ME & LIFE

Random thoughts..

VILLANOVA-

What a disgrace! Only TWO people were there when the Villanova basketball team returned to campus late last night from their loss to Wisconsin. Proves again that Villanova supporters are front-runners. More than ever, the Cats needed support last night. Instead, the elite, clueless students and fans snubbed their own squad. Typical, Main Line snobs.

Villanova fans will make excuses. They were robbed ib the bracket, the dopey NCAA seeding underrated Wisconsin in the 8th slot instead of higher. Bottom line is, this Wildcat team wasn't good enough. They reverted back to former Nova teams that choked in the early round sof the tournament.

You can blame players like Kris Jenkins for being too full of himself. He made the big shot last year, which will always stay with him. He totally sucked this ear in the big game, a memory that also will stay with him. Coach Jay Wright also didn't have his best game, as the team came out flat-again.

Villanova will be OK. They will recruit more players to the Main Line. They will have a brand new, renovated arena in a few years. Life will go on. But the "glory days" of Villanova basketball are over for now. Locally, until a Big Five team finally beats Nova and snap their record 16-game winning streak over local Philly teams, Villanova will continue to dominate.

But let's face it- Villanova basketball, and college basketball in general, will always be second-rate in these parts. No one really cares, other than around tourney time.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST...A REVIEW-

I saw the Disney live-action movie Beauty  and the Beast this weekend. It should break all box office records. Waiting in line, several people remarked that they were seeing the new film for a second time, that's how much they loved it.

I loved it too. It has music, but not wall-to-wall music. It has action, and some scary moments for kids. It has humor, romance and sadness. It's a great family film. The theater was packed with both families, teens and senior citizens. When the movie started, there was a crowd buzz among the crunching of popcorn. But as the flick went on, you could hear a pin drop in the theater. The crowd was engrossed by the charm and special effects. At the end, applause erupted, always a good sign that a movie will do well.

Emma Watson made a nice Belle. She cute, pretty, feisty and smart.. The rest of the cast, including Dan Stevens as Beast, were really good. I liked the talking clock, candle and tea pot. During musical numbers like "Be Our Guest" the production was fantastic. During the dancing sequence of the lovely title song, the mood was elegant and romantic.

This movie will be an instant classic. That's how I felt watching it. I wasn't bored, and even thoguh I knew there would be a happy ending, I was still kept in suspense by how it would all unfold.

Easily, I give  Beauty and the Beast 4 stars out of  5-

CHUCK BERRY-

Rock n' roll legend Chuck Berry died yesterday at age 90.

I was never a big Chuck Berry fan, but I respected his impact on music. If there was no Chuck berry, there may have never been The Beatles. Now that he's gone, his list of songs is more impressive than ever.

I often wonder what life would've been like if music icons such as Buddy Holly and John Lennon didn't die so young. Would they have continued to make music for years to come? Or would they have instead be reclusive, greatest hits wonders in concert, kind of like Billy Joel?

At 90, we got as much as we could from Berry. In fact, he has a new, original album coming out this year. I'm sure that collection will be a big seller, as will the rest of his music. Records sell after legends die.

Berry was weird and had peculiar ways, such as not trusting anyone in the music business, and only accepting cash for his performances. But, regardless of his weirdness, Chuck Berry will always be a rock n' roll legend.