With "Cedar Rapids" arriving at Sundance, it brings back memories of "Ice Castles" and the perceptions of Cedar Rapids ...

Back in 1978, when "Ice Castles" was released, the story told of a ice skater coming to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the Midwest ice skating championships. Of course, the problem was the City of Five Seasons at the time, we didn't have the Five Seasons Center build yet.

There was no indoor ice venue for the City of Cedar Rapids in 1978, when "Ice Castles" was on the Big Screen. The only top notch ice in Cedar Rapids at the time was on Manhattan Lake in Ellis Park, off the Cedar River. It was clearly outdoors, unlike the film.

Thankfully, we have an indoor venue for ice today in our community. A convention center has never been built yet, but one is coming. It will be interesting to see how the City of Cedar Rapids is portrayed in the upcoming movie.

'Cedar Rapids’ movie debuts tonight at Sundance - The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — First Sundance, then the nation, then who knows? The world?

Now, we have a movie called "Cedar Rapids" being released in 2011. Of course, the film was filmed in Ann Arbor, rather than Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Will the perceptions of Cedar Rapids be true to what reality of our community is? Or, will it be more on the level of "Ice Castles" and a misrepresentation of our community?

Both films are fictional. But, when they use a real community, shouldn't the storyline be at least factual, when it comes to assets of the community being portrayed has?

Hey, didn't "All the Right Moves" pick a fictional community known as "Ampipe" to base the story on? Why not pick a real town in PA, like Johnstown?

So, will the producers and writers of "Cedar Rapids" portray our community fair? Or, should they have picked their own Ampipe, like other movies?

Robin Tucker

We are less than two months away from the kickoff of the 2010 College Football Season ...

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness that makes the celebration of the 4Th of July, so special in our country!

One of my great joys is following college football, Big Ten football!

The Big Ten looks to get two teams again in the BCS in 2010!

The University of Iowa (11-2 in '09) will kickoff the 2010 football season on September 4, 2010 at Kinnick Stadium, when the Hawkeyes host Eastern Illinois, a FBS school, that was 8-4 in '09. Iowa opens up back to back seasons with a team nicknamed the Panthers. Many Iowa fans may want to forget the exciting finish of the '09 opener vs. the UNI Panthers, when Iowa defeated UNI by blocking back to back field goal attempts to secure a 17-16 victory.

Clearly, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the team to beat in the Big Ten Conference again. Ohio State will be seeking to capture their sixth straight Big Ten football title in 2010. The Hawkeyes will host the Buckeyes at Kinnick on November 20Th. Over the past five seasons, Ohio State has captured at least a share, twice with Penn State or the outright championship. Iowa last won a share of the Big Ten in 2004, with Michigan.

It should be a great season for Big Ten football in 2010. Ohio State returns a strong team. Wisconsin is coming off a big bowl win, as both Iowa and Ohio State did in BCS bowls. Penn State has some big holes to fill, but is always a team to watch as coach Joe Paterno enters his 45Th year as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

The Big Ten has four coaches on warm seats entering 2010...

1. Michigan's Rod Rodriquez enters his third season at the helm with combined 3-13 Big Ten record and back to back losing seasons, for the first time since the 1962-63 seasons. The Wolverines likely will be bowl bound in 2010. Otherwise, we may see a new coach on the Michigan Stadium sidelines in '11.

2. The Illinois Fighting Illini enter its 6Th season with coach Ron Zook at the helm. Zook's only winning season was in 2007. Over the past decade, the Fighting Illini have two bowl bids, the Sugar (2001) and the Rose (2007). Two BCS bowls or bust over the past decade...

3. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have been to back to back bowl games under coach Tim Brewster, now in his 4Th year. But, over the past decade, the Golden Gophers have only one winning season in the Big Ten (5-3 in '03). It's been a long road, since the 1960 season for the Golden Gophers.

4. The Indiana Hoosiers enter their fourth season under coach Bill Lynch. The Hoosiers have one bowl birth, since 1993, when Lynch lead the Hoosiers to the Insight Bowl, in year one, after replacing the late Terry Hoeppner.

Two Big Ten programs are clearly in the middle of the conference right now:

Northwestern and Michigan State

Coach Pat Fitzgerald enters his fifth season at his alma mater, Northwestern, after taking over for the late Randy Walker. The Wildcats seek their third straight bowl birth, which would be a school record in Evanston for the Wildcats.

Coach Mark Dantonio is entering his fourth season at Michigan State. The Spartans are looking to make a move to the top of the conference, especially with in-state Michigan down at the present time. The Spartans have gone to three straight bowl games under Dantonio, but are still searching for victories.

There's Hope at Purdue again!

The Purdue Boilermakers finished 4-4 in the Big Ten last year in coach Danny Hope's first season at the helm in West Lafayette. A slight dip may happen in 2010 in Big Ten play, but Boilermakers may get back to their first bowl game, since 2007, when former coach Joe Tiller was at the helm. The Boilermakers open the 2010 season at Notre Dame, who will be under first year coach Brian Kelly.

The Big Ten Conference will welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the 2011 season. The holidays will be a little different in the near future...

Robin Tucker