Dwight Howard & The Kentucky Wildcats

For those who may have not heard, there was a report earlier in the week that stated that Dwight Howard had asked the senior management of the Orlando Magic to fire their head coach Stan Van Gundy. What may be one of the more awkward interviews that I have seen occurred about seven hours before the Magic took on the Knicks. During shoot around, Stan Van Gundy was asked by the media about management being requested by Dwight Howard for Van Gundy to be fired. Later in the interview, Dwight Howard stopped by and gave his thoughts on the situation. Stan Van Gundy showed that he didn't care about the supposed rumours and his main focus was containing Carmelo Anthony and winning the game against the Knicks. Van Gundy also said that the matter was out of his hands and that since he is still the head coach, and winning games is his only concern. Here is a link of the interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08gvGpGCwA

Dwight Howard and his indecisiveness with his future in Orlando was one of the main stories in the NBA prior to the trade deadline. The deadline came and went with Howard staying in Orlando for at least one more season. In regards to the interview, Dwight Howard attempts to be coy about the rumours surrounding him and Stan. He also blames the media for having poor sources. It almost seemed that when he was being interviewed that he was upset that the information even came out. This whole turn of events is a new chapter in the Dwight Howard saga. Another interesting aspect from this situation that may discredit Howard is in regards to trades that Orlando has done. Howard may have had a big voice and perhaps even the final decision in some of the trades Orlando has made. This simply shows that Howard has a strong relationship with the management staff and the Stan Van Gundy firing rumours may be true. From the viewpoint of Orlando, having a strong relationship with one of the most popular players in the NBA and their franchise player, especially in a small market, is a no-brainer. To put it simply and also a little bold, Dwight Howard sells tickets and by allowing him a voice in trade discussions, further entices him to stay. To be honest, the whole Dwight Howard saga is getting a little old because it is constantly mentioned. This situation may be one of the defining points in Dwight Howard's career.

Now, on to more depressing and exciting news. The depressing thing is that NCAA's March Madness tournament is over and we have to wait another year for one of the most exciting events in sports. The exciting thing is that we got to see two of college basketball's most prestigious programs go head to head in the championship game. The game featured 3 potential top 5 draft picks in the upcoming NBA draft and we got the chance to see them showcase their talent. Kentucky came out on top and it was a sight to see. Kentucky was dominant all year long and they sealed their fantastic season with a title. An underlying storyline in the game is that we got to see a rematch from the 2008 NCAA championship game between the 2 coaches, Bill Self and John Calipari. For those who don't remember the 2008 game, Self's Kansas team came out with the win over Calipari's Memphis squad in overtime and also had one of the most historic shots in NCAA history when Mario Chalmers hit the game-tying shot to send it to overtime. Calipari came away with the win this time with his young and very talented team.

That about covers today's post. I'm back in London finishing up this school year while Ivan's back home in Toronto. Hope you guys like the blog entry and keep reading.

Top 10 Hottest Women in "How I Met Your Mother"

               The other day at work I had nothing to do and got severely bored. Whenever this happens, and it happens a lot, I just shoot off a text to Artiom.  What started as a "Hey, how you doing?" conversation turned into a fairly intense argument about the hottest women in How I Met Your Mother.

               Since Artiom is back in Toronto this weekend we decided to get together in person and pump out a combined top 10 list of the women in How I Met Your Mother. A major deciding factor  for Artiom and myself is the personalities and occupations of the characters. For example, Stella is a good looking enough to crack the list, but she destroyed Ted and is created from pure evil.

               Remember that we are ranking the characters and not the actresses.

Top 10

10. Cindy - Rachel Bilson

               Like the others on the list, Cindy is easy on the eyes. Cindy is the girl next door and was really understanding when she dated Ted. When she reappeared later in the show she kept a good relationship with Ted and as a  bonus she also returned with the realization that she likes women.

9. Heather Mosby (Ted's sister) - Erin Cahill

               Being Ted's sister is enough to get her on the list, not that she needed any help. She also has a great sense of humour which came out when she got together with Barney to play a prank on Ted.

8. Tiffany - Carrie Underwood

               She was the girl that kept Ted on the hook and had him eating out of her palm. The fact that she wore a few costumes in the one episode she was in, was a definite plus.

7. Mary the Paralegal - Erinn Bartlett                                     

               For those who have been following How I Met Your Mother since the beginning, you know that Mary the Paralegal was the highlight of the first season. She was a jaw dropper who Barney brought as a date for Ted to make Robin jealous and Mary did just that. For that she gets number seven.

6. Honey - Katy Perry

               Honey is not the sharpest tool in the shed to say the least, which helps. She is also really really ridiculously good looking as Derek Zoolander would say.

5. Jessica Glitter - Nicole Scherzinger

               When you first see Jessica Glitter, you see her on the inappropriate children's math show laced with sexual innuendos. You don't really get to know to know too much about her but her looks carry her all the way up to the fifth spot.

4. Quinn - Becki Newton

               The female version of Barney who moonlights as a stripper. Aside from her personality, Quinn is simply gorgeous. Even though she is a relatively new character, she impressed us enough to earn the fourth spot.

3. Zoey Pierson - Jennifer Morrison

               Zoey is a down to earth girl who is very passionate in her beliefs. Out of all the girls on the list, she is the one most likely you would want to introduce to your family. It also helps that she would make all your friend jealous.

2. Krina (Hot Bartender) - Stacy Keibler

               Tough attitude combined with a level of attractiveness that makes Barney want to shed his suits to get on her good side. That mixed with her occupation and outfit in the episode is good for second place.

1. Anita - Jennifer Lopez

               For those who remember Jenny from the block, she brought everything from a feisty personality to wearing a jaw dropping blue dress that brings attention to all the right places. She has the ability to drive men mad as was evident when Barney jumped in the river to cool off his hormones.

               So there is our top ten list of the hottest characters (in our opinion) that appeared in How I Met Your Mother thus far. We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed putting it together. We'll try to pump out a few more blogs later on in the week. 

Best TV Dramas (Ivan's Opinion)

In our last post, Artiom shared his opinion on the best TV dramas of all time. This has propelled me to make a list of my own. It follows the same premise as Artiom's list, but there a few things that I changed and took into account while creating my own list.

While writing this list a seriously took into account the length the show has been on the air. If Heroes taught me anything, its to not get super excited about a show after just one season (and that the girl from Remember The Titans really grew up) . This is why shows like Game of Thrones will be left of the list. I look for consistent excellence.


Top 5


1) The Wire - This choice really needs no explanation. The Wire's message for the rest of the shows on this list: "If you come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar Little

2) Breaking Bad - After a short period of 2-3 episodes in the first season where nothing happened, this show really took off. This show has a great story, but more importantly great characters. This show has lovable characters like Jesse to comic relief characters like Saul Goodman. When the plot dulls down the characters can really carry the show the rest of the way.

3) Dexter - This show is six seasons in and had arguably its best season since the first.  The show is a riveting experience which the viewer experiences a serial killer trying to fit into what he hopes is a normal life. Action, killing, cops, and personal turmoil seem to blend perfectly in a show I'm very excited to continue watching.

4) The Sopranos - A mob show centered around Tony  Soprano. This show is a classic and a must watch for anyone who enjoys dramas.

5) Sherlock - I almost broke my rule with this selection. Sherlock is a BBC show which is an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes in the modern day world. It finished its second season in January of 2012, making it eligible for the list. With the episodes lasting 90 minutes, it really allows the show to create episodes where a story is introduced, elaborated on, and completed. I expect would have been much higher on this list if I was making it a few years from now.

Best TV Dramas Along With Other Things (Artiom's Version)

With NCAA March Madness in full tilt both today and yesterday, one of us is most likely going to talk about the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight more in depth tomorrow. The Elite Eight games are on today and there are some great match ups and teams that are vying for a position in the Final Four in New Orleans. Like said before, we will talk more about some of the great sports stories that popped up during the week and essentially give you or thoughts on March Madness, Peyton Manning to the Broncos, and the New Orleans Saints Bounty scandal.

Now on to something that is trending on the web. Lately a lot of websites have gotten in the March Madness spirit and done brackets of the best TV dramas and have fans vote for their favourite shows. Since Ivan's back home in Toronto, I gotta do this one solo and give my opinion on what may be the best TV Dramas. I'm thinking that the best way to do this would probably be to do this in a list of top 10 shows with honourable mentions. Here we go.

Honourable Mention:

Friday Night Lights - A show that ran for 5 seasons first on NBC and later on DirectTV. It was a spin off from the movie and it centred around it's main character, Coach Eric Taylor. The show in my opinion was better than the movie because it had a great supporting cast and revolved around the high expectations of high school football in Texas. It did a great job throughout its run and did a good job developing its main characters.

Homeland - A relatively new show that finished it's first season earlier this year (which it won the golden globe for best TV Drama). It is about a CIA agent who discovers that a prisoner of war has been turned and is plotting an attack on the United States. It is a great show so far and recommend it because as soon as you watch the first episode you are hooked.

Falling Skies - Another new show whose second season starts this summer on TNT. It deals with the effects of an Alien invasion and a small resistance force fighting for the survival of humanity. People may be weary because they've heard this sort of premise before. The cool thing with Falling Skies is that it has Steven Spielberg producing it and it has great plot twists and is a fairly realistic show in the sense of if an alien invasion did occur, this is what the result would be.

Top Ten:

10) Southland - An awesome show that first ran on NBC and now is on TNT. It's about police officers in Los Angeles and some people may recognize some of the actors who star in it. It is an underrated show that not many people know about but it is worth watching and makes you want to see more.

9) Dexter - A show that is still running on Showtime and centres around Dexter Morgan who is a blood splatter pattern analyst for Miami's Police department who moonlights as a serial killer. Need I say more?

8) The Sopranos - An HBO show that ran for six seasons and centred on Tony Soprano and his reign as the head of a mob family in northern New Jersey. The acting of James Gandolfini as Tony was great and made you root for a mob boss the whole way through. The Sopranos was one of the first shows that centred on an essentially evil main character and it made audiences root for him because you saw a strong character have flaws and him dealing with them.

7) Breaking Bad - An AMC show that centres on Walter White who is a high school chemistry teacher who learns he has advanced lung cancer. He turns to a life of crime producing and selling meth with one of his former students to secure a financial future for his family. A good show all around that has completed four seasons thus far and it's fifth and final season is coming out soon. A highly recommended show.

6) Boardwalk Empire - Another HBO show that centres around the prohibition era in the United States primarily in Atlantic City. It focuses on the life of Nucky Thompson and his dealings/relationships in Atlantic City. The show has finished two seasons and is one of the best shows on TV right now. A great period drama that intertwines it's first 2 seasons very well.

5) Game Of Thrones - Yet another HBO show and not the last. It is a fairly young show that has its second season coming out very soon. It is an adaptation of the books and centres on point of views of various characters in. The show is a fictional/mythical show that does a good job portraying its stories. Has the ability to capture viewers attentions and hook them immediately which is always good.

4) Six Feet Under - An HBO show that ran for five seasons that focused on a family who ran a funeral home in Los Angeles. It has been described as one of the greatest TV series of all time and also having one of the greatest series finale ever. The series traces the lives of the fisher family over the course of the year and allows for viewers to be emotionally invested with the characters.

3) Lost - A ABC show that ran for six seasons and dealt with the crash landing of a commercial plane on an uninhabited island somewhere in the Pacific. The show focuses on survivors of the plane crash and their fight for survival. Without giving anything away, the show had some of the best plot twists that I have seen in a show in a long time and the complexity is so vast and consistent through the show that you are glued through the entire series.

2) Mad Men - Another AMC show that focuses on advertising executives in New York City during the 1960's. It shows the intricacies of the fictional advertising agency Sterling Cooper and later Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and it's creative director Don Draper. The show's fifth season is upcoming and is an all around phenomenal show.

1) The Wire - An HBO show that is widely regarded as one of the best TV shows ever made. It ran for 5 seasons and dealt with several facets of the city of Baltimore. The great and lengthy cast did a phenomenal job throughout its run and allowed for viewers to see how and what every character is doing at the end of each season. The Wire also is fairly realistic in all of its dealings and you are left loving enjoying every minute that it has to offer. The story of the show seemingly has no holes and is very consistent in its 5 season run.

So there we have it. The top 10 TV dramas in my opinion. The rankings were very tough to do but I think that many of them can be interchangeable. Since the name of our blog is 2 guys 2 opinions, I'm sure that Ivan will have some say in these rankings as well so maybe in the future we will change some of our rankings. Sorry for the lengthy blog but I hope that you enjoyed it.

First Blog Ever.

Where to start. This is our first blog ever. We're 2 friends who are from Toronto who constantly keep up to date with the latest articles in sports through various news outlets and have constant conversations and debates over what is transpiring. These conversations aren't only limited to sports but we tend to talk a great deal on movies and TV shows along with what's going on in the world today. We, the 2 guys duo, consist of Ivan Andric and Artiom Kvasha. We both are from Toronto. Until we're back in the same area code this summer, we will be doing blogs individually.

With all of that said, it seemed that a great way for everyone else to hear our opinions and thoughts in those discussions was to start our own blog. Since we both frequently listen to sports-related podcasts and their corresponding blogs, it seemed that by writing our own blog would be a great idea and that's where we're at. The next thing to say is for anyone who would read our blog now or in the future is simply thank you for taking time and reading our opinions on what's happening. We're gonna start off with hopefully 1 or 2 blogs a week for now because one of us is in school in London while the other is working a full time job back home in Toronto.

Later on in the week, one of us is will hopefully pump out a blog talking about potentially March Madness, Peyton Manning to the Denver Broncos, or anything and everything exciting that happens.