Giants Look Within For Defense

By Matt Jussim

Just a few days after losing Steve Spagnuolo to the St. Louis Rams, the Giants found his replacement. The team decided to promote linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to defensive coordinator.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin had said in recent weeks that he had plans if Spagnuolo left, and he needed only two days to promote Sheridan.

“Continuity is important to me, but the strength of staff is important, too. We’ve lost Steve, our coordinator, but it takes many, many people to be successful and to function properly. There was great harmony on that side of the ball. I want to keep that, I want to keep the continuity,” Coughlin said. “I want the players to know that the fact they have performed to a high level the last two years is, in a way, being rewarded. One of the coaches from the staff has been elevated to the coordinator’s role and the terminology will stay the same.”

Over the past few weeks as it seemed more and more certain that Spagunolo would get a job elsewhere, several players said they hoped Coughlin would promote from within, especially defensive end Justin Tuck.

“Whenever a situation like that arises it’s always beneficial to have someone that you’re comfortable with,” said Tuck. “We’ve been with this staff for four years, so we’d be comfortable with anybody that comes up from those guys.”

The 49-year old has been with the Giants since 2005 as linebackers coach, and he should continue running Spagnuolo’s blitz happy defensive scheme.

His biggest assignment was in 2007 when he helped Mathias Kiwanuka make the move from defensive end to linebacker. Kiwanuka had to move back to defensive end this past season after Osi Umenyiora suffered a knee injury in a preseason game.

Sheridan was also apparently the top choice to be Spagnuolo’s defensive coordinator with the St. Louis Rams, but the Giants were not going to give him permission to talk to Sheridan until they figured their own situation out. Sheridan was interviewed yesterday, as was secondary coach Peter Giunta - who was a defensive coordinator with the Rams in 2000.

The team was also considering Dom Capers, who worked with Coughlin in Jacksonville. However, Capers decided to take the same job with the Green Bay Packers instead.

Before joining the Giants, Sheridan spent two decades as a college assistant.

Awards Update: Director's Guild Noms

Another day, another guild announces it's nominees. Today it's the Directors Guild of America. Their nominees for Best Director are:

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

The Academy Award race for Best Picture has seemed to have gotten much clearer, since the DGA nominees are the same five films that the Producers Guild cited as their choices for Best Picture.

The Directors Guild noms are usually a good indicator for the Oscars; 140 of the 190 DGA nominees (73 percent) have also received Oscar nominations. But that does not mean a surprise nomination for a film is out of the question.

Last year Atonement snuck into the Best Picture race without any Guild support. Once the Directors Guild winner is announced on Jan. 31st the Oscar race will be even more clear: the DGA winner has gone on to win the Oscar 54 out of 60 times.

Third Time's A Charm?

By Matt Jussim

Third time’s a charm? That is what the Giants are hoping as they prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at the Meadowlands. The division rivals know each other all too well, and have split the two games they have played this season.

Each time, the road team was victorious. The Giants visited Philly on November 9th and defeated the Eagles 36-31. Eli Manning threw two touchdowns, while Brandon Jacobs rushed for two as well. The second time the teams faced off the Eagles prevailed 20-14 at the Giants Stadium. Brian Westbrook dominated the defense in that game, almost out gaining the entire Giants team amassing 211 total yards.

If the Giants hope to advance in the playoffs, the defense will have to find an answer for Westbrook. Justin Tuck didn’t practice on Wednesday, but Coach Tom Coughlin expects him to work out Thursday and play on Sunday. The Giants will need a supreme effort from Tuck, who has to return to his early season form. He has had only one sack in the past four games.

The Eagles were the only team to beat the Giants at the Meadowlands this season, but that does not guarantee success on Sunday. “We haven’t forgotten that game,” said defensive tackle Barry Cofield. “It wasn’t very long ago. They came in here and beat us up. So we owe them something.”

The Giants didn’t play particularly well in that game, and they wish to erase that memory with a win over their division rivals. “In that game we didn’t rush the ball, we didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t have many snaps,” Coach Tom Coughlin said. “They had the ball, they had time of possession. So it was disappointing from that standpoint. We had a drive at the end of the game that put us a little bit closer, but it didn’t say much about that game.”

Many voices in the sports community have been hailing the Eagles as the second coming of the 2007 Giants, which the team takes a bit personally. “There’s a strong dislike for one another,” said guard Chris Snee. “Anytime you get a chance to knock out a divisional opponent, one that you don’t like, you get geeked up for these challenges. I think both sides would agree that to knock the other one out would make the other one happy.”

Talk that the Giants may falter I think will just motivate the team even more to win the game on Sunday. Every time the media or anyone counts the Giants out, they find a way to win. They did it in the Super Bowl last year, and they did it against Carolina in Week 16 when everyone counted them out.

I predict a close, high-emotion game, but the Giants take this one, and advance to the NFC Championship game.

"The Kid" Returning To Emerald City?

By Matt Jussim

Ken Griffey Jr. will be remembered as one of the greatest baseball players of all time when he retires. In 1995 when he helped lead the Mariners to the AL West title and defeat the Yankees in the playoffs, he saved baseball in Seattle.

At the time he could have signed with any team for any amount of money he wanted, but he stayed with the Mariners. For a few more years at least. Either way, when the trade rumors started flowing last season on Griffey, every Seattle fan was crossing their fingers, hoping to bring their prodigal son back to the Emerald City.

Eventually Griffey was traded to the Chicago White Sox, and earlier this offseason the team declined the $16.5 million option on the future Hall of Famer, making him a free agent. With Junior a free agent, and the Mariners fit with a new administration, the question on every fans mind is, will Ken Griffey Jr. sign with the Mariners?

It has been reported that Griffey wouldn’t mind playing for the Tampa Bay Rays, who unlike Seattle are a contender, and he has a home two hours away from where they play. But the Rays seem to be out of the running for Griffey due to the fact that they just signed Pat Burrell to a two year $16 million deal. Other second tier free agents have begun to sign as well. Milton Bradley just signed a three-year deal with the Cubs, and Jason Giambi and the A’s are close to a deal that would bring the former MVP back to Oakland.

Until these past few flurries, the free agent market had been pretty slow moving, with the Mariners standing back, waiting for the dominoes to fall. New Mariners GM Jack Zdurienick would like to add another outfield bat, and even perhaps another infielder to the Mariners lineup. With Burrell, Bradley and Giambi off the market, the best available free agents left are outfielders Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson, Rocco Baldelli, and of course Ken Griffey Jr.

Signing Griffey could be both positive and negative for the Seattle Mariners.

Griffey’s experience and veteran presence in the locker room could help a young Mariner team get back on the right track. If it worked out, the effect of Griffey on the team could be felt for years to come. He started his career in Seattle, had some of his best seasons while playing there, and is still extremely popular. The signing of Griffey would sure bring praise from the fans, and may even sell a few more tickets, which is something the Mariners desperately need.

At the same time, bringing Griffey back to Seattle isn’t sure to be a success. He may command a high amount of money, but more important is Griffey’s past injury history. If he’s brought in and doesn’t end up playing most of the season due to an injury, it really wouldn’t be worth it. Although I think he could stay healthy, there is always a chance he could get hurt again, as he has in recent seasons.

Griffey put up decent numbers between Cincinnati and Chicago last season, hitting .249 with 18 home runs, and 71 RBI’s. He slugged .424, while his on base percentage was .353. But Griffey underperformed greatly in the playoffs, only hitting .200, with no home runs or RBI’s.

Wherever Griffey ends up, he will be a great asset to that team, whether it is with his sweet swing, or as a teacher to young players.

I think it would serve the Mariners well to sign the seasoned vet, and bring the man who saved baseball in Seattle back home again.

Awards Update: PGA and WGA Release Nominations

The Producers Guild of America released its nominations this past week, and the news bodes well for any Dark Knight fans hoping for an Academy Award nomination.

The PGA nominees for the best films of the year are: Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, and yes, The Dark Knight. The reason this bodes well for Batman is because usually the road to Oscar gold runs through the Producers Guild Awards.

Want proof? Check out what the LA Times says: In their 19-year history, the PGA has called the Academy Award for Best Picture 12 times, including last year with No Country For Old Men. In fact they got four out of the five right with, Juno, Michael Clayton, and There Will Be Blood also among their picks.

While the PGA has only predicted 63% of the eventual Oscar winners, they have gotten 76% percent of the best picture contenders correct. The only year that the producers guild nominees did not include the eventual Oscar winner was in 1995 when Braveheart failed to make the cut, and Apollo 13 won the PGA's Golden Laurel.

Being snubbed by the Golden Globes may have hurt The Dark Knight's chances slightly, but now with a nomination from the PGA, Christopher Nolan's epic superhero film could find it's way into a Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Even better news for the film is that its screenplay was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America. Along with The Dark Knight, the nominees are: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, and Slumdog Millionaire.

The nominees for Best Original Screenplay: Burn After Reading, Milk, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Visitor, and The Wrestler. Nice to see the Joel and Ethan Coen's underrated comedy make the list. The film hadn't recieved too much buzz this awards season, but it is defiitely deserving of a nomination here.

Academy Award nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22nd.

And the List Goes On...

Parts four and five of Dark Horizon's list of notable films of 2009 are up, here are some of the highlights:

The Informant, Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon, the film follows a rising executive that suddenly turns whistle blower for the FBI. The film is a dark comedy/thriller, and is based on an interesting true story about a lysine price-fixing conspiracy. Damon plays Mark Whitacre, who at the time was the highest-level executive to turn whistle blower in U.S. history. What makes the story even more interesting is the fact that Whitacre, while informing to the FBI, also defruaded his company for millions, and acted somewhat bizarely during this time due to his struggles with bipolar disoreder. The film also stars Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), and the always great Joel McHale (The Soup).

Kick Ass, Directed by Matthew Vaughn, this comic book adaptation follows high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons. While I've never read the comic, this film looks like it could be pretty cool, due to the fact that Vaughn enabled himself to make the film without much studio interference, which bodes well for fans of the comic. I'll also be looking forward to seeing Christopher Mintz-Plasse in a role other than "McLovin". The film also stars Nicholas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Mark Strong.

Leaves of Grass, I don't know too much about this film, which is directed by actor Tim Blake Nelson, and stars Edward Norton as twins. The story involves a college classics professor who is lured home from the Ivy League to the backwoods of Southeastern Oklahoma by his identical twin, a hedonistic, pot- smoking career criminal. He soon finds that Plato and Marcus Aurelius have ill-prepared him for dealing with homicidal yokels. Whether or not this movie turns out to be any good, I'll at least keep my eye on it for the fact that it could be, because of Ed Norton playing the twins.

The Lovely Bones, While I never read the best selling novel, this film is sure to garner some attention with Peter Jackson directing. he story centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. With a big name cast including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Michael Imperioli, and Susan Sarandon, the adaptation should be good. Saorise Ronan, who was impressive in Atonement, stars as the main character of the story.

Me and Orson Welles, As a big fan of Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise), I can't help but keep an eye on this film. Set in the heady world of New York theatre, a teenage student lucks his way into a minor role in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production of "Julius Caesar," directed by 22-year-old genius Orson Welles. Stage actor Christian McKay plays the legendary Welles, in a performance that could be exceptional no matter how good or bad the film is.

Men Who Stare At Goats, The story centers on a desperate reporter who stumbles upon the story of a lifetime when he meets a man who claims to be a former secret U.S. military psychic soldier who was re-activated post-9/11. The pair travel through Iraq and look into the secret Army unit tasked with creating paranormal powered soldiers. A strange sounding black comedy, this film could end being a favorite of critics with George Clooney starring and his producing partner Grant Heslov, who co-wrote Good Night, and Good Luck, directing the film.

Nine, I am not interested in musicals whatsoever, but one thing I am interested in is any film that stars Daniel Day-Lewis. Following up his Best Actor performance in There Will Be Blood, Lewis stars as world famous film director Guido Continias he prepares his latest picture and balances the numerous women in his life - his wife, his sultry mistress, his film star muse, his confidant and costume designer, his mother and a young American fashion journalist. The film is based on the Broadway musical and inspired by Fellini's classic film "8 1/2". Director Rob Marshall has already had success with Chicago, which bodes well for the film, as well as its all-star cast which includes the most recent Oscar winners for Best Actor and Actress (Lewis and Marion Cottilard), Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, and Penelope Cruz.

Terminator Honored

If somehow every movie in the entire world, and the film business as we know it just one day magically disappeared, and all that was left was the Library of Congress and its National Film Registry, we could see a pretty spectacular set of films. As of Tuesday morning, one of those films will be 1984's sci-fi classic, The Terminator.
And although I'm sure a good amount of humorous headlines were created due to this story, but I definitely have to agree with the decision to add the film. James Cameron's low budget film set a new standard for science fiction movies, and made the governator a star. The movie spawned a fantastic sequel, which is one of the best action movies ever made. We now know that Arnold's famous line "I'll be back," will now definitely stand the test of time.

Damaged Goods?...and Lost!

A couple of really great articles over at io9 I happened to stumble upon:

In the post "Which Summer Movies Did the Writers' Strike Hit Hardest?", they go over some of the warm season's biggest releases and if the writer's strike affected them for better, or for worse. They start off by showing how the strike affected many TV shows, for example: Lost survived unscathed, Heroes...well not so much. Star Trek, Terminator and Transformers are just a few of the movies they asses the damage of the strike for.

















The other article was a succinct, great review of the first two episodes of the new season of Lost, without giving away spoilers. Great to hear that my boy Danny Faraday will be getting some more screen time, apparently a few with Sawyer. I can't wait to hear the nicknames Sawyer will come up with in the banter between him and Jeremy Davies' brilliant but skittish physicist.

Looking Ahead to '09

Another part of Dark Horizon's list of notable 2009 releases are up, with a few I will be looking forward to:

The Fighter, opening some time in 2009 was being developed for a while, but it looks like Darren Aronofsky's follow up to The Wrestler will make it to the big screen. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Brad Pitt, the movie tells the story of Dicky Eklund, a talented fighter that turned to crime and landed in prison. Eventually he turns his life around and helps train his under performing half brother. With Aronofsky's success with The Wrestler, another sports themed movie might serve him well. Wahlberg has trained for a year getting into shape, so hopefully the combination of all this talent will make the film a contender come awards season. And Darren Aronofsky went to my high school, and he is the man.

Green Zone, starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass, this film hopes to break the streak and be a successful drama about the Iraq war. The film is based on the book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City", and follows CIA agents as they search for evidence of weapons of mass destruction. If you're a fan of the Bourne franchise and Paul Greengrass' handheld, documentary style film making, this picture should be right up your alley. Has a lot of potential with Greengrass, Damon and the very talented Amy Ryan (see Gone Baby Gone, and The Office).

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, obviously the interest in this movie depends on if you can stand Harry Potter or despise him. I can stand him, and I will be looking forward to the releaseof this film, which was delayed from this past winter season to July 17th. The film should be one of the best in the series, with director David Yates returning as director, and Prince being one of the best books in the series. Either way, it will make a shitload of money this summer.

Howl, opening sometime in 2009 is a movie I hadn't heard much about, but looks interesting stars James Franco, and concerns the obscenity trial launched to censor Allen Ginsberg's controversial 'Howl'. The movie has animated segments mixed in from the book/poem and will deal with issues of morality and censorship. I haven't seen Milk, but from what I have heard Franco was excellent, and he should bring the same quality of work to this film. The stellar supporting cast includes David Strathairn, Alan Alda, Mary Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels and Paul Rudd.

The Human Factor, after seeing Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, I will definitely be interested in seeing what he will do with this film. Eastwood directs this film, which covers the campaign by rugby star Francois Pienaar and President Nelson Mandela to secure the 1995 Rugby World Cup to give the whites and blacks in South Africa a common cause to rally around as the country was trying to heal from the wounds of apartheid. If that's not enough, the movie stars Matt Damon, and Morgan Freeman. If that isn't enough to garner some Oscar buzz, I'm not sure how else to go about it.

Wikipedia Page That May Only Interest Me #2

While trekking out to Howard Beach yesterday in Brooklyn, it came up in conversation that former mob boss John Gotti lived out there. Naturally, I looked up his Wikipedia page, and i might only be interesting to me.

John Gotti, commonly known by the media as "The Dapper Don" and "The Teflon Don" after the murder of his former boss Paul Castellano, was the boss of the well known Gambino crime family, one of the Five Families in New York City. He became widely known for his outspoken personality and flamboyant style that eventually caused his downfall. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of racketeering, 13 murders, obstruction of justice, hijacking, conspiracy to commit murder, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion, loansharking and other crimes and was sentenced to life in prison where he died 10 years later.

Brand New Pictures: Public Enemies, Watchmen and More

It's the new year, and that can mean only one thing: brand new photos! Entertainment Weekly has a gallery full of pictures previewing some of the biggest releases of 2009 including Will Ferrell in Land of the Lost, the Michael Mann directed Public Enemies and Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are.

Christian Bale geared up as the grown up John Connor in Terminator Salvation.
Another one of Bale sneaking up on an unsuspecting Terminator.
John Travolta (mutton chops and all) taking charge in the Taking of Pelham 1-2-3.
A very blue collar looking Denzel racing down the streets of NYC.
Johnny Depp looking dapper as infamous criminal John Dillinger in Public Enemies.
Christian Bale as the dashing federal agent Melvin Purvis.
Depp contemplating his next move, with a nice souvenir on his arm.
A beautiful shot of Max chasing a monster in the long awaited Where the Wild Things Are.
A tender moment with Max and his crown.
Jeffery Dean Morgan as Edward Blake, aka The Comedian, in Zack Snyder's Watchmen.
Michael Cera and Jack Black in the sure to be absolutely hilarious, Year One.
Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel watching as danger lurks above in Land of the Lost.
Hugh Jackman looking rather angry as Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Zach Snyder on Watchmen

Here's a video of director Zach Snyder
talking about his upcoming film Watchmen.

I hope and pray this movie will get released on time.

Hello 2009

Happy New Year to everyone. On Dark Horizons there is a nice list of notable films that will be released in 2009. It's just part one of the list and here are some of the movies on it that I will be looking forward to:

Adventureland, the new comedy from Superbad director Greg Mottola. The film is set in the summer of 1987 when a recent college graduate (Jesse Eisenberg) takes a job at his local amusment park. Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart, and Martin Starr are also featured in the film.

Avatar, James Cameron's sci-fi epic starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. Worthington plays an ex-marine who is thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival. Although we will have to wait all the way til December to see the movie, it looks as though it's going to be great. Cameron will finally be back in the directors chair, and from what I've seen from footage of Terminator: Salvation, Worthington has got the goods.

The Boat That Rocked, which will be released in the later half of '09 stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kenneth Branagh. I hadn't heard much about this movie, but the premise sounds interesting. In 1966, radio stations broadcast rock and pop music to up to 25 million people in the UK from ships anchored in the North Sea, outside of any national jurisdiction. The comedy tells of one such group of DJs at the forefront of the UK pirate radio movement.

Away We Go, is a film that has alot of potential. Directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, and starring the talented John Krasinski (The Office), and Maya Rudolph (SNL) as an expectant couple as they travel the U.S. in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family. The premise doesn't sound all that exciting, but hopefully the combination of an excellent director (Mendes), and a well rounded cast (Krasinski, Rudolph, Toni Collette, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney and Catherine O'Hara) will make for a quality movie.