February 2025 brings crazy trades to the NBA

On a crazy first day of February 2025, Luka Doncic plus Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were traded to the LA Lakers. These three players left Dallas, while the Mavericks received Anthony Davis; Max Christie; and the Lakers 2029 first round draft pick. The third team involved this monumental trade was the Utah Jazz. Utah received Jalen Hood-Schifino, the LA Clippers 2025 second round pick, and the Mavericks 2025 second round selection. Unfortunately, Anthony Davis could return by March 15, 2025 as he is out with a groin injury since February 9, 2025. Maxi Kleber had surgery on his broken foot, and he will be out for eight more weeks. In addition, Kleber will not play the rest of the 2024-2025 NBA season due to his recovery from surgery. In March 2020, Markieff Morris played for the Lakers and he won an NBA championship with LA in October 2020. This year, the Lakers are in fourth place in the Western Conference standings. JJ Redick is a 40 year old NBA coach, and he has coached more than 50 games for the LA Lakers in his first year. Luka Doncic has dreamed of playing alongside his idol, LeBron James. LeBron Raymone "Bronny" James Jr. has played 17 games for the Lakers this year, and he has scored 1.4 points on average. Next, Khris Middleton is no longer a part of the Milwaukee Bucks 2020-2021 NBA championship roster. He was traded from Milwaukee to the Washington Wizards along with AJ Johnson and 2028 first-round pick swap. The Washington Wizards traded Kyle Kuzma, Jericho Sims, and 2025 second-round pick to Milwaukee. The New York Knicks received Delon Wright and cash considerations, while the San Antonio Spurs received Patrick Baldwin Jr. and cash considerations. The NY Knicks and San Antonio Spurs were the other two teams, that were involved in the deal involving Khris Middleton and Kyle Kuzma. Besides these massive trades, the Miami Heat traded Jimmy "Buckets" Butler to the Golden State Warriors for Kyle Anderson, Andrew Wiggins, and a protected first-round pick. The Utah Jazz received Dennis Schröder from Golden State, and he was later traded to the Pistons. The Pistons received Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson. The Heat acquired guard Davion Mitchell from Toronto. P.J. Tucker was briefly on the Heat, before he was traded to the Raptors for Davion Mitchell. Also, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Marcus Smart to the Washington Wizards in a three team deal that included the Sacramento Kings. Washington received Smart, Colby Jones, Alex Len, and a 2025 first-round pick. The Grizzlies received Marvin Bagley III, Johnny Davis, a 2025 second-round pick (Wizards), and a 2028 second-round pick (Kings). The Kings received Jake LaRavia. The Memphis Grizzlies are in second place in the Western Conference standings, and this team could battle Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the Western Conference. In closing, James Wiseman was traded from Indiana Pacers to Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second round draft pick. Alex Len signed with the LA Lakers on February 11, 2025; as the Mark Williams deal involving Charlotte Hornets and LA Lakers was rescinded. Bogdan Bogdanovic was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the LA Clippers along with three future second-round picks, for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland. The NBA Playoffs start on April 19, and the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the #1 seed in the west and Cleveland Cavaliers could be the #1 seed in the East. With these incredible NBA trades, will the LA Lakers upset some teams to make the NBA Finals? If the LA Lakers make it to the NBA finals, it will be a nice Hollywood story like the picture of Luka Doncic with his new #77 jersey above.

'Emilia Perez' earned the most nominations at Academy Awards nominations announcements for 97th Oscars

On January 23, 2025, Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott announced the nominations for 97th Oscars. Bowen appears on 'Saturday Night Live' regularly, plus he is in the 'Wicked' movie. Rachel Sennott appears consistently on 'Saturday Night Live' and she was in the 'Saturday Night' movie about the NBC hit tv show. Their announcement lasted about 15 minutes, as they read all the nominees from the twenty four categories. The French musical crime comedy film, 'Emilia Perez'; received thirteen nominations this year. 'Wicked' and 'The Brutalist' each received ten nominations. If you have Netflix, then you can see 'Emilia Perez.' This movie was released in November 2024 in the USA for twelve days only. Zoe Saldana received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Karla Sofia Gascon received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Selena Gomez did not receive an Academy Award nomination for this movie. 'Emilia Perez' was one Academy Award nomination short of tying the record held by Titanic. Next, Ariana Grande received the best supporting actress nomination for 'Wicked.' Cynthia Erivo received the best actress nomination for 'Wicked'; which is her third total nomination in her career. Jon Chu directed 'Wicked'; but he did not receive a best director nomination during the January 23 announcements. 'Wicked' is one of the ten films nominated in the Best Picture category. Michelle Yeoh won the Best Actress award at the 2023 Oscars, but she is not nominated for her role in 'Wicked'. If you want to spend 230 minutes at the movie theater, 'The Brutalist' movie is for you to see. This movie has a running time of 215 minutes, plus there is an intermission. Adrien Brody does a stupendous acting job in the movie, which is based on the true story of Laszlo Toth. Brody received his second Academy Award nomination, as he is nominated for Best Actor. Adrien Brody won the Best Actor award at the 2003 Oscars, for his emotional role in 'The Pianist.' Guy Pearce received the Best Supporting Actor nomination for his stellar role in 'The Brutalist.' Felicity Jones received the Best Supporting Actress nomination for 'The Brutalist.' In closing, the 97th Academy Awards is March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Demi Moore received the Best Actress nomination for 'The Substance' movie. Ralph Fiennes received the Best Actor nomination for 'Conclave' movie. There are many other good movies like 'Anora'; 'A Real Pain'; and 'A Complete Unknown' that received nominations in Best Actress; Best Supporting Actor; and Best Actor categories. Enjoy the picture above of Guy Pearce and Adrien Brody from 'The Brutalist' movie. G. Ripley looks forward to the Oscars on ABC every year. Bye from Hollywood!

Wicked received Four Golden Globe Nominations at the 82nd Golden Globe nominations announcements

On January 5, 2025, The 82nd Golden Globes Awards will happen at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The Golden Globes Awards will broadcast live on CBS, for the second consecutive year. For the past two to three decades, the Golden Globes Awards would appear on the peacock network aka NBC until 2024. Nikki Glaser will host 'Hollywood's Party of the Year'; and it will be her first time as host. Nikki is a renowned comedian. She was the host of the Tom Brady Roast on May 5, 2024. Furthermore, Wicked is a musical which has become a box office juggernaut in the past four weeks. The movie has earned more than $500 million at the box office, and the movie's budget is $150 million. The movie has received four Golden Globes nominations. Cynthia Erivo received Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical nomination; Ariana Grande received Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture musical nomination; plus the movie received a Best Motion Picture musical nomination and a Cinematic and Box Office Achievement nomination. If you saw the 'Wicked' movie already, then there will be a second 'Wicked' movie released in November 2025. If you are a mega fan of the first 'Wicked' movie, then you will have to wait another 11 months until November 21, 2025 for 'Wicked: For Good' movie. Next, there are some huge movies appearing in movie theaters on Christmas Day including 'A Complete Unknown' and 'Babygirl.' Timothee Chalamet plays Bob Dylan, and Edward Norton plays Peter Seeger in 'A Complete Unknown.' Timothee Chalamet is nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, and Edward Norton is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. The movie received a Best Motion Picture in Drama nomination also. Nicole Kidman is nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her starring role in 'Babygirl.' In this penultimate paragraph, the second part (half) of the Golden Globes Awards is dedicated to awards in television. The Day of The Jackal is a renowned novel, which was written by Frederick Forsyth in 1971. The book was made into a television series, which stars Academy Award Winner Eddie Redmayne. The television series is streaming on Peacock, the streaming service owned by NBC Universal. Eddie Redmayne received a Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Television Series - Drama nomination at the Golden Globes. 'The Diplomat' received three golden globe nominations, and it is a renowned television series starring Academy Award Winner Allison Janney and Keri Russell. In closing, the big movies that win at the Golden Globes awards are strong favorites to win an Oscar at the Academy Awards show. Dick Clark Productions will plan, host and produce the 82nd Annual Golden Globes®. It is viewed in more than 185 countries and territories worldwide. This year’s votes were tabulated by KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms. If you attend the Golden Globe Awards, make sure to attend those massive after parties like the Billboards after-party. Don't drink too much champagne and act responsibly, a friendly message from G. Ripley.

Donald Trump wins presidency, and becomes second president after Grover Cleveland to be president in different terms

On November 5, 2024; history was made in an unfortunate way. Kamala Harris lost the race to become the first female president of the USA. Donald Trump is the 47th president. Grover Cleveland was the only president who was in power in March 1885, then he was replaced by another person in April 1889. Yet, Grover became the 24th president in March 1893 and he served his final term. Donald Trump was in power from January 2017 to January 2021. Furthermore, Grover Cleveland was the 22nd president from March 1885 to March 1889. During this term, Cleveland did not deal with an economic recession. Donald Trump had to deal with the pandemic starting in 2020, which led to negative quarters of growth (or recession) in the first two quarters of 2020. On January 6, 2021, the votes for Joe Biden were confirmed as Joe Biden became the next president. Unfortunately, Joe Biden did not run for re-election in August 2024. In contrast, the Vice President Kamala Harris ran a campaign for president with her VP running mate from Minnesota - Governor Tim Walz. Their campaign went for 107 days. The polls were very tight throughout the presidential race, between Harris and Trump. Harris defeated Trump in their only debate on September 10, 2024. Donald Trump lied his way through a victory, in the only debate between Trump and Biden on June 27, 2024. Biden was said to be suffering from a cold, and major jetlag. In this penultimate paragraph, Allan Lichtman made the historical prediction that Kamala Harris would win the 2024 election. For the second time, Dr. Lichtman was wrong. In November 2016, he predicted Hillary Clinton would defeat Donald Trump. Hillary lost the presidential race to become the first female president. In November 2024, Harris lost both the popular vote and the electoral college vote. It was the first time that Trump won the popular vote ever, in his third time of running a presidential campaign. In closing, Dr. Lichtman is a professor at American University in Washington DC. He has taught at California Institute of Technology in the past in Pasadena, CA also. His thirteen keys did not hold true this time around. Dr. Lichtman and the rest of the USA was shocked on November 5 night, and the early hours of November 6. Will Donald Trump go through another impeachment in his second term? It appears that Donald Trump may not go to jail, for any of his four previous trials. The second Trump term might change the USA with the use of Project 2025; mass deportation; and tariffs. Enjoy the picture above of Grover Cleveland, and the author prays that the USA does have a woman as POTUS someday.

Seeing Tim Walz; Mark Kelly; Gabby Giffords; and other celebrities at a October 2024 rally

Election season is upon the USA, as November 5 is election day nationwide. Six days ago, G. Ripley saw Senator Mark Kelly and his wife, Gabby Giffords. Gabby Giffords was a senator from AZ. She was from the Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 8th district during 2007 to 2012. This political couple spoke about the upcoming speaker aka Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. Tim Walz is the Vice President pick of Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the USA. At this rally, the theme was an Early Voter celebration party. This party was held at Trevor Browne High School in Phoenix, and Arizona is a swing state. After Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords descended the podium, Ana Navarro was the next speaker. Ana Navarro is a strategist and political commentator. Yet, she is a member of Republican party and she is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris. Ana is placing the US country over her political party. She gave a rousing speech, and she is a co-host of the daytime talk show 'The View' on ABC. The crowd inside the high school gymnasium enjoyed her speech thoroughly. Next, George Lopez came to the lectern. George is a renowned actor and comedian, as he has appeared in many tv shows and movies since 1990. George Lopez is of Mexican descent, and he was born in Southern California. George has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community. The crowd and R$G enjoyed Mr. Lopez's hilarious jokes on everything, about the diverse reality that America has dealt with since 2015. In that year, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for US President. After George Lopez left the lectern, Tim Walz came on stage to give an enthusiastic speech. As Kamala Harris Vice President pick, Tim Walz is governor of Minnesota besides being a former high school football coach and high school teacher. Tim Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard. Tim Walz and JD Vance did their vice president debate on October 1, 2024 in Philadelphia area. Tim Walz mission at the rally was to encourage the crowd to vote early. As for R$G, voting early is a good practice which he did in 2016 and 2020 and 2024. In closing, the rally was a great event to experience. Many democratic voters were there, and there were some sad parts of the rally. One of them was seeing four people tossed out for comments regarding the Israel war. The secret service and security had to toss out these people for their unruly behavior. Lastly, make sure to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on 11-5-2024. Dump Trump and Maga (morons are governing America) forever!!

Seeing Ryan Tedder play melodious piano and OneRepublic sing for 'Artificial Paradise' tour; plus whirlwind Sky Harbor Airport Romance (SHAR)!

Four days ago, Ryan Tedder and OneRepublic played at The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino. One of their best songs is 'Singapore' off of their new album that is called 'Artificial Paradise.' Artificial Paradise deluxe album was released in July 2024; and Thunder Valley Casino and the Venue is located in Lincoln, CA. The violin and flute and other awesome instruments make 'Singapore' a peaceful, serene track and this song plus other beautiful medleys were played on Friday, October 4. OneRepublic's concert lasted 75 minutes, and the setlist was 12-15 incredible tracks. Yet, OneRepublic did not start playing the concert until 8:25 pm even though the scheduled start time was 8 pm. Next, the group started off the concert with 'Sink or Swim' which is a popular track from their new album. The group mixed four to five songs into one medley with the list including a. Good life; b. Lose Somebody (without Kygo); c. Apologize; d. Stop and stare; and e. Kids. The four to five songs medley was an ultra special request that OneRepublic did for the packed spectator crowd in the Venue. There was no intermission in the concert, and some beautiful Japanese women thought there was an opening band. R$G had to tell them that there is no headlining opener, which was much to their cute dismay. During this tertiary paragraph, OneRepublic did play 2-4 songs which they did not ever play live. Ryan Tedder, the band's lead singer; admitted that he has written/produced over 45 tracks for artists like Beyonce Knowles, Maroon 5; Tate McRae; etc. Ryan T. came out to a black piano and played the tune of 'Halo' from Beyonce. Then, he sang it like the great pop star and the picture above is from his great 'halo' performance. The beautiful Tate McRae song of 'Greedy' was the next song that Ryan played piano too. His voice was not as catchy as Tate's, but he did mention that the track is from 2023 that he produced for her. One of the last songs that Ryan played on piano effortlessly was 'Love Somebody' by Maroon 5. In this penultimate paragraph, Kygo's song of 'Stranger Things' was one of the last two songs that OneRepublic played. As this song was played, Ryan Tedder mentioned that 'Didn't I'[from 2021 album - Human] is another breezy song that Kygo helped the band to create/produce. Kygo is the main artist that Rahulio had to channel on October 3, in my Sky Harbor airport romance (SHAR). A sexy young Libra woman named Itzel is the one, that helped me to miss my flight to Sacramento (SMF airport) on Thursday. Some wacky sex god/player named Gary was in 'Blanco Tacos and Tequila' restaurant, and he bought a nice Tangent Pinot Gris for me. He bought two santan IPA beers for Itzel, and the three of us drank our alco beverages. In closing, Itzel and her latin lover Rahul guapo missed their 4:44 pm flight from PHX to SMF. The next flight for the California dreamers was four hours later, so Itzel and R. sexy decided to eat fish plus chips at 4 peaks brewery. Rahulio and Itzel exchanged kisses on the lips. The sensous LA (lip action) is one of my favorite things to do with les femme fatales. Miss Itzel is engaged, yet we exchanged numbers which led to more $exstasy of kisses and hugging. G. Ripley's advice to all engaged; divorced; or ysl (young sexy, lady) is to try the Airport Romance (AR) once or twice in life. Romance is good on the ground, or Up in the air per the Rahulio Ganpuleone playbook. Au Revoir Mon Amour!

Discussing card games and Sports Betting with a professional

About two days ago, G. Ripley ran into Ro$$ at a nice beer and burgers taproom close to home. Ro$$ is a man who can win $1000 in craps in two hours at Flamingo LV hotel. He told me that the Wynn hotel is the next spot for him to lose that $1000 in roulette. Ro$$ is the boss, yet he does not mind a money loss. For Ross goss, losing in roulette teaches him that fortunes can change in a matter of 100 minutes. Next, Ro$$ told me that roulette is a banking game with all bets being placed against the bank. The bank is the house or proprietor of the game. Roulette is french for small wheel. Players bet on which red or black numbered compartment of a revolving wheel a small ball will come to rest within. This small ball is spun in the opposite direction. In addition, the bets are placed on a table marked to correspond with the compartments of the wheel. The smartest bet in roulette games at Caesars Palace casino is on red/black, odd/even, or small/big. There is an almost 50% chance of doubling your money, thus you can play roulette for a longer timeframe. Straight bets come with a high level of risk, so it is best to keep the stakes low. At MGM Grand hotel, Ross has made his most money at roulette and craps. After a few Karl Strauss and Catalyst crafted vintage beers, young Ross explained that FanDuel and DraftKings should have merged some years ago. These two fantasy sports gambling enterprises are the best for online betting, and parlay[combo bets]. Ross will bet $1 on a game, and hope to get $2.40 thanks to his mega parlay in NFL sunday games. Ross got burned using BetMGM, even though BetMGM has more options. Yet, Ross has made good money with caesars sportsbook app. In closing, the well informed Ro$$ is not hitting up Las Vegas strip or Fremont street in downtown LV to play roulette or craps in the Fall 2024. The major prediction is he will win more money in NFL bets, through FanDuel or DraftKings. His gambling habit spiraled to major losses in 2020 and 2021. However, Ross rebounded with a huge windfall in the black in 2022 and 2023 figuratively that he paid off a major debt. Good luck to Ro$$ and all the future mad gamblers of the USA. Win Big always!!