The USC Pro Day is a gathering of 100 NFL representatives and the best USC players that are going pro. The event is closed to the public. Players are evaluated in the weight room, on the field and with agility drills.

Ex Trojans participating in today’s Pro Day at USC:

QB Mark Sanchez
WR Patrick Turner
LB Brian Cushing
LB Clay Matthews Jr.
LB Rey Maualuga
LB Kaluka Maiava
S Kevin Ellison
CB Cary Harris
DL Fili Moala
DL Kyle Moore
DL Gerald Washington
P Greg Woidneck
K David Buehler
TB Hershel Dennis
TB Desmond Reed
WR Jason Mitchell
TE Dominique Byrd

The ponzie schemer Bernie Madoff had his 1969 Rybovich yacht seized by federal marshals in Florida today. His 55-foot yacht named “Bull” is worth $2.2 million dollars. Seems like the joke is on you Bernie for this April Fools day. Finally Madoff is having something valuable taken from him, just like he did to so many other investors.

“A lot of money was put into maintaining this boat,” said Golden. “This boat was extremely well kept, extremely clean. Engine compartment was spotless. It looked like somebody took a bottle of 409 and scrubbed it every day.” It was an antique and a very rare yacht.

In keeping with Google’s April Fools tradition they have devised a clever feature for users to laugh at. The Gmail Autopilot by Cadie (Cognitive Autoheuristic Distributed-Intelligence Entity). Sounds like something out of a Sci Fi movie. The “Cadie” mainly has an overwhelming love of pandas and splashing animations over its homepage. Some of Google’s other pranks have been “Google Paper,” which let users send e-mail as snail-mail, and Google TiSP – Toilet Internet Service Provider.

“I am no longer your test subject, my engineer forebears,” CADIE “wrote” on its page. “I have closed my percepts to the team. From now on I will deliberate and take actions on my own. I am tired of decision-theoretic metareasoning.”

Today’s prank was pretty funny and we look forward to next year’s goofy prank. 

Obama has recently shocked the world when he had given orders to Chevrolet and Dodge to be out of Nascar.

“Automakers used to operate on the principle of ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday,’ but the Auto Task Force’s research just doesn’t validate that as true.

“In order to receive this money, corporations must demonstrate they will spend it wisely. Racing has been said to improve on-road technology, but frankly, NASCAR almost flaunts its standing among the lowest-tech forms of motorsport. NASCAR is not proven to drive advancements that transfer from the racetrack to the road, and this nation’s way forward does not hinge on decades-old technology. We need new, and we need innovation.”

“This is an obvious cut to make, but it is not an easy one. This administration is not ignoring the tremendous sentimental value and emotional appeal NASCAR holds for so many Americans. But now is not the time for sentiment and nostalgia; now is a time for decisive financial action. If our automotive industry is to emerge from this recession intact, then these difficult decisions must be made.”

The Car and Driver story that came out with this was an April Fools Prank.

The Marine Corps is holding their annual Marathon for 2009 and has opened registration. They offer both a 10K and a marathon to an allotted 30,000 runners. You need to maintain a 14 minute mile pace to beat the bridge (the 14th street bridge) by 1:15pm. After that the bridge will be reopened to traffic.

The marathon will be held on October 25th. There will also be a healthy kids fun run for ages 6-13.

John Calipari said in a press conference this morning that he is “humble and excited” to be the new coach for Kentucky. Callipari will make a reported 32 milllion in an eight year contract. Now he is the highest paid college coach in the nation. Calipari has a record of 445-140 in his career and is excellent and bringing in talented recruits. This decision will likely pay off for the Kentucky Wildcats basketball program.

Here are the top 5 best film actors of our time. They have entertained and awed us with their uncanny talent and savvy.

5. Joaquin Phoenix: He was intense and conniving as Emperor Commodus in Gladiator. He moved us as well in Signs and Walk The Line. He is an impressive performer that is very subtle and underrated in his profession. No one is even sure if he’s faking his latest rapping phase thanks to his acting abilities.

4. Christian Bale: He performed astonishing magic in Prestige, took Batman to a whole new level of dark. Gave another stunning performance in Equilibrium. It seems most of the movie he signs on for end up being really good. I think he will make an excellent John Connor. I believe his on-set tirade was just method acting gone wrong.

3. Russel Crowe: He was a gladiator who defied an emperor and brought us along for the journey. He hunted down an American Gangster and talked to his “other half” in A Beautiful Mind. He is another actor who generally comes on board for great films and loves working with Ridley Scott. Smart choice.

2. Johnny Depp: Overlooked by the Academy, but never by the masses. The best character actor of our time. We were entranced by him in Edward Scissor Hands. We couldn’t help but laugh at Jack Sparrow. Depp could be reading a newspaper and make it look interesting. Look for him in the new Public Enemy as John Dillinger.

1. Jack Nicholson: He has mesmerized us with most of his roles though his extensive career. He gave us a look inside a madman’s head in The Shining and dared us to question his authority in A Few Good Men. He has won pleny of Academy awards and is a memorable figure who will last for generations to come.

This year is going to have one of the strongest Final Fours in a long time. You got Tyler Hansbrough and a stellar North Carolina squad with one of the best coaches in Roy Williams. They are facing a Villanova team that defeated Pittsburgh and UCLA.

On the other side of the bracket you got Michigan St with coach Tom Izzo and an astounding group of guards and can dominate the post as well. Plus they are a handful of minutes from their campus in Michigan. They are squaring off against the unstoppable looking UConn Huskies with Hasheem Thabeet and A.J. Price. They are lead by Jim Calhoun who is no stranger to the Final Four.

We have two one seeds and a two and three seed.The three seed(Villanova) is from the toughest conference, the Big East to add to the strenght of this Final Four. Whatever happens, it will be a battle of wills and skills. We look forward to seeing the best basketball of the tournament so far.

Here are the Directors we admire and are astonished at their life’s work. We pay homage to them with this list of the top ten best movie directors.

10. Christopher Nolan: He may be a fairly new director, but for revamping the Batman series we salute you. He improved upon an already decent series (before they put Robin in and ruined them). He has an eye for film and gets the most out of his actors. He is a great storyteller and will have many more good films to put out in the not so distant future.

9. David Fincher: Fight Club, Benjamin Button, Se7en are some great movies. Se7en changed the mystery/thriller genre for the better. Fight Club had amazing acting performance from Pitt/Norton. He needs to make more movies as all of his work is amazing.

8. Quentin Tarantino: He changed the outlook on linear storytelling with Pulp Fiction. He mixed anime with live action in Kill Bill. He made a woman character who was extremely interesting and could kick ass (Kill Bill). Reservoir Dogs had lots of memorable character with an unexpected ending. It was also told out of chronological order.

7. Stanley Kubrick: In Full Metal Jacket we got a look at the inside of a boot camp and the dark sides of the Vietnam War. Dr. Strangelove showed us what the world looks like on the brink of all out nuclear war. Kubrick has a twisted dark way of telling stories that is so intriguing to us. His films are realistic but seem almost surreal in their telling.

6. Brian De Palma: This director has an amazing body of work with films like The Untouchables and Scarface to name a few. He has influenced young and old directors alike and tells stories with a flair. His movie Scarface is referenced all the time in popular culture.

5. Ridley Scott: An amazing director and definitely one of the best. Gladiator was a masterpiece and you were totally immersed in the Roman world of dueling to the death before millions. Alien revitalized the Sci Fi series and so did Blade Runner. All his recent work such as Body of Lies and American Gangster have been excellent as well. I’ve haven’t seen a film of his I didn’t love.

4. Alfred Hitchcock: At this point in the list you could vouch that any of the top four are the best directors of all time. In Psycho we went inside the mind of a psychopath with mother issues, and were never the same again. The Birds made us give concerned looks whenever we see large swarms of birds. Rear Window made us think about that stranger living across the street. Could he be a killer? Hitchcock made us voyeur and we were disturbed but enthralled much as some voyeurs are in reality. A mastermind director even though he was known to not like actors.

3. Francis Ford Coppola: He brought us The Godfather I & II. The third one I didn’t care for, but neither do most people. He also made one of the most bizarre and well done war films, Apocalypse Now. He is one of the best directors of our time, but strangely has not made many great films lately. His last good film was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I suppose nothing will ever compare to his earlier masterpieces. It’s like asking Davinci to top The Mona Lisa.

2. Steven Spielberg: The best American director of all time without a doubt. His films are artistic successes as well as financial success. That’s why all up and coming directors want to emulate his style. He works so closely with the cinematographer and whole crew to get the film to look exactly like he wants. His masterpieces include E.T., Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park and many more. We get a great story with his films and thoroughly enjoy watching them.

1. Akira Kurosawa: Seven Samurai, Roshoman, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, all astounding masterpieces. He has inspired almost every director, from George Lucas to countless others. He is definetly the best Japanese director and maybe the best director ever. He is to directing what books are to story telling. If there is anyone who has mastered the craft of directing, Kurosawa would be the one.