I only want one thing this Christmas.

This one goes out to my man Facemanb:

A central prediction of economics is that competition spurs innovation. The New York Times Magazine has an amazing story about how the intense cauldron of college basketball has led to delightfully Machiavellian psychological tactics.

The nut graf:

The solution to how to neutralize Pruitt came not from a game plan of X’s and O’s but from military-style psychological operations. In the week leading up to the game, members of Cal’s Rally Committee, who earlier obtained Pruitt’s Instant Messenger screen name, created an I.M. account for a fictional U.C.L.A. coed named Victoria. “Victoria” began flirting with Pruitt, sending him photos of herself (pictures of a very attractive woman that the Cal students had taken off the Internet) and telling him that she and her friends wanted to party with him and his teammates back in L.A. after the game against Cal.

Oh man. Maybe we should have done this kind of thing to Osama.

Martin Scorsese is back.

I shall not bore you with a comprehensive review of "The Departed", given the late timing and a suspicion that most of my readers have already seen it. But it's worth mentioning how gratified I am to see an old master back in form. This is the man who made some of the most significant films of my lifetime. Who among us can forget the first time he saw "Goodfellas"? I still remember going to the cinema in Paris to see "Taxi Driver", hearing the thumping sub-woofer booming as Travis Bickle slowly cruised New York amongst "the filth, the shit".

What struck me about "The Departed" was not just the taught suspense, the earthy dialogue or the Freudian, literary themes. What is truly astonishing is the depth and breadth of performances by the cast. Sure, crazy Jack is back, delivering his signature demonic glare and smoldering, snarling ad libs. But Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg really deliver the goods. It is absolutely stunning to me that little Leo DiCaprio (from Growing Pains) and Marky Mark (of the Funky Bunch) have shaped up to be the best actors of my generation. Unbelievable. I should mention that the supporting cast includes Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin, both graciously comfortable with relatively subsidiary roles.

I have made no secret of my disdain for the Academy's voting structure, but I hope Scorsese finally gets the nod.

If you haven't already checked out this flick, I highly recommend you do so.*

*Recommendation excludes my mother or anybody else who is uncomfortable with extreme violence in movies.