Talk about the hype and media attention surrounding the seven-foot Ohio State Buckeye named Greg Oden eh?

Yeah sure, Greg Oden wants to immediately be an impact player once he makes his debut in NBA Basketball. Yeah sure, Greg Oden wants to be one of the best athletes in NBA history. And yeah sure, Greg Oden wants to win an NBA Championship title some day.

But right now, Greg Oden is playing with the Ohio State Buckeyes and for now, he wants to win a national championship at Ohio State.

He wants to be confident that he is ready and being ‘’ready'’ for him is to become the most dominant player in NCAA College Basketball history.

‘’I haven’t proven anything yet,'’ said the seven-foot Oden, who didn’t play in the Buckeyes’ first seven games. ‘’Right now it’s really a lot of talk. I mean, I know a couple of guys right now who are really doing something, like Kevin Durant.'’

Kevin Durant of the Texas Longhorns has been playing so good lately that he has single-handedly quited a little Greg Oden hype.

‘’I'm really not that consistent this year and I know a lot of people talk about potential and that’s what it’s all about, but I need to see myself step it up and get consistent and put up numbers,'’ Greg Oden said.

‘’Right now, I’m just doing things to help my…'’

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has a constituency of problem gamblers.

Welcome to California, home of Silicon Valley, silicone breast implants, wine makers, and now, gamblers with a big problem.

A recent major study on gambling in the United States reveals an overwhelming majority of Californians are gamblers — especially, pathological gamblers for life.

The Office of Problem Gambling (OPG) this week reported that 83% of adults in California have gambled at some point in their lives. It is a highlight of the most comprehensive study ever conducted thus far on the US gambling problem.

California is the most populous state of the US, with residents estimated at 37,172,015 as of 2006. The OPG study found that some 750,000 to 1.2 million California adults — residents aged 18 and up — are pathological or problem gamblers.

Between 296,500 and 490,000 California adults are classified as lifetime pathological gamblers, the OPG study discovered further. Between 450,000 and 713,400 adult Californians have significant gambling problems, but which do not meet the study’s criteria for pathological gambling.

California’s gambling problem is due in large part to people’s tendency to aspire for material wealth. This had taken root in as early as 1848, with the California Gold Rush. It triggered an economic boom that comfortably evolved to Hollywood and entertainment, tourism, aerospace, oil, computers and information technology. Since 1848, California has never really stopped feeling wealthy.

The OPG study, conducted between…

And the Oscar goes to… All over again…

The road to the 2007 Oscar Awards is so straight and narrow it might as well lead to heaven. Which it likely will for at least four people everyone’s expecting to win: Forest Whitaker, Helen Mirren, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson.

Not only do we suspect they’ll win, we can practically see how they’ll take it. But if Oscar predictability is bad news for film buffs, it is good news for proposition betting. There is almost no losing money on the dead foreseeable turn-out of the 79th Academy Awards, to be held on February 25th, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.

Below, find some Oscar predictables, er, Oscar predictions on who and what we ought to be ready for.

If Forest Whitaker wins Oscar Best Actor, prepare for Jamie Foxx meets the Rainman. His thank-you’s will be 50% fanatical thanking in stutters and broken sentences, 50% gasping for air in disbelief. “Wow… wow…” How many wins does Forest need to start believing his luck?

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role has Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland with 2/13 odds to win at Bodog film betting online. Peter O’Toole for Venus has odds of 4/1, a record 44 years apart from the last time he earned any Oscar nomination.

Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness has 9/1 odds to win, and will simply have to try harder by cutting his romantic comedies down to half. Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond has 14/1 odds, but who knows how much harder he can try after multiple nominations at the 2007 Golden Globes? Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson has 20/1, which is okay as he had won MTV Movie Awards‘ Best Kiss already.

If Helen Mirren wins Oscar Best Actress, prepare to shout, ‘Long Live the Queen!’, regardless of which queen you mean. But you’d be ill-advised to refer to 2007 Razzie queen Sharon Stone, who can take the cue from Helen, Judi, Cate, and Jeremy Irons: If you want…

We all know that British soccer superstar David Beckham and his fashionista wife, the never-seen-eating Victoria Beckham are on their way to Los Angeles.

Yes, the uber-trendy couple is reportedly shopping for a new home in the vicinity of the Cruises, Pitts and other Hollywood celebs.

Before announcing his plans to leave Spanish Primera Liga side Real Madrid and sign a $250 million contract with Major League Soccer in LA, Beckham called Tom Cruise ask his advice. Beckham considers Cruise a “wise man and very good friend” who was able to explain to the soon-to-be Californians what life in LA is really like.

Since Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham are already good shopping buddies, Posh should make an easy transition onto Rodeo Drive. Katie has reportedly even lined up meetings with movers and shakers in Hollywood to get Posh some acting gigs.

There were rumors TomKat had cast Posh as an alien bride in a Scientology-based film, The Thetan, but Cruise’s people put that “rubbish” report in the bin.

Do you think the Beckhams will convert to Scientology this year? Bet on it!

Aside from getting settled in Tinsel Town, Beckham’s goal is to spark some more interest in soccer in the US. The sport’s popularity lags far behind baseball, football and basketball. Beckham hopes that bending it for the MLS’s Galaxy will generate some more soccer fans and players.

I know I know, March is still a whole month away…

But hey, there are already more than a few teams in NCAA College Basketball making a serious run as they prepare to march towards March Madness. The madness ain’t here yet but these teams sure are bringing it already.

Florida Gators. WTF?!? These guys again?!? Have we seen too much of these guys already? Well, after winning the college basketball national championship in last year’s March Madness bracket tournament, Joakim Noah and the rest of the crew are back at it again.

They are undefeated right now and it looks like they are feeding off from their football team that just won the BCS Championship this year. Oh yeah, that football team did the same thing too, feeding off the momentum Joakim Noah generated for Florida last season when they won the title, creating one very intimidating Florida football-to-basketball championship cycle.

Ohio State Buckeyes. Hmm… Greg Oden and the rest of his boys are maybe out to avenge what their university counterparts had against Florida at the BCS championships. Greg Oden is starting to become one heckuva’ force and he’s really starting to generate serious media attention.

The Ohio State Buckeyes may have failed to win the…

Okay okay, they won’t be facing each other anytime soon, and no, they won’t be in a Steel Cage match either.

Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, two guys that has virtually dominated their respective sports disciplines so… well… DOMINANT that people are already talking about them being the greatest players of all time.

But hey, who’s better? Who has the right to be called simply, ‘’the greatest?'’ Is it Roger Federer and his already ridiculous Grand Slam streak? Or is it Tiger Woods and his looong dominance at the golf course.

Quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of these two but here goes…

Roger Federer, at 25 years old, is already in the same level of the Andre Agassis and the Patrick Rafters. Federer again has another record in his name (surprise surprise…) after winning the 2007 Australian Open men’s final. And yeah, Federer has now won 10 career Grand Slam titles. Jeez…

He became the first player in the Open era to win three consecutive majors twice in a career. Since the start of 2006, his achievements are mind-numbing. Federer is 99-5 including 13 titles. Remarkably, he has failed to reach the final of any tournament just once in 18 events.

On the other hand, we have Tiger Woods. Now this guy is just a monster on the golf course. You think Federer is dominant? Just imagine if there were 155 players on the other side of the net, all of them firing their…

I guess virtually EVERYBODY is ready for Super Bowl XLI now eh?

Hooters, along with Leroy’s Race & Sports Book and ISI, Ltd. are preparing Hooters Casino Hotel patrons for the biggest game in all of American Sports.

Officials from each camp have announced that their sports gaming kiosks are now on the gaming floor of the Hooters hotel to offer bettors faster and more convenient ways to place wagers on the Chicago Bears or the Indianapolis Colts.

A photo of Michelle Nunes, Ms. Hooters International, displayed on two orange iSports Stands along with a blackjack dealer at the Hooters Casino Hotel are the first specifically designed kiosks in Las Vegas.

These stands are expected to be buzzing once the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears take the field on Feb.4 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida. The biggest game of the year, lots of booze, butt-loads of cash, and Hooters? Jeez… This Sunday’s game will definitely be something indeed.

‘’Hooters is a unique, world-famous brand with a very loyal following,'’ said Bill Stearns, president of ISI. ‘’We designed the kiosks to attract curious guests to take a look and try this new technology. It’s very simple to place bets, and the kiosk can be open practically 24 hours.'’

OR ‘’We designed the kiosks to pry some money away from the mindless horny male…'’

And so we now sit back and wait for the Oscar Awards.

With the Golden Globes and Screen Actors’ Guild already done with their choices for the top acting honors, and yeah they’re the same set of people — Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker — are we waiting for the Oscars just to get it over with?

I mean every online sportsbook Oscar odds are now favoring these four to take home the golden statuette, so will we slouch on our couch for three or so hours just waiting for the result that we already know.

At last year’s Globes, all major acting winners for were mirrored by the Oscars: Rachel Weiss (Best Supporting Actress), George Clooney (Best Supporting Actor), Reese Witherspoon (Best Actress), and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Best Actor).

The SAG got 3 out of 4, Paul Giamatti stole the Actor from George.

The only battle left come the Oscars, it seems, is on the Best Picture Category. Remember last year when all gay equality hopes were shattered when Crash outwon Brokeback Mountain? This year, however, the battlefield is levelled as no film can claim to be a clear winner. All nominated films have equal chances of…

Yep, the Kentucky Derby champion, Barbaro, was finally euthanized.

Wow, since Secretariat’s glory days on the racetrack, the nation has never been obsessed with a horse like it has been the past few months with Barbaro. Apparently, everybody loved the horse, from men, women and children.

Now, it’s finally over. Kentucky Derby champ Barbaro was euthanized after complications from his breakdown at the Preakness Stakes.

‘’We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain,'’ co-owner Roy Jackson said. ‘’It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time.'’

The entire nation loved Secretariat back in the days because of the horse’s incredible performances on the racetrack in 1972 and 1973. As for Barbaro, the horse had his brilliant days but it’s his refusal to just fucking die that captured the people’s hearts.

The struggle for survival began in late afternoon on May 20 after he sustained three catastrophic fractures and a dislocation in his right hind leg at the…

You won’t believe who is earning more money than you thought.

Oprah and Bill Gates, surely. Actors, too, once they’ve become stars; and ordinary people, often, once they’ve joined a reality TV show. But also, you’ll be surprised at high salaries attached to professions you mostly assume don’t pay all that well.

Job: Astronomer. Salary: $101,360 annual average. Just ask Britney Spears‘ manager and Lindsay Lohan’s publicist: as suspected, you can make a fortune by watching the stars. The job of an astronomer is that of a researcher-reporter, except his field of study is the celestial universe, plus the stars in his care hardly behave like primadonnas.

Job: School principal. Salary: $82,225 annual average (high school). Oprah was well-informed to have once given away her ‘favorite things’ to teachers, whose humble salaries are about $40,000 a year. It’s a different lesson, though, with school principals, whose job it is to be the school supervisor, encompassing the administrative, strategic, and psychosocial concerns of student life.

Job: Executive coach. Salary: $350 to $1,000+ hourly average; $70,000 to $100,000 base pay + bonuses if employed by company in-house. If life coaches offer life advice, executive coaches provide managers and CEOs with professional counsel like next career moves. More all-around than a shrink, they can even tip you on where’s a better gym to vent work anxieties out.

Job: Court reporter. Salary: $56,110 annual average; six figures when including freelance jobs. A court reporter functions as a documentor, recording legal proceedings into written transcripts. Given how one word in a hearing can send the accused to…