2009 College Football Preview - SEC East

Can Georgia win without runningback Knowshon Moreno (top) and QB Matthew Stafford?

This is the start of the 2009 College Football Preview on The News According to Chris. We start the 2009 College Football Preview with Part 1 of the SEC Preview.

The last three seasons have been glorious for the SEC. Florida won the National title in 2008 and 2006 while LSU wrapped it up the 2007. No other conference has ever won 4 straight titles. Will the SEC be the first? Let's take a look out East.

SEC EAST PREDICTIONS

1) Florida Gators

Key Returning players: All of their Defense and QB Tim Tebow

Key Losses: RB/WR Percy Harvin

Key Games: @ LSU; Georgia; FSU

Predicted Record: 11-1 (7-1 in SEC)

The 2009 Florida Gators look to be one of the greatest teams college football has ever assembled. The odds on favorite to repeat as National Champions, Tebow goes for his last hurrah as Gator QB. Now Tebow winning his second Heisman? That remains to be seen but I don't see it happening when he has Texas QB Colt McCoy and Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford on his heels. This team is solid but I can see this team slipping up as well. Remember when Georgia was picked to win it all in 2008? If you buy into the hype, you'll get burned. Also look for Urban Meyer to be watching Notre Dame closely. If Charlie Weis has another bad year, Meyer will take his dream job with the Irish.

2) Georgia Bulldogs

Key Returning Players: QB Joe Cox, RB Caleb King, WR A.J. Green

Key Losses: QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno

Key Games: @ Okla. State; LSU; @ Florida; @ Georgia Tech

Predicted Record: 11-1 or 10-2 (7-1 in SEC)

The mighty Georgia Bulldogs were picked to win it all in 2008. But injuries to their offensive and defensive lines caught up to them when they played Florida last season and got rocked. This season looks to be different. Although not as strong on offense as last season, the Bulldogs boast a lot of experience in their lines. If the linemen can stay healthy and not get injured, this team could surprise some people and sneak into the SEC Championship. In 2005, Georgia was a sleeper team that got in and won the SEC Championship. At runningback, Georgia has three capable backs in King, Thomas and Samuel. Their schedule looks solid as they get the week off before Florida while the Gators run through three games without a rest when Georgia comes to Jacksonville. With the experience and leadership of QB Joe Cox, the dawgs look to shock the SEC and the world.

3) Tennessee Volunteers

Key Returning Players: CB/FS Eric Berry, QB Jonathan Crompton, WR Gerald Jones
Key Games: UCLA; @ Florida; Georgia; @ Alabama; @ Ole Miss
Predicted Record: 7-5 or 6-6 (4-4 or 3-5 in SEC)

Lane Kiffin. Never has a coach seen so much press before a ball was even snapped. Not even coaching his first game yet, Kiffin has made headlines. Whether it's recruiting middle schoolers or ripping off his shirt to pump up his team, you can tell this isn't going to be your grandfathers Vols. With Jonathan Crompton inheriting the QB role, this offense is not going to be very consistent. The only hope the Vols have is with their Heisman-sensation free safety Eric Berry. Hard to judge where this team will end up. If the offense is terrible, a losing season is inevitable. However, if they click they could go as high as 8-4. Two of their first three games are going to be tough as they play UCLA and then go to Florida for their "Welcome to the SEC Lane Kiffin" thrashing.

4) Kentucky Wildcats

Key Returning Players: QB Randall Cobb, CB Trevard Lindley
Key Games: Florida; Alabama; @ Georgia; Tennessee
Predicted Record: 8-4 or 7-5 (3-5 in SEC)

The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off three straight bowl victories: Back-to-back Music City and the Liberty Bowl last season. Can they keep the bowl streak alive? I think they can if QB Randall Cobb is consistent and the play of CB Trevard Lindley is nothing short of extraordinary. However, their SEC schedule is frightening with Alabama then Florida in back to back weeks. Also, will this be the year Kentucky snaps their quarter century losing streak to Tennessee? Coach Brooks has a great thing going. Now he needs to kick it up a notch and go for the SEC Championship.

5) Vanderbilt Commodores

Key Returning Players: RB Jared Hawkins, CB Myron Lewis

Key Losses: CB D.J. Moore

Key Games: @ LSU; Ole Miss; Georgia; Georgia Tech; @ Florida

Predicted Record: 7-5 or 6-6 (3-5 in SEC)

For the first time in a quarter century, Vandy made a bowl game and won it. It was close though as they ripped through the opening half of the 2008 season only to fizzle and barely get the bowl game. Vandy lost a lot of key players but have enough returning to hammer out another bowl-eligible season.

6) South Carolina Gamecocks

Key Returning Players: QB Stephen Garcia, RB Eric Baker

Key Losses: K Ryan Succup, Defense Jasper Brinkley, RB Mike Davis

Key Games: @ NC State; @ Georgia; Ole Miss; @ Alabama; Florida; Clemson

Predicted Record: 5-7 or 4-8 (2-6 in SEC)

When Steve Spurrier came to Columbia, S.C. in the fall of 2005, the school was abuzz with exctiement. This was the man who resurrected the Florida Gators and made them the powerhouse Urban Meyer has today. Now, the honeymoon is over and Spurrier is not the firecracker coach he once was. With the numerous discipline problems and the difficulties of recruiting against the Florida's and Georgia's of the SEC, Spurrier looks to be in the twilight of his career. I mean let's face it, he was never going to get the great recruits that those SEC powerhouses get. Coming off a 7-6 season, S.C. has a schedule that has two ACC opponents they will most likely lose to: N.C. State and Clemson. They also have to play Alabama and Ole Miss from the SEC West. Succup will be missed as their special teams are going to be something to keep an eye on all season long.

RESULT: It's going to be a battle between Georgia and Florida. The Gators are capable of tripping up and Georgia having the week off before this battle puts the advantage towards them. SEC East winner will be one of these teams with the rest lagging far behind. The winner here will win the National Championship.

Pitino disgraces 'Big Blue Nation', Louisville Cardinals

Rick Pitino should step down as coach of the Louisville Cardinals for disgracing them and 'Big Blue Nation'

Never in a million years Rick Pitino. The coach who rebuilt a Kentucky Wildcat basketball program in shambles after years of controversy. The man who led them to the 1996 National Championship and 1997 Runner-up in the NCAA Tournament. The man who failed at the NBA level only to come back to coach Louisville and revive their struggling program. The man who we now know lied to everyone about his character and who he really was.

To say I am in shock is an understatement. One of the greatest coaches in all of college basketball has now been found to have had consensual sex with a waitress in a restaurant and then paid her $3,000 to get an abortion when she found out she was pregnant. This woman, Karen Sypher, then tried to extort more money out of Pitino which led to the FBI investigation arresting her for extortion.

Sypher is definitely in the wrong when she tried to extort $10 million dollars or else she would tell the media and Pitino's wife. But the fact that Pitino A) Committed Adultery and B) Ended the life of a child for his "convenience" really doesn't bode well when it comes to respect and character. Both of those have now crumbled.

What does Pitino need to do? Well, according to Pat Forde of ESPN "Nothing. He hasn't violated anything NCAA wise so he should be fine to continue coaching." OK Pat. Guess we should forget about all the trouble he has caused Louisville since early this year when the extortion plot came to light. Pitino is a distraction to the school and his players. He is a liability now as well as some nut could try something drastic that would make this situation much worse than it really is. He needs to step down as coach and go into hiding for a while.

"Big Blue Nation" is stunned by this news. Growing up on Big Blue Basketball, I remember every year. The way Pitino took this program and brought it back to prominence. When he stepped away after the 1997 National Championship loss, I was devastated. Who was going to fill his shoes? Tubby Smith did the job and won the 1998 title. On the outside, Pitino looked like the typical Italian in fine suits, having a loving family and was a devoted Catholic. Now that this story is out there, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't a Catholic for much longer.

As the world turns, we will find out more about this story. But in my heart of hearts as a die hard Big Blue fan, I have to say that I have lost every ounce of respect I ever had for him. As Forrest Gump said "That is all I have to say about that."

UPDATE 8/13: Rick Pitino read a statement last night clarifying he did not pay for an abortion, just medical coverage for Sypher. He apologized to everyone and his family and said he hopes to continue coaching Louisville as long as they want him.

Despite Economic Crisis, Capitals Raise Ticket Prices

Washington Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis raised ticket prices significantly for the 2009-10 NHL season (Courtesy Photo)

It's August and already the Washington Capitals are making headlines. With season tickets locked up the Caps are now focusing on "mini-plans" to help keep the money rolling in. They also have decided to make a pricing level depending on the significance of the game: Red, White or Blue.

Goodbye are the days you could buy tickets for a family of 4 for $10 each in the Eagle's Nest and get a great night of hockey and food for under $100. Now, the lowest price for those Eagle's Nest tickets will be $45 and go up as high as $85 per ticket during specific games like Pittsburgh, San Jose, etc. In the midst of a recession and economic turmoil, that is going to alienate the regular joes and families from coming to even one game per season. Sure there are people out there who can afford to pay for this and since that is the case, Ted probably doesn't care as long as the team makes $$$.

I know the payroll is out of this world thanks to Ovechkin, Backstrom and company and that money needs to be made to pay them (also see the Caps Convention for $40 a ticket in Sept.) But I think this is an extreme increase in ticket prices. I thought it was bad when the Eagle's Nest went up to $25-$35 last year. Now to be over $45 a ticket? Also, the 6-pack game plan from last year at $175 is now a 5-game plan and costs $225, an increase of $50 over last season! For one less game? How can you justify that Ted?

Here is a comparison to last season with this season:

Single-Game Tickets

2008-09: Tickets ranged from $25 to $200

2009-10: Tickets will now range from $45 to $280

Ticket Plans

2008-09: 6-game plans - starting at $175 on up

2009-10: 5-game plans - starting at $225 on up

Thank goodness for HDTV because that's where I will be for most of the season. Hopefully the Caps will not get rid of the Bar Crawl or other special discounts to where going to a game is bearable.

"Funny People" brings the laughs

Ira (Seth Rogan) and George (Adam Sandler), sporting a Kentucky Wildcats shirt, talk humorously to a doctor in "Funny People" (Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures)

When Judd Apatow directs and writes a movie, it is sure to be a hit. With his only flop being producer of the quasi-Johnny Cash comedy "Walk Hard" (now a cult classic on DVD), Apatow's golden touch in Hollywood has been nothing short of amazing. His smart, witty and hilarious writing make his films enjoyable from beginning to end. For his third film, Apatow reunites with Seth Rogen and teams him up with a comedy legend in his own right: Adam Sandler.

Sandler is no stranger to the dramatic side. In P.T. Anderson's "Punch-Drunk Love," Sandler played a guy who was tired of settling for the void in his pathetic life and finds love with Emily Watson. In "Reign Over Me," his greatest and most powerful role to date, Sandler plays a man who loses his wife and two daughters on September 11 and how he's trying to cope with this loss after finding friendship with an old college roommate.

This time, Sandler is playing aging comedian George Simmons, a very successful yet self-involved stand-up comedian who learns that he has an incurable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright (Weiner is his actual last name) (Rogen) is a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One thing these different men have in common is that neither of them have any close friends. One night, George takes notice of Ira when they perform at the same club and he hires him to be his semi-personal assistant and opening act at his performances. George and Ira form a close bond as George teaches Ira how to win the crowd and Ira helps the dying George find closure in his legacy. However, when George learns that his disease has gone into remission and an old flame (Leslie Mann) reenters his life, his recent near death experience inspires him to reevaluate what is important to him and what truly gives meaning to his life.

The Good

• Rogen and Sandler had really good chemistry in this movie. Very funny performances.
  
• The stand-up comedy was genius. The only part of the movie not written by Apatow were the stand-up scenes. Great writing and routines.
  
• Cameos by some famous Hollywood stars like Eminem, Ray Romano and especially James Taylor make this movie even more funny.
  
• Eric Bana stole the show as the Aussie husband of George's old flame. His hilarious antics really made the movie laugh out loud funny.
  

The Bad

• Apatow's first movie since the 2007 comedy hit "Knocked Up," the story in this film was great up until it turned to the direction of every single movie made about a man who regrets a decision in his life regarding a woman. It never ends well no matter how many times you do it.
  
• Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman were really not that funny. All the good clips from them can be seen in the preview.
  

Rating: 3 stars out of 4 stars - Apatow still makes a great movie despite the story bombing towards the end. Sandler was spot on and had his best role in quite some time. Worth the price of admission.

The Bridge to the End: "Half-Blood Prince" helps guide Potter fans to the final films

Jenny, Harry, and Hermione (right) try to calm the nerves of Ron (left) as he gets ready for his first Quidditch match as goal keeper (Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

The wait is finally over! After an 8-month delay in releasing the film, Warner Bros. finally opened "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to the world Wednesday, July 15.

In his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, not all is well in the wizard and muggle worlds as Lord Voldemort and his henchmen are increasingly active, seeking to find the person that will carry out the most treacherous deed: to kill Professor Dumbledore. With vacancies to fill at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore persuades Horace Slughorn, back from retirement to become the potions teacher all the while knowing that Slughorn is hiding a deep, dark secret. Professor Snape receives long awaited news from the dark lord and takes an unbreakable oath. Is Snape who Harry thought he was in the beginning or is he an ally that will do anything for Harry including sacrificing his own life? Meanwhile, Harry Potter, together with Dumbledore, must face treacherous tasks to defeat Lord Voldemort and save the world from dark magic.

The Good

• The movie really flowed well. The acting by the usual three: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, was fantastic. By the end of this series, they deserve some recognition for their fine acting.
  
• Michael Gambon played Prof. Dumbledore brilliantly for the fourth time in this series. I have to admit, in the "Prisoner of Azkaban" I was not looking forward to him. Sir Richard Harris was amazing before his death in the early 2000's. But Gambon grows on you and he really made the role his own - even if he never read any of the books.
  

The Bad

• The PG-rating was a joke. I mean this book was dark, scary and should have been made that way. At least a strong PG-13 rating.
  
• The running time was not too long but with all the necessary components in the book, it could have gone on 15 more minutes at least.
  

Rating: Solid 3 Stars out of 4 - More like a bridge between the "Order of the Phoenix" and the 2-part "Deathly Hollows" movies. Was different from other "Potter" films but was great nonetheless. IMAX 3-D on July 29 will take this movie to a different light I am sure.

Action-packed "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is a thrill in IMAX

Megan Fox and Shia LaBouf reprise their roles in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"(Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Pictures)

The Transformers are back. The highly successful first film in 2006 that launched the careers of Shia LaBouf and Megan Fox, has returned for a second installment titled "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

The battle for Earth has ended but the battle for the universe has just begun. After returning to Cybertron, Starscream assumes command of the Decepticons, and has decided to return to Earth with force. The Autobots believing that peace was possible finds out that Megatron's dead body has been stolen from the US Military by Skorpinox and revives him using his own spark. Now Megatron is back seeking revenge and with Starscream and more Decepticon reinforcements on the way, the Autobots with reinforcements of their own, may have more to deal with then meets the eye.

The Good

• The action was non-stop and was amazing in IMAX. The clarity of picture and sound make it a fantastic experience.
  
• LaBouf and Fox are perfect for the roles of Sam and Mikaela, but I think the person that stole the show was John Turturro as Agent Simmons. His comedic charm and smarts make his character well-rounded.
  
• The story was fairly easy to follow and even people who missed the first one could catch up.
  
• Megan Fox was very easy on the eyes and was definitely "sexed up" for all the males in the audience in this version.
  
  The Bad
  
• The running time of the movie is a bit long at 2 hours 36 minutes. Could have cut some scenes out.
  
• The conflict was resolved way too quickly. Bulding up for over 2 1/2 hours only to have the movie end within five minutes was not very good.
  
  

Rating: Solid 3 Stars out of 4 - If you are in the mood for action-packed fights between robots or looking at Megan Fox for 2 hours + then this is the movie for you. Already over the $300 million mark in the U.S., "Transformers 2" is the biggest of the summer with "Harry Potter" right on its tail.

Summer Movie Season 2009 Halftime Review

Even with the worst reviews of the year, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is this summer's top grossing movie to date with a whopping $300 + million in the U.S. in only 14 days (Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks)

Well, it's July 9. Time to take a look at the halfway point for the Summer Movie Season 2009. Below I will list the Summer Movies out so far along with how they fared fiscally then my rating of A-F depending on how it fared in the box office.

May 2009

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
The first movie of the Summer 2009 season started off with a whopping $74 million opening on its way to earning $363.3 million worldwide ($178.5 million in the U.S.) well over its $150 million budget.

GRADE: A
The X-Men series has never failed to produce a money-maker with all the movies topping the $100 million mark. However, the next in the series is "X-Men Origins: Magneto." Will be interesting to see if people flock to see that one.

"Star Trek"
J.J. Abrams did it. He resusitated the once-dead "Star Trek" movie franchise and is now taking it into a fresh, new dimension. With Captain James T. Kirk and crew fresh out of the academy (and young), this series is back and better than ever! Opening with $75 million, it became the biggest Star Trek movie opening in the entire franchise. The movie is still going strong as it has earned $375 million worldwide ($256 million in the U.S.) well over the $150 million budget.

GRADE: A+

Trekkies along with new discoverers of Star Trek came out to see Abrams new vision and it was a monster success. The IMAX was amazing and the buzz around this series is alive again.

"Angels and Demons"
Director Ron Howard reunited with Tom Hanks in the sequel to the mega-successful "The Da Vinci Code." Not as controversial as the first, it still brought in some good money as it opened with $46 million on its way to $131 million domestically. It's worldwide take of $342 million made it a monster success with an overall take of $473.1 million.

GRADE: C
"Angels and Demons" was saved by its worldwide gross. In the U.S., it never cracked even with its $150 million budget. It was hurt by mega-blockbuster Star Trek when it opened and just never gained the momentum "Da Vinci" did.

"Terminator Salvation"
This movie had some hype going into the summer season. But no matter how much Christian Bale yelled, this movie was a bust for Director McG and the Terminator Franchise. What was supposed to be a reboot to continue it now looks like a call for it to be put on hold while they look at what went wrong. A $200 million production budget, it only grossed $122.7 million in the U.S. while it took $227.8 million worldwide.

GRADE: D
A movie that was supposed to be one of the biggest of the summer turned into a flop as it grossed only $43 million in its opening weekend. You wonder if McG will helm the next movie with this one becoming the first major flop of the summer season.

"Night at the Museum 2: Battle for the Smithsonian"
In what looked to be even better than the first movie, Ben Stiller was back and this time was going to the Smithsonian to rescue some of the exhibits sent there by mistake. A moderate opening of $54.1 million, NATM 2 was not as ultra successful as the first one. Right now it sits at $168 million domestically, $207.1 million worldwide for a total of $375.5 million.

GRADE: C
This was supposed to be the "Family movie of the summer" but turned into a dud. The idea was great but with lukewarm reviews and limited IMAX showings, this movie failed to live up to the hype of the first one. Stiller will most likely do a third but he'd better make sure it has the gusto to capture the magic the first one created.

"Up"
The surprise hit of the summer, Disney/Pixar's "Up" blasted into the Memorial Day weekend earning $68.1 million on its way to $268 million in the U.S. and $35.3 worldwide. The $175 million budget was made back easily in the U.S. as Pixar keeps on chucking out golden eggs with these films.

GRADE: A+
Like I said, Pixar could take a movie about a pet rock and make it successful. "Up" got plenty great reviews and raked in the dough. Their 10th hit, the writers of these movies are geniuses and I can't wait to see what they have up their sleeves next!

JUNE 2009

"The Hangover"
Every summer there is an R-rated comedy that smashes through to shock the movie industry. This year, "The Hangover" opened with $45 million dollars, holding onto the #1 spot for 2 weeks and earning $209 million in the U.S. and $61.6 worldwide to date.

GRADE: A+
The promoting of this movie along with the fantastic reviews gave it the push it needed to become this years "Old School." $200+ million for an R-Rated Comedy is not seen too often, especially when there are a bunch of no-name/limited star power in the film. Already have a sequel in production.

"Land of the Lost"
Why oh why did Will Ferrell think this needed to be made? I think he wanted to make fun of it more than make a tribute to one of the weirdest and dumbest shows from the 70's and 80's. The movie opened with a weak $18 million on its way to becoming the biggest flop of the summer.

GRADE: F
Ferrell wasn't even enough to save this really bad tribute to a really bad show. With a budget of $100 million, it only took in $47 million in the U.S. and $6.8 million worldwide. Ferrell needs a hit after this clunker.

"Year One"
This movie has to be one of the biggest flops of the summer. Jack Black and Michael Cera star in a sloppily written script by Harold Ramis that blends Cavemen with The Bible.

GRADE: F

Cera and Black had their moments but the biblical times beign combined with the cavemen times was really a bad way to go. Anytime to mix religion and other subjects it backfires. Movie only made $20 million and was definitely one of the biggest summer flops.

"Transformers 2"
What can you say? Michael Bay can make money even when his films are dubbed "Worst of the Year." How about a $108 million opening on its way to making over $300 million in 14 days so far in the U.S.? The phenom series can't go wrong as a third will most likely happen after the mega-success.

GRADE: A+
Michael Bay and Dreamworks marketed this movie beautifully. No matter how bad the reviews are the fanbase always wins the box office, especially for a franchise of this magnitutde. The "T&A" from the gorgeous Megan Fox don't hurt either as the bulk of the audience are men. Definitely look for the third movie to come out in the next few years.

That is it for the Summer Movie Season so far. The scorecard: 5 blockbusters, 2 "ok" successes and 2 bombs of the summer season. Up next: Harry Potter, G.I. Joe and more!

For in-depth movie info., visit http://www.comingsoon.net/. For the latest Box Office Totals or to look up how much your favorite movie made, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/.