The Students of "Recess": Where Are They Now?

I thought that it would be fun if I imagined the lives of our favorite Third Street School students and see where they ended up after school let out.

Gretchen Grundler: Partnered with Richard Branson on his Virgin Galactic project straight out of college and is still Yo-Yo world champion after a brief stint out of the pro circuit.

Gus Griswald: Disobeyed a direct order from his father and joined the Air Force instead of the Army. He then was recruited by former classmate Gretchen Grundler to be a pilot for Virgin Galactic. He flies under the nickname 'El Diablo'.

Mikey Blumberg: Shy-guy-turned-crooner Mikey exploded onto the music scene after he opened for Michael Bublé. He has since inked a lucrative record deal and receives tons of love letters every day, but he rejects them all hoping that his one true love, Ms. Salamone, will come back.

Ashley Spinelli: The tough-girl of Third Street is an aspiring artist who has a visceral sense of style and composition. She was recently commissioned to create a piece for the city of Seattle to eventually be put on permanent display as a symbol for the city.

Randall Weems: Busted for dealing meth in college, Randall has become a CI (confidential informant) for the FBI and has helped take down some of the biggest drug cartels in the country. Albeit, so he can build his own drug empire.

King Bob: After relinquishing his throne he turned into quite the political figure. He became his High School student body president, then joined the student council in college where he eventually became president - again - and then became the president of his fraternity. He has parlayed that success into earning a seat on the city council in hopes of one day running for Mayor, then Governor, then President of the United States. All while keeping the unibrow.

The Diggers: Still digging. This time for oil.

Swinger Girl: Joined Cirque du Soleil and has appeared in multiple shows across the world as a swinging expert.

Upside Down Girl: Tried to earn money stripping but found out that just hanging upside down is not the best way to earn cash. It is rumored that she can be found on Craigslist for the voyeur crowd where people can pay to watch her hang upside down. 

Lawson: Lawson entered the witness protection program after he left the Church of Scientology. He has not been heard from since.

Vince LaSalle: After helping create NAKBA (North American Kickball Association) he led the New York Empires to four-straight NAKBA titles where he earned MVP is those four finals. He also opened a French Bistro, LaSalle's, on the Upper West Side where he is the chef during the off season. 

TJ Detweiler: A natural people-person, TJ became a successful venture capitalist. His influence is seen in many of the products we use today. From internet startups to maple syrup conglomerates, he has a way to bring out the best in everyone he meets and helps bring out that potential so they, and he, can be successful. He is known to be dating an aspiring artist but is very hush-hush on his personal life.

8 Things I learned while watching 30 minutes of 'The Love Guru'

Do you remember The Love Guru? The Mike Myers movie from 2008. You don't? I completely forgot about it until I saw it pop up on FX yesterday. So I decided to sit down and watch a few minutes. I could only get through 30 minutes before I decided sleep was better for me than this movie. However, there were a few things that caught my eye in those 30 minutes.

1. Mike Myers seems to really enjoy penises. I mean, there was a joke about a chastity belt, an erection, mops soaked with urine, Coach Punch Cherkov, Justin Timberlake's bikini briefs, his character's nickname - Le Coq, and his "Schnauzer". 
2. I think he hates my Los Angeles Kings. He's from Toronto, born a Leafs fan so this is only natural. But, I guess he's still bitter about the 1993 Campbell Conference final.
3. (I already knew this) Jessica Alba cannot act to save her life. She should stick to melodrama or bikini photo shoots or movies where bad acting is allowed.
4. Poor Ben Kingsley. No comment needed here.
5. Romany Malco deserves better. He was brilliant in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and also on Weeds, but here he is underused and with the right stuff, he can knock it out.
6. Comics as actors don't always pan out. He hired mostly comics to play supporting roles. From the great Jim Gaffigan to the at-one-time-funny-and-enjoyable-now-douchey Daniel Tosh. Throw in The Daily Show vets Rob Riggle, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver and you'd think they would all add up to something great. Nope.
7. This character is just plain annoying. I don't think I could get through a full 2 hours of him. The accent, the bad slapstick, the constant puns, ugh.
8. Recognizing funny situations doesn't make them funny. In a scene where they sit down in Coach Cherkov's (Verne Troyer) office office you see that everything is small - because he is small. This is amusing until Jessica Alba says "Next time we'll meet in my office, agreed?" Let it play out. Unfortunately, I don't think that would've helped since bad slapstick happens right after that and that was about where I gave up.

I may never know how this movie ends, nor do I care, but the fact that just 30 minutes was enough for me to sit down and write about the things that annoyed me with the film says something.

Sport Science doesn't even need to use science

The 'evil four letter' (ESPN), as they are known as on Fox Sports, has a segment that pops up from time to time that examines athletes and the science behind their skills and abilities. It sounds like a great way to get people and, most likely, kids involved in science. Take something they enjoy and add a learning element so that it's not just mindless entertainment. The show has won Emmy's so there is some merit behind it and I like the premise. Not enough kids are in the sciences these days.

But - and a big J-Lo butt - sometimes you don't really need science to figure things out.

For example, I remember watching a segment related to Super Bowl catches. They looked at David Tyree's and Santonio Holmes' of the Giants and Steelers, respectively. Then they wanted to find out which catch required the least amount of force. If you remember Tyree's catch, and how could you not, you'd remember there were guys all around him pushing and shoving, trying to knock the ball loose. And if you remember Santonio Holmes' catch, a not so memorable catch from an otherwise memorable game, you'd know he was barely touched.

When they first mentioned the catches I immediately knew Tyree's required more force. And that's from a high school understanding of physics. Why spend an entire segment on this? I assure you that most people knew the answer before the end of the question. It just seems like a waste of space.

Here's the segment: [note the video is titled Fox Sports, but it's actually from ESPN] You don't need to watch the whole thing, it's just here for reference.

This Chase 'Quick Pay' Babysitter is the Worst

Have you seen this ad from Chase? The one with the babysitter getting a tip from the parents of the little girl she was babysitting? You haven't? Well, allow me to enlighten you:

Those are are some dumb parents. And terrible babysitter.

They give her $40 for the whole night, which is pretty good money if you break it down hourly. I'd say they were gone for 2-3.5 hours given their attire (dinner-dressy/casual). Then she got $20 more for being a bad babysitter. Olivia here knows how to work the system.

What she doesn't know how to do is CLEAN UP AFTER HERSELF!

She left a mess!

Open paint, dirty brushes, hanging paper on string, posting paper on walls (when they take that down and if the pain peels: ooooooooohhhhh shit), and a waste of tin foil for an Eiffel Tower! It's an architectural marvel and I bet it was fun to make but, c'mon, why not toothpicks (might take too long) or something less useful than tin foil. Oh, and she used waffles to make an Arc de Triomphe! If it was half eaten I would be OK with it but since it is in tact, it tells me that she wasted waffles, delicious waffles.

Another thing Olivia might not have thought of is 'What if the parents are Xenophobes?' They would be frightened by their French speaking child. I'll let that slide because I assume she's been their babysitter for a while now. But she shouldn't be after this mess.

Note to parents: Don't hire Olivia. She leaves a mess wherever she goes.

Katy Perry doesn't understand radio

I saw this ad a while back, then again the other day.

We all know how radio works. I mean, these artists all seem to know. Adam Levine, One Direction, Usher...except Katy Perry. Jump to 26 seconds to see what I mean:

I. Don't. Think. You can see someone on the radio....Unless you're Matt Murdock, the lawyer from Hell's Kitchen.

In Katy's own words, borrowed from 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)', "That was such an epic fail."

In an alternate universe

There are times throughout the day that I think about what is going on in alternate universes. Universes where everything is the same except for this one thing. This is a list of 10 differences I have come up with. They are not necessarily all in the same universe but they exist in at least one.

• Justin Guarini won Americal Idol and is 'Miss Independent'

Not really a stretch

• Alcatraz is still on the air and people are still wondering why Hurley hasn't lost any weight.

I really do miss this show

• The Buffalo Bills won all of those Super Bowls

There would be four of these

• I'm left handed

I would shop here on the reg

• Full House is still on the air but it's on Showtime and it's now about how Nicky & Alex run a brothel out of their San Francisco House.

Bowl cuts for all their bitches

• L.A. Confidential won Best Picture

Because it is better than Titanic

• Oasis is still together

The best album of the 90's. Don't fight me on this.

• This handball was called on Torsten Frings and forever changed US soccer

Angle 1: Handball

Angle 2: Handball

• The Cubs have won a World Series

Technically this is from the future so it could happen...haha

• Steve Nash has more MVP's than Kobe

Oh, wait...

LA Native to NFL: Stay Away

I am aware that by making this statement I am declaring myself as Public Enemy No. 1 but I do not care. NFL, stay away from my city.

This has all come to boil since I read an article in the LA Times a few days ago. As Mr. Dwyre points out, we have been lead along this path for far too long and have nothing to show for it. Some are confused. Some are angry. Some just do not care. I am a combination of all three. I am confused as to what is stopping them (even though I know the physical obstacles, I wonder why they cannot just get it done). I am angry that this has been dragged out for so long. And I do not care anymore because it has all become a 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' scenario.

But why 'Stay Away'? That seems a bit harsh.

But, does it?

This is a city who has had TWO teams leave, and one come back only to leave again. We had our chance. But wait, you say Jacksonville has had their chance. Yes, they have, but even the Jaguars are making money, and given that selling a franchise today is worth more than yesterday you can bet your sweet ass they are going to stay where they are until someone with bags of money comes walking through their door. Do we really want the Jaguars here? They. Are. Awful. They don't even want Tebow. Sure, San Diego is the likeliest bet to move here but they should not. Everyone should stay away.

Full disclosure, I am a Tennessee Titans fan. I remember watching the Music City Miracle and being floored by what I had just seen. From then on, I made a bet that they would win the Super Bowl..........and I have stuck with them ever since.

I can see Titans games out here from time to time on TV. They are sometimes on Sunday or Monday Night Football or even the Game of the Week. I also have the option to see ANY OTHER GAME. No, I do not have the NFL Sunday Ticket package because I am not made of money, but the national broadcasts allow me to see other teams I may not normally see on any given Sunday. Some of the games are total duds, but I watch anyway because I like football. If there was a team in Los Angeles I would be subjected to watch their games (unless they were blacked out). Having lived in the Bay Area for four years I can tell you that watching crappy 49ers and Raiders games is not how I want to spend my Sunday. I would turn the TV off and wait until Sunday Night Football. I do not want to have that happen here.

Being the son of a Realtor I can tell you the three most important things in property buying: Location, location, location. Do you know where the geniuses intend to put this NFL stadium?

Right next to the damn freeway.

But wait. Isn't there another option? What about that other location in the City of Industry?
Exactly, it's in the City of Industry....

Parking would be a nightmare downtown, not to mention the traffic. It would be worse than going to Staples Center for a normal sporting event or LA Live for a concert. Hell, even when I go to Kings games the parking is hard to come by, and I get there at least an hour early. This would mean I would me taking the Metro to EVERY game because it would be hassle free. Gold Line to Red Line to Blue Line to Pico. Boom. It would be beautiful at night to see LA Live, Staples Center, JW Marriot and Farmer's Field lit up but it would be a major pain in mine and the collective asses of Los Angeles.

We have been led down this road before. I was around when the Raiders and Rams were here. I had a babysitter who was a Rams cheerleader and I went to a game once and all I remember was getting a plush blue & yellow football after the game. That is all I remember of LA football. Since the Rams and Raiders (thank God) left USC and UCLA football have taken over. That is where most people have gone to get their gridiron fill. I realize it is not the same game but we here have lived without an NFL team for almost 20 years and have survived and thrived. Don't jeopardize that. Stay away NFL.

Chris Brown channels Frank T.J. Mackey NSFW

Apparently Chris Brown was at a night club and he decided to tell the club patrons what he thought of women. Guess what? He thinks they're objects to be owned. Who knew that was his position on women? Go figure.

Here's the video from TMZ:


Is he the new Frank T. J. Mackey, of 'Seduce and Destroy' fame? Let's compare with Frank's infomercial:



Chris Brown has some big shoes to fill, but he's getting there.

WaxVac...OW!

This might be the biggest overreaction/overacting I have ever seen:

Who puts a cotton swab that deep into their ear anyway? Also, the cleanup for the product looks gross.

LA Wants 2024 Olympics. In other news I want to marry Charlize Theron

It could happen. But it probably won't. I'm talking about Los Angeles hosting the 2024 Olympics. I'm not talking about Charlize and I, because that's definitely going to happen.

The LA Times is reporting that the city council has notified members of the USOC (United States Olympic Committee) that they want another Olympics here. Previous games took place in 1932 and 1984.

My only question is why? Why monopolize the Olympic tradition? Why not let another US city have a chance to show itself to the world? The article reports that Dallas, San Francisco and Boston are in the running. I've been to the last two and they would be fine locations. Excellent locations, actually. I have not been to Dallas so I cannot comment - other than if the games are held in August, it will be damn hot.

What about somewhere else? What about the Pacific Northwest? I know Portland doesn't want them but what about the Emerald City? Seattle.

Seattle is my type of city. I enjoy the overcast and rainy weather, the waterfront, the greenery, the Space Needle, the Real World, apples, and the smell of coffee. I don't drink coffee, but I like the smell. But wait, 2010 saw the Olympics already in the Pacific Northwest in Vancouver. But that's Canada, this is America. The country that saved Europe and the world from Germany - twice. I think they kind of owe us for a long time.

But enough about Seattle, the real issue at hand is that the guy who is not going to be Mayor of Los Angeles for much longer is pushing this agenda to try and sweep everything else he's done under the rug. That way IF it does happen, he can stand in front of a ribbon and cut it to let everyone know HE was the one who spearheaded this movement. Sounds rather selfish, no?

I, for one, am not in support of this. I live here. The traffic is already bad enough. Will it be better in 11 years? Who knows. What I do know is that I want the Olympics somewhere else. LA does not need the exposure - we're already full of people who need to be seen anyway. And some of them are barely famous as it is! Let's try and keep the Olympics out of LA and give someone else a chance.

I doubt a US city will win the vote for 2024 but if it does, it's not going to be Los Angeles.

Rise and Fire

Like I said: "It's March Bitches" and in honor of March I am going to post a few links on the best thing that ever happened to the Magical Maddening Month: Gus Johnson.

If you've never been to the Gus Johnson Soundboard, you've been missing out. You can relive all of your favorite Gus Johnson soundbites with the simple click of your mouse. Truly you could spend an hour or so just clicking different combinations and listening to the man that made March Mad.

Sadly, Gus Johnson is no longer with CBS and calling NCAA Tournament games but you can still find his high-energy calls all over YouTube. Heck, you can even get t-shirts and hats with his signature catchphrase on them.

The dude is easily my favorite announcer based solely on his passion for each game he calls. He has energy, knowledge and makes the game entertaining. If you weren't paying attention and just heard him yell, you would turn to see what the hell just happened. He gets you involved in the game.

Now he has joined FOX and college football and has done a fantastic job there - with even some people hoping he'd replace Joe Buck as the normal NFL game of the week announcer. I don't have a problem with Buck but Johnson makes things more awesome.

So while I look forward to the NCAA Tournament, I lament that Gus Johnson is no longer a part of the action. As Johnson said to the Gonzaga faithful after they blew a 17-point lead to UCLA back in 2006: "Heart break city"

It's March Bitches

You know what that means?

That's right, by the end of this month people (including myself) will become consumed by college basketball. I love college basketball. I always have and I always will. It just has something that the NBA doesn't. Passion. You see the guys out there playing their guts out for their school...or to showcase their talent for the NBA. Either way, they're playing hard and the game isn't dominated by dunks. There is more guard play and perimeter play - which is what I enjoy in basketball. Sure, I love a good dunk, but I really love a good picket fence, upsets (Go Broncos) and of course the buzzer beater.

I know there are some out there that only follow college basketball when the tournament starts, and that's OK, but it really bugs me when people say people "Don't care" about the regular season. How about this season? There hasn't been a dominant and true #1 all season. Indiana? Beaten. Michigan? Beaten. Duke? Beaten. Syracuse? Beaten. Yes, every team has been beaten but this regular season has been as unpredictable as ever. That makes for an even more unpredictable March Madness. We should see more brackets like the one above because of this.

I'm a fan of chaos when it comes to March Madness. I want the upsets and Bracket Busters. Sometimes I do research, sometimes I just guess, sometimes I do a mascot battle to determine a winner. Whatever the case, it's just fun picking the games and seeing schools like Davidson and VCU go against the likes of a Duke and Michigan State, perennial powerhouses, and win.

I'm not going to make any predictions here, because conference tournaments still have to be played and those can have a significant impact on the field but I am just getting prepared for an awesome March.

From the WTF File

I'm going to revamp this segment I created when I first started this blog of mine. I don't know what exactly I am going to revamp, but I'll do it. I guess the first thing to do was update the jpg...in fact that is how I will revamp it.

Now that that's done I can focus on things that annoy me. This new entry will be a bit short but that's only because I'm just getting my feet wet again.

In this edition of the 'WTF File' I turn to something I heard/saw on the news last night. It was only for a brief moment but what was said caught my ears and made me laugh. I was doing that crossword puzzle while I was eating dinner and I overheard a news reporter do a lead-in for a story later on that night. It went something along the lines of "I'm [insert reporter name here] and tonight I'm taking you behind the scenes of the hit show 'Smash' tonight at 11."

I laughed.

I really don't think anyone believes 'Smash' lives up to its name. It seemed to start out strong and had the Spielberg name attached to it but I never caught a single second of it. Then I read that people were 'hate-watching' it because it was so bad. I already dumped 'Glee' so why would I pick up another musical show? Sure the network had to fill some airtime and try and pump some publicity into their own show but, to me, it came off as desperate. WTF indeed.

10 Biggest Oscar Flubs of the last 10 years

Today is the day. Oscar Day. Where a bunch of people will go home unhappy and a few will get the glory. Sure, it's an honor to be nominated but everybody wants to win. As Patton said: "Americans love a winner"...unless that winner was undeserving.

I'm looking back at the last 10 years a giving out failing grades to the Academy for giving out awards to people who did not deserve them. Clearly, they were deserving enough to get this far but it hit the fan when these people won. I'll start from 10 years ago (meaning the awards given out for the 2002 movies) and work my way up.


2002: Chicago for Best Picture - This is a perfect example for how to stage a musical for film. It's as simple as that. I think everyone thought that win Moulin Rouge! being nominated the year before that the Hollywood Musical was back...and it was....this year. It took another 10 years for another musical (Les Miserables) to be nominated.

What should have won?  The Pianist. It was the Best Acted (Adrien Brody), Best Directed (Roman Polanski), and Best Written (Ronald Harwood) film of the year.

2003: Renee Zellwegger for Best Supporting Actress - I view this as a "Hey she was nominated a few years in a row, let's give her this one". Cold Mountain is boring and not very good. And no, I'm not just picking on Renee Zellwegger with my first two picks. They just were the wrong winners.

Who Should have won? Shohreh Agdashloo. Did they even see House of Sand and Fog? Clearly they did since Ben Kingsley also received a well deserved nod but she is the clear winner here in a emotionally demanding performance.

2004: Cate Blanchett for Best Supporting Actress - My mom's favourite actress is Katharine Hepburn so this one might sting but essentially this role is mimicry at it's finest. Sure, she gets the mannerisms down and the speech but the role does nothing for me. This is Old Hollywood saying "Oh, we love Kate Hepburn. Wasn't she great? By association Cate Blanchett is great too." She is a great actress (see Notes On A Scandal if you don't believe me) but this role is not one that should have won.

Who should have won? Virginia Madsen. When she talks about how a bottle of wine is alive and looks right into Paul Giamatti's eyes and into his soul and in that moment they click, I knew this was the clear winner. She is emotionally complicated and sophisticated and deserved to win.

2005: Crash for Best Picture - I was going to go against the grain here and say Philip Seymour Hoffman here, but after writing out a few lines I just couldn't go through with it because he was terrific in Capote. This is a divisive film and extremely heavy-handed in it's message and took advantage of the Angelenos who were voting that year.

What should have won? Brokeback Mountain. Plain and simple. It was the clear winner until Crash somehow pulled off the upset I mean look at Jack Nicholson's epxression here. He's just as surprised as everyone else. I liked Crash, but it wasn't the best film from this year.

2006: Jennifer Hudson for Best Supporting Actress -You might begin to think I have it out for Best Supporting Actresses, but I don't. They just are wrong most of the time. Here is not an exception. Jennifer Hudson CANNOT ACT, she can sing - damn can she sing, but she is not an actress by any stretch of the imagination. She reads her lines as if it were a book report and there is not emotional connection with her when times get tough for her character. Dreamgirls isn't that good either - save for Eddie Murphy but this is a real crime.

Who should have won? Abigail Breslin. Little Miss Sunshine is a fantastic movie and to see this little girl struggle with her family and ultimately be the glue that holds them together is just icing on the cake...and her final dance is hysterical.

2007: The Golden Compass for Best Visual Effects -Sure the polar bear looks good but it was fairly generic CG and really wasn't all that good, actually. It's almost cheesy and considering this is the same VFX house that did Life of Pi (which is a phenomenal film, and filled with great effects) you have to wonder what went wrong here?

What should have won? Transformers. It's GIANT FIGHTING ROBOTS! WTF is wrong with these people?!

2008: Sean Penn for Best Actor - I screamed at my TV when this happened. Honest to God. I did not find Milk to be a good movie at all nor did I find this performance to be very good. It was rather pedestrian and boring.

Who should have won? Mickey Rourke. The Wrestler was one of the best films of 2008 and this is one of the best performances of the decade...and it didn't win. It's a shame because as Randy the Ram, Rourke delivers a complex performance about a man down on his luck trying to change but ultimately cannot fight fate and wants to go out his way, even if it means he may not make it. A power and moving performance that should have been recognized.

2009: Mo'Nique for Best Supporting Actress & Precious for Best Adapted Screenplay - I'm pulling double duty here because I just did not find this film to be very good. Sure it's depressing, but depressing movies can be good (Winter's Bone). It's just this performance was too over-the-top and Mo'Nique's insistence to not show up for things unless she got paid just rubbed me the wrong way. This is the same woman from Soul Plane. The writing is also not something to write home about - mainly that's because I didn't care for this film.

Who/What should have won? Vera Farmiga or Anna Kendrick. Both would have been better choices as their characters were fleshed out and developed. Up In The Air for Best Adapted Screenplay. Well written, crisp dialogue that just really really worked.

2010: Alice in Wonderland for Best Art Direction - I didn't see the appeal with this film when it came out. I skipped it in theatres and waited for DVD. I fell asleep and finished it the next day. I didn't care for it nor did I care for this award. It's really just the same Tim Burton zany designs with spirals of color and wacky furniture design. Not interested.

What should have won? Inception. Constructing a set that movies in a circular motion while actors are in/on it performing  a fight sequence should merit an award. That, and they built the Japanese castle and decorated the hell out of it - as well as all of the other set pieces.

2011: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady and The Iron Lady for Best Makeup - This is a case of "She hasn't won in X amount of years, let's give it to her". It's also a case of "She got lost in that role thanks to the makeup, they deserve to win as well". Nope. Neither were deserving.

Who/What should have won? Viola Davis and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Viola Davis delivers a powerful performance that is nothing short of amazing. To borrow and alter a line from her character: "[She] is smart. [She] is kind. [She] is important". Harry Potter's makeup is nothing short of amazing. I mean they turned people into goblins, Ralph Fiennes into Voldemort, and brought a myriad of other creatures to life with a few prosthetics and color (OK, maybe more than a few).

Looking back on my list I notice I have a problem with the Academy's selection of women winners. I don't think they get it right - at least within these last 10 years. They seem to miss the mark - at least that's how I have viewed them over the years. But hey, at least their is a debate over the winners. If they were all uniformly loved then it would not be interesting at all. These 'misses' make it more interesting and open up the floor for conversation about the merit of each film. Here's to the next 10 years.

State License Plates Pt. 14: Vermont

Vermont was admitted into the Union on March 4, 1791. I bet that was a good vintage for maple syrup. I mean, that's what Vermont is know for out of everything else. It's our leading producer of the sweet nectar and damn does it taste great. I enjoy REAL maple syrup more than anything over my waffles and bacon. The buttery/flavoured stuff is OK in a pinch but I prefer the real thing.

Here's a fun fact about Vermont: It's the only state in the New England region NOT bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Fascinating....

If you didn't know Vermont was the Green Mountain State - you do now. You cannot miss this plate, as it compares to the others we've seen thus far. There isn't a whole lot going on here except for the green...and white...and the maple tree in the upper left. I like the font of 'Vermont' and I also like how there is a separation between the numbers and letters with the rest of the plate. It draws your focus to those numbers and letters. Instead of making it just a green blob with white lettering they changed it up a bit and added borders which I appreciate. The rest of the plate is standard state license plate stuff which brings it down a few letter grades. Had that maple tree been right in the middle of the numbers and letters I might be inclined to give it an A but as it stands, I give it a C+.