Favorite Christmas Movies List!

Ah, 'tis the season! The season for daily "one day" sales, increased calorie intake, depleted accounts, overdone holiday lights (see KFC's "Festive Fanatics" contest from '07 - looks like an "Original Holiday Traditions" contest this year), and, last but by no means least, countless Christmas commercials that preach the "season of giving."

For example - many of us are broke and trying to save money, so to combat us penny pinchers, an unnamed jewelery company puts out a radio spot telling a heart wrenching story of a woman who gave a homeless man a coat years ago. Now, present day, she receives a package with the coat and a note that says to look in the side pocket. What does she find? (dramatic pause) A diamond watch. Riiiggggghhhht. I'm as much for karma as the next person, but you can bet your bottom I'm still not buying anyobdy a diamond watch this Christmas. Nice try though guys. Not really.

But alas, I'm no Ebenezer Scrooge (although he makes my movie list). These frivoulous Christmas promotions and commercials help me to appreciate the timeless traditions that I grew up with and will uphold for many Decembers to come...

Packing the family into the car on a cold evening in early December (it has to be cold and dark, otherwise you lose the effect) to stroll the Christmas tree lots, where the smell of wood burning in the barrels and pine needles will always make you feel six again, to pick out that perfect and most conveniently priced :) tree. Don't even get me started on decorating it...the star goes on last, people!

Putting on the Charlie Brown Christmas CD while spending time with loved ones making banana pudding, pigs in a blanket and other delightful and delicious treats that are high in fat but higher in satisfaction.

Then, once the tree is glowing, the snacks steaming and the children quiet (wishful thinking), it's time for one of the most revered and time honored Christmas traditions - watching the Christmas movie.

Following is a list of my Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies of All Time. Movies that really capture the feeling of the season for me and never get old year after year. On the contrary, the older I get the more I appreciate them!

Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies of All Time
1. A Christmas Story
2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (can't believe how this one barely squeaks into many lists - it's arguably #1)
3. Home Alone
4. Scrooged
5. The Muppet Christmas Carol
6. It's A Wonderful Life
7. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
8. The Santa Clause
9. A Christmas Carol (Alastair Sim - 1951)
10. A Charlie Brown Christmas (*Though not technically a "feature film," I wouldn't feel right not including this on my list)

I've seen many "best Christmas movie lists" (Moviefone's), but I stand by mine! Happy Holidays!

Sports Media

I'm a huge sports fan. Gargantuan even. During the annual sports drought (April-July) I follow hockey, soccer and baseball spring camps while counting down the days to the NFL preseason just to satisfy my year round need for sports. That's why the peak sports season (August-March) is so important to me. So when I turn on ESPN and all I see is news of suspensions, steroids and players' legal issues, it upsets me.

By now we all know of Plaxico Burress' situation. The New York Giants' star wideout is facing felony weapon charges after accidentally shooting himself in the leg with a concealed .40 Glock handgun in a Manhattan club last Friday night. If you don't know about this, you don't watch sports. Or TV. Or read.

If you haven't heard yet (you will), O.J. Simpson was sentenced to a minimum nine years (varying reports on the exact number) in federal prison this morning for armed robbery. Wait. Hold on...more breaking news from the sports media. This just in - O.J. Simpson hasn't played professional football since 1979! Let CNN cover it.

With that out of the way, it's time for some BCS debating or Tyler Hansbrough bashing, right? Nope. ESPN is broadcasting Sean Avery's comments that fellow NHL players, specifically Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf, fall in love with his "sloppy seconds," referring to ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert. It's a little odd, certainly timely and involves a sports star. OK. It can qualify as sports news. But do we need to hear about it at the top and bottom of each hour? I think not.

It would be one thing if we were experiencing a critical shortage of sports news. But we're not. On the contrary, we are saturated with sports news! The NFL season features some of the tightest playoff races we've seen in some time, and the perennial superpowers aren't at the top. The NFC South's top three teams, all in playoff contension, are a combined 26-10, equal to the top three teams in the preseason favorite NFC East (that's with the New York Giants at 11-1).

It's bowl season in college football for crying out loud! The BCS and national championship game are under scrutiny again with three Big 12 teams making claim to the conference championship game and ultimately the national title game. Lets not forget the ECU Pirates, this year's Boise State for the first month - then Boise State showed up. The Pirates and Tulsa play for the CUSA championship tomorrow at noon. Who knew? This weekend also features the SEC, ACC, MAC and Big 12 title games.

The NBA is off to a great start - the Lakers are 15-2 and the Celtics are 18-2. Feels like the 80's. This league is in the midst of a rebirth and yet it makes up (guesstimation) no more than 15 percent of ESPN's coverage. About as much as Plaxico Burress.

So why all the non-game related news? Is it a result of 24 hour sports news media like ESPN that there is a self-inflicted need for sports news material at all times? Hence that broken record feeling I get everytime I turn to channel 29 in the Charlotte market. Or could this be an extension of reality TV and our society's infatuation with celebrity status, which more and more athletes are reaching?

It could be all of the above. But in as much as the above factors contribute to non-sports related sports news, so does the modern day professional athlete. More and more we hear "projects to professional postseason" stories and the effects that youth, ridiculous amounts of money and near limitless freedom have on today's rising stars (Sports Illustrated gives great insight into "ghetto loyalty" as a result of Michael Vick's dog fighting charges). If this is what sports stars are engaging in, this is what sports media will cover.

I have a suggestion. This is for the sports media, agents, parents, sponsors, fans, coaches and yes, the players. Ready? Very simple. Three words that could return the sport into sports: Play. The. Game.

'Tis the Season

At last my belated honeymoon has arrived! After a wedding, a major move and a job change (still in the works obviously) in one month, I'd say I've earned it :)

I leave you on a good note with news of a good deed in the sports world (and very, very good timing...hmmm).

First reported by the Dallas Morning News, "Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo shows heart of gold, treats homless man to evening at silver screen." I made that headline up. I also was being sarcastic. Seriously though, Romo took a homeless man to the movies and that's an admirable thing to do.

However, blame it on my Panthers roots to never trust a Cowboy or my skepticism with "feel good" media stories, but I still raise an eyebrow at the timing. Cowboys' cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, who usurped Terrell Owens as the team's largest liability this season, and his numerous off the field legal issues, along with the recent stumble of the Cowboys on the field (Dallas may or may not make the playoffs at this point) led to an onslaught of negative press and naysayers.

Then, like an angel descending upon the team, Romo restores faith in the down and out 'Boys and leads them to victory over the rival Redskins this past Sunday. Let the good news roll! Oh, wait, Romo paid for a homeless guy to go to the movies with him this week too? Man, that Romo's a great guy. And you know what? The Cowboys aren't so bad either. "Pacman" who?

"America's team" is back. The gutsy performance in Landover, MD should not be overlooked, but some well timed PR and image management works wonders. Next week: Jason Witten helps an elderly lady get her cat out of a tree on the way to play Santa Claus at an Arlington orphanage.

Ranting aside, everyone watch lots of football and have a great Thanksgiving. Gobble, gobble!

Day 7 - Rolling with a Routine

When I say Day 7, I mean the seventh "business day" of searching - I took off the weekend for an early Thanksgiving. I'll work weekends. Try me.

I've developed a routine out of this job hunt. Don't worry, no play by play of my mornings in this post. I feel more productive and on top of things having developed a new routine, albeit one I'm not planning on making permanent. The first few days of unemployment were uncomfortable and foreign having not dealt with this "condition" since first departing my alma mater, East Carolina University, more than two years ago.

This is not to imply that I'm growing complacent; I'm not. Not even close. But my most recent mini-luminal moment in my journey to employment is that a job hunt routine is essential. Essential not only to finding a job (yes, I'm unemployed, but convinced it's temporary) but also to retaining a sense of sanity and satisfaction with one's status. Alliteration not intended.

That said, I recommend using your email calendar/organizer (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, or Outlook if you use it, mostly businesses I suspect) to the full extent - even if it's "Call Tim with VMS at 3 p.m." because he was out yesterday at 10 a.m.

Organize your day to include:
- Market research (not consumer surveys, but potential job markets and the businesses within)
- Company profiling (identify those businesses with which you would most like to work in a given market and learn about them!)
- New contacts (set a goal for a number of new companies/individuals to contact each day and meet it)
- Keep doing what you did - stay sharp (blog, watch the news, write, research, dance, draw, crunch numbers, build something, photograph, play basketball)
- Be your own brand ambassador (constantly update and target your resume, cover letter, portfolio samples, etc. to be most relevant to companies you're targeting)

Much of this is known, but it bears repeating. I'll always say that patience and perseverance are the two most underrated qualities an individual can posess - so try hard, and then try, try again. Best of luck to us all.

Gum Galore

Week after week as I stand in line at the grocery store to buy my milk, beer and bread (the essentials), perusing over the tabloids and Altoids, I'm struck by the countless number of confectionery treats that line the aisle. I think more gum and candy brands exist today than ever before (tempting to insert an aside here on America's obesity issues, but I'll pass).

The number of brands is matched only by the variety in which they're promoted at retail. By "at retail," I mean the packaging and branding that takes place in the store. This includes the pretty colors, fonts and designs they use to catch your eye in the aisle. Ever wonder why gum and candy are always in the check-out aisle? Look at me. Or your kids. Inundate the consumer with your eye-catching products at eye-level (or at least for someone a little shorter, um, like a kid) in a narrow passageway through which they must pass to exit the premises. It's effective. They know.

"Funny though," I always thought. "Gum is gum." Don't tell that to the manufacturers.

"Wrigley" could conjure up two images depending on where you're located geographically. Fabled Wrigley Field and the Cubbies, bless their hearts, or Wrigley gum. Chances are if you're in Chicago, you know them both.

Headquarterd in the famous, you guessed it, Wrigley Building in Chicago, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum, with global sales of $5.4 billion. That's a lot of gum. From Wrigley's Spearmint (I can't even say "Spearmint" alone, it has to be "Wrigley's Spearmint" - darn effective branding) to 5, there's seemingly a stick for everyone.

Some gum packages look like mini-laundry detergent tablets (health conscious, hard working middle-somethings?) while others look like iPhones (club-hopping hipsters with their fresh breath and, well, iPhones?).

Yes, it would appear that Wrigley has created (or acquired through major mergers and acquisitions) a bubble-gum brand for nerly every person and every occassion...

You know, like if you want to view an "Eclipse" (a phenomenon caused by the "Orbit" of the moon and Earth, not "Mars") in the "Winterfresh" air with your "Hubba Bubba" at "5" before you catch the "Big League Chew." Just make sure there's an "Extra" piece handy; it's a "LifeSaver." I tried.

Lest you think I'm jabbing the gum giant here; I'm not (hard). I raise Wrigley and the gum/confectionery marketing topic to demonstrate how a seemingly archaic industry has used effective marketing and public relations to earn more than $5 billion annually. It's not always who you are; it's who the consumer thinks you are.

For more examples, see Blue Rhino, Repreve and Vespa.