LOVE YA, BRO

"I need to buy new shirts. I've been working out a lot and now all my shirts are tight. It's these big muscles - or maybe I just leave my shirts in the dryer too long."
-my little bro

THAT CUTE KID FROM JERRY MAGUIRE

Remember that adorable little kid from Jerry Maguire? The one that says, “Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?” Well he’s all grown up! Jonathan Lipnicki is 17 years-old and is graduating high school soon. Being a huge Jerry Maguire fan, I couldn’t wait to chat with him. We talked about filming Jerry Maguire, getting made fun of in school and how Tom Cruise didn't try to convert him to Scientology (hard to believe, right?).

How often do you get called, “The cute little kid from Jerry Maguire?”

It’s happened less and less in recent years and that’s kind of why I’ve stayed out of (the spot light) a little. I want to do this for the rest of my life and I don’t want to be known as one character. Yeah I’m really thankful for Jerry Maguire and Stuart Little and all those movies. It was a great start but it’s not a great end.

Does it bother you when people say that?

No, I mean I get it so much at school anyways. My friends used to make jokes. I used to play water polo for three years in high school and there was a dead mouse sitting outside the pool once and I walk by and they’re like, “Johnny, it’s Stuart Little!” Stuff like that all the time.

When is the last time you saw Tom Cruise or Rene Zellweger?

The last time I saw Tom Cruise was the War of the Worlds premiere but he’s always been a great guy to me and I appreciate everything he’s taught me.

Did you guys stay in touch after the movie?

Yeah, we did. He’s one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met. Everyone asks me, “Is he weird?” No, not really. He’s just a very excited person and he’s really happy about everything. Honestly, if I were that happy I would like to show people that too.

Did he try to convert you to Scientology?

Not at all. He loved that I was Jewish. He sent me a very nice letter on my Bar Mitzvah. “Mazel Tov, Jonathan. This is great that you’re becoming a man.” He’s always respected my religion and never said anything to me about Scientology.

What is your favorite memory from Jerry Maguire and how did you memorize all of those lines when you were so young?

Well I couldn’t read until I was like six or seven and I was five. And so my mom would read them to me and I would have to memorize them all. I have to say my favorite memory from the whole thing is just me and Tom had a lot of fun. I’d always talk about Top Gun with him because I loved Top Gun. It was my favorite movie at the time. He was just really great. I can see why he’s such a great dad.

Did you realize when you were that little how big a part this was?

My parents never really put that pressure on me because they were really cool but other people would let me know. “Oh, Tom Cruise! You know you’re working with him? How is that?” It didn’t really faze me. It was Tom. It was just a great guy I was hanging out with. That scene where I cry in the movie, sometimes they say to little kids, “Pretend your dog died.” All they had to say to me was, “Pretend you never saw Tom again.” And that made me sad enough.

IS DEREK JINXED?

Derek Fisher went 0-1 behind the 3-point line in yesterday's loss to the Spurs. He's convinced that he's jinxed. Here's what he said to me after Game 2 in L.A.:

“I still haven’t shot a 3-point shot in the series. I’m a little concerned I’ve been jinxed from behind the 3-point line after everybody’s told me all this great stuff about how good I shoot 3’s. We’ll see what happens the rest of the way. It’s there, but the Spurs don’t really double team a lot so you don’t really get a lot of good open 3-point shots against this team."

How to break the Derek Fisher 3-point jinx?

KOBE IS IMMORTAL

Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player of our time. He is also the craziest (crazy in an awesome way). This is a video he shot with the crew from Jackass. This is why he is so amazing. He looks like he's never had more fun in his life in this video (besides when he won his MVP award, of course). He slam dunks the ball at the end of this clip while jumping over a pool of snakes. Don't believe it? Watch for yourself.



You might have already seen the one where he jumps over an Aston Martin but is it possible to watch it too many times?

POLITICAL MAKEOVERS

Christian Siriano is my hero. He is just as hilarious in person as he was on Project Runway. Not only are his designs incredible but he also has a huge celebrity following that includes everyone from Victoria Beckham to Whoppi Goldberg, who he dressing at the Tony awards. I met up with him at a Declare Yourself event and asked him how he would dress the political candidates and first ladies. His answers are legend:

Hillary Clinton

"I’ll tell you that Hillary needs a new wardrobe. I just think that Hillary should be a little more fashion forward and be more casual. A boring business suit every day? I know it’s great for Washington but appeal to like the fabulous people like me! Like wear some pumps from Louboutin; wear a fabulous jacket and a feathered something."

Barack Obama

"I want him to be in like a motorcycle bomber jacket and like patent leather suit and like crazy really cool jeans with zippers on them. Something crazy."

John McCain

"That’s a serious situation. Maybe I think his suit just needs to go from like boring businessy suit to like a cool suit like Burberry. More tailored. It’s a little frumpy frump."

Cindy McCain

"I think she knew she was going to be really in the spotlight so she went really crazy and turned tranny and I think she needs to tone it down."

Michelle Obama

"Oh my god but I think it’s kind of fabulous (looking like Jackie O). She’s being very Washington DC and I’m from Maryland so I kind of love that. She just needs a pair of boat shoes."

WHAT YOU DIDN'T SEE

Here’s some notes and fun behind-the-scenes fun from Game 2 that you might not have seen on TV:

-Max Lucado’s “For the Moment” daily bible in Ime Udoku’s locker.

-Derek Fisher shooting 20 for 25 in practice before the game, hoping to break his 3-point jinx.

-Tim Duncan watching film from Game 1 in the quite Spurs locker room and scheming about layups with Tim Thomas.


-Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing the National Anthem with a trumpet while free stylin’ at certain parts in the song. Flea and Anthony Kiedis wrote two songs about the Lakers on their 1989 album Mother's Milk, called "Salute To Kareem" and the "Magic Johnson" which features these lyrics:

Lakers are the team that I watch on the telly
Cause they got more moves
Than a bowl full of jelly

Flea also used to blog about the Lakers. Even though the announcer says, “Please remove your hats,” he's still sporting a yellow Lakers hat during the song. Fans don’t seem to mind at all. They’re loving his rocker-trumpet version of the epic tune. Afterwards he jumps up about 5 feet in the air and then runs over to the Lakers players and high five’s them all.

-There’s a sign in the crowd that says “Kobe Diem.” While it’s no secret that Kobe is a big fan of Latin, having spent much of his childhood in Italy, perhaps this is because his favorite saying is, “Carpe Diem, Carpe Diem, Carpe Diem.” I know this, because we talked about it after a game.

-The regulars are here, of course: David and Posh, Tobe Maguire, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson.

-Ronny Turiaf yelling at the top of his lungs, dancing and singing "Sashaaaaa Vucacic, Sasha Vujacic!" after Sasha scores.


-After the game a hundred or so fans stick around to watch Kobe do a TNT post-game show with Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and a couple TNT guys. There are a ton of fans snapping pics, screaming “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe!” and “MVP, MVP, MVP!”

-For the first time in a while Trevor Ariza is surrounded by five reporters. Earlier before the game a reporter had asked Phil Jackson if Trevor would play or not. They’ve been asking all season and then sure enough, he played!

THE SASHA FACTOR

I can’t say it enough how Sasha is one of my favorites. We have the best pre-game convos ever. He always says hi to me and chats. He's also happens to be an incredible player. Here's another fun Sasha pre-game convo:

ME: What do you do before the game to get mentally prepared?

SASHA: Pick out socks. (He says as he folds some in his lap)

ME: Which ones are good to wear?

SASHA: It doesn’t matter, they’ve just got to match.

ME: You just need to get all the same socks so they always match.

SASHA: Yeah, but it’s the washing. They become grey after awhile. Seriously, I’m not kidding.

ME: Is Pau your best friend?

SASHA: I don’t know. Ask him. You never know what he’s going to say. He’s Calderon.

ME: Are you excited to go to San Antonio?

SASHA: Yeah, are you? Are you coming?

ME: No, they don’t send me.

SASHA: You’re going to party in OC, right?

ME: Uh, huh.

SASHA AND I ARE COOLIO, MANU AND I ARE TOO

The first Western Conference Finals game was yesterday and my boss at E! was getting ready to go to NY for the Sex In The City premiere (eh hem, jealous) so it was a busy day. But a fabulous one, nevertheless.

Not only did the Lakers come back from a 20-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs - the biggest deficit in the playoffs since 2002 - but I chatted with Sasha Vujacic. As he was combing back his long locks, he says:

"Hey you! How you been? Good? Everything okay?"

If was a lot of questions at once, by yes, I am proud to say we've reached "Hey you" status. (Either that or he forgot my name, but he calls me "OC" anyways).

SIDE NOTE: I've heard the Diglio make-up songs for Sasha - yes songs - there's two of them and words can not describe the amazingness of these tunes. The Dameshek Show on 710 ESPN has had just as much fun as I have making this Sasha song crisis an on-going joke. It's amazing.

(EDITORS UPDATE: Here's one of the new Sasha songs!)

I totally lucked out yesterday and caught Manu Giniobili walking down the hall to the bus by himself while he was munching on pizza. Manu was more than happy to chat about the game, being stuck on the tarmac and tell me he is reading an Argentinian history book right now. Fascinating stuff.

Okay, so now on to my Sasha chat:

ME: I won't bug you about the song.

SASHA: Don't worry about it! I like the song.

ME: Yeah, right.

SASHA: Don't ask me about the song.

ME: Ha, I won't. Okay, so do you think it was more that they ran out of gas in the 3rd quarter or you guys stepped things up?

SASHA: I think we stepped up and I think we stayed within the game plan. We knew what we were supposed to do, which was good.

ME: They'll have a bit more sleep come Friday, are you worried at all they'll have even more energy?

SASHA: We're never scared. We are never worried about what's going to happen. We want to come in and protect our - Sorry I am doing this -

(he says as he brushes his hair while looking in the full-length locker room mirror)

SASHA: So its going to be like, you know, we've got to protect our home court. There's a reason we play two games and it's great.

ME: You sealed the game at the end with those two free throws.

SASHA: Yeah, it wasn't me; it was the whole team, the way we played and I just got an opportunity to make those two free throws and that's what I love. My teammates were there for 48 minutes and we just played great.

BECKS MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER

Oh yes, Becks was at the game again.

He is the best friend in the world. My friends don't even read all my articles and David not only gets decked out in Lakers gear but he comes to every single game!

So I thought I would give him love on my blog.

REPORTING FROM ... LAKERS/SPURS GAME 1 (PART A)

It was the ultimate dual showdown in L.A. Wednesday night. The No. 1-ranked Lakers took on the Spurs for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center, while across the street, David Cook took on David Archuleta in the No. 1-rated TV show American Idol's season finale at Nokia Center.

One person who wouldn't have made the cut on Idol was the National Anthem singer at the game, who forgot some of the words to that sacred song—which happened to be on the Jumbo-tron; particularly helpful for those who don't know the tune.

In addition to being a traffic nightmare, both events saw the enventual winners returning from considerable deficits. In the biggest playoff comeback since 2002, the Lakers rallied from 20-points down to beat the Spurs 89-85. While across the street on Idol, 25-year-old Missouri bartender David Cook beat 17-year-old front-runner David Archuleta with 56% of the vote in the much-anticipated finale.

For some of the Hollywood set, the Lakers game was apparently the better of the two spectacles. Teenage heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers performed at Idol and then ditched the rest of the show before the winner was announced to meet up with Disney star sweethearts Selena Gomez and Brenda Song for fourth-row seats at the game.

Click here for the rest of my article on ESPN.com's The Mag Daily!

REPORTING FROM ... LAKERS/SPURS GAME 1 (PART B)

If American Idol can teach us anything, it's that fans are important to the game. While they may not be able to vote on the Western Conference Final winner, they can certainly have their say and offer words of wisdom and support. Starting with the worst seats in the house and working our way up to some of the best, here's a sampling of fans at Staples Center last night:

• Richard Sarabia West Los Angeles
  • Games Attended in '08: 10-12
  • Paid For Ticket: $150
  • Seats Nosebleed. "But during the regular season $150 usually gets me section 200 which is in the middle."
  • Why You Don't Mess With Lakers Fans: "At Game 2 against Utah, a Jazz fan kept yapping and yapping until one of the Lakers fans just threw a beer at him. The Utah fan wanted to fight so security came and kicked the Utah fan out of the game. He was the one that got the beer thrown at him! Everyone was screaming, "Kick him out! Kick him out!" And the guy who threw the beer got to stay in the game."


• Dave Carrillo Glendora, California
  • Games Attended In '08:: 12
  • Paid For Ticket: $125
  • Seats: Section 306. "It's not against the wall but it's pretty up there."
  • Why Fans Matter: "We play a big role and the players know it. They feel good, they have more confidence and they want to play harder for their fans. It's a big difference."


• Stella Diaz Palm Springs, California
  Games Attended In '08:: 3-4 in San Antonio
  • Paid For Ticket: $140
  • Seats: Section 218 "They're decent."
  • Why She's Not A Traitor: "I enjoy the way San Antonio plays. They're so team-oriented. L.A. Isn't known for that but they're getting better. I've been getting booed all night long, but it's all fun and games. Everybody here pretty much understands being a fan to a team and being loyal to it. They just give me a hard time."


• Rory Darvel Los Angeles
  • Games Attended In '08:: 6-7
  • Paid For Ticket: $120
  • Seats: Lower level
  • Why Dress To Impress: "I have to represent for the playoffs so this is my poncho and matching sombrero and underneath I have a uniform just in case Phil might need some additional help out there. I came by myself but in this outfit you make friends pretty quick."
  • Why Not To Be A "Flashy" Fan: "One time one of the fans flashed the Jumbo-tron. When they pan the crowd looking for fans people get excited. I guess she got a little too excited and forgot where she was."
    
    Click here for the rest of my article on ESPN.com's The Mag Daily!

KARDASHIAN PROPORTIONS

My co-worker Danielle, who writes for the Style Network's website, just came over to my desk to tell me about the newest product she tried for the "test drive." The test drive is where co-workers and friends try different products and write up a review. She's had me try a ton of stuff before like lotions, oils, toothpaste, etc.

"Oh my god, my butt looked just like Kim Kardashian!" she says to me as she pulls up Mystyle.com to show me her article.

Then she holds up a pair of butt-padded-booty-shorts.

"I got one for you," she tells me. "Pink or yellow?"

Honestly. Who comes up with this stuff?! I graciously pass on the shorts before quickly changing my mind and choosing a pink pair. These will make for a fabulous gift for a friend's birthday. God I love my job somedays.

HOOKUPS AND ENDLESS PASSION

With all the drama over Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson - are they together? Are they not together? Are they engaged? - I decided to take a look back at past and present celebrity-athlete hookups. Some will make you jealous, some will make you gag and some will make you say, “No way they hooked up!” But they did. Whether it was a magical night of passion or endless weeks, months and even years of courtship, here’s a look at the hot Hollywood pros:

-Tony Parker and Eva Longoria
-David Beckham and Victoria (Posh Spice)
-Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen
-Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan
-Tom Brady and Tara Reid
-Tony Romo and Carrie Underwood
-Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson
-Andy Roddick and Mandy Moore
-Andy Roddick and SI model Brooklyn Decker
-Pete Sampras and Bridgette Wilson
-Dario Franchetti and Ashley Judd
-Motocross rebel Carey Hart and Pink
-Wayne Gretsky and Janet Jones
-Mike Comrie and Hillary Duff
-Barry Zito and Hillary Duff
-Rick Fox and Vanessa Williams
-Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow
-Jason Sehorn and Angie Harmon
-Kelly Slater and Giselle Bundchen
-Kelly Slater and Cameron Diaz
-Tim Hasselbeck and Elisabeth Hasselbeck
-Mike Piazza and playmate Alicia Rickter
-Carmelo Anthony and MTV’s Lala Vasquez
-Queintin Richardson and Brandy
-Grant Hill and singer Tamia
-Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra
-Dennis Rodman and Madonna
-David Justice and Halle Berry
-Mike Tyson and Robin Givens
-Andre Agassi and Brooke Shields
-Lleyton Hewitt and soap star Bec Cartwright
-Owen Pochman and Brande Roderick
-Roy Williams and Kelly Rowland
-Derek Jeter and Jessica Biel
-Derek Jeter and Mariah Carey
-Derek Jeter and Jordana Brewster
-Derek Jeter and Jessica Alba
-Derek Jeter and Vanessa Minnillo
-Derek Jeter and Adriana Lima
-Derek Jeter and Scarlet Johansson
-Marko Jaric and Adriana Lima
-Jeremy Shockley and Tara Reid
-Kyle Boller and Tara Reid
-Anna Kournikova and Sergei Fedorov
-Anna Kournikova and Mark Philippoussis
-Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias
-Wayne McBean and Alyssa Milano
-Carl Pavono and Alyssa Milano
-Barry Zito and Alyssa Milano
-Brian Urlacher and Paris Hilton
-Mark Philippoussis and Paris Hilton
-Matt Leinart and Paris Hilton
-Matt Leinart and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
-Tiger Woods and Tyra Banks
-Michael Johnson and Tyra Banks
-Mark Messier and Tyra Banks
-Chris Webber and Tyra Banks

ANOTHER ONE OF MY NOT-SO-GREAT-IDEAS

Sometimes I don't always think things through. This is a picture of me yesterday at LAX by myself lugging a huge guitar, my suitcase, my purse and my laptop bag. It wasn't fun. In fact, it was just plain crazy.

I bought the guitar in Chicago because there was a store having a going-out-of-business sale and I've been wanting an electric guitar for awhile now. However, at the time I didn't consider that I would be traveling from Chicago to L.A. by myself lugging this heavy life-size guitar box along with all my other luggage.

It was ridiculous.

While this is only my second post about "not-so-great-ideas" I can guarantee there are many more. I prefer not to make the same ones over again so I made this lady in the airport snap a pic to remind myself of what not to do next time I go on vacation. Also, in my frustration I realized I would want to blog about this situation, thus I needed a visual. Oh well, rock on.

WHY ARE TONY ALLEN'S PANTS BURNING?

"One time Paul (Pierce) put some Flexall in Tony Allen’s tights. You know the Flexall that you roll on if you’re sore; that heat stuff? Yeah, he put some in his tights one time."

-Kendrick Perkins telling me about being on the road with the Celtics.

THE DREAM TEAMS

We're just one more round from this showdown. The match-up we all want to see: Pierce vs. Kobe.

Today I watched the Celtics 97-92 win over the LeBron team in the Chicago airport today. I was sitting next to some older Mavs fan from Texas at a sports bar, who said he thinks Mark Cuban is about to blow-up the Mavs after their disappointing playoff performance. Not sure what he meant by 'blow-up.' Perhaps he means 'destroy', as in fire the coach, piss of your fans, lose your best players, yell some more ... personally, I'm a huge Mark Cuban fan. "Well, he's a character," I replied.

LeBron really tried to pull through in the end today. "That's a super-star trying to save his team," said my Texas friend. "But I guess you see Kobe do they every night now, don't you?" Yes I do.

In the end, LeBron couldn't carry the team on his own. The Celtics did have home court advantage, which they've been proud to state over and over that they've "earned." I also believe that in order to "earn" the title of Champion, you need to be able to win on the road. I read an interesting fact today - the Celtics could theoretically win the NBA Championship without ever winning a road game thanks to their 66-16 regular season record. The chance of this happening isn't likely, but it wouldn't be too surprising seeing as how hard it's been to win on the road this year. Only the Lakers and Detroit could do it in the 2nd round.

I'll be at the Lakers game Wednesday ... they'll either be playing the Spurs or the Hornets. I'd prefer the Spurs. Honestly, it's just better for TV with Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

Plus, Eva Longoria will be there. That will make for many happy guys at the game.

CONGRATS CLASS OF 2008!

Congratulations graduates of 2008 today! Hopefully your graduation speaker will be better than Ted Koppel at mine last year. Don't get me wrong, I was super excited for Koppel to speak, being a USC journalism major and all, but I've never heard a more cynical speech in my life! Granted there were rumors that Paul McCartney would be the speaker, so anyone else was a disappointment anyways, but what I took from the speech is that no madder what we do to help in the world it isn't good enough unless we move away to Africa and commit our lives to helping the poor.

I've always believed that you try to be the best person you can be, you do what is manageable in your life and anything you can do to help is better than nothing at all. Clint Eastwood was getting an honorary degree that year and everyone in my class was screaming, "Speech, speech, speech!" when Eastwood came up. We were so over Koppel. It didn't work though. Eastwood said nothing.

L.A. Times writer Steve Lopez was the speaker at the journalism section of my graduation and he was fantastic. I'm a huge fan of his columns. He more than made up for Koppel's speech.

For all of those who are scared, nervous or unsure on this graduation day, don't fret. I just graduated a year ago and it's so crazy to think that just a year ago there were so many unknowns. Most of my friends from journalism school were moving away to a small town to be producers and reporters at small networks, but I knew that wasn't for me. I was leaving for Europe for a couple months, hadn't really saved enough money and when I got back I would be moving home with the parentals.

There was one song I listened to over and over and over that week. It's a song by Teddy Geiger called "These Walls." I would scream it at the top of my lungs in my car, "Even when I'm scared I have to try to fly/ Sometimes I fall but I've seen it done before/ I got to step outside these walls!"

So for any graduates who are feeling the same way, listen to the song. As I've learned, everything happens for a reason whether you see it now or not. I got back from Europe, won a Rolling Stone contest and got a job at E!. It all works out in the end. Don't be afraid to step outside the walls ... sounds cheesy but sometimes life is cheesy too.

Check out lyrics and listen to "These Walls."

THE DAGGER

"It's amazing how he can put a dagger in your heart."

-Mike Tirico speaking about the Mamba, the Black Mamba or the Dagger, Kobe Bryant. Congrats Lakers on the 108-105 victory! See you in L.A. for Round 3.

HILLS AND THRILLS ON RADIO

Yes, it's that time of the week - it's E! Entertainment Radio's Party Girl show time! The show airs on Sirius and XM radio but for those of you who missed it, do not fear. E! Entertainment re-airs our show all week but since not all of you have satellite radio and I am sure you have been dyyyying to know the latest Hollywood gossip, you can listen to the show's podcast right here!

I co-host with my work bestie, Cristina Gibson. She called me today to tell me I should be very glad I'm not at the office because there was a fire drill at work this morning and they evacuated the entire building - which is like 15,000 people ... I actually have no clue how many people are in the building but it's a lot.


This week's show is called Hills and Thrills. We dish ("dish" is a word E! tends to use a lot, because apparently it sounds more intimate and revealing than "talk") on The Hills Season 3 finale party. You'll hear all of the inside info I got at The Hills finale - probably more than you want to know (Assuming any of my readers care about The Hills in the first place. Even I watched the finale cause I had to). Plus, hear why Hollywood's not having any "Sex" and how Mariah Carey and Ellen DeGeneres are celebrating in style.

Excited yet? I promise the show is good. Even my best friend Arash Markazi said he liked it and he writes for Sports Illustrated (he's an amazing writer, fellow USC alum and nicest guy in the world) so maybe all you sports fans might enjoy it if he does - I did say might, so no guarantees. Arash was probably just being nice.

Either way check out the show here!

BURNING QUESTION: WILL LAURA LANE BE AT GAME 6?

Words can not express my affection for my amazing editors. As I'm browsing the Mag.com blog today, I come across this item about tonight's Lakers vs. Jazz game and one of the burning questions they ask about Game 6 is "Will Laura Lane be there?"

I feel loved.

As I wrote them back in an email, no sadly I am in Chicago, guys. And while my behind-the-scenes random stories may be entertaining to you all, they're not as essential as a J.A. Adande cover story, unfortunately. Adande was a teacher at USC and his class was one of the hardest to get into. I know this from experience, because I tried for two years to get into the class. It was one of the best.

This is perhaps the first and only time I will ever say I wish I was in Utah rather than Chicago or L.A. If there is a Game 7, however, count me in. For now, I'll be watching the game in downtown Chi-town at the ESPN Zone.

I also just checked out the 710 radio Laker's blog and saw they linked to my blog not once, but twice! Wow, I feel extra loved today. I'm hanging with my fam and getting some love from my ESPN family too. It's a good day ... now if only the Lakers could win tonight that would really top things off.

WELCOME TO THE CITY

I landed in Chicago tonight, (correction: technically it's the morning) Chi-town as I like to say. It's home to the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Bears; four teams I grew up loving. Unfortunately I won't be seeing any of those teams while I'm here. Instead, the fam has planned to go to some museums and then tomorrow I'll head to a sports bar in the city to watch the Lakers game.

I have some very exciting news for all of you who have been losing sleep over the Sasha Vujacic song dilemma. Don't worry, he won't be sad for long. The amazing crew at the Dave Dameshek show will be creating a new song about Sasha's awesomeness after all and I will be sure to let you all know when this world premiere will be taking place! If I had something to offer, I would start a contest for the best Sasha Vujacic music video when this song comes out, but I really don't know what you could win ... I'll start brainstorming.

I would like to give a huge thanks to the guys for having me on their radio show yesterday. It's on 710 ESPN weekdays 4- 7pm. You should listen. It's good stuff. You can listen live online too. The whole crew is awesome. The show is awesome. The songs are awesome. It's just brings you to a happy place ...


Perhaps, I'll email him right now and tell him he has a new, positive and celebratory song to look forward to. Then when I'm sitting at a bar in Chicago and Sasha is busy scoring 3's, rallying the crowd and having his best game in the post-season, I'll secretly know the reason why. He'll have made amends.

Last week, Chi-town native Dodgers player Gary Bennett gave me a whole list of good spots to go to while I'm here and now I can't remember any of them. So I'm looking on citysearch for cool sports bars to watch the game.

When I type in "bars" and "Chicago" there are three sponsored links at the top and one of them is for a product called "Prehab" which is supposedly supposed to prevent hangovers. For the sake of this blog, I clicked on the ad. Their slogan is "Because hangovers suck." Honestly, who comes up with this stuff?!?

YOU’RE NOT HURT KOBE! - ACCORDING TO HART, THAT IS.

“Kobe’s been playing what, 12 years in the NBA? I’m sure he’s had a back strain before. He’s okay. We’re not banking on him being hurt. He’s playing, so he’s not hurt. Nobody practices in the playoffs. He could be (hurt). I believe that but it’s the playoffs, everybody’s hurt on our team. D-Will’s back, his knee (points at Boozer). It’s like 90-something games into the season, so everybody’s banged up. We’ve been playing basketball since September; this is May now. He’ll be at full force.”

-Jason Hart, Utah Jazz

Kobe, on the other hand, said this after Game 5:

"Dude there can not be another level (of pain) after what I went through over there. That was the most pain I’ve ever felt in a game."

-Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

... hmm, I wonder what Hart would say to that. You really think he's not hurting, Hart? I mean, really?

BRILLIANT IDEAS FROM THE STARS

“We’ve just got to figure out how to wrangle them up the night before a game and take them out to all the hot clubs.”

-David Arquette’s suggestion on how to weaken the Utah Jazz when they play in L.A. Perhaps, he got this suggestion from the Denver Nugget’s pre-game habits in Round 1 against the Lakers.

BAGEL THURSDAYS = HAPPINESS

The best part about bagel Thursdays at the bustling E! Entertainment headquarters on Wilshire Blvd. is when you forget it is bagel Thursdays. You're running perfectly on time to work, but you're a bit hungry, you want to eat, don't have time and then - bam!

"Oh my gosh!" you realize. "It's bagel Thursdays!" And all of the sudden it's a fantastic day.

Not to get all SATish on you but ...

Bagel Thursdays is to E! Entertainment as Free Tacos is to Lakers games.

I don't even like to eat bagels that much. To be honest I would much rather have a smoothie or a banana or a bowl of cereal with fresh blueberries (and non-fat milk). But every Thursday, nothing could excite me more then the realization that it is bagel Thursday's here at E!. I never remember until I show up at work. It's like forgetting it's your birthday every week.

This is the same as the free tacos at Lakers games. For those of you unaware of the "free taco" promotion, at any Lakers home game if the Lakers win and hold the other team under 100 points, everyone in the stadium gets a coupon for two free tacos at Jack in the Box.

You couldn't pay me enough money to eat those nasty tacos. Just the thought of it makes me want to fast for an entire week. The average Lakers ticket cost around $150. For two tacos at Jack in the Box it costs $0.99. Yet still, during close games when it's down to the wire and the opposing team is just under 100 points with a minute or so less, the arena goes insane. 20,000 people, who normally would never be caught dead at a Jack in the Box drive-through, are screaming at the top of their lungs, "FREE TACOS!!! FREE TACOS!!! FREE TACOS!!!"

You would think "tacos" was a code word for "MacBook Pro."

I would venture to guess that less than 7% of those coupons get used. I have not clue what the actual percentage is but the point is that for some reason, when something is free people want it even if they have no desire for it and would never, ever buy it in the first place.

This realization doesn't change a thing for me, however. I still love bagel Thursdays more than ever and I still want there to be free tacos at Lakers games even if I've never once taken a coupon and would rather eat a scorpion than a taco.

REPORTING FROM... LAKERS VS. JAZZ GAME FIVE

There's one thing wrong with Staples Center that Utah Jazz player Kyrylo Fesenko has noticed.

"You don't have mascot!" Actually Fesenko, L.A. has many mascots - and they're called celebrities.

Returning home to Tinsel Town for Game 5 after two road losses in Salt Lake, couldn't have been brighter for the Lakers who were warmly welcomed by plenty of familiar famous faces at Staples Center.

Wednesday's game included Tobey Maguire, Denzel Washington, David Beckham, David Arquette, Harvey Weinstein, Jack Nicholson, Heather Locklear, Jack Wagner, Lou Adler, Jon Favreau, Brian Grazer, Chris Tucker, Andy Garcia and Dyan Cannon.

And the star-struck Jazz took notice.

"When I saw Denzel Washington that was pretty cool because I'm a big fan," Ronnie Price says. "I watch all of his movies and seeing him at the basketball game was kind of crazy."

While the Jazz may have been focused on the game, it can be hard for even the un-fazed not to stare. "I know just without even trying you can spot celebrities," Price says. "I just notice that people look difference in person. Sometimes movies make people look different. They all are shorter in person."

Not that you can blame the Jazz.

You don't exactly see too many celebrities in Utah - unless of course, you count the High School Musical teen stars Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale that made a cameo appearance at Game 4 in Salt Lake.

The celebrity-effect is an unexplainable one. Even the Lakers admit that L.A. isn't the most hostile stadium in the league. "People are sitting down most of the game until something happens and you get cheered by them," Jordan Farmar says. "You go on the road and it's loud from beginning to end."

The Jazz agree. "You see more signs and more obnoxious things in other places," Matt Harping says.

But L.A. still remains one of the most difficult cities to play at.

Click here to read the rest of my article on ESPN.com!

SEVEN DOWN NINE TO GO

The Lakers pulled off the win!!! ... hurt back and all, Kobe came through. Well, mostly the team came through for Kobe and secured the 111-104 victory over the Jazz. Thank you Pau and my buddy Lamar! The best part about Pau scoring is his super serious face and the "Pow!" graphic on the jumbo tron. The Lakers now lead the series over Utah 3-2. I'll have more behind the scenes stuff for you soon, but in the mean time I have a story to write, so for now you'll have to settle on these paparazzi pics of me scooping out the Laker's pre-game practice ...

Okay, okay, they're actually pics ESPN 710's Beto Duran took. He is a big fan of my blog ("big fan" meaning I force him to read it) and he takes pre-game pics for his ESPN 710 Blog. He does all the Lakers insider reports and he gave me a shout out today on the radio ...