Knicks' Oscar Night

While most of the world was watching the Oscars last night, the Heat and new-look Knicks played one of the most exciting games of the season and renewed their rivalry of the late 90's.

"Mr. Big Shot" Chauncey Billups made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:01 left and Amar'e Stoudemire blocked LeBron James' layup attempt with 7 seconds leftto protect a one-point lead and the Knicks beat the Heat 91-86.

Here is Amar'e huge defensive play that sealed the W for NY.

Tyson's King Speech

Jimmy Kimmel's annual post-Oscar show featured the usual A-list star power (Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, etc.) but former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson stole the show with his "The King's Speech" parody.

In the sketch, Tyson plays the speech therapist role made famous by Geoffrey Rush and former president George W. Bush is the world leader in need of speech therapy.

Flop of the Year

In honor of the Academy Awards this Sunday, check out Heat F Chris Bosh with the best acting job of the NBA season. His flop against Carlos Boozer didn't make up for his 1-18 shooting night and the Heat fell 93-89 to Bulls.

Simms' 1987 Workout Tape

This incredible workout video has been making the rounds this week and we had to post it heading into the weekend. Check out CBS NFL analyst and former Giants QB Phil Simms exercising with former NFL players Todd Christensen, Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, Rulon Jones, Gary Anderson, Reggie Williams, and Phil McConkey.

Desmond Howard is somewhere laughing his face off right now.

Blake's KIA ad drops today

A week after Blake Griffin jumped over the "official car of the NBA" to win the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, Kia will debut a print and broadcast ad campaign showcasing the now famous dunk.

According to the Sports Business Daily, Griffin's dunk will be incorporated into a TV ad breaking tonight on ESPN’s NBA doubleheader in addition to tonight’s Clippers-Lakers broadcast on FOX Sports Prime Ticket and FOX Sports West.

The ad shows a side view of the dunk in slow motion and says, “Not your average dunk. Not your average mid-sized sedan.”

Print versions of the ad appear in today's USA Today and L.A. Times.

Oklahoma girl gets Blake's old number

A 15-year-old Oklahoma girl just got her first cell phone and of course this is an exciting moment for any teenager, except when your phone doesn't stop ringing or receiving text messages. The reason? Kaitlyn Iadevaia received Blake Griffin's old number and continues to get ticket and memorabilia requests, meant for the Slam Dunk Champ.

Check out the story below, via TedWilliamsHead.com.

Letterman's own baseball card

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron appeared on CBS' "Late Show" last night to promote Topps baseball cards and celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary.

Part of the Topps celebration includes special editions of cards that feature autographs by legends of the game. Aaron signed cards for three editions -- Topps Heritage, Topps Tribute and Gypsy Queen -- as did former Dodger great Sandy Koufax.

Aaron presented Letterman with a Topps David Letterman card that had a real diamond stitched into it. Letterman was honored to have his own card but did manage to find some humor in the photo, which showed off his awkward-looking pitching motion.

"Forgive me for saying this," Letterman said, "but I throw like a girl."

Kobe's Turkish Airlines Commercial

In December, we posted on Kobe Bryant signing an endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines to become the company's "new global brand promotion envoy." Bryant's partnership includes digital, print and billboard advertising along with a promotional film that will appear in 80 countries.

According to a Bloomberg report, Armenians in Los Angeles campaigned against Bryant’s deal with Turkish Airlines and are urging him to back out. Los Angeles is home to the biggest population of Armenians outside of Armenia and has a large community of activists who demand that the U.S. recognize the early 20th century killings of Armenians in Turkey as genocide.

The most famous Armenian in Los Angeles, Kim Kardashian, even launched a Twitter campaign against Kobe, urging him to back out of his deal with Turkish Airlines. In addition, Kardashian turned to her brother-in-law and Bryan't teammate, Lamar Odom to help resolve the issue.

Well, here is Kobe's first ad with Turkish Airlines and it is surprisingly amusing. Stay tuned for additional digital, print and billboard advertising from Kobe and the airlines.

"CSI: New York Jets"

Jets coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum will film cameos for CBS' "CSI: New York" today in downtown Los Angeles.

Ryan, who was hired by Tannenbaum two years ago, will appear with his boss, in a scene along with actors Gary Sinise and Eddie Cahill.

The "Hard Knocks" stars' episode is expected to air this spring. Here is a photo of the Jets duo rehearsing their lines yesterday.

(via CBS' Lauri Metrose Twitter)

Melo Prep

Carmelo Anthony is scheduled to make his Knicks debut tonight against the Bucks at Madison Square Garden and the former Nugget star will wear the No. 7 jersey, made famous by high-scoring Knicks forward Kenny Walker.

To prep for Melo's debut, about 150 replicas and 700 name and number T-shirts will be on sale today at Modell's Sporting Goods stores in N.Y.'s Times Square, Grand Central Terminal and Herald Square. In addition, MSG Network will telecast a full day of programming dedicated to Anthony starting with a rebroadcast of a Knicks-Nuggets game at 10:00am ET. According to the Sports Busines Daily, the network's Al Trautwig will provide live cut-ins and news updates from MSG Studios throughout the day.

Beyond the basketball world, New York has prepared for Anthony's debut in other ways.
The famous Carnegie Deli (which created a LeBron sandwich during his free agency period last summer) has unveiled a new sandwich named the Melo. It's piled high with pastrami, corned beef, salami, bacon, lettuce, tomato and Russian dressing.

"We threw in bacon because he's gonna bring the bacon back to New York," said owner Sandy Levine. "And the salami - it's a spicy meat - he's going to spice up the team and spice up the fans."

According to the NY Daily News, even the Russian dressing has meaning. Levine finished off the $22 sandwich with a slather of the dressing as a playful jab at Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who failed to snag the four-time All-Star.

All-Star Coverage

We are down in Los Angeles this weekend for NBA All-Star and are gonna go light on the blogging.

Follow us on Twitter for updates and photos from some of the biggest events, such as:

FRIDAY
NBA Jam Session
The Celebrity Game
Rookies vs. Sophomores
Dwight Howard's All-Star Party

SATURDAY
NBA All-Star Saturday Night
Snoop Dogg's All-Star Party
NBA Players' Association Gala

SUNDAY
60th NBA All-Star Game

All-Star Prep

As we get settled in Los Angeles for NBA All-Star Weekend, here are two strange plays from last night's action.

Dunk contest favorite Blake Griffin went up for an alley-oop against the T-Wolves and hit his head on the backboard. Ouch!

Wizards G Kirk Hinrich broke Magic G J.J. Redick's ankles in the closing seconds of the 3rd quarter last night. Redick went for a shoelace tackle to stop Hinrich from scoring. A serious white on white crime. At least Redick's teammates got a good laugh about it.

Fallon vs. Mauer home run derby

Twins C Joe Mauer appeared on NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night to promote Sony's "MLB 11: The Show" hitting stores for PS3 on March 8.

Fallon coined Mauer as the "Anti-Lebron of Baseball," since the former AL MVP spurned bigger market teams to sign a long-term deal with his hometown Twins.

Mauer is the the first two-time cover athlete for "The Show" video game and the duo competed in the video game's Home Run Derby using the new PlayStation Move camera and glow-ball wand.

Mauer will hit the ESPN car wash today between 9:00am-4:00pm ET to promote "MLB 11: The Show."

"Hey Blake: Do This Dunk"

As the basketball world prepares for NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, arguably the most anticipated event is Blake Griffin's Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night. Fans believe it is his contest to lose as the Clippers "rookie" has been by far the most exciting player in the league this season.

To build anticipation for Griffin's performance, ESPN has launched a fan program where everyday dunkers can submit their best jams for Blake to peruse and borrow inspiration before Saturday night' contest.

According to ESPN, "the best and craziest will be featured on ESPN...and Blake himself might just pick yours to do in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest."

Check out a few of the fan submissions so far.

Teach Me How to Jimmer

BYU star guard Jimmer Fredette's popularity is now officially at epic proportions. Check out a fan's music video remixing Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie."

Be sure to pay attention to Fredette's workouts, footage of him playing as a kid, a Chuck Norris reference and Kevin Durant’s Twitter feed.

Not Wally's World Anymore

Wally Szczerbiak led Miami (Ohio) to the Sweet 16 1999, was a first team All-American, NBA lottery pick, played 10 years in the league and even made an All-Star team in 2002. However, his resume hasn't seem to earn him any respect with his own network, CBS College Sports.

According to AwfulAnnouncing.com, CBS College Sports ran the below graphic last week referring to Szczerbiak as "Random Dude." Szczerbiak is a pretty tough name to spell but come on.

Lakers sign 20-year TV deal

Time Warner Cable signed a 20-year media rights deal with the two-time defending champ Lakers that will lead to the creation of two new regional sports networks in the Los Angeles market next year.

TWC will fully own the two new networks (one in English and one in Spanish) and the stations will have rights to pre-, regular- and postseason Lakers games starting with the 2012-13 season.

According to the Sports Business Daily, FOX had been negotiating to keep the Lakers’ rights on FS West and sources familiar with the Lakers' proposal to FOX indicated that the team was looking for a $3B, 20-year deal, which averages out to $150M per year.

Time Warner Cable Exec VP/Chief Programming Officer Melinda Witmer said the deal is unique to the Lakers and would not necessarily be duplicated in other markets. Witmer said the networks will be made available to all distributors in the L.A. market: "We are seeking to work with all of the distributors to find a reasonable basis to get full distribution of the network. We want the Lakers to be available to everyone regardless of who their provider is."

SI Swimsuit Cover Revealed

International soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo's current squeeze, Irina Shayk was announced as the cover model of this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue during a presentation on CBS’ “Late Show” last night.

10 SI models in contention for the cover read the Top Ten list on stage and a billboard with an image of Shayk’s cover was unveiled on 53rd Street and Broadway during the show last night.

Wilson's 2K11 Style

While appearing on TBS' "Lopez Tonight" dressed as a boat captain a few weeks ago, Giants P Brian Wilson debuted the first of his digital shorts that he wrote and directed to promote the launch of 2K Sports' "MLB 2K11."

In the latest video, the World Series champ details his signature style, which includes his famous beard, his "ocean blues" and his mohawk that's "made from a slice of heaven and everything else that's sweet."

Green Bay Grammy

Packers LB Clay Matthews continued his post-Super Bowl media tour by appearing at last night's Grammy Awards to introduce a performance by Lady Antebellum.

Matthews was joined on stage by "Glee" actress Lea Michele, who asked him how it felt to be a Super Bowl champion. Matthews said, "We feel like we're all living the dream."

Ironically, the CBS telecast played the theme music from FOX's NFL coverage as Matthews and Michele walked on stage.

Ehrl in the Pearl

EhrlThePearl.com is moving north to Portland, OR this weekend and we will be taking the week off from blogging.

As we get settled in the Pearl District of Rip City, be sure to follow us on Twitter for sports updates during Super Bowl XLV and throughout the week.

The Immaculate Mercedes

Martin Reese might just be the biggest Steelers fan in the country. The 27-year-old Daytona Beach, FL native spent 90 hours transforming his 1983 Mercedes-Benz into a Steelers piece of art.

Reese hand-painted his car black and gold, featured the Steelers famous logo across the hood and added safety Troy Polamalu's long, flowing hair on the trunk.

"I've been a die-hard Steelers fan since I was in elementary school," Reese said.

Earlier this week, Reese hit the road for Dallas Cowboy Stadium in the car he dubbed, "The Immaculate Mercedes," a reference to the Steelers' 1972 Immaculate Reception, one of the most famous plays in football history.

Although Reese doesn't have a ticket to the Super Bowl, he expects "Steeler nation to accept me with open arms."

Hopefully "The Immaculate Mercedes" has snow tires because the Dallas weather has not been treating Super Bowl guests very well.

Big Ben Defends Karaoke

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger went on the defensive yesterday when reporters questioned him regarding a TMZ video showing the famous bar hopping signal caller drinking and signing karaoke with teammates earlier this week.

The entertainment website posted a short clip of Roethlisberger, drink in hand, singing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" on Tuesday night.

"It was a superstition and tradition on Tuesday night. I take the linemen out to dinner. We went out for barbecue and then we wanted to hear some live music. We just had an enjoyable night.

TMZ reports that Roethlisberger bought several rounds of drinks for himself, his teammates and the other patrons in the bar. The bill came out to $800 and he left a $200 tip.

"That's a great piano song isn't it," he said. "You've got to request that when you're at the piano bar." Roethlisberger also mentioned that he and his teammates were home before the team's 1 a.m. curfew.

I'm sure Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is used to Big Ben by now, but here are his thoughts on the karaoke situation:

"I'm not concerned about [Roethlisberger going out] one iota. It's normal for guys to eat dinner believe it or not. ... I understand things being reported or viewed differently but that's not our concern. Believe it or not guys live lives."

Weezy drops Green & Yellow Freestyle

“We knocked the Eagles and the Falcons and the Bears off, Now we ’bout to cut Troy Polamalu hair off.”

Super sports fan rapper and self-proclaimed Packers fan, Lil Wayne has dropped a Packers themed freestyle in honor of Sunday's Super Bowl. Like so many before him, Weezy created a sports team related version of Wiz Khalifa's "Black & Yellow," this time honoring Green Bay.

So how does Weezy's freestyle compare to the Green & Yellow remix by 13-year-old Packers fan/rapper J-Byrd?

Lakers dominate TBS

Although the Lakers had the night off, the two-time defending champs still dominated cable TV.

Elder statesmen of the squad, Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher took over TBS late night as the backcourt-mates appeared on "Conan" and "Lopez Tonight" respectively.

Celtics-fan O'Brien chatted with Bryant about his Black Mamba nickname, Phil Jackson's unique coaching and the upcoming Nike film directed by Robert Rodriquez and co-starring Bruce Willis and Kanye West. Kobe really opens up in the interview and shows a lot of his personality that is usually hidden during games and post-game interviews.

Fisher stopped by "Lopez Tonight" to chat about predictions for the rest of the season and what it is like to see Shaquille O'Neal in a Celtics jersey.

Snoop's 8-Layer Super Bowl Dip

In keeping with our theme today of Super Bowl food, here is rapper Snoop Dogg showing off his favorite recipes for the big game. He teamed up with Pepsi MAX for a series of cooking specials and below is his special 8-layer dip, featuring a a layer of fried chicken and a good amount of "oregano."

The Sloppy Roethlisberger

In honor of Super Bowl XLV, the Ben Roethlisberger look-a-like at Epic Meal Time has created a special food item for Sunday's big game.

In the video below, the Epic Meal Time crew combines a few different meats and cheeses to create what they call “The Sloppy Roethlisberger,” a combination that weighs in at over 138,000 calories. Here are a few more stats of "The Sloppy Roethlisberger:"

-20 pounds of bacon
-13 pounds of ground beef
-11 pounds of sausage
-10 pounds of bun, a ton of cheese
-50 pounds total
-138,226 calories
-8,452 grams of fat.

Blake Who?

With all the coverage of Blake Griffin and his incredible dunking ability, it seems as if his athleticism and showmanship are rubbing off on his Clipper teammates.

Check out Clipshow center DeAndre Jordan destroy Jon Brockman (and his incredible beard) of the Bucks last night on both ends of the floor. More importantly the Clippers won their 9th straight home game, a new team record.

Griffin continued his strong case for an All-Star reserve spot with his 39th double-double of the season (32 points, 11 rebounds) and one nice windmill dunk.

Greatest Sports Pep Talk Ever

With the Golden Globes and SAG Awards in the books and the Oscar's only a month away, we thought this video would be a nice fit for all you fellow sports movie buffs out there.

The guys over at Screen Junkies have mashed up some of the most famous sports movie/TV pep talks to create the greatest sports speech ever. Everything from "Any Given Sunday" and "Varsity Blues" to "Hoosiers" and "Rudy" are featured in this inspirational video. Of course, no sports speech is complete without the beautifully inspiring sounds of "Explosions in the Sky."

(via Hot Clicks)