Nothing like terror alerts, Footloose and ESPN NFL 2K5 to cap off a fun but tiring weekend!

Something in Bloomberg's demeanor during today's press conference suggested this particular alert is the real deal and not some post-Democratic Convention political boogeyman cooked up by Karl Rove and friends. He looked intense and tired, like he'd been up all night, and his statement was an unusually page-bound reading of a carefully worded script, equal parts calm and alarm. That I work a few blocks south of the NY Stock Exchange and right across the street from a Prudential office building didn't help things.

In search of an emotional antidote, we came across Footloose and Mystery Science Theatred our way through impossibly tight jeans, actors old enough to play their characters' parents, and some of the most embarassing dancing I can ever recall emulating.

Later, I took my first victory in the brand new ESPN NFL 2K5 rivalry between my beloved NY Jets and my friend Frank's Philadelphia Eagles, 14-10, confirming my suspicions that Madden simply hates the Jets! The gameplay is sweet, the best yet, with smooth graphics and a fun ESPN overlay that includes game specific highlights. For $20, there's finally no reason to buy Madden 2005. As Mrs. Kerry might say, "Shove it, EA Sports!"

In other news, ever so loosely related, I recently read somewhere that the first season of Miami Vice will finally be made available on DVD, perhaps by the end of this year! Apparently, the expense of acquiring the rights to all the music that was featured in the series was prohibitive, but now they're moving forward with it. I hope they include commentary tracks because I know Philip Michael Thomas could really use the work. File this under ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!!

[EDIT: Speaking of Christmas, let's not forget my birthday that's coming up. HINT, HINT and HINT!]