Beyond Comic Con The Rise of the Modern Geek in All of Us

Haven't watched the new Tron or Alice in Wonderland trailers a dozen times yet? Bet you tried on your Don Draper tie, though. It's okay, argues Esquire.com's new pop-culture columnist: The Hollywood machine has turned even the cool kids into anticipatory fanboys of something or other.
There's nothing but the faint echo of squeals and the odor of crapped fanboy pants to remind us now of Comic-Con, the center of the geek universe for a couple of highly anticipated, mostly disappointing, and altogether over-Tweeted days each summer in San Diego. It went off last week just about as expected, with Hollywood's usurping of the decades-old comics-biz confab (and its audience) elevated to feverish new levels of glitz thanks to first glimpses at James Cameron's Avatar, Disney's Tron Legacy, Robert Pattinson's New Moon, and other top-shelf titles headed to a loser near you in the next year.
Still, Comic-Con hardly owns a monopoly on the phenomenon of modern pop-culture fandom, which has evolved into so much more than the domain once consigned to smart kids with bad complexions and/or shrines to short-lived cartoon shows in their basements. It's about our obsessions — all of our obsessions, no matter the media or genre, nor our respective age, sex, or ethnicity. You know you have them, and — like it or not — you know you're implicated. You, too, are a geek for something. We all are.
Relax. It's not as bad as it sounds, and in any case it's not your fault. American (or British, or Japanese, hell, even Canadian) culture won't really allow for anything less — not with billion-dollar economies at stake and individual reputations relying on your complete emotional investment in their properties. Being a fan today means more than being loyal to a brand, though: If we keep our survey to the more generally accepted geek parameters of Comic-Con, then the quality of one's anticipation of Harry Potter and the Neverending Franchise or the latest Joss Whedon series is often more important than the quality of those products themselves. Consider it an added bonus if Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland adaptation actually happens to be good. If not, no worries; Hollywood's rapid production cycle ensures that the sting of suckerdom is merely temporary. The sacred source material is unhurt, after all, and a new object of nerd lust is always right around the corner.
Yet less-conventional modes of geek living are everywhere. I may have never bothered last spring to see the hugely anticipated, poorly received graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen, but I hit my local video store two weeks ago to rent Season Two of Mad Men the day it was released on DVD. I caught up belatedly with all thirteen episodes virtually overnight. Then, last weekend, while the Web debated the relative merits of Comic-Con darlings Avatar and Kick-Ass and swooned at the news that the next Batman film would likely start shooting in 2010, I considered my submission to Banana Republic's new Mad Men Casting Call contest.
And I don't mean whether or not I really want to compete for a walk-on part and a $1,000 gift card. Of course I do! What I was considering was whether or not to wear a blue suit or a black suit, and how to best get the cigarette smell out of my apartment after taking my requisite self-portraits. Total geek. And AMC is betting that I'm not the only one nursing such ruminations. It's a pretty genius read on the part of the network, which has faith that Mad Men obsessives will channel their inner Don Draper or Joan Holloway just as readily as Star Wars freaks will prowl San Diego in costume as Han Solo or Princess Leia.
But it also recognizes how the geek gold standard has changed since thirty years ago, when George Lucas was king and Christopher Reeve gallantly rocked Superman tights without the faintest trace of irony or self-doubt. We're way beyond the point of playing dress-up. Mainstream entertainment bubbles with more beloved anti-heroes than ever, turning offerings from Mad Men (philandering ad-world cutthroat) to Weeds (drug-dealing suburban MILF) to The Dark Knight (well-meaning billionaire crimefighter stirs more trouble than he prevents) into deeply sympathetic reflections of their viewers' own compulsions, fantasies, and flaws. Their respective chemistries of complexity and accessibility make them three flavors of the same cult catnip. Even the serial-killer series Dexter received a panel this year at Comic-Con.
They also bring that long-missing component that old-school, hard-line geeks probably never thought they'd encounter in their bailiwick: women. The obvious influx comes from the Twilight series, excerpts and stars from whose second entry, New Moon, last week flooded Comic-Con's vast Hall H with teeming, screaming tides of estrogen. The recipe? Add liberal doses of actual romantic tension to all the contemporary, standard-issue fanboy ingredients — angst, moodiness, the supernatural and/or superhuman potboiler potency. (The casting doesn't hurt; Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart make for a slightly more supple duo than, say, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.) But even last year's big-screen adaptation of Sex and the City proved a geek watershed of sorts for anxious, urbane ladies, for whom Manolo Blahnik pumps are as much a symbol of self-actualization as a Trekkie's vulcan ears.
And right on cue, there's news of Sex and the City 2, ready to suck another few million moviegoers, their dates, and all that cash into the irrepressible geek vortex. There's even an open casting call in New York for those among them who fit the "international types… professional soccer players, fashion models, urban club goers, gays and lesbians, celebrity types, upscale socialites" and others populating the SATC universe. In other words, the aspirational true believers in full regalia — come one, come all. You know they will. And they don't even have to travel to San Diego. Which is good, because geekstink still isn't quite as universal as geekdom.

Beyond Comic Con The Rise of the Modern Geek in All of Us

Haven't watched the new Tron or Alice in Wonderland trailers a dozen times yet? Bet you tried on your Don Draper tie, though. It's okay, argues Esquire.com's new pop-culture columnist: The Hollywood machine has turned even the cool kids into anticipatory fanboys of something or other.
There's nothing but the faint echo of squeals and the odor of crapped fanboy pants to remind us now of Comic-Con, the center of the geek universe for a couple of highly anticipated, mostly disappointing, and altogether over-Tweeted days each summer in San Diego. It went off last week just about as expected, with Hollywood's usurping of the decades-old comics-biz confab (and its audience) elevated to feverish new levels of glitz thanks to first glimpses at James Cameron's Avatar, Disney's Tron Legacy, Robert Pattinson's New Moon, and other top-shelf titles headed to a loser near you in the next year.
Still, Comic-Con hardly owns a monopoly on the phenomenon of modern pop-culture fandom, which has evolved into so much more than the domain once consigned to smart kids with bad complexions and/or shrines to short-lived cartoon shows in their basements. It's about our obsessions — all of our obsessions, no matter the media or genre, nor our respective age, sex, or ethnicity. You know you have them, and — like it or not — you know you're implicated. You, too, are a geek for something. We all are.
Relax. It's not as bad as it sounds, and in any case it's not your fault. American (or British, or Japanese, hell, even Canadian) culture won't really allow for anything less — not with billion-dollar economies at stake and individual reputations relying on your complete emotional investment in their properties. Being a fan today means more than being loyal to a brand, though: If we keep our survey to the more generally accepted geek parameters of Comic-Con, then the quality of one's anticipation of Harry Potter and the Neverending Franchise or the latest Joss Whedon series is often more important than the quality of those products themselves. Consider it an added bonus if Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland adaptation actually happens to be good. If not, no worries; Hollywood's rapid production cycle ensures that the sting of suckerdom is merely temporary. The sacred source material is unhurt, after all, and a new object of nerd lust is always right around the corner.
Yet less-conventional modes of geek living are everywhere. I may have never bothered last spring to see the hugely anticipated, poorly received graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen, but I hit my local video store two weeks ago to rent Season Two of Mad Men the day it was released on DVD. I caught up belatedly with all thirteen episodes virtually overnight. Then, last weekend, while the Web debated the relative merits of Comic-Con darlings Avatar and Kick-Ass and swooned at the news that the next Batman film would likely start shooting in 2010, I considered my submission to Banana Republic's new Mad Men Casting Call contest.
And I don't mean whether or not I really want to compete for a walk-on part and a $1,000 gift card. Of course I do! What I was considering was whether or not to wear a blue suit or a black suit, and how to best get the cigarette smell out of my apartment after taking my requisite self-portraits. Total geek. And AMC is betting that I'm not the only one nursing such ruminations. It's a pretty genius read on the part of the network, which has faith that Mad Men obsessives will channel their inner Don Draper or Joan Holloway just as readily as Star Wars freaks will prowl San Diego in costume as Han Solo or Princess Leia.
But it also recognizes how the geek gold standard has changed since thirty years ago, when George Lucas was king and Christopher Reeve gallantly rocked Superman tights without the faintest trace of irony or self-doubt. We're way beyond the point of playing dress-up. Mainstream entertainment bubbles with more beloved anti-heroes than ever, turning offerings from Mad Men (philandering ad-world cutthroat) to Weeds (drug-dealing suburban MILF) to The Dark Knight (well-meaning billionaire crimefighter stirs more trouble than he prevents) into deeply sympathetic reflections of their viewers' own compulsions, fantasies, and flaws. Their respective chemistries of complexity and accessibility make them three flavors of the same cult catnip. Even the serial-killer series Dexter received a panel this year at Comic-Con.
They also bring that long-missing component that old-school, hard-line geeks probably never thought they'd encounter in their bailiwick: women. The obvious influx comes from the Twilight series, excerpts and stars from whose second entry, New Moon, last week flooded Comic-Con's vast Hall H with teeming, screaming tides of estrogen. The recipe? Add liberal doses of actual romantic tension to all the contemporary, standard-issue fanboy ingredients — angst, moodiness, the supernatural and/or superhuman potboiler potency. (The casting doesn't hurt; Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart make for a slightly more supple duo than, say, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.) But even last year's big-screen adaptation of Sex and the City proved a geek watershed of sorts for anxious, urbane ladies, for whom Manolo Blahnik pumps are as much a symbol of self-actualization as a Trekkie's vulcan ears.
And right on cue, there's news of Sex and the City 2, ready to suck another few million moviegoers, their dates, and all that cash into the irrepressible geek vortex. There's even an open casting call in New York for those among them who fit the "international types… professional soccer players, fashion models, urban club goers, gays and lesbians, celebrity types, upscale socialites" and others populating the SATC universe. In other words, the aspirational true believers in full regalia — come one, come all. You know they will. And they don't even have to travel to San Diego. Which is good, because geekstink still isn't quite as universal as geekdom.

Beyond Comic Con The Rise of the Modern Geek in All of Us

Haven't watched the new Tron or Alice in Wonderland trailers a dozen times yet? Bet you tried on your Don Draper tie, though. It's okay, argues Esquire.com's new pop-culture columnist: The Hollywood machine has turned even the cool kids into anticipatory fanboys of something or other.
There's nothing but the faint echo of squeals and the odor of crapped fanboy pants to remind us now of Comic-Con, the center of the geek universe for a couple of highly anticipated, mostly disappointing, and altogether over-Tweeted days each summer in San Diego. It went off last week just about as expected, with Hollywood's usurping of the decades-old comics-biz confab (and its audience) elevated to feverish new levels of glitz thanks to first glimpses at James Cameron's Avatar, Disney's Tron Legacy, Robert Pattinson's New Moon, and other top-shelf titles headed to a loser near you in the next year.
Still, Comic-Con hardly owns a monopoly on the phenomenon of modern pop-culture fandom, which has evolved into so much more than the domain once consigned to smart kids with bad complexions and/or shrines to short-lived cartoon shows in their basements. It's about our obsessions — all of our obsessions, no matter the media or genre, nor our respective age, sex, or ethnicity. You know you have them, and — like it or not — you know you're implicated. You, too, are a geek for something. We all are.
Relax. It's not as bad as it sounds, and in any case it's not your fault. American (or British, or Japanese, hell, even Canadian) culture won't really allow for anything less — not with billion-dollar economies at stake and individual reputations relying on your complete emotional investment in their properties. Being a fan today means more than being loyal to a brand, though: If we keep our survey to the more generally accepted geek parameters of Comic-Con, then the quality of one's anticipation of Harry Potter and the Neverending Franchise or the latest Joss Whedon series is often more important than the quality of those products themselves. Consider it an added bonus if Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland adaptation actually happens to be good. If not, no worries; Hollywood's rapid production cycle ensures that the sting of suckerdom is merely temporary. The sacred source material is unhurt, after all, and a new object of nerd lust is always right around the corner.
Yet less-conventional modes of geek living are everywhere. I may have never bothered last spring to see the hugely anticipated, poorly received graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen, but I hit my local video store two weeks ago to rent Season Two of Mad Men the day it was released on DVD. I caught up belatedly with all thirteen episodes virtually overnight. Then, last weekend, while the Web debated the relative merits of Comic-Con darlings Avatar and Kick-Ass and swooned at the news that the next Batman film would likely start shooting in 2010, I considered my submission to Banana Republic's new Mad Men Casting Call contest.
And I don't mean whether or not I really want to compete for a walk-on part and a $1,000 gift card. Of course I do! What I was considering was whether or not to wear a blue suit or a black suit, and how to best get the cigarette smell out of my apartment after taking my requisite self-portraits. Total geek. And AMC is betting that I'm not the only one nursing such ruminations. It's a pretty genius read on the part of the network, which has faith that Mad Men obsessives will channel their inner Don Draper or Joan Holloway just as readily as Star Wars freaks will prowl San Diego in costume as Han Solo or Princess Leia.
But it also recognizes how the geek gold standard has changed since thirty years ago, when George Lucas was king and Christopher Reeve gallantly rocked Superman tights without the faintest trace of irony or self-doubt. We're way beyond the point of playing dress-up. Mainstream entertainment bubbles with more beloved anti-heroes than ever, turning offerings from Mad Men (philandering ad-world cutthroat) to Weeds (drug-dealing suburban MILF) to The Dark Knight (well-meaning billionaire crimefighter stirs more trouble than he prevents) into deeply sympathetic reflections of their viewers' own compulsions, fantasies, and flaws. Their respective chemistries of complexity and accessibility make them three flavors of the same cult catnip. Even the serial-killer series Dexter received a panel this year at Comic-Con.
They also bring that long-missing component that old-school, hard-line geeks probably never thought they'd encounter in their bailiwick: women. The obvious influx comes from the Twilight series, excerpts and stars from whose second entry, New Moon, last week flooded Comic-Con's vast Hall H with teeming, screaming tides of estrogen. The recipe? Add liberal doses of actual romantic tension to all the contemporary, standard-issue fanboy ingredients — angst, moodiness, the supernatural and/or superhuman potboiler potency. (The casting doesn't hurt; Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart make for a slightly more supple duo than, say, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.) But even last year's big-screen adaptation of Sex and the City proved a geek watershed of sorts for anxious, urbane ladies, for whom Manolo Blahnik pumps are as much a symbol of self-actualization as a Trekkie's vulcan ears.
And right on cue, there's news of Sex and the City 2, ready to suck another few million moviegoers, their dates, and all that cash into the irrepressible geek vortex. There's even an open casting call in New York for those among them who fit the "international types… professional soccer players, fashion models, urban club goers, gays and lesbians, celebrity types, upscale socialites" and others populating the SATC universe. In other words, the aspirational true believers in full regalia — come one, come all. You know they will. And they don't even have to travel to San Diego. Which is good, because geekstink still isn't quite as universal as geekdom.

Beyond Comic Con The Rise of the Modern Geek in All of Us

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Beyond Comic Con The Rise of the Modern Geek in All of Us

Haven't watched the new Tron or Alice in Wonderland trailers a dozen times yet? Bet you tried on your Don Draper tie, though. It's okay, argues Esquire.com's new pop-culture columnist: The Hollywood machine has turned even the cool kids into anticipatory fanboys of something or other.
There's nothing but the faint echo of squeals and the odor of crapped fanboy pants to remind us now of Comic-Con, the center of the geek universe for a couple of highly anticipated, mostly disappointing, and altogether over-Tweeted days each summer in San Diego. It went off last week just about as expected, with Hollywood's usurping of the decades-old comics-biz confab (and its audience) elevated to feverish new levels of glitz thanks to first glimpses at James Cameron's Avatar, Disney's Tron Legacy, Robert Pattinson's New Moon, and other top-shelf titles headed to a loser near you in the next year.
Still, Comic-Con hardly owns a monopoly on the phenomenon of modern pop-culture fandom, which has evolved into so much more than the domain once consigned to smart kids with bad complexions and/or shrines to short-lived cartoon shows in their basements. It's about our obsessions — all of our obsessions, no matter the media or genre, nor our respective age, sex, or ethnicity. You know you have them, and — like it or not — you know you're implicated. You, too, are a geek for something. We all are.
Relax. It's not as bad as it sounds, and in any case it's not your fault. American (or British, or Japanese, hell, even Canadian) culture won't really allow for anything less — not with billion-dollar economies at stake and individual reputations relying on your complete emotional investment in their properties. Being a fan today means more than being loyal to a brand, though: If we keep our survey to the more generally accepted geek parameters of Comic-Con, then the quality of one's anticipation of Harry Potter and the Neverending Franchise or the latest Joss Whedon series is often more important than the quality of those products themselves. Consider it an added bonus if Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland adaptation actually happens to be good. If not, no worries; Hollywood's rapid production cycle ensures that the sting of suckerdom is merely temporary. The sacred source material is unhurt, after all, and a new object of nerd lust is always right around the corner.
Yet less-conventional modes of geek living are everywhere. I may have never bothered last spring to see the hugely anticipated, poorly received graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen, but I hit my local video store two weeks ago to rent Season Two of Mad Men the day it was released on DVD. I caught up belatedly with all thirteen episodes virtually overnight. Then, last weekend, while the Web debated the relative merits of Comic-Con darlings Avatar and Kick-Ass and swooned at the news that the next Batman film would likely start shooting in 2010, I considered my submission to Banana Republic's new Mad Men Casting Call contest.
And I don't mean whether or not I really want to compete for a walk-on part and a $1,000 gift card. Of course I do! What I was considering was whether or not to wear a blue suit or a black suit, and how to best get the cigarette smell out of my apartment after taking my requisite self-portraits. Total geek. And AMC is betting that I'm not the only one nursing such ruminations. It's a pretty genius read on the part of the network, which has faith that Mad Men obsessives will channel their inner Don Draper or Joan Holloway just as readily as Star Wars freaks will prowl San Diego in costume as Han Solo or Princess Leia.
But it also recognizes how the geek gold standard has changed since thirty years ago, when George Lucas was king and Christopher Reeve gallantly rocked Superman tights without the faintest trace of irony or self-doubt. We're way beyond the point of playing dress-up. Mainstream entertainment bubbles with more beloved anti-heroes than ever, turning offerings from Mad Men (philandering ad-world cutthroat) to Weeds (drug-dealing suburban MILF) to The Dark Knight (well-meaning billionaire crimefighter stirs more trouble than he prevents) into deeply sympathetic reflections of their viewers' own compulsions, fantasies, and flaws. Their respective chemistries of complexity and accessibility make them three flavors of the same cult catnip. Even the serial-killer series Dexter received a panel this year at Comic-Con.
They also bring that long-missing component that old-school, hard-line geeks probably never thought they'd encounter in their bailiwick: women. The obvious influx comes from the Twilight series, excerpts and stars from whose second entry, New Moon, last week flooded Comic-Con's vast Hall H with teeming, screaming tides of estrogen. The recipe? Add liberal doses of actual romantic tension to all the contemporary, standard-issue fanboy ingredients — angst, moodiness, the supernatural and/or superhuman potboiler potency. (The casting doesn't hurt; Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart make for a slightly more supple duo than, say, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.) But even last year's big-screen adaptation of Sex and the City proved a geek watershed of sorts for anxious, urbane ladies, for whom Manolo Blahnik pumps are as much a symbol of self-actualization as a Trekkie's vulcan ears.
And right on cue, there's news of Sex and the City 2, ready to suck another few million moviegoers, their dates, and all that cash into the irrepressible geek vortex. There's even an open casting call in New York for those among them who fit the "international types… professional soccer players, fashion models, urban club goers, gays and lesbians, celebrity types, upscale socialites" and others populating the SATC universe. In other words, the aspirational true believers in full regalia — come one, come all. You know they will. And they don't even have to travel to San Diego. Which is good, because geekstink still isn't quite as universal as geekdom.

Beyond Comic Con The Rise of the Modern Geek in All of Us

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

naomi campbell denies attacking photographer

LONDON - British supermodel Naomi Campbell denies assaulting a photographer in Italy last year, saying the allegations are “completely untrue”.
Photographer Gaetano di Giovanni claims his face was scratched and bruised after Campbell slapped him and hit him with her handbag while she was holidaying with tycoon boyfriend Vladislav Doronin on the island of Lipari, Sicily, reported contactmusic.com.
First she hit with her bag, screaming at me and then she tried to slap me. I managed to avoid her, but her nails still got my eye. For a few seconds, I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away,” said di Giovanni.
But Campbell’s spokesperson has slammed the claims, insisting the star had nothing to do with the attack.
Media reports circulating that Naomi Campbell attacked a photographer in Lipari are completely untrue,” he said.

naomi campbell denies attacking photographer

LONDON - British supermodel Naomi Campbell denies assaulting a photographer in Italy last year, saying the allegations are “completely untrue”.
Photographer Gaetano di Giovanni claims his face was scratched and bruised after Campbell slapped him and hit him with her handbag while she was holidaying with tycoon boyfriend Vladislav Doronin on the island of Lipari, Sicily, reported contactmusic.com.
First she hit with her bag, screaming at me and then she tried to slap me. I managed to avoid her, but her nails still got my eye. For a few seconds, I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away,” said di Giovanni.
But Campbell’s spokesperson has slammed the claims, insisting the star had nothing to do with the attack.
Media reports circulating that Naomi Campbell attacked a photographer in Lipari are completely untrue,” he said.

naomi campbell denies attacking photographer

LONDON - British supermodel Naomi Campbell denies assaulting a photographer in Italy last year, saying the allegations are “completely untrue”.
Photographer Gaetano di Giovanni claims his face was scratched and bruised after Campbell slapped him and hit him with her handbag while she was holidaying with tycoon boyfriend Vladislav Doronin on the island of Lipari, Sicily, reported contactmusic.com.
First she hit with her bag, screaming at me and then she tried to slap me. I managed to avoid her, but her nails still got my eye. For a few seconds, I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away,” said di Giovanni.
But Campbell’s spokesperson has slammed the claims, insisting the star had nothing to do with the attack.
Media reports circulating that Naomi Campbell attacked a photographer in Lipari are completely untrue,” he said.

naomi campbell denies attacking photographer

LONDON - British supermodel Naomi Campbell denies assaulting a photographer in Italy last year, saying the allegations are “completely untrue”.
Photographer Gaetano di Giovanni claims his face was scratched and bruised after Campbell slapped him and hit him with her handbag while she was holidaying with tycoon boyfriend Vladislav Doronin on the island of Lipari, Sicily, reported contactmusic.com.
First she hit with her bag, screaming at me and then she tried to slap me. I managed to avoid her, but her nails still got my eye. For a few seconds, I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away,” said di Giovanni.
But Campbell’s spokesperson has slammed the claims, insisting the star had nothing to do with the attack.
Media reports circulating that Naomi Campbell attacked a photographer in Lipari are completely untrue,” he said.

naomi campbell denies attacking photographer

LONDON - British supermodel Naomi Campbell denies assaulting a photographer in Italy last year, saying the allegations are “completely untrue”.
Photographer Gaetano di Giovanni claims his face was scratched and bruised after Campbell slapped him and hit him with her handbag while she was holidaying with tycoon boyfriend Vladislav Doronin on the island of Lipari, Sicily, reported contactmusic.com.
First she hit with her bag, screaming at me and then she tried to slap me. I managed to avoid her, but her nails still got my eye. For a few seconds, I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away,” said di Giovanni.
But Campbell’s spokesperson has slammed the claims, insisting the star had nothing to do with the attack.
Media reports circulating that Naomi Campbell attacked a photographer in Lipari are completely untrue,” he said.

naomi campbell denies attacking photographer

LONDON - British supermodel Naomi Campbell denies assaulting a photographer in Italy last year, saying the allegations are “completely untrue”.
Photographer Gaetano di Giovanni claims his face was scratched and bruised after Campbell slapped him and hit him with her handbag while she was holidaying with tycoon boyfriend Vladislav Doronin on the island of Lipari, Sicily, reported contactmusic.com.
First she hit with her bag, screaming at me and then she tried to slap me. I managed to avoid her, but her nails still got my eye. For a few seconds, I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away,” said di Giovanni.
But Campbell’s spokesperson has slammed the claims, insisting the star had nothing to do with the attack.
Media reports circulating that Naomi Campbell attacked a photographer in Lipari are completely untrue,” he said.

Magwatch?

JEANS morph from flared to boot-cut to skinny leg and back to flared again, but it is comforting to know that some things in Hollywood don’t change, like Demi Moore’s face.
This week Grazia features an in-depth profile of the 46-year-old actress, who appears to have perfected what many stars of her generation have failed to do: keep her face frozen in time without looking like she is actually frozen.
Grazia attributes Moore’s success to ‘‘the 3-D Neck and Facelift’’, an operation that scoops fat from the jowls and repositions it in the cheekbones. Furthermore, this IMAX-worthy facelift supplements the estimated $350,000 she has spent on a six-year body overhaul, using radio frequency technology to tighten saggy skin on her knees, elbows and stomach.
After swapping her older husband, Bruce Willis, for Ashton Kutcher, then 25, now 31 and pictured with her, and keeping drastic hair and make-up changes to a minimum, Moore’s Peter Pan makeover is complete.
According to the magazine, this little-by-little approach is now being adopted by other stars who realise that regular, early nip/tucks are needed to maintain the illusion of youth – something fellow celebrity age-battler and Kabbalah devotee Madonna would do well to heed. Not content sipping from the fountain of youth, Madge has been taking big greedy gulps.
Photographed out and about in Los Angeles with her 22-year-old toyboy, Madonna, 50, is one of those who have overshot the mark in the anti-ageing battle. According to New Idea, her gruelling two-hour daily workouts and gaunt face have left her looking ‘‘scary and alien-like’’.
The clock is also ticking for Jennifer Aniston, who is ‘‘dreading’’ her fast-approaching 40th birthday. New Idea reports Aniston is considering plastic surgery to help in her quest to bag a husband and fall pregnant, asap. While the latest facelift may certainly help with the former, the jury is still out on how a defined jawline will help her conceive. While they can keep a star’s face frozen at 25, the surgical sages are yet to have the same success with ovaries.

Magwatch?

JEANS morph from flared to boot-cut to skinny leg and back to flared again, but it is comforting to know that some things in Hollywood don’t change, like Demi Moore’s face.
This week Grazia features an in-depth profile of the 46-year-old actress, who appears to have perfected what many stars of her generation have failed to do: keep her face frozen in time without looking like she is actually frozen.
Grazia attributes Moore’s success to ‘‘the 3-D Neck and Facelift’’, an operation that scoops fat from the jowls and repositions it in the cheekbones. Furthermore, this IMAX-worthy facelift supplements the estimated $350,000 she has spent on a six-year body overhaul, using radio frequency technology to tighten saggy skin on her knees, elbows and stomach.
After swapping her older husband, Bruce Willis, for Ashton Kutcher, then 25, now 31 and pictured with her, and keeping drastic hair and make-up changes to a minimum, Moore’s Peter Pan makeover is complete.
According to the magazine, this little-by-little approach is now being adopted by other stars who realise that regular, early nip/tucks are needed to maintain the illusion of youth – something fellow celebrity age-battler and Kabbalah devotee Madonna would do well to heed. Not content sipping from the fountain of youth, Madge has been taking big greedy gulps.
Photographed out and about in Los Angeles with her 22-year-old toyboy, Madonna, 50, is one of those who have overshot the mark in the anti-ageing battle. According to New Idea, her gruelling two-hour daily workouts and gaunt face have left her looking ‘‘scary and alien-like’’.
The clock is also ticking for Jennifer Aniston, who is ‘‘dreading’’ her fast-approaching 40th birthday. New Idea reports Aniston is considering plastic surgery to help in her quest to bag a husband and fall pregnant, asap. While the latest facelift may certainly help with the former, the jury is still out on how a defined jawline will help her conceive. While they can keep a star’s face frozen at 25, the surgical sages are yet to have the same success with ovaries.

Magwatch?

JEANS morph from flared to boot-cut to skinny leg and back to flared again, but it is comforting to know that some things in Hollywood don’t change, like Demi Moore’s face.
This week Grazia features an in-depth profile of the 46-year-old actress, who appears to have perfected what many stars of her generation have failed to do: keep her face frozen in time without looking like she is actually frozen.
Grazia attributes Moore’s success to ‘‘the 3-D Neck and Facelift’’, an operation that scoops fat from the jowls and repositions it in the cheekbones. Furthermore, this IMAX-worthy facelift supplements the estimated $350,000 she has spent on a six-year body overhaul, using radio frequency technology to tighten saggy skin on her knees, elbows and stomach.
After swapping her older husband, Bruce Willis, for Ashton Kutcher, then 25, now 31 and pictured with her, and keeping drastic hair and make-up changes to a minimum, Moore’s Peter Pan makeover is complete.
According to the magazine, this little-by-little approach is now being adopted by other stars who realise that regular, early nip/tucks are needed to maintain the illusion of youth – something fellow celebrity age-battler and Kabbalah devotee Madonna would do well to heed. Not content sipping from the fountain of youth, Madge has been taking big greedy gulps.
Photographed out and about in Los Angeles with her 22-year-old toyboy, Madonna, 50, is one of those who have overshot the mark in the anti-ageing battle. According to New Idea, her gruelling two-hour daily workouts and gaunt face have left her looking ‘‘scary and alien-like’’.
The clock is also ticking for Jennifer Aniston, who is ‘‘dreading’’ her fast-approaching 40th birthday. New Idea reports Aniston is considering plastic surgery to help in her quest to bag a husband and fall pregnant, asap. While the latest facelift may certainly help with the former, the jury is still out on how a defined jawline will help her conceive. While they can keep a star’s face frozen at 25, the surgical sages are yet to have the same success with ovaries.

Magwatch?

JEANS morph from flared to boot-cut to skinny leg and back to flared again, but it is comforting to know that some things in Hollywood don’t change, like Demi Moore’s face.
This week Grazia features an in-depth profile of the 46-year-old actress, who appears to have perfected what many stars of her generation have failed to do: keep her face frozen in time without looking like she is actually frozen.
Grazia attributes Moore’s success to ‘‘the 3-D Neck and Facelift’’, an operation that scoops fat from the jowls and repositions it in the cheekbones. Furthermore, this IMAX-worthy facelift supplements the estimated $350,000 she has spent on a six-year body overhaul, using radio frequency technology to tighten saggy skin on her knees, elbows and stomach.
After swapping her older husband, Bruce Willis, for Ashton Kutcher, then 25, now 31 and pictured with her, and keeping drastic hair and make-up changes to a minimum, Moore’s Peter Pan makeover is complete.
According to the magazine, this little-by-little approach is now being adopted by other stars who realise that regular, early nip/tucks are needed to maintain the illusion of youth – something fellow celebrity age-battler and Kabbalah devotee Madonna would do well to heed. Not content sipping from the fountain of youth, Madge has been taking big greedy gulps.
Photographed out and about in Los Angeles with her 22-year-old toyboy, Madonna, 50, is one of those who have overshot the mark in the anti-ageing battle. According to New Idea, her gruelling two-hour daily workouts and gaunt face have left her looking ‘‘scary and alien-like’’.
The clock is also ticking for Jennifer Aniston, who is ‘‘dreading’’ her fast-approaching 40th birthday. New Idea reports Aniston is considering plastic surgery to help in her quest to bag a husband and fall pregnant, asap. While the latest facelift may certainly help with the former, the jury is still out on how a defined jawline will help her conceive. While they can keep a star’s face frozen at 25, the surgical sages are yet to have the same success with ovaries.

Magwatch?

JEANS morph from flared to boot-cut to skinny leg and back to flared again, but it is comforting to know that some things in Hollywood don’t change, like Demi Moore’s face.
This week Grazia features an in-depth profile of the 46-year-old actress, who appears to have perfected what many stars of her generation have failed to do: keep her face frozen in time without looking like she is actually frozen.
Grazia attributes Moore’s success to ‘‘the 3-D Neck and Facelift’’, an operation that scoops fat from the jowls and repositions it in the cheekbones. Furthermore, this IMAX-worthy facelift supplements the estimated $350,000 she has spent on a six-year body overhaul, using radio frequency technology to tighten saggy skin on her knees, elbows and stomach.
After swapping her older husband, Bruce Willis, for Ashton Kutcher, then 25, now 31 and pictured with her, and keeping drastic hair and make-up changes to a minimum, Moore’s Peter Pan makeover is complete.
According to the magazine, this little-by-little approach is now being adopted by other stars who realise that regular, early nip/tucks are needed to maintain the illusion of youth – something fellow celebrity age-battler and Kabbalah devotee Madonna would do well to heed. Not content sipping from the fountain of youth, Madge has been taking big greedy gulps.
Photographed out and about in Los Angeles with her 22-year-old toyboy, Madonna, 50, is one of those who have overshot the mark in the anti-ageing battle. According to New Idea, her gruelling two-hour daily workouts and gaunt face have left her looking ‘‘scary and alien-like’’.
The clock is also ticking for Jennifer Aniston, who is ‘‘dreading’’ her fast-approaching 40th birthday. New Idea reports Aniston is considering plastic surgery to help in her quest to bag a husband and fall pregnant, asap. While the latest facelift may certainly help with the former, the jury is still out on how a defined jawline will help her conceive. While they can keep a star’s face frozen at 25, the surgical sages are yet to have the same success with ovaries.

Magwatch?

JEANS morph from flared to boot-cut to skinny leg and back to flared again, but it is comforting to know that some things in Hollywood don’t change, like Demi Moore’s face.
This week Grazia features an in-depth profile of the 46-year-old actress, who appears to have perfected what many stars of her generation have failed to do: keep her face frozen in time without looking like she is actually frozen.
Grazia attributes Moore’s success to ‘‘the 3-D Neck and Facelift’’, an operation that scoops fat from the jowls and repositions it in the cheekbones. Furthermore, this IMAX-worthy facelift supplements the estimated $350,000 she has spent on a six-year body overhaul, using radio frequency technology to tighten saggy skin on her knees, elbows and stomach.
After swapping her older husband, Bruce Willis, for Ashton Kutcher, then 25, now 31 and pictured with her, and keeping drastic hair and make-up changes to a minimum, Moore’s Peter Pan makeover is complete.
According to the magazine, this little-by-little approach is now being adopted by other stars who realise that regular, early nip/tucks are needed to maintain the illusion of youth – something fellow celebrity age-battler and Kabbalah devotee Madonna would do well to heed. Not content sipping from the fountain of youth, Madge has been taking big greedy gulps.
Photographed out and about in Los Angeles with her 22-year-old toyboy, Madonna, 50, is one of those who have overshot the mark in the anti-ageing battle. According to New Idea, her gruelling two-hour daily workouts and gaunt face have left her looking ‘‘scary and alien-like’’.
The clock is also ticking for Jennifer Aniston, who is ‘‘dreading’’ her fast-approaching 40th birthday. New Idea reports Aniston is considering plastic surgery to help in her quest to bag a husband and fall pregnant, asap. While the latest facelift may certainly help with the former, the jury is still out on how a defined jawline will help her conceive. While they can keep a star’s face frozen at 25, the surgical sages are yet to have the same success with ovaries.

Owen Wilson Nope just Redskins K Shaun Suisham

Sitting in an ice tub after practice, the NFL's most off-target kicker in 2008 was keeping his usual cool. The topics of conversation: his reputation as the quietest player on the Washington Redskins roster and his new Hollywood nickname.
Do you think I'm quiet?" Shaun Suisham said to defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who was sharing the tub.
You're not quiet at all. Just laid-back," Montgomery answered. "Relaxed. Owen Wilson."
Owen Wilson? Yep, that's what some teammates are calling Suisham these days _ because Montgomery thinks the Canadian kicker sounds like the actor from Texas.
I was sitting home watching 'Marley & Me,'" said Montgomery, snapping his head as if he were doing a double take. "And I said, 'Is Suisham in there or something?'"
I'll take what I can get," Suisham replied with a shrug.
The 27-year-old Ontario native was called some less flattering things a year ago _ inaccurate and inconsistent, to name a few _ during a season in which he led the league in missed field goals. He made 26 of 36 attempts, a 72 percent accuracy rate that ranked last among kickers with more than 10 attempts.
The Redskins re-signed him, but, unlike last year, they brought in some competition for training camp. Dave Rayner, who has played with five teams in four NFL seasons, will get a shot to dethrone the incumbent. Along with right tackle and No. 2 receiver, it's expected to be one of the most competitive position battles during the preseason.
It's something that I'm anxious about myself," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "It is going to be a competition. It's not an old guy that's established taking on a young guy, it's not another leg in camp and those kind of things. We made a decision on the long snapper (Ethan Albright), we made a decision on the punter (Hunter Smith), but we're far from making a decision on the kicking."
Suisham seemed unfazed when he was helping win games early last season and never looked rattled when he hit his wayward patch, so it's not surprising to hear him take his latest challenge in stride.
I'm not even going to talk about last year," Suisham said, "but I don't feel as bad as maybe some people about it. I feel like I'm a good kicker and I'm looking forward to this upcoming season. Dave seems like a nice guy. He's been with a lot of teams, and he's still around. Obviously he's got talent. But to me this boils down to me concentrating on my thing and making my kicks, and I don't anticipate going anywhere."
Suisham's mitigating factor last year was the team's revolving door of holders _ Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks and Ryan Plackemeier _ because the Redskins couldn't settle on a punter. That problem was addressed in the offseason with the addition of Hunter Smith, who held for prolific kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts and therefore, according to Danny Smith, "might be the best holder in the history of the game."
It's a big factor," Danny Smith said. "When you change holders in the course of a season and you're being successful, there's not a lot of attention to that. But when you're struggling and you switch, it's magnified _ and then it's magnified in your mind, too."
Suisham and Rayner have had tons of idle time during the first few days of training camp while the offense and defense work through the schemes, so the competition has yet to get under way. The winner, according to Danny Smith, will be the one who kicks better during the preseason games.
My hardest job is going to be how to be fair in a game," the coach said. "I don't know how we're going to do that. Some of the things I go through at night to myself: 'Do I give you the first game and give him the second game?' Is that fair? Well, it might be. You got three 20-yarders; he got three 40-yarders. That really isn't fair."
Suisham is the solid favorite to keep the job. He had very good seasons _ making 82 percent of his attempts in 2006 and 83 percent in 2007 _ before last year's misadventures. Rayner's career average is only 71 percent, and his only full season with one team came with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
It's all timing," Rayner said. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time. I feel good about being here."
But so does Suisham. It took a while for teammates to get used to his low-key personality, but now he fits right in.
Just put it between the uprights, Suisham," Montgomery said from the other half of the tub.
You," Suisham shot back, "just make some tackles."
NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth was limited in the afternoon practice after getting an injection to help cushion his left knee, which he sprained late last season with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jim Zorn called the injection a "normal" treatment and that the big-money free agent would be fine. ... WR Roydell Williams was awaiting X-ray results after hurting his left pinkie while attempting to catch a pass during the morning practice. ... CB Carlos Rogers missed his second straight day with a strained calf. Also limited were FB Eddie Williams (hamstring), DL J.D. Skolnitsky (hamstring) and DT Montgomery (swollen knee).

Owen Wilson Nope just Redskins K Shaun Suisham

Sitting in an ice tub after practice, the NFL's most off-target kicker in 2008 was keeping his usual cool. The topics of conversation: his reputation as the quietest player on the Washington Redskins roster and his new Hollywood nickname.
Do you think I'm quiet?" Shaun Suisham said to defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who was sharing the tub.
You're not quiet at all. Just laid-back," Montgomery answered. "Relaxed. Owen Wilson."
Owen Wilson? Yep, that's what some teammates are calling Suisham these days _ because Montgomery thinks the Canadian kicker sounds like the actor from Texas.
I was sitting home watching 'Marley & Me,'" said Montgomery, snapping his head as if he were doing a double take. "And I said, 'Is Suisham in there or something?'"
I'll take what I can get," Suisham replied with a shrug.
The 27-year-old Ontario native was called some less flattering things a year ago _ inaccurate and inconsistent, to name a few _ during a season in which he led the league in missed field goals. He made 26 of 36 attempts, a 72 percent accuracy rate that ranked last among kickers with more than 10 attempts.
The Redskins re-signed him, but, unlike last year, they brought in some competition for training camp. Dave Rayner, who has played with five teams in four NFL seasons, will get a shot to dethrone the incumbent. Along with right tackle and No. 2 receiver, it's expected to be one of the most competitive position battles during the preseason.
It's something that I'm anxious about myself," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "It is going to be a competition. It's not an old guy that's established taking on a young guy, it's not another leg in camp and those kind of things. We made a decision on the long snapper (Ethan Albright), we made a decision on the punter (Hunter Smith), but we're far from making a decision on the kicking."
Suisham seemed unfazed when he was helping win games early last season and never looked rattled when he hit his wayward patch, so it's not surprising to hear him take his latest challenge in stride.
I'm not even going to talk about last year," Suisham said, "but I don't feel as bad as maybe some people about it. I feel like I'm a good kicker and I'm looking forward to this upcoming season. Dave seems like a nice guy. He's been with a lot of teams, and he's still around. Obviously he's got talent. But to me this boils down to me concentrating on my thing and making my kicks, and I don't anticipate going anywhere."
Suisham's mitigating factor last year was the team's revolving door of holders _ Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks and Ryan Plackemeier _ because the Redskins couldn't settle on a punter. That problem was addressed in the offseason with the addition of Hunter Smith, who held for prolific kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts and therefore, according to Danny Smith, "might be the best holder in the history of the game."
It's a big factor," Danny Smith said. "When you change holders in the course of a season and you're being successful, there's not a lot of attention to that. But when you're struggling and you switch, it's magnified _ and then it's magnified in your mind, too."
Suisham and Rayner have had tons of idle time during the first few days of training camp while the offense and defense work through the schemes, so the competition has yet to get under way. The winner, according to Danny Smith, will be the one who kicks better during the preseason games.
My hardest job is going to be how to be fair in a game," the coach said. "I don't know how we're going to do that. Some of the things I go through at night to myself: 'Do I give you the first game and give him the second game?' Is that fair? Well, it might be. You got three 20-yarders; he got three 40-yarders. That really isn't fair."
Suisham is the solid favorite to keep the job. He had very good seasons _ making 82 percent of his attempts in 2006 and 83 percent in 2007 _ before last year's misadventures. Rayner's career average is only 71 percent, and his only full season with one team came with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
It's all timing," Rayner said. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time. I feel good about being here."
But so does Suisham. It took a while for teammates to get used to his low-key personality, but now he fits right in.
Just put it between the uprights, Suisham," Montgomery said from the other half of the tub.
You," Suisham shot back, "just make some tackles."
NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth was limited in the afternoon practice after getting an injection to help cushion his left knee, which he sprained late last season with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jim Zorn called the injection a "normal" treatment and that the big-money free agent would be fine. ... WR Roydell Williams was awaiting X-ray results after hurting his left pinkie while attempting to catch a pass during the morning practice. ... CB Carlos Rogers missed his second straight day with a strained calf. Also limited were FB Eddie Williams (hamstring), DL J.D. Skolnitsky (hamstring) and DT Montgomery (swollen knee).

Owen Wilson Nope just Redskins K Shaun Suisham

Sitting in an ice tub after practice, the NFL's most off-target kicker in 2008 was keeping his usual cool. The topics of conversation: his reputation as the quietest player on the Washington Redskins roster and his new Hollywood nickname.
Do you think I'm quiet?" Shaun Suisham said to defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who was sharing the tub.
You're not quiet at all. Just laid-back," Montgomery answered. "Relaxed. Owen Wilson."
Owen Wilson? Yep, that's what some teammates are calling Suisham these days _ because Montgomery thinks the Canadian kicker sounds like the actor from Texas.
I was sitting home watching 'Marley & Me,'" said Montgomery, snapping his head as if he were doing a double take. "And I said, 'Is Suisham in there or something?'"
I'll take what I can get," Suisham replied with a shrug.
The 27-year-old Ontario native was called some less flattering things a year ago _ inaccurate and inconsistent, to name a few _ during a season in which he led the league in missed field goals. He made 26 of 36 attempts, a 72 percent accuracy rate that ranked last among kickers with more than 10 attempts.
The Redskins re-signed him, but, unlike last year, they brought in some competition for training camp. Dave Rayner, who has played with five teams in four NFL seasons, will get a shot to dethrone the incumbent. Along with right tackle and No. 2 receiver, it's expected to be one of the most competitive position battles during the preseason.
It's something that I'm anxious about myself," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "It is going to be a competition. It's not an old guy that's established taking on a young guy, it's not another leg in camp and those kind of things. We made a decision on the long snapper (Ethan Albright), we made a decision on the punter (Hunter Smith), but we're far from making a decision on the kicking."
Suisham seemed unfazed when he was helping win games early last season and never looked rattled when he hit his wayward patch, so it's not surprising to hear him take his latest challenge in stride.
I'm not even going to talk about last year," Suisham said, "but I don't feel as bad as maybe some people about it. I feel like I'm a good kicker and I'm looking forward to this upcoming season. Dave seems like a nice guy. He's been with a lot of teams, and he's still around. Obviously he's got talent. But to me this boils down to me concentrating on my thing and making my kicks, and I don't anticipate going anywhere."
Suisham's mitigating factor last year was the team's revolving door of holders _ Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks and Ryan Plackemeier _ because the Redskins couldn't settle on a punter. That problem was addressed in the offseason with the addition of Hunter Smith, who held for prolific kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts and therefore, according to Danny Smith, "might be the best holder in the history of the game."
It's a big factor," Danny Smith said. "When you change holders in the course of a season and you're being successful, there's not a lot of attention to that. But when you're struggling and you switch, it's magnified _ and then it's magnified in your mind, too."
Suisham and Rayner have had tons of idle time during the first few days of training camp while the offense and defense work through the schemes, so the competition has yet to get under way. The winner, according to Danny Smith, will be the one who kicks better during the preseason games.
My hardest job is going to be how to be fair in a game," the coach said. "I don't know how we're going to do that. Some of the things I go through at night to myself: 'Do I give you the first game and give him the second game?' Is that fair? Well, it might be. You got three 20-yarders; he got three 40-yarders. That really isn't fair."
Suisham is the solid favorite to keep the job. He had very good seasons _ making 82 percent of his attempts in 2006 and 83 percent in 2007 _ before last year's misadventures. Rayner's career average is only 71 percent, and his only full season with one team came with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
It's all timing," Rayner said. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time. I feel good about being here."
But so does Suisham. It took a while for teammates to get used to his low-key personality, but now he fits right in.
Just put it between the uprights, Suisham," Montgomery said from the other half of the tub.
You," Suisham shot back, "just make some tackles."
NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth was limited in the afternoon practice after getting an injection to help cushion his left knee, which he sprained late last season with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jim Zorn called the injection a "normal" treatment and that the big-money free agent would be fine. ... WR Roydell Williams was awaiting X-ray results after hurting his left pinkie while attempting to catch a pass during the morning practice. ... CB Carlos Rogers missed his second straight day with a strained calf. Also limited were FB Eddie Williams (hamstring), DL J.D. Skolnitsky (hamstring) and DT Montgomery (swollen knee).

Owen Wilson Nope just Redskins K Shaun Suisham

Sitting in an ice tub after practice, the NFL's most off-target kicker in 2008 was keeping his usual cool. The topics of conversation: his reputation as the quietest player on the Washington Redskins roster and his new Hollywood nickname.
Do you think I'm quiet?" Shaun Suisham said to defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who was sharing the tub.
You're not quiet at all. Just laid-back," Montgomery answered. "Relaxed. Owen Wilson."
Owen Wilson? Yep, that's what some teammates are calling Suisham these days _ because Montgomery thinks the Canadian kicker sounds like the actor from Texas.
I was sitting home watching 'Marley & Me,'" said Montgomery, snapping his head as if he were doing a double take. "And I said, 'Is Suisham in there or something?'"
I'll take what I can get," Suisham replied with a shrug.
The 27-year-old Ontario native was called some less flattering things a year ago _ inaccurate and inconsistent, to name a few _ during a season in which he led the league in missed field goals. He made 26 of 36 attempts, a 72 percent accuracy rate that ranked last among kickers with more than 10 attempts.
The Redskins re-signed him, but, unlike last year, they brought in some competition for training camp. Dave Rayner, who has played with five teams in four NFL seasons, will get a shot to dethrone the incumbent. Along with right tackle and No. 2 receiver, it's expected to be one of the most competitive position battles during the preseason.
It's something that I'm anxious about myself," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "It is going to be a competition. It's not an old guy that's established taking on a young guy, it's not another leg in camp and those kind of things. We made a decision on the long snapper (Ethan Albright), we made a decision on the punter (Hunter Smith), but we're far from making a decision on the kicking."
Suisham seemed unfazed when he was helping win games early last season and never looked rattled when he hit his wayward patch, so it's not surprising to hear him take his latest challenge in stride.
I'm not even going to talk about last year," Suisham said, "but I don't feel as bad as maybe some people about it. I feel like I'm a good kicker and I'm looking forward to this upcoming season. Dave seems like a nice guy. He's been with a lot of teams, and he's still around. Obviously he's got talent. But to me this boils down to me concentrating on my thing and making my kicks, and I don't anticipate going anywhere."
Suisham's mitigating factor last year was the team's revolving door of holders _ Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks and Ryan Plackemeier _ because the Redskins couldn't settle on a punter. That problem was addressed in the offseason with the addition of Hunter Smith, who held for prolific kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts and therefore, according to Danny Smith, "might be the best holder in the history of the game."
It's a big factor," Danny Smith said. "When you change holders in the course of a season and you're being successful, there's not a lot of attention to that. But when you're struggling and you switch, it's magnified _ and then it's magnified in your mind, too."
Suisham and Rayner have had tons of idle time during the first few days of training camp while the offense and defense work through the schemes, so the competition has yet to get under way. The winner, according to Danny Smith, will be the one who kicks better during the preseason games.
My hardest job is going to be how to be fair in a game," the coach said. "I don't know how we're going to do that. Some of the things I go through at night to myself: 'Do I give you the first game and give him the second game?' Is that fair? Well, it might be. You got three 20-yarders; he got three 40-yarders. That really isn't fair."
Suisham is the solid favorite to keep the job. He had very good seasons _ making 82 percent of his attempts in 2006 and 83 percent in 2007 _ before last year's misadventures. Rayner's career average is only 71 percent, and his only full season with one team came with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
It's all timing," Rayner said. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time. I feel good about being here."
But so does Suisham. It took a while for teammates to get used to his low-key personality, but now he fits right in.
Just put it between the uprights, Suisham," Montgomery said from the other half of the tub.
You," Suisham shot back, "just make some tackles."
NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth was limited in the afternoon practice after getting an injection to help cushion his left knee, which he sprained late last season with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jim Zorn called the injection a "normal" treatment and that the big-money free agent would be fine. ... WR Roydell Williams was awaiting X-ray results after hurting his left pinkie while attempting to catch a pass during the morning practice. ... CB Carlos Rogers missed his second straight day with a strained calf. Also limited were FB Eddie Williams (hamstring), DL J.D. Skolnitsky (hamstring) and DT Montgomery (swollen knee).

Owen Wilson Nope just Redskins K Shaun Suisham

Sitting in an ice tub after practice, the NFL's most off-target kicker in 2008 was keeping his usual cool. The topics of conversation: his reputation as the quietest player on the Washington Redskins roster and his new Hollywood nickname.
Do you think I'm quiet?" Shaun Suisham said to defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who was sharing the tub.
You're not quiet at all. Just laid-back," Montgomery answered. "Relaxed. Owen Wilson."
Owen Wilson? Yep, that's what some teammates are calling Suisham these days _ because Montgomery thinks the Canadian kicker sounds like the actor from Texas.
I was sitting home watching 'Marley & Me,'" said Montgomery, snapping his head as if he were doing a double take. "And I said, 'Is Suisham in there or something?'"
I'll take what I can get," Suisham replied with a shrug.
The 27-year-old Ontario native was called some less flattering things a year ago _ inaccurate and inconsistent, to name a few _ during a season in which he led the league in missed field goals. He made 26 of 36 attempts, a 72 percent accuracy rate that ranked last among kickers with more than 10 attempts.
The Redskins re-signed him, but, unlike last year, they brought in some competition for training camp. Dave Rayner, who has played with five teams in four NFL seasons, will get a shot to dethrone the incumbent. Along with right tackle and No. 2 receiver, it's expected to be one of the most competitive position battles during the preseason.
It's something that I'm anxious about myself," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "It is going to be a competition. It's not an old guy that's established taking on a young guy, it's not another leg in camp and those kind of things. We made a decision on the long snapper (Ethan Albright), we made a decision on the punter (Hunter Smith), but we're far from making a decision on the kicking."
Suisham seemed unfazed when he was helping win games early last season and never looked rattled when he hit his wayward patch, so it's not surprising to hear him take his latest challenge in stride.
I'm not even going to talk about last year," Suisham said, "but I don't feel as bad as maybe some people about it. I feel like I'm a good kicker and I'm looking forward to this upcoming season. Dave seems like a nice guy. He's been with a lot of teams, and he's still around. Obviously he's got talent. But to me this boils down to me concentrating on my thing and making my kicks, and I don't anticipate going anywhere."
Suisham's mitigating factor last year was the team's revolving door of holders _ Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks and Ryan Plackemeier _ because the Redskins couldn't settle on a punter. That problem was addressed in the offseason with the addition of Hunter Smith, who held for prolific kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts and therefore, according to Danny Smith, "might be the best holder in the history of the game."
It's a big factor," Danny Smith said. "When you change holders in the course of a season and you're being successful, there's not a lot of attention to that. But when you're struggling and you switch, it's magnified _ and then it's magnified in your mind, too."
Suisham and Rayner have had tons of idle time during the first few days of training camp while the offense and defense work through the schemes, so the competition has yet to get under way. The winner, according to Danny Smith, will be the one who kicks better during the preseason games.
My hardest job is going to be how to be fair in a game," the coach said. "I don't know how we're going to do that. Some of the things I go through at night to myself: 'Do I give you the first game and give him the second game?' Is that fair? Well, it might be. You got three 20-yarders; he got three 40-yarders. That really isn't fair."
Suisham is the solid favorite to keep the job. He had very good seasons _ making 82 percent of his attempts in 2006 and 83 percent in 2007 _ before last year's misadventures. Rayner's career average is only 71 percent, and his only full season with one team came with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
It's all timing," Rayner said. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time. I feel good about being here."
But so does Suisham. It took a while for teammates to get used to his low-key personality, but now he fits right in.
Just put it between the uprights, Suisham," Montgomery said from the other half of the tub.
You," Suisham shot back, "just make some tackles."
NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth was limited in the afternoon practice after getting an injection to help cushion his left knee, which he sprained late last season with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jim Zorn called the injection a "normal" treatment and that the big-money free agent would be fine. ... WR Roydell Williams was awaiting X-ray results after hurting his left pinkie while attempting to catch a pass during the morning practice. ... CB Carlos Rogers missed his second straight day with a strained calf. Also limited were FB Eddie Williams (hamstring), DL J.D. Skolnitsky (hamstring) and DT Montgomery (swollen knee).

Owen Wilson Nope just Redskins K Shaun Suisham

Sitting in an ice tub after practice, the NFL's most off-target kicker in 2008 was keeping his usual cool. The topics of conversation: his reputation as the quietest player on the Washington Redskins roster and his new Hollywood nickname.
Do you think I'm quiet?" Shaun Suisham said to defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery, who was sharing the tub.
You're not quiet at all. Just laid-back," Montgomery answered. "Relaxed. Owen Wilson."
Owen Wilson? Yep, that's what some teammates are calling Suisham these days _ because Montgomery thinks the Canadian kicker sounds like the actor from Texas.
I was sitting home watching 'Marley & Me,'" said Montgomery, snapping his head as if he were doing a double take. "And I said, 'Is Suisham in there or something?'"
I'll take what I can get," Suisham replied with a shrug.
The 27-year-old Ontario native was called some less flattering things a year ago _ inaccurate and inconsistent, to name a few _ during a season in which he led the league in missed field goals. He made 26 of 36 attempts, a 72 percent accuracy rate that ranked last among kickers with more than 10 attempts.
The Redskins re-signed him, but, unlike last year, they brought in some competition for training camp. Dave Rayner, who has played with five teams in four NFL seasons, will get a shot to dethrone the incumbent. Along with right tackle and No. 2 receiver, it's expected to be one of the most competitive position battles during the preseason.
It's something that I'm anxious about myself," special teams coach Danny Smith said. "It is going to be a competition. It's not an old guy that's established taking on a young guy, it's not another leg in camp and those kind of things. We made a decision on the long snapper (Ethan Albright), we made a decision on the punter (Hunter Smith), but we're far from making a decision on the kicking."
Suisham seemed unfazed when he was helping win games early last season and never looked rattled when he hit his wayward patch, so it's not surprising to hear him take his latest challenge in stride.
I'm not even going to talk about last year," Suisham said, "but I don't feel as bad as maybe some people about it. I feel like I'm a good kicker and I'm looking forward to this upcoming season. Dave seems like a nice guy. He's been with a lot of teams, and he's still around. Obviously he's got talent. But to me this boils down to me concentrating on my thing and making my kicks, and I don't anticipate going anywhere."
Suisham's mitigating factor last year was the team's revolving door of holders _ Derrick Frost, Durant Brooks and Ryan Plackemeier _ because the Redskins couldn't settle on a punter. That problem was addressed in the offseason with the addition of Hunter Smith, who held for prolific kickers Mike Vanderjagt and Adam Vinatieri with the Indianapolis Colts and therefore, according to Danny Smith, "might be the best holder in the history of the game."
It's a big factor," Danny Smith said. "When you change holders in the course of a season and you're being successful, there's not a lot of attention to that. But when you're struggling and you switch, it's magnified _ and then it's magnified in your mind, too."
Suisham and Rayner have had tons of idle time during the first few days of training camp while the offense and defense work through the schemes, so the competition has yet to get under way. The winner, according to Danny Smith, will be the one who kicks better during the preseason games.
My hardest job is going to be how to be fair in a game," the coach said. "I don't know how we're going to do that. Some of the things I go through at night to myself: 'Do I give you the first game and give him the second game?' Is that fair? Well, it might be. You got three 20-yarders; he got three 40-yarders. That really isn't fair."
Suisham is the solid favorite to keep the job. He had very good seasons _ making 82 percent of his attempts in 2006 and 83 percent in 2007 _ before last year's misadventures. Rayner's career average is only 71 percent, and his only full season with one team came with the Green Bay Packers in 2006.
It's all timing," Rayner said. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time. I feel good about being here."
But so does Suisham. It took a while for teammates to get used to his low-key personality, but now he fits right in.
Just put it between the uprights, Suisham," Montgomery said from the other half of the tub.
You," Suisham shot back, "just make some tackles."
NOTES: DT Albert Haynesworth was limited in the afternoon practice after getting an injection to help cushion his left knee, which he sprained late last season with the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jim Zorn called the injection a "normal" treatment and that the big-money free agent would be fine. ... WR Roydell Williams was awaiting X-ray results after hurting his left pinkie while attempting to catch a pass during the morning practice. ... CB Carlos Rogers missed his second straight day with a strained calf. Also limited were FB Eddie Williams (hamstring), DL J.D. Skolnitsky (hamstring) and DT Montgomery (swollen knee).