It has become a new tradition. The Online Halloween Foosball Tournaments have become almost as popular as the actual event. And there's little doubt that the most popular of those Online Tournaments is the Celebrity one. Last year, we had 32 celebrities "compete," including: Lucy Liu, Bill Clinton, Norm Macdonald, Michelle Kwan, Drew Bledsoe, Ray Bourque, Stonecold Steve Austin, Zhang Ziyi, Anna Kournikova, Vince McMahon, Adam Sandler, N'Sync, Janet Reno and many others. When all was said and done, Bill Clinton and Adam Sandler emerged as the two finalists, and due to an error last year, that voting is continuing right now.
This year, we have 32 new celebrities, and the list is even more diverse (and bizzarre) than last years. Although its all up to the voters, it is kind of fun to sit here and think who out of these 32 will end up the final one. Here, for your viewing pleasure is one man's take on the tournament, and how I think things will end up.
James Gandolfini: My personal pick to win the tournament, Gandolfini is of course the one and only, Anthony Soprano from the greatest television show ever, The Sopranos. The only question about Gandolfini's chances are will the people who don't watch the Sopranos vote for him? Gandolfini has starred in such films as The Last Castle and The Mexican, but there's no doubt that his star comes as a result of The Sopranos. Gandolfini will have loyal voters. The question is about those lesser beings who have not. Odds to win the tournament: 3-1
Jet Li: Jet Li is Gandolfini's first round opponent. The action star was in such films as The One and even one of Steve's favorites, Lethal Weapon 4. Odds: 250-1
Manny Ramirez: The Red Sox slugger has been viciously bashed by certain fans and certain members of the media, despite the fact he won the batting title. Hopefully Ramirez will get more love from the voters in the Halloween Foosball Tournament. Odds: 75-1
John Henry Williams: "Mr. Freeze" John Henry Williams came to the forefront after his father, the legendary Ted Williams passed away in July. Easily one of the most disliked individuals in New England, it will be amazing if he recieves a single vote Odds: 1,000-1
Matt Damon: Star of Dogma & Good Will Hunting and also a Boston native, Matt Damon is one of the most popular actors today. He and his friend, Ben Affleck, could be real sleepers in this tournament.10-1
Fred Durst: One of Greg's favorites, and a favorite of the A-S Baseball Zoids, Fred Durst is very controversial. He's a real long shot to win it all. Odds: 250-1
Ben Affleck: Like Damon, Affleck starred in Dogma & Good Will Hunting and could be a real sleeper in this tournament. The biggest obstacle for Affleck though is to make it past the first round, as his matchup with Snoop Dogg is probably the closest match in the first round. Odds: 12-1
Snoop Dogg: Snoop is a similar sleeper to the Boston boys, but he's unlikely to go all the way. The rapper who has been starring in several movies recently also once met Stonecold Steve Austin Odds: 60-1
Denzel Washington: Last year's Oscar winning Actor, Denzel Washington has starred in such films as Remember the Titans and John Q. He's got a pretty decent chance to take it all, although I wouldn't call him a favorite Odds: 25-1
Brock Lesnar: You don't know Brock Lesnar? He's REAL BIG. The WWE Champion however may face a dilemma as there aren't that many hardcore wrestling fans in the voting, and some of those who are, don't really like him either. Odds: 60-1
Jimmy Fallon: Some have called him the next Adam Sandler. Does that mean he'll follow in Sandler's footsteps and go to the finals? You never know, and Fallon may be helped by the fact that SNL's season just began last weekend. Odds: 30-1
Antonio Banderas: Banderas can most recently be seen starring alongside Lucy Liu in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. Despite Chris Kattan's hilarious impersonation of him, Antonio should probably bomb just like that movie did in more ways than one. Odds: 100-1
Sir Anthony Hopkins: A legendary actor most known for his portrayel of Dr. Hannibal Lector. With the third (or first depending on how you look at it) installment of the Lector saga in theaters as we speak, (Red Dragon), Hopkins has a good shot at riding that momentum deep into the tournament. My personal favorite Hopkins movie: Nixon, and the quote: "They're just soft chicken-sh*t FAG-gets" Odds 30-1.
Kurt Angle He's an Olympic Hero, and a former WWE Champion. But he'll likely suffer the same fate as Brock Lesnar. Despite being insanely entertaining the non-WWE fans will prevent Angle from going to the promiseland. A first round matchup against Hannibal Lector doesn't help either. Odds: 50-1
Russell Crowe: Another Oscar winner, Crowe took home the academy award for his portrayal of Maximus. If Ralph Cifaretto knew of this tournament, he'd definitely stuff the ballot box in Crowe's favor. As it stands now though, he's got a tough road ahead of him. He also is facing the magical power of the Rally Monkey. Look for the guy who played John Nash to get off to an early lead, but eventually the Rally Monkey will come back, and end Crowe's chances of winning it all Odds: 50-1
The Rally Monkey: The Rally Monkey! Fresh off leading the Anaheim Angels' defeat of the Yankees, voters could make the Rally Monkey a big winner this month. Of course, not everyone is familar with the Rally Monkey which may pose a problem to the chances of him winning. Odds: 15-1
Ted Kennedy Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy is a great American. He just won't win this tournament. Odds 100-1
SpongeBob SquarePants: Whoooooooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!! SpongeBob is the star of the best show on Nickelodeon since the original Double Dare, and he has a cult following in this tournament only surpassed by Gandolfini and perhaps, Larry David. SpongeBob will be a major player. Odds: 5-1
Adam Vinatieri: He's a Super Bowl Hero, so that will definitely get him some votes right away. The New England Patriots' kicker has always been popular in New England and now he is famous nation-wide after his MVPesque perfomance against the Rams in February. Hold the voting 8 months ago, and he's the heavy favorite. As it stands, he's still got a good chance. Odds: 13-1
Scott Zolak: The former New England Patriots back up QB is a personal favorite of mines. He can be seen nowadays on several television shows, most notably Bob Lobel's Fifth Quarter. Unfortunately for him, Zolak has virtually no shot of winning it all, although I thought he'd be a real sleeper. Odds: 75-1
Eminem: The controversial rapper will not win this tournament for one simple reason. There is a contingent of voters who will vote against him no matter who he's facing just to annoy Gina. Odds 250-1
Lisa Ling: Lisa Ling is one of the co-hosts of The View and some people think she looks like Lucy Liu. In any event, she's probably the least famous celebrity in the tournament. Odds 300-1.
Kurt Warner: Steve's favorite QB. There are obvious questions about how Warner could play foosball with his injred finger in the first place. If the voting had taken place last year, he'd be in decent shape. But considering how much he's sucked this season, He's unlikely to win the tournament. Odds: 80-1
Beyonce Knowles: Beyonce, of course is a member of Destiny's Child and starred alongside Mike Myers in Austin Powers in Goldmember this past summer. Even though we are still waiting for a female to win a match in the real Halloween Foosball Tournament, she could win a few matches, but probably not the whole thing. Odds: 55-1
Michael Jordan: Is this a sign of how our voters think? Arguably the best player in NBA history is not a favorite in this tournament at all. Jordan should have stay retired. He probably won't win this tournament either. Odds: 60-1
Bob Dole: One of the few good Republicans that exist in the world, Bob Dole has a long storied history in the Halloween Foosball Tournament world. Can Dole turn this into a win? Well luckily we aren't playing for real....if Warner had a problem with a broken finger, how's Dole going to win with one hand? He'll get help from his little blue pill, but is he ready for the long hard journey? Perhaps. Odds: 10-1
Mandy Moore She's a singer and she's pretty young. She's not going to win this tournament, but her consolation prize is the extremely large picture of her in the picture above. Odds: 250-1
Bernie & Phil: Quality, Comfort & Price...Thats Nice! Bernie & Phil are going to be real contenders in this tournament. Six of the potential voters actually met them in line at Universal Studios last year. Plus they are entering as a team which will give them an added advantage. Odds: 9-1
Stephen King: The famous Horror writer and Maine native. You'd think he'd get more appreciation for his work than what he is expected to recieve in this tournament. He won't win. Odds: 275-1
Mike Myers: Austin Powers/Dr. Evil/Fat Bastard/Goldmember. Myers was somewhat overlooked in his entry into the tournament. He is extremely funny and very popular. He was also Shrek for crying out loud. At first I didn't think he'd go that deep, but now that I think about it, he's got a chance. Odds: 8-1
Larry David: The star of Curb Your Enthusiams, probably the funniest show on television today. Larry David will have a cult like following similar to Gandolfini. Anyone who has watched Curb Your Enthusiasm will vote for him, because he, and it, are hilarious. He also created Seinfeld. Not very mainstream, but gets help from loyal supporters. Odds: 7-1
Tom Cruise: Tom Cruise may be a great actor, but he is just another actor. And that shall hurt him like it'll hurt Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington and the rest of them. Odds: 65-1
So there you have it. Of course my analysis means nothing, who knows what the voters will decide. Just for the record, my picks in the first round were: Gandolfini, Ramirez, Damon, Affleck (I still think he can pull it out against Snoop), Washington, Fallon, Angle, Rally Monkey, SpongeBob, Zolak(I'll probably be the only one, and I originally thought he was a sleeper..d'oh!) Lisa Ling, Beyonce, Dole, Myers, and of course, Larry David.
We'll see how it turns out. The voting for the first round ends at 11:59 Saturday.
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Celebrity Online Halloween Foosball Tournament
