Harold Riddle

While this past weekend’s menu lacked the eye-catching appeal from Thanksgiving and Rivalry Week, there were still some jaw-dropping results put on display, including Cam Newton and Auburn’s 56-17 dismantling of South Carolina, Darren Thomas and Oregon’s 37-20 victory in the Civil War, a classic between Nebraska and Oklahoma, and arrests made before the game between USC and UCLA as well as a mascot of the Cincinnati Bearcats.

The new set of BCS standings will be released exclusively on ESPN’s BCS Countdown on Sunday night at 8:15pm EST.  Until then, you can check out the latest from the AP and Coaches Polls, along with my Week 15 list of College Football Power Rankings Without the Overwhelming Bias.

(Note: While several primary polls are often perplexed in their impervious and overwhelmingly biased ways, there are some individuals who actually use their heads and decide based on the action on the field, rather than the computers.  My rankings obviously contain bias as it is my take, but stays clear of the drenched amounts some of the other polls blindly serve each week.)

Follow Michael’s NFL coverage on the Houston Texans here.  You can also follow Michael on his new Twitter account and Facebook Page.

Begin Slideshow

Dania Ramirez Lucy Liu LeAnn Rimes Adrianne Curry Jennifer Gimenez

Filed under: Reality-Free, Recaps

Welcome to the Soap Round-Up, our weekly recap of all the soap action this past week. Each week, we sum up all the best stories from each and every soap, from ‘All My Children’ to ‘The Young and the Restless.’

If you don’t want to know what aired already, consider this a SPOILER ALERT. … Oh, one last thing, please comment and join the conversation.

For instance, on ‘Y&R,’ were you surprised when Skye turned up on Victor’s jet? I could have sworn that Jack was in on the fake death bit, but it was the Mustache at it again. What did you think of Victor’s latest move? Share your thoughts …

‘The Young and the Restless’

Adam followed Sharon to New Orleans and they renewed their love affair. Nick and Michael searched for Sharon. Nick was upset when Phyllis arrived to do a story on Adam. Victor told Nikki to move out of the ranch. Lauren suspected Daisy was gaslighting her. Nick rejected Sharon after learning she had been with Adam. Victor whisked Skye away and arranged for her to have a new identity. Adam was arrested for Skye’s murder. Daisy was ordered to live with Phyllis.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Cheryl Burke Olivia Wilde Paulina Rubio Kirsten Dunst Vanessa Minnillo

Sunday Night Football will feature a rough and tough divisional game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.  The latest NFL odds posted for this game by BetMania have the Ravens listed as slim 3-point favorites.

This series is always close and has been evenly matched over the years. There will be more on the line than just bragging rights this week.

The Ravens defeated the Steelers, 17-14, earlier in the year, giving the Ravens the tiebreaker for the division lead although both teams have identical 8-3 records. Pittsburgh fans will be quick to point out that Charlie Batch was the starting quarterback for that meeting, not Ben Roethlisberger.

If there is pressure on any team to win tonight, it would be the Steelers. If they lose they will be essentially two games back in the standings and would need the Ravens to stumble down the stretch to have a shot at the title. Three of the four games remaining on the Ravens schedule are against teams with a losing record. With that in mind, the Steelers need to win tonight.

The status of Roethlisberger and his injured foot has been the center of debate all week. At one point a source reported it as broken, which the Steelers quickly denounced. Roethlisberger was limited in practice all week and seen wearing a walking boot, but he plans to play on Sunday.

The Steelers are road warriors and are 5-1 this season away from home, with the lone loss coming against the New Orleans Saints. This series has been close, but not when the Steelers start Roethlisberger. Big Ben won his last start against the Ravens, making it very important that he is under center for this must-win game.

The Steelers are excellent on defense but have had some issues defending the pass. Mother Nature will help them out in that area tonight. The forecast in Baltimore is calling for clear skies Sunday night, with strong winds of up to 20 mph that will disrupt passing in M&T Bank Stadium and drop the game-time temperatures into the high 20s. That type of weather is perfect for a battle between two tough defensive-minded teams.

The Ravens are 3-7-1 against the spread (ATS) when they play a team with a winning record and minus-5 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite between 0.5 and 3 points. The Steelers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog and 5-0 ATS in their last five road games when they play a team with a winning home record.

In this series the road team is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six meetings and the underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven meetings, which sets up nicely for Big Ben and the Steelers.

Steelers +3

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.

More NFL Week 13 Articles

Saints at Bengals: Preview and Pick

Jets at Patriots: Injuries Changing the Game

Broncos at Chiefs: Preview and Pick

Dallas at Colts: Preview and Pick

NFL Week 13 Picks Against the Spread for Every Game

Isla Fisher Sophia Bush Megan Fox Michelle Malkin Charlies Angels

Amerie Rachel Bilson Karen Carreno Bijou Phillips Marika Dominczyk

Filed under: TV Replay

We love it when perfect Martha Stewart makes a mistake.

Alan Cumming was on Friday’s ‘The Martha Stewart Show’ (weekdays, 10AM ET on Hallmark) and before she showed the actor-writer-director-producer-composer how to make a glittered holiday wreath with sweetgum fruit she chatted about his non-existent Emmy award.

“You were in the ‘Good Wife,’ ” she said to Cumming. “I am,” Cumming responded. “You are,” Martha said, “but last year you were.” (Good cover up, Martha).

“And you won an award,” she said.

“Oh no, I was only nominated. Martha, don’t talk about it.”

“Only nominated, oh my gosh” Martha said. (Oops)

John Lithgow won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for ‘Dexter.’

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Ivana Bozilovic Cristina Dumitru Cat Power January Jones Christina DaRe

Filed under: Reality-Free, TV Previews, Celebrity Interviews, The Show Girl

‘Off the Map’ is the latest medical series from the ladies behind ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Private Practice,’ Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers and creator Jenna Bans.

If you haven’t figured out their winning formula by now, this show proves that hot doctors plus interesting cases equals a sexy hit show. ‘Off the Map’ (premieres Wed., Jan. 12, 10PM ET on ABC) adds an exotic locale to the mix, with a Doctors Without Borders-style program taking these medical professionals to a remote South American jungle.

AOL TV has an exclusive sneak peek of the show, which star Jason George (remember him as Bailey’s love interest, Dr. Ben Warren?) describes as “kind of like ‘M*A*S*H,’ but with a ‘Romancing the Stone’ tone. We’re not in the middle of a war, but we are strangers in a strange land, and doing things our way, not necessarily the right — or even the legal — way. There’s sterile and there’s clean enough. We’re definitely on the “clean enough” set. [Laughs]”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Mary Elizabeth Winstead Piper Perabo Anna Kournikova Esther Cañadas Kate Beckinsale

Filed under: Suns, Euroleague

Josh Childress had to use his athleticism in Greece for more than driving to the hoop. Try dodging projectiles.

Childress, a Phoenix forward, returned to the NBA this season after two years playing for Olympiakos, located just outside Athens in Piraeus. And you wonder why he says he became anxious to get back to the States.

“You name it,” Childress said in an interview with FanHouse about how fans would throws objects at games throughout Greece. “Pieces of marble to ceramic, M-80s, lighters, cameras, cell phones, coins, bottles of urine, feces. Everything.”

Wait a minute? Bottles of urine?

“Actually, some of my buddies got hit with them,” Childress said. “I don’t even know why you would think to do that.”

Feces?

“It’s as bad as it sounds,” Childress said.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nicole Scherzinger Jill Arrington Tami Donaldson Padma Lakshmi Sarah Mutch

This is my first-ever Bleacher Report article.  I am happy to be one of the lucky ones able to share my thoughts with the world.  All this quick slideshow is is just a showcase of my opinions.  Who I think are the WWE’s (mainly RAW) Top 10 wrestlers (and one stable, guess who?  Hint: N). 

Anyway, here goes!

Begin Slideshow

Tamie Sheffield Kelly Monaco Gisele Bündchen Jennifer Aniston Amy Cobb

Eve Brittany Lee Daisy Fuentes Asia Argento Charisma Carpenter

Filed under: NBA D-League, Idaho Stampede

Antoine Walker, a 12-year NBA veteran and three-time NBA All-Star, has cleared the standard NBA Development League background check and was placed on waivers Friday, according to a league source, clearing the way for him to join the D-League’s Idaho Stampede when he clears waivers Tuesday afternoon.

The Idaho Stampede, the only winless team in the D-League with an 0-4 record, are expected to use their top choice in the waiver claim preference order to claim Walker, which they received after having the last pick in November’s D-League Draft.

Walker’s expected signing with the D-League was first reported by FanHouse Sunday, though his contract only now becomes official.

Walker averaged 17.5 points and 7.7 rebounds over the course of his NBA career that began after becoming the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but he wasn’t able to earn an NBA training camp invite with the Charlotte Bobcats earlier this year after showing up to practice with them in September.

While it isn’t surprising that Walker wasn’t able to earn a training camp invite amid their glut of tweener forwards, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported at the time that Walker was in very good shape, that multiple witnesses who had seen Walker playing and working out with famed trainer Tim Grover in Chicago said “that Walker looks as fit as he has for some time.”

Walker will have plenty of company in former NBA players trying to get back to the NBA through the D-League with the Stampede. Luke Jackson, the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers will man one wing while Salim Stoudamire, the 31st pick of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, will be on the other wing. Point guard Dontell Jefferson, who was recently acquired via trade, spent the end of the 2008-09 season with the Charlotte Bobcats.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Kasey Chambers Megan Ewing Kristanna Loken Aubrey ODay Drew Barrymore