RATE IT! Owen Hargreaves

Ah, Owen Hargreaves! My officially sanctioned boyfriend -- approved by Mr. Lose That Girl. You know when you play that fantasy game where you are allowed *one* person that you could have if you were able and everyone was willing...well, my choice is Owen Hargreaves. My husband -- okay, full disclosure ...he IS a Manchester United fan too -- and I have an arrangement. He can have Kate from "Lost" as his girlfriend, and I can have Owen. Nice!

For the uninitiated, Owen Hargreaves is a Canadian who plays mid-field for Manchester United. At the young age of 16, he left Calgary to join Bayern Munich's youth team in Germany. He played there for 10 years during which he won countless trophies and was named to England's national football squad (Owen's father is English hence his dual citizenship and availability for England). In the summer of 2007, he made a successful transfer to Manchester United -- yay!!!!

How do I love thee? There are far too many ways to count. His dedication to his sport is to be admired. How many of us would leave our parents as a youngster to move solo to a foreign country where you don't know the language? At the 2006 World Cup, he took endless negative barbs from the England fans who didn't feel that he was English enough to set foot into their beloved squad. Did he talk smack back via the press? No, he just showed everyone how wrong they were by being named England's player of the year. He's a gifted athlete, an exemplary individual away from the pitch, he has written two sports blogs and heck, he's a Canadian boy done good! He also happens to be absolutely gorgeous. And he scored the winning goal to knock Arsenal out of the EPL title race (do I regain my street cred now?)

Final verdict: Owen Hargreaves personifies everything fab about the EPL, and he's pretty too!

HATE IT! Chelsea FC

The main topic of conversation in my circles this weekend has been the Manchester United-Chelsea soccer game that took place yesterday. I am a staunch United fan and was sickened by the turn of events during the EPL game. United are tops of the league...Chelsea, in 2nd snapping at United's heels. The match was supposed to propel United a further three points ahead of Chelsea all but granting a guarantee that the good guys would capture the EPL championship and all would be well in this world.

That was the PLAN. As we all know, things don't always...go to plan. Chelsea won the match. Two of our players, Vidic and Rooney, left the pitch injured, and we we're forced to watch Chelsea's annoying brand of football. Their take on the game involves a disinterested manager and players that argue continually on the pitch (step forward, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack). 

Okay, it's bad enough when your own team loses...but it's worse when you have to view the bickering and disharmony of the team that comes out the winner. Chelsea does not deserve to win *any* trophies this year. Soccer/football is a team sport and that type of crap doesn't speak towards the sportsmanlike behaviour that the league is trying to promote. While Ballack and Drogba bicker, the United players truly are united & deserve to win the league title. 

I admit that I *am* biased and United can do no wrong (usually!). Chelsea are evil...well, except for Joe Cole. He's lovely and deserves better -- even if he does have a tendency to wail like a little girl when he gets knocked over. 

Final verdict: Chelsea are the football team that your spoilt cousin cheers for. Enough said!

RATE IT! Gossip Girl

Monday nights have a new queen bee. Move aside lame "Samantha Who." Yes, "Gossip Girl" is back (at least on the CW -- CTV what are you playing at hoarding episodes for later). A gargantuan THANK YOU to the TV gods for hauling the striking writers back to their computers just in time for us to reconvene & observe how season 1 of this deliciously saucy show wraps up. Ah, how I am devouring the final 5 episodes!

This program is a tantalizing recipe for success: 

~ take the most exciting metropolis on the planet...New York City

~ add in the most visually gorgeous rich bitches and hot trust-fund blokes 

~ drop in a working-class brother-sister combo from the other side of the tracks

~ mix-in designer fashions to die for, and the hippest haunts in the Big Apple

and you have yourself one juicy series chock a block full of betrayal, angst and lust. 

The series is already well-known amongst teens as it is based on a series of young adult fiction written by Cecily von Ziegesar, but the CW with the help of OC head honcho, Josh Schwartz have crafted a television series that is smartly written and extremely entertaining to watch -- even if you're older than 18. The actors are all stunningly beautiful but hey, don't we want our rich society debs to be everything that we want to be? Hot, rich -- but of course! They're also leading very indulgent, messed up lives -- very troubled eye-candy that keeps on delivering.

"Gossip Girl" with its impeccable pedigree is just waiting for your invitation Monday nights. Dial her up on the CW and get hooked. Guilty pleasures were never so much fun!! 

Final verdict: I LOVE this program far too much...it's probably not healthy how much I adore this series. Serena + Dan forever -- or maybe not!