Macca

For fans of 'Film Noir' here is a little known classic ... Fritz Lang's 'Scarlet Street' - stars Edward G Robinson but Joan Bennett steals the show with a superlative performance.

Back in the day this band made some big strides in the States ... LRB with 'Reminiscing' & 'Lonesome Loser'

Both the first 2 episodes of 'Quarry' were first rate ...gritty, earthy, 70's, Vietnam, hitman, quite realistic and rather nasty where it needs to be. Rule of thumb is 3 episodes but I'm probably all-in. These throw-back dramas have got their place if done well (Stranger Things) I've still got to get around to 'Peaky Blinders' but Fargo (season 2) was as good as season 1 in my opinion. Anyone know if and when we're getting a 3rd season of 'True Detective'? ... as a stand-alone show, I really liked 'TD' season 2 despite what the fans and critics said. I also thought that Vince Vaughn was very good considering the difficult part he had to play (a mobster trying to be a legit businessman)

The 2nd episode of 'Westworld' lived up to the standard of the pilot episode ... the 'Guests' and why & how they are guests was explained to a degree but there is obviously more to come. Same for the 'Hosts' and the fluid storylines. Those 3 aspects and the other facets make the show enjoyable for its complexity alone. The show along with the numerous characters are developing nicely ... speaking of which, Anthony Hopkins adds a commanding presence even though he doesn't feature prominently. Here are some excellent podcasts that I found that are well worth a listen (if you've got time) Westworld Watching Westworld Beyond Westworld Westworld (the Hosts)

Another 7 road winners last week but once again there was zero action on the tipping leaderboard. Every year my thoughts are to think outside the square with my tipping but it's difficult to stray away from the more obvious tips. The intolerable cruelty of this comp is relentless. My kingdom for a point! Points tally in the comp 1 - JV7, Gorgoroth, cowboy_from_hell, DeeSpencer 0 - 'The Others'

We're out of synch though and need to get better in a hurry. Rodgers is nearly always rusty after a bye or a week off but he's still a ways off his best, all the same. The Giants were even more unimpressive. I might even pick your Rams this week ... these are the sort of games that the Rams win. The Falcons are flying ... some very impressive wins in this run and your schedule starts getting easier soon 3 games clear of the Panthers ... Carolina's season is just about shot already. Who predicted that? Ha! Prescott is making the decision to bring in Romo a difficult one. Nice position to be in, all the same. Anyway, your Vikings are 5 & 0 without Teddy & AP. Amazing. Gonna be hard to chase down by the looks of it.

With zero confidence ... Patriots Eagles Bengals

Points tally in the comp 1 - JV7, Gorgoroth, cowboy_from_hell, DeeSpencer 0 - The usual gang We're up to week 5 and this week there's 2 points up for grabs (same for weeks 7, 9, 11, 13 & 15) ... week 17 carries 3 points. Another tough week though, all the same.

Yeah, very impressive first episode ET. Some big names on board too ... Michael Crichton was such a creative writer (he was the writer for the original movie which this series is based on) The show looks like it will stand up and the storyline is possibly more suited to today's audience - cinematography is superb too. That's just a first observation though. Here's the IMDb link which includes a preview

Couple from 'The Weeknd' (SNL 2016/10/01)

Any given Sunday hey ... The Pats kept scoreless - the Bills might be decent Rams lead the NFC West with 2 wins against divisional rivals - Arizona have now dropped 2 games at home. Atlanta 2 games clear of all their divisional rivals - Carolina need a win to get their season back on track. Oakland have won their first 3 games on the road - last time they did that they made the SB. Without JJ Watt for a good length of time the Texans are 2 games clear in the AFC South. Indi are struggling. Detroit's season is slipping away - sitting at 1 & 3 with the Eagles next up. Denver keep marching on and the Seahawks are flexing their muscles. Dallas are 3 & 1 with Prescott ... Romo will almost certainly step back in but the stand-in QB is doing well. Looking forward to tomorrow's game ... New York (the Giants) can bring a great game when they're on but the Vikes are killing it at the moment - should be a good game, all the same.

Our home is the MCG. It's our home regardless of how many other teams play their home games there. The other teams have their own facilities anyway.

In the first encounter (round 1 2017) possibly not (although the gate might be shared) but if the fixture is ongoing, it would almost certainly be our home game every 2nd year. PJ struck a deal with the Tigers with the Anzac eve encounter where they got the home game in the first encounter and then it rotates from there. I'm assuming this encounter will be ongoing and not a one off ... the Tigers & Blues are already playing each other in round 1 and they (Essendon) already have an match-up against Collingwood on Anzac day. I can't see PJ agreeing to this game unless there is something in it for us. Others can disagree but we'll find out soon enough.

Well, 2 reasons as I see it DJ. Prime-time TV starts at about 5pm (channel 10 news as an example) so Channel 7 still get the big advertising revenue. The other reason being the players would have 'wound-down' at a reasonable hour so the next day (the Sunday) is not partly wasted in terms of recovery. An almost full 7 day break was then ensured.

Regardless of the merit or non merit of the bye, it will almost certainly stay so as to appease Channel 7. The Thursday night final gave them another prime-time fixture and that equates to lots of $$$'s. Perhaps that's the reason why we got the bye in the first place. Anyway, after initially not liking the idea at all, I've warmed to the concept. We probably need a 6-8 year sample size to properly analyse the games and results though. But as stated, it will stay for other reasons. Giving the players 2 weeks rest after an exhausting season sounds like a logical step forward ... our sport has become such an endurance test that any sort of rest can be beneficial. Momentum can be lost though so I'm not totally sold as yet.

I honestly believe the better way to fix it is to get rid of the congestion. But our voices are in the minority dc with regards to the whole 'incorrect disposal' debate anyway ... as I stated earlier, most supporters of the sport are seemingly happy to "let the game evolve" Evolve into 'what' is my retort. The sport sells itself to a large degree because of all sorts of other reasons. I'd prefer if it was absolutely bullet-proof. In other words, make it so great that other sports pale into insignificance.

We'll defeat all the teams outside the 8 (or most of them) when we're good enough to do so. At the moment we're not good enough to do so - our list is developing regardless of what the club tells us or what the club has told us in the past. The best test is the eye test - your own eyes. We've got about 6 - 8 consistently good performers with another 5 or 6 who can get to that level. 6 - 8 consistently good performers falls short in terms of how many wins a team can get. Finals are a small possibility with that number of decent players but a flag is virtually impossible. Plus, a team needs a progressive, innovative top-line coach. Let's hope that Goodwin is that coach. We've got it all in front of us.

I saw at least 30 throws yesterday ... but I'm applying the old interpretation. I reckon the AFL could serve up just up anything to the masses and they'd munch into it. The sport would be absolutely bullet-proof if we had decent custodians. Yesterday was a great 'contest' and it really was fantastic to watch. But it wasn't a great exhibition of Australian rules footy.

Allowing the ball to 'spill free' in a tackle has been going on for the best part of 5 years ... it's the AFL's answer to congestion. It reminds me of union where the player who is tackled places the ball behind or in league where the player once tackled is allowed to stand up and 'pseudo-kick' the ball backwards. A free not paid with the ball spilling free in a tackle didn't just rear it's ugly head in this GF. The AFL basically re-wrote the rules with regards to holding the ball and their reasoning is that they want "continues play" ... the problem with that is the sport now somewhat resembles league & union. If you like rolling mauls, great. I don't because it's not the footy I was brought up on. So either put up with it or do one of 2 things ... pay lots more holding-the-ball decisions or get rid of the congestion. To get rid of the congestion requires a dramatic reduction in rotations and/or less players on the ground. Much like the short-pass now dominates the sport, congestion is here to stay unless the AFL becomes proactive and fixes it. If you're happy with the congestion, so be it.

It's been that way for 4-5 years now Wyl ... as soon as congested footy became the norm, it's been in vogue (incorrect disposal) 2 ways to fix it ... pay an extra 20-30 free kicks per game or reduce the amount of players on the ground. In conjunction with a further reduction in rotations. Otherwise, we'll just have to put up with it. Edit: Did a quick search and found this comment about incorrect disposal from 4 years ago ... incorrect disposal

Well done to the Doggies and their supporters I know plenty and they will cry tears of joy.

The argument you're putting forward has been put forward before rjay ... and then nothing changes. The big clubs with large supporter bases get a 'leeway time' that can extend for long periods of time ... when those clubs start playing finals they then open up a big window for themselves. That's the formula as I see it. We can talk about what should happen and we do - every year. But nothing really changes. The Blues, Pies, Tigers & Dons will almost certainly collectively get a disproportionate amount of prime-time games next season relative to their position on the ladder this season. So the best way for our club to get these sort of games is to first of all play well and then to broker deals with the big clubs so as to get exposure in prime-time games. We've done it with the Tigers & Pies and it looks like it will be happening with Essendon as well. We can also do deals with the Blues, Hawks, Cats and even the Doggies could present an opportunity. 60,000+ crowds in prime-time games adds up to an excellent windfall if those games are our home games. As for our sponsors, they get great exposure either way.

Here's a comedy/horror movie known for it's cheesiness & ham acting. 'The Comedy of Terrors' ... Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone & Boris Karloff all try to outdo and outwit one another in this farcical comedy. Even the house-cat brings a few laughs.

It's about popularity with regards to prime-time fixturing ... winning games helps but it's not the cure-all that people think it is. Forget about what we're told - that's all bs & spin. If you look back at all the prime-time fixturing for the last 15 or so years you'll see a pattern. The 'big' clubs are nearly always well represented and the only way a less popular club gets these sorts of fixtures is if they perform consistently well on a year by year basis (primarily) One bad year and you're often off the list (unless you're a big club) There are huge commercial interests at play and those commercial interests are going to win out. Channel 7 would have a big say in proceedings and they'll want a big return for their buck. Maximising viewers = higher advertising revenue. Even when we were playing finals on a semi consistent basis the most prime-time games we ever got was about 5 ... Collingwood received about 9 prime time fixtures in 2006 (plus Anzac day & the QB) after having a 5 & 17 record the year before (they tanked in 2005 as well) "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" was never more apt 'BR' ... the good news is our club can benefit. I'd rather that than having to ask for compensation (which is perceived & viewed as hand-outs)

The fixturing of prime-time games is largely based on popular support ... that's the way it has been and that's the way it will almost certainly continue. Like it or not. So it's up to our club to find a way into these games ... we're not going to take on city hall and beat them so the initiatives involving the Pies (long standing), Tigers (more recently) and now the Bombers are good ones. Essendon are not going to be punished any further. In fact, they're going to get some favours thrown their way. And if our club can benefit as a consequence, I'm all for it.