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 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-7)
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (8-7)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 12:00 PM
ARROWHEAD STADIUM
Regular Season Game 16 (PDF)
TV: CBS Regional Coverage (KCTV-5 in Kansas City) – Gus Johnson handlesthe play-by-play duties, while former Bills Pro Bowl special teamsperformer and WR Steve Tasker provides the color with commentary. NATIONAL RADIO: CBS Radio/Westwood One – Harry Kalas and Trev Alberts. LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) – Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby. THE MATCH-UP
The Chiefs and Jaguars are set to square off in the first-ever New Year’s Eve contest at Arrowhead. Both clubs need a victory and plenty of help to secure a postseason berth. The Chiefs playoff hopes hinge on a win vs. Jacksonville combined with a Denver loss, a Cincinnati loss/tie and a Tennessee loss/tie. Meanwhile, Jacksonville needs a victory against the Chiefs, a loss by the N.Y. Jets, a Cincinnati loss/tie and a Tennessee loss/tie to get into the postseason dance. Head coach Herm Edwards is seeking to join Gunther Cunningham (’98) as just the second head coach in franchise history to post nine victories in his inaugural season with the club. Kansas City is coming off a 20-9 win at Oakland (12/23), extending the club’s winning streak against the Raiders to eight games. The Chiefs own an NFL-best 20-2 (.909) record in December home games and are 12-2 when their final regular season contest of the year is played at Arrowhead. Former Chiefs LB Jack Del Rio makes his debut appearance as an opposing head coach at Arrowhead. Del Rio played for Kansas City in ‘87-88 and is now in his fourth season as Jacksonville’s head coach. He guided the Jaguars to a 12-4 mark a year ago and is attempting to lead his squad into the postseason for a second consecutive season. Jacksonville is coming off a 24-21 loss vs. New England (12/24). Twelve-time NFL All-Star Will Shields and three-time Pro Bowl invitee Brian Waters are the NFL’s first pair of teammates at guard to make the Pro Bowl three years in a row. Thanks to that duo and the rest of Kansas City’s offensive front, two-time Pro Bowl RB Larry Johnson has racked up 1,651 rushing yards on the season and needs exactly 100 yards to surpass the single-season franchise record 1,750 yards he accumulated in 2005. The Jaguars have a pair of talented backs at their disposal in RB Fred Taylor, who racked up his sixth 1,000-yard campaign in 2006, and rookie RB Maurice Jones-Drew, who has averaged 131.7 ypg over the past three contests. Jacksonville currently ranks second in the NFL, averaging 161.9 rushing yards per game. THE SERIES
The Chiefs are 1-4 in regular season action against the Jaguars. Kansas City’s lone win in this series was a 30-26 win at Jacksonville (12/30/01). The Jaguars have claimed two straight victories against the Chiefs, including a 22-16 win at Jacksonville (10/17/04) in the most recent meeting between the two franchises. The Jaguars also won their only previous regular season game in KC by a 23-16 count at Arrowhead (9/15/02). The Chiefs are 1-3 against the Jaguars in four preseason games played from ‘98-01, giving KC a 2-7 mark in all contests in the history of the series. The Chiefs lone preseason win against the Jaguars came when KC prevailed by a narrow 22-21 margin at Arrowhead (8/22/98) in the initial preseason meeting between the two clubs. REMEMBERING OUR FOUNDER, LAMAR HUNTThe National Football League and the American sports community lost a true treasure on December 13th when Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt passed away in Dallas, Texas at the age of 74. Recognized as one of the greatest sportsmen in American history, Mr. Hunt served as the guiding force behind the formation of the American Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs franchise. Mr. Hunt served as a positive influence on the game for 47 years. He was the first AFL figure to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ‘72, a remarkable feat considering he became involved in the game just 13 years earlier. Despite his many accomplishments and his induction into eight different Halls of Fame, Mr. Hunt’s humility was one of his most unwavering and most endearing traits. Whether it was serving as a key player in the AFL-NFL merger talks, coining the term “Super Bowl” or having the vision to conceive of Arrowhead Stadium, few individuals helped change the face of America’s favorite game for the better more than this quiet Texan. The Chiefs will celebrate Mr. Hunt’s life and legacy throughout Sunday’s game. For the third consecutive game, the Chiefs will wear an “LH” decal on their helmets to honor Mr. Hunt’s memory.
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It feels like a stunt: Passing on Christmas morning. Shouldn't James Brown get on up and do one more swirl, like he did at the end of every show: feigning exhaustion, being helped off the stage by his emcee, then suddenly throwing off his cape and leading his band -- some of the best players in the history of R&B and rock 'n' roll -- through one last paroxysm of energy and sound?
In the face of crushing odds -- abandonment, poverty, incarceration, racism -- Brown begat funk as the sound of ecstatic defiance. The hardest working man in show business built his persona on his seemingly divine stamina. How Shakespearean that it was his lungs' collapse that finally silenced the Godfather of Soul.
Never mind Presley, Dylan, or the Beatles. You would be hard-pressed to find a single more important influence on the music of the last half-century than James Brown. The echoes of the string of extraordinary records in the '50s and '60s that the son of the rural South made reverberate through today's hit styles. The propulsive soul that Brown not merely forged but personified is the heartbeat of Justin Timberlake's rhythmic pop, Jay-Z's hip-hop, Lil' Jon's crunk, Beyoncé's R&B. Mick Jagger owes his strutting style and Bruce Springsteen his cathartic routines to Brown's legendary stage shows. Eddie Murphy tapped him for comic genius. Michael Jackson trained at his altar. The Rev. Al Sharpton copped his pompadour and President Clinton could easily have studied the James Brown guide to charismatic performance (and sexual shenanigans).
Even President Bush interrupted his holiday to pay tribute to a true legend: "An American original, his fans came from all walks of life and backgrounds."
"I feel God is finally blessing me," Brown told The Miami Herald four years ago, when the BMI Urban Awards paid tribute to him at Club Tropigala in Miami Beach's Fontainebleau.
It was a funny thing for a living legend -- a man who decades earlier had risen from abject poverty to sell millions of records -- to say. But then, with arrests and time served for drugs, guns, and domestic violence, Brown's life in the '80s and '90s had fallen almost as far as it had soared. The BMI honor was one of a slew presented in his last years, from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to the Kennedy Center. At the Tropigala, Brown got on stage with a band of modern heavyweight producers -- the Neptunes, Dallas Austin, Rodney Jerkins -- and singers Angie Stone and Betty Wright. Today's musicians, used to studios rather than the precision-making grind of hundreds of shows a year, couldn't hold a candle to the Famous Flames, Brown's first group, or its followers, the James Brown Band and the J.B.'s.
Brown's act was sweat and gloss. He was a taskmaster band leader and choreographer who laid down the funkiest jams in history. Along with other soul singers, he brought the transformative fever of black gospel to Harlem's Apollo Stage, to secular radio and to the world. Surely, he has one last resurrectionary, insurrectionary "HUH!" in him, followed by a blast of horns -- Gabriel's trumpet this time, not "Pee Wee" Ellis' sax -- before the final curtain falls.
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 If boiled down to a simple synopsis, the Beatles' LOVE sounds radical: assisted by his father, the legendary Beatles producer George, Giles Martin has assembled a remix album where familiar Fab Four tunes aren't just refurbished, they're given the mashup treatment, meaning different versions of different songs are pasted together to create a new track. Ever since the turn of the century, mashups were in vogue in the underground, as such cutnpaste jobs as Freelance Hellraiser's "Stroke of Genius" which paired up the Strokes' "Last Night" with Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" circulated on the net, but no major group issued their own mashup mastermix until LOVE in November 2006. Put in those terms, it seems like LOVE is a grand experiment, a piece of art for art's sake, but that's hardly the case. Its genesis lies with the Beatles agreeing to collaborate with performance dance troupe Cirque du Soleil on a project that evolved into the Las Vegas stage show LOVE, an extravaganza that cost well over 100 million dollars and was designed to generate revenue far exceeding that. During preproduction, all involved realized that the original Beatles tapes needed to be remastered in order to sound impressive by modern standards when pumped through the huge new theater the theater made just with this dance revue in mind and since they needed to be tweaked, they might as well use the opportunity to do something different with the familiar music, too: to remix and reimagine it, to make LOVE be something unique to both the Beatles and Cirque du Soleil. Keep in mind the Cirque du Soleil portion of the equation: George and Giles Martin may have been given free reign to recontextualize the Beatles' catalog, but given that this was for a project that cost hundreds of millions of dollars this wasn't quite the second coming of The Grey Album, where Danger Mouse surreptitiously mashed up The White Album with JayZ's The Black Album. This isn't an art project and it isn't underground, either: it's a big, splashy commercial endeavor, one that needs to surprise millions of Beatles fans without alienating them, since the mission is to please fans whether they're hearing this in the theater or at home. And so, the curious LOVE, a purported reimagining of the most familiar catalog in pop music, winds up being less interesting or surprising than its description would suggest. Neither an embarrassment or a revelation, LOVE is at first mildly odd but its novelty soon recedes, revealing that these are the same songs that know you by heart, only with louder drums and occasionally with a few parts in different places. Often, what's presented here isn't far afield from the original recording: strip "Because" down to its vocals and it still sounds very much like the "Because" on Abbey Road and that arrangement is actually one of the more drastic here. Whether they're songs as spare and stark as "Eleanor Rigby" or "Yesterday," as trippy as "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" or as basic as "Get Back," the songs remain the same, as do most of the arrangements, right down to the laughter and sound effects sprinkled throughout "I Am the Walrus." There's only one cut that has the thrilling unpredictability of a genuine mashup and that's a cut that blends together "Drive My Car," "The Word" and "What You're Doing," punctuated with horns from "Savoy Truffle"; a chorus from one song flows into the verse from another, as keyboards and percussion from all three, plus more, come together to make something that's giddy, inventive and fresh. But that's the exception to the rule, since most of this delivers juxtapositions that seem obvious based on the concept of the project itself: it doesn't take a great leap of imagination to set the melody of "Within You Without You" to the backing track of "Tomorrow Never Knows," since both derive from the same psychedelic era and share similar themes. Throughout LOVE, songs are augmented by samples from roughly the same phase in the Beatles career, so "Strawberry Fields Forever" is enhanced by "Penny Lane," "Hello Goodbye," "Piggies" and "In My Life," but not "There's a Place," "It Won't Be Long," or "I Feel Fine," selections that could have been truly startling. It also would have been startling if those snippets of "Penny Lane" and "Hello Goodbye" were threaded within "Strawberry Fields," in a fashion similar to "Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing," but they're added to the end of the song, a move that's typical of the Martins' work here. With a few exceptions scattered throughout the record, all the mashups are saved for the very end of the song, which has the effect of preserving the feel of the original song while drawing attention to the showiest parts of the Martins' new mixes, giving the illusion that they've changed things around more than they actually have. Not that the Martins simply add things to the original recordings; that may be the bulk of their work here, but they do subtly change things on occasion. Most notably, they structure "Strawberry Fields" as a progression from the original demo to the finished single version (a move that is, admittedly, borrowed from Anthology 2) and they've used an alternate demo take of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," to which George Martin has written a sympathetic new string arrangement. It also has to be said that the craft behind LOVE is impeccable: it flows as elegantly as the second side of Abbey Road, which is an achievement of no small measure. But there lies the rub: even if LOVE elicits a certain admiration for how Giles and George have crafted their mashups, it elicits a greater admiration for the original productions and arrangements, which display far more imagination and audacity than the mixes here. Take a song as seemingly straightforward as "Lady Madonna," a Fats Domino tribute so good the man himself recorded it. This mix highlights weird flourishes like the carnivalesque vocal harmonies of the bridge things that were so densely interwoven into the original single mix that they didn't stand out but by isolating them here and inserting them at the front of the song, the Martins lessen the dramatic impact of these harmonies, just like how the gutlevel force of McCartney's heavy, heavy bass here is tamed by how it's buried in the mix. The original has an arrangement that builds where this gets to the good part immediately, then stays there, a problem that plagues all of LOVE.enough in their mashups, creating new music out of old, turning it into something mindblowing. But when there's a multimultimillion dollar production at stake, creating something truly mindblowing is not really the goal: offering the familiar dressed up as something new is, and that's what LOVE delivers with bigbudget style and flair, and more than a touch of Vegas gaudiness. It's an extravaganza, bright and colorful and relentless in its quest to entertain but beneath all the bluster, LOVE isn't much more than nostalgia masquerading as something new. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-7)
OAKLAND RAIDERS (2-12)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23,
7:00 PM (CENTRAL)
McAFEE COLISEUMRegular Season Game 15 (PDF)
TV: NFL Network (KSHB-41 in Kansas City) – Bryant Gumbel and Dick Vermeil. NATIONAL RADIO: CBS Radio/Westwood One – Joel Meyers and Kevin Kiley. LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) – Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby.
THE MATCH-UP
Kansas City concludes a two-game AFC West road swing with a Saturday night contest at Oakland (12/23). The game will be telecast to a national audience by NFL Network with the color commentary coming courtesy of former Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil. Kansas City is 8-1 all-time in Saturday night games, but hasn’t played in such a contest since registering an 18-7 win at Buffalo (10/5/68). The Chiefs are still mourning the loss of Founder Lamar Hunt, who passed away on December 13th. As the founding father of the American Football League, no one reveled in defeating the Raiders more than Hunt. The last Chiefs victory Hunt witnessed in person was the club’s 17-13 victory vs. Oakland (11/19), a win that marked the Chiefs 50th victory in their longtime rivalry with the Silver and Black. Both of these former AFL foes are seeking to get back on the winning track in this Saturday night contest. Kansas City is attempting to snap a three-game losing streak after suffering a 20-9 loss in a Sunday night contest at San Diego (12/17). Meanwhile, Oakland is currently mired in a seven-game losing streak after suffering a 20-0 setback vs. St. Louis (12/17). Kansas City will be attempting to win its eighth straight contest against a Raiders franchise has never lost eight consecutive games to a single opponent. Although the Chiefs have won seven straight contests against Oakland, all of those games have all been decided by six points or less, with KC winning by an average margin of just 4.7 points per game. Chiefs RB Larry Johnson has scored the game-winning points with under two minutes remaining in the fourth-quarter of the last two Chiefs-Raiders match-ups. Johnson currently ranks second in the NFL with 1,516 rushing yards. His 3,266 rushing yards in 2005-06 are the highest total in consecutive seasons in franchise history. The Chiefs conclude the regular season with a home date vs. Jacksonville (12/31), while the Raiders finish their 2006 campaign with a contest at the N.Y. Jets (12/31). THE SERIES
Kansas City owns a 50-43-2 advantage over Oakland in regular and postseason play. The only team the Chiefs have defeated more frequently is Denver (51). The Chiefs own a six-game edge in the all-time regular season series between the two squads at 48-42-2 dating to the AFL’s inaugural season of ‘60. The Chiefs are 2-1 against the Silver and Black in postseason play. The Chiefs are 26-8 (.765) overall vs. the Raiders dating back to ‘90, including a ‘91 AFC playoff tilt. The Chiefs own a seven-game winning streak against the Raiders, the club’s longest victory stretch against the Silver and Black since winning seven straight from ‘93-96. Neither team has produced an eight-game victory string in this series. Kansas City owns a 7-4 (.636) regular season record at Oakland since ‘95, including a streak of three straight wins. The Chiefs claimed a 17-13 victory in their most recent contest against the Raiders at Arrowhead (11/19). RB Larry Johnson plowed into the end zone from one yard out to give the Chiefs the lead with 1:32 left to play. The Raiders quickly drove downfield, but S Jarrad Page picked off a QB Aaron Brooks pass in the end zone to seal the victory. KC owns a pair of postseason wins against the Raiders, getting a 17-7 win in the ‘69 AFL Championship Game (1/4/70) and a 10-6 victory in the first postseason contest played at Arrowhead (12/28/91).
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 When it comes to planning your New Year's Eve party to bring in 2007, there's only one party to have…and that's a Bond, James Bond, 007 Party, of course. And as if you would question why, here's another reason. The remake of Casino Royale is being released at Thanksgiving so it should be available on DVD by then for a personal screening! If you play your cards right, your guests will be treated royally and you'll be the talk of the town! Look out Las Vegas! Move over Monte Carlo! Casino Royale, here we come…
DIRECTIONSInvitation:
The invitation can be a custom CD with Bond theme songs with a personalized custom cover, a custom invitation from Party411 or you can make your own and send it with poker chips and/or dice. Here is some fun wording. [FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981...)
Her Majesty's Secret Service
Invites you to spend New Year's Eve at the
CASINO ROYALE (1967, 2006) to celebrate 007!
Hosted by 009 (Lynn) and 003 (Sam Green)
1234 Main Street
Estes Park
You Only Live Twice (1967)…so
RSVP before you
Die Another Day (2002)
Printed on outside of envelope: From Russia with Love (1963) and your return address.
RSVP and let us know if only The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) could keep you away or if you’re shaken but not stirred enough to come.
[List phone and email]
Entrance/Welcome
Welcome sign: Her Majesty's Secret Service Welcomes You! A casino Scenesetter where guests enter of either a slot machine wall or casino signs of your choice hanging from the ceiling! If budget allows, use Poker Party Princess costumes or light up martini glasses. Bars/Buffets
Shaken Not Stirred Martini Bar From Russia with Love On Her Majesty's Secret Service Fish and Chips Octopussy Sushi Bar “You Only Live Twice So Eat Up” Buffet Gold-Finger Foods and Appetizers (tea sandwiches and the like!) Decorate the buffets with dice lights… Tables
Set your table with any of these Casino Royale-type papergoodsAdd centerpieces: large martini glasses filled with marbles and blinkers...cool! Confetti: Use typical confetti or better yet, light up diceNapkin rings: poker chip keyrings around each napkin or flashing dice magnetic lapel pins attached to each Entertainment
Casino Games Bond Trivia Contest Vote for Your Favorite Bond "Name the Villain" Game Bond Karaoke (great photo op) Casino Area
Use a casino Casino scene setter or signage to make an entrance to your "casino!" Within the room, decorate with casino balloons, dice columns and more! Use Party411 personalized money with your face(s) or we can provide personalized poker chipsParty Favors
Aston Martin DB5 cut-out for pictures…just set it atop an 8' table with a chair behind for fun photos to take home! Personalized money with your face or anyone's for that matter! Personalized water bottlesCasino Royale personalized candy barsCasino Royale personalized beer bottle labelsChocolate poker chips2007 Glasses and/or dollar sign sunglasses make for great casino prizes. Casino Prizes
Plush poker chipsMoney bandanasDollar sign necklaceDice beads$100 clockFor your information, here is a list by year of Bond movies. Feel free to add them into your party "scheme!"
1. Dr. No (1962)
2. From Russia With Love (1963)
3. Goldfinger (1964)
4. Thunderball (1965)
5. You Only Live Twice (1967)
6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
8. Live And Let Die (1973)
9. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
11. Moonraker (1979)
12. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
13. Octopussy (1983)
14. A View To A Kill (1985)
15. The Living Daylights (1987)
16. Licence To Kill (1989)
17. GoldenEye (1995)
18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
19. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
20. Die Another Day (2002)
21. Casino Royale (2006)
And, of course, here’s a list of villains: Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
M
Q
Odd Job
Pussy Galore
James
Bond
Dr. No
Jaws
Miss Moneypenny
Goldfinger
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Inflation at the wholesale level surged by the largest amount in more than three decades in November, reflecting higher prices for gasoline and a host of other items. Americans aren't worried -- they fully plan to emerge from bankruptcy as soon as they receive all those mail-in rebates. Of course, they're counting on getting the rebates before they change identities to avoid paying off the credit cards. Hey, in America, timing is everything. (HaBlog) This week a top general at the Pentagon said the War on Terror could take a 100 years to fight. President Bush was furious about the 100-year prediction and said, "Stop setting a fixed timetable." (Conan O'Brien) President George W. Bush attempted to build support for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq today, arguing that Iraq is now “the main front in the war on gay marriage.” (BorowitzReport.com) Donald Trump will let Miss USA keep her title. In return, Tara Conner promises to check into rehab and never throw up on The Donald's hair again. (HaBlog) Rolling Stone Magazine named Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" Best Album of 2006. It's a good album. Bob Dylan still sings down his nose -- but his nose has matured. (Toms Lake Humor Company) You know, ladies and gentlemen, there’s a new ‘Rocky’ film opening. Listen to this, the President knew about it and failed to act in time. (David Letterman) Rosie O'Donnell apologized to Asian-Americans for mocking the Chinese language on "The View" It hasn't stopped her from working. Next week she's doing a holiday special with Michael Richards and Mel Gibson called "A David Duke Christmas." (comedian Argus Hamilton) A study says Americans spend more time watching TV, listening to the radio, reading newspapers and getting online than anything else but breathing. Experts were shocked. Americans do something more than eat? (Jim Barach) "Time” magazine has come out with its person of the year. It’s you. It’s everyone. This year it is everyone. My question though – if we are all the person of the year why should we have to pay $4.95 for a copy? Shouldn’t we all be given a copy for free? (Jay Leno)
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This year in holiday sounds
By Kurt B. Reighley
Special to MSN MusicIf you'd showed up at the office dressed as an elf in, say, July, some grouch from human resources would immediately circulate an all-staff e-mail explaining why tights and curly-toed slippers are not acceptable work attire (even for casual Fridays). But don the same outfit in December, and people smile at you. They might cross to the other side of the street, but they smile nevertheless. What is the explanation for this phenomenon? Simple: Anything goes at Christmas. Want to eat sweets all day? No problem. Shop and spend recklessly, until the digits wear off your credit cards? You're a national hero. Drape the entire apartment complex in garlands of holly and silver tinsel? Here, let me hold the ladder. People just go cuckoo at Christmas. Yet if your enthusiasm spills over into the specific area of Christmas music, those same loving friends and neighbors start giving you the hairy eyeball. They express shock if you whistle along to " Jingle Bells" at the supermarket, or pop Elvis' Christmas album in the CD player when your turn to drive the carpool comes around. Listen to Classical Christmas on MSN Radio Blame this double standard on overexposure. Madison Avenue has much to answer for. Once upon a time, folks only heard Christmas music in church, or when they welcomed packs of roving carolers into their home. Nowadays, the mall and television lousy with yuletide music from Halloween to New Year's Eve. Office supply vendors co-opt " White Christmas" to peddle more correction fluid and printer paper. What was once rare and precious is now hopelessly ubiquitous. Familiarity breeds contempt. And yet, this is largely what makes Christmas music so charming. (Its familiarity, not its contemptuousness.) It is the great equalizer. Anyone can chime in on " Deck the Halls" -- fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. Does it get any simpler? Listen to Cool Yule for Cool Cats on MSN Radio Alas, being a character -- an icon, even -- isn't enough when the music falls flat. Bass player Bootsy Collins, of Parliament, Funkadelic, and Bootsy's Rubber Band fame, is one of the founding fathers of funk, and an intergalactic fashion plate, too. But "Christmas Is 4 Ever" (Shout! Factory) stretches his cartoon-character shtick mighty thin. Updates of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Sleigh Ride" get goosed with monster-sized lashings of low-end bounce, but feel woefully short of genuine sentiment. Original numbers like "Happy Holidaze," featuring forgettable rhymes by Snoop Dogg, fare even worse. Pass the cranberry sauce -- this one's a turkey. Listen to Pop/R&B Christmas on MSN Radio Country singers Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison aren't exactly household names, but they've probably been in your living room recently: They're featured prominently in a recent TV ad campaign for Claritin. " Happy Holidays" (Ryko) won't clear up your sinuses, but it will elicit a smile, a laugh and maybe even a tear. Readings of " Baby, It's Cold Outside," " The Christmas Waltz" and " Santa Baby" prance along with a Western swing feel, pitched right between classic country and vocal jazz. The duo even manages to redeem the maudlin "Please Daddy, Don't Get Drunk," replacing the overwrought sincerity of the original recording artist, John Denver, with a playful nudge and a wink.
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posted by Party Kansas City at
 Strong Rock Debut From Chris Daughtry
It's difficult to imagine how a win on American Idol Season 5 would have boosted Chris Daughtry beyond where he stands today. Despite being eliminated earlier from the competition than most expected, Daughtry was quickly signed to a recording contract, and this album proves that his label's confidence was warranted. Chris Daughtry is a strong, confident rock performer, and this album ranks with Kelly Clarkson's Thankful as one of the best post-Idol debut albums.
Variety Adds Interest
Chris Daughtry kicks off the album with a throaty growl reminiscent of Nickelback's Chad Kroeger. He could have stayed within that model throughout the album and pleased a number of fans, but Daughtry is confident enough to add variety to the album's 12 songs. "Feels Like Tonight" is an arena rock classic waiting to be released, and "What I Want," featuring guitar work from Slash, gives Chris Daughtry the opportunity to add some bluesy metal swagger to his bag of tricks. From Bill Lamb, Your Guide to Top 40 / Pop
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 VIDEO: In memoriam, Lamar Hunt - Real or Windows I would like so much for the grandchildren to know what a truly kind and good man their grandfather was. He loved the Lord in his very quiet way and had such integrity and strength of character in all the things he has done. I hope that they will carry those memories of him with them because those qualities are what has made him such a beloved person. He wanted people to love the sports like he did. He loved sports so much, he was so passionate about them and he wanted others to share the joy.
- Norma Hunt, Wife
He saw things and understood things that would be good for the game many, many years ahead of other people.
- Clark Hunt, Son
He was a visionary, he was clever, he was creative, he was stubborn, he was optimistic, he was stubbornly optimistic, he looked at things for the long haul.
- Sharron Hunt Munson, Daughter
It was more about providing people with opportunities, letting people display their talents and gifts and sports is really where that manifested itself.
- Lamar Hunt, Jr., Son
He didn’t miss anything. If it came to counting parking spots in parking lots, he was out there doing it all himself.
- Dan Hunt, Son
I accused him of being in the entertainment business, but to him it was sports and it was a game. His high school friends that named him ‘games’ correctly named him.
- Herbert Hunt, Brother
To know him you loved him. Even if you were on the opposite side, you loved him.
- Caroline Hunt, Sister
Lamar Hunt’s a pioneer and a pillar of the National Football League. He’s been innovative and creative throughout all the years he’s been involved. There aren’t enough words to accurately describe who Lamar Hunt was and what he has meant to the NFL and to Kansas City. For the Chiefs, he was our Founder. He’s the guy who made the decision to move the franchise from Dallas to Kansas City. It was a great decision. To Kansas City, he’s more than just the owner of a professional franchise. He’s committed himself there with other businesses such as Hunt Midwest Enterprises, creating thousands of jobs throughout the Kansas City community. He’s been one of the most philanthropic people I’ve ever been involved with.
- Carl Peterson, President, Kansas City Chiefs
When you talk about humility, Lamar Hunt’s name should be in the dictionary under that term because of how he carried himself and how he always put others and thought about others before himself.
- Herm Edwards, Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs
All the times that Lamar and I were together in 47 years there was never one day that I felt that I was working for Lamar. He always made me feel I was working with him.
- Jack Steadman, Vice Chairman of the Board, Kansas City Chiefs
Lamar Hunt was one of the greatest leaders and innovators in the history of sports. His vision transformed pro football and helped turn a regional sport into a national passion. Lamar created a model franchise in the Kansas City Chiefs, but he was always equally devoted to the best interests of the league and the game, from the AFL-NFL merger to the two-point conversion. His legacy is unmatched in sports and the NFL — a pioneer, a founding father, and one of the most important architects in the history of our game.
- Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner
He was one of the most considerate, one of the most thoughtful and one of the most visionary people you could ever deal with. Lamar Hunt was a founding father of modern professional sports and a tremendous sports visionary and leader. I first met Lamar in 1969 and had the privilege of working closely with him on an extraordinary range of projects in a number of sports. He always led with vision, tenacity and humility. He played football at Southern Methodist University and was passionate about the game and a perfectionist as well. Above all else, he was intensely focused on the best interests of the fans — especially his beloved Chiefs fans — and on the collective interests of the league and of his fellow owners, no matter the sport. Norma and Lamar have always been among the most supportive friends and colleagues that Chan and I have had during our decades in the NFL. We will miss Lamar very deeply.
- Paul Tagliabue, NFL Commissioner, 1989-2006
When you walked in a room and you saw him and saw he was a part of something, you knew it was something that was branded with integrity and solid and something you could stand behind.
- Robert Kraft, Owner, New England Patriots
Lamar Hunt had a dream and, the thing is, we had dreams, too. Just imagine the number of people that he has touched because he said, I’m going after this dream.
- Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson
Lamar Hunt went to the NFL and he said, ‘I want to buy a NFL team,’ or ‘I want to put up money to create a team,’ and they said, ‘no.’ That just tickles me to death. (Lamar) said, well, if you don’t want to give me a team, I’ll just go start my own league.
- Hall of Fame WR Don Maynard
He was someone that you were just attracted to, you wanted to be part of his circle. People just gravitated to him. He had this ability to influence and to turn a room and to communicate his side so effectively with a quiet, confidence that was unnerving. He was the man who invented the American Football League and coined the term Super Bowl, but when Lamar was talking about soccer there was that glint in his eye. It’s just something very special and when the books are written, the book on American soccer is going to have chapters on Lamar Hunt and what he did both in the past and the present for the game here.
- Don Garber, Major League Soccer Commissioner
If Lamar had done for sports in Great Britain what he has done for them here he would have been knighted by the queen.
- Kenny Cooper, former Dallas Tornados goalie
I think people need to be aware of what he brought to the sport of tennis: the passion he brought, the love of the game. He was someone who really gave these players an opportunity to go out and make a great living. He cared about the sport. I was lucky that I came at the time where it was just starting to explode and there were a lot of great personalities in the sport yet, at the same time, you had at least a sense of appreciation for what a man like Lamar Hunt was laying on the line. What he did was what he continued to do in soccer which was trying to raise the profile of the sport that is huge worldwide but not as big in the states.
- John McEnroe, tennis champion
Lamar was so much more than a contributor to sports. He was a founder and a creator. His vision and his passion shaped the sporting landscape of this country like few others have before him. His innovative drive was inspired by his love of the games, the athletes and the spirit of competition. He was a gentleman. He moved comfortably among the giants of sports and always had the common touch. Our deepest sympathies are with Norma and the family.
- Jerry Jones, Owner/President/General Manager, Dallas Cowboys
Lamar Hunt was one of the finest owners in the history of professional football and one of America’s greatest sportsmen. It has been my privilege to work with and compete against Lamar. It was an honor for me to have a close relationship with Lamar and with his family, and that came out of 23 years of working together and competing against each other. In my early years Lamar had a significant influence on me as a new owner in the league. My condolences go to Norma and to his entire family, as well as to the Kansas City Chiefs organization.
- Pat Bowlen, Owner, Denver Broncos
I have much admiration for his love of professional football and, of course, the American Football League, which he started. We were rivals, we were friends, we were competitors. Lamar Hunt is a legend and will be sorely missed as he has been a part of our lives for the past five decades. Our hearts and emotions go out to his wife, Norma, sons Lamar and Clark and the rest of the family.
- Al Davis, Oakland Raiders
The San Diego Chargers exist today, in large part, due to the courage and vision of Lamar Hunt. He was one of the founding fathers of the old American Football League. He along with the other original AFL owners had the foresight of what football could become in America and dared to begin a new league in competition against the National Football League. The success of the old AFL caused the merger of the two leagues and has given us the NFL we have today. And after that and throughout his ownership, Lamar was always one of the League’s most respected owners and leaders. On countless occasions he was a voice of reason that always helped the League reach the right decision to the betterment of everyone and the future of the game. Everyone who has ever enjoyed the fruits of this great game and league – owner, coach, player alike – owes Lamar Hunt a debt of gratitude today.
- Dean Spanos, President, San Diego Chargers
He had an undeniable to get things done the right way. There was nobody like him. There was nobody like him. Lamar is the most unique person I have ever known. He led in a quiet but confident way. He was able to build consensus through discussion, and his ultimate objective was to do what was best for the NFL. His demeanor never changed after victory or defeat. He was always interested in what he might do “to help”. I consider myself most fortunate to have had the privilege to know and work with Lamar. His contributions to the National Football League as we know it today are unparalleled, and his presence and friendship will be missed. The Schottenheimer family extends our sympathies to Norma and the Hunt family.
- Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach, 1989-98
December 16th, a memorial service will be conducted at 1:00 PM (Central) at Moody Coliseum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The service is open to the general public.
Arrangements are being finalized for a follow-up memorial service in Kansas City. Details will be forthcoming in the next day. The public is invited.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Heart of a Champion Foundation.
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 N. Harwood
Dallas, TX 75201
Heart of a Champion Foundation
P.O. Box 740126
Dallas, TX 75374-0126
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 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-6)
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (11-2)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 7:15 PM
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Listen Live to
Chiefs vs ChargersClick Here for the (PDF) TV: NBC National Coverage (KSHB-41 in Kansas City) Al Michaels, John Madden and Andrea Kremer. NATIONAL RADIO: CBS Radio/Westwood One: Dave Sims, Bob Trumpy and Kevin Kiley. LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby. THE MATCH-UPKansas City and San Diego will square off in a nationally-televised Sunday night contest on NBC as the Chiefs visit Qualcomm Stadium. The Chiefs own a 7-6 record and are attempting to snap a two-game losing streak after suffering a 20-10 loss vs. Baltimore (12/10). Kansas City needs to pull off its second win of the season against the Chargers if the Chiefs have aspirations of getting into the AFC Wild Card chase. The Chargers are arguably the NFL’s hottest squad, owning a seven-game winning streak. San Diego clinched the AFC West with a 48-20 win vs. Denver (12/10). San Diego owns an AFC-best 11-2 record and is seeking to stay ahead of Indianapolis (10-3) and Baltimore (10-3) in the race for homefield advantage in the AFC. Kansas City head coach Herm Edwards owns a 4-1 career record versus Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer in the regular season and playoffs. Edwards’ squad won the initial clash of the year between these two teams when K Lawrence Tynes drilled a 53-yard FG with 0:06 remaining to thwart a furious San Diego fourth-quarter comeback and give Kansas CIty a 30-27 victory (10/22), making Kansas City the most recent team to defeat the Chargers. It’s been over a decade since these two AFC West rivals dueled in prime time. In fact, Schottenheimer was still guiding the Chiefs fortunes at the time as Kansas City won a dramatic 29-23 decision in overtime on Monday Night Football at Arrowhead (10/9/95) thanks to an 86-yard punt return TD that provided the game’s winning points for the Chiefs. Two of the league’s finest all-purpose threats will be on display in this contest. Chiefs RB Larry Johnson leads the NFL in rushing with 1,432 yards (110.2 ypg) and is second with 1,811 yards from scrimmage (139.3 ypg). Meanwhile, Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson owns an NFL-high 1,906 yards from scrimmage (146.7 ypg) and is second in the league with 1,427 rushing yards (109.8 ypg). Johnson has nine 100-yard rushing games in 2006 and is on pace to eclipse his own single-season franchise record of 1,750 rushing yards that he established in 2005. Tomlinson is on a torrid scoring pace and set the NFL single-season record with his 29th TD of the season last week. THE SERIESKansas City holds a 49-43-1 all-time advantage over San Diego in regular and postseason play. All 49 of those victories against San Diego have come in regular season play. KC is seeking to secure its 50th victory against San Diego. The only teams the Chiefs have defeated more frequently are Denver (52) and Oakland (50). The Chiefs have won their last two meetings with the Chargers, both of which have come at Arrowhead. Kansas City claimed a 30-27 victory in the most recent meeting between the two squads (10/22). The Chiefs are seeking to construct their first three-game winning streak against the Chargers since 2002-03. The home team has won 16 of the last 21 games in this series dating back to ‘96. Kansas City owns a 5-4 record against San Diego since former Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer took the reins of the Chargers in 2002. Kansas City has lost its last two visits to Qualcomm Stadium and is seeking to avoid its first three-game losing streak at San Diego since ‘98-00. Chiefs-Chargers matchups are traditionally closely-contested battles. Excluding one tie between the two teams, a total of 10 games in this series have been decided by exactly one point, the most of any series in the league since ‘60. The last such one-point game in this AFC West series resulted in a 35-34 Chargers win at San Diego (10/13/02). Interestingly, the initial meeting between these two squads was the first regular season game in the history of both franchises when the Dallas Texans lost a 21-20 decision to the L.A. Chargers at the L.A. Coliseum (9/10/60). The Chiefs and Chargers have met just one time in postseason play. San Diego claimed a win in the lone playoff tilt between the two clubs, registering a 17-0 victory in a ‘92 AFC Wild Card Playoff Game at San Diego (1/2/93). The National Football League officially announced on Monday that Kansas City’s game at San Diego on Sunday has been moved to a 7:15 PM (Central) kickoff as part of the league’s “flexible scheduling” policy and will be broadcast nationally by NBC. The game had previously been slated to kick off at 3:05 PM (Central) on CBS. The Chiefs-Chargers game will now be broadcast locally in Kansas City on KSHB-TV (NBC 41).
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The Pursuit of Happyness
PG13, Drama, 1hr 56min Opens on December 15, 2006 Starring:Will Smith, Thandie Newton, Jaden Christopher Smith
The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to working on Wall Street is brought to the big screen by superstar Will Smith, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith.
Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a divorced salesman who wins custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate.
He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Making his Hollywood debut, Italian director Gabriele Muccino was championed by Will Smith for the project.
~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
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President Bush is planning to address the nation about Iraq after the first of the year. Meantime, in preparation for the speech, he's patiently listening to the views of everybody in government. That's how much some guys hate Christmas shopping. (comedian Argus Hamilton) The Iraq Study Group, among several recommendations suggested a graceful exit from Iraq. Apparently, they want to hire Dick Clark for the countdown. ( Pedro Bartes) Texas is considering a law allowing blind people to hunt. I guess they're just trying to make Dick Cheney feel welcome. ( Jake Novak) Actor Wesley Snipes has been arrested. Still no word yet on Osama bin Laden. ( Jay Leno) In a survey: 64 percent said they plan to finish their Christmas shopping next week. Gee, I didn't even start yet. I can't start Christmas shopping until I get the money I was promised in that email from my new friend in Nigeria. ( Toms Lake Humor Company) A study shows that more companies are pushing healthy habits. A good example are the oil companies. They are making Americans walk more every day. ( Jim Barach) Kevin Federline might be competing in an upcoming pro-wrestling event. I never thought I would ever say this, but I expected better out of pro-wrestling. ( Conan O'Brien) The Grammy nominations are out. Country stars always make emotional acceptance speeches. Normally, there isn’t a dry singer in the house. ( Alan Ray) One thing I've noticed about Christmas trees: You can't see the freshness date until the needles fall off. ( HaBlog)
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 MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, recognized as the world's oldest person, died Monday in a nursing home, the home's administrator said. She was 116.Bolden was born Aug. 15, 1890, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a Los Angeles organization that tracks the ages of the world's oldest people. Guinness World Records recognized Bolden as the oldest person in the world in August after the death of Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, who also was 116. Bolden died at the Mid-South Health and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home where she had been living for several years, said the center's administrator, Charlotte Pierce. Bolden suffered a stroke in 2004, and her family said she spoke little after that and slept much of the time. Family members said this year that Bolden had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great grandchildren and 75 great-great-great-great grandchildren
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Links Mentioned in the PartyCast:
Information on John LegendWill Smith's Interview on "Pursuit of Happiness"America’s Pub and Paddy O’Quigley’s KaraokeKansas City Concerts and Live MusicThe Second City: First Family of Comedy, PBS
PBS presents a retrospective of the comedy troupe, which was founded in Chicago in the late 1950s. In the '70s, the troupe was known primarily as the breeding ground for the first cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," a role that's continued to the present day. The special features interviews with actors and directors involved with the troupe over the last few decades. (Check local listings) Special Holiday Party IdeasOver the door to the room where the event will be held have a welcome sign wishing everyone a Happy Holiday. Your centerpieces can be a fabulous tier of candy-filled gift boxes, elegantly wrapped and tied off with bows and ribbons. Beautiful Christmas balloons of gold and silver attach to the top of the tier to fill the room. Number each box of candy; a corresponding number is placed under each plate so that guests can each take home a "gift." Put Snowman Votive Holder on each table. Have silver and gold stars strewn on the tablecloth around the bottom of the centerpiece. And, speaking of tablecloths, use black linens with black napkins and decorate the tablecloths with the sun, moon, and shooting stars. At each place setting, fill a balloon with a small gift, confetti, and candy. Tie each balloon off with gold and silver ribbon. Place 2 single-use cameras on each table so the guests can snap each other as they pop their balloons.
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 If you haven't heard a single song by John Legend, you are missing out! Go surf around, or click a couple of the links below and listen to something off his new albumn. He is like an R&B version of Michael Buble', but he writes and performs all of his own music. It is mellow enough to chill out to, but peppy enough to pick you up and brighten your day. Everyone should own this albumn, if only to play at the dinner table or to fall asleep to...Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combined the raw fervor of contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D'Angelo. Born John Stephens, Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the tender age of five. Legend left Ohio at 16 to go to college in Philadelphia, and it was there that he first found a larger audience. Not yet out of his teens, Legend was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" in 1998.After completing college, he moved to New York, where he began to build a loyal following playing in nightclubs and releasing CDs that he would sell at shows. He also became an in-demand session musician, playing and occasionally writing for a wide array of artists, including Alicia Keys, Twista, Janet Jackson, and Kanye West. It wasn't until West signed the young talent to his new label that he adopted the Legend name with 2004's Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory. Get Lifted, his first studio album, was released later in the year. On the strength of enduring single "Ordinary People," the album reached the Top Five of the Billboard 200. This led to three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Once Again followed in October 2006. ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide
Once Again is the sophomore studio album by R&B/Soul singer John Legend, and the first single is Save Room. The list of producers and co-writers include Kanye West, will.i.am, Raphael Saadiq, Craig Street, Sa-Ra, Eric Hudson, Devo Springsteen, Dave Tozer and Avenue. The album has a range of influences, from soul to hip-hop to classic pop to alternative. "It's not dramatically different, but I think people will see it as a growth and an extension for me. It's a richer sound. The production is more developed. I just tried to do it with the highest standards of quality."Once Again was released on Kanye West's GOOD Music label on October 24, 2006. ~ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-5)
BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-3)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10,
12:00 PM (CENTRAL)
ARROWHEAD STADIUM
Listen Live
Game 13 (PDF)
TV: CBS Regional Coverage (KCTV-5 in Kansas City) – Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf.
NATIONAL RADIO: Sports USA Radio – Howard David, Doug Plank and Rich Herrera.
LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) – Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby.
THE MATCH-UP
The Chiefs host a squad from Baltimore for the first time since the Colts traveled to Kansas City in ‘80 as the Ravens make their inaugural visit to Arrowhead on Sunday. The Chiefs have won all three of their previous meetings with the Ravens and will seek to extend that winning streak against Baltimore in a contest full of postseason implications for both squads.
The Chiefs have won their last five contests at Arrowhead and own an impressive 12-2 (.857) mark at home since the start of the 2005 campaign. Only Indianapolis and Seattle boast better home records over that span with 13-1 marks. Kansas City has been victorious in five of its last seven games under Herm Edwards and is seeking to get back on the winning track after suffering a 31-28 OT loss at Cleveland (12/3). In total, three of the Chiefs five losses on the season have come by three points, with two of those setbacks coming on the road in overtime.
The Chiefs are currently part of a five-team logjam at 7-5 in the AFC standings with those five squads all competing for two Wild Card spots. Baltimore sits atop the AFC North standings with a 9-3 record and could come one step closer to clinching the division crown with a victory against the Chiefs. The Ravens had won five consecutive games before suffering a 13-7 loss on Thursday night at Cincinnati (11/30). The Ravens are jockeying for position in the race for homefield advantage in the AFC and are currently battling Indianapolis (10-2), San Diego (10-2) and New England (9-3) for that distinction.
Kansas City’s offense continues to churn behind RB Larry Johnson, who ranks second in the NFL in both rushing (1,312) and yards from scrimmage (1,687). TE Tony Gonzalez is coming off a two-TD performance at Cleveland (12/3), giving him 61 career TDs catches. He needs just two more TDs to bypass TE Shannon Sharpe (62) for the most TD receptions by a tight end in NFL history. Defensively, the Chiefs have allowed just 11.5 ppg in their last two home contests.
THE SERIES
Kansas City is 3-0 in regular season play against the Ravens, making Baltimore the only current NFL franchise that has never registered a victory against the Chiefs. All three of those previous meetings with the Ravens have taken place in Baltimore. Kansas City and New England are the only two franchises that the Ravens have faced three or more times in regular or postseason action and have never defeated. Baltimore is the only current NFL team that has yet to face the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Head coach Gunther Cunningham guided the Chiefs to their inaugural victory against the Ravens, leading Kansas City to a 35-8 win in a Thursday night contest at Baltimore (10/21/99). Kansas City picked off Ravens QB Stoney Case three times, returning two of those INTs for touchdowns. Meanwhile TE Tony Gonzalez added scoring receptions of 11 and 22 yards.
WR Dante Hall became the first player in NFL history to record a kickoff or punt return TD in three consecutive games as he returned a kickoff for a 97-yard TD with 5:27 left to play to give the Chiefs a 17-10 triumph at Baltimore (9/26/03), a contest that marked the 100th career victory of Dick Vermeil’s NFL coaching tenure.
After posting an uncharacteristic 0-3 record to start the 2004 campaign, the Chiefs got their initial win of that season with a 27-24 victory on Monday Night Football at Baltimore (10/4/04). RB Priest Holmes racked up 125 rushing yards and a pair of TDs against his former club, while the Kansas City defense sacked QB Kyle Boller 4.0 times and limited the Ravens to 207 yards of total offense.
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Robert Gates, the White House choice to be the next defense secretary says we are not winning the Iraq war. So at least we know he can read a newspaper. It's incredible. Even an Aggie knows what's happening! Maybe if Bush could read the paper Congress wouldn't have to pass a new education program, "No President Left Behind." ( HaBlog) The Senate is in confirmation hearings for Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates. The job's not that hard. The last guy to leave Iraq won't even have to turn out the lights because we never got the electricity going in the first place. (comedian Argus Hamilton) In a newly leaked memo written my former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld just hours before he resigned from his position, Mr. Rumsfeld proposes firing himself as the cornerstone of a new strategy for the war in Iraq. ( BorowitzReport.com) Hugo Chavez was reelected in Venezuela. His success baffles the U.S. How can a control freak who won’t listen to others or care about his image to foreign nations ever get elected president? ( Alan Ray) First Lady Laura Bush was on TV unveiling the White House menu for Christmas Dinner. ... For dessert, I guess they're going to feast on whatever or whoever Dick Cheney shoots that day. ( Jimmy Kimmel) Keith Ellison from Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to congress wants to be sworn in with a Koran. Of course, if he starts taking bribes he gets his hands cut off. ( Jim Barach) Barach Obama reminds me of Bill Clinton. In the sense that he also doesn't tell Hillary what his plans are. ( Jay Leno) In a survey, most video gamers preferred the Nintendo Wii over the Playstation 3. Video gamers gave the Wii "Two Thumbs Up.. Well -- they would give it two thumbs up -- but their thumbs were swollen and paralyzed from playing too many video games. ( Toms Lake Humor Company) Lindsay Lohan's publicist says the 20 year-old star has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Not to stop drinking, but just to be around other incoherent people. ( Jake Novak) According to "Yahoo," Britney Spears was the most popular search term of the year. Most of the searches were done by her two kids trying to locate their mom. ( Pedro Bartes)
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www.Games.com
As you might suspect with a name like "Games.com," this website is one of the largest collections of games on the web. You can play most of the games without downloading them, although there's a lot more options available to you if you don't mind a little downloading. Check out the free casino, and then if you have the skill and the guts, play for cash. This site has everything from board, word and arcade games ranked and listed so they are easy to find and get started. Even though it is owned by AOL, it has a really simple and effecient design and doesn't seem overhyped or charge you to play. Go kill some time, play around and let us know what you think...
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Ciara: The Evolution
Release Date: December 05
Genre: R&B/HIP-HOP
Label: LaFace/Zomba
With "The Evolution," Ciara aims to take the success of her 2005 debut "Goodies" to a new level musically and creatively. This "evolution" is evident with the slow-burning hit "Promise," which finds the 21-year-old dance queen exploring her sultry side. In addition to appearances by Pharrell, Will.i.am, 50 Cent and Chamillionaire, crunk king Lil Jon, who produced the title track on the debut, returns for two songs—the bass-heavy, dancefloor jam "That's Right" and the somewhat juvenile "C.R.U.S.H." Songs such as the Rodney Jerkins-produced "Make It Last Forever" and "Get Up," produced by Jazze Pha and also featured on the film soundtrack to "Step Up," are surefire club hits, although such ballads as "It's Over" tend to fall flat. Nonetheless, "The Evolution" should one, two-step Ciara even closer to superstardom. —Jill Menze
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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-4)
CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-8)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3,
12:00 PM (CENTRAL)
CLEVELAND BROWNS STADIUM
Regular Season Game 12 (PDF)
TV: CBS Regional Coverage (KCTV-5 in Kansas City) – Dick Enberg and Randy Cross.
RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bob Gretz and Bill Grigsby.
THE MATCH-UP Kansas City makes its second appearance at Cleveland Browns Stadium as the Chiefs square off with the Browns on Sunday. KC last visited Cleveland on Opening Day in 2002. The Chiefs have won seven of their last nine games under head coach Herm Edwards and enter this week’s contest owning a two-game winning streak after posting back-to-back home wins vs. Oakland (11/19) and Denver (11/23).
The Chiefs registered an important 19-10 victory against the Broncos on Thanksgiving at Arrowhead, marking the fourth consecutive game Kansas City’s defense has held its opponent to 17 points or less. Over that four-game span, the Chiefs have allowed an average of just 13.3 points per game. The last time Kansas City boasted a similar streak of defensive prowess was in ‘97-98 when the club produced a six-game streak of limiting opponents to 17 points or less.
If Kansas City has aspirations of keeping pace in the AFC postseason chase, the Chiefs can’t afford to stumble at Cleveland. The Chiefs are currently tied with Denver (7-4) for second in the AFC West standings behind San Diego (9-2). Kansas City is one of six AFC squads that own seven or more wins, meaning that the Chiefs would qualify for a Wild Card berth if the playoff field was set after 11 games.
The Chiefs will face a Cleveland squad that has also been stingy in terms of scoring defense this season. Despite the Browns 3-8 record, Cleveland is traditionally tough at home, where Romeo Crennel’s squad has allowed just 18.5 ppg since he took the club’s helm in 2005. The Browns are coming off a 30-0 loss vs. Cincinnati (11/26).
The Chiefs are 2-0 since two-time Pro Bowl QB Trent Green resumed his role under center. Green’s return has been aided by the prolific production of RB Larry Johnson who leads the NFL in rushing (1,202 yards) and ranks second in yards from scrimmage (1,551), trailing only Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson (1,602). Up next for Kansas City is a home contest vs. Baltimore (12/10), while Cleveland travels to Pittsburgh for a Thursday night contest (12/7). THE SERIES Kansas City owns a 9-8-2 (.526) record in regular season play vs. Cleveland. The Chiefs have won their last two meetings with the Browns and are seeking their first-ever three-game winning streak against Cleveland. Kansas City claimed a 41-20 victory at Arrowhead (11/9/03) in its most recent contest against the Browns as the Chiefs won their ninth consecutive game to start the 2003 campaign. The Chiefs are 7-2-1 (.750) at home vs. the Browns, including a 6-2-1 (.722) mark at Arrowhead. Kansas City is just 2-6-1 (.278) at Cleveland in regular season play, but won a thrilling 40-39 decision in the 2002 season opener when a bizarre Hail Mary pass attempt with 0:02 left turned into a lateral to T John Tait who rumbled 28 yards to the Browns 25-yard line.
The Chiefs were granted one final, untimed play after Cleveland LB Dwayne Rudd removed his helmet in a premature victory celebration and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Morten Andersen trotted onto the field and proceeded to hit the game-winning 30-yard FG to give the Chiefs the victory.
Perhaps the most memorable Chiefs contest at venerable Cleveland Stadium came in ‘89 when Marty Schottenheimer made his return to Cleveland as Kansas City’s head coach. With the score tied at 10-10, normally sure-footed K Nick Lowery missed a 39-yard FG at the end of regulation and a 47-yarder with 0:17 left in OT, leaving the game deadlocked in a 10-10 stalemate.
The Chiefs and Browns have tied twice, meaning the only club Kansas City has tied more frequently than Cleveland is New England (three times). Kansas City’s lone win at Cleveland Stadium came by a 31-7 count (10/8/72)
The Chiefs and Browns have never met in postseason competition. The next scheduled regular season contest between the two clubs is slated at Arrowhead during the 2009 campaign.
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Game Day Preview
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-7)
