The Tiger Woods vs. Roger Federer argument for athlete of the decade is really a rather difficult decision. Roger has more majors but Tiger has more player of the year awards. You also have the difference in the two sports as Tiger needs to beat the field while Federer just needs to beat whoever he is playing that day. But I thought about this today and came up with the following hypothetical: If Venus or Serena Williams had the exact same career this decade as Federer would we name her athlete of the decade? I really think the answer would be yes. That degree of dominance of being the top player and winning a career slam and a gold medal in doubles along with their public persona would put her over the top. Federer’s accomplishments are lessened because a) he is a dirty foreigner and b) his only endorsement deal are those rather lame Gillette Fusion ads.
As I am getting into the best of the decade mode I thought that I should bring up some of the lesser awards tonight before I get into the deeper stuff over the next two weeks
Pro Wrestler of the Decade: Tough one as I am going to try not to name someone who died (Eddie Gurrerro), became a shell of his former self (Kurt Angle) or killed his wife and son (Chris Benoit). Those guys would be three of my top choices otherwise. As much as I hate this I am going to have to go with John Cena. I can’t stand the superhero character but he is the one person this decade who made a name for himself, moved a ton of merchandise, put butts in the seats and put on a good match night after night. His matches aren’t technical masterpieces but they are always good and that is better than most people out there in the business.
Game Show of the Decade: Deal or No Deal. You have to appreciate any show where all you have to do to be successful is correctly say random numbers. Also the show is a wonderful example of how people view expected value propositions or, to put it more accurately, how normal people don’t understand probability. The return of Howie Mandel to mainstream popularity without having to blow a glove over his head is a bonus.
Regrettable Culture Trend of the Decade: Remaking every single show from my youth. GI Joe, Transformers, Speed Racer, Land of the Lost, Planet of the Apes, Get Smart and three dozen more if I wanted to sit around and list them all. All of them made me go “Dude, that is going to be so awesome” when I heard them announced. They all turned out so badly that I never even bothered to watch them on DVD. It’s nice to know that Hollywood has strip mined my childhood memories.
Positive Culture Trend of the Decade: Every old series is now on DVD. I helped a woman at Barnes and Noble yesterday find a copy of “The Adventures of Pete and Pete” on DVD. Now I have no idea why her son wanted a collection of episodes from an early 90’s Nickelodeon series but the sheer fact that one can purchase that show, or a season of Wings, or best of all every episode of Emergency makes me feel like we are now living in a wonderland.
Most Unexpected Existence in the Pop Culture Mainstream: Justin Timberlake. Let’s put it this way is there anyone else from a 90’s boy band that has any type of culture cred at the moment? Heck, even the female artists from that bubble gum era are nothing more than tabloid fodder at the moment. Justin has turned himself into a comic actor who makes his appearances on Saturday Night Live the only reason that show is ever worth watching. The guy overcame all of the fallout from the Super Bowl unharmed. I never would have thought that possible from the guy who at one point was known only as Brittney Spears’ boyfriend.
1 comment:
I used to think of Timberlake as 'the one with the white man's jeri curl' but somehow he still creates a buzz even though he doesn't really do anything. I watched the SNL Christmas special last night and have to admit that the D*ck In A Box short is still brilliant. I don't know if he had any part in writing or if it was all Samberg and his Lonely Island crew, but Timberlake performed the part perfectly.
To answer you rquestion about 90's boy band member who still have cred, all I can think of is Nick Lachey and Joey Fat-One, who have been relegated to hosting duties and are a far distant 2nd and 3rd. Nick Lachey is hosting Ben Folds' a capella contest show The Sing Off on NBC (which is terrible, by the way).
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