Stretch First

RIP Deion Jenkins, Soulja Boy's younger brother

2011-03-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

U.S. hip-hop star Soulja Boy has confirmed via Twitter his younger brother was killed in a weekend car crash.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said 15-year-old Deion O'Neal Jenkins died Sunday night in a collision in Tallahatchie County, Miss. No other details regarding the wreck were reported.
"At home crying my eyes out I can't believe my Lil bro is gone," the newspaper quoted Soulja Boy, whose real name is Deandre Cortez Way, as tweeting Monday.

G-Unit Sueing Young Buck

2011-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

According to The Tennessean, G-Unit Records has filed a $10 million claim against former artist Young Buck in the event that he breaches his contract with the label, in his ongoing bankruptcy case.

50 Cent has also filed a $171,000 claim against Young Buck, claiming he loaned his former artist $300,000 in 2005.

In all, Young Buck has 14 claims against him in the bankruptcy proceedings, which total a whopping $11.5 million dollars.

Young Buck’s lawyer Robin Mitchell Joyce blamed some of Young Buck’s financial troubles on the deal he signed with 50′s G-Unit imprint.

She claims that G-Unit managed Young Buck, handled all of his business, provided legal counseling and acted as his booking agent.

This could have put anyone working with Young Buck in danger of running afoul of 50 Cent, especially after the two men began to feud.

“One of the biggest problems with Buck’s situation is not only that it’s so complex, but also that he didn’t understand it,” Joyce told The Tennessean. “The money went in and the money went out and Buck’s universe of knowledge about his financial state is a balance on an ATM receipt. … Buck never knew at one point, at several points, that he was a millionaire.”

According to Joyce, she has submitted a $500,000 budget for a new album since Young Buck is technically still signed to the label, although his releases through G-Unit have been put on hold.

Joyce believes the label must either approve the budget and release Young Buck’s third album for G-Unit or let him out of his contract.

Young Buck is also facing 10 years in prison over a federal gun rap after a March 7th arrest, which accused the rapper of illegally being in possession of a gun in August of 2010.

He is free on $100,000 bail.

Article Courtesy of Hip Hop 101

SMH!

Elizabeth Taylor Dies

2011-03-23T08:54:00.001-07:00

One of Hollywood's most legendary beauties, Elizabeth Taylor, died on Wednesday (March 23) at the age of 79 after spending two months in a Los Angeles hospital for treatment of congestive heart failure. One of the brightest stars in the history of the American movie business, Taylor starred in a string of hit movies in the 1950s and 60s, including "Giant," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Cleopatra," while becoming an international sex symbol and object of tabloid fascination for her string of love affairs with leading men.

Rhianna Turns to Cancel Tour

2011-03-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like Rhi Rhi is a re-run in the states. Due to poor ticket sales, Rhi's management team is urging her to cancel some tour dates. Someone is just not packing out the arena like they use to. ihanna was forced to scrap a string of dates on her Last Girl On Earth Tour last year following disappointing sales figures. The latest reports suggest Rihanna’s Loud trek has also been hit hard, with her management team urging her to cancel a number of Stateside concerts after poor pre-sales last month, according to the New York Post’s Page Six.
Sources say, “It has been a big disappointment. The ticket sales in big U.S. cities like Boston are so bad, they will barely cover basics like the lighting and other arena costs. Tour managers are begging local radio stations to do giveaways.” Just 3,700 tickets have reportedly been sold for Rihanna’s gig at the T.D. Garden arena in Boston, Massachusetts in July and she’ll need at least 15,000 to break even.

Bow Wow Dropped From Cash Money Records

2011-03-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

Industry insiders say that Bow Wow formerly known as Lil Bow Wow has been dropped from Cash Money Records,this has not been confirmed but we expect a announcement soon. Details about Bow Wow being kicked to the curb are sketchy at this time but we can only speculate it is because Bow Wow’s time as a rapper has long been up. Bow Wow hasn’t had a hit song in years and Cash Money is not known for keeping artists on their label,very long or very happy. The only original artist still signed to Cash Money is Lil Wayne. Former Cash Money artists Juvenile , B.G. Mannie Fresh, Allstar and others have fled the label in the past. We will update you on the story when more info becomes available.

Oprah Denies Jesus is the Only way to get to Heaven

2011-02-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Oprah was truly tripping. Just lost a fan... Watch the video!

Jamie Fox Gets Beat Down At Usher Party

2011-02-12T07:14:00.000-08:00

amie Foxx reportedly got a "beat down" Thursday night at Usher's Pre-Grammy Party and it was by another unidentified star.

Actor Damien Dante Wayans was at the party and tweeted:

"So b4 u hear it from WORLDSTAR a STAR STUDDED FIGHT just broke out @ the USHER event I'm out.."

Sources say the fight happened right in front of the superstar host and record producer Jermaine Dupri. RumorFix has learned exclusively that Usher was singing, "OMG" when someone came up to Foxx, spoke to him for a minute then punched him. We've been told the unidentified attacker is someone Jamie has worked with in the past and may be a record producer.

An eyewitness tells us "Jamie returned the punch, before security threw the guy to the floor."

Usher didn't acknowledge the fight, he kept singing, and our source says "He didn't even flinch."

Actor Ryan Phillippe and The Hills Frankie Delgado were also at the club.

Someone tried to take a picture and "security took the camera and threw it to the ground," our eyewitness says.

Foxx's publicist Alan Nierob tells RumorFix, "He's fine."

Wayans talked to TMZ and he tried to downplay the fight saying "It was a little altercation ... between friends." He suggested that the two made up and were probably having dinner at Mel's Diner that night.

Anybody can Pledge Alpha Phi Alpha

2011-02-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

I heard that anyone can pledge APhiA but never believed it. That is until I saw this picture. SMH dayum shame.

Halle Berry battels ex over daughter's race

2011-02-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Posted 02/08/2011 by Kristina Lopez

Halle Berry gets candid in a new interview with Ebony magazine for the March issue about her daughter's race and the actress said that in her eyes, "I feel like she's black."

The comments come in the middle of a storm of press headlines about the messy custody battle between Berry and ex Gabriel Aubry over their two-year-old daughter Nahla. Berry, whose father is African-American and mother is white, said that Nahla will eventually have to figure out her identity for herself one day.

"What I think is that that's something she's going to have to decide," she reportedly told the magazine, according to E! News. "I'm not going to put a label on it. I had to decide for myself, and that's what she's going to have to decide -- how she identifies herself in the world. And I think, largely, that will be based on how the world identifies her. That's how I identified myself."

The actress added, "I'm black and I'm her mother, and I believe in the one-drop theory."

Berry is referencing a rule used during the segregation era that classified a person with any African ancestry as black.

Aubry, who is French Canadian, has been recently accused by tabloid reports of hurling racial slurs at Berry. However, Berry has never confirmed the reports. A spokesperson for Aubry released a statement to Access Hollywood that called the different allegations surfacing in the press about him "untrue and irresponsible."

The Academy Award-winning actress talked about her own struggle with identity saying, "I identify as a black woman, but I've always had to embrace my mother and the White side of who I am, too. By choosing, I've often [wondered], 'Well, would that make her feel like I'm invalidating her by choosing to identify more with the black side of myself?'"

Berry, who recently dropped out of her role in "New Years Eve" to deal with her on-going custody battle, also tells the magazine, "Being a mother is probably the most important thing in my life right now." She added, "Career is important, but nothing really supersedes my role as a mother. That's the most important thing I'm going to do in this life at this point."

After Berry dropped out, Katherine Heigl was hired to take over Berry's role in the star-studded ensemble film.

Aubry's fight with Berry over Nahla began a month after former model Aubrey filed court papers in Los Angeles Superior Court to establish paternity and secure joint legal custody on December 30.

Last week Berry's spokesperson released a statement to People magazine that read: "Halle has serious concerns for her daughter's well-being while in the care of her father for any extended period of time and is prepared to take all necessary steps to protect her. She has attempted to resolve these custody issues amicably with her daughter's father, Gabriel Aubry, directly, but given his lack of cooperation, Halle has no choice but to seek swift judicial intervention."

Prince Kicks Kim Kardashian off Stage

2011-02-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

It was Go Crazy or Go Home for Kim Kardashian at Monday's Prince concert at NYC's Madison Square Garden.

The "Let's Go Crazy" singer pulled up the famous reality star on stage -- and at first, Kardashian, 30, couldn't pull it together and get funky.

"OMG Prince just pulled me up on stage!!!" she tweeted in the midst of it all. "I'm shaking!!!"

PHOTOS: How Kim has stormed the Big Apple

The royal one didn't think that was cute: He kicked the motionless starlet off the stage, according to witnesses. Kardashian explained, "I was so nervous I froze when Prince touched me!"

Luckily, she had a chance at redemption. Two hours later, she rejoined the Purple One.

"Went up on stage AGAIN! This time I redeemed myself. We all danced while prince played the piano! Wow! What a night!"

Ciara dropped From Jive

2011-02-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

Ok so who went out and purchased the "princess of crunk & b"'s new album. Anybody? Does any one even know what its called? Well, I'm sure you are like the rest of the world and didn't know she even had a new album out called Basic Instint. It is for these reasons Jive rumored to be pulling the plug on their investment in Ciara's failing career. I saw it coming with that last album. She can join the other pitiful use-ta-bees, Mya, Ashanti, and few others. So why is Rhianna's career holding up and her's isn't. Could it be there Rhi Rhi can sing. Alicia Keys...can sing. Beyonce....can sing. Singing will out last a pretty face anyday. Another bits the dust. SHM At least she will have time to help launch her bff Kim Kardasian's career. Right?

Mom Shoots and Kills Kids for Talking Back to Her

2011-02-08T05:38:00.000-08:00

TAMPA - When police responded to a call from a concerned relative and found Julie Schenecker on the back porch of her Tampa home, they said she was covered in blood and made a gut-wrenching admission: She had killed her teenage son and daughter because they were "mouthy."

Police said the military officer's wife, described by her mother as depressed, shot and killed her son on the way to soccer practice, then drove to their upscale home and shot her daughter in the head while the girl studied at her computer.

"I think we will never understand how or why a mother could take the lives of her children," police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. "That was the only reason she provided to our detectives."

Schenecker was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Wearing a white jumpsuit, she was led into a county jail on Friday, shaking and being supported by a sheriff's deputy.

Now authorities are trying to understand what triggered the killings.

Schenecker's mother had called police from Texas at about 7:40 a.m. Friday because she was unable to reach the 50-year-old woman, whom she said was depressed and had been complaining about her children.

McElroy said Schenecker left a note detailing her plans to kill her children and then herself, saying "they talked back and were mouthy and that she was going to take care of it." She provided the same motive to police who interviewed her, authorities said.

"During a post-Miranda interview with detectives, the suspect confessed to killing her two children," police said in a statement. "She described the crimes in detail."

Schenecker's husband, Army Col. Parker Schenecker, is stationed at the headquarters of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. The father had been away for several days, said CentCom spokesman Lt. Col. Michael Lawhorn, describing him as a career Army intelligence officer.

Police said Parker Schenecker was in Qatar and was told of his children's deaths on Friday.

Officers found the body of Schenecker's daughter, Calyx Schenecker, 16, in an upstairs bedroom, McElroy said. The body of her son, Beau Schenecker, 13, was found in a sport utility vehicle in the garage.

An arrest affidavit said Schenecker shot her son twice in the head "for talking back" as she drove him to soccer practice Thursday night. She drove home, went inside and shot her daughter in the back of head while the teen sat at a computer doing homework, then shot her in the face, the affidavit said.

McElroy said investigators believe the teens "never saw it coming." Both were killed with a .38-caliber pistol. Police said the weapon was purchased five days earlier, The Tampa Tribune reported.

The family's home is on a cul-de-sac in a gated country club community in north Tampa.

Charanun Soodjinda, 38, lives across the street. He said the Scheneckers moved in about two years ago and "fit right in." The couple's two children often played in the cul-de-sac with other neighborhood kids, and Julie Schenecker seemed to be at home a lot.

"They seemed like a nice family," Soodjinda said. "I never thought this would happen. How could you do that to your children?"

Seena Jain, who carpooled with the Schenecker children and her own daughter, Sheema, 15, told the St. Petersburg Times that recently Parker Schenecker had picked up his wife's carpooling shift while she recovered from a serious car crash that happened about a month ago. Details of the accident weren't immediately available.

Mike Epps Impersonates Ted Williams @ The Exact Spot He Was Discovered (The Man With The Golden Jokes) [LMAO]

2011-02-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Laughing is good for the soul and this will have you cracking up!

La

Watch The Mechanic

2011-02-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this!

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Fighter

2011-01-28T09:19:00.000-08:00

Watch the Fighter
A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

Part 2

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Rihanna - Loud.... Hot Album

2011-01-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

Download Here
Track List: 1. "S&M" 2. "What's My Name" (featuring Drake) 3. "Cheers (Drink to That)" 4. "Fading" 5. "Only Girl (In the World)" 6. "California King Bed" 7. "Man Down" 8. "Raining Men" (featuring Nicki Minaj) 9. "Complicated" 10. "Skin" 11. "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" (featuring Eminem)
iTunes bonus tracks 12. "Love the Way You Lie" (Piano version) 13. "Only Girl (In the World)" (Remix) (Pre-order only) Bonus Bonus Tracks 14. Whos That Chick 15. Stick Up (SNL Live Song) 16. Whats My Name (Original Version)

Cee-Lo Green's Lady Killer...Love It

2011-01-26T04:53:00.001-08:00

For your enjoyment here ya go

1. The Lady Killer Theme (Intro) (Produced By Grey Area)
02. Bright Lights Bigger City (Produced By Ben H. Allen Co-Produced By Graham Marsh)
03. **** You (Produced By The Smeezingtons)
04. Wildflower (Produced By Fraser T. Smith)
05. Bodies (Produced By Salaam Remi)
06. Love Gun Ft. Lauren Bennett (Produced By Cee Lo Green Co-Produced By Salaam Remi)
07. Satisfied (Produced By Fraser T. Smith)
08. I Want You (Produced By Fraser T. Smith And Jack Splash)
09. Cry Baby (Produced By Fraser T. Smith)
10. Fool For You Ft. Philip Bailey (Produced By Jack Splash)
11. It s OK (Produced By Element Co-Produced By Paul Epworth)
12. Old Fashioned (Produced By Alan Nglish Co-Produced By Salaam Remi)
13. No One s Gonna Love You (Produced By Paul Epworth)
14. The Lady Killer Theme (Outro) (Produced By Grey Area)

Download Here

Obama's State of the Union Address

2011-01-25T20:20:00.000-08:00

Jobs, deficit, war: top Issues in Obama's address

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio watches as President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool) (Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP)

Enlarge Photo

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 25, 2011; 10:22 PM

-- President Barack Obama sketched out his vision and goals in an era of divided government as he spoke to the nation in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Here are the highlights:

ECONOMY

Obama hailed the signs of economic recovery - a booming stock market and a jump in corporate profits. "Now that the worst of the recession is over, we have to confront the fact that our government spends more than it takes in. That is not sustainable," he said. Obama proposed a five-year freeze on nondefense spending that would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. He agreed to work with lawmakers on deeper cuts in the budget, vowed to veto bills with lawmakers' pet projects and called for simplifying the tax code. He also asked Congress to eliminate the billions in subsidies to oil companies and tax breaks for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.

INNOVATION

Obama called for investing in biomedical research, information technology and clean energy technology. Among his goals: 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and 80 percent of U.S. electricity from clean energy sources, including nuclear and clean coal as well as solar and wind. "We are the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices, the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers, of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn't just change our lives. It's how we make a living," Obama said.

HEALTH CARE

Obama strongly defended his health care overhaul law, now under siege from Republicans. He expressed a willingness to improve the law, including eliminating an onerous bookkeeping requirement for small businesses. He also indicated he was open to GOP ideas on medical malpractice reform to bring down costs. "So instead of refighting the battles of the last two years, let's fix what needs fixing and move forward," he said.

FOREIGN POLICY

In a speech largely devoted to domestic issues, Obama touched on foreign policy, saying the U.S. commitment to Iraq has been kept and the war is coming to an end. In Afghanistan, the drawdown of U.S. forces will begin in July as the American troops have captured Taliban strongholds and trained more Afghan security forces. "Our purpose is clear - by preventing the Taliban from re-establishing a stranglehold over the Afghan people, we will deny al-Qaida the safe haven that served as a launching pad for 9/11," Obama said. He said the U.S. stands with the people of Tunisia and all people striving for democracy.

MILITARY

Obama marked the end of the ban on gays serving openly in the military. "Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love," the president said. Citing the change, he called on colleges to open their doors to military recruiters and ROTC.

GOVERNMENT REORGANIZATION

Obama scoffed at a government in which the Interior Department oversees salmon in fresh water and Commerce handles salmon in saltwater. "And I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked," he joked. Obama promised to merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government, a proposal that he would submit to Congress for a vote.

POLITICS

Obama acknowledged the lingering divisions from a fierce election and pleaded with Republicans and Democrats to work together, especially as they gathered just weeks after the shooting rampage in Tucson that seriously wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Many lawmakers ignored party lines and sat together for Obama's address. "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow," Obama said.

Second graders giving HEAD!

2011-01-25T19:16:00.001-08:00

Monica Married?

2011-01-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

Singer Allegedly Married Shannon Brown In Nov.
6:00AM ET January 19th, 2011
Contributor : Monica Coleman
A Rocky Williform Company

Apparently, R&B singer Monica and Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown have been married since at least November. Monica moved to Los Angeles to be with Brown this past fall, but there are rumors swirling that they had already been married in front of the their parents.

According to SandraRose, Monica went into the Clayton County office in suburban Atlanta two weeks ago to change her last name to 'Brown.'

According to reports, the couple were secretly married on November 22, 2010. There will reportedly be another 'official' wedding for family and friends (again) in Los Angeles in June.

We want to congratulate the happy couple, but--what's up with all the secrecy?

Bus Driver throws Old lady off the bus then punches her in the face!

2011-01-18T19:58:00.001-08:00

The Game is No.1 on BET

2011-01-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

After nearly two years off the air and in limbo "The Game" has returned to TV, giving BET a big ratings boost and fans another chance to share the highs and lows of a football wife and her athlete husband.

The show premiered its fourth season Tuesday night on BET after a three season run on the CW that was canceled in 2009. "The Game" set a ratings record for BET, which said 7.7 million viewers tuned in, making it the No. 1 original telecast on the network, and No. 2 of all-time, behind the 2009 BET Awards, which had 10.2 million viewers and took place three days after the death of Michael Jackson.

"We're coming out hitting hard," said executive producer Salim Akil. "We really hope it opens BET up to more voices, to more people being able to come in and pitch shows and have a variety of different scripted shows on the network."

"BET has been absolutely top-notch in the way that they've been handling this, from allowing us to be creatively free ... to the advertising to now having the cast at TCA," continued Akil, referring to the recent Television Critics Association gathering in Pasadena, Calif. "All of the things that we didn't get over there at CW, we're getting at BET."

While BET hasn't announced a fifth season, "The Game" is helping the network change its image. The show is the first scripted series for BET, which also premiered its own original show, "Let's Stay Together," right after "The Game" Tuesday night; 4.4 million viewers tuned in to watch "Together," which airs at 10:30 p.m./9:30 p.m. Eastern.

Coby Bell, who stars as football star-turned-sports broadcaster Jason Pitts on "The Game," says BET is taking on a new and positive direction.

"This is the beginning of a change," he said. "We're going to be the first (step)."

Along with the Queen Latifah-produced "Let's Stay Together" and "The Game," BET is also putting together a show called "Reed Between the Lines," starring Tracee Ellis Ross ("Girlfriends").

When the CW canceled "The Game" in 2009, no other network showed interest in picking up the show. Akil said it was even tough booking meetings to pitch the series.

"When there wasn't maybe a couple of calls (returned) at least for a meeting, I was sort of surprised," he said.

His wife, Mara Brock Akil, is the show's creator and co-executive producer (along with Kelsey Grammer); she also executive produced "Girlfriends" with Grammer and is a consulting producer on ABC's "Cougartown." After "The Game" was canceled, she returned to the CW to present an hourlong version of "The Game" and once it was clear that the network was still uninterested, the Akils — as well as the show's cast — thought the game was over.

"I'm usually extremely optimistic," said Tia Mowry, who stars as Melanie Barnett-Davis, a medical school graduate and wife of football star Derwin Davis (Pooch Hall). "I had to let it go. I was like, 'Melanie has died.'"

The new season of "The Game" picks up two years after it ended. The relationship for newlyweds Melanie and Derwin is still rocky since Derwin recently had a child with another woman. Malik Wright (Hosea Chanchez) is second string to Derwin, who is now the San Diego Sabers franchise player. Tasha Mack (Wendy Raquel Robinson), Malik's mother and former manager, is guiding Derwin's career. And Kelly (Brittany Daniel) is still separated from Pitts and has her own reality series called "Ex-Baller's Wife."

"We offer the fans real-life stories that they can relate to," Hall said.

The show's resurrection is mainly due to those fans, who long waited for the show's return, watching reruns on BET and petitioning online.

"It's so crazy how these fans are so embedded and ... attached to these story lines," Mowry said. "They actually think Melanie and Derwin are real."

The show moved its location from Los Angeles to Atlanta, shooting the new season's 13 episodes in a "guerrilla" style.

"No rehearsals, no run-throughs," Chanchez explained. "You had to really trust your director, writers and fellow actors."

But trusting one another was easy for the cast members. During the show's hiatus, they all kept in touch: The women had spa days and Chanchez even spent Christmas and New Year holidays at Robinson's home.

"We kept in touch and I think that's an important factor to why the show came back," Mowry said. "We all would go out, hang out, eat and just chill."

Though the cast is celebrating now, Mowry said they still remember the show's more challenging times when cancellation loomed like a storm cloud over the CW set.

"People always came to me, they were asking me questions ... 'Tia, what do you think?'" Mowry said, recalling the cancellation whispers. "I'm like, 'Dude, we're wearing the same clothes on every episode and they've cut our production costs.' I just knew it (was over)."

But the show's producers and the cast say the return is more than just another paycheck. They say it's to show the world that there needs to be a greater minority presence on television.

"As a person and a viewer in any art form, you want to see yourself represented," Akil said.

Sarah Palin Uses Anti-Semitic Wording While Addressing The Arizona Shooting Situation

2011-01-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

Even at a time when she should take responsibility for getting her supporters wound up with her encouragements to take arms and take action against certain people, she manages to piss us off even more. At a time when peace is so needed, we can count on Sarah Palin to encourage war amongst American citizens. SMH

Even
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Chris Brown gets Mad over Raz B comments

2011-01-12T20:25:00.001-08:00

Top 10 Quater Backs in the Playoffs...

2011-01-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

First I'd like to start off by saying that I am still a giants fan and...we.. will..be BACK NEXT SEASON

From No. 1-12, here are the quarterbacks in the playoffs.

Brady

1. Tom Brady (notes), New England Patriots – He is the lord of the rings in this group with three. If not for a miracle catch against the New York Giants, he’d likely have a fourth … and a perfect season. Brady is an amazing combination of toughness (no one hangs in the pocket against a tough rush better than him right now) and accuracy. While he didn’t come close to matching the record 50 touchdown passes he threw in the 2007 season, this might have been his best season when you consider all the changes around him, from the two tight ends to cutting Randy Moss (notes) (and replacing him with Deion Branch (notes)) to dealing with the loss of RB Kevin Faulk (notes).

[Photos: New England’s Tom Brady]

Roethlisberger

2. Ben Roethlisberger (notes), Pittsburgh Steelers – OK, before all you Peyton Manning (notes) fans get seriously angry and start sending vile messages – oh yeah, you Colts fans, you’re way too polite to do that. That’s why I love you guys. Anyway, if this is based purely on the postseason, Roethlisberger and Manning are basically carbon copies in terms of stats. Roethlisberger has an 87.2 rating in the playoffs. Manning is at 87.6. Roethlisberger has thrown 12 TD passes and seven interceptions in his past eight postseason games while Manning is 12-6 during his past seven. One big difference: there’s that matter of one title more for Roethlisberger. Additionally, Roethlisberger can take a hit, extend plays with his combination of toughness and mobility and get the ball down field. He’s also a better player in the elements. When the weather is bad and the wind starts howling, Roethlisberger is pretty much the same guy. Manning is not. That said, I’m splitting a pretty fine hair in this situation.

[Photos: Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger]

Manning

3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts – Lots of New York fans this week have been debating whether it’s better for the Jets to face a healthy Chiefs team or a beat-up Indianapolis. The Chiefs are a nice team and present their fair share of problems, particularly with running back Jamaal Charles (notes). But seriously, can you really say you’d rather face Manning? Maybe some people could convince themselves of that, but I’m not one of them. Manning is too good to want to mess with, even under the most favorable conditions. Sure, some people have said Manning is a choker in the postseason. Most of those people also think 18K gold is unacceptable.

[Photos: Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning]

Brees

4. Drew Brees (notes), New Orleans Saints – The reigning champion played one of the most brilliant games in Super Bowl history last season when he outdueled Manning for the title in Miami. Brees completed 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. It was part of a postseason in which Brees posted a three-game rating of 117.0, threw eight touchdowns and had zero interceptions. Stunning stuff. He also has a career playoff rating of more than 100 in six games. That said, Brees is coming off a questionable season where he had a career-high 22 interceptions. That included one ugly one on a forced play at Atlanta in the second-to-last game. Brees is still one of the best out there, so this is a bit of nit-picking. But when rating guys of this caliber, one must pick nits.

[Photos: New Orleans’ Drew Brees]

Vick

5. Michael Vick (notes), Philadelphia Eagles – Vick is the most talked about, compelling player of the NFL from both a performance standpoint and a social perspective. When he plays, it is impossible to take your eyes off of him. While that was true earlier in his career, there is an important difference. Back then, Vick was alternating between spectacular and spectacularly awful depending on the moment. From 2001-07, Vick’s quarterback rating never topped the pedestrian 81.6, yet he made the Pro Bowl three times based on his highlight-reel talent. Now, Vick is coming off a season when he posted a 100.2 rating and was a legit MVP candidate after harnessing all of his talents. Combined with DeSean Jackson (notes), Jeremy Maclin (notes) and LeSean McCoy (notes), Vick and the Eagles have the most explosive offense in the playoffs. Beyond football, Vick is a focal point of all sorts of discussions ranging from redemption for convicted felons to race to what is fair punishment for a crime.

[Photos: Philadelphia’s Michael Vick]

Ryan

6. Matt Ryan (notes), Atlanta Falcons – Right behind Vick is the man who replaced him in Atlanta. In his third season, Ryan has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league at end-game decisions and performance. He is one of the key reasons that the Falcons are 14-6 in games decided by less than a touchdown over the past three years, including 6-2 this season. Ryan is a classic pocket passer with great accuracy. More than that, he’s a great decision-maker, as evidenced by his 28-9 TD-interception margin this season. If there is a problem with his game, it’s his over-reliance on the dink-and-dunk passing game. He averaged a career-low 6.5 yards per attempt this season. Some of that is the lack of a great No. 2 wide receiver. Some if it is the lack of Ryan taking more shots downfield. Either way, it’s dangerously short of effective for playoff success.

[Photos: Atlanta’s Matt Ryan]

Rodgers

7. Aaron Rodgers (notes), Green Bay Packers – Rodgers posted his second straight season with a rating of better than 100 as he continues to make people forget about Brett Favre (notes). In fact, Rodgers has better ratings than Favre ever did with the Packers. That said, Rodgers better deliver in the postseason. He has a great chance in the playoff opener at Philadelphia. Then again, the Packers need to do a better job of protection, specifically by getting him a better running game. That’s not going to happen right now, but it better be high on the offseason priority list. Otherwise, those two concussions Rodgers suffered this season are going to multiply in a hurry.

[Photos: Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers]

Cutler

8. Jay Cutler (notes), Chicago Bears – Going into the season finale, Cutler had posted the best rating of his career, but then threw a couple of interceptions. He still played very well this season as he meshed well with brilliant offensive coordinator Mike Martz. In fact, his ratio included a 16-5 TD-INT margin during Chicago’s seven wins following the bye week. Hopefully these are signs of Cutler maturing into the quarterback everyone expected him to be coming out of Vanderbilt in 2006. That said, Cutler is still an enigma, a guy who plays with little outward joy for the game (his almost perpetual scowl is really odd), isn’t much of a leader and seems just as likely to throw a terrible interception as a big touchdown pass. In short, Cutler is the kind of quarterback who might make a couple of big throws, but not exactly the kind of player who can put a team on his back for any length of time.

[Photos: Chicago’s Jay Cutler]

Flacco

9. Joe Flacco (notes), Baltimore Ravens – Like Ryan and Cutler, Flacco is an ascending player. He and Ryan’s numbers are practically carbon copies, including career bests in rating (93.6) and ratio (25-10). The key difference is that the Ravens are 10-12 in Flacco’s career in games decided by less than a touchdown, including 5-4 this season.

Flacco is a big reason why they haven’t done very well. For instance, in three of the losses this season, Flacco had some critical turnovers (or multiple turnovers), including a fumble against Pittsburgh and an interception against Atlanta.

[Photos: Baltimore’s Joe Flacco]

Cassel

10. Matt Cassel (notes), Kansas City Chiefs – In many respects, Cassel has had a fantastic season, starting with his phenomenal 27-7 TD-interception margin. Cassel’s ratio was 22-2 over a 10-game stretch after going 4-3 in the first four games of the season. However, before we get too enamored with the numbers, remember that Kansas City hasn’t had the toughest schedule and Cassel clearly benefitted. He had a 20-0 ratio in eight games against the following seven teams: Denver (twice), Seattle, Arizona, Houston, Buffalo, Tennessee and Jacksonville. Those teams are awful, even if Seattle and Jacksonville had chances to go to the playoffs going into the final week of the season. We’ll see how Cassel fairs in games against tougher competition, particularly given that he hasn’t played in a playoff game.

[Photos: Kansas City’s Matt Cassel]

Sanchez

11. Mark Sanchez (notes), New York Jets – Sanchez made nice strides in his second year as the Jets’ starting quarterback and still has plenty of promise. But he also has a lot in common with his fellow New York quarterback, Eli Manning (notes), in that both of them are prone to frequent interceptions.

Worse, Sanchez still has a tendency to go into protracted funks that last not just for a few series, but often for a few games. If he hits a good stretch, the Jets have a chance to do some damage in the playoffs. If not, they have the serious look of a one-and-done team.

[Photos: New York’s Mark Sanchez]

Whitehurst

12. Charlie Whitehurst (notes)/Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks – Give Whitehurst some credit for getting Seattle through the season finale against St. Louis. He wasn’t great, but he didn’t have to be because the Rams couldn’t get into the end zone. Whitehurst hasn’t been what the Seahawks had hoped when they traded for him in the offseason, but he came through when they needed him.

The big question this week as Seattle prepares to play a very active New Orleans defense is whether Hasselbeck can play. If so, Seattle will have his great experience. Unfortunately, at 35, they won’t have much of Hasselbeck’s health.

[Photos: Seattle’s Charlie Whitehurst | Matt Hasselbeck]