Favre back yet again
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Brett Favre's latest retirement lasted all of three weeks.
The three-time NFL MVP has done about-face for the second time in as many years and will play for the Minnesota Vikings this season.
If the wait for Favre's decision seemed never-ending, it was resolved Tuesday in a few short hours: the 39-year-old jumped on a team plane in Mississippi and was picked up at the St. Paul airport by coach Brad Childress himself. The two drove to the team's practice facility, where Favre waved to hundreds of cheering fans.
No less than 90 minutes later, Favre was on the field in his familiar No. 4 jersey with purple shorts and a purple helmet, a vision that has had Packers fans cringing about for months. He shook hands with a few of his new teammates and quickly began throwing as fans peeked through the security fence to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
Shortly after practice began, the Vikings confirmed the agreement that seemed so inevitable all summer, only to be held up July 28 when the man who holds every major NFL career passing record told Childress he wasn't ready to play, citing a lack of confidence in his beat-up body to hold up over an entire season.
Childress and Favre were expected to discuss the change of heart at a news conference later Tuesday.
Childress a few weeks ago said he had not planned to pursue Favre after he said he was staying retired. And yet here comes Favre, once reviled by a Vikings fan base that hustled to welcome him to town.
"I don't have any problem rooting for one of the greatest quarterbacks ever," said Phil Setala, a 23-year-old from Minneapolis who was at practice proudly wearing a purple No. 4 jersey.
Even the governor chimed in.
"It's going to be good for the team. It's going to be good for the state. It's going to be exciting," a giddy Gov. Tim Pawlenty said after a speech.
Last month, Favre explained his decision by saying he had to be "careful not to commit for the wrong reasons."
"I'm 39 with a lot of sacks to my name," he said.
He has a lot of interceptions to his name, too, more than any other quarterback in NFL history. The last time Favre appeared in the playoffs - a bitter loss at Lambeau Field by the Packers to the Giants in the NFC championship game following the 2007 season - he put up one of his worst performances in recent memory.
Now the question becomes how Favre will fit in with a team that's already done with the grind of training camp, not to mention how his health will hold up so soon after he questioned it. Favre had arthroscopic surgery to fix his throwing shoulder in May.
The Vikings got an encouraging performance in their preseason opener last week from quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who has been competing with Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job, but neither of them have been consistently sharp in practice this month.
And neither is anywhere in Favre's league. His zinger of an arm and toughness in the pocket are a combination few possess. With an offence he claimed this summer he could operate in his sleep, Favre seems to fit well with Minnesota - especially given the Vikings' problems finding a reliable quarterback since Childress took over in 2006.
The Vikings have Pro Bowl players all over their roster, with reigning NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson in the backfield and a dominant defensive line. No matter who's behind centre, they ought to be in position to defend their NFC North title.
To win the conference, and perhaps that elusive Super Bowl, they'll need stability at the sport's most critical position.
Favre has wrestled with retirement for most of this decade and the will-he-or-won't-he saga became an annual off-season drama for the Packers, his longtime home. In Green Bay, the latest news elicited a few shrugs, little more.
A few months after Favre's tearful goodbye news conference in March 2008, Green Bay traded him to the Jets when he tried to come back, only to learn the Packers were committed to Aaron Rodgers. Favre started strong in New York, but faded down the stretch amid problems with his throwing arm and, with another "I'm done" announcement, headed for his second retirement.
The Jets released him from his contract right after the draft and soon after, the Vikings were openly expressing interest. Favre spent the summer working out in Mississippi and led everyone to believe he was on his way back to the NFL until last month.
"It was the hardest decision I've ever made," Favre told ESPN then. "I didn't feel like physically I could play at a level that was acceptable."
Film airs Beatles outtakes from Abbey Road recording
Never-before-heard outtakes and conversations from the Beatles' final recording sessions at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London will be broadcast for the first time by BBC television.
They are part of a new documentary, The Beatles on Record, which features archive recordings and narration from the Fab Four as well as commentary from the group's producer George Martin.
The BBC film, to be aired in September, has studio banter from the band's recordings for their final album, Abbey Road.
"This is a chance for viewers to enjoy some rare footage and fascinating insights into the career of the greatest pop group of all time," the BBC's George Entwistle said in a statement on Monday.
The documentary, directed by Bob Smeaton, chronicles the group's musical path from 1963's Please Please Me to Abbey Road, examining how John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney developed as songwriters and musicians.
Although Let it Be was the last Beatles album to be released, it was recorded before Abbey Road.
The Beatles on Record is part of the BBC's Beatles Week, starting Sept. 5.
The U.K. public broadcaster will also be airing Storyville: How The Beatles Rocked the Kremlin, a documentary on how the group's music may have influenced the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Other highlights include The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit, Albert and David Maysles' film that follows the Fab Four's 1964 visit to the U.S.
Beatles Week on BBC is a precursor to the release of The Beatles re-mastered back catalogue and Rock Band computer game.
New “Beatles: Rock Band” Trailer Arrives, Alleged Track List Leaks
Another sneak peek at the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band has been released, which again shows the amazing attention to detail that went into producing a game worthy of the Fab Four’s esteemed catalog. The newest trailer, via IGN, shows clips of “Twist and Shout” being performed in Liverpool, “Can’t Buy Me Love” on the Ed Sullivan Show stage, a “Yellow Submarine” dreamscape and a “Revolution” filled with wartime imagery. Additionally, we also see how the actual gameplay will look on-screen, including the three-part harmony feature that will make its debut with TB:RB.
In addition to the new trailer, the full video for “Ticket to Ride” as performed by the in-game Beatles at the digital Shea Stadium has also been posted on the game’s official Website. As Rock Daily reported last week, The Beatles: Rock Band will also unearth previously unreleased audio and studio banter from the Beatles, as well as a “story mode” that gives the back-story of the band’s songs. The Beatles: Rock Band will be released September 9th, the same day the Fab Four’s entire remastered catalog is reissued.
Video game blog Worth Playing has an alleged complete The Beatles: Rock Band 45-song track list that comes from an upcoming issue of Game Informer. If it’s accurate, as advertised, it spans the Beatles’ entire catalog, from “I Want To Hold Your Hand” to the “Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows” mash-up from 2006’s Love compilation. “All You Need Is Love” will also be released as downloadable content, with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders, while the entire Abbey Road will be available for download soon after 09/09/09. UPDATE: Harmonix and MTV Games have confirmed 44 out of the 45 songs on Rock Band’s Beatles playlist, meaning the list below is accurate. The last song, however, remains a mystery.
The Beatles: Rock Band track list:
Singles:
“I Want To Hold Your Hand”
“I Feel Fine”
“Day Tripper”
“Paperback Writer”
“Revolution”
“Don’t Let Me Down”
Please Please Me:
“I Saw Her Standing There”
“Boys”
“Do You Want To Know A Secret”
“Twist and Shout”
With the Beatles:
“I Wanna Be Your Man”
A Hard Day’s Night:
“A Hard Day’s Night”
“Can’t Buy Me Love”
Beatles For Sale:
“Eight Days a Week”
Help!:
“Ticket To Ride”
Rubber Soul:
“Drive My Car”
“I’m Looking Through You”
“If I Needed Someone”
Revolver:
“Taxman”
“Yellow Submarine”
“And Your Bird Can Sing”
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band:
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help From My Friends”
“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”
“Getting Better”
“Good Morning Good Morning”
Magical Mystery Tour:
“I Am The Walrus”
“Hello Goodbye”
The Beatles (White Album):
“Dear Prudence”
“Back In the U.S.S.R.”
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
“Birthday”
“Helter Skelter”
Yellow Submarine:
“Hey Bulldog”
Abbey Road:
“Come Together”
“Something”
“Octopus’s Garden”
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”
“Here Comes the Sun”
Let It Be:
“Dig a Pony”
“I Me Mine”
“I Got a Feeling”
“Get Back”
Love:
“Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows”
Shania Twain set as `American Idol' guest judge
LOS ANGELES – Shania Twain is joining the ranks of "American Idol" guest judges.
A spokesman for the show said Tuesday that the country singer will take part in the Chicago auditions set for the end of August.
Kelly Clarkson, the original "American Idol," and one of the Jonas Brothers also may end up as guest judges. But they had yet to be confirmed Tuesday.
"American Idol" began enlisting visiting celebrities after a contract dispute led Paula Abdul to announce she was quitting the show. There's been speculation that Abdul still could reach a deal and return for the ninth season, starting in January.
'Big Brother 11' to address Chima's expulsion
LOS ANGELES – Why exactly was Chima Simone kicked out?
Tuesday's "Big Brother 11" episode promised to address why producers removed the 33-year-old freelance journalist from the CBS reality series, which isolates 13 contestants inside a makeshift two-story house and monitors their every move with dozens of cameras.
"You will see why, basically, our back was up against the wall and we had to expel her from the game," show host Julie Chen said Monday on CBS' "The Early Show," which she co-hosts. "You will see her behavior that led up to the expulsion. Then, you can decide."
CBS released a statement Saturday that said Simone, from West Hollywood, Calif., was evicted by the producers for violating the rules. The network also said Simone will not be part of the show's seven-person jury, which selects the $500,000 grand prize winner.
Sunday's episode showed how Simone was aggravated because her ally, bodybuilder Jessie Godderz, was spontaneously nominated for eviction Thursday because of the "coup d'etat," a power secretly voted on by viewers that was used to overthrow Simone's nominations.
Fans have questioned whether Simone was booted or quit. Chatter from the remaining seven houseguests suggest she wanted out of the house. On Friday, Simone was seen on the show's live Internet video feeds throwing her microphone into the backyard whirlpool spa.
"She still didn't have to leave after that. She just didn't want to be here," contestant Natalie Martinez said on Monday's "Big Brother After Dark," an uncensored and unedited live Showtime 2 broadcast of what's happening inside the house each night.
Since entering the house last month, Simone has been one of the season's most outspoken houseguests. When she was nominated for eviction during the first week, CBS censored her live last-plea speech, which referred to derogatory terms used by her competitor.
Producers have evicted two contestants on previous "Big Brother" editions. Justin Sebik was kicked off the second season when he placed a knife to the throat of a fellow houseguest. Scott Weintraub was removed from the fourth season after throwing furniture.