'Dancing With the Stars' Semi Final Preview

They are down to he final four on Dancing With the Stars. 

Two favorites and two underdogs nobody expected to make it this far.  Brandy, Jennifer Grey, Bristol Palin and Kyle Massey are all vying for the mirror ball trophy and it's really up for grabs at this point.

Tonight, the couples will perform one ballroom dance and one Latin dance in hopes of moving on to the final three.  The edge at this point goes to Brandy and Jennifer Grey if she can stay healthy. 

Brandy and Maks are on a roll. If you look purely at the scores, they’ve topped or tied the leader board the last four weeks.

The surprise of this season is Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas.  Mark Ballas is the key here.  He is a skilled dancer who has had the patience and drive to stick it out with Palin. If he can produce top-notch choreography and use her strengths, they could advance. Pay special attention to the  Latin round. Palin has to throw caution to the wind and let loose.

Fans, don't sleep on Kyle Massey.  "Fun" is the best word to describe Kyle on the show and he has shown improvement every week.  He will need some big scores from the judges tonight, but he's worked hard and capable of earning 9's and 10's.

Watch tonight at 8.

Favre's Shoulder May Put Him on the Shelf

It's never a good thing when you have to visit, or a call is made to Dr. James Andrews.

In an effort to remain in the news, Brett Favre says his shoulder is now ailing and it could be a similar injury, wear and tear on the rotator cuff that was shaved during the previous surgery.

Favre is now going to call Dr. James Andrews, and if he needs to send a text message relating to the shoulder, we all know Favre knows how to use the SMS feature of his phone to do that.

The 41-year-old Vikings quarterback experienced a sharp pain there while putting on a T-shirt at practice Saturday and there was discussion about taking a pain-killing injection to play against the Bears, but that was dismissed. 

Favre made it through the game fine, but he didn't throw many deep balls, and one he did to Percy Harvin was badly underthrown. 

Favre, who has started an NFL-record 294 consecutive games, told reporters twice earlier in the season that he would be willing to sit out of a game if the pain was too great, but I can't imagine him not on the field when his 3-6 Vikes take on the Packers in Minnesota this week.

It's more than likely Favre will have an MRI early this week and they will go from there.  The way he is playing, I tend to think he is hurt.

Kindle Free Pick of the Week: Stupid History

Like little bits of useless trivia?  Would it shock you to learn that Benjamin Franklin didn't discover electricity?  if so,  you'll appreciate this take on hundreds of historical legends and debacles. Historians and humorists alike may be surprised to learn that:

Samuel Prescott made the famous horseback ride into Concord, not Paul Revere. As a member of Parliament, Isaac Newton spoke only once. He asked for an open window. On April 24, 1898, Spain declared war on the U.S., thus starting the Spanish-American War. The U.S. declared war the very next day, but not wanting to be outdone, had the date on the declaration changed from April 25 to April 21.With these and many other stories, leading humorist Leland Gregory once again highlights both the strange and the funny side of humankind.

All of this is included in this week's Kindle Free Pick:  "Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages"

About the Author

Leland Gregory has authored more than a dozen humor titles including What's The Number for 911?, Stupid History, and the New York Times best-sellers America's Dumbest Criminals and Stupid American History. A tireless promoter, he has made hundreds of radio and television appearances, including multiple appearances on NBC's Today show. Leland lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

This is a great book to keep on your Kindle.

Vikings Sloppy, Favre Dispondent

The Vikings tried, but thier play Sunday was sloppy and erratic against the Chicago Bears.  They got beat physically all over the field, folded up in the second half and lost every phase of the game by the time it was over. Brett Favre, returning to Soldier Field on the heels of yet another signature comeback against Arizona only last week, fumbled once and was intercepted three times. And he was far from Minnesota's only problem.

Two of those interceptions came when Favre's receivers slipped and a third followed a tipped pass. But he wasn't about to kid himself and write them all down to bad luck. The Vikings still have all the pieces that made them a pre-season Super Bowl pick, but there's no denying the sum of those parts is — at the moment, anyway — the NFL's most dysfunctional family.

Favre even wondered aloud whether a return for one more season was the right call.

"Had I known it would be like this," he said after a 27-13 loss dropped the Vikings to 3-6 and all but knocked them out of playoff contention, "sure, it would have been easier to make a decision."

Favre is not the only member of the organization suffering from pillow talk in the Viking's organization.  Several others, including some players, leaked word to the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week that Childress could count on little support and even less loyalty from the locker room going forward.

"We know Childress doesn't have our backs, so why should we have his?" one player said. "We're playing for us and we're winning despite him."

Childress said afterward he had no problem with either the team's or Favre's effort. But he wasn't handing out any praise, either.

 The coach signed a five-year contract extension after the team reached the NFC championship game last season. He did not sound concerned that the volume will likely be cranked up on calls for his firing. Childress planned to be coaching next week, he said evenly, "until I get any word differently."

Word may not come this week, but it appears it will be coming soon.

Miracles Do Happen in Jacksonville

An unbelievable finish that had to be seen to be believed, Houston cornerback Glover Quin batted a Hail Mary pass in the end zone into the arms of Mike Thomas on the final play of regulation.

A surprised Thomas caught the 50-yard pass inside the 1-yard line and walked into the end zone to give the Jaguars a stunning 31-24 victory over the Texans just when it seemed the teams were headed for overtime.

What a great catch.