Sorry guys...

Hey guys, real quick note from your boy Snack...

I wanna personally apologize for our lack of posts in the last few days. My grandmother has passed on, so I've been busy with that and work and such. And thanks in advance for all the condolences I've receieved/am going to recieve...you guys are the best readers in the biz, and my whole family appreciates it.

We'll be back up and running full time on Monday - so bear with us, and we'll have new content and a new top 10 list soon (not to mention an UPDATED mock draft!).

Catch ya'll on the flip side, and see you on Monday...

Snizzle

Link's N'at

Looks the already shorthanded Penguins (Talbot, Sykora, Hossa, etc) will be hurting even worse tonight. Pens captain Sidney Crosby will miss tonight’s game against the Sabres with pain in his right ankle.

It is definitely a little premature to think about this considering he hasn’t even played a full game for us yet. However, Scott Taylor from the Canadian National Post is already asking, does Hossa have a future with the Pens?

Pitt looks for redemption tonight against Cincy at 7 PM (and throughout the Big East tournament for that matter) as they play at their home away from home, Madison Square Garden.

More Big East awards for Pitt hoops players. Sam Young has won most improved player, Dejuan Blair won rookie of the year, and Ronald Ramon won sportsmanship award.

Ex-baseball star Lenny Dykstra is a Wall Street tycoon worth about 150 million. How does that work? According to Dykstra himself, he doesn’t even like to read because it “hurts your eyes” and “makes you think too much”. Did Lenny go to Pgh public school?

Everyone is Irish on St Patty’s Day, except for Luke Ravenstahl that is. St Patty’s Day (parade is this Saturday) is one of the few times it actually pays off to live in Pittsburgh, and that little punk, Luke Ravenstahl,is trying to ruin that. It’s ok for him to go to country music concerts and party in publicly owned vehicles, or be drunk and disorderly at Steelers games, but when the rest of us wanna do it he tries to put a stop to it. You suck Luke, fun ruiner! I am pretty sure Bob O’Connor or Tom Murphy never woulda done this nonsense.

(Pic from blog.kreedphotography.com)

Hater of the Irish and Jagoff of the Week here at PNA...

Monday Morning Hangover...

Note from Snack - Sorry it's a day late, Diego got it to me on time, my fat ass just fell asleep after work yesterday so I didn't get it posted. My bad. But enjoy, all the links are still relevant, and I think it'll be a nice lil addition to your Tuesday...

It is March again which means two things for Diego, March madness NCAA hoops and St Patty’s day drunken mayhem. Neither are quite here yet, but both are on the horizon. This weekend wrapped up the regular season of NCAA basketball, so that means that this week is conference tournament week. I also got a chance to see Pitt live this weekend so lets start the Hangover with some hoops talk.

Pitt gives the DePaul hoops team a chance to enjoy their spring break

Pitt finished its season yesterday with a 98-79 victory over Big East team DePaul, at home at the Pete on senior day. The loss for DePaul means they will not be making an appearance in this years Big East tourney at Madison Square Garden. This was the last home game for seniors Ron Ramon, Keith Benjamin, Mike Cook (out with injury), and Maurice Polen.

(Pic from post-gazette.com)

Introducing the newest members of the Pittsburgh XPlosion!!!

After losing three in a row, the Panthers have bounced back to win three of their last four games to end the season. It was mostly all offense on Sunday at the Peterson center, as Pitt managed to score 98 points (their 2nd highest point total all year) with six players kicking in to score double digits (all 5 starters plus Gilbert Brown). DePaul stayed in the game due to freshmen Dar Tucker who scored 23, and gave the Pitt defense trouble all game long.

The balance of the offense was key in the victory for Pitt, but their defense is still suspect. Allowing a team like DePaul to score almost 80 points is never a good sign. Still the Dixon led Panthers will be making the big dance for the 7th straight season, which is an impressive accomplishment. It is easy to complain about Pitt never making it past the sweet 16, but this basketball team stunk for so many years (in the 1990’s) it’s good to see that they have turned the program completely around.

-Levance Fields is feeling better, finally. Fields had his best game since injury, and arguably best game of the season yesterday. He had 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 11 points. Fields was looking very Jason Kidd like hustling, making plays on both ends, and leading the Pitt offense.

- Dejuan Blair is a monster. I know I have been saying this all year, but this kid has game. He snatches up every rebound near him, and just looks bigger and stronger then his opponents. He plays psychical and I like it. I’ll keep the NBA comparison’s going and say he’s got some Elton Brand game for sure.

- There are times when Sam Young is unstoppable out there. Young is a gifted scorer and playmaker, if he doesn’t take his talents to the NBA next year, Pitt may have a candidate for not only Big East player of the year, but player of the year period.

*** Pitt’s Sam Young has been voted to first team All-Big East team, while freshman Dejuan Blair received honorable mention (aka he got shafted).***

NCAA and Conference Tourney News

Pitt has Cincinnati in the first round of the Big East tournament Wednesday at 7 PM.

Robert Morris lost Mt. Saint Mary’s 83-65, killing their chances of a NCAA tournament bid.

Duquesne has a first round match with LaSalle also on Wednesday in the A-10

Penguins- Time to get down to it.

For once we are on point here at PN@ and have already posted a recap of yesterday’s Pen’s action, so here is just a few thoughts about the team…

-Fleury is the man. The Penguins higher up’s have shown that their allegiance lies with the Flower. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing wrong with this as he is our franchise goalie. On top of that, Fleury’s ego is more fragile then Conklin’s is so it's better to give him his PT (playing time) so it won’t mess with his head.

-There has been debate about what to do with the power play lines once Hossa returns from injury. I like the idea of splitting up Malking and Crosby, and giving each their own PP line. It seems Malkin plays with more confidence without Crosby by his side. Also, keeping the two separate will drive opposing coaches crazy, as they try to match up their top penalty kill units against each superstar’s line.

Goodbye Wire

In un-sports related news, the series finale of The Wire aired last night on HBO. The Wire is my favorite TV show of all time and after 5 seasons, it concluded in true Wire fashion, conveying the message that the more things changed, the more they stayed same. I won’t snitch as to what happened, but if you haven’t seen it already you need to get on demand and check it out ASAP. The Wire will be greatly missed here at PN@.

(Pic from hbo.com)

Is it Slim Charles' time to shine?

(Pic from hbo.com)

Or is Cheese in charge?

(Pic from flowtv.org)

Or is Marlo still the man?

Until lata...

Pens Win 4-2

The Penguins battled against an eastern conference team. the Washington Capitals, early on Sunday. Before the game even started, when the TV cameras where panning the crowd, I saw almost the same amount of Penguins fans as I did Capital fans - it was as if the game was to be played at home in Pittsburgh. The first period ended scoreless and it was looking as this game was going to be won by fighting hard for the puck down deep in the corners.

The second period started out much like the first period ended. After a hard hitting beginning to the period the Capitals took the lead when Brooks Laich scored a power play goal. Not more than Ninety seconds later did Geno Malkin send a beautiful pass to Petr Sykora, who fanned on it but still scored to tie the game at one. Ten minutes later Geno had another great pass to Sid "the Kid" Crosby who scored with a low line wrist shot. It looked as if the Penguins would enter the locker room with a one goal lead, but they were penalty plagued and allowed the Caps' Alexander Semin to score another power play goal with only seconds left in the period.

(Pic from img.timeinc.net)

First goal since he returned...

At the beginning of the 3rd period both teams seem to have a little more jump in their skate, and both teams had great goal scoring chances in the gridlocked game. With less than thirty seconds left to go, it looked to me that both teams would get at least one point and the game would go to overtime. Sid the Kid threw the puck to the front of the net hoping that something would happen……. And something did! Trying to clear the puck the Capitals' Nick Backstom ended up putting it into the back of his own net, which gave the Penguins a one goal lead with seconds left. With an empty net Geno showed how unselfish he really was by taking another assist on the night and handing the game ending goal to J Staal.

PS - This was our boy Danny "Tteado" Hahn's recap of the game. Not too shabby, me thinks. So thanks buddy.

Until lata...

Quick Thanks...

Hey guys, sorry about there not being a post today - I just worked a ten hour shift and Diego got swamped at his place of employment. I'm going to try and post something worth a damn tonite or tomorrow, depending on how it goes (got another 10 hour run tomorrow too, so I may just go get hammered afterwards, you just never know).

But on thing I wanted to make sure I mentioned was a big thank you goes to our boys over at the hailredskins.com 2008 Mock Draft Database, who posted our link and has made this crappy Friday into our biggest day ever at PNA. As of this post, we've already TRIPLED our highest traffic day ever! So thanks a ton.

While I'm at it, I should also thank my boy Don over at Mondesi's House, Pittsburgh's number 1 sports blog. He's really helped turn our site into something worthwhile - hell, without him, we'd only be known by the people we tell to look at our site at the bar. And writing for his site has turned us into Pittsburgh legends (in our own minds), and it impresses the ladies when Mondesi's House is dropped on the radio and we can say "yea, we write for that site." So we owe him a lot too.

And last, but certainly not least, Snack would like to thank Jake and Alex over at Bucco Blog for letting him (try) to drop some knowledge on the yinzers about his beloved Buccos. It's the hardest to write for (as they kinda suck), but definitely the most fulfilling. They're giving me a shot at "the bigtime" with them, and I really appreciate it. Who knows, with Snack on their side, maybe they'll break .500 this year...maybe.

I know, this isn't what you guys expected to be reading today, and I apologize. But seeing as this was a lazy Friday for us, and our biggest day in history, I felt the need to let yinz know who brought us here. So check out their sites, and enjoy the weekend.

PS - Let's hope the Pens don't crap themselves like they did last night again on Sunday. Good Lord did they stink the place up.

Until lata...

A few quick links for yinz...

Diego made some links up yesterday - and I forgot to post them. So I'm an idiot. But here's some links I found and he told me about to hold ya over until we post our pens game recap. Enjoy....

The Steelers are looking at Chris Crocker in free agency. I personally don't know much about him, but we need all the help we can get at safety. But he did just come off a stint playing with the Falcons, so god only knows what kinda attitude this jagoff has...

The Pens look to go 2-0 with Sid back in the lineup when they face Florida tonight at 7:30. Let's hope they don't stink up the joint like they enjoy doing against crappy teams - especially crappy teams from Florida...

(Pic from steelerstuff.com)

Here we go Steelers, here we go!

Speaking of the Penguinos, PNA's boy Gary "I'll Eat Your Children" Roberts seems to be rounding into form right in time for the playoffs. The Trib is saying his goal is to play 5 regular season games to "warm up" and be ready to kick a lil' ass come playoff time.

Some people think Old Balls Roberts is too old to make an impact on our playoff run - I say he's a proven playoff winner and should be added to our playoff roster every year until he's 50. The way he was punishing people in Game 5 last season, even when it was clear we weren't going to win, was an inspiration to the guys. Plus, he scored 2 goals in 5 games, which ain't shabby for someone roughly my dad's age.

(Pic from postgazette.com)

"...and you can count, on me, waiting for you in the parking lot."

PS - I searched Google Images for this pic of Gary Roberts, like I would for any picture. But when I typed his name in, let's just say there were some images DRAWN by some jagoff named Gary Roberts, and they're f-ing crazy. I won't even link you up to Google Images they're so wild, but if you're daring, you can check it out for yourself...

In celeb news, Patrick Swayze has cancer. It's a sad day for me (and apparently Mark Madden - who knew?), mostly because I always like Road House. Luckily, the reports of him having only 5 weeks to live were untrue, but his prognosis isn't necessarily all that good. So we'll have to see how this one plays out.

And finally, It's Always Sunny in Philadephia, a show Snack and Diego both think is funny as hell, has been picked up for another season. Check it out on F/X when the new season rolls around. And don't forget to catch the series finale of The Wire on HBO. It's on Sunday night at 9, and it looks like Marlo and Chris are about to get busy livin', or get busy dyin'...It's gonna be sweet.

(Pic from hbo.com)

RIP Snoop - someone will be joinin' ya shortly girl.

Until lata...

NFL Mock Draft

OK boys and girls, here's our first mock draft for 2008 - it was compiled by our boy JG, who surprisingly enough knows his stuff, and Diego and I think it's a great preview.

Look for Snack and Diego to post their own version sometime before the draft, although it probably won't be all that different from this one (unless we go the toolbox way and wait for John "Salsbury makes me cry" Clayton and Mel "creepiest guy on TV" Kiper to ruin draft day for us by telling everyone who the Dolphins will pick)...

So enjoy...

1 Dolphins Chris Long DE Virginia

Parcells may decide that Matt Ryan is their future QB, but if he is satisfied with Jordan Beck, Chris Long is too good to pass up.

2 Rams Jake Long OT Michigan

If Chris Long isn’t the number one pick, he should go to St. Louis, but they would also like to beef up their O-line and Jake Long is the best man for the job.

3 Falcons Matt Ryan QB Boston College

If he doesn’t go to the Dolphins, the Falcons should take Ryan, though he may not be worth Top-3 money.

4 Raiders Darren McFadden RB Arkansas

The Raiders need help on their O-line and D-line, but are known for trying to bring in playmakers. They should probably take Glenn Dorsey but after signing DT Tommy Kelly to a huge deal, I don’t see it.

5 Chiefs Glenn Dorsey DT LSU

This is a tough spot for Kansas City because they really need an offensive-tackle and may overpay for Boise State’s Ryan Clady, but there will be much better prospects still on the board. Their best bet is to trade down.

6 Jets Vernon Gholston DE Ohio State

The way the Jets are bringing in big free-agents makes me believe they are praying for McFadden to fall in their hands, which could happen. If he’s not still around, they would probably like to trade down and pay less money for a WR, or an ILB to fill in for Vilma. USC DT Sedrick Ellis would have been the pick if they hadn’t traded for Kris Jenkins.

7 Patriots Leodis McKelvin CB Troy

The Patriots have their eye on Gholston, but if he is off the board, Leodis McKelvin would be a nice fill-in for Asante Samuel.

8 Ravens Sedrick Ellis DT USC

Though this is not a major need for Baltimore, he is the last of a handful of elite prospects, and they would be pretty much forced to take him in this spot. Expect them to take Ryan, Gholston, or McKelvin, respectively, if they should drop.

9 Bengals Ryan Clady OT Boise St.

The Bengals are filling most of their needs in free agency, so may decide to address the O-line with their first pick. After signing DE Antwan Odom, choosing a DE seems highly unlikely.

10 Saints Keith Rivers OLB USC

With the top DT’s off the board, New Orleans may choose the first LB in the draft. The Saints like Rivers, who would probably enjoy being paired with Vilma. They also want a tight-end, but this is too early of a pick to address this need. They may even trade down if they don’t like their options, and don’t think Rivers is worth Top-10 money.

11 Bills Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma

The Bills are surely looking for a tall receiver and have been keeping their eye on Texas WR Limas Sweed, but Kelly is considered the top receiver in the draft and has the height the Bills are looking for. Don’t be surprised if it’s Sweed instead.

12 Broncos Chris Williams OT Vanderbilt

Clady may drop to the 12th pick, but if K.C. or Cincy decides to reach for their tackle, Denver will settle with Williams. Pitt OT Jeff Otah is next in line.

13 Panthers Jeff Otah OT Pittsburgh

If he is already off the board, they would most likely make a decision between one of the remaining first-round defensive ends (Harvey, Merling, Campbell).

14 Bears Limas Sweed WR Texas

What don’t they need on offense? The only thing they had was solid receivers, and they’re gone. I believe Lovie Smith is sticking with Cedric Benson, but if not, Illinois’ RB Rashard Mendenhall could be the answer.

15 Lions Aqib Talib CB Kansas

They would also like to get a solid offensive lineman, but with all the top names off the board, they are likely to go with a corner instead.

16 Cardinals Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois

They would love to have Mendenhall and E. James as a one-two punch, but they will have to decide if they rather use this pick on a top corner. Mike Jenkins is a possible option.

17 Vikings Phillip Merling DE Clemson

They may choose a wide receiver, but would like to find a solid defensive end to build on their already incredible run defense, not to mention help their pass rush.

18 Texans Jonathan Stewart RB Oregon

This is likely if he is still available, but there is a good chance he won’t be. Alternate options include S Kenny Phillips, and any of the previously mentioned corners, as well as Tenn. St. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

19 Eagles DeSean Jackson WR Cal

Phillip Merling and Miami DE Calais Campbell are other options for the Eagles after releasing Jevon Kearse, but McNabb needs more options.

20 Buccaneers Mike Jenkins CB South Florida

Tampa is slim on receivers, but there may already be four or five taken. If this is the case, they will most likely look to build on their defense, whether it is cornerback, or defensive-end.

21 Redskins Derrick Harvey DE Florida

They may opt to choose a WR if they like the remaining options at this point, but they are also looking for a DE and a fill-in for the late Sean Taylor. DE Calais Campbell may be their choice instead.

22 Cowboys Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tenn. St.

The Cowboys are in need of a corner and this could be his time in the draft. Brandon Flowers and Reggie Smith should be other options still available at this position. If Jonathan Stewart and/or Rashard Mendenhall are still not chosen, Dallas may take a corner with their next choice.

23 Steelers Branden Albert OG Virginia

Tomlin believes they are in a position to take the best player available in the upcoming draft. If this is true, they could possibly land a superstar. If RB Jonathan Stewart falls to the 23rd pick, he could be our short-yardage back, but that’s not all. This guy is a machine, weighing in at close to 235 lbs. and running a 4.4 40-yard dash. Yes, I know we all like Fast Willie, and with a better O-line (Mahan) he probably would have found the end-zone more often, but doesn’t it seem like they’ve been missing something since the departure of Bettis? The answer could be Jonathan Stewart. But, after signing Mewelde Moore, this seems highly improbable. It would be nice if Pitt tackle Jeff Otah were available as well. Word is the Steelers are interested in the lineman, and there is a slight possibility he could fall as far as the 23rd choice. He could definitely help their offensive-line issues.

If the Bills do not choose WR Limas Sweed and decide take Malcom Kelly instead, there is a chance he could fall in Pittsburgh’s hands. He is 6’4” and has the build to be a #1 receiver in the NFL. There’s no doubt he’ll be smarter than Plaxicco was during his stint in the Burgh. A 6’5” James Hardy wouldn’t be too bad either. CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had an outstanding combine and has the best chance to be available out of all these guys, besides Hardy. Steelers fans know we could use another corner, but teams are worried because of his lack of competition. He played at a small college in Tennessee St., but I happened to believe this is the #1 or #2 corner in the draft. Teams let his cousin, Antonio, slip in the draft, and I don’t think they should make the same mistake twice.

In the end, I’m going to call Tomlin’s bluff and say he chooses Virginia OG Branden Albert. But don’t be discouraged by the choice because this guy could fill in for Faneca for years to come. He is by far the best guard in the draft and has all the tools to become a consistent pro-bowler. This would be the smart choice, but we all may be surprised. RB Rashard Mendenhall and CB Mike Jenkins may still be on the board as well.

24 Titans Mario Manningham WR Michigan

Vince Young needs some help from his receiving corps, but Manningham had such a bad workout at the combine that the Titans may turn to Indiana WR James Hardy, or LSU WR Early Doucet.

25 Seahawks Kentwan Balmer DT N. Carolina

Balmer could go higher in the draft, and the Seahawks would like to at an OT, but with all the top names off the list, Balmer would be the best choice for Seattle.

26 Jaguars Calais Campbell DE Miami

Now that the WR situation has been resolved, Jacksonville’s main concern will be defensive end, and Campbell would be a great addition to an already dominant defense, who already added ex-Charger CB Drayton Florence.

27 Chargers Sam Baker OT USC

The Chargers are in position to take the best available, but would like to at a right tackle to help Tomlinson. Boston College OT Gosder Cherilus is another option for San Diego.

28 Cowboys Felix Jones RB Arkansas

If they already have their corner in place with the 22nd pick, expect the Cowboys to use their 2nd first-round choice on a RB. Chances are they are not going to make a trade to get McFadden, but his college backup will work just fine.

29 49ers James Hardy WR Indiana

If Hardy lasts this long, he would be a huge help to Alex Smith. The addition of Issacc Bruce is not the long-term answer.

30 Packers Gosder Cherilus OT Boston College

The Packers would like to see Rodgers-Cromartie still available, which is a strong possibility, but may need choose the best player available this deep in the first- round, while still addressing their needs. CB Reggie Smith, CB Brandon Flowers, and TE Fred Davis have are viable choices as well.

31 Giants Dan Connor ILB Penn State

He may be gone by this point, but not many teams are focusing on linebackers as their top priority this year. OLB Keith Rivers could even drop as far as the Giants, or even into the second round.

Other First-Round Possibilities

Fred Davis TE USC, Kenny Phillips S Miami, Brian Brohm QB Louisville, Early Doucet WR LSU, Quentin Groves DE Auburn, Chilo Rachal OG USC, Reggie Smith CB Oklahoma, Brandon Flowers CB Virginia Tech, Devin Thomas WR Mich. St, Other Notable Players, Dustin Keller TE Purdue, Ray Rice RB Rutgers, Jamaal Charles RB Texas, John Carlson TE ND, Chris Johnson RB East Carolina, Carl Nicks OT Nebraska, Mike Pollak OC Arizona St., Steven Justice OC Wake Forest, Anthony Collins OT Kansas, Roy Schuening OG Oregon St., Pat Sims DT Auburn, Curtis Lofton ILB Oklahoma, Ali Highsmith OLB LSU, Andre Caldwell WR Florida, Eddie Royal WR Virginia Tech, Colt Brennan QB Hawaii, Owen Schmitt FB WVU, Peyton Hillis FB Arkansas, Jacob Hester FB LSU, Lawrence Jackson DE USC, Jerod Mayo OLB Tennessee, Xavier Adibi OLB Virginia Tech, Erin Henderson OLB Maryland, Tracy Porter CB Indiana, Antoine Cason CB Arizona, Dejuan Morgan S NC St., Trevor Laws DT ND, Wesley Woodyard Jr OLB Kentucky, Lavelle Hawkins WR California, Cody Wallace C Texas A&M, Donnie Avery WR/KR Houston, Dexter Jackson WR/KR Appalachian State.

Top 10 Movies filmed in (or around) Pittsburgh

With all the recent news of movies being filmed in Pittsburgh and all the controversy that goes along with that, we decided to dedicate this weeks top 10 to movies filmed right here in the Burgh (or somewhere close). It's a little off the sports topics we usually cover, but a little pop culture never hurt anyone. We hope you enjoy, and we'd like to thank our boy, your boy, Mondesi himself for throwing us this idea...

10. Deer Hunter

Ok, I'm not going to lie, I've never actually "seen" this movie. However I do know that it won whole bunch of Academy Awards in 1978 and has also been named one of the 100 Greatest American Movies of all time. Not to metion this film stars Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken as well. Hard to go wrong with that combo. Throwback movies aren't usually our favorites, but it never hurts to respect your elders. Plus Walken is the man. Period.

Who knew Bobby was a blood?

9. Robocop

Another old school movie at the bottom of the list, Robocop came out in 1987 and somehow ended up makin $56 Million and two more sequels, which is ludicrous. This movie probably cost about 500 grand to make as the Robocop costume looks like something your mom made you for Halloween out of tin foil and carboard boxes - and don't even get me started on the effects. The funniest part about this movie is that it featured the least scariest villain of all time; Red from that 70's show. Man that dude has been bald forever.

Rogaine didn't work for him...

8. Sudden Death

And the classics keep on coming here with the 1995 hockey classic/action flick Sudden Death. This one stared Jean Claude "Who wants to party?" Van Damme, Mike Lange, Jay Caufield, Luc Robaitaille, Paul Steigerwald, and even the mascot Iceburgh makes an apperance (and gets to commit a felony - Go Pens!). Gotta love the Van Damme movies as there is always plenty of unintentional comedey that goes along with them, this one being no different. Plus, the 80's style kung fu or whatever it is he uses on his foes are the best martial arts this side of Stephen Segal.

The only terror in this movie is the acting...

7. Kingpin

This Farrelly brothers movie is hilarious; it's a movie about hustling people in bowling. Woody "Legalize It" Harrelson plays Roy Munson, who is the inspiration behind the term "munson'd", which pretty much means getting screwed over. Randy Quaid plays an Amish bowler named Ismael and Bill Murray also sticks his nose in this one as the slimeball opponent who cost Munson his hand (and somehow is a pimp and player in the movie, even though he rocks a combover and is a pro bowler). Kingpin manages to equally offend a wide variety of people, which is always a plus. Even pitching great/enemy of the state Roger Clemens makes a cameo as a redneck named Skidmark - I'm sure this was a real strech for Roger.

6. Striking Distance

Bruce Willis is one bad dude, and him filming an action movie in the Burgh is pretty freakin' sweet. Unlike most movies filmed here in Pittsburgh, this one was actually supposed to be Pittsburgh in the movie. Bruce plays a butt-kicking river rescue cop who has a chip on his shoulder, which makes him wanna kick more butt, solve mysteries, and more unsolved murders in the Burgh. Tom Sizemore also was in this instant classic. So basically monthly earnings for the girls working Liberty Ave. and local crack dealers were up while this one was being filmed.

5. Night of the Living Dead

This one is born and bred in Pittsburgh - according to Wikipedia (god bless that site), the man who brought Night of the Living Dead to life, George Romero, went to CMU, and used a Pittsburgh based film company on the flick. He even got his start filming spots for Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. The 1968 mega-low budget picture is one of, if not the most well known zombie flick ever made, and brought forth a series of sequels and a couple remakes. It's kinda funny to watch nowadays. but it is truly a classic in every sense.

They're coming for you...

4. Dogma

Kevin Smith's foray into the world of organized religion, Dogma was criticized by the Catholic Church for portraying God in a less then appropriate way - as a mute Alanis Morissette who likes to do cartwheels and make beeping noises. We're both Catholic and we thought it was hilarious (sorry pope). It's a great satire about the church, but we mostly like the stupid jokes and gratuitous violence. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck also star in this as angels who were banned from heaven and sent to Earth for all eternity as a punishment, as do Jason Mewes and Smith himself as Jay and Silent Bob, the two stoners who basically made Smith into what he is today. George Carlin, Selma Hayek, Jason Lee, Alan Rickman and Linda Fiorentino round out this all star cast.

Buddy Christ is the man!

3. Groundhog Day

Bill Murray stars as a TV weatherman from the Burgh' who travels to Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day to see everyone's favorite rodent, Phil the Groundhog, predict the weather in this 1993 classic. The probem is, Groundhog Day keeps repeating itself over and over and over again, until he lives the day right and gets with Andie MacDowell (well played old man). This movie is also big in the physchological community, where it's been used in many different ways. My humble opinion is this is the movie that sent Bill Murray from coke snorting SNL alum to bigtime comedic actor, which is a very good thing, because if that never happened, we'd never have classics like the Royal Tannenbaums, Lost in Translation and Rushmore.

Look ma, no hands!

2. Hoffa

What's not to like about Jack Nicholson playing Jimmy Hoffa in a movie shot in Pittsburgh? This 1992 biography of Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa is a favorite of ours for two reasons; tons of violence and lots of swearing. I know, we're like 12 year olds. It was filmed all over Pittsburgh, but was actually set in Detroit. Who woulda guessed Pittsburgh would be a poor man's Detroit for the movie industry? Nicholson steals the show, and the story follows him from his beginnings burning down businesses all the way to his disappearance. Add in a great supporting cast of Danny Devito and John C. Reilly, and you got yourself one helluva movie.

Where did you go, Jimmy Hoffa?

1. Silence of the Lambs

Academy Award winners Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins bring the story of physcologist/serial cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lector to life in this 1991 Best Picture Winner. This movie still sends chills down my spine over 15 years later. It was one of the first horror movies I saw, and probably is why I don't like them to this day. Much like Night of the Living Dead (and every other horror movie I know of), this movie spawned sequels and I think even a prequel. It's also one of the most "copied" or mocked movies of all time, with everyone from South Park to the movie Joe Dirt (another Snack favorite) using something from Lambs. If you've never seen it, make sure you check out the episode of South Park called Toilet Paper - it's a spoof of this and is one of the top 5 episodes ever.

Clarice!

Honorable mention -

Inspector Gadget, Angels in the Outfield, Lorenzo's Oil, The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh, Milk Money, Flashdance