Clear 365 Blogs

9/29: I'm a BLVR

Sept. 29, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

The UCLA Bruins have a huge game against Stanford this Saturday at The Farm in Palo Alto, Calif. It'll be the first Pac-10 Conference game for the Bruins (3-0), while Stanford (3-1) already is 2-0 in league play. UCLA, the only undefeated team in the Pac-10, is coming off a bye and Coach Rick Neuheisel told KLAC-AM 570 yesterday that the squad was able to work on a lot of things during the off week. Hopefully that included tackling, which looked a little sloppy in that last win against Kansas State.

Tackling will be key Saturday because the Cardinal has 6-foot-1, 237-pound senior Toby Gerhart running the ball. Gerhart is the best running back at The Farm since "Touchdown Tommy" Vardell, who had the school record for most yards in a season (1,084 yards in 1991) until Gerhart broke it last year (1,136 yards). Gerhart had 138 yards and two TDs in last year's Bruins win.

Kevin Craft will be the signal caller for the Bruins in replace of the injured Kevin Prince, who is still recovering from a broken jaw suffered in the win against Tennessee. Craft, a senior, had a steady performance last year in the Bruins' 23-20 win against Stanford and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to nail the come-from-behind victory.  Neuheisel said that he's expecting good things from Craft and he also said he would try to get freshman quarterback Richard Brehaut into the game.

The game will be a good measuring stick for two programs that are still trying to rebuild. Neuheisel is in his second year and is coming off a 4-8 rookie season, while Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh is in his third year and is coming off back-to-back losing seasons. The Bruins have won their last five games against Stanford. Soon to be six.

LAKERS

Was that the quickest off-season ever, or what? The world champion Los Angeles Lakers held their Media Day today and it was the circus you might expect. Newlywed Lamar Odom got a lot of attention and so did new teammate Ron Artest.

Lakers superstar and NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant said he got some rest during the offseason, which is a departure from last year when he played in the Olympics in Beijing.

"All I did was get healthier," Bryant told The Associated Press. "My legs feel rejuvenated. I feel like I'm in great shape, nothing is nagging me outside of the hand and the fingers."

The Lakers repeat is going to happen, so just accept that right now.

VIKINGS

How about that Brett Favre? The Vikings' 39-year-old quarterback tossed a 32-yard game-winning touchdown pass with 2 seconds left Sunday to beat the San Francisco 49ers. In case you somehow missed it, check out this video of the fantastic throw.

Next up for the Vikings, conference rival and former Favre employer, the Green Bay Packers ... on Monday Night Football. The Vikes will have to play a lot better than they did against the 49ers to win this game. The Packers are definitely going to go after Favre, who had an ugly divorce with The Cheeseheads after wobbling back-and-forth on his retirement plans. 

REDS

Good to see former Big Red Machine skipper Sparky Anderson being honored earlier this week in Detroit during a reunion of the 1984 Tigers championship team. Anderson was featured prominently, of course, in Joe Posnanski's new book "The Machine" about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds.

I highly recommend this book. It's full of great stories about Anderson and the players that formed the greatest baseball team ever. The book captures their disparate personalities and the jovial mood of a Reds clubhouse that was full of good-natured ribbing. Posnanski in the book's afterword wrote that he hoped the book would resurrect a bit of the Pete Rose that he remembered back in 1975. Posnanski's book does a good job of reminding us that Rose was not only one of baseball's best all-time players, but someone who loved the game immensely and played it the way it should be played. Rose, who was banished from baseball for gambling on games while coaching the Reds, didn't sit out a single game in 1975, even though the Reds won the National League West by 20 games over the Dodgers.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

9/25: The Public Observer on upcoming news and a pictorial roundup

Sept. 25, 2009

The Public Observer takes a look at upcoming news and offers a photo roundup of recent images taken by The Associated Press.

GERMANY ELECTION

German voters will head to the polls Sunday in parliamentary elections that pit Chancellor Angela Merkel and her center-right Christian Democratic Union party against the center-left Social Democrats of challenger Frank-Walter Steinmeier, her foreign minister. A poll published Friday showed a tight race with Merkel's conservative party holding a slight edge. The key question that voters will answer is whether or not Merkel can end her "grand coalition" of left and right to form a new central-right government.

The economy is the focal point of the election with Merkel advocating tax cuts to spur the German economy while Steinmeier claims that tax cuts are unrealistic due to the government's increased debt from the economic crisis.

FIVE + 1 MEET ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS

Representatives of the five permanent member of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France -- plus Germany will  meet Thursday in Geneva with Iran to discuss Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The talks will be the first between Iran and the United States in three decades. The United States, France and the U.K. on Friday issued a joint statement at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh revealing a nuclear enrichment plan that Tehran had kept secret from international inspectors until Monday. President Barack Obama said Friday that the underground facility "is inconsistent with a peaceful program" and gave Iran notice to come clean with its nuclear efforts and intentions or face severe punishment. The U.K., France Germany and the United States have pledged support for tough new sanctions on Iran if it doesn't stop enriching uranium at military levels and longtime Iranian protector Russia also said this week that harsher sanctions would be in order.

U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL REVIEWS ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT

The U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday will receive the so-called Goldstone Report on the winter military conflict between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The 575-page report found that both the Palestinians and Israelis perpetrated war crimes and that some of the actions by both sides may have risen to crimes against humanity status. The fact-finding mission and subsequent report was lead by Justice Richard Goldstone, formerly a judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the chief prosecutor of the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and a governor of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamil-dakwar/goldstone-report-is-not-t_b_300294.html

The report recommends that the Human Rights Council should formally submit the report's finding to the International Criminal Court and urged the Security Council to require Israel to launch an internal investigation within three months into the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

EU's LISBON TREATY

Voters in Ireland will cast ballots Friday on the Lisbon Treaty that was created to reform the way the European Union operates. Irish voters rejected the treaty in June 2008, but the Irish government strongly backs it and wants it signed into law. The treaty, which will streamline the EU's decision-making process, must be ratified by all 27 members and nearly all of the others already have done so. Opponents of the treaty see it as a threat to national sovereignty. For more on the Lisbon Treaty, review this Q&A provided by the BBC.

PHOTO ROUNDUP

Here's a look at some recent images taken by photographers for The Associated Press.

A Honda employee demonstrates Honda's new "personal mobility" device at a press conference Thursday in Tokyo. Honda's new "personal mobility" device looks like a unicycle, but all you need to do to zip around in it _ sideways as well as forward and back _ is lean your weight into the direction you want to go. The U3-X _ available for a test-run for reporters in Tokyo on Thursday _ was designed to take up the same amount of space as a human being to be safe and unobtrusive enough to mingle with pedestrians, according to Honda Motor Co. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), based at Fort Richardson, Alaska, fire a 120mm mortar Wednesday during a fire mission at the combat outpost Zerok in East Paktika province in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh)

A washed out bridge is shown Monday in Douglasville, Ga. Heavy rain caused flooding in and around the Atlanta area. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Wearing ghillie suits, Iranian troops march Tuesday during a military parade ceremony marking the 29th anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war. The troops marched in front of the mausoleum of late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A person takes pictures in front of the Sydney Opera House during a dust storm Wednesday in Sydney, Australia. Flights were diverted and ferries canceled as a blanket of red dust shrouded most of Sydney after the weather system moved in from central Australia. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

With temperatures hovering in the mid-90's, Carol Phillips and her daughter, Elizabeth, 6, spent the last day of summer playing in the Sacramento River on Monday at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

A model wears a creation part of the Giorgio Armani Spring/Summer 2010 fashion collection, presented Thursday in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Zaurbek Sokhiev, right, from Uzbekistan defeats Jacob Herbert from U.S. in the 84 kilo freestyle class at the wrestling world championships finals Tuesday in Herning, Denmark. (AP Photo/POLFOTO, Claus Bonnerup)

U2's Bono attends the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting on Thursday in New York.(AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

A strip of gold bearing a biblical inscription in Latin, part of a recently discovered hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold is displayed Thursday at Birmingham Museum in Birmingham, England. Amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert was prowling English farmland in Staffordshire, England, with a metal detector when he stumbled upon what has been described as the largest Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered, a massive collection of gold and silver crosses, sword decorations and other items, British archaeologists said Thursday. Translation reads "Rise up, O Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face." (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Michele Wright kisses the top of the casket holder her son, U.S. Army 1st Lt. David Wright II, as her husband Moore Police officer Tim Wright wipes his eye during a graveside service Tuesday at IOOF Cemetery in Norman, Okla. Wright was one of two soldiers killed Sept. 14 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Chris Landsberger)

Spanish national basketball team players, from left, Jorge Garbajosa, Pau Gasol and Sergio Llull celebrate the European basketball championship title Monday in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid. Spain beat Serbia 85-63 on Sunday to capture the European basketball championship. (AP Photo/Arturo Rodriguez)

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

Clear365: About the G20

ABOUT THE G20

The Group of 20 (G20) is made up of the world's major economies and first met in Berlin in December 1999 in response to the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. The G20 is an offshoot of the G8, the rich countries' club,  and the expanded roster was created to give emerging national economies a voice in global economic governance.

The G20's full membership lists is: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union is represented by the country holding the EU presidency.

At G20 meetings, top officials from the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank also participate.

DID YOU KNOW?

G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global economy and 2/3 of the world's population.

HOW IT WORKS

The G20 world leaders, including President Barack Obama, will sign off on a communique at the end of the summit that will state the G20's consensus goals and plans of action. Finance ministers from the G20 countries met before the Pittsburgh summit and have been working on the communique. The final version likely will see the world's leaders pledging to maintain their stimulus commitments through 2010 to allow the global economy to fully heal. Washington also has been pushing for new macro-economic policy and oversight to promote "sustainable and balanced growth,'' which would attempt to eliminate troubling economic bubbles and financial flows to prevent another financial meltdown. The balanced growth policy also would seek to end large economic imbalances, such as China's giant trade surplus, record budget deficits in the United States and the world's reliance on U.S. consumers.

The G20 leaders also are attempting to limit bankers' pay, a move that has been heartily endorsed, in particular, by European leaders. Obama also is proposing that G20 countries move toward eliminating government subsidies on oil, coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. Finally, the G20 likely will set new greater capital standards for banks as part of its financial regulatory reform effort.

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

About the G20

ABOUT THE G20

The Group of 20 (G20) is made up of the world's major economies and first met in Berlin in December 1999 in response to the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. The G20 is an offshoot of the G8, the rich countries' club,  and the expanded roster was created to give emerging national economies a voice in global economic governance.

The G20's full membership lists is: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union is represented by the country holding the EU presidency.

At G20 meetings, top officials from the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank also participate.

DID YOU KNOW?

G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global economy and 2/3 of the world's population.

HOW IT WORKS

The G20 world leaders, including President Barack Obama, will sign off on a communique at the end of the summit that will state the G20's consensus goals and plans of action. Finance ministers from the G20 countries met before the Pittsburgh summit and have been working on the communique. The final version likely will see the world's leaders pledging to maintain their stimulus commitments through 2010 to allow the global economy to fully heal. Washington also has been pushing for new macro-economic policy and oversight to promote "sustainable and balanced growth,'' which would attempt to eliminate troubling economic bubbles and financial flows to prevent another financial meltdown. The balanced growth policy also would seek to end large economic imbalances, such as China's giant trade surplus, record budget deficits in the United States and the world's reliance on U.S. consumers.

The G20 leaders also are attempting to limit bankers' pay, a move that has been heartily endorsed, in particular, by European leaders. Obama also is proposing that G20 countries move toward eliminating government subsidies on oil, coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels that contribute to global warming. Finally, the G20 likely will set new greater capital standards for banks as part of its financial regulatory reform effort.

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

                                                     

BACK TO G20 COVERAGE

Clear365 Special Report: Group of 20 in Pittsburgh

From left, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, President Barack Obama, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, walk off stage after delivering a joint statement Friday about Iranian nuclear ambitions at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) G-20 leaders declare summit a success Major world leaders form themselves into a new board of directors for the global economy, vow to overhaul lax financial regulations and work harder to control dangerous imbalances that contributed to a financial meltdown
G20 COVERAGE Pittsburgh businesses clean up from G-20 protests US, UK, French heads demand Iran nuke site opened Pittsburgh: Why this native son left but came home G-20 spouses tour Pittsburgh arts school Costly and really brief: Is G-20 really worth it?

Clear365 Fall TV Guide

If you could change destiny, would you still watch 'FlashForward'?	Fall watch list: 14 TV turn-ons The new TV season's finally here, but with so many shows competing for your precious tune-in time, flipping through the options can feel like more of a burden than a break. Don't let making TV choices turn into a chore. Instead, check out our rundown of the season's most promising series. View the list ...
Fall TV Headlines & Buzz Martin Short, Campbell Scott join 'Damages' cast Heather Locklear returns to 'Melrose Place' 'Grey's Anatomy': Plot twists shake up Seattle Grace Men take the floor for 'Dancing With the Stars' premiere New '90210' tackles challenges of bipolar disease Can't get enough real-life political scandal? 'Good Wife' fills the void Returning reality: 'Survivor,' 'Extreme Makeover,' 'Next Top Model' & more

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Clear365 Fall TV Guide: 14 TV turn-ons

The new TV season's finally here, but with so many shows competing for your precious tune-in time, flipping through the channels can feel more like a burden than a break. Don't let TV viewing turn into a chore! Instead, check out our 14-show list of fall TV's best bets. Some are new, some are returning, but all are worth a watch. In no particular order:

1. 'FlashForward'

Series premiere: Thursday, September 24, 8pm

ABC

Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, Dominic Monaghan, John Cho

When the entire world is given a glimpse into the future due to a mysterious black-out, each person sees a series of events in his or her life that would take place six months later. As people begin to piece together their visions and attempt to pinpoint the cause of this mysterious phenomenon, it leaves many people wondering whether their own destinies can be changed, and what affect those changes could have on others. With an ensemble cast like this, we're definitely looking forward to 'FlashForward'!

2. 'The Jay Leno Show'

Monday - Friday, 10pm

NBC

Cast: Jay Leno

Following the end of his 17-year tenure with 'The Tonight Show,' Jay Leno made his highly-hyped transition from late night to prime time on Monday, September 14; more than 18 million viewers tuned in to catch the debut. Though critics, in general, wrote it off as "snooze-inducing," Leno's new show was also instantly familiar -- and for many longtime viewers, that's not a bad thing: As well as introducing new comedy sketches in the weeks to come, fans can expect Jay to continue his comfortable, tried-and-true classics (Jaywalking, Headlines, etc.). Many of us wonder if this'll just be another 'Tonight,' but Leno says his new show will feature more variety-style elements.

3. 'Community'

Thursdays, 9:30pm

NBC

Cast: Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie

When fast-talkin' lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) finds his degree's been revoked, he ends up back in school at Greendale Community College surrounded by misfits. With help from his fellow classmates Pierce (Chevy Chase), Troy (Donald Glover), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) and Annie (Alison Brie), Winger forms a Spanish study group (despite the fact that his command of the language is anything but good) in an effort to seduce classmate Britta (Gillian Jacobs). If you're a fan of Chevy Chase -- who plays a retired moist-towelette mogul -- and 'The Soup's' Joel McHale, this one's a must-see.

4. 'Grey's Anatomy'

Season premiere: Thursday, September 24, 9pm

ABC

Cast: Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh, Eric Dane, Katherine Heigl

'Grey's' had us bawling our eyes out all the way through last season's finale when we found out the severely mangled 'John Doe' was our beloved George O'Mally (T.R. Knight), and Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) regained her memory after her brain surgery only to collapse again. Get ready to break out the tissue box: We suspect series creator Shonda Rhimes won't let us off the hook that easily in season 6; the premiere alone -- set to fill us in on the fates of George, Izzie and the rest of the Seattle Grace gang is likely to be a tear-jerker. With Knight's confirmed departure, Heigl's extended leave of absence and Pompeo's maternity leave, we're already expecting big changes; rumor has it the down economy's hit Seattle Grace, too, and we might even see some of our favorite docs let go. We are, however, very excited to find out what becomes of Christina and Owen's budding romance, and whether a marriage will finally play out for Meredith and Derek.

5. 'Cougar Town'

Series premiere: Wednesday, September 23, 9:30pm

ABC

Cast: Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Dan Byrd, Christa Miller

Can a woman over a certain age be a mom, a successful career woman and still be on the prowl? In this new comedy, recently divorced single mother Jules Cobb (Courteney Cox) finds herself facing the realities of getting back in the dating game in her 40s -- except she has no game. With creator Bill Lawrence ('Spin City,' 'Scrubs') and executive producers/real-life husband-and-wife David Arquette and Courteney Cox at the helm, we're expecting good things from 'Cougar Town.'

6. '90210'

Tuesdays, 8pm

The CW

Cast: Rob Estes, Lori Loughlin, AnnaLynne McCord, Shenae Grimes, Jennie Garth

The former 'Beverly Hills 90210' got an edgier facelift last season with a shortened title, new characters and guest appearances by original cast members including Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty. Now the CW revamp follows the lives of six West Beverly High School teens, in particular Annie and Dixon Mills, who recently moved from Kansas, and their struggles adjusting to life in the glitzy ZIP code. The first-season finale ended with explosive cliff-hangers that kept viewers wondering what was to become of Adrianna, who just gave birth at 16; Silver, who suffered from a bipolar breakdown; and Annie, who in the last scene, was involved in a messy hit-and-run accident. Needless to say, we can expect lots more teenage debauchery, and more breakdowns, in season 2.

7. 'Glee'

Wednesdays, 9pm

Fox

Cast: Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Amber Riley,Chris Colfer, Jayma Mays

When the pilot episode of 'Glee' first aired back in May, responses were mixed: Some viewers and critics just didn't know what to make of a musical-comedy-drama revolving around the lives of the students in a Midwestern high-school glee club and their (mostly) clueless teachers. Four months later, there's still no easy explanation. Created in part by Ryan Murphy ('Nip/Tuck') and originally envisioned as a movie, 'Glee' manages to find quirkiness in stereotypical high-school characters (the Jock, the Nerd, the Cheerleader, etc.). The show's humor, too, is on the quirky/self-deprecating/edgy side. And while there are plenty of full-length musical numbers, don't mistake this for another 'High School Musical.' Songs range from show-tunes standards to classic-rock anthems to Rihanna chart-toppers. The only reason not to watch? It might hit too close to home.

8. 'Modern Family'

Series premiere: Wednesday, September 23, 9pm

ABC

Cast: Ed O'Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Julie Bowen, Sofia Vergara

'Modern Family' is a new mockumentary following the everyday lives of three modern-day American families, each with different backgrounds, as they are filmed for a reality-style TV series in The Netherlands. Jay (Ed O'Neill) is always mistaken to be the father of his much-younger second wife, while Jay's daughter Claire (Julie Bowen) and her husband Phil yearn for a more open relationship with their three kids, and Jay's openly gay son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner Cameron adopt a baby girl from Vietnam. With a cast -- and premise -- like this, we'll be surprised if 'Modern Family' doesn't become a big hit.

9. 'Trauma'

Series premiere: Monday, September 28, 9pm

NBC

Cast: Cliff Curtis, Derek Luke, Anastasia Griffith

'E.R.' meets 'Emergency' on this slick action-drama, which tracks a team of highly trained paramedics as they treat injury victims in the initial moments of tragedy. The show's ceaseless explosions, vehicle crashes, hovering helicopters, slo-mo editing and over-the-top background music and voiceovers at times make it feel more like a Michael Bay blockbuster than a weekly TV series. (And are these emergency medical procedures really covered in the EMT first-responders' training guide? That would explain why ambulance pick-ups are so expensive.) Realism aside, 'Trauma' could be just what the doctor ordered for adrenaline junkies in search of a new favorite show.

10. 'The Biggest Loser'

Tuesdays, 8pm

NBC

Cast / Trainers: 16 contestants; Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper

It's true that these two-hour episodes require a significant commitment, both in terms of time and the fact that first-hour action is pretty much limited to obese strangers working up a sweat. For its eighth season, though, 'Loser' is giving viewers another reason to tune in: It's upped not only contestants' excess bodyweight, but their emotional baggage, as well. The new season, which focuses again on singles rather than couples, is "all about second chances": One contestant, for example, lost her family in a tragic car accident and wants to start a new life; another is last season's heftiest 'Loser,' back to continue his weight-loss adventure. And perhaps most intriguing is Miss Shay Sorrells -- at 476 pounds, the heaviest 'TBL' contestant ever -- who's hoping to find "redemption from her dark past" via slim-down. All are competing for the show's $250,000 grand prize -- and, of course, the opportunity to be screamed at by Jillian on national TV.

11. 'The Forgotten'

Tuesdays, 10pm

ABC

Cast: Christian Slater, Heather Stephens, Tyler Davies

On this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama, a band of "citizen" detectives dedicates itself to cracking unsolved crimes: clue-less murders and missing-persons cases that law enforcement professionals gave up on years ago. But these amateur answer-seekers aren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. Each member of Chicago's so-called "Forgotten Network" has a personal reason for getting involved. (Christian Slater's character, Alex Donovan, for example, is an ex-cop whose life fell apart after his 11-year-old daughter's abduction.) Sound like your standard cold-case-of-the-week series? There's a twist: In a 'Lovely Bones' spin, every episode is narrated by its unseen victim, who watches over Alex & team as they cobble its path back from Limbo. Yes, 'The Forgotten' has issues: a penchant for melodrama (probably), cast shake-ups (already) and a lousy time slot (definitely), among others. But we like the concept, and we like Christian Slater. So damn the drawbacks (and critics) and give it a shot.

12. 'The Vampire Diaries'

Thursdays, 10pm

The CW

Cast: Ian Somerhalder, Candice Accola, Steven R. McQueen, Nina Dobrev

'The Vampire Diaries,' a television adaptation of L.J. Smith's 1991 horror trilogy, centers around 17-year-old Elena Gilbert, who falls in love with Stefan Salvatore, the strangely mysterious new boy at school. Little does Elena know that Stefan and his older brother Damon are at war for Elena's soul -- and for the souls of her family and friends. For 'Twilight' fans, this might just be the thing to hold you through the unbearable wait for 'New Moon.' And beside, what could possibly make for better TV than a love triangle between a high-school girl and two sexy vampire brothers?

13. 'Shark Tank'

Sundays, 9pm

ABC

Cast / 'The Sharks': Real-estate investor Barbara Corcoran, fashion mogul Daymond John, financial expert Kevin O'Leary, technology innovator Robert Herjavec, infomercial king Kevin Harrington

If you love a good shark week (and who doesn't?) this one's for you. Producer Mark Burnett -- who, thanks to successes including 'Survivor' and 'The Apprentice,' knows from savvy pitching -- is the man behind the remake of this popular British reality series, in which "inspired" entrepreneurs looking for funds to launch or expand their businesses present ideas to a panel of five deep-pocketed, would-be investor-judges. But here's the fun part: These "judges" not only approve or deny entrepreneurs' money requests, they also compete with one another to invest in the best/most potentially lucrative ideas -- and haggle with the pitching businessmen/women over what they'll get in return for footing the bills. As one might expect, ideas run the spectrum from boneheaded to brilliant.

14. 'V'

Series premiere: November 3, 8pm

ABC

Cast: Elizabeth Mitchell, Logan Huffman, Scott Wolf, Morena Baccarin

Everything eventually comes around again, especially '80s TV shows: Like NBC's then-groundbreaking sci-fi 1983 miniseries (and short-lived follow-up series), this "re-imagining" of 'V' tells the story of an alien civilization that comes to Earth in peace -- but not really. In the 2009 version, 'Lost' star Elizabeth Mitchell is FBI counter-terrorism agent Erica Evans, the first human to realize these alleged good-guy E.T.s in fact have pretty evil intentions. And news anchor Chad Decker (Scott Wolf) is dying to get an exclusive with the aliens' hottie leader, no matter what it takes. While you're waiting for the new 'V' to premiere, why not refresh your memory and watch the original again? You've probably still got the VHS tapes stashed away somewhere.

More Fall TV highlights: Beyond the Big 5 networks

'Top Chef: Las Vegas'    'Dexter'      'Mad Men'       '18 Kids & Counting'     

 'Bored to Death'      'Man v. Food'  

'Jon & Kate Plus 8'     'Intervention'      'Army Wives'      'MythBusters'    'White Collar'      

 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta'

Back to Fall TV Guide       Watch TV episodes & clips       More Entertainment news & gossip  

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9/21: I'm a BLVR

Sept. 21, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds, who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

Great weekend for the BLVR. Bruins win and improve to 3-0, Vikings win and are 2-0 headed into their home opener against the 49ers and the Washington Huskies pulled off the upset and stunned former No. 3 USC. That's all good stuff and made for an outstanding weekend.

Being a BLVR means that you actually have to believe in things. Case in point: About halfway through the third quarter of the Huskies-Trojans game, I promised the football gods that if U-Dub won that I would buy a No. 10 Jake Locker t-shirt. About 10 minutes after the game I was online buying a Huskies purple No. 10 replica t-shirt for myself and my friend Siri, a huge Huskies fan who lives in Seattle. You gotta believe. Now, back to our regular programming.

BRUINS

Bruins fans went into Saturday's game against Kansas St. with a little bounce in their step following the Huskies 16-13 win over USC. Congrats to UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft who had a decent game replacing starter Kevin Prince. Craft was at the helm last year when the Bruins went 4-8 and he coughed up a school record 20 interceptions. With the offensive line buying him a little more time, Craft was able to get the ball down field, including a 51-yard bomb to Terrence Austin, who made the catch in stride and took it to the house. Wide receiver Nelson Rosario also had a highlight reel catch in the fourth quarter when he made a one-handed grab of a Craft pass for a first-down that kept an eventual field-goal drive alive.

The Bruins have a bye week coming up and then will head to The Farm to play at Stanford. That means the Bruins will be 4-0 going into their home game Oct. 10 against the Oregon Ducks. I've already predicted a victory against the Ducks, which means the Bruins will be 5-0 when they have a major showdown with Cal on Oct. 17 at the Rose Bowl. My crystal ball gets a little cloudy when I try to predict things too far out, but I vaguely see a Kai Forbath field goal winning that game against the Golden Bears.

LAKERS

Congratulations to Pau Gasol, who lead the Spanish team Sunday to the European basketball championship.

Also, belated birthday wishes to Coach Phil Jackson, who turned 64 on Sept. 17.

The Lakers open training camp Sept. 29 and new forward Ron Artest said today that if the Lakes don't repeat that he'll take the blame. That's a bold statement and I'm glad he's ready to fall on his sword and all, but Artest doesn't have much to worry about, because the Lakers are going to repeat.

Almost forgot, congratulations also to Lamar Odom who after a six-week whirlwind romance is going to marry reality TV star Khloe Kardashian. I'm not really sure what I think about that but congrats seem to be in order.

VIKINGS

Nice solid win Sunday by the Vikings over a Detroit Lions team that is much improved, but still not much of a threat. Brett Favre set an NFL record Sunday when he made his 271st straight start in the regular season. Old No. 4 finished 23 of 27 for 155 yards with two TDs and no interceptions in the Vikings' 27-13 win. Super running back Adrian Peterson had 92 yards rushing on the day, including a 27-yard TD scamper midway through the third quarter.

Next up for the Vikings are the surprising first-place and undefeated San Francisco 49ers who will hit the road to face the Vikings at the Metrodome.

REDS

The Reds are 18 games back in the National League Central Division. Sigh.

On the bright side, the new Joe Posnanski book "The Machine" about the legendary 1975 Cincinnati Reds squad is a great read. I'm only on page 33 -- it was a busy weekend -- but so far this book has had several tasty anecdotes. For example, I never knew that Hall of Fame manager George "Sparky" Anderson grew up in Los Angeles in the Watts area and despised the Dodgers. The Reds already had the core of the Big Red Machine in place in 1973 and Sparky guaranteed his team would win, only to lose to the New York Mets that year in the playoffs. 

Excerpt:
"Then came 1974 and the worst season of all. The Reds won 98 games, more than every team but one. But that one team was the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they won 102 games and went to the playoffs instead. This was beyond heartbreak. Sparky Anderson lived in Los Angeles. He hated, just hated, the Dodgers."
End of excerpt.

I hate the Dodgers, too.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of Posnanski's fine book. It's already shaping up to be as enjoyable and informative as the late David Halberstram's "October 1964," which chronicled the seven-game World Series showdown between the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals amid the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and baseball's shifting financial landscape.

By the way, if you're into baseball books, I highly recommend "Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball," by the conservative columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George F. Will. It's my favorite baseball book.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR

9/18: The Public Observer on upcoming news and a photo roundup

Sept. 18, 2009

The Public Observer takes a look at upcoming news and presents a photo roundup of recent images taken by The Associated Press.

U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

President Barack Obama will join other world leaders gathering in New York next week for the 192-nation General Assembly meeting at United Nations headquarters. The president will address the General Assembly on Wednesday at the opening of the ministerial meeting. Obama will host a lunch for leaders from sub-Saharan Africa on the same day and he also will meet with Japan's new leader, Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, for the first time. Obama on Thursday will chair a U.N. Security Council meeting on disarmament and controlling the spread of nuclear weapons.

G-20

Pittsburgh will host the Group of 20 financial summit next week in which the leaders of the world's 20 richest nations will discuss stimulus efforts as the worldwide recession starts to show signs of easing its grip. European Union leaders agreed this week to press Obama to back their call for rich and developing nations to curb bankers' pay and to impose deep cuts on carbon emissions as part of a new global climate pact.

CLIMATE SUMMIT

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is holding a high-level summit Tuesday on climate change that is intended to build momentum for forging a deal on mandatory worldwide cuts in greenhouse gasses. The one-day event will feature Obama's first speech to the United Nations and its sole topic will be climate change, one day before his broader address to the General Assembly. The U.N. is holding an 180-nation meeting in Copenhagen in December to create a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that gained only modest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

PHOTO ROUNDUP

Here's a look at some recent images taken by photographers for The Associated Press.

In this photo taken Monday, an official shows baby crocodiles at the "La Boca" crocodile farm in the Cienaga de Zapata national park in Cuba. The crocodile nursery is a top attraction at the park, which is Cuba's equivalent of the Florida Everglades. The park is the Caribbean's largest bioreserve with 1.5 million acres of mangrove-choked canals teeming with the wildest Cuban wildlife. (AP Photo/Franklin Reyes)

Members of "gulabi gang," (pink gang), a women's vigilante group, shout slogans Thursday at a protest in New Delhi, India, as they demand a separate Bundelkhand state. The group is named after the pink dresses that they wear and was formed in Uttar Pradesh State's Banda district. The women brandish sticks and fight for social issues. (AP Photo/Mustafa Quraishi)

Soldiers march during Independence Day celebrations Wednesday in Mexico City's Zocalo Plaza. Mexico will celebrate its Independence 200th anniversary in 2010. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

An Afghan woman injured in a suicide attack cries for help Thursday near the site where a suicide car bomber attacked an Italian military convoy on a road in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Ahmad Massoud)

Singer Kanye West takes the microphone from singer Taylor Swift as she accepts the "Best Female Video" award Sunday during the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

A PETA member dressed as a bloody seal joined other animal rights activists who protested Wednesday at the Canadian Embassy in Washington during a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Members of the animal rights group asked Harper to stop the killing of seals. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Juan Martin del Potro, of Argentina, reacts Monday after winning the men's finals championship over Roger Federer, of Switzerland, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

A bather stands under a hot waterfall in a medicinal baths complex at Thermopylae, central Greece, on Monday. Located some 90 miles northwest of Athens, Thermopylae -- which means the Hot Gates in ancient Greek -- was the site of a famous 480 B.C. defensive action by a tiny Spartan army, who fought to the death before being overcome by an invading Persian host. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Actress Natalie Portman takes part in a news conference Wednesday for the film "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Ontario. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

Flowers decorate Patrick Swayze's star Monday on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Swayze, the hunky actor who danced his way into moviegoers' hearts with "Dirty Dancing" and then broke them with "Ghost," died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Germany's table tennis player Timo Boll focuses the ball as he serves in his semifinal match Tuesday against Constantin Cioti from Romania during the team competition of the Table Tennis European Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. The Table Tennis European Championships is held in the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart from Sept. 13 until Sept. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Daniel Maurer)

Spring 2010 fashion collection from Marc by Marc Jacobs is modeled Tuesday during Fashion Week in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Farmers spray milk Wednesday on a field in Ciney, Belgium. Farmers in Belgium dumped 790,000 gallons of fresh milk on a field to underscore that European producers can't make a living from current rock-bottom milk prices. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

9/14: I'm a BLVR

Sept. 14, 2009

BLVR covers the Bruins, Lakers, Vikings and Reds who by fate or destiny became the favorite teams long ago of a young kid growing up in Southern California.

BRUINS

Great win over the weekend for the UCLA football team, which marched into Knoxville, Tenn., and beat the Volunteers 19-15. Bruins fans last year thought the opening game win against the Vols at the Rose Bowl showed that the program was headed in the right direction. Then the Bruins hit the skids and finished 4-8. This win over the Vols, however, is a lot different and actually does show the football ship has set its bearings out of Losers' Lagoon. The Bruins showed improved play on the offensive line, the semblance of an actual running game and a toughness that we haven't seen in Westwood in a long, long time.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince showed the most toughness, taking a helmet shot to the face in the game's final minutes. The hit broke Prince's jaw and UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel likely will announce tomorrow who will be his replacement at QB. The only good thing about this injury is that it comes early in the season with a couple of patsies lined up. The Bruins play Kansas State at home Saturday and then have a week off before playing Stanford. After that, UCLA plays Oregon at home, which I've already predicted as a "W" for the boys in powder blue. Five-and-oh at the halfway point, sticking with that prediction, too.

LAKERS

Los Angeles Lakers star forward Pau Gasol is doing what he usually does: win games. Gasol lead the Spanish national team to a win today over Lithuania in the second round of the European basketball championship.

VIKINGS

I'm not about to rush out and buy a Brett Favre jersey or anything, but I gotta say, the old man looked decent out there Sunday against the Browns. Favre, 39, had a rather pedestrian game, finishing 14 of 21 for 110 yards, but more importantly the Vikes beat the Browns 34-20.

The highlight of the game was Adrian Peterson's spectacular 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that showed the star running back's power, finesse, moves and speed. The run was so good that The AP did a separate story on it and gave the run the unofficial nickname "The Commercial," because it looked even better than those runs you see in Nike and Gatorade ads. My favorite part is when he sheds a would-be tackler at the 41-yard line like he's a pesky mosquito or something. Six tacklers tried to bring him down, all failed.

Check it out:

REDS
I'm still waiting for my book on the 1975 Cincinnati Reds called "The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series-The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds." I ordered this book on June 16, far ahead of its Sept. 9 release date. What's the point of pre-ordering a book from Amazon if you could schlep over to a real store and get it when it comes out? They should send pre-orders out so they arrive the same day they get in stores. Right?
At any rate, book review coming up very soon.

--Paul Chavez, BLVR