Posted Friday, July 24, 2009 02:30 PM
Remember the summer of 1999 - when the Blair Witch Project took all the fun out of camping?
I was heading into my freshman year of university and working at a local sporting goods store peddling $200 Air Jordans to white kids with identity crisis. Even before the movie’s trailers and radio ads started scaring the bejesus out of me, I had heard about the film in magazines and newspapers.
It was this documentary gone wrong (and not in the good Spinal Tap way) that captured the torment and eventual disappearance of three film students making a movie on an urban legend in Maryland.
I recall walking into the theatre with my heart in my throat in anticipation of the supposed scariest film ever. But when it was over, the fear in my stomach had turned to motion sickness. What was billed as the next step in horror was a snooze fest punctuated by moments of sheer panic and poor focus.
My grandmother’s old home movies provoked more fear than the low-budget flick. The Blair Witch Project had fallen far short of all the hype.
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Posted Thursday, July 23, 2009 12:42 PM
If Fedor Emelianenko needed any more reason to come to the UFC, news broke yesterday that his opponent for the August 1 Affliction pay-per-view, Josh Barnett, tested positive for steroids and has been pulled from the card.
Emelianenko, known as the top heavyweight MMA fighter in the world, has been in the spotlight recently. Since UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar destroyed Frank Mir at UFC 100 July 11, the push has started to get the two monsters in the cage.
This current mess should help Fedor see the light of day when it comes to the UFC. Affliction as well as other MMA promotions, seem like fly-by-night operations when compared to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The UFC has had its share of steroid scandals. But with top-tier talents on the roster, and not past-their-prime fighters cheating their way into one more payday, the UFC has a sense of stability and professionalism that lacks in these others leagues.
Taking Barnett’s place is Vitor Belfort (18-8), another MMA fighter who tested positive for steroid use back in 2006. The Brazilian is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and has scored back-to-back impressive knockout victories over Terry Martin and Matt Lindland in the past two Affliction cards.
Emelianenko will toss Belfort aside, regardless of the short notice, and hopefully will start taking steps towards signing with MMA’s most reliable source.