For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Cliff who? The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.J.A. Happ said all the right things, just as the crafty lefty always has.Julian Assange, founder of the website that published more than 91,000 secret U.S. military reports from Afghanistan, says he’s revealing injustices. President Barack Obama says he’s concerned that disclosure of sensitive information may harm military operations.1. Will the Jets regret cutting Faneca?For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?
Yesterday’s historic passing of the torch from George W. Bush to Barack Obama got us thinking. The last decade around the Boston sports scene has also been about major change. A region that was once bitten by curses, heart-wrenching defeats and the departure of heroes has since turned into the most prosperous area in the country. Here is a look at the five most inspirational transitions since the turn of the millennium.
5. Bruins’ young blood. The two seasons following the NHL lockout were downright horrendous for the Bruins, who finished last in the Northeast Division twice, won just 39 percent of their games and accumulated 100 losses from 2005-07. But with the development of Phil Kessel, Milan Lucic and David Krejci, the B’s have the best record in the Eastern Conference and play an exciting, high-scoring, bloody-knuckled brand of hockey once again.
4. Manny gets the Bay-onet. Manny Ramirez was as talented as he was controversial, but the latter issue got him sent out of town last July. Manny amassed 274 home runs and 868 RBIs during his seven and a half seasons with the Sox, but his crybaby attitude nearly sabotaged Boston’s 2008 playoff run. The Sox traded him for Jason Bay, who filled in at left field while hitting .293 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 49 games. He’s under contract for one more season before GM Theo Epstein decides if he has his left fielder of the future.
3. Curse claims Grady. Grady Little became just the second Red Sox manager in team history to win 90 games in each of his first two seasons, and also marched the Sox to Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. But a reluctance to pull a struggling Pedro Martinez in Yankee Stadium got Little fired. Terry Francona came in and ended an 86-year championship drought with the combination of great tactical management and thick enough skin to handle Boston.
2. On top of the world. Kevin Garnett didn’t take the torch from Bill Russell on the court, but Garnett came to embody everything Russell and the Celtics have stood for — an unparalleled desire to do nothing but win. The two big men shared a few emotional exchanges in the Garden hallways last season, the most notable happening after the Celtics claimed their first world championship in 22 years.
1. A Brady hunch. Drew Bledsoe deserves an exponential amount of credit for reviving the Patriots in the ’90s, and his fall from grace was more sudden than anyone could imagine. But after Bledsoe was knocked out by the Jets’ Mo Lewis in 2001, Tom Brady restored a winning culture that had been absent for a few years. Bledsoe threw for 29,657 yards and 166 touchdowns in nine season with the Pats, but Brady took a struggling team to a Super Bowl XXXVI victory, the first of three in four years.
|
|
| Advertise with us | About Metro | Contact us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Classified Advertising © Copyright 2010 Metro International |
|
