A few quick blurbs and a movie review

1) Ever have a run of luck at cards where you seem to have the second-best hand EVERY hand you play? That's been me lately. Between a bad live session at Turning Stone a few weeks ago and several terrible online beats (KK losing to AJ, all-in preflop, after the board comes 7-8-9-10 in succession, KK losing to J8 after a terrible pre-flop call is rewarded with a J-8-3 flop, etc.), I've had enough happen to me to where I've taken a break for the past week.

The grand mal bad beat, though, came this week at the WSOP main event. Three players went all-in on one of the Day 2 sessions; one guy had AA, two others had the four kings in the deck. Naturally, one of the KK holders rivers a flush, thereby knocking the guy holding pocket rockets out of the world's biggest tournament. My stretch was enough to make me take a break; that would be enough to make me consider giving up poker and taking up backgammon.

2) Anyone catch Brock Lesnar's post-fight antics at UFC 100? Personally, I see no reason for Dana White to have gotten as angry as he did. Think about it; Lesnar was showing how marketable he could be as a guy people would pay to see, given the proper build-up for his opponent. With Lesnar building himself as God's gift to MMA and behaving as such, all it takes is a properly-built guy the fans can rally behind. Give him an undercard, and suddenly, bam, instant record buyrates.

3) So the wife and I went to see "I Love You, Beth Cooper" today. Following the lousy choice of "The Proposal" last week, we went with something she wanted to see and something I wasn't completely opposed to. The movie hasn't been advertised that well, despite the presence of "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere. With that said, though, it's not a bad movie.

You see most of the plot in the ads that ARE out there. The class valedictorian, played by relative no-name Paul Rust, declares his love for the All-American girl in his class that never gave him the time of day. She gives him a chance, and everything spirals out of control.

What you DON'T see in the previews is key. For starters, remember "Ferris Bueller's Day Off?" The guy who played Cameron plays Rust's dad, an outwardly-normal, somewhat-introverted guy just waiting to explode. Nice homage, huh? Not everything works that well, though; the first 20 minutes or so are pretty awkward, and not in the funny kind of way. Fortunately, things pick up, and it turns into a fun, yet not always consistent, teen movie.

The movie itself is a throwback to adventurous 80's teen comedies. Panettiere is no Molly Ringwald, and Rust is no Anthony Michael Hall, but they work through the initial suck and bring out a watchable, occasionally-funny movie. Is it worth an expensive outing to the movies with comedies that are better at what they do? Maybe not, if this genre isn't what you're into. However, if you can squeeze in a matinee trip and don't mind seeing Panettiere in a quasi-nude scene, you shouldn't be too disappointed. RATING: **1/2