1. NEXT, HE APOLOGIZES FOR HAVING CASEY AFFLECK AS A BROTHER-IN-LAW Joaquin Phoenix apologizes to David Letterman for committing career suicide on his show last year (Globe and Mail). Roger Ebert has an explanation, but the short one is that I’m Still Here was a poorly executed Borat-style satire on the celebrity world. (Roger Ebert) Emphasize ‘poorly executed.’ (Chicago Sun Times)
2. ROUGH PLAY The Canadian Football League fined Hamilton Tiger-Cats Lineman Jason Jiminez the maximum amount (Hamilton Spectator) for a cheap shot against the B.C. Lions’ Brent Johnson (photos courtesy riderfans.com). It’s not the first time Jiminez has been cited for rough play (CBC Sports), but as long as you have coaches who care more about winning at any cost (which is the professed idea behind pro sports) than about human decency, and as long as the arbitration system between the CFL and the players’ association remains tied up (TSN) (in theory the union is supposed to represent the aggrieved worker, but shouldn’t the CFLPA be more worried about the general health of all its members rather than one who has a track record of injuring its members?) … well, he’ll always find a job somewhere until he stops tackling out there.
3. THE TAXPAYER’S-ABOUT-TO-GET-HOSED DOME Let me get this straight: The Saskatchewan government wants to spend taxpayers money to build a football stadium and then turn around and sell it? (Leader-Post). Yeah, because it worked so good the last time … (University of Western Ontario Gazette),especially for taxpayers (TSN).
4. BC GOVERNMENT DEMANDS PSYCH WARD FOR ACTIVIST Check out Murray Dobbin’s story. (Rabble) This is how the Soviet Union tried to shut up its dissenters.
5. MORE ON RODNEY DECROO The Tyee tells his story right. DeCroo’s supposed to be in town later this week.
6. YEAH, YOU STILL HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR LATE FEES Blockbuster Video is set for bankruptcy in the United States, as on-line downloading replaces the trip to the video store (Toronto Star).
