image from ESPN.com

Yes it is March, and you know what that means…March Madness!  The NCAA basketball tournament starts next week, with teams fighting it out for their spot among the 65 team field.  There are 31 conferences that send their conference champion to the tournament as an automatic seed.  The rest of the field is chosen by committee and seeded into four regions.  With 31 champions, that leaves 34 to be selected.  All this will happen in the next couple of days.  Some of the conferences have already crowned a champion, and many will be announcing them Saturday and Sunday.  I will quickly run down who has made it in already and who else may make it in, based on rankings and projections.

Who is in…

 America East Conference:  Vermont beat Boston University 83 – 70

Atlantic Sun Conference: East Tennessee State beat Mercer 72 – 66

Big Sky Conference: Montana beat Weber State 66 – 65

Big South Conference: Winthrop beat Coastal Carolina 64 – 53

Colonial Conference:  Old Dominion beat William & Mary 60 – 53

Conference USA: Houston beat UTEP 81 – 73 (UTEP was ranked 25 in nation and is expected to also make the tournament)

Horizon Conference: Butler beat Wright State 70 – 45

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: Sienna beat Fairfield 72 – 65

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Morgan State beat South Carolina State 68 – 61

Missouri Valley Conference:  Northern Iowa beat Wichita State 67 – 52

Northeast Conference: Robert Morris beat Quinnipiac 52 – 50

Ohio Valley Conference: Murray State beat Morehead State 62 – 51

Patriot League: Lehigh beat Lafayette 74 – 59

Southern Conference:  Wofford beat Appalachian State 56 – 51

Southland Conference: Sam Houston State beat SF Austin 64 – 48

Summit League Conference: Oakland beat IUPU 76 – 64

Sunbelt Conference: North Texas beat Troy 66 – 63

West Coast Conference:  Saint Mary’s beat Gonzaga 81 – 62 (Gonzaga ranks 18 in the nation and should move on)

These winners are already in the tournament, yet many of these that you have not heard about will be out in the first round or two after they face the powerhouses from the larger conferences.  For the larger conferences, the championship does not mean “life or death” to their basketball season as both the winner and runner up will make it to the dance, it just may raise or lower their seed.  Here is a summary of the larger conferences and who you may see into the tournament.

ACC: Duke vs. Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech may need to win to make it into the NCAA tournament)

Big 12: Kansas vs. Kansas State (Excellent in-state match-up. #1 vs #9 nationally, both will make it in with up to 4 other Big 12 teams joining them)

Big East: Georgetown vs. West Virginia (#22 and #7 ranks nationally)

Big Ten:  Ohio State and Minnesota (Ohio state is #5 nationally, Minn is unranked)

Pac-10:  California vs. Washington (Neither is nationally ranked, former powerhouse UCLA was ranked 5th in the conference and lost to Cal)

SEC: Kentucky vs. Mississippi State (Kentucky is #2 in the nation)

 I hope everyone is getting ready to fill out their tournament brackets, and have a great month of March and college hoops.

To add to all the choas, I adopted a puppy! He is the cutest thing. I found him at an adoption agency over an hour away and drove up to see him last sat, and got him wednesday night! Silly story about him…. His mother was a black lab that had gotten out of a breeders home. She got knocked up and no one knows by what. All the puppies ended up grey with black spots, and tan with brown spots. She had 10 puppies, so the lady gave 5 of them to the adoption agency. They told me they thought he was a black lab/ Autralian shepherd mix. I kind of giggled because he looks NOTHING like a shepherd. Anyways, we get him home and in 2 days has gained 2 pounds! he is an 8 week old puppy and weighs in at a little over 20 lbs.
So I look up some dog breed development charts and find out he is in the range of a Great Dane!!!! THENNN i google some pictures of great dane puppies, and his exact spotty twins showed up! So I guess he will be a little bigger then initially thought, lol, but I dont mind at all. I emailed the organization, and they confirmed that they must be great dane black lab mixes. the first 2 pictures are of my pup, and the second 2 are pictures I found of a great dane pups. you tell me if they are related….

Story:
This is definitely the main focus of this game. The game wants to draw you in and get you involved, and it seems to do a really good job of it. It starts out a little slow but if you give the game some time, it will definitely sink its hooks into you and you will not be able to break free until the end of the game. The story revolves around a serial killer named the Origami Killer, who kills young boys and leaves their bodies for the cops to find, with an orchid and an origami figure in their hands. The mystery of who this mysterious killer is is what drives the story further, but that is not all. There are 4 main characters you play the game as. Ethan Mars, the main protagonist of the game, is dealing with the loss of his first son Jason after a tragic accident. His life since then has fallen apart and things are only going to get worse as his son, Shaun, is kidnapped by the origami killer. Ethan’s story revolves around him trying to get his son back and are easily some of the most emotionally charged and interesting in the game. Some of the things he must go through are very torturous for him, and really show just how much he cares for his son. He has some other mysteries about him too but I will not spoil those for you.

The next character is Jayden, an FBI agent on the trail of the origami killer. His sections are very much about investigation though there are some twists as well. He uses a system called ARI which lets him find clues easier and get instant information about them, such as who’s blood it is and that sort of thing. Jayden was a very interesting character and it is fun to play as him trying to figure out the clues on the crime scenes, as well as tracking down suspects. Next is Madison, and while I don’t want to get too much into who she is, she has some of the most intense sections of the game that you will experience. Lastly is Scott Shelby, the PI who’s been hired by the families of the victims of the Origami Killer, you go around as him finding clues left behind by the killer. Once again, I can’t say too much without spoiling the story, but this games story and characters all feel very real and will have you hooked up until the thrilling climax (which changes depending on your choices, more on that later) The story is outstanding and apart from a few very minor details (like why is the medicine at the back of the convenience store and not near the front) the story is tight knit and very enjoyable. 10/10

Gameplay:
The gameplay is really quite literally a series of quick time events. You press buttons and move the analog sticks in directions to make the characters interact with things. This does make the game at times feel like more of an interactive movie but at other times, namely during fight scenes, you get a very strange sense of urgency that a lot of even the most action oriented of games fail to meet. It is a hard feeling to describe but the fact that you know a character can die, and the story will still go on without them, makes the scenes all the more intense. There are lots of different choices you can make in the game, and they all have effects on how the story plays out. Characters can die, even main ones, and things can unravel very differently depending on how you go about everything. I personally remember talking to a friend about how my story turned out and he said it felt like a weird alternate reality version of how his turned out. There are a ton of different endings and different ways the scenes can turn out, so the replay value if you are into the story is very high. On top of that they have new downloadable content on the way, one of which is available now to those who preordered, and it is just as fun as the rest of the game. I think my only gripe with the gameplay is walking which uses some very weird tank like controls. You press R2 to walk forward and left and right to turn, unlike most games that just have you press left on the stick to go left. But it hardly detracts from the experience so it’s just a minor complaint. The gameplay gets 9/10

Presentation:
This game is absolutely gorgeous, there is no way anyone can deny that. The character models are stunning, the landscapes look very real and everything fits together so well. The amount of motion capture that has gone into this game is staggering. Faces move like faces should, bodies movie like bodies should, and everything feels very real. There were even times that I’d forgotten it was computer generated at all because of how real they looked at times. The music is also very well done and fits the moods of the chapters very well. Ethan Mars’s theme in peticular is especially moving and really captures the feel of the game perfectly. On top of all that the voice acting is outstanding, probably some of the best in a game to date. All the actors take the game very seriously and it shows. As far as presentation goes this game is pretty flawless. The presentation gets a 10/10

Overall:
This is a game you just have to experience to understand. It is about 10 hours (I know because I actually devoted a whole day to playing it my first run through and I couldn’t put it down) and has a lot of replay value if you want to see how much you can change things. This game is a must have for those who love a murder mystery or love stories with heavy character involvement. You really do start caring for these characters and that is a lot more then you can say about most game characters these days. Final Verdict: 9.5/10

I am soo excited to finally be back in action! And I want to say thank you soo soo much to everyone who has continued to follow me via Twitter and over on my blog! I have put my all into my work and I hope you will all enjoy the amazing NEW content I have in store for yall!
So fasten your seat belts, as we await the launch of the bestest site ever, my baby.. GotGisele.com !!!!!

xoxo Gisele

Clash of the Titans? Remake

The Dukes of Hazard? Remake

Superman? Reboot of the remake

Alice in Wonderland? Re-imagining of a reboot of a remake

The Incredible Hulk? see above

The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3? Remake

Highlander? Who knows.

Are you like me and really tired of Hollywood giving up on even the illusion of credibility and going on a binge of unnecessary remakes of the classics of years gone by, or remakes of films that weren’t that good to begin with? Think they’re out of ideas completely? Well, I think they could use some help from the fans themselves, so I’m going to be starting a new section here on the blog where I propose some films and TV shows that are ripe for a gritty updated remake for today’s originality-deprived audiences. Each of these is sure to be a hit. Feel free to contribute your own. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the one responsible for tomorrow’s greatest cinematic smash.

First up: Saved by the Bell

Synopsis: Set in inner-city Los Angeles, the new Saved by the Bell is less cutesy WASP high school and more gritty drama. Think Colors meets Deliverance meets 10 Things I Hate About You. Join the adventures of Zack Morris, a talented but conflicted man-child as he navigates his way through what the country has deemed “the most dangerous high school in America”. Between daily shootings and riots, Zach’s innocence is slowly corrupted by drugs and violence. Leading his downfall is his favorite teacher and part-time lover, the aptly-named Miss Bliss. Between meth and ecstasy-fueled sex marathons, Zach tries to keep a normal relationship with the girl of his dreams, Kelly, who’s been resorting to turning tricks on the side to cover the costs of her own education, and AC (Absolute Cruelty) Slater, his protector and best friend, an ex-jock and steroid junkie given to random burst of rage. Slater has killed once while protecting his friend and isn’t afraid to do it again. In fact, he’s starting to like it. Kelly’s pimp, Lisa, is the power center of sex at the school, having an iron grip on every whore in a 15 block radius of the school. But she is still trying to turn the hottest piece of ass her way, Jessie Spano. Lisa’s would change her mind if she knew that Spano was really the world’s greatest teen assassin on a personal mission to kill whoever set up her sister on a suicide mission at the school two years ago. She’s now working closely with undercover DEA agent and authority-bucking Mr. Belding, who’s out to end the drug trade at the school-by any means necessary. However, not even he is prepared to deal with the sickest freak and sociopath the city has ever seen; Samual “Screech” Powers who got his name by the sounds he produces from his victims as he dismembers them alive in the school’s boiler room. Screech’s depravity is only matched by his unquenchable sexual appetite as he nearly reaches his goal of having sex with every living thing (human or not) at the school. Yes, this isn’t your father’s Saved By The Bell. It’s raw power will come ripping off the screen. Coming to theaters next Christmas. Rated YGTBFKM (You’ve Got To Be Fucking Kidding Me).

Tentative Cast:

Zack Morris: Seth Rogan

AC Slater: Danny Trejo

Lisa Turtle: Gabourey Sidibe

Kelly Kapowski: Jessica Alba

Jessie Spano: Lindsay Lohan

“Screech” Powers: Crispin Glover

Mr. Belding:Ving Rhames

Miss Bliss: Christina Hendricks

Directed by: Robert Rodrigeuez

cross-posted at WetGirlzBlog

Josh Hamilton, image from MLB.com

Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, that hit 32 home runs, 130 RBIs, and had 98 runs in 2008, has yet to appear in a Cactus League game this spring due to a shoulder injury during the first full-squad workout.  Hamilton was chasing down a fly ball in an outfield drill when he tumbled, injuring his shoulder.  He has yet to appear in any workouts or games, saying the shoulder is still tight, but is expected to begin soon.  The Rangers say they are not concerned with the severity of this injury.  There could be some real concern with Hamilton’s health especially since he only appeared in 89 or 161 games last season, having gone on the disabled list three different times.  April 27 to May 11 because of a bruised ribcage, June 1 to July 6 with a torn abdominal muscle, and most of September with a pinched nerve in his lower back.  Following his career numbers of ‘08, he only had 10 home runs, 54 RBIs, and 43 runs.

Russell Martin, catcher of the LA Dodgers, was taken in for an MRI of his hip or groin area.  He has played in only one spring training game, having caught 5 innings of that game.  He is a two-time All-Star, and won a Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award in 2007.  Hopefully this is just a minor set-back and will not keep him out long.  One trademark of Martin’s career has been his durability.  He caught more innings than any other catcher last year, and has played in an average 150 games over the past three years. 

Webb Bullpen Session. image from MLB.com

Brandon Webb, ace pitcher of the Arizona Diamondbacks, may miss the start of the regular season.  Webb, a former Cy Young award winner (2006) and three time All-Star (2006 – 2008) is recovering from shoulder surgery last August.  He was a 22 game winner in 2008 with high expectations in 2009, yet only lasted 4 innings in one outing having given up 6 runs in that game.  He has thrown eight bullpen sessions over the last month and a half trying to rebuild his strength.  Pain in the shoulder does not appear to be the issue for Webb right now, but it seems to be more of a matter of letting the ball go without worrying about the shoulder, reports MLB.com.  The club and Webb have not announced when he will begin pitching in a game spring training or regular season, but they are hoping that having him face hitters in a batting-practice situation next time he throws, it will amp up his intensity and allow him to cut loose.  They are hoping to do this by next week.  We will see soon if or when he will start the regular season.   

There are a number of other players being held back because of soreness, like the closers of both the Twins and Mariners.  It is still early in Spring Training, so there is more time to heal, but also more oppertunity for injuries, keeping all of the clubs crossing their fingers as the new season looms closer.

However, the problem didn’t end there. Within days, it was discovered that apps such as Playboy and Sports Illustrated, both of which feature women in bikinis or lingerie, were allowed to remain in the store without any interruption whatsoever. When pressed for an explanation to what appeared to be a discrepancy in their original explanation, Apple’s Phil Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing, claimed that organizations with a well-known brand would be allowed to keep their apps alive since Apple was aware of what it was they were offering Apple’s customers.

Yes, you read it right, indie apps are screwed. While Apple has been making inroads to the developer community in recent months after a couple of years of imposing rather Draconian roadblocks like the length of time between submission of an app and inclusion to the App Store, awkward reasons for refusing an app, and deleting apps after initially approving them, this represents a huge step backwards. I suspect this could be a game-changer for some who have simply become fed up with the entire process. Some will likely walk away as did Facebook iPhone App guru Joe Hewitt after he became frustrated with Apple. Others are going to figure out a way around the roadblocks. Below is a short list of who I think will be the winners and losers in the upcoming months:

WINNERS

Google: Google was the first major company who had an app submission rejected for no good reason by Apple (which resulted in a legal battle being fought in the courts and through the FCC). Depending on who you ask, the Google Voice iPhone app was rejected by Apple shortly after submission because 1) AT&T wanted any competition with their services killed 2) Apple’s growing unease about Google starting to move in on their territory 3) it genuinely violated the terms of agreement Apple has with its developers to not submit apps that duplicate native features already present on the iPhone.

Google responded by bypassing the App Store altogether and reconfiguring the app in the new HTML5 format and releasing it on their own (much like they did with their Google Wave application). Unlike traditional web apps, which consume an inordinate amount of battery life, HTML5 presently requires much power and apps built on it tend to operate more like an App Store application. This could very well be a game changer for many who feel they have been shafted by Apple.

This is a significant development by Google. By bypassing the gatekeepers in Cupertino, Google has shown there is a way to produce a quality app without the need to craft 5 different versions of it for every smartphone out there. Just one. Now all they need is for some other major industry to embrace it to get the ball rolling (see “the adult industry”).

HTML5 Developers: If you’re a web developer and not already familiar with this very new and increasingly popular format, you would be doing yourself a favor to start learning it now. Those skills are going to be in demand soon as tech companies start to realize the advantages to having more control over an app’s development and content. Besides, learning something new is fun (and profitable when you’re the only one on the block who knows it).

The Adult Industry (potentially): Traditionally, the adult industry has always played the role of kingmaker to new technology (BetaMax anyone?) and this could be no different. But could is the operative word here. Since HTML5 is so new, no one has really taken the time to exploit it, but now that Google has entered the fray, the industry is in a position to be the force that drives it into regular use. There are already so many apps available that have been stymied (and now banned) by their inability to use Flash. The industry is in an excellent position to show the world what this format is capable of, if they chose to do it.

LOSERS

Adobe and/or Flash developers: Sorry, guys, it’s been a nice run, but your days are numbered. Either stop fighting the tech community’s embrace of HTML5 or get on board. You don’t have to like it, but Jobs’s refusal to use your product has boxed you into a corner and you don’t need to look around all that hard to see the number of companies Apple has damaged or put out of business by their own refusal to adapt to a changing marketplace. AIR will never be the product you keep hoping it will be, so it’s time to face facts; you’re at a crossroads (or think of it as a technological Darwinian state, if you prefer) – adapt or die.

Steve Jobs: Jobs is one of the last corporate titans who will so willingly and often buck the marketplace and do what he wants. Most of the time, that instinct has served him well. It’s hard to argue that when it comes to hardware design, his vision has revolutionized the technology industry. The eMac, iPod, iMac and iPhone have each changed the way tech companies approach hardware design and made Jobs a household name. Even his commercial failures, like the Newton, have been profitable for the tech industry.

However, his record in terms of software design has been more spotty. Sure, iTunes changed the way people consume content online and put a major dent into online piracy, but applications like MobileMe and iWork and have never really taken off in comparison with its competitors, many of which are offered at little or no cost to the consumer.

Jobs’ refusal, right or wrong, to prevent Flash applications from finding a home on the iPhone has spurned development into other ways to get web-based video or animation to the iPhone. Many have opted to use Apple’s own Quicktime, but it’s an extra step to cater to the iPhone market (one that is too large to simply ignore). Embracing the HTML5 format could potentially create a situation where the notoriously control-conscious Jobs no longer has any input over what goes on the product he created.

The Adult Industry (potentially): At some point, Apple will probably relent and re-introduce adult-themed apps back into the store (there are some signs that in addition to the parental options available via the 3.o software update, iTunes will introduce an “Explicit Content” section of the store), but that fix is only temporary until someone else throws a fit about Apple profiting from porn on the iPhone. Suicide Girls, iEva and iTeagan will probably make their way back on your phone, but for how long?

If the industry fails to embrace the challenge laid out by Google, content producers will find their fortunes minimized and at the whim of a corporation who does not have their interests at heart. Going independent has always been a hallmark of the industry when all other avenues have been closed to them. This time the door was slammed in their face and if producers and studios fail to take up the challenge and go their own way, they could see one of the most profitable aspects of the industry throttled and bottlenecked by the very technology that should be their greatest ally.

Cross-posted at Wet Girlz Blog

How many tattoos and piercings do you have?
I have 12 tattoos and 5 piercings, one of which you can’t see here!

So you’re a pro at the rubik’s cube. How long does it usually take to beat one? Also, can you please tell me again how to cheat?
About a minute. If you want to cheat, you can pop the pieces off and take it apart. Don’t take the stickers off!!

I like removing the stickers! Don’t judge me! Do you have any talents in the bedroom?
So many. Maybe I’ll show you sometime.

I’ll be right over! I hope a Speedo and a bow-tie does it for ya! Speaking of which, what’s the sexiest outfit you own?
I have a lot of corsets and garters which I think are the sexiest.

Do you sleep in the nude or in clothing?
Nude!

How many sex toys do you own?
I have 6 different vibrators and dildos.

I also hear you’re a Star Wars fan. Do you own or ever had the urge to buy Princess Leia’s gold bikini?
Oh man, I want one so bad!!

I’m going to let my imagination run with that for a moment……….and I’m back. Please explain your fear of birds.
Birds are creepy. Just look at them.

Well, Big Bird always gave me the creeps I’d probably run from him. What’s your favorite activity when you’re not behind the cam?
Playing Ms. Pac-man!

You say you’ve had a beer bottle broken over your head. Call me crazy, but I need more details on how that happened and how that fight ended.
I was leaving a bar in Hawaii and my friend had apparently said something rude to a local, because they chased after us as we were leaving and threw a bottle at my head. We sped off, and they threw something else that shattered the windshield. Luckily we got insurance on our rental car!

That’s a good thing. Nobody wants wants to worry about their rental when they’re getting their head stitched up. If a guy meets you at a bar, how many beers/drinks before you let me…….errr him take you home?
I’m a cheap date. Probably 2 or 3.

That’s good because that’s about all I can afford. Would you like to thank or give any shout-outs to anyone?
Thanks to Annaliese for introducing me to this site and all the Godsgirls for being smoking hot!

Don’t forget to check to check her out at GodsGirls.com and many of the other sexy women there. You can also find her twittering here. For those that missed out on Hezzy’s member chat a couple weeks ago, you missed out on her Ghost Busters outfit, so you’ll have to buy a private chat with her with her in order to see it, and maybe her bedroom talents