Thank goodness

TGIF, especially since this is a long weekend! I love U.S. Presidents.

In Theaters:
Breach
Bridge to Terabithia
Daddy’s Little Girl
Ghost Rider
Music and Lyrics

Braves Update:
The Atlanta Braves training camp got off to a frosty start as temperatures in Orlando were in the mid-40s. The team has moved morning practice to 11 AM on Saturday, as morning temperatures will be in the 30s.

Rafael Soriano will be a tad “tardy” for spring training because of visa troubles. Soriano, who is currently in the Dominican Republic, should receive a new visa in six or seven days. (atlantabraves.com)

NASCAR Update:
Congratulations to Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon on winning their respective Gatorade Duels at Daytona, a qualifying race for the Daytona 500. Gordon will not be starting from the fourth spot on the grid; instead the 3-time winner will be relegated to 42nd position after his car failed inspection. He will be able to keep the win.

There were many notables on the list of drivers not in the Daytona 500. They include, DEI rookie, Paul Menard (ouch), Jeremy Mayfield, Ward Burton, Red Bull Racing (A.J. Allmendinger and Brian Vickers), Bill Elliott and Mike Skinner. Of the seven cars Toyota brought to qualify only Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, David Reutimann and Dave Blaney made the field. For the complete 500 lineup head over to foxsports.com.

During the live airing of the Daytona 500, often referred to as the Super Bowl of NASCAR, fans will be treated to a host of new commercials featuring some of their favorite drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett and Greg Biffle. To get a complete synopsis of the ads being shown on Sunday, check out nascar.com.

TV ALERT: The 49th running of the Daytona 500 will air live on FOX beginning with a pre-show at 2 PM on Sunday!

Random Quote: "It was nice to get out there and just go racing. I've been glued to
the TV as much as anybody else over all this stuff. Between that and
Anna Nicole Smith, I couldn't pull away." - Jeff Gordon (thanks Howard)

Around Sports:
Baseball
Keith Foulke ended his Major League Baseball career after one day with the Cleveland Indians. Well think about it, how long would last? (si.com)

Basketball
Phil Jackson, Chris Mullin, Dick Vitale, Roy Williams, Bill Davidson and Bobby Hurley, Sr. highlight the 15 finalists for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. (AP)

College
The University of Illinois will retire their mascot, Chief Illiniwek after 81 years of service. First they make St. John’s change their name from the Redman to Red Storm (not as good may I say) and now this. Seriously, get over it. I pray this will not effect my tomahawk chop at Braves games! (AP)

Around the World:
Looks like its not just teams in NASCAR that cheat. 24 Air Force Academy cadets have confessed to cheating on a test. Another 12 are being investigated. Like the government needed another reason to send your asses to Iraq! (AP)

Abcnews.com has a list of ways to tell if your designer handbag is a fake. But here’s my list:
1. If you bought it off the street…it’s a fake!
2. If you bought it at your friends “handbag” party…it’s a fake!
3. If you bought it on eBay and the seller lives in China or Taiwan…it’s a fake!

A new report says that General Motors has been in talks to buy big three rival, Chrysler from the German, Daimler. (MSNBC)

Popo in my crib News:
George Steinbrenner’s son-in-law, Stephen Swindal, was arrested for DUI in Florida this week. Watch out Stephen, because the popo are on your tail! (ajc.com)

Foxy Brown spent a night in a Florida jail after throwing glue at a beauty shop employee. She is being charged with battery and resisting arrest. Watch out Foxy, because the popo are on your tail! (AP)

A search warrant is out for boy band guru Lou Pearlman. The FBI is seizing all financial records from the downtown offices of Trans Continental, Pearlman’s music company. The allegations against Pearlman include fraud. I think his former clients, ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys may know something about that! Watch out Lou, because the popo are on your tail! (wftv.com)

Celebrity Tid Bits:
Chris Cornell will leaving Audioslave. The announcement comes less than three months before his solo album is released on May 1st. (cnn.com)

BREAK-UP ALERT: Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan (people.com)

Happy birthday shout outs to Taylor Hawkins (35), Andy Taylor (46), Ice-T (49) and LaVar Burton (50).

It’s been fun blogging with you,
Kate