All-Ireland Final

Cool hair.

In other news:
- It's harder being anti-war when your preferred president is in charge and the war is still going. Activists are finding it tougher to maintain the rage.

- Apparently Christina Hendricks had to beg designers to make her dresses.

Lawren has to beg, buttering up the designer, saying Christina is a 'huge, huge fan' of their work. Yet nine times out of ten, it is still a flat 'No'.
'They'll say: ''Unfortunately, we don't have the sizes to support her,'' or ''Unfortunately, we only have a size two or four." '
For the Emmys, a handful of designers - Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Donna Karan - said they wanted to help, but were too busy to make something specially for Christina. 

- Katy Perry's parents think Russell Brand is going to be a "man of God".It's possible. It'd certainly be interesting. Anyway I love that she had to tell her mum and Russell to stop flirting.

- Former Collingwood player Chris Bryan joins Tampa Bay as a kicker.

- Tommy Conlon in the Irish Independent had a crack at Aussie Rules football. He reckons it's a game with no skill. He reckons it's lucky former Collingwood player Marty Clarke came back to Ireland before his "brain turned to mush".

[Clarke] played 46 senior games for Collingwood in the AFL, but obviously had far too much brainpower for a sport that requires no brainpower at all.

It is stupid, of course. Especially when viewed in the light of this other article in the Irish Independent, which recommends young Irish players staying in Australia to avoid the intense spotlight the Irish system puts on them.

Overall, since 1984, Gaelic football has probably lost Jim Stynes, Marty Clarke, Colm Begley, Tadhg Kennelly, Setanta ó hAilpín and Tommy Walsh to the AFL. And some of those boys came back. But how many have we lost to rugby? How many to soccer?
It's easy pickings to say that the invaders/non-natives are the culprits here; the people stealing our local talent. But what about the guys at Marty's level who are literally wrecked by the time they're 22 because of the pressures county teams put on their better players.

The other issue is that Marty Clarke has gone back to Gaelic Football as an absolute star. He is leading his team to an All-Ireland Final off the back of his pace, endurance and creative kicking game. He's also powerful in the tackle. He's a weapon. Where do you think he learned that? He's only 22. He could return to AFL, or he could go on being one of the best players in Ireland. But the professionalism and skills he's showing now, he learned in the AFL.