Amaz... Gone

Colorado progressives to Amazon.com: "We won't be bullied."

In response to Amazon's decision this week to no longer pay referral fees to Colorado bloggers and nonprofits that advertise Amazon products on their websites, ProgressNow Colorado has launched a campaign against Amazon. "Sign our pledge to shop elsewhere until Amazon stops using Colorado residents as pawns," says a blog post on ProgressNow's website.

Bowl Games

Anyone who played video games in the early- to mid-1990s probably let out a little cheer as the announcement came that Tecmo Super Bowl is coming back to us as a downloadable console game on Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 sometime this spring. 

Winter Sports

I write this as a passenger in a car driving in the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 amid Colorado's steep, climbing Rocky Mountains. Between the dangerous rockslides, the avalanches, crossing deer and elk, and hazardous weather, including ice and fog, my destination -- winter sports -- isn't my first extreme adventure of the day.

A rockslide on Monday sent tank-sized boulders crashing along and, in some cases, right through, the curviest part of I-70’s Glenwood Canyon, an already nerve-wracking stretch of road. Last month, a five-foot wall of snow stretching for 50 feet along the highway near Vail Pass came rumbling down. Luckily in both cases, nobody was harmed.

This morning, yet another avalanche struck. This one closed U.S. Highway 6 over Loveland Pass.

100 Years

Walk the Walker

The release of wide receiver Javon Walker by the Oakland Raiders has been a long time coming. He never really lived up to the six-year, $55 million contract he received in 2008. In fact, over the last two years, Walker only caught 15 passes and scored one touchdown. That works out to an astonishing $933,000 per catch. Not bad. The question now is "Which team will take a flyer on Walker, given his lack of production since leaving the Green Bay Packers after the 2005 season?"

One Thick Dime

Last month, an issue of the 1938 comic book in which Superman first appeared, "Action No. 1," sold for an incredible $1 million. The original purchase price: 10 cents. Now a ring that was in the 1940s a perfect compliment to the comic and the cult of Superman is for sale online -- "a silver metal ring with a brass Superman in the center, surrounded by the brass inscription 'Supermen of America Member' on a red painted background," according to its seller.

WhyDonCha Stay a While?

Don't expect Interstate 70 in western Colorado to open anytime soon. After a massive rockslide early this morning, officials expect the highway to stay closed for several days as crews work to remove debris.

Watermelons and Memos

In the future America, perhaps 100 years from now, a media personality's placement of the word "watermelons" in a sentence about a black man might not be objectionable at all. That would be because in America's most ideal future, nobody would be racist anymore and therefore few would recall the horribly racist association between blacks and watermelons except as one of those vague references somewhere in a dusty history book.

But in 2010, racism is alive and well. Just ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has condemned the actions of some students at the University of California-San Diego who last month held an off-campus event called "Compton Cookout" that mocked Black History Month. Participants defended the event as satire. Protesters on campus called it racism.

So when veteran newsman Dan Rather mentioned watermelons over the weekend in the same breath as President Barack Obama, there was sure to be commotion.

The Iraq war drama, "The Hurt Locker," edged out "Avatar" and eight other films for best picture award at the Oscars last night. Kathryn Bigelow, the film's director, also received an Oscar for her direction -- the first woman ever to win an Academy Award for best director. Best actress honors went to Sandra Bullock for her performance in "The Blind Date." Jeff Bridges got the nod for best actor for "Crazy Heart." Mo'Nique received the best supporting actress for "Precious" while Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for his job in "Inglorious Basterds."

Bullock said after winning the award: “Did I finally wear all of you down, or did I really earn the Award deservingly?”

Amaz... Gone

Pity bloggers and other online publishers in Colorado who spent years partnering with Amazon.com to build commission revenue for their websites. Amazon will no longer accept sales emanating from the state's websites, blaming a new law that applies a state sales tax to purchases.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, working with his fellow Democrats, signed the tax into law about a week ago over the objections of Republicans and business leaders who said taxes would scare away business.

Perpetual girl-next door Sandra Bullock delivered a self-effacing and emotional acceptance speech for best actress during the Academy Awards, singing the praises of her fellow nominees: Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Gabourey Sidibe. Bullock received the Oscar for her performance in "The Blind Date." Here's the full text of her acceptance speech:

UPDATE: If you were thinking of entering or leaving western Colorado today, good luck. You'll either have to find a route other than Interstate 70 or get used to the majestic mountain views for a while. Enormous boulders slid off a mountainside in Glenwood Canyon today and onto the the highway, blocking traffic and leaving gaping holes as large as 20 feet. Some of the boulders, which fell west of the Hanging Lake Tunnel, are the size of a semi truck. Both eastbound and westbound traffic lanes are unsafe for travel and closed in the area, making it impossible for traffic to pass.

Too much blue makes a bad prom. Especially when it’s on the turquoise or peculiar design side as were three to four gowns strutted on the 500-foot red carpet Sunday evening.

Oscar night fashion for 2010 would have been better had there been, overall, more gowns like Penelope Cruz's -- wine red with cascading design. Anna Kendrick showed well in a blushy pale pink cascaded gown and Vera Farmiga in the swirling red cascade gown.

Razzed

The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation had loads of horrible moves to chose from this year and spread many dishonors in the Gala 30thAnnual Razzie Awards. The ceremonies presented on Oscar Eve at Hollywood's Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, award gold-spray-painted statuettes designating the year's worst achievements in film. The big loser this year -- or Razzie "winner" -- was a magahit -- the "overlong, over-loud, under-whelming toy-based sequel 'Transformers" Revenge of the Fallen.'"

Interior Memo

Add U.S. Representatives Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman, both from Colorado, to the growing list of Republicans who fear the Obama administration will attempt to designate as many as 14 areas through the West as national monuments, preventing the lands from being developed for uses such as oil drilling. The two introduced House Resolution 4716 today to strip the president of his authority to declare a national monument. Unlike national parks, national monuments may be created without Congress' approval through a president's executive order. The back story to this centers on a memo posted on dscriber and several other websites in recent days.