Some Downton Abbey Thoughts (Spoiler Alert)

This post contains Spoilers regarding the Season Three final episode of "Downton Abbey".  So, if you still haven't watched that recording of this episode you made almost two weeks ago, stop right here.  But come on back once you have seen it.Almost two weeks have passed since the final episode of Season Three was broadcast on PBS, and fans of the series are still...

"The Shawshank Redemption"

I will admit that I may have been the only person among my circle of acquaintance to have never seen "The Shawshank Redemption".  Not to get Freudian on you, but I blame my mother for this.  She had a lifelong aversion to "prison movies" (in fact, she didn't like any movies where the people in it weren't "clean" or "dressed up"), and I suspect that her oft-stated...

Post-Oscars Thoughts

Yep, this is one of those years that the Motion Picture Academy got it right by naming Ben Affleck's "Argo" the Best Picture of the Year.  I may spend my afternoon watching the Blue Ray of this movie to celebrate.As for my Oscar Predictions, I went 6-for-9.  You'd have made money if you bet with me.  I missed on Adapted Screenplay, Director, and Actress, and...

Will The Oscars Get It Right Tonight?

Will the Motion Picture Academy choose a great movie like "Argo" or "Lincoln" tonight, or will they come out of left field with something like "Amour"?  In other words, will the "right" movie win the Best Picture Oscar this year.  It doesn't always happen.To prove my point, I thought I'd pull out one decade at random, and I chose the 1990's.  Recent enough to remember, but enough time has passed to give us some perspective.  I...

Seneca Valley High School Musical

If you want to feel good about the future, kids, and life in general, I strongly suggest that you go see a high school musical, which is what we did last night.  We saw the Seneca Valley High School production of "Annie".  We had a connection to seeing this in that our nephew, Zach, was a part of the stage crew (and the crew did an EXCELLENT job, by the way).  Anyway, the talent and enthusiasm of the cast, orchestra, and crew that...

"1776" and a Burger to Remember

A busy bitter cold afternoon for Marilyn and me.First, a visit to the terrific O'Reilly Theater for a matinee performance of the tony Award winning musical play, "1776".  This was the first time we had seen this play, and it was really, really good.  The title tells you what it's all about, of course, and the Pittsburgh Public Theater's production was first rate....

DVR Alerts for the Weekend

Some MAJOR DVR Alerts for the next four days.  All are on Turner Classic Movies.  All times Eastern.Thursday8:00 PM: "Double Indemnity" (1944)  Simply put, one of my personal all-time favorites.  Film noir thriller starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred McMurray, and Edward G. Robinson.  Billy Wilder directed and co-wrote the script with Raymond Chandler.  Movies don't get any better than this one, folks.  Here's a sample...

Oscar Predictions

Yes, it is time for The Grandstander's predictions for the 2012 Academy Awards.  Let it be noted that I went 7-for-8 in my predictions for the Oscars last year, which says two things.  One, I'm better at this than I am at predicting the NFL Playoff games, and two, it ain't going to be easy to top that performance.  Nevertheless, I'm going to give it a go.I am...

Downton Abbey (No Spoilers)

I am giving everyone until this weekend to watch this past Sunday's Season III finale of Downton Abbey.  Next week, no holds barred in the discussio...

Some Recent - and Very Different - Movie Viewing

During the course of the last two weeks, I watched a couple of very different movies on DVD, and felt like commenting.The first was one that has become almost a classic, from 1974 and director Roman Polanski, "Chinatown."This is a noir-style private eye movie, set in 1930's Los Angeles and stars Jack Nicholson as the private eye, Jake Gittes, Faye Dunaway as his client, and...

You Know What?

Today is Michael Jordan's 50th birthday (maybe you've heard), and you know what?  I just don't give a da...

On Swimsuits and Sports Illustrated

The annual Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated  arrived yesterday.  Now, let me stipulate the following:  (a) I am no prude, at least I don't think I am, and (b) I enjoy looking at pictures of pretty girls and beautiful women as much as anyone.That said, who is Sports Illustrated kidding?  This issue is not about fashion, it is not about swimming and swimsuits, and it is most definitely not about sports.  This is nothing...

A Pirates Logo Suggestion

As you all know, the Pirates will be changing their "jolly roger" logo for the 2014 season, and are even conducting focus groups from fans, season ticket holders,, etc. to come up with ideas for the new logo.An old Highmark buddy of mine, I will only call him "Al B." here because I am not sure he wants his full name out there in cyber space, has come up with a great idea, and I will quote it here:Regarding their search for a new logo…..I’ve had...

The Pope, Hamburgers, Nucky Thompson and Other Items From a Mixed Bag

Some disparate thoughts....Like so many of you, I found the news of Pope Benedict XVI's decision to retire to be a stunner.  I also found it to be an incredible act of courage in the Pope recognizing and admitting that he no longer has the "physical and mental strength" to continue in the job.The specificity of the time of the Pontiff's abdication - February 28 at 8:00 PM - was curious.  Why eight o'clock at night?I am stunned by the International...

DVR Alerts!!!!

Some DVR Alerts for the coming days.   As is always the case, these movies are on Turner Classic Movies, and all times are Eastern.Thursday, 8:00 PM: "Gone With the Wind" (1939)   Story of a bratty rich girl who endures a series of bad marriages because the effeminate guy she pines for pays her no heed and marries her goody-goody cousin.  Oh, and there is a war going on in the background.Saturday, 2:00 PM: "Singin' in the Rain" (1952)...

"Zero Dark Thirty"

We finally made it out to see "Zero Dark Thirty" yesterday, and wow, what a movie!  As you probably know, this movie is all about the CIA's ten year hunt to track down and take down Osama Bin Laden.  You know how the movie ends, but that doesn't take away from the suspense and the overall excellence of the movie.As you also may know, the movie has become controversial...

Spring Training Begins

Other than a post on the changing of the team's Jolly Roger logo in 2014, I have come to realize that I have not issued a Grandstander post on the Pirates since the calendar turned to 2013.  Unbelievable.  However, today is the day that the Bucco pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City in Bradenton, so I am compelled to write one today.  I will attempt...

"The Shame of College Sports"

I am currently reading an anthology, "The Best American Sportswriting 2012" (available a few weeks ago for $1.99 as a Kindle "Deal of the Day"!), and included was a story called "The Shame of College Sports" by Taylor Branch.  This is a very lengthy article that appeared in the August 2011 issue of The Atlantic.  While it is a long article, I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of sports, and, particularly, college sports....

Pitt Reels in the Recruits

Thanks to my friend Dan Bonk (Official Golden Panther to The Grandstander), I was able to attend the big National Letter of Intent Day event that Pitt held at Heinz Field last night.Paul Chryst and his staff officially landed 27 recruits for the 2013 recruiting class, and a lot of great hoopla surrounded the announcement.  As Dan puts it, this event, along with the hoopla...

The PGA Tour Turns Back the Clock

Most people think that the PGA tour doesn't really begin until The Masters (A Tradition Like No Other), but, in fact, the golfers have been teeing it up since the first weekend in January, but it's kind of gotten lost in the shuffle of the NFL Playoffs.  Until, that is, the past two weeks.In case you missed it, two weeks ago Tiger Woods won, and in pretty much Tiger-like fashion, the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.  This was the...

The Super Bowl....and Other Thoughts

For the first time in many years, we watched this years Super Bowl while attending a Super Bowl Party, and many thanks to Fred Shugars (The Official Actuary of The Grandstander) and his wife, Susan, for hosting a really fun evening.  If you know Fred, you will not be surprised to know that this party included a number of betting games for which Fred keeps voluminous statistics.  I am happy to report that we did not come away empty handed:...

February 3, 1959 - The Day the Music Died

I will add my voice to many commemorating the death 54 years ago today of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson and others in the Clear Lake Iowa plane crash.Here is a beautiful ballad that Holly wrote.  He recorded it a little over three months before he died, and it was not released until over a year after his dea...

Kordell and Kaepernick

That was a most interesting story in the PG this morning by Ed Bouchette comparing Kordell Stewart and Colin Kaepernick (and other running QB's currently in the NFL like Robert Griffin, Russell Wilson, and Cam Newton).In case you missed it, Bouchette's thrust was that Stewart came into the NFL in the late '90s and was every bit the talent that Kaepernick, Griffin and the others...

The Great 2013 Hamburger Quest - Part 5 - The Rochester Inn

Lunch today at The Rochester Inn Hardwood Grill, the very popular North Hills tavern in Ross.  This is a true neighborhood establishment, as it sits a little more than a mile down the road from The Grandstander's home, and is a place that we frequently patronize, but today it was on the clock for the Rochester Inn formally became a part of the Great 2013 Hamburger Quest.  Perhaps I am guilty of pre-judging, for I was well aware that one...

My Super Bowl Pick

I currently hold a 4-6 record with my NFL post-season predictions, so I am guaranteed, for the first time in three years of doing this, a losing record in this prognostication department, but I'm going to give you my thoughts anyway.First off, I am looking forward to the game.  I think it is a match-up that has the potential to be a very entertaining football game.  The...

To Absent Friends: Ed Koch

Ed Koch, the former Mayor of New York City, died today at the age of 88.It is often said that the second most important elected official in the country, after the President of the United States, is the Mayor of New York City.  Mostly, this is said by people from New York City, but the claim is not without merit, and no one served that role with more panache, at least...

The Great 2013 Hamburger Quest - Part 4: Bella Ria's

One of the neat side effects of me writing about my Hamburger Quest has been the suggestions that I have been receiving from people, and today's visit was a result of one such suggestion.  The suggestion came from one of my former Blue Cross colleagues, Jerry Bergman (The Official Head Linesman of The Grandstander), and the place is Bella Ria's Restaurant in West View.Bella Ria's is located on Perry Highway and overlooks North Hills High School's...