A quick Simmons review before we get into the weekend (and probably another review for the picks later). This article was pretty good, but I think it's kind of BS. I'll explain more on that later. There was definitely good in the article but I didn't like the overall premise.

Mad Libs World in Hollywood




The Good:

• Every time he entered a room, I kept expecting him to take a dramatic pause, look up to the sky and scream, "Finally the Rock HAS COME BACK TO JUVIE!" That's pretty funny.
• Hey, I'd like to tell you that this is progress. I'd like to tell you that most of the classic sports flicks catered to white people to an embarrassing degree, that the current shift of focus was long overdue. I'd even like to tell you that this is a great sign for society as a whole -- 25 years ago, a sports movie with a black star and a mostly black cast probably wouldn't have finished No. 1 in its opening weekend. True.
• Now I'm wondering if I avoided "The Wire" because its central themes -- drugs, corruption, urban decay -- were realities that I simply wanted to ignore. Instead of being haunted by a show like this, it was easier and safer to skip it entirely. Most people feel this way, I'm guessing; it's the only conceivable reason why five times as many people would watch "The Sopranos" over a show that's better in every way. I'm in the minority here, but I hated the Sopranos. This statement is very true though, and a good point.
  

The Bad:

• For instance, the producers of "Gridiron Gang" pulled out these four cards: FOOTBALL + JUVIE + INNER-CITY + THE ROCK. Umm, you are getting mad at formulas? I've got one for you....PATRIOTS+REDSOX+KARATE KID+90210+THESE ARE MY READERS.
• Upon further review, maybe the problem isn't Hollywood after all. Oh my god! WE'RE the problem?!?!? Get over yourself.
• Now things have flipped: we don't need the likes of Rocky Balboa, Danny LaRusso, Crash Davis, Lickety Split, Jimmy Chitwood, Henry Steele, Reg Dunlop, Roy Hobbs, Scott Howard, Paul Crewe and Jonathan E. anymore. Inner-city kids, prisoners and juvie kids have become the heroes, blacks are just as likely to play lead roles as whites, and characters become decidedly unsympathetic if they attend a school with enough money to afford uniforms with names on the back. Coaches have emerged as the most important characters, not because they're the most interesting, but because it's the role most likely to attract a major star (and there really aren't any major stars under 40 anymore). If you can find a setting that can be accentuated by the right hip-hop soundtrack, all the better. The Hip-Hop comment was un-necessary and seemed a little bit racist actually. What about Remember the Titans? It had a CCR song.
  

This is where I have an issue. The fact that a white writer in Hollywood shouldn't be weighing in on the issue. He acts like this is the first movie and show to tackle this problem. It reeks of Rich White Guy thinking he's cool for writing an article about race issues. We know it's a problem and most of us would rather not think about it. But if I weren't white I really wouldn't want some online writer to wax-poetic about my trials and tribulations.....just let me enjoy the movie.

(Read the Picks Article Here and report back later today)

(Update: Forgot to give it a grade, and I'm too lazy to post the rings. 3 out of 5)