For many it was a long awaited moment, the equivalent of the arrival of Warhol, Godot or the Dalai Lama, the Return of the King (of Carrot Flowers) after years in exile. It was the first time many of us had ever seen him in person. The sheer anticipation of seeing the man whose wailing, disembodied voice and Byzantine lyrics defined Neutral Milk Hotel’s two seminal albums evaporated when Jeff Magnum shambled out onstage and took his seat.

On Sunday, February 17, 2013, Michael Jeffrey Jordan turns 50 years old. It’s hard to believe, especially with recent comeback rumors and reports that he’s been playing in practice with the Charlotte Bobcats. On top of MJ turning 50, I’m also turning 30 this year – and despite what Jay-Z says, I don’t believe for a minute that “30 is the new 20.” For the first time in my adult life, I feel a chink in my armor of invincibility as the last waves of my twenties lap against the shores of mortality. As I look forward, I also look back introspectively on the first 30 years of my life and the tremendous impact that the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael “Air” Jordan had on my life. I’m not going to give you a Wikipedia-scraped list of Jordan’s career statistics, milestones and moments – instead I’m going to describe the moments that have lingered with me throughout the years, the vignettes and pictures that still vividly replay from time-to-time in my mind to this day.

Sports have been a major part of my life since I was very young. Soccer was my first love, and I would go on to play in leagues for more than a decade – but it wasn’t long after first kicking that checkered ball before I picked up a basketball, and from then on that orange orb remained forever affixed to my hand. My mother used to take us to the local Salvation Army where I would graze through the aisles looking for sports tees. I can remember my first one: a Los Angeles Lakers shirt about 3 sizes too big for me that I would swim in for a few years. I was a huge fan of Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers from the outset; I loved the way they ran up and down the court deftly delivering no-look passes. This was the mid-to-late 80s, when the Boston Celtics and the Lakers were the toast of the town. But soon a new star entered my orbit, young Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

A quote from Mr. Mendelson.

Do you spend a lot of time on the computer? Are you "Web-savvy"? Savvy enough to know that social media is bullshit? Well, thanks to a new book whose title declares this fact, we can learn why this is so. I found out about B.J. Mendelson, author of Social Media is Bullshit` on Twitter around 2009. I saw a tweet that said something to the effect of "Find out why Twitter isn't working" and clicked on the link. It took me to an article by Mendelson. In it, he discussed how in 2007 Twitter had for some reason placed him on what was the original version of their Suggested User list. Back in 2007, the list appeared in the right sidebar on the Twitter Public Timeline (now defunct). In 2009, Mendelson was about to embark on a promotional road-trip for the early detection and prevention of breast cancer at American colleges. He asked Twitter to feature him again as a Suggested User as they had two years earlier. Twitter obliged, resulting in Mendelson acquiring over a million followers. Enviable, huh? Maybe, maybe not...

Every year there are a batch of movies that look so garish, far-fetched and expensive that you wonder who greenlighted them and how is their job at Kinko’s going now that their films have flopped at the box office. Still, every year they get made and every year we’re subjected to their hideous advertising campaigns and the unintentionally hilarious trailers that belch forth onto our eyeballs. 2013 is no different. Who knows, maybe behind the outlandish absurdity contained within each of these trailers is a beautifully unfolding narrative filled with poignant moments, a ballet of choreographed violence and outstanding character development. Maybe somewhere herein lie this year’s Oscar contenders. If that’s the case, maybe we’ll go see them after it’s been confirmed. Until then, consider this a heads-up on how not to blow 10 bucks while flushing two hours of your life down the toilet.

Day of the Falcon

The number of clichés at play in this trailer is rivaled only by how ridiculous it is to see Antonio Banderas playing an Arab Sultan. Like Charlton Heston in brownface playing a Mexican in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, Banderas might turn out to be this decade’s Miguel Vargas. It’s a shame that the film which was co-produced by the Doha Film Institute and is “ one of the most expensive films backed by an Arab about an Arab subject” relies so heavily on Western cinematic language and tropes. Maybe next time we’ll see a little more Battle for Algiers, a little less English Patient.
Alternate Titles: There Will Be Crud, Dances with Sheiks, Zorrance of Arabia

Valentine's Day is upon us, and lovers everywhere are looking for the perfect date night. A show is a great addition to any night out, and with so many to choose from, there's a good fit for every couple. Cozy up next to each other and get ready to laugh, cry, and marvel at a live spectacle of your choice. Are you into dramatic plays or lighthearted musicals? Dance or acrobatics? Classic stories or quirky tales? Take your pick from this list and make this Valentine's Day one to remember.

(1) Mamma Mia! | Mamma Mia!, a Broadway staple, is a natural pick for a date night. The storyline follows a young girl who is getting married but is trying to find her dad to give her away before the big day. But her mother's former suitors and best friends drum up some romantic shenanigans that make for quite the show. And who doesn't like ABBA? | Valentine's Day Performances: Broadway; London

(2) Cirque du Soleil - The Beatles LOVE | Millions of people around the world have life-long love affairs with The Beatles, and this Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show brings their amazing music and history to life in a big way with vivid sets and costumes and amazing acrobatic performances. | Valentine's Day Performances: Las Vegas

(3) The Phantom of the Opera | The longest-running show on Broadway with over 10,000 performances, Phantom has an iconic score full of haunting and epic music and a love triangle that combines drama, longing, and danger. Heart-wrenching and beautiful, it never disappoints. | Valentine's Day Performances: Broadway; London

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the mad crush of the holidays is over and there’s a full slate of music festival tickets to choose from. Break out your calendar and plot your escape to one of the many festival destinations listed below.

2013 Festival Rumors

The Rolling Stones
After teasing a 50th anniversary reunion tour with a few Parisian small venue warm-ups and a paltry three US Rolling Stones tour dates, the rumors are flying hot and heavy about a possible Coachella appearance. Jagger denied the rumors in an interview saying that the band wouldn’t be ready by then but you never know where they might pop up.

The Seattle Supersonics will reportedly be back at Seattle's KeyArena for the start of the 2013 - 14 NBA Season. Ticket sales are expected to be solid as basketball fans welcome their former team back.

Media reports indicate that the Sacramento Kings are being sold to an ownership group from Seattle that will return the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA at their previous home the KeyArena in time for the 2013 - 2014 season.

Originally reported by Yahoo! sports's Adrian Wojnarowski the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle has been finalized and the Seattle Supersonics should be ready to reclaim their home in the KeyArena for the 2013 - 2014 NBA season, with a new arena opening in two years.

With the Conference Championships Weekend upon us Live Toast takes a walk down memory lane to look back at the most expensive NFL playoff tickets of the past five years. Five of this year's games appear on the list, with the rematch of the AFC Championship between the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens number four on the list. Keep in mind these are just playoff games, not the Super Bowl. The average price is the average price fans paid for a ticket to that game on Ticket Liquidator's exchange, so keep in mind tickets were sold for both higher and lower prices.

• #1
• Matchup: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers - 2011 NFC Championship
• Average ticket price: $543
• Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
• Final score: Packers 21, Bears 14
• Attendance: 62,377

Given the animosity and proximity between these two teams it's not surprising to find that the Packers vs Bears 2011 NFC Championship fetched the highest price of any post-season NFL game. The Packer's win propelled Green Bay into to Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers, where they went on to win their first Super Bowl title since 1996. Fans expected a tough game going in, as the Bears were 11-5 with a 5-3 record at Soldier Field that season. The Packers meanwhile had secured their playoff spot with a win over the Bears at Lambeau in the final week of the regular season. The hopes of Green Bay fans and ownership rested on Aaron Rodgers, the young QB who forced out legend Brett Favre. While Rodgers was solid on offense, it was his defense that saved the game as he tackled Brian Urlacher after an interception to save a touchdown.

Atoms for Peace: Amok
Release Date: February 25
Back in 2006, Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke did what lead singers do, he wrote a solo record and called it The Eraser. True to his own words on a Radiohead fan site (“I don’t wanna hear the word solo”), Yorke went out and formed a supergroup to translate the electronic-leaning album for live performances. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, Beck’s drummer Joey Waronker and Brazilian percussionist Mauro Reosco apparently had such a good time that they adopted the name Atoms for Peace, got drunk and recorded the basis for their debut album titled Amok. In a twist on The Eraser’s production process, Yorke and Godrich took elements from their jam session and fashioned another potential masterpiece of the paranoid, glitchtronica that Yorke has become known for.

Jeremy presents the Wii U to Marci Lombardo.

On December 26th, 2012, four Ticket Liquidator team members visited Connecticut Children's Medical Center with one mission in mind; to deliver a brand new Nintendo Wii so that children being treated there would have a new toy for the holidays and beyond. The Wii U is Nintendo's latest and greatest - the first one in the eighth generation of home gaming consoles - and we hoped it would light up some little faces who hadn't anticipated encountering this in-demand gadget while in the hospital. The idea was hatched by our Customer Care Arbiter, Tara, who, along with the TL Charity Team organized the outing to Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC). Tara was instrumental in donating a gift certificate to Nintendo's holiday raffle for which we received the Wii U in return. "We knew [receiving the Wii] was a great opportunity to give back to the community", Tara said, and Marci Lombardo, Development Coordinator at CCMC Foundation agreed.