Yes, trying and reviewing food and drink, and even alcoholic drinks, is a tough job. But someone has to do it. Here are a few new products that either came to me with promotions attached to them or not:

Hint flavored water–I drink a ton of flavored seltzer, so the thought of non-carbonated water scared me just a bit. But alas, this Hint stuff is pretty damn good. They sent six flavors, including Watermelon, Blackberry, Mango-Grapefruit and Strawberry-Kiwi. The Strawberry-Kiwi flavor comes with a special label–that of Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo to promote the new Yogi Bear movie that debuts in December and stars Justin Timberlake and Anna Farris. You can win tickets to the movie by visiting www.drinkhint.com/yogi. Anyway, this stuff is delicious, and it doesn’t come with a sugary aftertaste because there is no sugar at all. If you need a break from carbonation or need flavor in your water, definitely start here.

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If you’re a car nut, motorhead, whatever you want to call it, you’ve probably spent hours digging up episodes of the internationally renowned series “Top Gear.” Search no more, auto geeks – “Top Gear” is finally coming stateside.

You can catch the US premiere of “Top Gear” this Sunday, November 21st, at 10/9c on HISTORY. The show will feature all of the super-cars, extreme stunts and challenges, car reviews and celebrity interviews that have made “Top Gear” the series of choice for car enthusiasts around the world. The U.S. version will be packed with high-adrenaline action entertainment as it tracks the colorful history of the automobile as well as the eccentric adventures of its hosts with “Top Gear’s” customary wit and humor.

Hosted by comedian and car enthusiast Adam Ferrara (Rescue Me, Paul Blart: Mall Cop), stunt driver Tanner Foust (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift and The Dukes of Hazard) and car-obsessed NASCAR expert Rutledge Wood, “Top Gear” is pulling out all the stops for the US iteration. Of course, the show would not be complete without its own version of The Stig, a masked driver who will performing stunts and high-octane feats.

Under-the-radar high school quarterbacks will get one shot to compete in the biggest game of their lives in MTV2’s “The Ride: The Road to the U.S. Army American Bowl,” which will air its second season on Saturday, November 13th at 11:00PM ET.

Only one quarterback will remain standing and play alongside the very best players in the nation at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday, January 7. The eight contestants will go through a grueling process in which they’re coached up by some of the best in the nation in order to gain a Division 1 scholarship. It’s a great concept and a cool idea for a show.

The Scores Report got its hands on an exclusive clip of “The Ride,” which you can see below. For more info on the show, click here.

Here are the quarterbacks who will be competing against each other on “The Ride”:

- Ashton Broyld: 6’3″/225lbs (HS – Rush Henrietta) Henrietta, NY. Threw for nearly 1,800 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for almost 600 yards as a junior in 2009.

- Travis Champion: 6’1″/214lbs (HS – Rancho Verde) Moreno Valley, CA. Guided his high school to an 11-1 record as a junior in 2009.

- Josh Harris: 6’1″/198lbs (HS – Country Day) Detroit, MI. Threw for 1,650 yards in 18 touchdowns as a junior in 2009.

- Taylor Heinicke: 6’1″/185lbs (HS – Collins Hill) Suwanee, GA. Received a rating of 3 at the FBU camp Atlanta, GA.

- Connor Hempel: 6’3″/208lbs (HS – Ryle) Union, KY. Threw for 1,894 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior in 2009.

- Driphus Jackson: 6’0″/175lbs (HS – Cedar Hill) Cedar Hill, TX. Threw for 1,506 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior in 2009.

- Alex Mallory: 6’4″/205lbs (HS – Ballard) LaCenter, KY. Threw for 2,210 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior in 2009.

- Anthony Reid: 6′/180lbs (HS – West Catholic) Philadelphia, PA. Threw for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns in 2009.

If you have ever played the game of basketball you are well aware of how many ankle injuries occur on the court. I have experienced these injuries myself and know how painful and long-lasting they can be.  With the development of so many technologies in the sports world it has now become time for design to help reduce ankle injuries on basketball courts all over the world.  Enter Ektio.  Yeah,  That’s what I thought when I heard name Ektio?  Why the name Ektio? The company’s name comes from the Greek words “ektor” and “alexio,” meaning “defend” and “protect.” And, according to Ektio, that’s what their Wraptor and Post Up shoes can do!
 
Bullz-Eye had the opportunity to test out the newest technology in basketball shoes and, I must say, we were impressed with what we learned. But before we get into the shoe testing here are some things we found out. We learned that sprained ankles cost around $3,000 per injury in healthcare alone which equates to a $4 billion economic loss in the U.S. alone, every single year.  Those are big numbers, and wait until you hear what it costs the NBA! According to retired NBA All-Star guard John Starks, ”In 2009, NBA teams lost $15 million in revenues alone from this specific injury. It happens every year. This is the first shoe I’ve ever seen that could change all that. I have had many ankle sprains in my career and they were debilitating, painful and made getting back to the court very difficult. The technology that Ektio has created in order to protect players from rolling their ankles or the severe injuries that result when players jump and land on another player’s foot is remarkable. I wish that Ektio was available when I played. This will help players stay healthy and prolong their careers. I believe so much in what Ektio is doing that I’ve joined the company.”  Well,  After learning all of this from Starks and the following from Ektio’s Dr. Barry Kratz, it gets you pretty excited about the Ektio revolution.  You see, Dr. Katz knows how ankle sprains affect basketball players because his son was suffering from ankle injuries while playing basketball. “Clinical studies we did at Drexel University showed significantly less ankle inversion compared to a standard basketball shoe,” said founder Dr. Barry Katz, “yet the shoe did not inhibit any of the useful motions of the ankle needed to play basketball at the highest level. In preliminary studies, it was shown to be superior to ankle braces.  A second study at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC showed that despite the anchoring of the ankle to the shoe, useful ankle motions in activities necessary for basketball (running, jumping and cutting) were not inhibited compared to a standard basketball shoe with and without tape and compared to barefoot athletes. Our ability to protect against shoe rollover inversions while, at the same time not adversely affecting athletic performance, is the key to the product’s revolutionary benefits.”
 
Since the NBA lost approximately $15 million in 2009 to ankle related injuries and the fact that the Ektio’s will cost $199 per pair, look for the big boys to be a first-line testing ground for these new shoes. The price is higher than most designer shoes but when you add in the cost of ankle braces, taping your ankles (which doesn’t last very long) and the pain and costs of potential ankles injuries, the Ektios make sense.
 
Ektio technology is what separates these basketball shoes from anything else on the market . The tech consists of built in straps within the wall of the shoe that anchor the ankle to prevent rollover injuries. In addition, it incorporates “anti rollover bumpers” on the outside of the sole. It doesn’t sound like much but I’ve learned through the years that most of the best ideas are precise and simple things that change industries.
 
Ok,  You’ve heard all about the technology but you’re probably asking, “How do they look on your feet?” When I opened the box and saw the Ektio Post Ups in black and royal blue I was blown away!  These shoes have a very strong looking stance but also a very hip, urban and clean look that stood out from any basketball shoes I had seen or worn in the past.  The Ektios are sharp and, regardless of how well they work, we all know that basketball shoes need to look good or we aren’t wearing them!
The Post Up three-quarter-top shoe comes in a white and red upper with a white mid sole, red bumpers, white mesh walls with red underlay and an action leather toe with red laces. The second Post Up which we tested came in black and Royal blue with an action leather suede toe, black mid sole with blue striping, blue mesh walls with black underlay and blue laces and bumpers. The Post Up also comes in all black and all white styling. The other design (which I certainly expect more choices to follow) is the high top Wraptor that features action leather with opposing color and quilted stitching, perforated leather details with opposing color underlays and patent leather toe and ankle accents. The Wraptor comes in two color combinations: a black and red upper with black mid sole, black patent leather toe, red bumpers and laces. The grey and Carolina blue Wraptor features a blue patent leather toe, the addition of mesh-detailed walls, a grey midsole and blue bumpers and laces.

Conclusion:  When you first put on the Ektio you need to read the instructions.  I’m not kidding here as there are two straps, one that goes over the tongue and the other strap goes under the tongue. When your feet enter the Ektio Post Up you immediately feel the built in ankle support and get the feeling that your ankle is secure, like when you slip into a ski boot. When you strap the Ektio up you know this is something special, and the strong support and the “anti rollover bumpers” work like a charm. Ektio makes it near impossible to roll your ankles! The Ektio is lightweight, stylish and offers the safety that basketball players could only dream about before their arrival.  On the court hooping it up, the Ektio Post Up was light weight and an overall superb baskbetball shoe. You really gain more confidence in your game and are willing to go the extra mile knowing you have a solid base to protect you from a simple ankle rollover that could keep you off the court for months.

The Ektios officially went on sale this month (November 2010) and you can find them at www.ektio.com and probably at many other sporting good stores once the word gets out. Hopefully the Ektio brand will be in the football, baseball and soccer world’s product lists very soon so we can save more ankles! When shopping for your team’s baskeball shoes or individual shoes, remember that ankle injuries are the #1 orthopedic injury in the world and Ektio has arrived to do something about that with their stylish and revolutionary basketball shoes!
 
 

This is money. “Entourage” is a huge hit with the BE staff, and the show has the best cheesesake ratio of any show on TV (new servings each week!), but in this clip made to promote the show’s syndication debut on Spike TV, the women strike back, lampooning how they worked tirelessly to land a job as an actress in Hollywood, only to be offered the role of stripper, hooker, escort or groupie. And worse, they have to blow Drama or Turtle? They don’t even get to maintain their dignity by being able to tell their friends that they got to do Vince? These women have our sympathy, and if they ever feel like crying on our shoulders, they’re welcome to stop by any time. Best line to the camera: “Sorry, Mom and Dad!”

Oh, and did we mention Gary Busey? Everything’s better with Gary Busey.

The Sexy Women of Entourage from SPIKE on Vimeo.

If you are looking for a Fighter of the Year in 2010, you perhaps have to look no further than Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. With three wins already under his belt this year, Pettis looks for his fourth when he faces WEC Lightweight Champion Ben “Smooth” Henderson at WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis on Dec. 16, 2010.

At just 23 years of age, the Milwaukee native has taken the MMA world by storm with his flashy fighting style. For his upcoming title bout with Henderson, Pettis is inviting a lucky Bullz-Eye.com reader to walk with him to the cage in Glendale, Ariz. I had a chance to talk to the WEC lightweight contender about his title opportunity, his
sponsorship with AMP Energy, as well as the upcoming merger between the WEC and
the UFC.

Bullz-Eye: Anthony, how is everything going?

Anthony Pettis: Things are going great.

BE: That’s great well tell me about training for this title fight on December 16 against Ben Henderson.

AP: Training going great. This is a huge fight for me. There is a lot riding on it and I am taking this fight very seriously. I have been training hard and just excited for the fight to come.

BE: What makes Ben Henderson so tough and successful?

AP: He is just very well rounded. He is good everywhere and he looks to finish the fight at all times. He really brings it. He has great conditioning and he is dangerous everywhere the fight goes no matter if it is standing or on the ground.

BE: Talk a little bit about your last fight with Shane Roller. That was the fight that really pushed you to the title shot.

AP: Shane was dominant wrestler so I really worked on my takedown defense heading into the fight. I can really pick things up quickly and I worked with a lot of great guys to get ready. I drilled takedown defense every day for a long time leading up to that fight so when the fight finally happened, I was prepared for everything that happened.

BE: Did you expect to get the title shot following your win over Roller?

AP: I didn’t expect to get the title shot. I thought I might have to win another fight or two, but they offered it to me and I was thrilled.

BE: How much of a better fighter are you now since your last loss to Bart Palaszewski on December 19 of last year?

AP: I am a way better fighter now. My skills have come up so much and just my motivational skills have improved since that loss. It is incredible how much I have learned and how much I have improved in the last year.

BE: The WEC is going to be absorbed by the UFC at the start of 2011. What were your initial thoughts when you heard about the merger?

AP: I loved it. My whole goal when I started competing was to face off with the best in the world and now there is no doubt that I will get to do that and the opportunities that fighting in the UFC will provide are tremendous.

BE: How does the merger change this title fight for you, if at all? The winner of your fight with Henderson gets to face the UFC Lightweight Champion.

AP: It doesn’t change much. It may push me a little more, but I am already motivated. This is an exciting time for the WEC and for me. Really, this was the best time for me to get a title shot. This is the last WEC event, I am in the main event, I am fighting for a title, and the winner gets a UFC title shot. It is crazy.

BE: How does the merger change your future?

AP: All of us guys in the WEC are excited about this because we all put our heart into it. We don’t feel like we have been disrespected, but we feel like we don’t get as much recognition. Now, the money will be much better and we will be put on the big stage. There are some guys in the WEC that will definitely make some noise in the UFC.

BE: AMP is having a fan walk out with you during the title fight, what is the experience like when you are walking to the cage – Walking out is crazy. The music is blaring loud and the crowd is going nuts. As you are walking out to the cage it is the point of no return. You know the next 15 minutes and for that fight, the next 25 minutes will decide the rest of my career. It is cool that AMP is having a fan walk out with me for the event and for anyone interested, they can register to win the contest at Bullz-Eye.com and I will announce the winner during WEC 52 on Versus.

BE: What is it like having a company like AMP backing you now as a sponsor?

AP: Being backed by AMP is great and they get behind the right guys in this sport. It is an honor to have them want to associate with me and I am looking forward to doing a lot of great things with them.

BE: You recently were featured on the MTV documentary series “World of Jenks.” How have things changed for you since that appearance?

AP: I get recognized more for being on “World of Jenks” than I do for fighting. It was great because fans got a chance to see me prepare and see how hard I work. I have had a lot of people tell me that my story was motivational as well, so that is really cool.

BE: You are from Milwaukee and like to represent the city. How badly does Milwaukee need a world champion?

AP: We need one bad (laughs). It would be great to bring a world championship to the city. We haven’t had one in a long time and we deserve one.

BE: Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?

AP: Just thank you to all that support me. Your support means a lot and there is a lot of exciting times ahead.

A-B InBev is straddling the fence in the current beer market. Anheuser-Busch has long been the dominant American brewer in the domestic market, but when it joined the InBev group, the Budweisers were suddenly in the same family with traditionally highbrow beers like Leffe, Stella Artois, and Boddingtons. Even though your average beer geek will start wailing and gnashing his teeth at the mere mention of Anheuser-Busch or any of its products, most of America still drinks domestic, lager-style beer.

In order to help its customers branch out a bit, A-B InBev put together a free iPhone app called iLoveBeer (iTunes Link). The app is supposed to promote zythology, the study and appreciation of beer, by helping consumers find new beers to try, offering meal pairings, and providing detailed descriptions of proper pouring procedure for several of the brands. While none of these features – with the exception of the pouring instructions – are particularly detailed, I think getting these ideas into the hands of American consumers can only help improve the national beer experience. Most beer drinkers still think their decision is simply between Bud or Bud Light and MGD or Miller Lite. iLoveBeer aims to put more options in front of the consumer and to remind people that beer can provide a sophisticated dining experience that would turn up the noses of the wine snobs in our lives. Also, who’s to say that the guy who tries a Michelob Porter won’t love the style and start to branch out and try a Fuller’s London Porter or a Bell’s Expedition Stout.

Though iLoveBeer is simple, I think A-B InBev is doing both a smart thing and a good thing for the consumer market with the app. It raises awareness of the wide selection of InBev beers and encourages beer drinkers to branch out. What so evil about that?

The “will they or won’t they?” dynamic has been a staple of television since the very beginning of the medium, but just because two people can get together doesn’t mean that they should get together. Bullz-Eye decided to take a look back through our favorite TV series and consider some of the more ill-begotten romances that have taken place over the years. Have we missed any? Or do you disagree with some of our selections? Let us know in the comments!

1. Rachel & Joey, “Friends”

Given that just about everyone has had a crush on a friend at some point in their lives, it made sense that a show called “Friends” would make use of that concept, and in addition to the long-running “will they or won’t they” of the Ross and Rachel relationship, Monica and Chandler proved to be a surprisingly effective combination as well. But Rachel and Joey…? That’s just taking things a step too far.

Actually, the two never took their relationship to the toppermost of the poppermost, if you will, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The storyline began with Joey (Matt LeBlanc) suffering through a major crush on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), one which she ultimately decided was worth risking their friendship to expand into something more. When they tried to get down and dirty, however, Rachel kept finding herself instinctually slapping Joey’s hands back, and Joey found that he’d lost his gift for unstrapping bras. Attempts to loosen each other up with champagne failed just as miserably, and in the end, the two decided that the problem was that they’d become better friends over the years than Monica and Chandler were when they became a couple.

Some have questioned whether the awkwardness between Aniston and LeBlanc during their romantic scenes was behind the decision to stop the Rachel / Joey relationship dead in its tracks, but let’s chalk that up to acting, as it seems far more likely that the writers just wanted to have a bit of fun with the characters. But thank God the fun ended when it did. – Will Harris

2. Ray & Jenna, “Dallas”

“Dallas” is a series overflowing with mismatched couples and people who are just altogether wrong for each other. As it’s a soap opera, that sort of stuff goes with the territory. So it of course stands to reason that the “Dallas” coupling ending up on this list is actually rather harmonious, all things considered, anyway. Farm hand and rancher Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly) hooking up with and marrying little miss screw loose Jenna Wade (Priscilla Presley)? Gimme a break.

Jenna had a nearly lifelong attachment to Ray’s brother, Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), which mercifully crumbled – mercifully, I say, because this woman was batshit crazy. Given the sheer hell Bobby went through with her – nearly all of which Ray was witness to – it made no sense after his marriage to the rock that was Donna (Susan Howard) ended, that he would fall into the arms of this emotional basket case. Worst of all though is how the couple was eventually written off the series: They moved to Europe. Ray Krebbs leaving Texas to move to Europe is a piece of off-screen character development that has to boggle the mind of even the most forgiving “Dallas” aficionado. Ray Krebbs was Texas.

Man, I hope he at least found a flock of sheep to keep him busy on those cold European winter nights, because one thing’s for certain, that nutty woman had to have had another breakdown, probably near the border of France and Germany. – Ross Ruediger

3. Sayid & Shannon, “Lost”

For a show that prided itself on great characters and the various relationships they forged during their time on the island, “Lost” still had its share of questionable partnerships, especially of the romantic variety. But while we were never big fans of the ongoing love triangle between Jack, Kate and Sawyer, the relationship that rang the most untrue was undoubtedly Sayid and Shannon.

Though it might have made sense on paper – Shannon needed someone to fill the protector role after Boone was killed, and there wasn’t a better candidate (no pun intended) around than Sayid – the whole romance came out of left field, forcing the audience to blindly accept that they had fallen in love within a matter of days. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, as Shannon was the next major castaway to bite the dust when Ana Lucia accidentally shot her. But it wasn’t the last we saw of the couple, as they were reunited in the season finale to spend eternity together in the afterlife.

It was a revelation that threw most viewers for a loop. After all, wasn’t Sayid’s one true love supposed to be Nadia? Then why did he end up with the blonde bimbo? It certainly left a sour taste in our mouths – one that not even a cold Dharma beer could cure. – Jason Zingale

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