710 ESPN's "SMOG" - Steve Mason's Blog

"In my personal opinion", Ireland isn't that bright either.

I'm endlessly entertained by that Miss Teen South Carolina I saw on YouTube. We goofed on it yesterday, and I'm not done goofing yet.

Here's a funny blog entry on something called Life with Daddy Choy. Somebody there was listening to our Miss South Carolina bit, linked to the actual YouTube clip and took a shot at Ireland under a headline that reads "If Melanie Marquez was blonde." Funny.

I'm not sure if this blogger is trying to win our GET THE WORD OUT MOVEMENT (it's not a CONTEST), but if they are, they've got a shot.

Talk about a "no-win" situation...

If Team USA wins the FIBA Americas tournament, people will say, "We've got the best players in the world, why wouldn't we win." If Team USA loses any of their games, even their next game against Uruguay (which is meaningless), it's a disaster. "The US has been passed up by the rest of the world. We've got bunch of spoiled, lazy superstars who don't care about representing their country with hard work and urgency."

Weirdly, nobody even seems to care much about Team USA winning....except for Kobe Bryant and his teammates. Nobody's watching the games on TV. The announcers aren't even in Las Vegas. They're in studios on the east coast calling the games off a TV monitor. Not many people are showing up in Vegas to see the games in person.

And still, a loss will be the equivalent of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding through America's heartland (and David Stern's office).

One of the reasons nobody cares is that the FIBA Americas tournament uses "Pool Play." The Olympics use it too. That means that teams play and try to qualify for single elimination play. I wish that international tournments would just go one-and-done like the NCAA tournament. Make every game "life and death." That's compelling. Instead, Team USA is undefeated, and they can still make the single elimination semis, even if they lose their next 2 contests.

Kobe Bryant is using the FIBA Americas to, once again, resurrect his image. He's a little like John Travolta. Disaster then comeback then disaster then comeback.

Kobe's line against Puerto Rico last night was 24 minutes (more than anybody on the roster), 6 of 11 from the field (about 55%) and 2 of 4 from beyond the arc, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Mark Heisler from the LA Times captures what Kobe is doing in his story today.

Some highlights....

"Unlike his role on the Lakers, the guard sets the tone with intangibles such as defense, work ethic and hustle.

"I'll be honest with you," says U.S. director Jerry Colangelo, "when I first started this process, as I spoke with a lot of people I respect a great deal in the game, there were a lot of people who were down on him. I knew what he was as a player. I knew what he was as a competitor and I knew if he was focused on wanting to be part of this, you couldn't ask for a better guy.

"Kobe is a dominant personality," Colangelo says. "Kobe is maybe the best player in the game right now. . . The first play of the game a couple of nights ago [diving on the floor in the opener], that set the tone. Not just for that game. That made a statement."

"He's been nothing but humble, man, coming in trying to lead," teammate Chauncey Billups says of Bryant. "You see what he's doing defensively out there, picking the tempo up every single time and raising the bar for everybody else. I'm not surprised about Kobe at all. I sit here and I watch him and I see him getting up super-early every morning and lifting weights. He puts so much into it, I'm not surprised at all."

Let's take tht first line apart.

"Unlike his role on the Lakers..."

...where he has absolutely no help whatsoever and must shoot relentlessly because nobody else can or will....

"the guard sets the tone with intangibles such as defense, work ethic and hustle."

...because he's got a lot of help on Team USA from legit players with skills. He can focus on defense and doing the little things. Bryant is able to support teammates. He doesn't need to be the leading scorer. If somebody else on the team wants to score, he'll find other ways to contribute that don't show up in the box score.

I get the feeling that Kobe views the Gold medal in Beijing next summer as his next legitimate shot at a championship. Good news for Team USA and American basketball fans.

There's more than football in Idaho.

Can't wait for football season. Damn, the next few months are the best time of the year. Football season starts, baseball playoffs, start of NBA...good times.

I was over at USC for the opening Pete Carroll press conference of the year and my weekly interview with USC AD Mike Garrett. My sense is that this is going to be a very special year for the Trojans. JD Booty has looked fantastic in practice. Let's face it. He's already graduated, and he's been doing nothing but training and working out for a year. He's essentially a professional football player already (except for the big check).

I was invited to be a prt of the Trojan network broadcasts this year, which I'm pumped about. That means that I'll do the last 2 hours of so of our 710 ESPN Gameday broadcast, then Brandon Hancock, John Jackson and me will take you right up to kickoff. We'll have the spectacular 710 ESPN stage outside the Colliseum again this year, and Bristol Farms is catering the best damn tailgate party there is.

There wasn't a lot of talk about Idaho yesterday. The Vandals are 45 point dogs, and Britney Spears has a better chance of being named "Mom of the Year" than Idaho has of beating the Trojans at the Colliseum.

But that Senator Larry Craig from Idaho is in the news big time after being busted for lewd conduct in a men's bathroom at the Minneapolis airport. He was tapping his foot and reaching under somebody else's stall to solicit sex when he got busted. Creepy.

A morning news show in Sacramento did a hilarious re-enactment of this today. Check this out...especially the one guy's shoes.

Now that's some great TV. Let's go Carlos Amezcua and Sam Rubin. How about a little re-enactment on the KTLA Morning News, huh?

What does Michael Vick know and who does he know it about?

This morning, Michael Vick entered a guilty plea to a felony charge related to his dog fighting ring. He has admitted to helping to kill 6-8 pit bulls and supplying the money for gambling on the fights. The plea agreement calls for him to serve 12-18 months in Federal prison, though Judge Henry Hudson is under no obligation to hand down a sentence at the low end of the criminal guidelines.

Vick has agreed to provide information to Federal prosecutors about other crimes committed by others. Who are these people and what are the crimes? Is it friends, family or other teammates? What are the crimes? Dogfighting, drugs (often associated with dogfighting), gambling?

I was watching First Take on ESPN2 this morning and the 2 Live Stews, some Atlanta talk show hosts, and they have already said that the worst thing that Michael Vick can be is a "snitch." There's a fine line between being giving enough information to "save his hide" and becoming a "snitch."

Is it possible that not a single one of Michael Vick's teammates didn't know about the dogfighting and didn't attend the dogfighting, and, if they did, didn't wager on those dogfights? Should he turn them in to mitigate his prison sentence?

Vick just made his statement. It was perfect. He didn't read a statement. He just spoke from his heart. He accepted full responsibility. He apologized. He told kids to learn from his bad decisions.

It's a start.

GET THE WORD OUT

This is a great example of how you can help us get the word out. This loyal listener, Rudy Hurtado, showed up at Tuesday night's Angels/Yankees game, and held up a MASON & IRELAND sign at our competition's remote. Rudy's got a great shot at a pair of tickets for USC/Idaho next Saturday, 2 admissions to our 710 ESPN VIP Tailgate Party (with open bar) and car service to and from the game.

 

The idea is that we need your help in promoting MASON & IRELAND. What's the coolest, weirdest, smartest way to tell the world to listen to us. I've got to be honest with you. Since Peanut Head and I have been at 710 ESPN (4 years in March), there's never been a billboard, a TV spot, a direct mail piece or a newspaper ad to promote us....still we have survived. We've never given away money on the Big Show to "buy listeners." We've gotta "make our bones" the old-fashioned way....1 listener at a time.

Rudy found a way to GET THE WORD OUT about MASON & IRELAND and 710 ESPN. The 3 elements that you've gotta include are MASON, IRELAND and 710 ESPN. By GETTING THE WORD OUT, you've got a chance to win, but you've got to be able to provide us with evidence of what you did. There are no rules to this contest, but don't screw up anybody's life. If Gayle Anderson from the KTLA Morning News is interviewing a basketful of puppies, don't mess up her whole story. If you're going to call another radio talk show like Rush Limbaugh or Dr. Laura or Tom Leykis (all friends of mine), don't blurt out something obscene. (Actually, Rush and Laura aren't friends of mine and Leykis is only an acquaintance).

Once when we did this bit years ago, somebody called Dr. Laura and said something to this effect...

Caller - "Hi this is Bill from Agoura Hills"

Dr. Laura - "Hi Bill. I am my kids' Mom."

Caller - Yeah I know. You say that every 2 minutes.

Dr. Laura - I am.

Caller - I feel sorry for your kids.

Dr. Laura - How cn I help you?

Caller - My friends Mason and Ireland have sexual addiction issues.

Dr. Laura - They're horrible human beings.

Caller - I agree. All they do all day is have sex and listen to 710 ESPN.

Dr. Laura - Hey. Waitaminute. Is this that stupid Mason & Ireland contest?

Caller - Hangs up.

Dr. Laura - Go Take On the Day.

But, if you do something like this, you've got to be able to either e-mail us an MP3 file or send us a DVD or cassette tape.

Can you build us a website? How many times can you mention us on different message boards and blogs? Can you get us a headline on Drudge? How about get us mentioned in a letter that Bill O'Reilly reads at the end of the factor. Can you take a photos of me and John and digitally age them then figure out how to get Willard Scott to congratulate us for being 100 years old on the Today Show?

There are no rules. Bigger is better.

By the way, Rudy was kicked out of the other station's remote. He put the sign on his car, which was parked near their setup, and eventually "somebody" tore it up and threw it away.

God Bless Rudy Hurtado!

Vaca was over... then disaster struck.

My vacation turned our great....but my first day back could have been better. A lot better.

I don't really like to talk about vacations on the air...especially before I go. First off, if you're a fan of mine, you might not tune in if you know that I'm not going to be there. The other reason is weird, but true. I had a stalker when I was working in New York City. It was pretty freaky. I'd say on the air that I was going to the Yankee game and sitting in the right field bleachers, and when I got there, this psycho would be there. Or, I'd mention that I was going to my favorite restaurant on Saturday, and when I'd get there, that "fruit loop" would be in the restaurant bar.

They never could "nail" the guy for anything, but he scared the hell out of me for about 6 months. He probably moved on to stalking another marginal New York celebrity of that time like then-Yankee utility player Clay Bellinger or Lisa Ling from The View or Regis & Kelly Lee producer Gelman. Even though I wasn't attacked by this "wing nut", it made me careful about how much I say about what I'm going to do in the future. (I'm the opposite of Mark McGwire. I'll only talk about my past, not my future.)

This is all a long way of saying that I went to Hawaii for a few days. When I was getting ready to leave, a Hurricane named Flossie was in the neighborhood of the Big Island, and one of my fallback choices was Jamaica. I stuck with Hawaii, and damn it was the right bet. Flossie (they're clearly running out of good hurricane names) never got near Hawaii. In fact, people on the Big Island told me that they didn't even get any rain. Meanwhile, a hurricane named Dean has screwed up Jamaica something awful.

While on vacation, I hopped in the pool and was reading a book, when I noticed that there was something in my bathing suit pocket. It was my I-Phone. Steve Jobs is smart. He can make an I-Pod the size of a dime, but, so far at least, he hasn't made the I-Phone "pool friendly." So, on my way to the station today (Monday), I stopped off for a new I-Phone. As I was driving away, I got into a car accident.

I called 911, waited for the emergency people, then waited for the police, filled out a report, called the insurance company, and on and on and on. By the time this mess was over, it was 4:15pm, and I was more shaken up than I would have expected to be. No radio for me today.

The best words I heard all day were when I asked the police officer whose fault this accident was. She said, "Not yours."

Steely McBeam is Stupid McDumb

I was born in the city of Altoona in central Pennsylvania. They're serious about their football in PA, and that's why the new Steelers mascot is generating outrage.

Mascots are generally stupid. Yes, the San Diego Chicken was cool in his day, the Philly Phanatic is OK and the racing sausages in Milwaukee are good for a few laughs. Here in SoCal, we have Wild Wing at Ducks games, the Rally Monkey at Angels Stadium and Tommy Trojan. The best mascot of all might be the ape at Phoenix Suns games. He actually does something with a couple of thunderous dunks per game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are among the most storied franchises in all of sports, so I was skeptical when I heard that they were going to introduce a mascot this football season. The Rooney family announced that the new mascot would look like a steelworker, and they launched a contest to have Steelers fans name him. They got 70,000 suggestions, and they decided on "Steely McBeam."

Steeler fans are tough with their Terrible towels and their Permante Brothers sandwiches and their Iron City beer. They have been hardened by years of bitter cold and the deep snow. They have grit and determinaion and fight ane every Sunday they go to war where the Ohio, Allegheny and the Monongahela come together. The one thing that Steeler fans are definitely not is cute. Steely McBeam is a cute nickname, and if that stupid looking mascot shows up at a game, there are some real steelwokers who are going to kick its cute stuffed ass.

A guy named Ryan Valdiserri has started an online petition to rid the city of this stupid idea once and for all. Here's what the petition says....

We the members of Steeler Nation, are now embarrassed. The name Steely McBeam is a terrible choice for naming our new mascot. It does not represent the toughness of our city or of our team. Look in the stands during a game and you will see we are our own cheerleaders and some fans are our own mascot. If it were up to Steeler Nation we would remove the mascot altogether, especially since it looks like Bill Cowher.

Those who have signed the petition below, would like the name to be changed by a vote by the fans, or have the mascot removed for good.

Here's a link to a little petition promo that's running on You Tube, so you can see what "Steely McBeam" looks like. The mascot is basically a Bill Cowher look-a-like with that same goofy chin.

If the Rooneys are dead set on using this mascot, they've got to at least change the name. Here are some ideas.

Ironhead

Iron City Stan

Mayor McSteel

Freddie Forge

The Galvanizer

Any ideas? All these poor Pittsburghers have is Steelers football. Don't let Steely McBeam screw it up for them.

It's Over! The Dodgers have only a 15% chance of making the playoffs

I came across a pretty fascinating site called Cool Standings. These guys simulate the entire remaining MLB schedule 1 million times and then report the percentage of times that each team wins its division and the Wild Card. That means that schedule strength is factored in. They say that the Dodgers have only an 8.2% chance of winning the NL West and a 6.6% chance of grabbing the Wild Card. In other words, stick fork in 'em. The Dodger are through for 20.

The Blue have 22 home games and 24 away games left, and 32 of those games are against teams with winning records. Despite being only 2 games out of the Wild Card, this just doesn't look good.

August has been Little Big Horn, Waterloo, the Hindenburgh....you name the disaster, and it's a good comparison for the way LA has been playing. They won 5 outta 6 coming out of the All Star Break, and, since then, they are 6-15. Over that span, they are scoring just 3.5 runs per game, and they have been hut out 4 times and held to 2 runs or less 11 times.

I've said all year long that Arizona is the team that the Dodgers should be afraid of, and they look like their beginning to run away with a 4 game lead. We're very close to "recess time" for LA. In other words, let the kids come out and play. Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young should get a call-up and Matt Kemp, James Loney and Andre Ethier should be playing every day.

The Angels, by the way, have an 87% chance of winning the AL West according to Cool Standings, and there's a 90% chance of either winning the division or securing the Wild Card.

The 'Rush' is on! 'Rush Hour 3' w/$17.8M Friday and a $49.8M 3-day target; 'Bourne' holding strong; 'Stardust' soft; 'Daddy Day Camp' and 'Skinwalkers' bomb

Ever wonder what Steve Mason does at about Midnight on Friday night?

I've become "Mr. Movie Box Office Guy." Every Friday night, I go to work on figuring out how all of the would-be blockbusters are doing at America's multiplexes. Thanks to great sources in the industry, lots of experience as an exhibitor and a lot of trial-and-error, I am generally recognized as the guy who comes up with the earliest and most accurate box office numbers every weekend. It comes in handy on the website that I co-own called Fantasy Moguls.

So, as of Midnight Friday, here are the Top 20 movies for Friday and for the 3-day weekend. These numbers will either be dead-on or pretty damn close.

FRIDAY NIGHT: New Line’s re-teaming of Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan and director Brett Ratner has proved worth every penny of its investment as Rush Hour 3 is officially a blockbuster. The action-comedy has grabbed an estimated $17.8M on its opening day, and that should translate to a 3-day haul of approximately $49.8M. That’s less than Rush Hour 2’s opening weekend of $67.4M back in 2001, but it’s considerably stronger than the original 1998 Rush Hour opening weekend of $33M.

RH3 marks the 3rd best opening weekend of Ratner’s career.

TOP 5 OPENING WEEKENDS FOR BRETT RATNER-DIRECTED FILMS
1. X-Men: The Last Stand - $102.7M
2. Rush Hour 2 - $67.4M
3. Rush Hour 3 - $49.8M (estimate)
4. Red Dragon - $36.5M
5. Rush Hour - $33M

For both Tucker and Chan, it is the all-time 2nd best opening, trailing only Rush Hour 2.

TOP 5 CHRIS TUCKER OPENINGS
1. Rush Hour 2 - $67.4M
2. Rush Hour 3 - $49.8M (estimate)
3. Rush Hour - $33M
4. The Fifth Element - $17M
5. Money Talks - $10.6M

TOP 5 JACKIE CHAN OPENINGS
1. Rush Hour 2 - $67.4M
2. Rush Hour 3 - $49.8M (estimate)
3. Rush Hour - $33M
4. Shanghai Knights - $19.6M
5. Shanghai Noon - $15.6M

Last weekend’s box office champion The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) is holding exceedingly well with a $10.7M Friday, vaulting its 8-day cume to $109.3M. The Greengrass/Damon thriller is headed for a very strong second weekend in the $34M range. The Simpsons Movie (Fox) grabbed $3.7M to kick off the weekend, and it will bank an estimated $12.3M by Monday morning, putting Homer and family above the $150M mark.

The $70M Paramount fantasy film Stardust looks like a bust. From director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake), the movie has an excellent cast and terrific reviews (74% Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a solid 65% Postive score at MetaCritic), but it’s a quirky picture and the studio never quite figured out how to sell it. Stardust managed only $3M on Friday, and it will top out at approximately $9M for the weekend.

The other 2 new releases are full-on disasters. Daddy Day Camp (Sony) scrounged up just $1.35M to start the weekend, and its 3-day will be just over $4M. Meanwhile, the latest Lionsgate/After Dark exploitation/horror picture Skinwalkers is making last month’s Captivity look like a blockbuster. On just over 700 screens, Skinwalkers generated just $185,000 on Friday, and its 3-day gross will be an estimated $500,000.

Other highlights...

-Becoming Jane (Miramax) has expanded strongly on 600 screens. The Anne Hathaway vehicle delivered just over $800,000 on Friday, and it will bank $2.6M by Monday morning.

-With just under $1M on Friday, Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) has nudged past the magical $300M mark.

-New Line's Hairspray will definitely top $100M before it's domestic run is through. With an estimated $6.35M this weekend, it'll be at a new cume of $92M.

-Universal's mega-budgeted Evan Almighty picked up a significant number of discount houses Friday, and the family film got a nice surge. By Monday, the Steve Carell comedy will be just $2.1M away from $100M. The picture will be a huge loser regardless, but that mark might take some of the sting out of all that red ink.

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY ESTIMATES
1. Rush Hour 3 (New Line) - $17.8M [$17.8M cume]
2. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) - $10.7M [$109.3M cume]
3. The Simpsons Movie (Fox) - $3.7 [$144.8M cume]
4. Stardust (Paramount) - $3M [$3M cume]
5. Underdog (Buena Vista) - $2.3M [$20.5M cume]
6. Hairspray (New Line) - $2.07M [$87.8M cume]
7. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Universal) - $1.9M [$99.8M cume]
8. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros) - $1.7M [$268.3M cume]
9. Daddy Day Camp (Sony) - $1.35M [$2.8M cume]
10. No Reservations - $1.3M [$29.4M cume]
11. Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) - $950,000 [$300.5M cume]
12. Becoming Jane (Miramax) - $806,000 [$2.4M cume]
13. Hot Rod (Paramount) - $725,000 [$9.5M cume]
14. Ratatouille (Buena Vista) - $710,000 [$191.7M cume]
15. Bratz - $469,000 [$6.6M cume]
16. El Cantante - $367,000 [$4.5M cume]
17. Skinwalkers (Lionsgate/After Dark) - $185,000 [$185,000 cume]
18. Live Free or Die Hard (Fox) - $137,500 [$131.3M cume]
19. Talk to Me (Focus) - $120,000 [$3.2M cume]
20. Evan Almighty (Universal) - $116,560 [$97.7M cume]

EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY ESTIMATES
1. Rush Hour 3 (New Line) - $49.8M [$49.8M cume]
2. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) - $34M [$132.6M cume]
3. The Simpsons Movie (Fox) - $12.3M [$153.4M cume]
4. Stardust (Paramount) - $9M [$9M cume]
5. Underdog (Buena Vista) - $7M [$25.2M cume]
6. Hairspray (New Line) - $6.35M [$92M cume]
7. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (Universal) - $6M [$103.8M cume]
8. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros) - $5.9M [$272.5M cume]
9. Daddy Day Camp (Sony) - $4.1M [$5.5M cume]
10. No Reservations - $4M [$32.1M cume]
11. Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) - $3.4M [$303M cume]
12. Becoming Jane (Miramax) - $2.6M [$4.2M cume]
13. Ratatouille (Buena Vista) - $2.4M [$193.4M cume]
14. Hot Rod (Paramount) - $2.2M [$10.9M cume]
15. Bratz - $1.47M [$7.6M cume]
16. El Cantante - $1.175M [$5.3M cume]
17. Skinwalkers (Lionsgate/After Dark) - $503,000 [$503,000 cume]
18. Live Free or Die Hard (Fox) - $467,500 [$131.6M cume]
19. Talk to Me (Focus) - $442,000 [$3.5M cume]
20. Evan Almighty (Universal) - $375,000 [$97.9M cume]

Who's got the best IPod playlist: Mason or Ireland?

Every day, we do a conference call at about 10:30a to talk about that day's show. A friend asked John to send a 20-song IPod playlist of all of the music that he's listening to lately. I think you can tell a lot about a person by what kind of music they like, so we decideded that I would make a 20 song playlist of my favorite music, and then put both lists online.

Here's John's list:

1) Feelin' Alright--Joe Cocker
Can't hear this song and not feel a jolt. Great vocals from one of the all-time voices.

2) Rosalita--Bruce Springsteen
I have more Springsteen than any other artist in my library. If I had to pick one song....this is it--but it was a photo finish with Thunder Road and Jungleland.

3) Anna Begins--Counting Crows
Love this band, especially Duritz. This is the one song that stays with me more than any other Crows tune, but they have a bunch.

4) Too Much--Dave Matthews Band
I'm stunned by how many DMB songs are in my library...never get tired of these guys.

5) Babylon--David Gray
Great voice....why doesn't he make more music?

6) Lady Writer--Dire Straits
Most underrated band out there. I don't think any of my friends have these guys in their top 20...they're in my top 10.

7) What a Fool Believes--The Doobie Brothers
Timeless song with great lyrics. For every guy who never saw a break-up coming.

8) Lose Yourself--Eminem
I'm not a huge rap guy, but ever since USC football starting playing this when they take the field, I can't get it out of my head. First song on any workout playlist I make.

9) I Confess--The English Beat
My favorite band when I was at UCLA. They have 50 great songs....this is the best.

10) Forever Man--Eric Clapton
Another guy I listen to all the time....could put any one of ten Clapton tunes here, but this is the one at the top for now.

11) My Kind of Town--Frank Sinatra
Frank is #2 behind Springsteen for most songs in the library. For any one who has ever stayed out all night in Chicago...this song brings back a lot of memories.

12) Snow--Red Hot Chili Peppers
The newest song on my list. Been listening to these guys for twenty years, and this is as good as anything they've done--great band.

13) I'm the Man--Joe Jackson
If you've ever seen him in concert...this is the song when he goes off. Once saw a guy jump from the second deck to the first in Berkeley during this song.

14) The Weather is here, Wish You were Beautiful--Jimmy Buffett
For anybody who ever really needed a vacation. Best line: "his lawyers are calling his parents, his girlfriend doesn't know what to think. His partners are studying their options....he just sits in a corner and drinks."

15) Rock and Roll--Led Zepplin
My favorite band in high school....this song still gets used on commercials today, thirty years after it came out--timeless.

16) Are You Gonna Go My Way--Lenny Kravitz
Another underrated guy with an unbelievable greatest hits album. Check it out....you'll know and like every song.

17) Tempted--Squeeze
Every girl I dated in college (all two of them) knows every word to this song....I'm surprised it stills holds up today.

18) Uptown--Prince
He did this song before anybody knew who he was....and it's great.

19) Englishman in New York--Sting
Great song in concert....never get tired of it on the I-pod.

20) Up on a Roof--James Taylor
To this day, my hangover remedy from college still works: two aspirin, headphones on, play James Taylor's Greatest Hits, fall asleep in hammock....never fails.

I didn't look at John's list before making mine, but there's not a single song that we have in common. The closest we came to having a song in common was David Gray "Babylon," which just missed being on my playlist.

My IPod is all about the songs I want to hear when I'm at the gym. I also lean very heavily on stuff that's on the charts right now. Every Tuesday, I download new music, and I'm always trying new songs and styles, and I'm not afraid of rap and hip-hop. Here is my 20 song playlist.

1. All American Rejects, “Dirty Little Secret”
Great band from Oklahoma. Catchy pop song. Sticks in my head.

2. Dave Matthews Band, “Crash”
Probably have more DMB songs on my IPod than any other artist. This is my favorite. Especially dig the live version.

3. Timbaland, “The Way I Are”
Great workout song. At Clipper Spirit tryouts, this is one of the tunes they performed to.

4. Tom Petty, “American Girl”
Not a big classic rock fan, but this is classic. Reminds me of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The Senator's daughter is singing this song right before Buffalo Bill kidnaps her.

5. R. Kelly, “I’m a Flirt”
I know this guy's a whackjob, but I like me a good midtempo R&B jam.

6. Pearl Jam, “Alive”
Always gets me cranked when I'm running out of gas at the gym.

7. Pink, “U + Ur Hand”
Good rockin' tune.

8. Paolo Nutini, “New Shoes”
Got no idea where I first heard this song, but it might have been a TV commercial. Kind of pop. Kind of jazz. Very cool.

9. Nickelback, “Rockstar”
Great band. Killer lyrics.

10. Jet, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”
Love this raw-sounding rocker. Great to sing along to.

11. Plain White T’s, “Hey There Delilah”
Mellow and catchy. Interesting band.

12. Incubus, “Anna Molly”
I love Incubus. The lead singer lives in Venice, and I see him inmy neighborhood all the time.

13. Peter, Bjorn and John, “Young Folks”
Weird song that I first heard in Europe last summer. Great video.

14. David Bowie, “Modern Love”
Awesome Bowie song from the same album as "Let's Dance" and "China Girl."

15. Maroon 5, “Makes Me Wonder”
Great band and this is my favorite song off their new album.

16. Lily Allen, “Smile”
Hookiest song on the list. Damn, that's a great hook.

17. The Killers, “When We Were Young”
Best new band out there. I heard the lead singer is a Mormon from Las Vegas.

18. Gladys Knight, “Midnight Train to Georgia”
Probably my favorite record of all time. I know all of the background vocals, and it's a lifetime ambition to stand in as a Pip for Gladys.

19. The Frames, “When Your Mind’s Made Up”
From the movie ONCE. One of my favorite movies of the year, and this song has stayed in my head ever since.

19. Fall Out Boy, “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”
I dig this band. Right up there with The Killers as my favorite newer band.