the judges are always praising how beautiful she is. Personally, I'm kind of running into the frame of reference problem a little bit with her singing.
4. Melissa Villasenor - My concern is that she probably isn't going to have enough ammo to beat the big guns. What she has going for her is that she is very likeable. You can't help but smile when she's on stage.
3. West Springfield Dance Team - So, if you haven't been watching, they first appeared on the YouTube show, but were not one of the four acts selected for the semifinals. But Sharon selected them for the Wildcard show, and they did make it through on that round. They're growing on me, and I think they are a serious contender.
2. Poplyfe - Performed "Come Together" last night and pulled it off quite well. I had them ranked in the middle of the pack because I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but I think they are clearly one of the top 10 at this point.
1. Miami All-Stars - I had them ranked WAY too low - probably because it has been so long since I've seen them perform (I think they were the first act of the Top 48 to perform - which was six weeks ago). These fools can dance! I think they were probably the best act from last night.
So that's how I would rank them. But here are the five who I predict will go through tonight:
Miami All-Stars
Poplyfe
Team iLuminate
Daniel Joseph Baker
Lys Agnes
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Ranking AGT Semifinalists
I'm tired of all the pestering e-mails and calls demanding my updated rankings for the America's Got Talent semifinalists. So fine. Here they are.
(JK - I might be the only person on the face of the earth who takes time to rank everyone on AGT)
This updates my previous rankings to include the eight who made it through the YouTube and Wildcard shows, along with comments.
24. Kevin Colis, singer. America's Got Desperate. . .for a white male pop singer. Because I didn't think he was that good.
23. Steven Retchless, pole dancer.
22. Landon Swank, magician. Sigh. I guess Wildcard show is a good idea, but on the other hand, America already passed on you once. . .
21. Daniel Joseph Baker, singer.
20. Miami All-Stars, dance team.
19. Matt Wilhelm, bike stunts. The "headliner" from the YouTube show. The judges were practically ready to call the entire compeition for Wilhelm. But it didn't look good on television, because he was doing it in the dark. All you have to do to impress the judges is turn out the lights and do something while glowing in the dark. They'll be eating out of your hand.
18. Smage Bros Riding Shows, dirt bike stunts.
17. Beth Ann Robinson, dancer. She's from the YouTube show also. You can't be too hard on her because she's 14 and very talented, but her act just doesn't scream "superstar" to me.
16. Poplyfe, musical group.
15. Fatally Unique, dance team.
14. The Kinetic King, kinetic artist. Somehow he's back from the dead, making it through on the Wildcard show.
13. Team iLuminate, glow-in-the-dark dance team.
12. Zuma Zuma, gymnasts/contortionists.
11. West Springfield Dance Team. They needed to appear on both the YouTube and Wildcard shows, but they somehow squeezed into the semis.
10. Summerwind Skippers, rope jumpers. My highest ranked act from the Wildcard show.
9. Snap Boogie, breakdancer.
8. Lys Agnes, singer.
7. Silhouettes, shadow artists.
6. Gymkana, gymnasts. I thought they were the highlight of the YouTube show, not Mr. Glow Bike. We'll see how well they maintain this high ranking, since they have only performed once - not three or four times like many of the others.
5. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.
4. Professor Splash.
3. Melissa Villasenor.
2. Sandau Trio Russian Bar.
1. Anna Graceman.
And yes, I am super excited for this week's show, especially now that we have separated the contenders from the pretenders (with a couple of exceptions).
(JK - I might be the only person on the face of the earth who takes time to rank everyone on AGT)
This updates my previous rankings to include the eight who made it through the YouTube and Wildcard shows, along with comments.
24. Kevin Colis, singer. America's Got Desperate. . .for a white male pop singer. Because I didn't think he was that good.
23. Steven Retchless, pole dancer.
22. Landon Swank, magician. Sigh. I guess Wildcard show is a good idea, but on the other hand, America already passed on you once. . .
21. Daniel Joseph Baker, singer.
20. Miami All-Stars, dance team.
19. Matt Wilhelm, bike stunts. The "headliner" from the YouTube show. The judges were practically ready to call the entire compeition for Wilhelm. But it didn't look good on television, because he was doing it in the dark. All you have to do to impress the judges is turn out the lights and do something while glowing in the dark. They'll be eating out of your hand.
18. Smage Bros Riding Shows, dirt bike stunts.
17. Beth Ann Robinson, dancer. She's from the YouTube show also. You can't be too hard on her because she's 14 and very talented, but her act just doesn't scream "superstar" to me.
16. Poplyfe, musical group.
15. Fatally Unique, dance team.
14. The Kinetic King, kinetic artist. Somehow he's back from the dead, making it through on the Wildcard show.
13. Team iLuminate, glow-in-the-dark dance team.
12. Zuma Zuma, gymnasts/contortionists.
11. West Springfield Dance Team. They needed to appear on both the YouTube and Wildcard shows, but they somehow squeezed into the semis.
10. Summerwind Skippers, rope jumpers. My highest ranked act from the Wildcard show.
9. Snap Boogie, breakdancer.
8. Lys Agnes, singer.
7. Silhouettes, shadow artists.
6. Gymkana, gymnasts. I thought they were the highlight of the YouTube show, not Mr. Glow Bike. We'll see how well they maintain this high ranking, since they have only performed once - not three or four times like many of the others.
5. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.
4. Professor Splash.
3. Melissa Villasenor.
2. Sandau Trio Russian Bar.
1. Anna Graceman.
And yes, I am super excited for this week's show, especially now that we have separated the contenders from the pretenders (with a couple of exceptions).
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Observations on Kingergarten Cop
I never do this, but one night recently Kingergarten Cop was on one of the cable channels - TBS or TNT - I don't remember and it doesn't matter, but I sat and watched the whole thing.
This movie seemed really dated. I remember seeing Kindergarten Cop in the theater 20 years ago, for one of my friends' birthday parties. Afterwards, his mom was concerned that my mom would be upset that she had taken me to a PG-13 movie. Even though I was 15 years old at the time.
Sometimes when I'm watching a movie I like to say lines out loud from one of the actor's other movies. Penelope Ann Miller is in Kindergarten Cop, so field day for me.
"You just moved!"
"I don't have any cash!"
"Why would you hurt a poor defenseless little kitten?"
Arnold might be the weirdest movie star ever. They try to portray him in this movie to be a real studly cop who has all the womenfolk swooning. But Arnold making out with Penelope Ann Miller. . . it's kinda gross.
That being said, Arnold is hilarious. "It's not a tumah!"
If they made a show about dumbest movie criminals ever, Cullen Crisp is probably in the top 10. He attempts the kidnapping even though he's already introduced himself to the principal and knows that the cop who has been trying to nail him for years is in the building. He sets fire to the school to create a diversion, but that only guaranteed that firefighters and law enforcement were going to be on the scene in a matter of mintues. His plan had about zero percent chance of working.
This movie seemed really dated. I remember seeing Kindergarten Cop in the theater 20 years ago, for one of my friends' birthday parties. Afterwards, his mom was concerned that my mom would be upset that she had taken me to a PG-13 movie. Even though I was 15 years old at the time.
Sometimes when I'm watching a movie I like to say lines out loud from one of the actor's other movies. Penelope Ann Miller is in Kindergarten Cop, so field day for me.
"You just moved!"
"I don't have any cash!"
"Why would you hurt a poor defenseless little kitten?"
Arnold might be the weirdest movie star ever. They try to portray him in this movie to be a real studly cop who has all the womenfolk swooning. But Arnold making out with Penelope Ann Miller. . . it's kinda gross.
That being said, Arnold is hilarious. "It's not a tumah!"
If they made a show about dumbest movie criminals ever, Cullen Crisp is probably in the top 10. He attempts the kidnapping even though he's already introduced himself to the principal and knows that the cop who has been trying to nail him for years is in the building. He sets fire to the school to create a diversion, but that only guaranteed that firefighters and law enforcement were going to be on the scene in a matter of mintues. His plan had about zero percent chance of working.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Ranking AGT Top 16
So this is the first year I've really gotten into America's Got Talent with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. It's kind of an interesting show.
There was the "tour of cities" from which they sent a bunch of people to Vegas. In Vegas, they narrowed it down to 48 acts and sent them to Hollywood. Now it's down to 16 semifinalists, only they still need 8 more semifinalists before they can have the semifinals. I think they get 4 from the "YouTube" show and 4 from the "Wildcard" show. I'm still kind of new to all the rules.
Anyways, as you know I love ranking stuff, so I thought it would be appropriate to rank the 16 semifinalists which we have been following these past couple of months. Because the title of this blog is "In My Book" they are ranked according to my personal preference and not according to what I think their actual chances of winning the show are.
16. Steven Retchless. Watching him sort of makes you want to retch. There's no doubt he's talented and incredibly strong, but as Piers commented once, there is a reason there are no male pole dancing clubs.
15. Daniel Joseph Baker. I'm probably not being fair to old D.J. because technically I missed his last performance. But in general, he doesn't really appeal to me, so he would probably end up in this spot anyways.
14. Miami All-Stars. It's a dance group. I know that. But I don't really remember anything about their performance. I do remember thinking that they stole a slot in the semifinals from the family who raced around on their motorbikes inside the sphere.
13. Smage Bros Riding Shows. The judges seem to be quite taken with these guys. But then the judges think whatever the last thing they saw was the most dangerous thing they have ever seen. It's a bunch of guys doing tricks on dirtbikes.
12. Poplyfe. I feel like I missed something on their last performance - the judges were raving but it seemed pretty regular to me.
11. Fatally Unique. I'm surprised I have them up this high, as they are a dance group. But their last performance was actually not bad.
10. Team iLuminate. The judges are quite bullish on Team iLuminate, as they were basically ready to hand the keys to the universe over to them last week. It's cool, dancing around in the dark with light-up suits on, but not really super memorable for me.
9. Zuma Zuma. I like them, but I thought their last act was a little boring. Is that wrong? Because they were doing backflips off of poles from insane heights, and other similarly impressive feats.
8. Snap Boogie. He's a pretty compelling act for a solo dancer.
7. Lys Agnes. Great voice. Doesn't look like the sterotypical classical/opera singer, but she is really good. Gets a few bonus points for being from Denver.
6. Silhouettes. If it were a bunch of adults running around behind a curtain making pictures with their shadows, I'm not sure if it would be as big of a deal. But because it is a bunch of kids, it's pretty cool. Again, I'm probably giving them a little bump in the standings for being from the Denver area.
5. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Probably the Cinderella story of the competition - a black man from small-town West Virginia who washes cars for a living. Oh, and also sings like Frank Sinatra. You sort of keep expecting his bubble to burst but he keeps on cooking.
4. Professor Splash. He gets extra points from me because while a lot of the other acts might get hurt, he actually does get hurt - guaranteed. They showed him once sitting in an ambulance getting treated afterwards and he gets all bruised up. Belly-flopping from insane heights into 12 inches of water - well, it would probably kill me.
3. Melissa Villasenor. Impossible not to like, both because of her personality and her act. She's done some great celebrity impersonations - Natalie Portman, Drew Barrymore, Owen Wilson, Michael Jackson, Judy Garland. I don't know that she will make it to the end, but I'm glad we get to watch her at least one more time.
2. Sandau Trio Russian Bar. The Russian Bar is apparently this super flexible plank, about as wide as a balance beam. Two guys are holding either end, while a girl is doing insane backflips with half-twists and everything else. Oh, and last time they had a board filled with nails and also on fire under the Russian Bar. I think it's slightly more compelling than Professor Splash because it's not over in 5 seconds.
1. Anna Graceman. I think she's the clear leader at this point. I've kind of been wondering if she has an unfair advantage because she's so young. Would we be as impressed with Anna if she gave the same performances as a 22-year-old? I'm not sure. You could raise the same questions with a lot of acts - would Landau be as compelling if he were a wealthy, white, middle-aged man? Everyone left in the competition has spent hours upon hours practicing and refining their skills. But just being talented isn't enough anymore. In order to win, you have to be able to blow people's doors off. To perform like she does - at the age of 11 - is amazing.
I think this competition is kind of biased against certain performers. They're asking people to watch on television and then vote on who's the best. And I think watching on TV would be totally different than watching it in person - because some acts don't come across well on TV. For example, the deck is stacked against magicians, because there is no way for a TV audience to differentiate a good illusion from tricky camera angles. It's kind of the same for dance groups or anything else involving a lot of people - there's just too much going on to be effectively captured on screen. So I think musicians have a big advantage.
The YouTube show last night, apart from a couple of acts, was totally lame. So I don't think those acts will shake up these rankings too much.
There was the "tour of cities" from which they sent a bunch of people to Vegas. In Vegas, they narrowed it down to 48 acts and sent them to Hollywood. Now it's down to 16 semifinalists, only they still need 8 more semifinalists before they can have the semifinals. I think they get 4 from the "YouTube" show and 4 from the "Wildcard" show. I'm still kind of new to all the rules.
Anyways, as you know I love ranking stuff, so I thought it would be appropriate to rank the 16 semifinalists which we have been following these past couple of months. Because the title of this blog is "In My Book" they are ranked according to my personal preference and not according to what I think their actual chances of winning the show are.
16. Steven Retchless. Watching him sort of makes you want to retch. There's no doubt he's talented and incredibly strong, but as Piers commented once, there is a reason there are no male pole dancing clubs.
15. Daniel Joseph Baker. I'm probably not being fair to old D.J. because technically I missed his last performance. But in general, he doesn't really appeal to me, so he would probably end up in this spot anyways.
14. Miami All-Stars. It's a dance group. I know that. But I don't really remember anything about their performance. I do remember thinking that they stole a slot in the semifinals from the family who raced around on their motorbikes inside the sphere.
13. Smage Bros Riding Shows. The judges seem to be quite taken with these guys. But then the judges think whatever the last thing they saw was the most dangerous thing they have ever seen. It's a bunch of guys doing tricks on dirtbikes.
12. Poplyfe. I feel like I missed something on their last performance - the judges were raving but it seemed pretty regular to me.
11. Fatally Unique. I'm surprised I have them up this high, as they are a dance group. But their last performance was actually not bad.
10. Team iLuminate. The judges are quite bullish on Team iLuminate, as they were basically ready to hand the keys to the universe over to them last week. It's cool, dancing around in the dark with light-up suits on, but not really super memorable for me.
9. Zuma Zuma. I like them, but I thought their last act was a little boring. Is that wrong? Because they were doing backflips off of poles from insane heights, and other similarly impressive feats.
8. Snap Boogie. He's a pretty compelling act for a solo dancer.
7. Lys Agnes. Great voice. Doesn't look like the sterotypical classical/opera singer, but she is really good. Gets a few bonus points for being from Denver.
6. Silhouettes. If it were a bunch of adults running around behind a curtain making pictures with their shadows, I'm not sure if it would be as big of a deal. But because it is a bunch of kids, it's pretty cool. Again, I'm probably giving them a little bump in the standings for being from the Denver area.
5. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Probably the Cinderella story of the competition - a black man from small-town West Virginia who washes cars for a living. Oh, and also sings like Frank Sinatra. You sort of keep expecting his bubble to burst but he keeps on cooking.
4. Professor Splash. He gets extra points from me because while a lot of the other acts might get hurt, he actually does get hurt - guaranteed. They showed him once sitting in an ambulance getting treated afterwards and he gets all bruised up. Belly-flopping from insane heights into 12 inches of water - well, it would probably kill me.
3. Melissa Villasenor. Impossible not to like, both because of her personality and her act. She's done some great celebrity impersonations - Natalie Portman, Drew Barrymore, Owen Wilson, Michael Jackson, Judy Garland. I don't know that she will make it to the end, but I'm glad we get to watch her at least one more time.
2. Sandau Trio Russian Bar. The Russian Bar is apparently this super flexible plank, about as wide as a balance beam. Two guys are holding either end, while a girl is doing insane backflips with half-twists and everything else. Oh, and last time they had a board filled with nails and also on fire under the Russian Bar. I think it's slightly more compelling than Professor Splash because it's not over in 5 seconds.
1. Anna Graceman. I think she's the clear leader at this point. I've kind of been wondering if she has an unfair advantage because she's so young. Would we be as impressed with Anna if she gave the same performances as a 22-year-old? I'm not sure. You could raise the same questions with a lot of acts - would Landau be as compelling if he were a wealthy, white, middle-aged man? Everyone left in the competition has spent hours upon hours practicing and refining their skills. But just being talented isn't enough anymore. In order to win, you have to be able to blow people's doors off. To perform like she does - at the age of 11 - is amazing.
I think this competition is kind of biased against certain performers. They're asking people to watch on television and then vote on who's the best. And I think watching on TV would be totally different than watching it in person - because some acts don't come across well on TV. For example, the deck is stacked against magicians, because there is no way for a TV audience to differentiate a good illusion from tricky camera angles. It's kind of the same for dance groups or anything else involving a lot of people - there's just too much going on to be effectively captured on screen. So I think musicians have a big advantage.
The YouTube show last night, apart from a couple of acts, was totally lame. So I don't think those acts will shake up these rankings too much.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Li'l Tebow
I don't know how many of you readers are fans of the TV series Parks and Recreation, but there is an episode from last season named "Harvest Festival" which reminds me of this whole Tim Tebow situation in Denver.
In the episode, the department is preparing for the Pawnee Harvest Festival when Leslie Knope unveils a surprise - the famous mini-horse Li'l Sebastian - who will have his own booth at the festival. Everyone, including Ron Swanson, is simply beside themselves to be in the presence of Li'l Sebastian. That is, everyone except Ben Wyatt, the state auditor from Indianapolis who is helping Pawnee with their budget problems.
At the end of the episode, he starts faking it while talking to Leslie by Li'l Sebastian's pen. He tells Leslie, "He really is amazing. . . he's fantastic. I totally get it now."
And then, a few feet away, he tells the camera, "I don't get it - at all. It's kind of a small horse. I mean, what am I missing? Am I crazy?"
Pawnee is the Denver metro area. Ben Wyatt is me. And Li'l Sebastian is Tim Tebow.
Tim Tebow won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship while quarterback at the University of Florida. Josh McDaniels spent a first-round draft choice on Tebow while he was coach of the Denver Broncos. The current controversy in Denver is whether Tebow will ever be a good pro quarterback.
Yet he is immensely popular. Fans LOVE them some Tebow. I think he had the highest selling jersey in the NFL last year - and was a rookie backup quarterback. If you go to any Broncos event, you will spot hundreds of no. 15 jerseys.
Yesterday, I took some of the kidlings to an annual Broncos event - the practice/scrimmage at the stadium. The first place we were sitting was about ten rows up from the field. After we first arrived, before any players were out on the field, a lady sitting behind us said, "I think when Tebow comes out, I'm going to faint."
We had to move to a shadier spot because the sun was unbelievably hot, but there were Tebow supporters everywhere. The first time Tebow came out to lead one of the drills as the quarterback, the crowd erupted with cheers. Remember, he's currently the backup quarterback. As a lifelong Broncos fan, I was quite embarrassed.
When starting QB Kyle Orton slid down at the end of a run near the end zone, he was loudly criticized by many fans sitting near us. Because Tebow would have not done that - surely he would have risked life and limb by diving into the end zone for a touchdown in an intrasquad scrimmage - which is even more meaningless than a preseason game. Again, so embarrassing to hear Orton booed for that.
I honestly don't get why Tebow has such nationwide appeal - which stretches all the way to Denver, which is a long way from Florida. Part of this might be my fault - I don't waste my time watching college football, so I didn't know much about him until he showed up in Denver.
It seems that people like him because he's passionate about the game, he's competitive, he has a good work ethic, he's good-looking, he's a nice guy, and he's a vocal Christian. So I guess for all these reasons, his fans want to see him succeed in the NFL. And his most passionate fans believe he will succeed in the NFL. Starting, like right now.
That's my theory, anyways. Like Ben Wyatt, I don't get it. At all. I mean, a lot of players have been really good in college. I understand that the Broncos have been somewhat downtrodden in recent years, but come on. He's the backup quarterback. Maybe he'll end up being good, and maybe he won't. I don't know. No one knows. I don't understand why he's the most popular player on the team and why people all across the country are so interested in him.
Am I crazy?
In the episode, the department is preparing for the Pawnee Harvest Festival when Leslie Knope unveils a surprise - the famous mini-horse Li'l Sebastian - who will have his own booth at the festival. Everyone, including Ron Swanson, is simply beside themselves to be in the presence of Li'l Sebastian. That is, everyone except Ben Wyatt, the state auditor from Indianapolis who is helping Pawnee with their budget problems.
At the end of the episode, he starts faking it while talking to Leslie by Li'l Sebastian's pen. He tells Leslie, "He really is amazing. . . he's fantastic. I totally get it now."
And then, a few feet away, he tells the camera, "I don't get it - at all. It's kind of a small horse. I mean, what am I missing? Am I crazy?"
Pawnee is the Denver metro area. Ben Wyatt is me. And Li'l Sebastian is Tim Tebow.
Tim Tebow won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship while quarterback at the University of Florida. Josh McDaniels spent a first-round draft choice on Tebow while he was coach of the Denver Broncos. The current controversy in Denver is whether Tebow will ever be a good pro quarterback.
Yet he is immensely popular. Fans LOVE them some Tebow. I think he had the highest selling jersey in the NFL last year - and was a rookie backup quarterback. If you go to any Broncos event, you will spot hundreds of no. 15 jerseys.
Yesterday, I took some of the kidlings to an annual Broncos event - the practice/scrimmage at the stadium. The first place we were sitting was about ten rows up from the field. After we first arrived, before any players were out on the field, a lady sitting behind us said, "I think when Tebow comes out, I'm going to faint."
We had to move to a shadier spot because the sun was unbelievably hot, but there were Tebow supporters everywhere. The first time Tebow came out to lead one of the drills as the quarterback, the crowd erupted with cheers. Remember, he's currently the backup quarterback. As a lifelong Broncos fan, I was quite embarrassed.
When starting QB Kyle Orton slid down at the end of a run near the end zone, he was loudly criticized by many fans sitting near us. Because Tebow would have not done that - surely he would have risked life and limb by diving into the end zone for a touchdown in an intrasquad scrimmage - which is even more meaningless than a preseason game. Again, so embarrassing to hear Orton booed for that.
I honestly don't get why Tebow has such nationwide appeal - which stretches all the way to Denver, which is a long way from Florida. Part of this might be my fault - I don't waste my time watching college football, so I didn't know much about him until he showed up in Denver.
It seems that people like him because he's passionate about the game, he's competitive, he has a good work ethic, he's good-looking, he's a nice guy, and he's a vocal Christian. So I guess for all these reasons, his fans want to see him succeed in the NFL. And his most passionate fans believe he will succeed in the NFL. Starting, like right now.
That's my theory, anyways. Like Ben Wyatt, I don't get it. At all. I mean, a lot of players have been really good in college. I understand that the Broncos have been somewhat downtrodden in recent years, but come on. He's the backup quarterback. Maybe he'll end up being good, and maybe he won't. I don't know. No one knows. I don't understand why he's the most popular player on the team and why people all across the country are so interested in him.
Am I crazy?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)