A Duquesne Student's Blog

Cover via Amazon

I have had the chance to watch a lot of HBO, Showtime, and other network series lately and wanted to post my favorites:

1. Entourage (HBO) While the story line doesn't change much and there isnt much to this show, it cant be beat it terms of good hearted fun. You can't watch an episode of this show without smiling, laughing, and wishing you were there. This series will make you happy and make you want to go out with your buddies and have a good time. Or just sit and watch Entourage all day.

2. Dexter (Showtime) Has there been a more interesting series on television in a long? This show about a serial killer who kills only the people deserve it is a tingling, suspensful ride. It will make you cringe, cheer, and get really pissed off. This series is the perfect show for guys of every kind. And yes they show Dexter killing people.

3. Madmen (AMC) This historical series set in the 1960s will make you want to drink. There is hardly a scene in the entire series where the characters aren't drinking some kind of alcohol and smoking cigarettes. The intriguing characters, infedelity, slick business practices, and old school styles in this series will keep your interest and probably make you grab a drink.

4. In Treatment (HBO) This intense drama consists almost entirely of a Dr's therapy sessions with his patients. While the patients are telling stories about their lives you really can imagine the stories without every leaving the therapists office. The stories are truly heartbreaking and inspiring and will make you beg for another episode. I don't usually like dramas but this show caught me off guard and was surprisingly good.

5. The Wire (HBO) This Baltimore Police epic series is probably the best series about crime ever made. The long running show is frequently atop lists like this and deserves all the recognition it gets. The story lines can get boring at times, and can become quite complicated as well. If you want a glimpse into the world of drugs and crime this is your place.

Honorable Mentions: Breaking Bad, Sex and the City, Deadwood, Weeds

Please note that these are only series that are somewhat current and are not on the big network channels.

Also, please be sure to comment and critique my choices.

Image via Wikipedia

Aaron Jackson was left out of the 2009 NBA draft after a record setting season with the Duquesne Dukes. The senior star from Hartford, CT had hoped to land a spot in the second round of the draft. He had moved up to the third best point guard remaining on ESPN's list, before the draft ended.

The draft this year was loaded with good point guards, which made Jackson's chances slim to begin with. It also didnt help that he sprained his ankle in his final workout with the Boston Celtics. While this probably did not hurt his chances too much, it didnt help either. With the slim chances he had to begin with he had to be absolutely perfect.

Jackson will now probably go overseas to play in Europe. It is possible that Jackson will end up in the NBA in the near future. In fact some sources believe this is his best route to the NBA. It will give him valubale professional experience against solid competition. Don't forget about AJ because you might be hearing more about him in the future. Best of luck.

Cover of Thriller

In memory of Michael Jackson I wanted to post some of his greatest music. While Michael Jackson has recently led a controversial life, we should remember the high points of his life. We would all like to be remembered by our victories rather than by our losses.

Michael Jackson died today after a cardiac arrest at his home in L.A. He was taken to the UCLA medical center where he was pronounced dead

He sold more than 750 million records and practically revolutionized the music industry. His music videos changed the way music was listened to. He was 50 years old.

Smooth Criminal:



Youtube has an entire channel focused on Michael Jackson
Songs:
Thriller
Beat It
Billie Jean
Rock With You
Bad
Black or White
The Way You Make Me Feel

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Brazil barely defeated South Africa today in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup. Brazil, the 5th ranked team in the world will now face the 14th ranked United States squad for the second time in this tournament. In the first match between them, Brazil outshot the U.S. 23-9 and won 3-0. The U.S. never had a chance to beat Brazil, but played well against first ranked Spain in their semi-finals match.

The game will be played in Johanesberg, South Africa and will air at 2 pm EDT on ESPN. The U.S. was not expected to make it this far into the tournament, especially after losing their first two matches of the tournament by healthy margins. They were fortunate enough to defeat Egypt 3-0 in their third match to gain entry into the semi-finals. They played their best soccer of the year against Spain, and will need a similar effort to be Kaka, Robhino, and the rest of Brazil's soccer stars.

The U.S. will need efforts similar to those in the Spain match from scorers Joze Altidore and Clint Dempsey. Altidore, only 19, will need to use his size and athleticism in order to out manuever Brazil's veteran defensemen. Also look for Landon Donovan to step up if the U.S. has any hope of winning their first ever FIFA tournament in their first ever FIFA tournament final appearance.

Image via Wikipedia

With the NBA Draft upon us, I saw an article today about Aaron Jackson's NBA draft chances. Ron Everhart, the Duquesne Men's Basketball Coach, stated that numerous NBA teams have been giving Jackson second looks. Most notably, the Celtics have given him a second workout along with some other guards. Jackson said that he would love to play for the Celtics, since he grew up in Hartford, CT.

Jackson is still on the bubble but is getting closer and closer to being a late second round pick.


After seeing Aaron play during my two years at Duquesne I really hope he makes it in the NBA. I have never seen a harder worker on the court, in my many years of watching college basketball at Duquesne and UMass as a child. I also must say that Aaron is a stand up guy on campus and is always seen with a smile on his face and in a good mood.


If Jackson were to be drafter it could also do wonders for Duquesne's basketball program, prooving to recruits that going to Duquesne can lead to the NBA. This is important for a lot of recruits out of high school.

I thought this was pretty cool. This band has some other pretty cool songs, without John Legend obviously. They also do some cool remixes (Metric's "Monster Hospital"). Check out "Easy Love" too by MSRTKRFT.

Image by Goombay via Flickr

The U.S. defeated Spain today in the Confederations Cup Semi-Final. They won 2-0 on goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey. Altidore is only 19 years old and muscled an impressive goal in the first half to put the U.S. up by one over a team the hadnt been scored on for over 400 minutes of play. This is one of the biggest wins the U.S. has ever earned on the soccer field.

They will face either Brazil or South Africa in the finals on Sunday. The 2010 World Cup starts next summer, and if the U.S. can play like they did today in it they have a chance to finish well.

I bought bus tickets today to Pittsburgh on July 12th. From Pittsburgh I am meeting up with a couple friends to drive to New Jersey to meet another friend of ours. We are going to be staying at his place one night (13th) and then go down to the Jersey shore. We will stay there the next night (14th) and then come back to his place for the night (15th). After that we will drive back to Pittsburgh (16th)where I will catch the bus back to Columbus on the 17th.

Image by Richard Carter via Flickr

Its a sunday at the U.S. Open, but no winner will be decided. The rain last night postponed play til about noon, keeping the players from getting two rounds in. Scores have been pretty low all week because of the slow greens and the top score is -8. I would expect that the leaders will drop a couple strokes, making the winning score around 5 or 6 under.

Tiger had a good afternoon, but it wasn't good enough. He shot a 68, moving him to +1 for the Championship. At 9 back from the leader his chances of victory are very low. It will take a heroic effort and a little help from the field for Tiger to win his 16th Major Championship.

After his round today, Tiger explained that he had been hitting the ball well enough to be in the lead, but that his putting was holding him back. This isn't surprising, considering how much rain has fallen on the course. I think Tiger will post a good score tonight/tomorrow and end up at around 2 or 3 under. This would probably not win him the Championship.

The players are about to tee off for the final round, and I will watch and enjoy the rest of this tournament hoping that tiger can pull off a miracle.