NBA: And the two meet again...

written by:stacia_doss

Two years ago, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers battled it out in the NBA Finals for the 2007-2008 championship. Tonight, they will do it again.

The two teams made up of fresh faces as well as arguably some of the best veterans in the league to ever play, will go head-to-head in Game 1 of the playoff finals from the Staples Center in L.A.

ESPN analysts weighed in to compare the '07-'08 Lakers and Celtics teams vs. the '09-'10 teams. While the Celtics won the championship after six games in 2008, experts say it won't be so easy for Boston this time around.

Even though the Celtics are back with once again with the even more talented point guard and team leader, Rajon Rondo, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers could have something in store for veteran players like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, according to some ESPN sources.

I feel that stopping some of the bigger guys like Pao Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom could be difficult for the Celtics. In the series against the Orlando Magic, the primary rebounder for Boston was Glen"Big Baby"Davis. The Lakers, however, have multiple rebounders that have more height than anyone on the Celtics' roster. It puts L.A.at an advantage in that aspect of the game.

I said in my last NBA post that the game would be interesting if it ended up being these two teams..and it did. I'm satisfied.

I'm not even going to discuss the pre-season or regular season stats for either of these teams. We've seen it too many times before to know that when it comes to the playoffs--the past means little to nothing.

I can't wait to see how this first game pans out.

Oh Mama! Gossip is a Beast.

written by:stacia_doss

I thought I would take a few minutes out of my day just to discuss how gossip, word-of-mouth, and assumptions can get a little out of control...especially in the world of celebrities.

Most recently, sources confirmed to the public that singer-songwriter Alicia Keys(left in right picture) is pregnant with the her first child with rapper-producer Swizz Beatz, her fiance`. Before the announcement was officially made, blogs and gossip sites across the web were criticizing 29-year-old Keys on her relationship with Swizz Beatz, claiming that the two were involved before the rapper had even filed for separation from his wife, Mashonda. Bad press continues to surround Keys and Swizz Beatz now, especially with the announcement of pregnancy.

The couple began dating in 2008, which was post-separation from Swizz Beatz' wife. However, the media claims from friends of Mashonda and herself that the two were still happily married when Keys began dating him, labeling Keys a "home wrecker". All is speculation. We, the public, can only believe what is said, and all that is being said is negative. Relationships are private matters, and what happened between the three is only truly known and understood by them. The scrutiny and name-calling being thrown at the two of them isn't fair...but then again, I guess that's just life.

Another similar celebrity has also come under the same invasion of privacy. 40-year-old Mariah Carey(right in picture above) has constantly been in the news recently with rumors speculating that the singer could be pregnant with husband entertainer, Nick Cannon. Assumptions came from recent photos of Carey and Cannon spotted leaving a fertility clinic. The singer-actress also announced last month that she would no longer be starring in writer-producer Tyler Perry's upcoming film,"For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.”

With all the pressure from the media, Mariah Carey's husband Nick Cannon, said the following on his Twitter page yesterday:

"If & when my wife is ready to make ANY announcements about private matters she will do it personally."

All this morning, (not-so-reliable)news reports have circulated across the web, insinuating that from Cannon's statement on Twitter, he has confirmed that his wife is indeed pregnant. But once again, this is another speculation. I believe that the statement simply addressed the privacy of such a matter as pregnancy. It is between the husband, wife, and their family. The issue of whether or not she is pregnant or has been having trouble conceiving is a private matter. If she is indeed pregnant, Mariah will reveal that herself. This is not the type of issue that should be "dug-up" by the pressuring media.

Hey, let's talk NBA.

written by:stacia_doss.
It's been a little while since I've posted anything, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen and thought about a lot of interesting occurrences going on, particularly with sports.

First, let's talk about LeBron. Next month is the 2010 NBA draft.All the hype is about future rookies like Kentucky guard, John Wall, but what I'm interested in is someone who's already there, Lebron James. Coach Mike Brown was fired just a few days ago, and the buzz is that LeBron could also be leaving Cleveland. According to these folks, the Cleveland Cavaliers won't get a pick in June's NBA draft, which (to me), means trades.Who knows what the verdict will be? I've heard he could be going to the Knicks..maybe even out to Chicago with Derrick Rose. Will he leave his hometown for the 2010-2011 season? Time will tell; but for now, it's all plain hear say.

Now, to the playoffs. I must admit that the Lakers are a great team, but I've grown tired of seeing them win over and over again. I just want to see some new champs, that's all.=)The Celtics have been dominating the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, leading 3-1, but how that one win came about the other night is beyond me. All four teams that are still battling it out right now for the championship (Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and LA Lakers) are all good competitors. Obviously, or they wouldn't be where they are right now. But the way the series are looking right now, Celtics could have it in the bag soon, and the Lakers v. Suns series...well, who really knows?! I feel as if the Magic were to make a miraculous comeback against the Celtics and take the series, and the Lakers came out defeating the Suns, there would be little to no competition in the final show-down. I just have a feeling Magic would get completely swept, and for competing with the Laker team, the Celtics just have the ability to put up more of a fight.The NBA is 'Where Amazing Happens" right? So, I'm hoping amazing happens and surprises me with the winner of this year's championship.

That's all the updating I've got for now...for the next few games, I'll sit back, relax, and see how things play out.

Producer Spike Lee speaks motivation in Memphis

article by:stacia_doss
Spike Lee, the well-known director/producer, spoke to students and guests at The University of Memphis Wednesday night. His overall message to the audience centered around the importance of education and achieving dreams.

While re-canting on his years at Moorehouse College in Atlanta, GA, he said he was unsure of what he would major in when he first started college.

"I didn't declare my major until the summer after my sophomore year when I was all out of electives,"he joked.

Lee said that after a summer of creating short films about various scenes in his hometown of New York City, he returned to school in the fall and knew film was his passion. He then declared it his major.

He stressed to students how important it is to follow a career that will make them happy, not just for material gains, regardless of what others say.

"When I did my first film in college, I showed it to my classmates and they liked it," he said." It was an amazing feeling doing it on a whim when no one but my immediate family thought I could do it."

Lee also discussed how he learned, firsthand, that persistence can lead to success.

He said he did not achieve his success immediately, but it came with patience and learning to perfect his craft with time.

"Keep trying.Who knows? The 101st 'no' could be a 'yes'."

November brings unanticipated victories for Memphis

written by:stacia_doss.
The city of Memphis' top basketball teams once yielded pretty low expectations for wins from some residents--but the past month has brought the unexpected from both the Grizzlies and Tigers.

After the Memphis Tigers suffered the loss of Coach John Calipari to the University of Kentucky last spring, it seemed like at least three-fourths of the blues city had the blues. Many wrote the team off as having little to no chance of being as good as it was under Calipari's leadership, but things changed.

The Memphis Grizzlies started the NBA preseason with some players the team hoped would help gain more wins--like veteran guard Allen Iverson and rookies Hasheem Thabeet and DeMarre Carroll. But as time went on the team was less than victorious, with only one home win, and back to back losses on the road--and Iverson decided he did not want to be a part of the team.

Both Memphis team fans were disappointed and losing hope, if hope was existent.

Coach Josh Pastner recruited the best he could for the 09-10 season, leaving the team with a couple of new recruits, a few veterans, and even some walk-ons. There was no doubt that this was a team transformed from its previous season. The team didn't even rank in the top 25 power teams of the NCAA, but the team said differently.

On November 17, the Tigers competed against the No.1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks. Numerous mistakes were made by Memphis, yet the game was at a constant neck and neck score. At the end of the game, a 55-57 score with Kansas leading, the Tigers went for a long three and lost the game. It was a loss, or was it?

Memphis guard Elliot Williams said "The message we sent is that nobody is going to run over us." I guess surprised Memphians and NCAA fans as a whole could say the same. Pastner has already recruited some of the top players in the nation for the '10-'11 season...time will tell what else is in store.

Since releasing Iverson from his contact, the Grizzlies team has improved, winning four of its last five games. The team also added former Indiana Pacer-Jamaal Tinsley to its roster during the month of November. Will the victories continue with the recent team alterations?

Memphis Grizzlies gain first win of Season-[recap]

article by:stacia_doss.
With a 115-107 final score,the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Toronto Raptors Friday night at the FedEx Forum, making the team 1-1 for the regular season.

After a struggle with scoring Wednesday night against the Detroit Pistons, the team was able to end victorious as Zach Randolph led the team with with 30 points and seven rebounds.

Chris Bosh led the Raptors during the course of the game with 37 points and 12 rebounds.

The Grizzlies led in the first and second quarters,but trailed the Raptors 79-76 in the third.

The Memphis team will hit the road to play the Denver Nuggets on November 1, while the Raptors head back to Toronto to face the Orlando Magic.

Ready to be a backpack Journalist?

written by:stacia_doss.

Today's journalists aren't what they used to be. To be successful in the area of print/broadcast, it is recommended for one to be well rounded in the profession in more areas than just writing. In short, he or she needs to be prepared to not only write, but also record video, audio, and even take photographs on their own.

I am a senior internet journalism major and I'm not so sure if I, myself, am prepared. I hadn't heard of this whole "backpack journalist" concept probably until the end of my sophomore/ beginning of my junior year and I'm starting to wonder...can I handle it?

The above photo is a small bit of what is supposed to be in my backpack.

The fairly new concentration of "internet journalism" at my college is not the most popular among students. However, I decided upon choosing it just for that reason. I sought to expand and enhance my skills in areas other than just writing. With graduation being less than seven months away, I am questioning whether or not I will be prepared when the May date comes around.