Meryl Davis and Charlie White make history!

Posted on February 17, 2014 by admin

Meryl Davis and Charlie White made history, taking home the first ever GOLD medal in ice dancing for the USA.  They are absolutely mesmerizing!  Well deserved!  Their training partners, Virtue and Moir of Canada took silver and the Russian team of Ilinykh and Katsolapov (hope that spelling is correct?) took the bronze.

USA hockey team continues on their path to hopefully meet Canada for the gold medal with a 5-0 thumping of Sweden.  USA!  USA!

Welcome back Bob Costas.  He has been suffering from a pink eye infection and has been replaced by Matt Lauer and Meridith Viera.  Bob is back!  Good to see him as he is the guy we want to see reporting from Sochi.

The NBA All Star game was on last night, from New Orleans.  Did anyone catch it?  I caught bits and pieces,  Kyrie Irving won MVP as the East won in a fourth period surge.  Interesting to see Kobe in his khaki suit on the bench for the West.  Have to wonder if Kobe will “call it a day” for this season and come back better than ever next year for the Lakers.  Hopefully the new and improved Lakers?  No verdict out on this yet, so still a wait and see.  Anyhow, the All Star game was as as usual, no defense, huge scoring and highlight reel moments.  Blake Griffin would have probably been MVP had the West not blown an eighteen point lead.

In other sports related news…have been wondering what happened to Michelle Beadle.  She has been MIA on both Access Hollywood and NBC coverage of the Olympics.  Apparently she is headed back to ESPN in March.  Glad to hear…she and Colin Cowherd were the “bomb” on SportsNation.  I watched that show everyday when they were on.  No word yet on what she will be doing at ESPN but probably a good move for her.  She never really seemed to fit into the Access Hollywood “format”.  So, look for her to surface in the near future back where she belongs.

OK, time to watch Davis and White win their gold.  Hope I did not spoil it for anyone.  It has been all over ESPN news today!

See ya…


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Bode Miller finally gets a medal..bronze in the Super G

Posted on February 16, 2014 by susan

It finally happened for the much maligned USA ski team!  Bode Miller finally got a medal in the Super G…a bronze medal (he actually tied with Canada’s Jan Hudec and yes, they both got medals!).  Jansrud won gold and American Weibrecht took silver.  So Bode will not leave Sochi without a medal!  Way to go Miller!

In Figure Skating competition, the ice dancing short program got underway.  As expected, Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the USA are in first.  Their program was perfection.  Their top competition, Virtue and Moir of Canada are in second and a Russian pair is in third position.  David and White actually share a coach with Virtue and Moir and they both train at the same facility.  This is THE event in figure skating in which the USA can expect gold.  It used to be that in the women’s competition, the USA was the favorite.  Not this year with the emergence of the young fifteen year old from Russia.  Still, do not count out Stacie Gold.

In hockey, Russia was tied with Slovakia after regulation, 0 – 0.  Again, after OT, 0-0.  So once again the Russian team was forced to go into a shootout.  They won, 1-0.  Team USA had little trouble with Slovenia, winning 5-1.

Tonight one can catch the replay of the ice dance competition in the short program and Bode Miller in the Super G.  Or, one can watch True Detective on HBO at 9:00 pm EST with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson (one of the best shows on TV in recent history!).  Also, the incomparable Don Cheadle in House of Lies is back with a new episode at 10:00 pm EST on Showtime.  Guess what I will be watching?  Did you guess right?

OK guys…Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest!  It was finally nice weather, relatively speaking in the ATL.  Did you rest?  Ha Ha

Hopefully I will make it to the theater to catch a movie by midweek.  Look for that review!

Later…


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USA over Russia in Olympic Hockey…did it bring back memories?

Posted on February 15, 2014 by admin

OMG!  USA over Russia in Olympic hockey this am.  Did it bring back memories for any of you guys?  Who could ever forget the “miracle on ice” in 1980 at Lake Placid, NY.  Probably the greatest moment in sports I have ever seen (and I have seen many..think Roger Federer winning Wimbledon!)   Ironically, this hockey game took place in Sochi, Russia!  It was so exciting and worth getting up to watch!  The game was tied 2-2 after regulation, and again after OT.  So, bring on the “shootout”.  In the bottom of the “eighth’, Russia did not score (what a performance by the USA goalie!) and it all came down to Osche…could he score and send the US into the quarterfinals!  YES!!!  It was so exciting to watch.  You could not help but cheer and chant USA!  USA!   The shootout was full of drama.  The US scored in the first shootout.  The Russians did not score until the third.  Then, the US scored and so did the Russians.  Again, the US scored and so did the Russians.  Then, neither scored.  So…in the eighth round…Russia failed and out came Oshie to do his thing.  And do it he did…scoring and the USA won!  Celebrate…dance to the music!  What a great Olympic moment.

Yesterday in men’s figure skating, Japan’s Y. Hanyu won the first ever gold medal for Japan in men’s figure skating.  Disappointing finish for Canada’s Patrick Chan..silver.  Bronze went to Denis Ten of Kazakhstan (yes, I did check the spelling!)  American Jason Brown, skating to River Dance, dropped from sixth to ninth after failing to complete a triple jump.  He does not have a quad which puts him at a disadvantage from the get go.  Still, he is only nineteen so I expect we will see much more from him in the coming years.  Next week, we move on to the ladies and the dance team events.  The USA is favored in the dance competition with Meryl Davis and Charlie White.  The ladies, will feature the Russain sensation, Lipnitskaya, will be the one to watch but don’t count out American Tracie Gold.  Also, Ashley Wagner from the USA.

In skiing, disappointment continues for the team from USA. Bode Miller failed to medal in the men’s Super combined.  He has already had a bad downhill but the Super G still remains.  Come on Bode…get it done.

Tonight, Shani Davis will go for a medal in the 1500 meter speedskating event.  He also suffered a disappointing performance as he failed to medal in the 1000 meter event.  Gee, Shaun White, Bode Miller, Shani Davis and no Lindsey Vonn, these winter games are tough for the team from the US.  Still, they stand in third place in the medal count as week one draws to a close.

Meanwhile, just finished up watching and oldie but goldie..City of Angels with Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage.  What a beautiful love story.  Please, how can anyone not like Meg Ryan?

Hope to celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend and get to the movies.  Plan to see Winter’s Tale (loosely based on a novel of course).  Will give you my thoughts after I see it!

For now..enjoy your weekend!

Update: American Shani Davis fails to medal in the 1000 meter speedskating event.


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Georgia Tech puts the thriller back in the Thriller Dome!

Posted on February 13, 2014 by admin

Georgia Tech put “thriller” back in the Thriller Dome with a last second buzzer beater three point shot by Marcus Georges-Hunt to defeat Boston College, 74-71.  This game was postponed from yesterday due to the winter storm in Atlanta.  Things are beginning to thaw out but they were certainly heating up today at McCamish Pavilion.  Back in the day, it was called Alexander Memorial Coliseum, ie. the Thriller Dome.  I don’t know if the nickname applies to the newly reconstructed arena, but it sure is an appropriate description after today’s game.  The Jackets had missed so many three point shots, trailed at the half, 35-34 and were without leading scorer Tre Golden.  But they made a run in the second half, stayed close, led with 19 seconds 70-69. Boston College went up 71-70 with a mere 3.4 seconds left.  Then the magic happened, a beautiful screen provided by Daniel Miller and Georges-Hunt puts up the winning shot, all net.  To add insult to injury for Boston College, they fouled him and he made the free throw.  So, final score GT 74 – Boston College 71.  It was only the second ACC game Georgia Tech has won at home (earlier over Notre Dame) but it was a great game to catch today on this day in Atlanta as the snow and ice begins to melt and go away!

At the Olympics, it was all about men’s figure skating…the short program.  The battle is between Canadian Patrick Chan (currently in 2nd place) and Y. Hanyu of Japan (currently in 1st.  After that, it is all bunched up and very close…American Jason Brown sits in 6th place.  He will perform his “famous” long program tomorrow night to River Dance.   His skate to this music at the US National Championships received over 3 million hits on You Tube!

A sad ending to a phenomenal career for Y. Plushenko.  He injured his aching back in the warm ups and was forced to withdraw.  Very disappointing for him and all of us as well.

And last, but certainly not least…please check out my book Surviving “Paradise” by Susan Willoch Shaver.  It is a funny and entertaining story about a southern woman who relocates to a new place (Sarasota, FL) only to be met by a ridiculous set of people and circumstances.  Crazy neighborhood mayhem, it offers both comedy and drama.  You will find it at Amazon.com for $8.99 in paperback, $4.99 in kindle edition and $4.99 at Barnes and Noble nook.  If you buy a paperback copy, you get the kindle edition for $1.99.  You can simply click on the “Buy the Book” option on the menu bar at the home page of the website (www.survivingparadise.info) and it will provide a link which takes you directly to Amazon.

OK, over and out for now!  Olympics and some old movies to watch while I wait for all this weather to finally go away!Surviving Paradise


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Snowed and iced in…Russians getting it done in Figure Skating

Posted on February 12, 2014 by susan

Well, there is ice (snow, ice, sleet, YUK!) and then there is ice as in Figure Skating competition at the Olympics in Sochi.  First, snow and ice for the second time in three weeks in the ATL and across the south.  Not a boatload of fun if I do say so…gee, LA sounds so nice!!  But, in the interest of “going with the flow”…perhaps tomorrow and the next day will bring improvement!  Everybody stay safe!

In the first ever team Figure Skating event at the Olympics, the very strong Russian team took home the gold medal.  Canada took the silver and the USA took bronze.  The Russians are led by legendary male skater, Yvegeny Plushenko and two outstanding pairs teams.  The Russians have historically been strong in the pairs competition.  The Chinese took home the gold four years ago, but not this year.  The Russians took gold and silver, the Germans took bronze.  Plushenko will take to the ice tomorrow in the start of the men’s competition.  He first intended to only compete in the team competition but word is now that he will in fact compete in the individual event.  The Russian women are led by teenage phenom, Yula Lipnitskaya.  She is like a human pretzel and cute as a button.  The American are historically the team to beat when it comes to women’s competition (think Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipskinski, Sarah Hughes, just to cite recent history) but this year it looks like the young Russian is going to be hard to beat.  Gracie Gold of the USA is a beautiful skater and has a real shot at silver and Ashley Wagner skated well in the team competition and has a lot to prove after her controversial selection to the US team.  In ice dancing, the US is the team to beat.  Meryl Davis and Charlie White are perfection in ice dancing and their stiffest challenge will come from the Canadian team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (who won the gold in Vancouver).

Meanwhile, disappointment for American Shaun White.  He failed to medal last night in his signature event, snowboarding halfpipe.  Really a shame for White, attempting to be the first male to win gold in three consecutive Olympics.  He had two bad runs, the second one would have won him gold if he could have pulled it off.

Tonight, Shani Davis will go for the gold in the 1000 meter speedskating event.  Shani is also attempting to become the first male to win three gold medals in consecutive Olympics.  He will compete in the 1500 meter event later as well.  GO Shani!

Until later, tying to thaw out!  To those of you dealing with this ferocious winter storm, stay warm and safe!

Update: Shani Davis fails to medal in the 1000 meter event.  Another disappointment for the Americans!


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Surviving “Paradise” is back…how do you do!!

Posted on February 8, 2014 by admin

Well, it is Saturday, (not Wednesday) but Surviving “Paradise” is back!  Promoting my book (Surviving “Paradise” by Susan Willoch Shaver) and bringing you witty, entertaining and informative posts on Sports and Pop Culture!

Have gone through some updates, theme changes, and still working to make it a better experience for all of you.  See ..hard at work!  mepicfixing2Check it out and let me know if you like the new layout!

So, Surviving “Paradise” by Susan Willoch Shaver is available at Amazon.com for $8.99 in paperback, $4.99 in kindle edition, and $4.99 at Barnes and Noble nook.  Follow a southern woman who relocates to a new town, (Sarasota, FL) full of excitement and great expectations only to be met by a ridiculous set of people and circumstances.  This story of neighborhood mayhem and much more is one of a kind!

Moving to sports news (CBB) …Georgia Tech hosted #20 Virginia today in Atlanta.  It was a close ball game, GT actually led at the half by one point (30-29) but the second half was all about the Cavs.  Jackets fall 69-45.  Still, huge performance by Daniel Miller (center) who fouled out.  He finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds and at least 6 blocked shots.  Still have to say the Georgia Tech promo….WE CAN DO THAT…is the best in the biz!  Very interesting that currently in college basketball, nine of the top ten ranked teams are all from different conferences.  Parity anyone?  Syracuse (now ACC) is the current number one!

National Signing Day was last Wednesday (February 5th) in college football.  The usual suspects did what they always do…RELOAD!  The top twenty five ranked recruiting classes follow: 1 Alabama, 2 LSU, 3 Ohio State, 4 FSU, 5 Texas A & M, 6 UGA, 7 Tennessee, 8 Auburn, 9 Florida, 10 USC, 11 Notre Dame, 12 Miami, 13 Oklahoma, 14 Stanford, 15 Clemson, 16 Texas, 17 Michigan, 18 Ole Miss, 19 UCLA, 20 Oregon, 21 South Carolina (expect better by the “ole ball coach”?), 22 Kentucky, 23 Penn State, 24 Arizona State, and 25 Virginia Tech.  Nice to see those Pac12 teams in there!

And finally, of course as you all know, the 2014 Winter Olympics are officially underway in Sochi.  Bode Miller looking good in downhill, pulling for Shani Davis to get a third gold medal along with Shaun White.  The team figure skating (first time ever team competition held in figure skating) continues tonight.  The USA made it into the final round…USA..USA..USA!  They are in third place, Russia is in first, Canada in second, Japan is in fourth and Italy is fifth (thanks to a beautiful performance by Caroline Kostner.

Opening ceremonies last night were both exciting, beautiful and of course, controversial.  To be honest, I finished watching Captain Phillips on demand!  Great performance by Tom Hanks!  Trying to catch up on all the nominated movies before the Oscars on March 3rd.

OK, that is all for now folks!  Remember, please check out Surviving “Paradise”!Surviving Paradise


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The Super Bowl that was not so “Super”?

Posted on February 3, 2014 by admin

Well, that was a disappointing Super Bowl, especially if you are a Bronco’s fan (me!) and even if you are simply a fan of football and wanted to see a tremendous, exciting, competitive game.  Now if you are a Seahawks fan, you are on cloud nine.  It was a dominating performance by Seattle, from start to finish.  They excelled and scored in every phase of the game, offensively, defensively, and on special teams (Percy Harvin, 87 yard kick off run back for a TD, after Denver FINALLY scored in the second half!).  The game started out in an ominous fashion for Peyton and the Broncos, center snapping the ball over his head and Moreno having to fall on it in the endzone for a safety.  It never got any better.  Peyton had over 260 yards passing, 33 completions (a Super Bowl record) but two interceptions and a “fumble”, the ball was knocked out of his hand as he was attempting to pass.  Be Be Thomas also set a record for  the Broncos, most receptions in a Super Bowl with 13 catches.  All for naught.  Russell Wilson, all 5’11” of him played like a champ, and after the game recalled the words of his late father who told him once…”Why not you”?  I like that, I really do!  Seattle played like the world champs, bringing the first ever world championship in football to the city in the Pacific Northwest, while Denver played perhaps their worst game of the year.  Incomprehensible!  No one could have seen this coming.  Seattle LB Malcolm Smith was named Super Bowl MVP.  And what a job by head coach Pete Carroll…now having won the Super Bowl and the National Championship at USC.  I think he transitioned very nicely from the college ranks to the “League”.  As a huge Peyton Manning fan, I am disappointed, but embarrassed is not a good word to use in this situation.  Of course, all the pundits are now going to speculate about Peyton’s 1-2 record in Super Bowls, can he not win in the post season, etc., blah..blah..blah.  It was a team failure by the Broncos, from start to finish.  The defense played soft, tackled poorly, and could not stop Seattle.  There were way too many miscues, often resulting in turnovers and then a score for the Seahawks,  Take nothing away from Seattle, they were superior in every phase of the game last night.  Congrats to them!

The weather was actually nice, the crowd was loud and boisterous, and the picture of a grim faced Eli Manning sitting in the box said it all for those supporters of Peyton and the Broncos.  The commercials were decent, seemed to really be a huge focus on “auto commercials”.  Numerous ones along with the Scar Jo (Scarlett Johansson commercial for SodaStream) are the ones that caught my eye.  Must have missed the Clydesdales…always the best commercial during the Super Bowl?

The halftime show with Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers is receiving rave reviews.  To be honest, I missed part of halftime…that is shower time for me!  Always has been…I woke up years ago and did not know what all the fuss was about when Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson had their “wardrobe malfunction” snafu!  What can I say?

OK, was glad to entertain myself with a new episode of New Girl after that debacle for the Broncos.  Again, congrats to the Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Super Bowl Champs!

Later…much later!  Oops..forgot to give the final score..Seattle 43 – Denver 8!


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What a college basketball game, Syracuse over Duke in OT!

Posted on February 1, 2014 by susan

Unbelievable college basketball game between 17 Duke and 2 Syracuse tonight in the Carrier Dome.  Can you say ACC basketball!!  Game tied at the end of regulation on the 4th three point shot of the game by Duke’s Sulaimon, 78-78.  Duke without the services of both J. Parker and Jefferson (fouled out) enters OT and falls, 91-89.  Too may fouls by Duke and also perhaps a “no call” on Duke’s Hood attempting dunk to tie the game?  Anyhow, great preview of the “Journey to the Tourney”!

Tomorrow…Super Bowl Sunday!  Today, Peyton Manning named NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year!  Well deserved by Manning!  Best offensive (Broncos) vs. best defense (Seahawks) tomorrow at Met Life Stadium in Jersey (Eli, Peyton’s little brother’s house!).  Should be a great game…GO BRONCOS!  Russell Wilson in his second year, played at both NC State and Wisconsin will try to outshine the legend, Manning!  I am picking the Broncos!  Also, commercials are always entertaining!  New Girl gets to follow the Super Bowl with a new episode!

In tennis, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka led Switzerland (with the help of a young Swiss doubles team) over Serbia (no Djokovic) 3-0 in Davis Cup action!  Way to go Fed and Stan (the man)!

OK, getting ready for  Super Sunday!  Later…


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Thawing out in the ATL…pop culture, sports and more!

Posted on January 30, 2014 by susan

Finally thawing out in the ATL!  What a nightmare, 3 inches of snow and the city shuts down.  Hard to imagine for those from the Northeast and the Midwest, but this is how it works in the south…always has and we do not seem to have made much progress in say…thirty years?  Anyhow, there were so many wonderful people who helped those who were stranded!  Remember, kindness matters!!

In movie news..Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together again!  How does that sound?  I say “magical”, but it is not as co-stars.  Meg will star in and direct a movie called Ithaca, based on the book The Human Comedy.  Tom Hanks will executive produce.  Also starring will be Meg’s son, twenty one year old Jack Henry Quaid, Sam Shepherd, and Melanie Griffith.  It is a wonderful coming of age story and I am so happy to see Meg returning to the screen.  (Love those adaptations from books…wink, wink!  Surviving “Paradise” by Susan Willoch Shaver..perhaps!)  Meg is also filming a pilot for a sitcom to be on NBC this fall which she will both star in and co-produce.  Good to have her back.  Have always loved Meg Ryan.

Speaking of love…how can anyone not love Roger Federer?  Roger will join good buddy and fellow Swiss tennis star Stan Wawrinka (fresh off his Australian Open title, his first Grand Slam title) in Serbia for Davis Cup.  The Swiss stars will face off against a Serbian team that will NOT have Novak Djokovic, Tipsarevic nor V. Troicki (he is currently serving a twelve month penalty for doping).  So, if that holds up and Nole does not change his mind (he is currently vacationing), looks like Switzerland will have a very good chance to advance.

In world news, Amanda Knox and Rafaele Sollecito have received another guilty verdict in the murder of Meredith Kercher.  This trial verdict in Italy was just announced today.  Really?  When will this nightmare end for these two young people?  No disrespect to the family of Kercher, what a horrific crime it was.  But it seems they have the real perpetrator behind bars.  Why do they keep going after these two young individuals?  No DNA to connect them to the crime scene.  You have all read the story…it just seems ridiculous.  Sollecito is in Italy, and will likely have to go back to jail (25 year sentence).  Knox is in Seattle, attending classes at the University of Washington and now a long legal battle over extradition will ensue.  (She received a 28 year sentence).  Makes you cringe when you think about sending your college age kids overseas for a year abroad.

Well, really hate that ABC hit Nashville was pre-empted here in Atlanta, since we needed to have another news show about the weather.  Did we really?  I would much rather have diverted my misery with the weather by being entertained by watching Nashville.  Guess I will catch up with it on demand.  Meanwhile, I used the time to watch the movie Blue Jasmine starring Cate Blanchett and directed by Woody Allen.  She has already won the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, and the SAG award for her performance. I thought she was her usual brilliant self, BUT, I have to say after watching this movie, I think Amy Adams’ performance in American Hustle is the winner.  Will be interesting to see what happens at the Oscars in early March.  Love Cate’s performance, but I would give the Oscar (and the other awards) to Amy Adams.  She owned that role!

Until later…


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Surviving “Paradise” on a snowy Wednesday!

Posted on January 29, 2014 by susan

Surviving ParadiseIt is a cold, snowy day in the ATL, 3″ yesterday (yuk!) but the show must go on!!  It is Wednesday, the day I promote my book Surviving “Paradise” by Susan Willoch Shaver.  Please check it out at Amazon.com for $8.99 in paperback, $4.99 in kindle edition, and $4.99 at Barnes and Noble nook.  It is the perfect funny and entertaining read for a “cabin fever” fix, short and to the point, with wildly hilarious tales of neighborhood mayhem in southwest Florida.  Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Meanwhile, I am ready for this white stuff to go away!  I do not like the cold or the snow.  Hope it is not too cold for the Super Bowl this weekend.  More on that big game later!


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