Gabe Kaplan out as 'High Stakes Poker' host, replaced by Norm MacDonald

Folks at Game Show Network have changed things up again in regards to "High Stakes Poker," and it's not likely for the better. Gabe Kaplan is out as the show's host after six seasons and is being replaced by comedian Norm MacDonald.

Kaplan worked solo in the booth last season and, while he fell a little flat without A.J. Benza, he remains poker's best commentator. MacDonald may be an "avid" player (according to GSN's press release), but he won't be able to match the cash game experience Kaplan provided.

The new season premiers at 8 p.m. Feb. 26, but I'm running out of reasons to watch.

Worse than GSN's call to switch Kaplan for MacDonald is Full Tilt Poker's decision not to allow its sponsored pros to appear on the show. That means no Phil Ivey, no Patrik Antonious and no Tom Dwan.

phil-ivey-04.jpgAP PhotoNo Phil Ivey on "High Stakes Poker" this season.
No, thanks.

So for poker involving Full Tilt's pros, I need to watch "Poker After Dark," a Full Tilt-sponsored show on NBC. (They don't allow PokerStars' folks on there anymore.) And, for the rest, I have to watch "High Stakes Poker." Yuck.

The rivalry between the two sites hurts the casual viewer here, but maybe some other unknowns can be developed into TV pros. Or maybe I just being optimistic because I don't want to see my once-favorite poker show go down the drain.

The Season 7 lineup does include regulars Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak and Doyle Brunson, along with World Series of Poker main event champion Jonathan Duhamel. Young stars Jason Mercier and Phil Galfond are back for antother round, too.

Gabe kaplan

John Travolta is set to work at some of the Sweat Hogs, when the "Welcome Back, Kotter" will be 35 Anniversary Award in the 2011 TV Land Awards. So what's wrong Kotter himself, Gabe Kaplan?

It is therefore not required to appear. Those who have RSVP'd yes, that Marcia Strassman (Julie Kotter's wife), Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Freddie Washington), Ron Palillo (Hors Hack) and, of course, Travolta as Vinnie Barbarina.

Now, the fans want to see Kotter Kaplan is for him to look at the poker table. Kaplan successful professional poker player and commentator. Played in the World Series of Poker, poker and appeared in numerous television shows, including "Poker After Dark."The 2011 TV Land Awards air the tape on April 10 and April 17.

Fennville High’s Wes Leonard Collapses and Dies After Making Game-Winning Shot

There was an absolute tragedy on Thursday night in Fenneville, Michigan when high school basketball player Wes Leonard collapsed and died after making the winning shot in his team’s game. Leonard had just made the layup that gave Fennville the lead in overtime and sealed their perfect 20-0 season. Fans rushed the floor and Leonard collapsed shortly after making the winning shot. He was taken to the hospital where the 16-year-old was pronounced dead.

Opposing coach Mike Miller of Bridgeman High said Leonard was “by far the best player on that basketball team – outstanding athlete.” In addition to scoring over 1,000 points in his career for Fennville, Leonard played quarterback on the football team, having thrown for seven touchdown passes in a game in October.

We’ve seen tragic stories before of athletes passing away during games, but this has to rank as one of the most sad and bizarre. Wes happens to be the second Fennville athlete to die recently as wrestler Nathaniel Hernandez died in January last year after suffering a seizure at home following his participation in a high school wrestling match.

Wes Leonard Dies

A Michigan high school's star basketball player collapsed on the court and later died after making a game-winning layup in overtime to cap his team's perfect season.

Wes Leonard of Fennville High died Thursday night, Holland Hospital spokeswoman Deb Patterson said. A cause of death has not yet been determined.

Paramedics performed CPR on the 16-year-old before he was pronounced dead at the hospital, Patterson said.

Leonard, a junior who also excelled as the quarterback of the Blackhawks football team, was "by far the best player on that basketball team – outstanding athlete," said coach Mike Miller, whose Bridgman team lost 57-55 to Fennville Thursday night.

"All of Bridgman's thoughts and prayers are going toward Fennville right now," Miller said.

Grief counselors were on hand at the high school on Friday, the Fennville School District said.

Leonard's mother, Jocelyn, is a choir teacher at the middle and high schools and is the director of Fennville High's production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." A scheduled performance of the musical was canceled for Friday, and it's undecided whether there will be shows on Saturday and Sunday.

Chad VanHuis, a 21-year-old Fennville High graduate who once umpired Leonard's middle school baseball games and was his camp counselor, heard that Leonard had collapsed as he headed into work.

During his break around 1:30 a.m., VanHuis, an assembly line worker at an auto glass factory in nearby Holland, logged on to Facebook and learned of his friend's passing.

Heart Attack Grill

He was the happygolucky spokesmodel for the Heart Attack Grill an aptly named Phoenixarea burger joint infamous for its highcalorie offerings with controversial names.
I heard today that the spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in Arizona died today.
Subscribe to Post Comments Atom. Posted by insider at 455 AM.
575pound spokesman for Heart Attack Grill hamburger restaurant in Chandler Ariz. 0 comments Post a Comment Older Post Home. The menu is simple but the parts are huge. Friday March 04 2011. He was the happygolucky spokesmode. He died on Tuesday at.
Heart Attack Grill spokesperson dies age 29 RIP Blair River. I heard today that the spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill in Arizona died today. Blair River was 68 and weighed 572 lbs. Heart Attack Grill spokesperson dies age 29 RIP Blair River.
From the wewishthiswasajoke file Blair River the 572pound Mesa man who gained worldwide attention last fall when he was named the official spokesman of Chandlers infamous Heart Attack Grill has died at age 29.
A 575pound man who gained a measure of fame as spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill a Phoenixarea restaurant that unabashedly touts its unhealt.
River who stood 6foot8 and weighed about 575 pounds gained a measure of fame in the past year as spokesman for the Heart Attack Grill a west Chandler restaurant that specializes in thick hamburgers and fries. Unpleasantly plump and proud of it Blair River can be seen. Subscribe to Post Comments Atom.

Live Sex Toy Demonstration On College Campus

Northwestern University has now acknowledged that during a live sex toy demonstration on its campus last week students observed a naked woman being penetrated by a sex toy.
And get this: The demonstration followed a psychology professor's human sexuality class.
Though attendance was optional, about 100 students stayed on for the live sex demonstration said to be conducted by Faith Kroll and her fiance, Jim Marcus
Reportedly, the demonstration was conducted using "a machine-powered saw with a phallic object instead of a blade."  The Chicago Tribune said the couple are "exhibitionists" and that they enjoy having people watch them have sex.
The "guest lecturer" who spoke to the professor's class on the topic and who appears to have been the catalyst for the demonstration that followed will reportedly be paid several hundred dollars by the university's College of Arts and Sciences.
Here's the way the psychology professor explained this to the Tribune:

     “The students find the events to be quite valuable, typically, because engaging real people in conversation provides useful examples and extensions of concepts students learn about in traditional academic ways.”

Rodney King and the Rise of the Citizen Photojournalist

Twenty years ago, on March 3 1991, a media shock wave hit Los Angeles and the nation: the Rodney King video. As a bystander captured the incident with his home video camera, several LA police officers beat King repeatedly while other officers stood by and watched.

Rodneyking

The video, or more accurately its broadcast across America, set in motion consequences that have reverberated through the years since the beating. Among them: the Los Angeles riots, after the acquittal of police charged with assault, and the poisonous relations between LA police and many of the city’s citizens.

Another impact, of course, was the recognition — which grows more and more prevalent — that anyone with a video camera could become more than a witness to the events of our times. The camera-bearing citizen, in this case a man named George Holliday, was becoming an integral part of how we remember these events.

Bridge truck photo

Holliday’s act was one of citizen journalism. It wasn’t the first, however, even though it was a milestone.

Indeed, people have been witnessing and taking pictures of notable events for a long, long time. Consider the picture at the right. It shows a man being rescued from a truck that dangled over the side of a bridge. It was taken by Virginia Schau, an amateur photographer who happened on the scene after the accident. She won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for spot news photography.

Rodney King Anniversary

It was shortly after midnight, 20 years ago Thursday, when George Holliday awoke to the sounds of police sirens outside his Lake View Terrace apartment. Grabbing his clunky Sony Handycam, he stepped out on his balcony and changed the Los Angeles Police Department forever.

The nine minutes of grainy video footage he captured of Los Angeles police beating Rodney King helped to spur dramatic reforms in a department that many felt operated with impunity. The video played a central role in the criminal trial of four officers, whose not-guilty verdicts in 1992 triggered days of rioting in Los Angeles in which more than 50 people died.

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Slash Says Charlie Sheen Is Totally 'Rock n' Roll'

Charlie Sheen has a fan in his neighbor Slash, who's impressed by how he's enjoyed a hard partying lifestyle while still being a successful actor.

Speaking to Australian radio station Triple M Sydney on The Grill show, Slash -- himself a reformed drug addict -- said: "I love Charlie -- he's probably the most rock n' roll character in entertainment today.

"He's been managing to get away with what he's been doing on that show and get a raise for more than 10 years. I think that's pretty cool."

Charlie's erratic behavior and public attack on Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre have led to production on the hit series being halted and have led to questions about his well-being.
However, he has undergone home rehab treatment and has insisted he is currently clean, even passing drug tests prior to giving interviews.

Despite the apparent chaos in his life, the 45-year-old actor has revealed he is now concentrating on his family, which includes two daughters, Sam, six, and Lola, five, from his marriage to Denise Richards and 23-month-old twin boys, Bob and Max, from his marriage to Brooke Mueller.

Referring to his sons, Charlie -- who also has an adult daughter Cassandra from a previous relationship -- told E! News: "The babies live with me, they're in the kitchen right now. They run around and they're as fun as you can imagine. They say 'Dada' and run into walls. And Dada is cool, but when they run into walls I say, 'Don't do that, that's retarded.' "

Charlie also isn't worried about being currently being jobless, adding: "I'll do a cologne and a book, I'll do a movie, I got people lunging at me.

Katie Holmes Sues 'Star' Magazine for $50 Million

Katie Holmes just filed a hefty lawsuit against Star magazine over a recent cover that insinuated that she's a drug addict, reports TMZ. The actress seeks $50 million in damages from American Media Inc. over the cover headline, which reads: "ADDICTION NIGHTMARE - Katie DRUG SHOCKER! – The Real Reason She Can’t Leave Tom"

Katie Holmes (Bauer Griffin)
The actual article doesn't allege that Katie uses drugs, but the actress claims the cover wording is enough to be deliberately defamatory and libelous in itself.

The actress' rep told TMZ: "Star magazine's malicious claims about Katie are untrue, unethical and unlawful.  Not only do they cruelly defame Katie, they play a cheap trick on the public, making ridiculously false claims on the cover unsupported by anything inside."

Justin Bieber Turns 17, Asks Fans to Donate to Charity In His Honor

Justin Bieber doesn't need any birthday gifts for his 17th birthday today, so he's asking his adoring fans to redirect their moolah to help an organization that could really benefit from a little extra cash. The Bieb has been tweeting up a storm today, asking followers to donate to the American Cancer Society in his honor.

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez (Getty)
The instructions for donating on the Bieb's big day, as posted on his page today, are as follows: "Fight cancer & donate $10 to ACS in honor of JB’s bday: text BDAY to 20222."

Yesterday he asked fans to donate to mycharity:water, an organization that helps get clean water to families in need. He wrote on his page that he had already helped earn millions for the organization. "Thanks to all you Beliebers, we hit $7 million raised on mycharity: water today! #makeachange" he wrote.

So, if the Bieb isn't being showered with gifts from his tween fans, what is he doing on his special day? Well, he's definitely eating cake and hanging out with his grandparents!

He tweeted yesterday: " less than 24 hours until my BDAY!! Getting grandma's cake and figuring out the best way to use my bday...got some great ideas...so... "

Phoenix Suns Vs. Indiana Pacers Game

By now, we Suns fans realize that no lead is safe. The one consistent attribute of the this squad for the past several years is that this team is built to score in bunches. But what comes up usually comes down my friends, no?

The Phoenix Suns found themselves up by as many as 15 points, led by Grant Hill's 34 and 9. Inevitably the lead was erased by a resurgent, scrappy Pacers squad. While many of us were ready to accept a second overtime, Channing Frye had other thoughts, draining the game winner as the clock expired.

Star-divide

The Suns led by as many as 10 points in the opening stanza, as Grant Hill dropped 14, giving truth to the addage that old people love to wake up early and of course, go to bed early. Aided by 5 Suns turnovers, the Pacers went on a 9-3 run to close the quarter, with the Suns hanging on to a 33-29 lead.

In the second, Aaron Brooks made his Suns debut scoring his first point as a Sun via free throw on a defensive technical. Jared Dudley went crazy with 9 points (and yet another DUNK!)

At the close of the half, the Suns led 60-51, their third straight half scoring 60+ points.  The Pacers 14 turnovers led to 14 more Suns field goal attempts. Hill led all Suns scorers with 20 points.

In the 4th, the Pacers made their first 5 field goal attempts and A.J. Price sank a 3 to cut the lead to 89-86. After 5 more Price points and nearly 3 minutes of offensive futility by the Suns, the lead was gone and the Suns found themselves down 3. A Grant Hill 3 tied the game up and forced the game to OT.

After losing a 7 point lead, the Suns had the ball with 23 ticks left while the Pacers had a foul to give. After draining the clock, the Suns called a TO with 3.5 ticks left....We all know what went down after that: Nash to Frye....BOOYAH.

Visigoth Meaning – Bill O’Reilly Word

Bill O’Reilly’s factor word of the day is Visigoth.

Meaning:
[VIZZ-uh-goth] A marauder, one of the Goths that invaded the Roman Empire

My grandfather’s test works in NFL

 After all this time, Charles Wonderlic still can’t help but be amazed that his family name is synonymous with NFL talent evaluation.

His grandfather, E.F. “Al” Wonderlic, didn’t have a keen eye for judging the quality of a quarterback’s throwing motion or a cornerback’s backpedaling skills. He did, however, know a thing or two about gauging one’s intelligence, and in 1937 he devised a written examination that does precisely that.

In 1975, the NFL began giving potential draft picks what has since simply become known as “The Wonderlic,” a timed and proctored assessment that measures an individual’s ability to learn, understand instructions and solve problems. The questions cover areas such as word and number comparisons, simple math, sentence forming, and graphs.

Charles was 12 at the time, so he didn’t quite grasp the significance of it all. But while making his annual visit to the NFL Scouting Combine — where college prospects are taking the test, along with being put through a battery of physical drills to help determine their draft worthiness — he reflected on its staying power.

“It works,” Wonderlic said. “People don’t do things for long periods of time that don’t work. Things don’t last 35 years for happenstance.”

NFL talent evaluators like “The Wonderlic” because it can be conducted with relative quickness and efficiency. However, through the years, it has weathered a fair amount of controversy. From time to time, critics have challenged its validity, asking a basic question: Why would anyone care how bright a football player is, especially one who has the physical qualities necessary to play the game at the highest level?

“Go ask any of the players if they think that intelligence matters on the field,” Wonderlic said. “What do you think they’re going to say, no? Of course it does. There are different jobs that have different mental demands.

“In this case, we’re not saying that we’re looking to hire the brightest people necessarily. We say there’s a certain amount of intelligence necessary to perform. More is better, usually, but people learn at different speeds.”

Sample 'Wonderlic' Test

One of the more interesting tests the players at the NFL Scouting Combine have to take is not even on the gridiron. It's in the classroom and it's the intimidating 'Wonderlic' Test, which supposedly goes a long way towards measuring a player's "Football IQ." The history of the test includes some very interesting scores, both at the high and low end. A few years ago, former University of Texas and Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young reportedly scored a '6' on the test. At the same time, Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick scored a '50' and Washington Redskins QB Donovan McNabb got a '14' on his test.

Does this really matter in terms of translating into a good, or bad NFL player? That still remains to be seen with scores all over the place for both good and not-so-good players in the league. Regardless, it's still an interesting topic for conversation around the NFL Combine.