Decompression. Entertainment. NBA.

I think it’s safe to say that I just finished decompressing from the eyegasm that was Prometheus and Sunday June 10th in general. On Monday June 11th I reflected on the previous day.

10am:
Early morning story confusion but who cares because it was so cool to look at that everything some how made sense (Prometheus).

1pm:
Getting stuck in West Hollywood Gay pride parade and deciding to walk with my girlfriend to a restaurant and have a drink(s).

3pm:
Feeling the affects from the drink(s). When we got home we started to watch the end of Die Hard part 2 until I realized that a unicorn has been sighted and for some inexplicable reason Die Hard part 3 was on another random channel – changed to Sam Jackson and Bruce Willis yelling at Jeremy Irons.

6pm: 
Woke up from the best mid day nap in the history of life and wondered how and why Die Hard part 3 is still on… Maybe the longest movie ever?

7pm:
Watched the season finale of Mad Men and loved every second of it. I haven’t seen a season tie together so well since the previous season of Mad Men. My girlfriend and I discussed and continued discussing on Monday what this season was all about. I don’t think she liked the finale as much as I did but it’s difficult not to appreciate how great that show is.

I don’t want to spoil anything but Don Draper may be the coolest character in the history of television and on par with: Walter White, Cosmo Kramer, Larry David, Homer Simpson, Jack Shepherd, Bill Cosby, Will Smith, Angus MacGyver, Archie Bunker, Tony Soprano, Fonzie Fonzarelli, and Aaron Rodgers from the hit Sunday TV show: NFL Football.

9pmish:
Watched the teaser trailer for Breaking Bad - I’m excited.

10pm: 
Watched Safe House with Denzel and Ryan Reynolds and felt like this may be one of the biggest I didn’t expect that movies I’ve seen in a long time.

By the time Midnight rolled around it was time for me to try and turn off my brain and pass out. At some point Monday I realized that I may be consuming too much information, if that’s even possible. Is it possible? Nah, knowledge is power and I want to know about Don Draper. But as life goes, when one thing ends another thing begins, which brings me to the NBA Finals and the consumption of sports that starts tonight.

This may be the most intriguing match up in years. The Lakers / Celtics from a few years ago was definitely amazing so I can’t disregard it, but what we’re seeing right now has so many implications - I think.

Miami Heat VS Oklahoma City Thumnder. Purchased Super Team VS Drafted rejected from Seattle Team. Durant VS Lebron. Westbrook VS his Craziness VS Wade. James Harden VS … who the F is going to guard James Harden?

What I find most appealing about these finals is that I think Durant is about to go Jordan mode 2.0. I think he’s about to take over and he’s not going anywhere for a long time. I think he’s going to play as well as James, if not outplay him, but more importantly I think OKC is going to win. If OKC does win then that marks a certain problem for many NBA teams. OKC is young and built like the Spurs. If everyone stays healthy and if Durant decides not to leave basketball for baseball then I seriously think they could win 4-5 championships in the next 5-7 years.

When they win, a trickle down effect is going to happen. Teams will start changing their team just to compete with them (like they did with Shaq and Kobe) and we’ll all have to start wondering if LeBron James is the greatest yet most scratch your head what to make of him worthy player in the history of the NBA… if we don’t already think that.

Anyway.

Oklahoma wins in 6. Don’t ask how, don’t ask why. Just know that Durant is going to be the MVP.

Every year when my team I root for gets eliminated I reflect on how much time I just wasted and how much rooting, drinking, projecting, arguing, and eating I just did. I don’t think it’s healthy for about 3 days. Then I remind myself that I love sports and entertainment and if I didn’t have either I’d be lost (or I’d be a genius). I’m already starting to do my reflecting but this NBA finals has allowed me to just look forward.

I can’t wait to decompress a little more. Then football will start and so will breaking bad and the whole cycle repeats itself. Fuck. I love you entertainment.

Random Thought: 5-Hour Energy Drink.

I just finished watching Mad Men. Every time I finish the show I think I’m an ad man for about 45 minutes and start to analyze various marketing ploys and commercials from companies, and then think about how I can make it better. Tonight was no different, but what is different is that tonight, I’m taking to my blog as opposed to my girlfriends ear. I take that back I did go to my girlfriend’s ear, but truthfully I don’t think she was listening, and I don’t blame her.

That product: 5-Hour Energy Drink.

You know 5-hour energy drink – it’s the little red and black bottle that promotes 5 hours of energy if you chug 1.93 FL oz. The reason it’s 5 hours and not, say, 8 hours is because it’s supposed to last the equivalent of 5 hours of coffee/caffeine.

The commercial that we saw focused on the “why wait for coffee” motto. It was bunches of people being totally inconvenienced just to get their morning pick me up. If you haven’t noticed the main leg that the little drink sits on is the coffee aspect - which is fine, but it’s making a huge mistake.

Lets forget for a second that 5 hour energy drink is intimidating because it feels like it’s bad for you simply from the packaging, lets pretend like we can overlook the fact that it calls itself a dietary supplement, and then lets pretend that the commercial isn’t totally kind of creepy (commercial below) – lets focus on the coffee aspect.

What these people behind 5 hour energy drink don’t realize is that one of the main appeals for coffee is that people like to have things in their hands. People like to be doing things and drinking coffee is one of them. In the work environment, there is nothing better than having coffee in your hands so you don’t feel like your hands are hanging aimlessly at your sides when you’re talking to someone. The idea of coffee is appealing because people are accomplishing something – We accomplish nothing while opening a 5-hour energy drink.

This energy drink needs to adjust their campaign from “a coffee drink” and focus on what it really is – it’s the thing you take when you cram for exams or drive cross country. If I were sitting in a room with the heads of this energy drink I’d go Draper on every ass and steal them to be my client. Someone is doing an incredibly bad job with the campaign. Someone needs to adjust their campaign to make it fun to drink the energy and not make it seem like we’re robots consuming something because we’re weak and need the “pick me up.”

Don’t you get it 5-hour energy drink? We know we need the pick me up but it’s more than that, coffee is social and appealing. Make your drink social. And then when you’re done with that put more than $15 in your ad department and re-do your commercials.

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLdBOTuX1GI&w=560&h=315]

 

Filling The NBA Void.

 

Anger and confusion have taken over – I really wanted the NBA season. What happened? It just felt that since the NFL figured out their issues the NBA would too. I was wrong. We’re coming off one of the most exciting seasons in a long long time, specifically because “I’m taking my talents to south beach” was said and then followed up by their party that was similar to a WWE entrance.

I know we’re still somewhere in the woods of having an NBA season – there’s still a chance. But, it’s not the same and the damage has been done. Even if they somehow salvage something and manage to have a 50 game season I will forever remember it as a “Who gives a shit season”. There’s going to be a glaring asterisk next to the NBA champion / MVP / and basically everything else associated with this time. The only thing this season is good for now is 1 – highlights and 2 – a loooong pre-season before next year.

DAMMIT! I really wanted to see The Lakers, Kobe yelling at his teammates, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, Big 3, Big 3 fight, Big 3 make up, Trade talks, Shaq on TNT, the All Star Game, and did I say Kobe yelling at his teammates?

After I read that the players rejected the offer and will disband I immediately thought of ways to fill the inevitable sports void - In no particular order:

Watch the Green Bay Packers shack up with the 72 Dolphins after they win the Super Bowl: This option is the most helpful. After the Pack won the Super Bowl last year it really made me not worry about much – there was always a bright side to my sports life.

The Kardashians: Yeah, that’s right – I said it. Not only is it good TV but it’s also a chance to check up on Lamar Odom and the impending Kris Humphries story line. Some NBA action, right?

YouTube: Lots of old NBA highlights.

The Sing-Off: Commercials for the next season have already hit the TV. They’re promoting it to start after The Superbowl. I can already imagine the follow up to “Move like Jagger” but this time it’s remixed by Cee-Lo.

The X-Factor: This season isn’t even over yet and I want another season.

Hockey: Can I get into this? Eh, probably not.

UFC: It’s a good reason to act like I know fighting styles and drink beer. I may watch this – Only if Brock “the 14 year old trapped in a Manimals body” Lesner fights someone.

Baseball: Baseball is that one sport that finishes and seemingly starts up the next week. The Milwaukee Brewers made me like baseball again for the first time since the 90’s – I may actually give this a shot (when the playoffs start).

AMC television: Catch up on Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Mad Med - AMC has slowly become the channel that is in the same sneeze as HBO.

Or, of course, there’s always the option to turn off the TV and start reading and doing things more productive… which I secretly hope happens and then everyone forgets the NBA. Truthfully, my stubbornness is taking over and I want to teach the NBA a lesson. I don’t like being at the mercy of any organization and the simple fact I thought of things to do instead of watching the NBA upsets me – I just like the NBA that much.

I’m pissed because of what they did to their fans, how they handled this, and all of their employees that will be without jobs. I honestly hope we as fans force the NBA to scramble and make them earn our attention.

NBA – see you in 2013. Idiots.