The Philadelphia Eagles should change their team name to the Philadelphia Phoenix. Who could have imagined a month ago that our birds would rise from the ashes following McNabb’s season-ending injury, and march through that deadly stretch of three division games in a row on the road.
With that hothead and quick release/escape artist Jeff Garcia in charge, and the defense actually making plays and staying with tackles, the Birds are a new team, a team that is balanced and running the ball. They are now in the playoffs after dumping the hated Cowboys in Texas and finish up the regular season against Atlanta at home. I am resisting the temptation to think the Falcons, who have had their wings clipped of late, will be an easy game. Anytime you face anyone as dangerous as Michael Vick, you have to stay frosty. I have confidence the Eagles will not have a letdown vs. the Falcons.
Can the Eagles make a run in the playoffs? They are the hottest team in the NFC and if the Colts can lose to the Texans, then all bets are off.

The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, met his maker Christmas Day just as Eddie Murphy was paying tribute to him in the national release of Dreamgirls.
Last night (Dec. 26) came word that Gerald Ford, the only president never elected by the people, had passed away at age 93.

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Pending league approval, A.I. has been traded to the Denver Nuggets for guard Andre Miller, former #1 pick Joe Smith and two draft picks. With the draft this June expected to be very deep, three draft picks, including a lottery pick, is huge. The Nuggets had to push all in on the deal once it was announced that Carmelo Anthony has been suspended for 15 games after the Knicks-Denver brawl at the Garden. Thank you Isiah for being pissed that George Karl kept his starters on the floor with a minute to play and the Nuggets holding a 19-point lead.

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I was bummed out when I learned that Peter Boyle had died at age 71. The veteran character actor from Philly, a former monk in the Christian Brothers order, was probably best known for being Ray Barone’s cantankerous Dad on Everybody Loves Raymond. However, when I think of Mr. Boyle, three movie roles come immediately to mind.

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The holiday season is upon us, meaning frantic shopping expeditions, cookie baking, and for a film critic, summing up the year with a best ten list. While perusing 50 weeks of movie reviews, I found myself at a loss as to how I will fill my dance card. There were more chunks of coal than goodies in my sum-up-the-year stocking.

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For basketball fans in our region, there were two main events this weekend. First came the news that Allen Iverson has played his last game for the Sixers, a messy divorce that has been festering for years. The other more enjoyable event was the Lenape Trails Classic basketball game that pitted Temple vs. the University of Cincinnati at Boardwalk Hall Saturday afternoon.
First a few words about the Temple-Cincy game.

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Perhaps it was too good to be true. Atlantic City had been in a good news cycle for months. The news of hotel room expansions, new casinos in development, the speculation about a blockbuster deal between The Donald and Steve Wynn were recent news flashes. Overall the current revitalization of Atlantic City, with more high end dining and shopping including the Walk, the Quarter at the Trop and the Pier at Caesars, had led to numerous stories, including glowing reports in the Washington Post and New York Times about “the new Atlantic City.”
Then along comes the discovery of the bodies of four women behind the rundown motels on the north side the Black Horse Pike in that little finger of Egg Harbor Township known as West Atlantic City.

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How much do I love Heroes?
Even though my beloved Philadelphia Eagles were on Monday Night Football and I was already taping Heroes, I watched Heroes live and switched to the football game on commercials. As badly as the Birds played the first quarter, it was a wise decision.
Heroes had me hooked from the first episode, with its ordinary people unleashing extraordinary abilities that they aren’t sure they want. Only Peter and Hiro have embraced their powers fully, convinced they are destined to save the world. Last night’s episode was magnificent, full of rich character moments, shocking revelations (Haitian man can talk!) and the sad realization that a hero has been lost. I will be on pins and needles until the series continues in January.
In the meantime if you missed this week’s show, it will be rebroadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel this Friday at 7pm. And of course you must check out the official Web site http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/ which features an ongoing graphic novel and Hiro’s blog.
Later

When I was younger I was sure that when I reached my middle years, I wouldn’t be one of those middle-age types who complains that things were better in the simpler, good old days. Of course how could I know then that the moviegoing experiences that shaped my life in the ‘70s, movies that reflected the pulse of the nation in a post-Watergate and post-Vietnam era, would be a lost art in the new millennium.
Reading a few quotes from the great director Robert Altman, who passed away recently, cemented my current distain of today’s movies. Said Altman in a 1993 interview, “The people who get into this business are fast-buck operators, carnival people, always have been. They don’t try to make good movies now; they’re trying to make successful movies … There’s no overview. No one says, ‘Forty years from now, who’s going to want to see this.’ No visionaries.”

What is odd about this lack of vision on the big screen, is that television, the medium once disparaged as “the boob tube” has taken up the slack big time …

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Atlantic City’s been an A-list town of late when it comes to mega-headliners bringing tours here. Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, The Who, Gwen Stefani, The Who and Gwen Stefani.

WAIT! Did we just write The Who and Gwen Stefani twice? That’s right. Each is coming back.

Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey must have enjoyed their gig at Boardwalk Hall on Nov. 24 because The Who is coming back on March 9 (tickets go on sale tomorrow 12/2 at 10am).

As for Ms. Stefani, who made her AC debut in November of 2005 (the show was totally wicked… the Harajuku Girls rocked!), she’ll “Hollaback” on Memorial Day weekend to get AC’s summer concert season kicked off in style. Stefani releases her new album “The Sweet Escape” next week and announced the schedule for her tour in support of the new album on her website yesterday. The schedule includes two area tour stops, including one in AC:

May-24 Philadelphia, PA – Tweeter Center at The Waterfront
May-26 Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel and Casino

“Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S”