DVD Review: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, "London Calling: Live in Hyde Park"

In an age where music is scarce at regular retail, music DVD's could be considered an endangered species. There is very little incentive for artists or record companies to commit to releasing any sort of video products when a channel called Music Television hasn’t played a music video in its entirety for over half a decade. However, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2010 concert release "London Calling: Live In Hyde Park" swims against this current tide, and shows why these releases can still be relevant and worthwhile.

Shot in high definition video and sound, “London Calling: Live In Hyde Park” brings the Bruce Springsteen live concert experience right into the living room, minus the heavy ticket/concessions expenses. With a blockbuster setlist spanning over 3 hours, the epic scale of a Springsteen concert is given even more depth as the show starts toward the end of summer daylight, continuing into the night.

This incredible live document was filmed in the midst of the E Street Band's European tour in the summer of 2009. While headlining stadiums and festivals across the Atlantic, this one was the Hard Rock Calling concert in London's historic Hyde Park. The setlist is sprinkled with fan favorites such as "Badlands," "Born To Run," and "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," obscure gems "Night," "Johnny 99," and "Out In The Street” along with some unique covers, such as The Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’” in all it’s Hammond B3 organ glory, and the most fitting of The Clash's "London Calling" which opens the show. Fellow New Jersey native and lead singer of The Gaslight Anthem guests on the 80’s Springsteen anthem “No Surrender” also. There is plenty here to wet the palette of even the most casual of Springsteen listeners and any fan of music or an appreciation of a live concert experience will get more than their money's worth out of this one.

Some added bonuses to the DVD are extra performances of "The River" from the 2009 Glastonbury Festival, and "Wreckin' Ball" performed exclusively at the band's residency for the closing of Giants Stadium during the same tour. The brilliant direction of Chris Hilson as well as the mixing and mastering of longtime Springsteen collaborators Bob Clearmountain and Bob Ludwig make this release a testament to why this format is still endangered but not extinct, showing that it is noteworthy enough to stand alongside the other albums in the Bruce Springsteen cannon.

WEEK 2 NFL PICKS!!!

WEEK 3:

Kansas City @ Atlanta: This one is a stinker, and after an impressive week 1 win, the Falcons proved they're still the Falcons last week. I still think Kansas City is a worse team, so Atlanta should take this one.

Oakland @ Buffalo: Buffalo will without a doubt move their record to 3-0 as the Raiders are without Justin Fargas. Darren McFadden is playing with a toe injury, but even at full strength, the Raiders inconsistent offense didn't stand a chance on the road to Buffalo.

Tampa Bay @ Chicago: Tampa Bay and Chicago still don't have a verdict on how they're looking for the season, but this should be an even keel matchup. I think Chicago will have the edge and win this one at home, perhaps with the help of Brian Urlacher's Old Spice Swagger.

Houston @ Tennessee: Houston has not shown much this season, and the Titans are 2-0, even with former booze hound quarterback Kerry Collins. The Titans should easily get the win at home in the land of Elvis.

Carolina @ Minnesota: Minnesota has Gus Frerotte starting for him. Yup, anyone with the first name Gus isn't a proven NFL QB. With Adrian Peterson nursing a hamstring injury, Gus will show us why he may make a career switch to the Bass Masters fishing circuit on Monday morning. Carolina, with Steve Smith back, should pull off the win on the road.

Miami @ New England: Miami will go to 0-3, no big surprise there. New England will go to 3-0, and I will still hate them, even without Tom Brady.

Cincinnati @ NY Giants: Cincinnati is closer to becoming this year's winner of the #1 draft pick for next season with every pathetic game they play this season. The defending champion Giants should easily embarrass the team and kindly allow fans to beat the NJ Turnpike traffic by the early fourth quarter when they have their third stringers in. Ocho Stinko, Johnny Carson Palmer, and T.J. HoushmandzIplayLikeYourMama will give the Cincy fans plenty to boo about once again.

Arizona @ Washington: Washington impressed with their first win last week, and the Cardinals put on a high flying circus show victory with the aerial assault of a vintage looking Kurt Warner. This should be a tight game that could turn into a barn burner on the scoreboard, but I think the Cardinals are the better team overall, and will win it.

Detroit @ San Fransisco: Both these teams have showed us in the first few weeks they haven't improved much, and perhaps even taken a couple steps back from last season. San Fransisco is the only one of the two who has won a game so far this season, so in this coin flip, I'll give them the edge to win with their home field advantage also on their side.

St. Louis @ Seattle: Both teams are pretty crappy, but the Rams are in heavy contention for best shot at the biggest loser this season along with Cincinnati. I think Seattle will take this one at home, and St. Louis will come closer to interviewing new head coaches.

New Orleans @ Denver: This one should be a high flying passing show between two teams who are sure to score over 30 points each. I think right now, Denver is the better team, but the Saints have potential once they have a few more games under their belts. The Broncos will win this one at home, and Ed Hochuli won't have to be there to help them this week.

Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia: Philly impressed a lot of people with that hard fought game in Dallas last Monday night, which ended (barely) in a loss on their record. Based on that performance, and with the Philly fans rallying behind their on again off again lovefest with QB Donovan McNabb, they should win this game against the Steelers. Willie Parker's ridiculous performances should slow down this week, proving to be the advantage for Philly in this battle of Pennsylvanians.

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis: The Colts defense will be hindered with the loss of Bob Sanders. However, Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark are likely to be back in the lineup for the Colts offense. Even with the series of injuries they faced, the Colts would have won. Now, having their once highly feared offense nearly at full strength, they should easily get the first win at their new stadium.

Cleveland @ Baltimore: These division rivals are likely not going to get a shot at winning their division this year with the Steelers playing so well, but either one's win this week will certainly get them back in the mix. Baltimore lost a heartbreaker to Pittsburgh last week in the midst of a monsoon, and the Ravens had an unexpected by due to Hurricane Ike which put their game against the Texans on hold. With that extra rest, I think the Ravens should win against the Browns, who are still battling injuries.

**UPSET OF THE WEEK**

Dallas @ Green Bay: Green Bay's post-Brett Favre era has started off impressively with new stud QB Aaron Rodgers. Dallas, however, is still the favorite in the NFC right now and many people pick them to win this one as they are far superior to Green Bay's first two opponents, Minnesota and Detroit. Green Bay should still win their division, and most think they don't have a shot in this one, but with Green Bay at home, I'm picking them to upset the Cowboys who are working on a short week and a close, high-scoring shootout with the Eagles.

NY Jets @ San Diego: The Jets really made me sick last week. There I said it. The Chargers were robbed of a victory last week, which means they will be foaming at the mouth like a grizzly bear on Shawn Merriman's stash of steroids. (He's got plenty extra laying around now that he's done for the season with the bum knee) Even though Ladanian Tomlinson might be on the sidelines, I still just don't see the Chargers going 0-3. I will be ecstatic if the Jets pull off this road win on Monday night, but would also be very fool hearted to expect such. I think the Chargers will win, but would happily call myself a fool on Tuesday morning if the Jets pull off the upset.

"My Week 2 NFL Picks...A League Without Tom"

Tennessee @ Cincinnati: Vince Young's mom asked the fans to stop booing him. Well, he won't have to hear anymore boos as he nurses his injured knee for the next few weeks. Kerry "Where's the nearest bar, and I'll have a double" Collins is starting, but I'll still go Titans on this one as the Bengals aren't much to worry about. Cincinnati is in shambles right now, and the NFL refuses to let Chad wear the "Ocho Cinco" on the back of his jersey until he recoups all of Reebok's expenses or they sell out of their now useless supply of "C. Johnson" jerseys. When Young comes back from his injury, he could still be sitting on the bench as the Titans aren't taking anymore chances by bringing in free agent Chris Simms to bolster their bench.

Green Bay @ Detroit: Detroit got embarrassed last Sunday by the Falcons, who were supposed to still be figuring out their post-Michael Vick plans going into this season. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner put their minds at ease, and Green Bay will go 2-0 by beating up on the Lions in Detroit. Aaron Rodgers is looking good, but there's almost nothing he can do this season to make the cheese heads forget about Brett Favre already (especially while he's still wearing a different shade of green every Sunday).

Oakland @ Kansas City: It's a battle between this game, and the San Fran/Seattle game for which one gets most painful game of the week to watch honors. I think the Raiders will win this one, but honestly who cares. Neither one of these league laughing stocks will make the playoffs, but at least one of them will get the goose egg out of their win column this weekend.

NY Giants @ St. Louis: The Giants impressed early last week, and the Rams impressed high school teams all around the country that they could probably play a closer game with the Eagles. The G-Men will go 2-0, and I will continue to let Mark Bulger sit on my fantasy team's bench. Why do I pick this guy every year?

Indianapolis @ Minnesota: This should be a pretty decent game, but I think the Colts will return to form and pull off the victory. This is definitely a weakened team with a still rusty Peyton Manning, but the Vikings can't ride on Adrian Peterson's back all year, especially not starting in week 2.

New Orleans @ Washington: Besides the Rams, Washington looked pretty pathetic last week. I think their coach's days are numbered if they continue down this path, but they should get better as the year goes on. It won't be against the Saints though. The Redskins won't be able to keep up with the Saints offense, even if Marques Colston in out for at least a month. Devery Henderson and David Patten should see more passes come their way as well as Jeremy Shockey, while he can stay healthy. Reggie Bush looked impressive last week; add all those weapons up, along with their improved defense, and the Redskins have too much working against them.

Chicago @ Carolina: Both these teams surprised everyone last week, the Bears by beating the Colts at home, and the Panthers by winning a last second stunner against the Chargers. I'm not completely sold on the Bears just yet, especially since Peyton Manning was still brushing the dust off and Joseph Addai went out early for the Colts. The Panthers without Steve Smith, on the other hand, beat the Chargers, pretty much at full strength, in a close game. At home, the Panthers should win this one.

Buffalo @ Jacksonville: Jacksonville stunk it up last week against their division rival Titans, who didn't even play that well to begin with. Buffalo laid a beating down on the Seahawks who had no receivers playing. This one should be pretty close, but I think the Bills will pull off the win in a close one.

San Fransisco @ Seattle: Both these didn't impress much in week one, but even if both finish at 7-9, they'll have a shot at the playoffs in their joke of a division that is the NFC West. The Seahawks are the more experienced team, so at home they should take care of business and beat the 49ers.

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay: Atlanta beat up on the Lions last week with impressive debuts by their rookie quarterback Matt Ryan and new starting running back Michael Turner. Jeff Garcia is out for Tampa Bay, and Brian Griese will get the start. Atlanta should take care of the Bucs, though Griese might show us he's still got some gas left in the tank by keeping it close.

New England @ NY Jets: This is probably the most anticipated matchup of the week for two reasons. One, everyone wants to see how Tom Brady's replacement, Matt Cassell will do in his first NFL start, and two, everyone wants to see if the Jets are serious about taking advantage of Brady's absence and going after the AFC East. I think Cassell will turn out ok this season in Bill Belichick's system, but it will take him another few weeks before he gets comfortable in the role. The Jets will most likely throw a lot at Cassell when the Patriots don't run the ball, and Favre will get better as he spends more time on the field this season. This one should be close, but I think the Jets will win by a touchdown.

Miami @ Arizona: Miami and new quarterback Chad Pennington showed promise last week, and I predict the team will get better as Chad gets more accustomed to their system, and Ricky Williams gets less accustomed to fumbling the ball on every other carry. Arizona at home with a potent offense should beat the Dolphins D that no longer has Zack Thomas or the Lord of the Dance, Jason Taylor. I'll go with the Cardinals.

San Diego @ Denver: Shawn Merriman is lights out for the season on that Tom Brady knee he thought he'd be able to rough it out on. The Broncos looked sharp on Monday night annihilating the Raiders, even without the services of Brandon Marshall. However, what all these sports heads are failing to realize as they rant and rave about how the Broncos are back, is that they played the Raiders. Last time I checked, their Warren Sapp resembling quarterback hasn't proven anything, and they've still got more holes than Roger Clemens's HGH story. Even without a hobbled Merriman, the Chargers will still threaten this year, and I just can't see them going 0-2 to a team that is all of a sudden an AFC front runner one week into the season. The Chargers should pull this one out, but it will be close.
Pittsburgh @ Cleveland: Cleveland is still trying to figure out if last season was a fluke, and if they blew it by not trading Derek Anderson when his stock was at its highest last year. While they continue their pondering, the reemerging Steelers should start the season 2-0 while fans in Cleveland get to boo the Browns 2 weeks in a row.

Philadelphia @ Dallas: This is probably the best Monday Night Football matchup the league could have planned for in week 2, as both these teams easily embarrassed their respective opponents in week one. Philadelphia looked sharp last week, but Dallas still has too many weapons the Eagles can't have all the answers for. That, along with this being the Cowboys home opener, means they should win this one. I would say by at least 10 or 14 points.

Baltimore @ Houston: In an odd move, there's another Monday night game, but this one is scheduled to be on CBS. Both these teams didn't show much promise last week, though the Ravens won their matchup. The Texans should be better, but I have been saying that the last two years, and they seem doomed for a franchise of mediocrity and unrealized potential. The Ravens should win this matchup, and probably would if they were playing at home, but I'm going to have to go Texans all the way on this one. It will be close, but the Texans should get their first win of the season.

"Michael Strahan Coming Out of Retirement??? Byaaaaaa!!!"

On Saturday night, Osi Umenyiora, the Giants lone Pro-Bowl selection and star defensive end from their Super Bowl Championship team went down with a season ending injury in their annual preseason game against the Jets. Today, they have started to go to a drawing board similar to that of their neighbors the New York Jets; find a recently retired first ballot Hall of Famer and woo him back into playing. The way the Jets traded for Brett Favre, who decided he wasn't ready for retirement, was as great for publicity as it was for the team. However, if the Giants cajole Michael Strahan out of retirement, it will be a completely different story, though on the surface it appears similar.

The main difference between the two situations is in the motivation. Brett Favre has come back because he has a bonafide desire to keep playing the game he has been a legend at for over 10 years. Money is not an option, since what the Jets are paying him is less than half of the $25 million the Packers offered him as "Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not play football" money. Not only that, if it was really about anything other than a desire to play, he would never in a million years come to the Jets. Even a Jets fan can admit they never in their wildest dreams ever imagined that Favre would play for the Jets before just staying retired. He hasn't had that a Steve Young or Troy Aikman helping of concussions throughout his career, so it is also safe to say he's not a couple beers short of a six pack. He moved his family across the country, to the biggest frying pan of media scrutiny, and turned away $25 million from the Packers to continue being a quarterback in the NFL with a desire to win. Plain and simple.

Michael Strahan, on the other hand, is a different story. Not soon enough after announcing his retirement, Strahan signed a broadcasting deal with Fox Sports to work the games on Sunday starting this season. As of right now, he's got a storybook ending in place; after winning the Super Bowl at the tail end of a 15 year Hall of Fame career, he goes out on top, like Elway. Strahan is also much more likable not only in the Giants spectrum, but among the rest of the league when compared to his former teammate Tiki Barber, who came as close to seeing someone eat their own foot throughout the course of a season as anyone last year. After retiring, prematurely and without a championship, Barber signed a lucrative broadcasting deal, then proceeded to bash his former team (mainly eventual Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning) who went on to win it all. He has alienated any chance of coming back in any role with the Giants, and burned more bridges in the course of a year than Julius Caesar. Needless to say that's a completely different rant, so back to Strahan.

Though he would be welcomed by the fans and his teammates with open arms, Michael Strahan should put the comeback rumors to rest before any more fuel is added to the fire. With his asking price for a return being anywhere between $8-$12 million, his return would strictly be about the money, unlike Broadway Brett's. I think the Giants front office dropped the ball on this one by letting it get out into the media so quickly (though media speculation may have fueled the rumors before the Giants even had time to think about it), and any football person should know they won't be any better or worse with or without Strahan this year.

If the Giants truly believe that the absence of Osi Umenyiora or the addition of Michael Strahan will make or break the defense of their championship, then they have bigger problems on their hands. Finally letting go of one of the faces of their franchise rather than trying to mercilessly buy him back when his heart is not 100% in it, will allow them to move on and focus on the season on hand. Bringing Strahan back will shift the media frenzy from the Jets and the Favre story back over to Eli and the Giants, who have had less pressure on them in the past month or so due to Brett's arrival. Less media scrutiny, and less pressure from overzealous selfish players like Barber and Shockey is what brought the Giants together for their eventual Championship run. Bringing Strahan back into the picture will take the pressure off Brett and the Jets (so you won't hear me complain) but ultimately, will do more harm than good with less than two weeks left before the start of the season by giving Eli more to think about.

Tom Coughlin got his Super Bowl and got his contract extension and ultimately, it's the front office's call, but I think the Giants are smarter than risking the next several years for a crap shoot with a guy who hung it up much more wholeheartedly than Favre did in March.