Aviously

Because, aviously…

Yes, this post was supposed to happen on Friday, BEFORE the Emmy Awards, but better late than never!
These are not who I think WILL win, but who I think SHOULD win.
I also will only do categories in which I’ve seen a few of the nominees…can’t judge on something I haven’t seen.

emmy-2016-68th

Lead Actor in a Drama – Bob Odenkirk <Better Call Saul> — Odenkirk was great in Season 2 of Better Call Saul, as well as liking Kyle Chandler <Bloodline> or Kevin Spacey <House of Cards>.

Lead Actress in a Drama – Claire Danes <Homeland> — New respect for her as I make my way thru Homeland.

Lead Actor in a Comedy – Jeffrey Tambor <Transparent> — The obvious choice for this one, but Aziz Ansari <Master of None> deserves some consideration as well.

Lead Actress in a Comedy – Ellie Kemper <The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt> — She has been fantastic in this series, and has really broken out in this role.

Comedy Series – Master of None — Aziz Ansari took this show to a surprising place. Kimmy Schmidt is my second choice.

Drama Series – Homeland — It may just be because I am binging at the moment, but Homeland has quickly surged up the list.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Andre Braugher <Brooklyn Nine-Nine> — His deadpan delivery is a great compliment to Andy Samberg.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Ben Mendelsohn <Bloodline> — I’ve been preaching about Mendelsohn for a while, and he flies under the radar for the most part, but he elevates that show to a new level.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Gaby Hoffmann <Transparent> — She was the backbone of the story for Season 2.

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series – Bob Newhart <Big Bang Theory> — Professor Proton and Sheldon have some great scenes together.

Guest Actor in a Drama Series – Paul Sparks <House of Cards> — I think he is the backbone of this series, as the writer of the Underwood biography, especially since all the episodes are entitled “Chapter __”.

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Christine Baranski <The Big Bang Theory> — As Leonard’s mother she brings out the best in him.

Guest Actress in a Drama Series – Molly Parker <House of Cards> — It’s hard to fight Frank Underwood, but she’s certainly going to try…or die trying.

Character Voice-Over Performance – Seth MacFarlane <Family Guy> — Giggidy

Variety Talk Series – The Late Late Show With James Corden — Carpool Karaoke has put this show on the map.

Reality-competition Program – The Amazing Race — This show may be approaching Season 30, but it hasn’t taken its foot off the pedal.

Well, here we go again with a NASCAR playoff schedule upcoming. I’ve already explained the rules in previous years (here and here), so let’s jump right into the drivers seat.

16 Drivers. 10 Races. 4 Rounds. 1 Champion.

The first round of 16 starts this Sunday in Chicagoland and Stewart-Haas Racing will have three of their four drivers in the Chase (Stewart, Kurt Busch, Harvick), and the big story there will be Tony Stewart in his final season making a Championship push (ala Jeff Gordon last year).

But one of the main focuses will be on the Toyota drivers, as all five full-time Toyota drivers have made the Chase (Kyle Busch, Edwards, Truex Jr., Hamlin and Kenseth).

The drivers who will be competing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup are:

  1. #18 Kyle Busch – Reigning Champion, looking to be a repeat…and with good odds of doing so
  2. #2 Brad Keselowski – 2012 Champion
  3. #11 Denny Hamlin
  4. #4 Kevin Harvick – 2014 Champion
  5. #19 Carl Edwards
  6. #78 Martin Truex Jr.
  7. #20 Matt Kenseth
  8. #48 Jimmie Johnson – 6-time Champion
  9. #22 Joey Logano
  10. #42 Kyle Larson
  11. #14 Tony Stewart – 3 time Champion
  12. #41 Kurt Busch – 2004 Champion
  13. #34 Chris Buescher – In his rookie year, qualifying with an August win at Pocono, he’s a likely first-round exit (watch me eat those words)
  14. #24 Chase Elliot
  15. #3 Austin Dillon
  16. #1 Jamie McMurray

nascar-2016-chase-drivers


Schedule:

Challenger Round

9/18 2:30PM – Chicago

9/25 2PM – New Hampshire

10/2 2PM – Dover

Contender Round

10/8 7PM – Charlotte

10/16 2:15PM – Kansas

10/23 2PM – Talladega

Eliminator Round

10/30 1PM – Martinsville

11/6 2PM – Texas

11/13 2:30PM – Phoenix

NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship

11/20 2:30PM – Homestead-Miami

When you look at the end of July, it seemed like fun baseball in New York City was almost out the door.

The Mets were being plagued with injuries, and the Yankees were in a “sell mode” sending off their best hitter and their star closer(s).
But then August happened. The Mets found a way to keep on chugging, and the Yankees promoted the “Baby Bombers” and the hits started coming.

So somehow we have come to September 15, and both teams are pushing for playoff spots.
The Yankees have 17 games left, are 2 games out of the Wild Card, and 4 games behind the Red Sox for the division…with a four-game series against them starting today. Granted Baltimore and Toronto are still in between as well, but the Yankees are hanging on.
Meanwhile the Mets have 16 games left, clinging to the second Wild Card spot, with no chance at the division (10 games behind the Nationals).

Another thing keeping it interesting, are the radio personalities of Hahn and Humpty, Alan Hahn and Rick DiPietro (who I’ve talked about before), and their “Tattoo Challange”.
One’s a Yankee fan, the other a Mets fan, and whichever team ends with the better record on the regular season, the other gets a tattoo of that team.
And this has made all listeners of the show keep a close eye on both teams.
For those wondering, the Yankees are currently 77-68, the Mets are 77-69.

Personally I think it would be incredible if the Yankees made the playoffs this year, after deeming it a “sell year”, and I couldn’t care if the Mets fall just short of the goal for the second straight year 😉

Yankees Mets Logos

It has only taken me 6 years, but I have finally started to watch Homeland.

Unfortunately I discovered it last week, after a full summer of wondering what to watch, and a week or two before all my Fall Shows come back…so we will see how long it takes to finish that.

There are a lot of cable shows that I’ve never watched, but many of them I (think I) don’t have any interest in…either after starting the series (ex. Sopranos) or trying the books for them (ex. Game of Thrones).

But Homeland sat there on Hulu calling out to me, and I jumped in feet first…and two seasons in I’m glad I did.

From the outstanding acting of Claire Danes to seeing where people in some of my current shows came from (David Harewood (Supergirl) and Morena Baccarin (Gotham)), and finally seeing something with Mandy Patinkin in it (and he’s fantastic).

I’m hoping that the level of excellence keeps up.

homeland

NHL 15 was the year of the rebuild. NHL 16 is the year it all came together. NHL 17 is now the point where it has leveled out, and now they are working on the “little things”.

Gameplay itself hasn’t seen any huge changes, with the biggest deals being in the physics and idiosyncracies. This includes goalies now having more “moves” to combat shots (including shoulder shrugs) and when you hit someone in open ice, the force is felt a lot stronger.

Be-A-Pro was ignored, and it’s still missing the personal touches that games like NBA 2K have worked in.

The biggest move has been with the “Creation” modes. You can now, from scratch, create a team and its environment.
Everything from their jerseys and team colors can be tweaked. Location of logo across the sleeves or pants legs, as well as designing the Home, Away and Alternate phone numbers.
The Creation goes to a whole new level with the arenas. Color and design the seats, the Stanchions, the scoreboard, the celebrations, the intros and the spotlights. The creation level can leave you playing around for hours before taking your new team onto the ice.

This game retains the 9 out of 10 that last years game had.

nhl-17

 

Over a year ago I got and reviewed the Automatic car adaptor.

Well, just over a year after they released the first edition, they have come out with their new Pro model, which is a definite step up and worth the extra $$.

Automatic is a “Smart Driving Assistant” plugged into your cars computer. With that access it gives you mappings of all your trips, ‘check engine light’ statuses and  safe driving feedback.

But one issue with the first edition was that it needed to connect to your phone (via Bluetooth) in order to upload the data to the cloud, allowing you access on your phone or online.

Now the Pro comes with free 3G connectivity, allowing the device to have a constant upload connection, meaning no more phone to connect to.

This means if someone steals your car you can track its location (or if one of your kids is out with the car).

This is also important for the “Crash Assist” mode, which can automatically call 9-1-1 as well as notify your family members, in the event of an accident.
Previously it would get the “car location” from your phone…which meant that if your phone was currently disconnected from Automatic, it wouldn’t know where you were located.
Now with 3G it is able to locate the vehicle and send the appropriate material to the right places.

Automatic got an 8, and the Automatic Pro gets a 9 out of 10 thanks to the 3G upgrade.

automatic-pro

Now You See Me 2 is the sequel to Now You See Me (2013) and adds Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe to an already star-studded cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman and Woody Harrelson.

The magicians, out of the spotlight and avoiding the FBI for years, all while the Horseman’s leader has stayed in his original job and under the radar, are back after being exposed at their first appearance in years.

With the addition of a new Horseman (Caplan) and the return of a few dead(?) characters, this slight-of-hand/quick trick group, with the intention of exposing people for the crimes they’ve committed, is a fun follow-up to the original.

This movie continues the trend of the first one with a 7.5 out of 10.

Now You See Me 2

It’s time once again for the whole world to freak out over the newest reveals from Apple with their iPhone 7…while us Android users take a look at it and shrug off another year of Apple playing catch up.

What’s that? You are an Apple user and want to argue with me? Okay, how about I just look at a few of the new things unveiled yesterday, and compare it to Android devices…some of which have been around for a while already.

Camera
The new iPhone offers a 12 Megapixel camera, which is highly respectable and takes some very good pictures. But it’s not really a step into the market, that features phones of 16 or 21 Megapixels.

Size, Weight and Screen Quality
4.7″ screen will satisfy a lot of people that don’t want humongous, like the 5.5″ of the new Moto Z…but the screen quality is just sub-par compared to other phones. The iPhone has 326ppi (points per inch) while the Moto Z  offers 535ppi….and despite being a larger screen the Z is thinning (by 2mm and lighter by .1 oz).

Headphone Jack
I don’t like the lack of a headphone jack, and that’s becoming a problem on a lot of recent phones. I spoke recently about having to look for new Bluetooth headphone, but those no Buds are going to get lost easily…and it’s only a short amount of time before people realize they have another item that they need to keep charged.

Water Resistant
Old news. The Samsung S7 (and it’s famous exploding battery) can be submerged to put out that fire, and even the lower-end Moto G (mentioned in my unlocked phone breakdown) offers the water resistance.

Expandable Storage
Some companies are flopping back and forth on whether expandable storage is necessary, but Apple has been strong and steady…on the wrong side of the fight, and still refuses to add an SD slot.

Cost
Moto Z, base model of 32GB = $624
Apple iPhone 7, base model of 32GB = $649
Samsung Galaxy S7, base model of 32GB = $669

Monday night was the newest installment from Comedy Central with the Roast of Rob Lowe, and it was by far the best one in recent years, and possibly the overall funniest one they’ve ever done.

They started off with a compilation of some of Lowe’s greatest hits, including the “infamous tape”, and nothing was off limits, from fame and looks to coke and s-e-x.

The Pete Davidson aimed 9/11 jokes kick it up a notch after his shocking joke last year, but with it being expected this time around it was even funny at times.

I’ll grade the roasters, and then drop a long list of one-liners from the Roast, for those that don’t want to watch it themselves…but you should because fantastic is an understatement.

  • David Spade — A great and funny Roast Master — A
  • Pete Davidson — He kept up his outstanding performance from last year, maybe even a step up — A
  • Rob Riggle — Rob was exactly what you’d expect from Rob — A-
  • Jewel — She brought out a guitar, and pulled some punches — A-
  • Jimmy Carr — Hadn’t heard this Brit before, but his poking fun at Americans was great — A-
  • Peyton Manning — Peyton was great. Really funny, got a huge ovation when he came up and when he finished — A
  • Nikki Glaser – Comedy Central’s own, and not really known by many, but she certainly tried to change that! — A-
  • Ralph Macchio — Over the top, tried too hard…but that’s what he’s been reduced down to these days — B+
  • Ann Coulter — She got booed throughout, most of her jokes just didn’t fall…not a sound in the room and things just got awkward. Not as bad as “The Situation” who was flat-out terrible, she just wasn’t funny — D+
  • Jeff Ross — The Roast Master General, Ross makes his yearly appearance, dressed (and singing) as Prince, and brought his good material out — A
  • Rob Lowe — A fantastic subject and roaster — A

A superb TV production, definitely not child-friendly, and this roast gets a 9.5 out of 10.


~~Some quotes from the night~~

  • Rob is in the Austin Powers movie 16 years ago. Or as he calls it…18.
    -Spade
  • Pete’s Dad never saw him on SNL because he passed away on 9/11. Pete’s Mom never saw him on SNL because she blinks.
    -Spade
  • Macaulay Culkin looks worse than I thought.
    -Davidson on Spade
  • Jeff Dunham’s puppets are getting amazing.
    -Davidson on Carr
  • Pete Davidson’s ugly
    – Riggle
  • Rob Lowe played JFK in killing Kennedy…Hasn’t that family suffered enough?
    – Riggle
  • As a feminist I can’t support everything being said up here tonight. As someone who hates Ann Coulter, I’m delighted.
    – Jewel
  • It’s hard to recognize (Pete Davidson) when he’s not on an adventure with the man in the yellow hat
    – Jewel
  • Peyton is here because Eli is still out making his dad proud
    – Jewel
  • I’m told Peyton is among the top 3 quarterbacks…in his family.
    – Carr
  • The only ones who get more concussions than NFL players…are their wives.
    – Carr
  • Macchio wasn’t the first choice of roasters for Comedy Central. But Tom Cruise was too famous, and Patrick Swayze wasn’t answering his phone.
    – Carr
  • I will never forget Peyton’s career. Sadly though, he will.
    – Spade
  • David spade is dumb and short
    – Manning in the Nationwide tune
  • I’m not the only athlete up here, as you know, earlier this year, Ann Coulter won the Kentucky Derby.
    – Manning
  • I’m sitting up here with people no one’s ever heard of, thinking to myself, did I get traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars?
    – Manning
  • Pete Davidson came up to me for a picture, and I didn’t realize he was one of the comedians. I said to him: Don’t give up kid, whatever disease you have, you can beat it.
    – Manning
  • You (Lowe) tried to take the air out of my retirement so fast that you could probably always get a job as Tom Brady’s ball boy
    – Manning
  • Jewel, I don’t want to bad mouth you…because God already did.
    – Glaser
  • Ann Coulter has written 11 books—12 if you include ‘Mein Kampf’.
    – Glaser
  • Jeff Ross, you are like Hitler. No one cared about you until you started roasting people.
    – Glaser
  • Yes. It’s me. Ralph Macchio. The karate kid. Still look the same. The secret? Not working.
    – Macchio
  • Peyton wrote a children’s book. It wasn’t meant to be a children’s book…but he did the best he could.
    – Macchio
  • I can’t get work. They saw you f**K a 16-year-old, and they were like “hmm, he looks like he could work in the white House”
    – Macchio on Lowe
  • Ann seems stiff and conservative, but she gets rough in the sheets. Just ask the clan.
    – Spade
  • I haven’t seen (Ann) laugh this hard since Trayvon Martin got shot.
    – Spade
  • I’m not a comedian, which is why I’m easily confused with Nikki glazer.
    – Coulter
  • Is it true you (Lowe) are deaf in one ear? That can be a real problem because you can’t hear the girls parents come home.
    – Ross
  • Spade looks like Jane Lynch, mid transition.
    – Ross
  • Glazer? I just met her. I know you aren’t Jewish…because you’re not funny.
    – Ross
  • What happened Ann? You wrote 11 books, but couldn’t write a single joke?…This is hard, how do you roast someone from hell?
    – Ross
  • Ann’s against gay marriage. What’s your thinking on that? If I can’t get a husband, they shouldn’t either?
    – Ross
  • Black lives matter. Not enough to have one on the dais, but they matter.
    – Lowe
  • Peyton is here tonight to show zika babies that it could really be much worse.
    – Lowe
  • Jewel has performed for the Pope. It’s why he always insists on being in a soundproof box.
    – Lowe
  • I made my wife laugh. What a rarity.
    – Lowe
  • You know Ann, after seeing your set tonight, I think we’ve all witnessed the first bombing that you can’t blame on a Muslim.
    – Lowe

roast-of-rob-lowe

A few months ago I got myself a dash cam because in NYC you never know when you are going to come across crazies (or liars) and it’s cheap enough to have proof.

With the market inundated with cheap dash cams and sub-par quality, it was difficult to sift through the mess. But instead of settling for the $50 “As Seen On TV” model, I went name brand and bought the Garmin Dash Cam 10.

There are newer models (such as the 30 and 35, if you are looking for one now), but I went for the cheaper model with the 10.

Dash Cam 10 from Garmin is a simple HD dash cam, with continuous recording, that allows up to a 32GB SD card.
Its quality is great, it is super simple to use, and has quick buttons to “Lock” a file (preventing it from getting overwritten) and to take a snapshot.

It starts up really quickly and has a wide-angle lens. It also features a nighttime mode, which I don’t use, as I find my headlights light the street up enough for my needs.

This Dash Cam does NOT have GPS built in (as I didn’t need that feature since I have other devices (such as Automatic) to track my car’s location) but some of the higher (more expensive) models do offer it.

Dash Cam 10 gets an 8 out of 10.

Garmin Dash Cam 10