Another week is in the books and a lot of news was made this week. Here is just some of the things people couldn't stop talking about:
The Avengers
Ever since the world got its first glimpse of the new movie, "The Avengers," when its trailer premiered last October, the anticipation for it has been growing out of control. It opened today, May 4, so fans will finally get their chance to see if the film meets their expectations. Early reports predict that the movie will bring in a half billion dollars in box office sales worldwide by the end on the weekend. Yikes.
The movie stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson (of course...he's in everything!). "The Avengers" has received a rating of 93% on RottenTomatoes.com so far and should be a big hit. After seeing the trailer (on the left), there is no chance that I don't see the movie this weekend.
Cinco de Mayo
This weekend also marks one of the great non-holiday holidays, Cinco de Mayo! Wikipedia describes the day as a date of "celebration of Mexican heritage and pride," but most people just use the day to have a FIESTA!
Junior Seau
The most talked about subject this week though was the unfortunate and untimely death of NFL legend Junior Seau. There is a lot of speculation and unanswered questions surrounding his passing, but one thing nobody can question is his impact on the game of football. He played the game with passion and heart, and if you ask many linebackers in the NFL today, they would say he was their role model growing up. He played for parts of 20 seasons in the NFL, suiting up for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. He played his college ball at USC, and they did a great tribute video with him singing and playing the ukulele. It's worth checking out.
Exactly one year ago today, the TN Team Blog was born. So today we're celebrating the blog's first birthday in our offices with cookies AND brownies (for the full debate, see here). In addition, we wanted to take a look back at some of our favorite posts over the past year. Enjoy!
This was Tim's masterpiece way back in June. Not sure if you have the fever? You need this quiz.
This was one of our very first posts. Tim and I are still trying to plan a road trip to go get some delicious pulled pork pierogi stackers.
"I have a video production background, so my love for this post comes mainly from the Larry Bird commercial. As you might know, Larry is standing in front of a blue screen, which is used to create a background behind a person while they're speaking or acting. I like to imagine that the producers intended to use the screen to show some kind of snazzy imagery while Bird was giving his endorsement, but weren't able to get it to work on the day of production. They had Larry booked, though, so they couldn't change the shoot location on such short notice. The other commercials featured have just as much fail to them; that dance scene in the Odgen spot is just so random." — Mike
"This special video blog post has everything: Action, intrigue, heartbreak, crates of pears. So even though I really enjoy looking at pictures of Jimi Hendrix in a fanny pack, I'd have to say that the Cyber Monday blog post is my all-time-favorite from the past year." — Allison
"I especially liked the post about the not-so-true history of the fanny pack because it was hilarious! The images of famous (or infamous) historical figures wearing fanny packs cracked me up!" — Danielle
"These are hilarious commercials that appeal to both hockey and non-hockey fans. Gotta love it. Close runners-up: 'Bring Back the Pack: Awesome fanny packs photo gallery' (come on, obviously just because it's awesome and the pics are funny...and you know I'm a life-long fanny pack supporter) and 'What people are talking about this week: One Direction' (as much as I wanted to hate them, I somehow am now their fan club president...not literally, but you know what I mean)." — Erin
What's your favorite post from our first year? And how long do YOU think a blog-year is? Tell us in the comments!
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins are still in the thick of defending their championship (or have been eliminated, depending on when you are reading this), but one thing they will not ever be beaten at is making hilarious commercials and advertisements. The star of these ads is perhaps the most underrated mascot is sports, known simply as Bear. Name me another mascot that is funny, intimidating and lovable...YOU CAN'T!
The commercials below came out last season, so yes I am a little late to the party, but these definitely stand the test of time. I have seen them too many times to count and they never cease to make me laugh. As a casual hockey fan, it makes me want to watch more Bruins hockey games. This season the genius Bruins marketing department are back with a 70's style sitcom called "Bear & The Gang" and, once again, they are awesome.
Having said that, nothing beats the commercials from last season. Check them out and you'll find it hard not to be a Bruins fan afterwards:
Date
This was the first one of these ads that I saw and it remains my favorite. That guy really should have known better.
Obey the Restroom Code
From a young age, people learn not to cut in line. Unfortunately for this dude, he forgot. Luckily for us, Bear reminded him.
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Oh Punxsutawney Phil, why would you do this to me?
For those who have not found out yet, P. Philly (my new nickname for him) saw his shadow today, which apparently means that we will now have to suffer through a long winter. I don't know about you, but I do not want six more weeks of winter. No more snow, no more cold weather, no more short days and no more slipping on ice. Come on, Punxy Brewster (another new nickname, I'm still working out the kinks), you know that you want the warmer weather too!
According to the always reliable Wikipedia, Funky Punxy (ok, i'll stop now) is correct with his prediction only 39% of the time. So we have that going for us.
Below is a classic scene from the movie "Groundhog Day" starring the always-funny Bill Murray, a movie that everyone should check out if they have a chance. (Disclaimer: I do not condone the eating of groundhogs; it gives can give you paranoia to the point that you are afraid of your own shadow.)
You probably heard the ruckus over Steven Tyler's rendition of the national anthem at the AFC Championship game on Sunday. He drew a lot of criticism and speculation that his performance may have been the worst in Star Spangled Banner history. So we decided to compile a list of memorable anthem performances, roughly in order from worst to best. Enjoy!
Rosanne Barr, San Diego Padres game
This has to be the most painful performance of the national anthem ever. I have a hard time watching it all the way through, with her screechy voice, laughing in the middle and just overall disrespect for everyone at that game. Not the best time to try and be a comedienne.
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