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Many of us know actor Harvey Keitel for his fetching performance in Pulp Fiction as Winston “The Wolf” Wolfe. This is one of the many roles that Keitel has starred in throughout his acting career. He is an acceptional actor and is a co-president along with Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn for The Actor’s Studio in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, NY.

Keitel is a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn to parents Miriam and Harry who ran a luncheonette. He joined the US Marine Corps at the young age of 16 and would go on to serve three years from 1956-59. In a 2003 interview in Boston, MA, Keitel claimed, "Anytime I felt anything difficult, I felt darkness - and I could survive in it. For me the Marine Corps was a spiritual journey. It's not about war. It’s only because the spirit has been so deeply manifested that Marines have been so successful.” He was a fire team leader in Lebanon in 1958 and earned a medal for his dedication.

He was first trained at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, NY and studied under Lee Strasburg, creator of “Method Acting” and Broadway star and teacher Stella Adler. Keitel was involved in a few off-Broadway productions when he had his first big break by meeting Martin Scorcese. Scorcese was not as famous as he is now and was actually struggling for work at the time though he was preparing a student production of the film Who’s That Knocking on My Door? Scorcese brought Keitel on board for his first feature film in the role of J.R. and they’ve worked together on four movies since. Scorcese’s hit movies starring Harvey Keitel including Mean Streets and Taxi Driver.

Keitel was responsible for helping Quentin Tarantino make his first hit, Reservoir Dogs. Tarantino had a very limited budget and great expectations. He was not able to pay the salaries of major actors like Michael Madsen and Steve Buscemi and would possibly have to use unknown actors for the film. Keitel took a look at his script and was inspired to help him with production costs and to play one of the main characters in the film. Quentin was grateful and enjoyed working with Harvey Keitel for years to come. Keitel has been in four Tarantino films including the recent Inglorious Basterds. He has also helped directors Ridley Scott, Paul Schrader, Tony Bui and James Toback find their claim to fame. Keitel certainly seems to have a way of maintaining great relationships with the directors he has worked with and can be found in repeat performances in their movies. Other directors that have befriended and worked with Keitel are Paul Auster and Jane Campion.

Harvey Keitel has gained many fans and has been nominated for numerous acting awards. He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor in Bad Lieutenant (1992) and the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work in The Piano (1993). He was also given the Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for his exceptional work in film. Harvey Keitel is 70 years old and going strong. Keitel is also starring in ABC’s TV series Life on Mars as detective Gene Hunt. He is currently working on the third edition to Meet the Parents titled Little Fockers slated for release on July 30, 2010.

Quotes from Harvey Keitel:

“The way I see things, the way I see life, I see it as a struggle. And there's a great deal of reward I have gained coming to that understanding - that existence is a struggle.”

“To create characters, one must build background. And one of the tools we use is improvisation.”

“Well unfortunately I didn't work with Andre much. But rap is a strong presence in the culture and anyone is going to grateful for its appearance, grateful for any kind of music that has the kind of effect that rap has had on us all.”

“You're working on being a father, so that is something that when you experience it you'll understand the profundity of wanting to protect something dear to you.””

It’s hard to imagine that Allen Iverson a player that has played in 10 All Star games, won an NBA MVP award, 4 scoring titles, and holds a career average of 27.1 points per game can not get a job with any team in the NBA. Iverson signed a one-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on Sept 9th but was released on November 16th because of personal reasons.

After a horrible year in Detroit Iverson was happy to part ways with the Pistons, when the Grizzlies offered him a one year contract he looked at it as a way to make a name for himself in the league only to be given a back up role which he did not want. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins signed Iverson to give his young team more scoring power but when the season started Iverson was on the bench behind Mike Conley Jr who could not start for any other team in the NBA.

Going to the Grizzlies Iverson knew that he was headed to a young team in a strong western conference, but he never imagined he would be a back up on one of the worst teams in the NBA. After being in All Star for so long then having to face the fact that he was no longer a starter in the NBA and seeing little time on the court has to be hard for any professional that has accomplished so much. After realizing he would be spending a lot of time on the bench behind a player he could outscore blind folded, Iverson decided to take a leave of absence, which resulted in the Grizzlies and Iverson to part ways.

Right after Iverson was about to be released the Grizzlies signed NBA journeyman Jamal Tinsley to fill Iverson’s role as the sixth man, while future point guard Conley continues to struggle in the NBA and make his team worse then they already are. Some sports analysts say coach Hollins only had Iverson on the bench to try and teach him who runs the show in Memphis and help the young players develop for the future. Anyone who watches basketball can tell you that there is no way Conley should’ve ever started over Iverson, he shouldn’t even start over Tinsley, or Jason Williams the Grizzlies third string point guard.

For now Iverson will have to sit out and wait to see if any team will take a chance and pick him up. After what just transpired with Memphis, Iverson would have to settle with a back up a role like it or not even though he should be a starter. Iverson made a name for himself by being a scorer that likes to shoot the ball a lot. That was fine when he first came into the league as a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the NBA has involved into more of a team game since then. Until Iverson realizes his days of averaging 29 points a game are done, he will never be an option for any team in the NBA.

30 Reasons Why You Should Have Dish Network’s Premiums by This Weekend!
(All times are according to Eastern Standard Time)

*Starz*
Seven Pounds 11:20 am and 6:50 pm Saturday on Starz
(Starring Will Smith)

Doubt at 9:00 pm Saturday on Starz
(Starring Meryl Streep)

The Cider House Rules at 4:15 pm Sunday on Starz In Black
(Starring Charlize Theron)

Superbad at 8:00 pm Tonight on Starz Comedy
(Starring Michael Cera)

Shakespeare in Love at 11:30 am Sunday on Starz Comedy
(Starring Joseph Fiennes)

*Encore*
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation at 8:00 pm Tonight on Encore
(Starring Matthew McConaughey)

No Country for Old Men at 3:45 pm Tonight on Encore
(Starring Javier Bardem)

French Kiss at 1:20pm and 9:00 pm Sunday on Encore Love
(Starring Meg Ryan)

Unlawful Entry at 9:35 pm Tonight on Encore Mystery
(Starring Kurt Russell)

10 Things I Hate About You at 4:50 pm Sunday on Encore
(Starring Lindsey Shaw)

*HBO*
American Gangster at 6:30 pm Saturday on HBO Zone
(Starring Denzel Washington)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 at 3:30 pm Sunday on HBO Latino
(Starring Amber Tamblyn)

Man on Fire at 2:00 pm Sunday on HBO Signature
(Starring Dakota Fanning)

Ali at 10:00 am Saturday on HBO2
(Starring Will Smith)

Wanted at 8:00 pm Tonight on HBO
(Starring Angelina Jolie)

*Cinemax*
Burn After Reading at 8:30 pm Tonight on ThrillerMax
(Starring George Clooney)

The Bucket List at 10:30 pm Tonight on 5StarMax
(Starring Jack Nicholson)

Insomnia at 9:30 am Saturday on MoreMax
(Starring Robin Williams)

Lady in the Water at 11:30 am Saturday on 5StarMax
(Starring Paul Giamatti)

Children of Men at 10:00 pm Saturday on ActionMax
(Starring Clive Owen)

*Showtime*
Bless the Child at 10:00 pm Tonight on Showtime Beyond
(Starring Kim Basinger)

The Great Debaters at 1:45 pm Saturday on Showtime Showcase
(Starring Denzel Washington)

The Way of the Gun at 4:00 pm Saturday on Showtime Extreme
(Starring Benicio Del Toro)

Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married at 4:45 pm Saturday on The Movie Channel
(Starring Janet Jackson)

*Sundance & Independent Film Channel*
Approaching Union Square at 5:45 pm Today on Sundance (Starring Katie Kreisler)

Congorama at 1:45 pm Saturday on Sundance’
(Starring Olivier Gourmet)

Hero at 10:05 am and 3:30 pm Saturday on IFC
(Starring Jet Li)

Girl with a Pearl Earring at 6:35 am and 2:30 pm Sunday on IFC
(Starring Scarlett Johansson)

Crash at 8:00 pm Sunday on IFC
(Starring Terrance Howard)

Even after acting in over sixty movies while becoming one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and amassing a huge fortune Movie star Nicolas Cage is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy. As an actor Cage made more money in his 28 years of acting than most of us will ever see in our lives and has little to show for it. While the evidence points to his extravagant spending, Cage maintains that it was his Business manager who made bad investments that caused him to go broke.

In early October Cage sued ex money manager Samuel Levin claiming that Levin took millions from cage and placed him in bad and shady deals that took all of his money. On the other hand Levin made a more accurate statement saying he told Cage to stop spending the way he was. Levin advised cage that in order for Cage to continue to live the lifestyle he was he needed to make $30 million a year to survive.

Cage still puts the blame squarely on Levin but if you look at both sides of the story Levin seems to have the upper hand. Cage has at time owned over 18 motorcycles, 50 cars, countless homes including two castles, and 4 boats dedicated to exploring different Caribbean Islands, and oh yeah he owns an Island also.

While his business manager may have invested a lot of money in bad investments it’s was also Cage responsibility to keep an eye on his bank accounts. Yes he has the right to be mad about all the money he lost, but what about all the money he wasted. I don’t know anybody who really needs to own an Island or 50 cars never mind two castles. Cage may want to take some time and look at what he did wrong before blaming his ex business manager for everything.

Even though Cage may be in financial ruins now he should be able to get out of it within a couple of years. Even though the recession has caused Hollywood and the film making industry to stop making as many movies per year, which led to less roles for actors. Some actors like Cage will not be affected by it as much as others due to family tie in the industry.

One thing many people do not know is Cage actual name is Nicholas Coppola. He is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and also the cousin of directors Roman Coppola, Sofia Coppola and actors Robert Carmine and Jason Shwartzman. Cage decided to change his last name when he first entered acting to give himself his own identity.

Here are some of the movies that Nicholas Cage starred in. You can often see his movies on HBO, Showtime or Encore.

Brubaker
Best Of Times
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
The Outsiders
Valley Girl
Rumble Fish
Racing with the Moon
The Cotton Club
Birdy
The Boy in Blue
Peggy Sue Got Married
Raising Arizona
Moonstruck
Never on Tuesday
Vampire's Kiss
Tempo di uccidere
Fire Birds
Wild at Heart
Zandalee
Honeymoon in Vegas
Amos & Andrew
Deadfall
A Century of Cinema
Red Rock West
Guarding Tess
It Could Happen to You
Trapped in Paradise
Kiss of Death
Leaving Las Vegas
The Rock
Con Air
Face/Off
City of Angels
Snake Eyes
8mm
Bringing Out the Dead
Gone in Sixty Seconds
The Family Man
Welcome to Hollywood
Italian Soldiers
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Christmas Carol: The Movie
Windtalkers
Adaptation
Sonny
Matchstick Men
National Treasure
Lord of War
The Weather Man
The Ant Bully
The Wicker Man
World Trade Center
Ghost Rider
Grindhouse
Next
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Bangkok Dangerous
Knowing
G-Force
Astro Boy

The Cleveland Browns are in trouble this season; they actually do not look like they belong in the NFL or even the UFL. They traded their best receiver and only real playmaker to the New York Jets, the Baltimore Ravens just annihilated them on Monday night football in front of the nation, and they are now pursuing help from NBA star Lebron James. That’s how bad things are for the Browns.

When asked a random question about football in an interview, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James said he thinks that he would make a good tight end or wide receiver in the NFL. James compared himself to San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates who played basketball in college before becoming a star in the NFL.

Even though James was a All star wide receiver in high school and rated one of the top 50 players in the country, that was in 2002 his junior year of high school. Since then James has been focused on basketball full time, despite the fact that he appeared in a commercial a year ago wearing a Browns uniform dunking a football over the goal post. James is available for free agency after this season which gives him the option of staying with the Cavaliers or heading somewhere else or maybe even give the NFL a shot.

I doubt that he will pursue any chance of playing for the Cleveland Browns next year. Even though he can leave the Cavaliers at the end of the season, James still has contractual obligations with endorsement companies like Gatorade, Nike, and All State insurance company. Although the thought of James actually attempting to give the NFL a chance would be a marketing dream for any company in endorses.

As for the Browns I would not count on James service next year, they might as well start scouting who they will be looking to draft next year out of college. They should also look into free agency to try and pick up whoever they can especially skilled players that can help them put some points on the board.

Everybody knew it was coming at some point and yesterday it came, the Buffalo Bills fired head coach Dick Jauron after the team went 7-9 the last three season’s and falling to a 3-6 record halfway through this season. Bills owner Ralph Wilson notified Jauron at the end of last year that he was on thin ice heading into this season and he needed to get things turned around fast. In the off season Jauron went out and got Terrell “TO” Owens to help add another weapon to the bills arsenal, but for some reason the offense that features Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans and TO just has not produce what was expected and so bye bye went Jauron. After Wilson dismissed Jauron he promoted defensive coordinator Perry Fewell as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

For Fewell this will be his first head-coaching job at any level, which is rare for a head coach in the NFL. After 12 years of coaching in college, Fewell got his first NFL job with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a defensive backs coach before heading to the Saint Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears before joining the Bills in 2006. In all Fewell has been coaching in the NFL for the last 12 years and has helped mold regular defensive backs into stars.

Even with no real head coaching experience to go by, Bills owner Wilson felt Fewell had more then enough experience to takeover the team that desperately needed to make some improvements. Even though the Bills defense ranks 26th in the league under Fewell this season the blame is not his fault. His defense has been without many of their starters all year forcing him to rely a lot on young players to step up and contribute. It also does not help that the offense has only averaged 15 points a game and has only gone over 300 yards in one game this year and constantly leaves their defense in bad field position with their backs against the wall.

For Fewell being the head coach will be a challenging task having to now focus on both sides of the ball. It does not help that this all happened after the Bills bye week which would of given him a chance to retool the offense that features at least three Pro Bowl caliber players. The one good thing that comes from this is all of the players have faith and trust in Fewell including the players on offense. Given the fact that the offense can’t seem to look any worse then they have lately, hopefully a new offensive scheme will help resurrect the Bills who’s season seems to be over all ready.

Avatar is destined to be a box office hit and will be released soon.  There is a buzz everywhere about the cost of making this amazing film. This is not the most expensive movie to make; in fact there is a long list of movies that cost hundreds of millions to make. The question is, how many of them made their money back?

· Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) Cost: $300m Made: $958m

· 2012 (2009) This movie just came out! Cost: $260m Made: $225m

· Spider-Man 3 (2007) Cost: $258m Made: $891m

· Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Cost: $250m Made: $934m

· Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) Cost: $225m Made: $1 billion!

Apparently investing a large sum of money into making a movie is not such a bad idea as long as it’s a great movie of course! There have been a few unfortunate investments as well. Here are some examples…

· Zyzzyx Road (2006) Cost: $1.5m Made: $30.00
This film had a limited release of one showing per day for six days and gained a total of six patrons. It stars Tom Sizemore and Katherine Heigl. Sizemore was on probation at the time and was arrested for failing multiple drug tests. He was not placed in jail so he was able to finish his scenes.

· Cutthroat Island (1995) Lost: $147m

· The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) Lost: $134m

· Sahara (2005) Lost: $133m

· The 13th Warrior (1999) Lost: $126m

Highest Grossing Films of All Time:

#1 Titanic is the highest grossing film of all time as it made a total of $1.8 billion.

2. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($1.1 billion)

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($1.1 billion)

4. The Dark Knight ($1 billion)

5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ($974 million)

Movie News!

Scream 4
Courtney Cox is signed on and geared up for the fourth edition of the Scream series. There has been a rumor that Dewey and reporter Gale Weathers will be killed off right at the beginning of the film. Cox didn’t respond when reporters of the Associated Press asked her if the rumor is true. Scriptwriter Kevin Williamson told the New York Post "there are a lot of twists and turns, so I can't promise anything. There are a lot of moving pieces, so we'll see -- but if you're a 'Scream' fan, I think you're really going to like it." I’m certainly excited and hopeful that they bring us back to the fear and suspense that was captured so well in the original. David Arquette and Neve Campbell will also return for Scream 4.

Depp-Cage
A little birdie let the cat out of the bag and entertainment gurus everywhere found out that Johnny Depp is offering to take care of Nicolas Cage’s financial debt. Depp has always been grateful to Cage for helping him to get his first role in Nightmare on Elm Street. Cage introduced Depp to his manager at the time that landed him the job. There’s no update as of yet to know whether or not Cage has accepted the offer but I’m sure we’ll find out soon.

2012
It seems that 2012 was a blockbuster hit on its opening weekend raking in $65 million in the US and an amazing $160 million in Canada. World wide, this film made a gross of $225 million making it anything other than a disaster.

Oscar Contenders
Here are some of the possible contenders for this year according to popular belief…
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man)
Best Supporting Actor: Alfred Molina (An Education), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)
Best Actress: Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique (Precious), Julianne Moore (A Single Man)

The Men Who Stare at Goats
We’ve all seen the trailer for this film starring George Clooney and many people had a chance to check it out on opening weekend. Have you been wondering how they get the goats in the movie to fall over so convincingly? There are goats that are actually bred to faint when startled. The camera crew visited these goats for the believable footage!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon
This vampire/werewolf movie opens this week. Actor Michael Sheen plays the role of Aro who is basically a member of vampire law enforcement. As far as playing a vampire versus his previous role as a werewolf in Underworld, he claims, “the tailoring is so much better”. He has acquired many fans, one of which is his daughter. He was quoted on BAM Column as stating, “Also, going into my daughter’s bedroom and seeing she’s just got pictures from ‘Twilight’ and ‘New Moon’ everywhere and seeing my own little picture, which I think she did out of pity. ‘Have Dad up there as well’”.

Recent Celebrity Quotes
"Sex in the forties is better. It's all about confidence."- Courtney Cox

"It's an Underwood family tradition, the rear goes away -- it goes in and out -- so I have to work really hard to try and make sure it stays where it's supposed to be."- Carrie Underwood about her backside

"I made Titanic because I wanted to dive to the shipwreck, not because I particularly wanted to make the movie."- James Cameron

"I owe 30 percent [of my good looks] to genes, 30 percent to good sex, 30 percent because of sports and healthy lifestyle, and for the remaining 10 percent I have to thank my plastic surgeon. I'm 71, but I'm happier, the sex is better and I understand life better."- Jane Fonda

"Women hold the power because we have the vaginas. If you're in a heterosexual relationship and you're a female, you win."- Megan Fox

"I do think in Washington, it's a little bit like American Idol. But everybody is Simon Cowell."- Barack Obama

"When Top Gun came out my sisters were like, 'Oh, my God, Top Gun! Tom Cruise!' And I very confidently said, 'I'm going to marry him one day.' It wasn't like, How do I get Tom Cruise? It was just: I think I'm going to marry him. Why not? He'll like me. I'm fun."- Katie Holmes

I saw an amazing preview for the upcoming 3-D movie Avatar last night while I was watching House on Fox with Dish Network. I was hooked the second the trailer began. This film looks phenomenal and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes the next “Star Wars”. The trailer was much longer than most and totally captured the gist of what the movie is about. I’ve seen plenty of advertised pictures of the characters in the film while browsing online, but nothing compares to the way they look on screen. The effects look absolutely astounding and the acting seems flawless.

I originally thought this film would be geared toward a younger audience because of the computerized characters and thought the pictures were characteristic of what might end up being a comic book type movie. Once I watched the entire trailer for Avatar I realized that this is going to be much more intricate and emotional than I expected. The plot runs thick and the characters display such emotion that there’s no way this film can be disappointing. I can pretty much guarantee that we will be in for an action packed ride full of stunning audio and visual effects and emotion that absorb us completely into the film. Rumor has it that the film cost $500 million to make though many argue that this figure is too high. Another more reliable source claimed that Avatar cost $230 million plus another $150 million in products and advertising. Either way, you can certainly tell by its appearance that spending was not an issue. The characters look amazing and although they are a different type of being, they seem so real. Their facial expressions are illuminated with feelings and I’m sure that after watching the movie for a few minutes we’ll totally forget that these creatures are aliens.

Writer and Director James Cameron created Avatar- another reason why it will be a sure winner. Cameron offered to forfeit his share of Avatar’s profits if it costs more than it makes at the box office. He wrote an 80 page script for the film back in 1994 and had plans to start filming right after Titanic in 1997 and release the movie in 1999 but the cost was way too high at the time. He was also holding out for some much needed advancements in special effects.

Cameron made a major accomplishment in the filmmaking industry. He invented his own stereoscopic filmmaking with his “Reality Camera System” that uses two HD cameras built into one. This technique adds to the effects by accenting depth perception. It also gives Cameron the ability to see on a monitor how the virtual characters will appear as he directs the film. This is a huge breakthrough because these effects were always added to movies after they were done filming, giving the director very little to work with. Imagine how this is going to look now that he can work with his characters in real time and make adjustments along the way until their expressions are perfect. Wikipedia quoted Cameron, "It’s like a big, powerful game engine. If I want to fly through space, or change my perspective, I can. I can turn the whole scene into a living miniature and go through it on a 50 to 1 scale”.

“The Volume” was also created to highten Avatar's visual effects. This is amazing. It is a skullcap made to fit the actor’s head with a small camera attached. The camera calculates every facial expression including the eyes and sends the information to the computers. Cameron recruited 1,000 people to take part in the film’s production and sent the cast on a trip to a jungle so they could bond with its surroundings and each other in preparation for the film. Avatar was intended to be released this past May but Cameron decided to allow more time for post-production. Many theaters still do not have 3-D projectors. It was also his intention to give theaters a heads-up to prepare for this groundbreaking epic by purchasing new equipment. Many years of preparation and technological advancements have been made for the sole purpose of making this film come to life for audiences everywhere so get prepared for December 18, 2009 because this is going to be good. Cameron has intentions of making two sequels to Avatar. He is already gaining recognition for his filmmaking accomplishments with Avatar and is slated to receive two awards, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Lucky Brand Modern Master Award on February 6, 2010 as well as the Visual Effects Society’s VES Lifetime Achievement Award on February 28, 2010.

My Top 5 Favorite James Cameron Movies

#1 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
2. Titanic
3. The Terminator
4. Aliens
5. True Lies

With so many fans voicing their approval and love for the new commentator, ESPN Monday night football just added ex Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach John Gruden to a multiyear deal to replace Tony Kornheiser and join Mike Tirico, and Ron Jaworski as play-by-play commentators. Gruden will also cover the 2010 NFL Pro bowl game, as well as an analyst for ESPN radio coverage of college footballs 2010 Rose Bowl, and the BCS title game.

For Gruden the love of football runs in his family, his father Jim Gruden served as an assistant coach under Dan Devine at Notre Dame and then went on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. John’s brother Jay was the starting quarterback at Louisville before heading to play for the Tampa Bay Storm of the arena football league where he won multiple championships as a quarterback.

Ever since he graduated from the University of Dayton in 1986 where he was a backup quarterback, Gruden has been involved in coaching. He started off as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee, before going to Southeast Missouri State for two Years as a quarterback’s coach. He then moved to the University of Pacific as an offensive coordinator, and then to the University of Pittsburgh to become the receiver’s coach. In 1990 he got his first NFL break when San Francisco Offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren gave him a chance as a quality control coach. After going to Green Bay and Philadelphia for brief stints Gruden finally landed a head-coaching job.

In 1998 Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis hired Gruden to take over one of NFL’s most dysfunctional teams, it is there that Gruden got the infamous “ Chucky” nickname because of the faces he made on the sideline. In four years Gruden was able to turn the franchise around and lead the Raiders to the AFC championship game in 2000 and 2001 where they lost both times to the eventual Super Bowl champions first to the Baltimore Ravens and then to the New England Patriots. The patriots loss become famously known as the “ Tuck Rule Game” because of a perceived fumble that would have sealed the win for the Raiders and sent them to the Super Bowl was called an incomplete pass. During the play Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson appeared to knock the ball out of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hands but after the referees checked instant replay they determined that Brady did not fully bring the ball back down to his body after the pump fake making it an incomplete pass. The play is still one of the most debatable calls in NFL history as the Patriots went on to win the game in overtime.

After a heart-breaking end to the season Oakland Raiders owner Davis decided he wanted more of a passing game so he let Gruden out of his contract and allowed him to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who had just released Tony Dungy. The deal between the teams cost the Buccaneers their 2002-03 first round draft picks, 2002-04 second round draft picks and 8 million in cash, which eventually hurt the Buccaneers down the road. In his first season as the head coach Gruden lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory over his former team the Oakland Raiders. After struggling for years with no real top draft picks and a team facing salary cap problems the buccaneers became a doormat for many top teams. In 2008 the buccaneers lost 4 games in the row culminating with a loss to the Oakland Raiders at the end of the season to kill any chance of making it to the Play-offs. Gruden was let go in January of 2009 were he turned down many college offers including a job at the University of Oregon one of the top programs in the country.

For now Gruden will serve as one of the most likeable commentators in sports today. Even though he has committed to ESPN there will still be a lot of teams looking to hire him in the off-season because of his desire to win and his offensive expertise.