1. A New Year

The first Friday of 2018! You’re here. You made it.  We had a nice little treat in North Carolina in the form of SNOW! I’m a huge fan of snow just as long as it’s only snow (I don’t mess with freezing rain and sleet). In any case, I hope you’ve all had a great start to your year. Thanks for sticking with me and my blog as I have some great things planned for 2018! Now, enjoy the rest of this Friday Five.

2. Ted Valentine

Bad Officiating is one thing, but this is just ridiculous. During the UNC/Florida State game on Wednesday night, there was a moment that I won’t soon forget. Carolina was on a run out and Senior point guard, Joel Berry, was obviously held by a Florida State player. as he ran down court The referee following the action, Ted Valentine, did not call a foul and the ball flew out of bounds, resulting in a turnover for the Heels. A frustrated Berry turned to Valentine to discuss the play but, as you can see from the video, Valentine would have none of it and turned his back.

Wow. That’s about all I can say. I saw this happen on television and had to rewind my DVR just to be sure I saw what I saw. Can I say it was surprising? No. Valentine has a reputation (and has earned the nickname “TV Teddy Valentine”) given his often demonstrative and attention-grabbing method of officiating games. But this was too far. Beyond his blatantly missed foul call on the Seminoles, Valentine’s actions were unprofessional and just downright rude, in my opinion. Many have chimed in on social media since the incident, including ESPN’s Jay Bilas, voicing criticism. The incident has continued to permeate the national news cycle this week, with Tom Gatto of Sporting News reporting that the Atlantic Coast Conference is conducting an “internal investigation” into what happened. I do not put much faith in the ACC to do anything about this, really. Bottom line, there is no need for this in college sports. PERIOD. Berry was simply trying to get an explanation and Valentine, instead of addressing his concerns in a professional manner, resorted to acting like a child. These kind of actions have no place in sports and take away from the game. 

3. The Fosters to End this Summer

Just a week before its return on January 9, Freeform and the creators of its hit show The Fosters, announced that this upcoming season will be its last. At least, in its original iteration. Leslie Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter writes that the show’s fifth season will conclude this summer with a three night, limited event finale. The finale will reportedly serve as a lead-in to a spin-off series focusing on two of the original characters from The Fosters and will continue their story as they embark on new adventures in young adulthood.

Despite what others have said on social media, reaction to the news has been mixed at best. I have been a huge fan of The Fosters and I’m not happy about this in the least. In its five seasons, the show has continually broken new ground in television, dismissing norms and addressing a number of social issues we face. For those who may not know, The Fosters centers on an adoptive family of seven consisting of a lesbian couple who take in four foster kids. The series follows storylines for each character and the family as a whole as they go through life together. That, in itself, is pretty groundbreaking. But The Fosters didn’t stop there. It did not back down from tackling key life situations.

In my view, canceling the original and replacing it with a spin-off that focuses on only two of the main characters (with possible guest appearances from other main cast members like they’re an afterthought) just does not cut it. It actually shortchanges longtime fans. Once the original show has concluded, I will not watch the spin-off or anything else on Freeform. What a shame.

4. Happy Ann’y, Plinko!

Plinko, the beloved Price Is Right game where contestants can win large sums of cash, celebrated its 35th anniversary this week. What’s more? A contestant played the game on its actual anniversary on the show and tallied the most amount of cash won in Plinko history. Not bad, eh? Congrats to the creators of the game and TPIR, which is still going strong as well!

5. The Greatest Showman

There is a film out in theaters right now that everyone should see. It’s called The Greatest Showman and it’s inspired by the mind of P.T. Barnum. It focuses on some aspects of Barnum’s life and the birth of show business. The soundtrack, written by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) is absolutely magical. In fact, it’s one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in quite some time. I’ve already seen The Greatest Showman twice and plan on seeing it again. Stay tuned for a full review soon!

Thanks For Reading