Those who tuned in for the beginning of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel might have been waiting for that moment they realized they were being rickrolled. The channel kicked off their legendary week celebrating the deep sea killers with the most infamous of sharks, Megalodon. In a two hour documentary, they took a good look at the mythic creature and did their best to draw him out. In fact, they even used a “chum cannon” to help facilitate what they called “power chumming” to hopefully arouse the beast. That’s right, power chumming. If you didn’t realize the “documentary” was fake by that point, well then…. Of course, this is the internet, and there are plenty of people just waiting, ready and willing, to complain about every little thing. Including a fake documentary about (likely) fictitious animal. Angry viewers have taken to Shark Week’s Facebook page in angry droves. With complaints ranging from “disappointed” to the more elaborate, “Absolutely disgusted with the kick off of shark week. Fake documentary on Magalodon. Way to go discovery channel. You should change your name to Fantasy Channel. Like I said, absolutely disgusted. Another year like this and Shark Week will be extinct too.” Lesson learned. Megalodon may not be real, but there is no doubt that internet rage lives on! Have no fear though, it appears as if “real” Shark Week programming will return tonight.
Dominican man Geraldo Ramos recently passed out drunk and woke up missing something lost a lot less frequently than one’s car keys, wallet or dignity: His penis. Man Wakes Up With No Penis The 45-year-old has no clue where his penis went, but neighbors told a local TV station that Ramos was attacked by a dog when he was drunk. Ramos, naturally, has no recollection of this. The alleged dog, BTW, has not been found. It’s unclear what the next course of action is after this sort of thing happens … but at least this Arkansas man who lost a testicle to a dog has company.
Upholding his reputation as the Justin Bieber of the college football world, Johnny Manziel is at the center of yet another scandal. And this one may take away his eligibility for the upcoming season. An autograph broker on eBay spoke to ESPN’s Joe Schad on the condition of anonymity and said Maziel’s personal assistant approached him last season to let him know the quarterback now required compensation in exchange for his signature. Johnny Manziel Autograph Signing Controversy This broker’s account follows a report by Outside the Lines yesterday which states the NCAA is looking into whether Manziel was paid for signing numerous items in January, with sources claiming he received a five-figure flat fee during his trip to Miami for the BCS title game. According to NCAA Bylaw 12.5.2.1, accepting money for promoting or advertising the commercial sale of a product or service makes one ineligible to play college football. Texas A&M Head Coach Kevin Sumlin told reporters that that “our university is doing its due diligence to find out the facts” regarding the latest Manziel scandal. Over the last couple months, Manziel was kicked out of a Texas fraternity party and possibly posed with a blunt-holding Heisman Trophy .
NFL is investigating shady Jay … NFL Investigates Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports Recruitment With Geno Smith The NFL Players Association is investigating Roc Nation’s recruitment of New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith, according to union sources. The union is planning to send a letter of inquiry to Roc Nation Sports agent Kim Miale to gather more information about Jay-Z’s involvement in courting Smith. The recently instituted “runner rule” prohibits agents from having colleagues or friends who aren’t NFLPA certified agents present for recruiting meetings. Earlier this week, Smith’s adviser John Thornton, a former NFL defensive tackle, was quoted by CBS as saying “I was in those meetings, and Jay-Z connected with him on many levels.” Thornton later said he was misquoted. The real smoking gun might be a picture that Smith posted of Jay-Z and himself on Instagram during the quarterback’s recent re-recruitment process, which kicked off after Smith fired agent Jeff Nalley. Smith is Miale’s third client, per NFLPA records, following linebacker Brandon Hicks, who spent time in the Bills’ and Steelers’ training camps the last two summers, and arena league kicker Carlos Martinez. The NFLPA previously sent a letter of inquiry to CAA mega-agent Tom Condon after Condon signed Victor Cruz, who is using Roc Nation for his marketing. Roc Nation has established a partnership with CAA in sports other than football, where the runner rule makes such an arrangement problematic. The union cleared Condon of wrongdoing. What’s that rule about? NFLPA trying to emulate the NCAA for ridiculous recruiting rules? Continue reading →
Congratulations to the Louisville Cardinals for defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA Final Four Mens Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta last night…
was a moment in sports that if you have seen, you immediately wished you could “unsee.” Kevin Ware literally snapped his lower leg in yesterday’s Louisville vs. Duke NCAA tournament game. Thankfully, after surgery, he is already capable of walking on crutches…. Continue
Under fire from the Twitterverse and other TV analysts, Doug Gottlieb has issued an apology for his “white man” joke last night. The former Oklahama State point guard was discussing the NCAA Tournament with four African-American colleagues when he quipped that he’s just around to bring the “white man’s perspective to the set.” The line didn’t exactly go over well, as you can see in the following video: Doug Gottlieb White Man Joke At first defending the line as a “joke,” Gottlieb was forced to be a bit contrite after criticism poured in, most pointedly from ESPN college football reporter Mark May, who Tweeted that Gottlieb should be “canned” and added: “That type of comment is ment (sic) for a bar not a national stage.Nice job Gottlieb I hope all the kids 12 and under didn’t hear it!” Charles Barkley later interrupted CBS’ coverage of the Sweet 16 to stand up for his embattled co-worker, telling viewers on air: “All those people on Twitter who are going crazy, which I would never ever do, listen me Kenny, Greg Anthony, and Greg Gumbel didn’t take that personally so all you people at home who’ve got no life who are talking bad about Doug Gottlieb get a life. It’s no big deal.” Through the network, Gottlieb then issued a terse statement: “It was not a smart thing to say and I apologize.” Seems like enough, right? We can all move on with our lives now. Doug Gottlieb
Grinnell College#39;s Jack Taylor (3) scored an NCAA record 138 points on Tuesday. Jack Taylor, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound guard from Black River Falls, Wisconsin, shot 52-of-108 from the field, 27-of-71 from 3-point range, and 7-of-10 from the free-throw line to finish with the historic, head-shaking line of 138 points. The Grinnell sophomore guard scored an NCAA-record 138 points during the Pioneers#39; 179-104 win against Faith Baptist Bible College on Tuesday night. “I don#39;t think reality
Suburban America has its share of Oranges . Orange County, CA, probably the richest and best known of the lot (there are of course fellow O.C. namesakes in New York and Florida) has had its hare in the spotlight with the original Real Housewives , not to mention that teen/young-adult primetime soap The O.C. and who could forget MTV’s Laguna Beach . But watch, out, there’s a new Orange grabbing the spotlight, and it even grabbed O.C. star Adam Brody who plays the successful son of a couple living in a leafy neighborhood in West Orange, NJ. The Oranges promises to take a bite out of the upper middle-class intrigue market. But Brody appears to be incidental in the block scandal taking place on – you might have guessed, Orange Drive. The quick plot goes something like this: Two dads are morning jog-BFFs who live across the street from each other. One daughter comes come for a holiday after breaking up with her boyfriend. Instead of going for the neighbor’s good looking age-appropriate son (that would be Brody) she takes a liking for the dad – a big uh-oh! And even a bigger problem, the neighbor’s dad goes for it… Here’s the official synopsis and trailer below : David and Paige Walling (Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener) and Terry and Cathy Ostroff (Oliver Platt, Allison Janney) are best friends and neighbors living on Orange Drive in suburban New Jersey. Their comfortable existence goes awry when prodigal daughter Nina Ostroff (Leighton Meester), newly broken up with her fiancé Ethan (Sam Rosen), returns home for Thanksgiving after a five-year absence. Rather than developing an interest in the successful son of her neighbors, Toby Walling (Adam Brody), which would please both families, it’s her parents’ best friend David who captures Nina’s attention. When the connection between Nina and David becomes undeniable, everyone’s lives are thrown into upheaval, particularly Vanessa Walling’s (Alia Shawkat), Nina’s childhood best friend. It’s not long before the ramifications of the affair begin to work on all of the family members in unexpected and hilarious ways, leading everyone to reawaken to their lives, reassess what it means to be happy, and realize that sometimes what looks like a disaster turns out to be the thing we need.
Cue John Williams’ “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” — or if you don’t want to be reminded of Ewoks, the Clash’s “London Calling.” The 2012 Summer Games officially begin tonight with a Danny Boyle-directed opening ceremony that, according to ABC News, will include a reference to James Bond and 120 farm animals. The spectacle won’t end there. Unless this year’s games totally suck, the next two weeks will be rife with emotional movie-worthy moments of victory, defeat and the U.S. Women’s Volleyball team’s hot bikinis. The Olympics have yet to produce a truly outstanding biographical movie, but hope springs eternal. And in the interest of putting a well-traveled torch under Hollywood’s ass, here are Movieline’s top five picks for Olympics-themed movie biopic hopefuls in ascending order. 5. Michael Phelps: Arguably the greatest American Olympic athlete of all time, Phelps has won 16 medals and broken or tied all kinds of records. He’s got a physique millions of guys would kill for, and after his showing in the 2008 games in Beijing, he rocketed to fame, earning a Speedo-load of endorsements and Sports Illustrated’s 2008 Sportsman of the Year honor. Once the cheering stopped, however, Phelps packed on 25 pounds and lost at least his Kellogg’s endorsement when he was photographed smoking a bong. (Perhaps that had something to do with the weight gain as well.) A lack of real dramatic tension might be a problem in any movie about Phelps, but the Summer Games — which the 27-year-old athlete says will be his last — may provide the needed drama. Phelps will compete in seven swimming events in London. Who should play him: Adam Driver ( Girls ). He was born to play this part. Who should direct: Josh Gordon and Will Speck. Their upcoming film, The Pool , is about a swim instructor, and Blades of Glory showed they can do sports films. 4. Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani: The judo competitor will make history by becoming the first homegrown Saudi Arabian woman to represent her country in London. The Saudis have refused to send female participants in the past but relented this year thanks to international pressure. Shahrkhani did not qualify for the games, but instead got a special invitation from the International Olympic Committee. Her participation will make the London Olympics the first in which every country will have female competitors. Just 18 years old, Shahrkhani has trained almost exclusively in her hometown of Mecca. She is scheduled to compete in the over-78-kilogram judo competition, but CBS News reported that the Olympic Federation won’t permit her to wear a hijab (head scarf) during the competition, which may force her to bow out. Who Should Play Her: Hailee Steinfeld. An unlikely choice, but the kid’s got chops. She’d have to do what De Niro did in Raging Bull and pack on some weight though. Who Should Direct: Marc Forster ( The Kite Runner ) 3. The Olympic Village: If the Village could talk, what stories it would tell! Save for the filthy rich tennis players and basketball stars who can afford to stay in one of London’s pricey hotels, the majority of Olympic athletes will spend their time hanging here when they’re not competing. And when the games wind down, the Village transforms into a hedonist’s paradise. Stories of booze-fueled all-night ragers and the kind of casual, athletic sex that would make a Secret Service agent blush are par for the course. It’s The Hangover starring world class athletes. Who Should Star: An ensemble cast that should include Ryan Reynolds, Allison Williams, Channing Tatum, James Franco and Danny McBride. Who Should Direct: Steve Pink. With Hot Tub Time Machine , he showed that he’s effective with large casts and comedies that end up amounting to a lot more than a bunch of laughs. 3. Oscar Pistorius: Thirty years after Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner opened, the “Blade Runner” will make Olympic history in London.The South African sprinter, who became a double amputee when he was only 11 months old, will become the first man in the history of the games to compete with prosthetic legs. In 2008, Pistorius won the right to compete in the Olympics when a ban on athletes with prosthetic legs was overturned, but he failed to make the South African team. He’ll compete in the 400-meter run with his artificial carbon-fiber “Cheetah Flex-Foot” limbs — and not without controversy. Some claim the prosthetics give him an advantage over runners with flesh-and-bone legs. Who Should Play Him: Ryan Kwanten ( True Blood ) He’s got the looks and build to play an athlete. He’s also an Aussie, which should make it a breeze to perfect Pistorius’ South African accent. Who Should Direct: Robert Zemeckis ( Forrest Gump ) He’s nimble with CGI, which will be a must, and he knows how to put a rousing, human story on the screen. 1. Lopez Lomong: In 2010, New Line announced that it was developing a picture about the 27-year-old Lomong’s extraordinary life, and we certainly hope it makes it to the cineplex. (A New Line rep tells Movieline the project is no longer at the studio. Another industry source says the picture is in turnaround.) Until then, we’ll make do with the Visa commercial that’s currently running. One of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan, Lomong was just six years old when he was abducted by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. He and three other boys escaped through a hole in their prison camp fence and ran for days until they reached Kenya. At 16, Lomong relocated to the U.S. after an essay he wrote to a Catholic charity spurred the organization to bring him stateside. He eventually found himself at Northern Arizona University where he became an NCAA champion and last month he qualified for his second Olympics in the 5,000-meter run. In 2008 in Beijing, he was the American flagbearer for the Opening Ceremonies. Who Should Play Him: Omar Sy. The French actor is in his mid-30s, but his powerful performance in The Intouchables suggests he could do justice to Lomong’s story. Who Should Direct: Tom McCarthy. Just watch The Visitor and you will agree. The 2012 Olympics officially kick off in London tonight. Which athletes with great stories have caught your eye? Follow Movieline on Twitter .
