- Deciding on the right college can be tough. The pressure increases exponentially when you are an elite athlete who is attempting to decide which school is the best fit for you to continue your athletic career and hopefully attain that dream of playing pro ball some day. So I can see where John Wall, the country's top unsigned high school recruit in basketball, might be under some pressure. I just didn’t know that busting into someone’s house with two of your buddies and getting arrested was a good stress-relieving option. Wall, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard ranked fifth in the ESPNU 100's Class of 2009, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering after police found him walking out of a vacant house in North Carolina.
Officers detained Wall after observing him exiting the back of the home. Two of his friends were also picked up and charged in connection with the break-in, but Wall’s name is the one that is drawing attention. If convicted, he could face up to 120 days in jail. However, a first-time offender like Wall is much more likely to get off with just community service, especially given the fact that there was no forced entry and nothing to indicate anything was missing from the residence. That being said, my man J. Wall needs to class things up. While a lot of us probably had an abandoned home or two in our area growing up and liked to sneak in and use that place as a hangout from time to time, not all of us had the chance to play college basketball at Florida, Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina or North Carolina State and possibly the NBA at some point. I’m guessing that breaking into vacant homes isn’t what they teach you at Raleigh Word of God school, Johnny. This incident isn’t the end of the world and it’s much more a case of you being a knucklehead than a hardened criminal, but if you don’t start making better choices you’re going to find yourself in much worse situations going forward……..
- Someone died last night on 24, but it wasn’t Jack Bauer. Well, of course it wasn’t Jack - wouldn’t be much of a series without him - but more on that in a moment. As the FBI widens its search for Tony Almeida and the group he is now working with, Jack and Chloe make use of the re-commissioned CTU servers to monitor all electronic communication and traffic in the area. That doesn’t sit well with Janis Gould, who takes great offense when Jack uses racial profiling to direct Chloe to focus the search on people of Middle Eastern descent and Muslim groups. Jack admits he doesn’t like it either but that Jonas Hodges’ statements about his shadowy conspiracy using Muslim extremist groups as the cover for its attacks on American soil leaves him no other option. Jack turns back to Chloe to give her further instructions but forgets what he’s saying mid-sentence. It’s the second such mental blunder in the past hour and Chloe knows something isn’t right with her friend. She turns to Renee Walker and Janis for confirmation of what’s wrong with Jack and they reluctantly share news that he’s been infected with the Preon toxin from the bioweapon. Chloe walks away to find Jack, who is administering another dose of the anti-seizure medication he’s been using to keep himself functional. Jack is forced to admit to his friend that he’s dying, but assures Chloe that he’s come to terms with it and wants to make his final hours count. While the search marches on, Tony Almeida, along with co-conspirator Cara and their team, are busy carrying out the very operation that Jack and the FBI are looking to stop. At the D.C.-area apartment of Jibraan Al-Zarian, the man they are planning to frame for their attack. Tony tells Jibraan that if does exactly as he’s told, both he and his brother Hamid will survive. While Cara gets busy loading all sorts of extremist propaganda onto Jibraan’s computer, setting up phony bank transfers to his account from terrorist groups and backdating all of these activities to make them appear as if they took place over months instead of all at once, Tony hands Jibraan a prepared statement. He is to read the statement in front of the camera and declare his hatred for America and his willingness to engage in jihad to bring his people the revenge they deserve. During filming, a police car pulls up outside Jibraan’s building and Tony forces him to answer the door with a gun pointed at his head. Jibraan follows orders and assures the cops that the disturbance reported by his neighbors was merely friends of his having too much to drink and getting rowdy. The cops buy the story and leave, but Jibraan isn’t finished telling tall tales. After wrapping up the video, he must lie to his own brother and tell Hamid that he really is a terrorist who is working with Tony and his crew to strike back at the Americans who kiulled their parents and have mistreated them. Hamid refuses to believe that his brother is a terrorist and says that it’s against everything Jibraan stands for. Jibraan assures Hamid that he’s been lying about everything up to this point and that he must now carry out his mission of revenge. With all of the files placed on Jibraan’s computer and the video finished, it’s time to leave. Tony won't tell Jibraan where they are headed, but the van speeds toward the center of the city and clearly nothing good is ahead for Jibraan. Back at the FBI, Chloe finds that $2 million from the account of a Muslim Relief organization has been transferred over the last six months to the account of a Jibraan Al-Zarian, whose web account shows he's been looking at Jihadist propaganda. His visa has expired, so they don't have an address, but his INS form lists a personal contact -- Muhtadi Gohar, the Imam at a Georgetown mosque on G Street. Jack and Renee go to talk to the imam, who recognizes Jack from his televised Senate hearings the previous day. The distrust and ill will between the imam and his questioners is apparent right away. He won't even look at Jibraan’s picture until Jack screams at him to do so and even then he will admit only to knowing him. The imam won't say where Jibraan lives or works, only that he’s sure that Jibraan is not a terrorist. Jack decides he’s had enough attitude and gets right in the imam’s face, snarling and yelling. Renee steps away to take a phone call from Janis, who tells her that the D.C. Metro police recognized Jibraan’s picture from the domestic disturbance call they responded to and gives Renee the address. She informs Jack that they have what they need and that it’s time to go, but an irritated Jack insists on taking the uncooperative imam with them. On the way to the apartment, Chloe calls Jack and informs him that she has dug up information suggesting that Al-Zarian is innocent. Chloe has hacked through Cara’s backdating on the computer files and bank transactions and found out that all of the money was actually deposited in Al-Zarian’s account less than 30 minutes ago. Jack digests the news and the imam says he’s shocked to see a law enforcement official so willing to admit they were wrong about accusing a Muslim of being a terrorist. He then tells Jack that he forgives him, to which Jack retorts, “I don’t need your forgiveness.” At the apartment building, an FBI team is already in place and survelling the inside of the apartment. They spot Hamid and the one man that Tony left behind to guard him. Jack demands to take point on the team entering the building and even though the imam wonders about his fitness to do so, Jack is front and center when agents blow the door. A flash-bang grenade takes Tony’s man down, but a handcuffed Hamid creates more trouble by smashing a picture frame on the wall and using a shard of glass to stab the man in the neck. Jack screams for Hamid to stop, as the man he’s trying to kill is the only real lead they have. As the man lies on the ground with a stab wound to the neck, Jack calls for a medic. Meanwhile, Tony and his crew are in the van and on the way to their target. The target becomes clear when they pull up video footage of the Washington subway system. Prepare for panic on the subway next week, no doubt. One person who won't be too concerned about that panic is Jonas Hodges. With his witness protection agreement in place, Janis and a federal marshal show up in the room where Hodges is being held and inform him that he’s now being transferred. U.S. Marshal Sullivan hands Hodges a dossier with all the information about his new life in Colorado. Hodges will now become Robert Tippett. He is ordered to surrender all materials connecting him to his past life, which includes his wallet and two pictures of his family from inside the anger. Hodges is not happy about the arrangement and at one point, hurls the dossier against the wall in anger. He repeatedly tries to engage Marshal Sullivan in conversation, but Sullivan is all business. He begins calling Hodges by his new name, a change that Hodges can’t seem to adjust to. On the way out of the building, Hodges suggests that at some point in the future, perhaps he and the marshal could do some business together. “I don’t plan on being Mr. Tippett forever,” he cryptically says. Sullivan is unfazed and puts Hodges/Tippett inside the SUV. He goes a few yards away to sign the prisoner transfer order held by the security guard on duty. At that point, a massive explosion destroys the vehicle and sends a ginormous fireball rising to the sky. Hodges appears to be incinerated, but you can never be too sure about things like that on 24. Is Hodges dead? Stay tuned on that one. The other big question is who did the deed. Last episode, Olivia Taylor called old friend Martin Collier and set up a meeting with him because he’s a man who “solves problems.” Collier arrives at the White House and meets with Olivia in her office. She explains that Jonas Hodges is responsible for the day’s terrorist attacks and that rather than see him go free with his witness protection agreement, she wants him killed. Collier cautions her against having him killed, saying she can’t take it back once it happens and will have to live with it for the rest of her life. Olivia is unmoved and Collier agrees to facilitate the killing. He contacts an intermediary who then calls Olivia and gives her instructions on wiring money to his account in exchange for killing Hodges. This mysterious mercenary coldly states that there will be no need for further contact and that once he has the money, things will move forward. Olivia is about to wire the funds when Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce enters the room and tells her that her father has been transferred to the White House from the hospital as he recovers from surgery following a gunshot wound earlier in the day. Olivia sweats the decision to wire the money and ultimately decides not to go through with it. She goes to see her father, who is in the medical bay with her mother. Roger Taylor gushes about how great it is to see his wife and daughter speaking again and on good terms. Olivia admits she hasn’t been fair to her mother in regards to the decision to pardon Hodges and confesses that President Taylor made the hard decision that good leaders had to make. The happy family seems to be on the same page, but later in the hour that tranquility is rocked when presidential advisor Tim Woods is in a meeting with the president and Olivia and receives a phone call from someone informing him that Hodges has been killed. President Taylor is outraged and demands to know how it happened, while Olivia rushes from the room and places a frantic call to Collier. He is on the road and immediately reminds her that they can’t have this conversation over an un-secured phone line. Collier suggests a meeting at Pershing Park as soon as possible to discuss what’s going on. Another episode, plenty of twists and explosions. Three hours remain in the season, so expect things to get even more explosive from here on out…….
- Riot Watch! Riot Watch! Let’s keep it domestic for this edition and focus in on Phoenix, where thousands descended upon a row of jails Saturday to protest Sheriff Joe Arpaio's policy of enforcing immigration laws. The protest march actually began in downtown Phoenix in front of the building that houses the Maricopa County sheriff's administrative offices. I’ll hand it to these protestors, they got some exercise in during their social dissidence by marching nearly seven miles while shouting anti-Arpaio slogans and rocking their signs and banners. Before the marchers arrived at their destination near Tent City and Estrella Jail, a large group of about Hispanics lined Durango Street. This is where things get really interesting, because many of these Hispanics were clad in T-shirts the read "(expletive) Arpaio," "He's Finished," and various other T-shirts that showed affiliations with labor unions and groups associated with the march. Let’s put it this way: any time anyone wants to go with a “F**k _________ (government or law enforcement official’s name here)” shirt, you know I’m down. Organizers for the event say that their hope is to see President Barack Obama or Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano take away Arpaio's authority to enforce immigration laws, which he got through an agreement with the federal government.
“In his hands it's empowering someone with no regard for civil rights, no regard for human rights, no regard for humanity," march organizer Salvador Reza said. As the marchers got closer, Phoenix police officers in black military pants and bullet-proof vests lined both sides of the streets. Protestors took 25 minutes to pass by any given point along the route and covered more than three lanes on the street. Marchers traded obscene hand gestures and insults with some pro-Arpaio supporters who gathered across the street. Unfortunately, no one threw down and the police didn’t have to break out their riot gear, so I can’t categorize the protest as a true success. Arpaio was on hand and said that if the protesters want his immigration authority to be taken away, they should try to get the law changed rather than march. “If they think they're going to intimidate me, they can march everyday," Arpaio said. Ooooh, you’re so tough, sheriff! What a badass you are. Quite frankly, no one would love daily protests and riots more than me, but I don’t think you’re a cause worth devoting anyone’s time to……
- Where is Samuel L. Jackson when you really need him? I never saw Snakes on a Plane because a) I hate snakes and b) I hate movies whose plot is so blatantly obvious and transparent simply by the title, but this much I know: there were a lot of f’ing snakes on that f’ing plane in the movie. Given that depth of experience dealing with snakes on planes, I have to think that Jackson’s assistance could have been helpful when four baby pythons escaped from a container aboard a Qantas Airlines passenger plane in Australia, leading to a search that forced the cancellation of two flights. Twelve non-venomous Stimson pythons were being transported Tuesday on a flight from Alice Springs to Melbourne in the plane's cargo area in a bag inside a plastic foam box with air holes. It wasn’t until the flight landed that the crew discovered that four snakes had escaped from the package. A reptile expert searched for the 6-inch-long snakes but did not find them. It still isn’t known if the snakes were hiding somewhere on the plane or if they had escaped once it landed, but what I know is that I’d want no part of flying on that bird for a long time. I don’t want to be cramming into that tiny airplane bathroom, trying to do what I need to do and having some freaking python jump out of the toilet at me. Thankfully, the passengers who were supposed to fly on flights on the plane later in the day were transferred to other flights. However, I think Qantas officials made a huge mistake in simply fumigating the plane and returning it to service on Wednesday after the snakes were not found. For everyone out there who may be flying Qantas in the months ahead, it may be time to rethink those plans - unless you like flying with the possibility of a Stimson python, which can grow up to three feet (one meter) long, attacking you in mid-air. Good times……..
- Not that there was any doubt heading into the weekend, but "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" won the box office earnings race by grossing an estimated $87 million for its opening weekend. The movie brought in a strong $21,225 per-theater average in 4,099 movie houses, despite generating some fairly scathing reviews. Whether the movie was a success depends on your criteria; it crushed the competition by a wide margin, but also fell $15 million short of 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand.” Coming in a distant second was Matthew McConaughey's "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," an uber-chick flick that generated an estimated $15.3 million. I’ll give McConaughey this: his movies suck, but at least he’s found a genre where he’s comfortable and he’s sticking with it. No stretching his abilities to tackle new and different roles, just keep feeding him cheesy, shallow fluff movies that appeal to his female fans. If that sounds harsh, look back at McConaughey's recent flicks, including last year's "Fool's Gold" or 2006's "Failure to Launch". Finishing third was Beyonce Knowles' "Obsessed,” which experienced a 57 percent drop for its second weekend in theaters and earned a modest $12.2 million to put its ten-day gross at $47 million. Showing the power of teenage girls to help drive up attendance, Zac Efron's "17 Again" finished fourth for the weekend by grossing an additional $6.3 million its third weekend for a total take of $48.4 million. Dreamworks Animation's juggernaut "Monsters vs. Aliens" grossed another $5.8 million its sixth weekend for the fifth slot in the rankings. It was a solid weekend overall for movies, with several new openers helping create an increase in revenue of 16 percent from the same weekend last year. However, that positive momentum didn’t help one of the weekend’s most anticipated new releases, the 3-D animated sci-fi film "Battle for Terra." Opening on 1162 theaters and featuring the voices of Justin Long and Evan Rachel Wood, "Terra" couldn't muster more than $1 million for a twelfth place in the box office derby. Next weekend should see a huge bump from all of the Star Wars dorks out there who have probably already been camping out in line outside their local multiplexes with their fellow no-life-having losers, er, fellow fans……….
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