Let it be said rather plainly. I think Alexander Ovechkin is the best NHL player bar none right now. I am not alone in this assessment.

But, his behavior from dodging the sports press in Vancouver, to pushing a fan...has been poor sportsmanship no matter what pressure, excuse or Milbury-insult launched from a host's seat.

Well, sadly it has continued as per a RIA Novosti correspondent who taped Ovechkin until he finally came up to the camera guy and added another situation to his personal Vancouver resume.

Per the story:

When Evgeny Fatkin asked Ovechkin for an interview, the hockey star answered by saying "Do you want me to break your camera?

He did not wait for an answer and broke the camera display.

"I was holding the camera in my right hand," Fatkin said. "When Ovechkin approached, I put it [my arm] down, and he broke the digital display with his right hand," he said.

Following the incident, Ovechkin reportedly smiled, left the bar and disappeared."

There has been criticism from this season that Ovechkin has been reckless in his play, even causing Washington owner Ted Leonsis to take him aside to ask him about it. Many have come to his aid and side saying that he is "just having fun".

However, if you tie all these things together this season....under the white hot light of the Olympics and a season of some questions, might that image be cracking just a bit?

Is something up with Ovechkin beyond just the loss, or just now being reckless now with his own image and how he handles paparazzi and fans?

There might be more to all of this, or maybe not. But for a guy who is a vibrant personality and marketed face to a game, something seems to be crumbling just a bit.

Read more from BD on Hockey Independent.

More on Hockey

This will be shorter than usual. First of all, there isn't all that much news to report and second of all, I spent the day at Disneyland which was far-more crowded than usual. Curse you, "Captain Eo"! You marred my Sunday in three dimensions! Point being, I'm quite pooped. So... "Shutter Island" pulled a repeat at number one this weekend, dropping just 45% for a $22.2 million-second weekend and a new total of $75 million. Despite the mixed reviews and word of mouth, the Scorsese thriller is still the only real event movie out there for people who don't need a return trip to Pandora. While I didn't care for "Shutter Island" one bit, I am heartened that a moody, complicated, 2.25-hour, non-sequel, R-rated thriller from Martin Scorsese is a genuine smash hit. In this day and age, it's always refreshing for an adult-driven genre picture to reach heights only usually accorded to franchises and animated films. The picture is Scorsese's fifth-biggest domestic grosser and will be number 03 by next weekend. Whether or not it can surpass the $132 million earned by "The Departed" is an open question, but it won't have any demo competition until "The Green Zone". Said 'Bourne goes to Baghdad' thriller opens March 12th (I have no idea if that's accurate, but it's sure how the Paul Greengrass/Matt Damon film is being sold by Universal).

Number two and three went to the openers. Both performed a bit above expectations. Kevin Smith's "Cop-Out" nearly doubled his previous personal-best opening weekend with $18.5 million (his previous high, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", opened with $11 million back in August 2001). This also marks one of Bruce Willis's best debuts over the last decade, as his star-power has decreased since he stopped working with M. Night Shyamalan. It's his eleventh-best opening weekend, and most of the bigger openings were from the 1990s. This isn't just a case of waning star power as much as Willis choosing non-commercial ventures. No one expected "Alpha Dog" or "Lucky Number Slevin" to play like "Armageddon", so this solid opening with a purely commercial picture is a good sign. As for Kevin Smith, this will easily surpass his biggest-grossing picture, as he's never had a picture gross over $31 million (so good on Warner for only spending $30 million on this picture). I'd argue that the whole 'Kevin Smith gets tossed of an airplane' controversy helped push the film into the public conscience, it still doesn't excuse how the media covered said event (it was treated as 'Ha ha, Kevin Smith is fat!' rather than 'Hey, Southwest Airlines ejected a passenger who clearly was not too obese to fly!'). As it is, Kevin Smith pictures are often greeted by one controversy or another (Kevin Smith vs. the Catholic Church, Kevin Smith vs. GLAAD, Kevin Smith vs. the overexposure of 'Bennifer'). It will be interesting to see how the film plays long-term. Despite terrible reviews, it still pulled in a solid 3.13x multiplier, implying theoretically positive word of mouth. It will also be interesting to see if Tracy Morgan gets more film work as a result of this opening, as the film was clearly sold on his antics as much as Bruce Willis's star-power.

Number three went to the remake of "The Crazies", which Overture opened to $16.5 million. The surprisingly well-reviewed remake of a 1973 George Romero picture pulled in a 2.75x multiplier, which is about normal for a horror film. With this opening and "Law-Abiding Citizen", "Capitalism: A Love Story", and "Righteous Kill", Overture is quickly establishing itself as a major player. For what it's worth, my wife and I watched the original version of "The Crazies" last night, and it's a shockingly good and genuinely disturbing little picture. If the remake is any good, might I suggest you check out director Breck Eisner's previous film, the vastly underrated "Sahara"? Anyway, fourth place went to the film that cannot be killed (until next weekend, when it will likely be killed), "Avatar". Dropping just 13%, the James Cameron epic crossed $700 million in its eleventh weekend. Alas, this will likely be the last weekend of tiny drops, as Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" opens next weekend and will steal all of the IMAX screens and most of the 3D auditoriums.

The only limited releases were "A Prophet" ($170,000 on nine screens) and "Formosa Betrayed" ($69,000 on fifteen screens), "Art of the Steal" ($40,300 on three screens), and "The Yellow Handkerchief" ($39,600 on seven screens). Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer" expanded to 43 screens and made another $870,000. It's new total is $1.1 million. While the film is not cheap ($45 million), Summit Entertainment is only on the hook for whatever they paid for North American distribution rights, so this should be a nice non-"Twilight" feather in their cap to go along with their likely Oscar glory for "The Hurt Locker" (be it just Best Director or Best Director and Best Picture). Other than that, it was just a matter of various films crossing arbitrary marks. "Valentine's Day" crossed $100 million, "Percy Jackson and the... too tired to type out the full title for this terrible movie" and "Dear John" crossed $70 million, while "The Wolfman" sits at just $57 million (on a budget of $150 million). "Crazy Heart" crossed $25 million and "When in Rome" crossed $30 million. At $248 million, "The Blind Side" is less than $10 million from passing "Star Trek" after dropping just 10% in its fifteenth weekend.

That's about all that's fit to print this weekend. Join us next weekend for the likely-to-be huge debut of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland". While I likely won't see it until opening night (it was a choice of seeing it early by myself or waiting until Friday and letting my wife come along), I do hope it's closer to this than to this. Alas, if you've read this, you know where my instincts lie. Also opening is the Antoine Fuqua police drama, "Brooklyn's Finest" (also from Overture, natch) and the Independent Film Channel Jon Hamm thriller, "Stolen". Oh AT&T U-Verse, why do you not carry IFC On Demand?

Scott Mendelson

There are some things I just don't get.

One of them is America's chronic inability to address our energy dependence on countries hostile to our core values.

Though grave damage is being done to our national security and economy, as a nation, we just can't summon the will to solve a problem which does have a solution.

Thirty-seven years ago, a shot was fired across our bow. OPEC, the oil cartel, decided to mix politics and economics by declaring a boycott of the U.S.

Then came the quadrupling of oil prices, sending our economy into a tailspin.

Our political leaders all promised dramatic action to wean us from our addiction. Initially, some progress was made in raising fuel economy standards and improving overall energy efficiency. But, in the end, their promises fell short.

The price of oil stabilized as output kept pace with demand, and we were quickly lulled right back into collective national complacency. We felt that it was no one's business to tell us what to drive, how to drive, or what to do in our oil-heated homes. This was America, after all, not some nanny state.

So when President Jimmy Carter turned down the thermostat in the White House one winter, donned a sweater, and asked us to do the same, we scoffed at our leader. Didn't he know that, as Americans, we were entitled to be the world's biggest energy consumers? How dare he ask us to sacrifice?

Then Congress made matters worse. Even as fuel economy standards were being raised for cars, Capitol Hill exempted light trucks and vans from the rules. Lo and behold, as Americans bought more and more of these gas-guzzlers -- eventually more than half of all vehicles sold in any given year -- our oil needs only grew.

In more recent years, we again became aware of the danger of our oil dependence. The 9/11 attacks were a sobering reminder. We learned that Saudi Arabia, with the world's largest oil reserves, was spending tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue to support the extremist Wahhabi version of Islam around the world. Mosques and madrassas were purveying a message of intolerance and conflict, even as Saudi Arabia was taking out slick ads in the American media promoting our two countries' "shared values."

We watched as Venezuela, the fifth largest exporter of oil to the U.S. and owner of CITGO, used its petrodollars to undermine American interests in Latin America and to forge ties with Iran.

And more broadly, we witnessed energy security issues penetrate just about every nook and cranny in international relations.

America tried to bring the horrors of Darfur to an end, but China's interest in Sudan's oil made it difficult to get concerted international action -- and China isn't alone.

We've tried to forge consensus against Iran's nuclear program, but China's interest in Iran's oil complicates that, too -- and, again, China isn't alone.

Meanwhile, European countries, most of which are heavily dependent on imported oil, are forced to tiptoe politically around the likes of Libya, a nation with the eighth largest proven reserves in the world.

And do we Americans need reminders about the costly consequences for our own foreign policy of our reliance on Middle Eastern oil?

What can be done about this?

For starters:

First, focus on the prize -- a world where the value of oil has dropped dramatically. Imagine what that could mean for the distribution of global power.

And think about the impact on our economy if we could keep hundreds of billions of dollars per year right here rather than sending them overseas to Venezuela to buy weapons from Moscow or to Saudi Arabia to fund madrassas in Pakistan.

Second, it's time we demand -- yes, demand -- concerted action by all our elected officials. Words won't suffice. We've had too many of them. Excuses for inaction won't wash. The very future of our nation is at stake, and it's high time to put this issue at the top of our agenda and keep it there.

Third, let's drop the partisanship. This is about America, not about political parties. Both parties should have an identical interest in moving the country toward real energy security. However naive it may sound, what a sight it would be to see Democrats and Republicans standing shoulder-to-shoulder and pledging united action to deal with our energy dependence head-on until we reach the goal.

Fourth, think bold. Brazil did in the 1970s. It was even more dependent than we on imported oil. No longer. The country today is energy independent, through a combination of national planning, technological innovation, and exploration. And now China is on the way. Beijing has already announced that it seeks to be the global leader in post-oil technologies. Are we going to be content one day to replace our dependence on Middle Eastern oil with dependence on Chinese alternative energy technologies?

Fifth, look in the mirror. How many of us have been part of the problem -- by our buying and driving patterns, by our lifestyles, by a sense of entitlement, and by a belief that some are exempted from the rules that should govern others? With modest changes in our own behavior, we can have a dramatic impact.

And sixth, look to Europe. Not a single one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the U.S. would make the comparable list in Europe, where the base line for the top ten models is 64 miles per gallon. Are Europeans any less interested in safety, emissions controls, or comfort than we are?

Europe has also gone much further than the U.S. in developing public transportation. So, too, has Japan. Now China is leaping ahead. This is especially striking in the realm of high-speed trains. We waited decades for the Acela, but compared to what's available elsewhere, including the Maglev in Shanghai and the TGV in France, forgive me, it's practically ancient.

This is true in metropolitan areas as well. Outside a handful of American cities, public transportation options are few and far between, compelling residents to rely on private vehicles for everything from work to shopping. And even in New York, with its extensive network, a project like the Second Avenue Subway has been in the works, according to author Robert Caro, since "shortly after World War I," yet we're still not there.

Saddest of all is the knowledge that it's well within our grasp to break the stranglehold. We can dramatically reduce our dependence on imported oil from hostile countries, while boosting our national security and enhancing our domestic economy -- not to mention the benefits that measures reducing greenhouse-gas emissions will provide in terms of climate change and the environment. We have the scientific and entrepreneurial know-how to develop new technologies, and, save oil, abundant natural resources. There's no one silver bullet for our problem, but there are several promising possibilities. All should be pursued, consistent, of course, with strict environmental safeguards.

President Obama, speaking last year of "our journey toward energy independence," said that "America's dependence on oil is one of the most serious threats that our nation faces. It bankrolls dictators, pays for nuclear proliferation, and funds both sides of our struggle against terrorism."

By contrast, the former director of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al-Faisal, replied that "Like it or not, the fates of the United States and Saudi Arabia are connected and will remain so for decades to come" because of the oil link.

Which will it be? President Obama's vision or Prince Turki al-Faisal's?

The answer should be obvious. The ways to reach it are clear. The bottom-line question is whether there's the national will.

More on Terrorism

Lee Marvin, tough character actor turned unlikely (and equally tough) movie star, would have turned eighty-six a couple of weeks back, but of course that event will go largely unnoticed. We lost him over twenty years ago to a heart attack, abetted by some very intense experiences and a stated fondness for tequila in quantity.

I look at the new action movies coming out, and I have to wonder: Where's our new Lee Marvin? The manly man, the bad guy turned good guy, the guy who's so ugly he's almost beautiful, the man you wouldn't mess with, the guy who takes no prisoners? With precious few exceptions, all I see is a lot of boys in Hollywood these days, both real and aging.

Marvin himself always admired Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart, neither of whom could be mistaken for juveniles. He worked with Tracy, and must have known the parallels that existed between Bogie and himself: they both came from New York City; each were born into privilege; got kicked out of most every school that would have them for incorrigibility; served in a World War and got wounded for their trouble (though Bogie only slightly); and fell into acting almost because there were few other options open to them. Thank God both were so talented.

Since Lee Marvin's been gone so long, there's a whole new generation of young adults out there who likely don't even know who he was. Let's change that. What follows are eight of my favorite Marvin films, notably some early ones where he played in support, mixed with the best of his starring work in the sixties and early seventies.

(Note: "Cat Ballou"(1966), the western spoof that earned Marvin an Oscar and made him a bankable leading man, is missing from this list, simply because, in my view, the picture has not aged well. Lee is still great in it, and his Oscar acceptance speech is vintage Marvin: "I think half of this belongs to a horse somewhere in the valley.")

Now here's my personal take on this great actor's best work:

The Big Heat (1952)- Scrupulous police detective Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) targets mobster Mike Lagana (Alexander Scourby) after a colleague's suicide note implicates him in corruption at the city-government level. In response, Lagana's men plant a car bomb meant for the snooping cop, but instead kill Bannion's wife, prompting the enraged lawman to seek vengeance.This brutal, in-your-face noir thriller about organized crime and political graft by brilliant German ex-pat Fritz Lang is about as hardboiled as they come. For starters, the dialogue is sharp and blunt, like a smack in the jaw, and Ford's portrayal of the obsessed Bannion is downright fearsome. "Heat" is particularly memorable for two performances: Marvin, as psychotic henchman Vince Stone, and the peerless Gloria Grahame, as a sultry moll whose face Marvin cruelly disfigures-with a cup of scalding hot coffee! Crisply paced and unrelentingly fierce, "The Big Heat" is one steamy ride.

Bad Day At Black Rock (1955)- One armed war veteran John MacReedy ( Spencer Tracy) ventures to a remote Southwestern town to give a posthumous medal to the family of a Japanese-American who saved his life. What appears a noble yet straightforward gesture becomes anything but. On MacReedy's arrival, the town's leading inhabitants, harboring an ugly secret, are less than welcoming. It quickly becomes apparent that a graceful exit will be equally challenging for the one-armed man. Regardless- before he goes, MacReedy wants the truth about what happened to his friend's family. One of my own favorite suspense films, we feel the tension build from the very first scene as the baking sun blankets the desolate town, and a stranger arrives. The inimitable Spence is backed by some sterling support from Walter Brennan, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine, Dean Jagger and Marvin. Don't miss young Lee putting his feet up on MacReedy's hotel bed, or that fight in the diner with Borgnine, who also made a terrific heavy. "Bad Day" is one lean, spare firecracker of a picture.

Attack! (1956)- Ordering his men to attack a well-guarded German pillbox, Lieutenant Joe Costa (Jack Palance) expects backup from his senior commander, Captain Cooney (Eddie Albert). The captain balks out of fear, and a squadron of Costa's men die as a result. Infuriated, Costa curtly informs Cooney that if it happens again, Cooney will pay for his cowardice with his life. Days later, Cooney dispatches Costa's men to the Belgian front, where the fighting is even fiercer than before. Will the jittery Cooney make the same mistake? Offering a hard-as-nails depiction of war and the ugly flipside of frontline bravery, Robert Aldrich's "Attack!" revisits the decisive Battle of the Bulge with a realistic tale of mutinous revenge. The always intense Palance delivers a riveting performance as an aggrieved lieutenant at the end of his rope, but it's Albert, in a superb turn as the scurrilous, yellow-bellied captain, who earns top honors. Assured support from Marvin, as Cooney's southern, high-ranking pal, Colonel Bartlett, and William Smithers, as a conscientious soldier, round out a fine cast. This gritty, searing war drama ranks with "Kiss Me Deadly" director Aldrich's very best work. And he and Marvin would work again, on another war picture.

Ship of Fools (1965)- Set in 1933, a tragic turning point in Germany's history, Stanley Kramer's psychological drama trails a disparate group of passengers sailing from Vera Cruz right into the heart of Fascism. The ship's a kind of purgatory, holding a washed-up baseball player (Lee Marvin), a faded beauty (Vivien Leigh, in her last film), two combative young lovers (George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley), and assorted other characters. Based on Katherine Anne Porter's novel, producer/director Stanley Kramer creates a fascinating, emotionally gripping film with a conscience. "Ship" stays afloat thanks to Abby Mann's sharp screenplay and a slew of memorable performances: Signoret as a Spanish activist, Oskar Werner as the onboard doctor, and Oscar-nominated dwarf Michael Dunn, whose direct-address speeches are worthy of Sophocles. And then, there's the incomparable Lee, riveting as always.

The Professionals (1966)- When lawless Mexican revolutionary Raza (Jack Palance) abducts the gorgeous Maria (Claudia Cardinale) for ransom, wealthy Texas rancher Grant (Ralph Bellamy) hires the only men he knows have a chance of rescuing his wife: horse trainer Hans (Robert Ryan), tracker and longbow expert Jake (Woody Strode), and stoic leader Fardan (Marvin), who posts bail to recruit his womanizing best pal, explosives pro Dolworth (Burt Lancaster).The trek is dangerous, with bandidos in the canyons and Raza's trigger-happy watchmen on patrol, but with $10,000 each on the barrelhead if they recover Maria, the men are highly determined. Richard Brooks's self-penned, high-energy Western, set in the waning years of the Mexican Revolution in 1917, is a tense, gritty horse drama. The teaming of Marvin and Lancaster, playing Raza's disenchanted ex-amigos, works brilliantly, while Strode and Ryan offer fine support as talented sidekicks. Italian bombshell Cardinale, in her first English-speaking role, provides plenty of oomph too, especially in league with Palance's Raza, who proves to be quite a romantic himself. Filmed on location in Nevada, "The Professionals" is a rousing, thoughtful action movie that deals with issues of money versus morality, and the last gasp of frontier idealism.

The Dirty Dozen (1967)- In the months prior to D-Day, court-martialed misfit Major Reisman (Marvin) is given a last chance to rehabilitate his reputation by smug, hard-nosed General Worden (Ernest Borgnine), who gives him the task of raiding a conclave of top Nazi officers in occupied France with a suicide squad of 12 convicted felons. Under Reisman's command, this motley group of bad guys, including former mobster Franko (an Oscar- nominated John Cassavetes), pervert Maggott (Telly Savalas), moron Pinkley (Donald Sutherland), homicidal Wladislaw (Charles Bronson), and tightly-wound Jefferson (Jim Brown), are subjected to torturous combat training and molded into an efficient fighting unit. With no promises of clemency on their return, the men embark on a mission most will never come back from. Director Robert Aldrich's brutal, ultra-macho action movie is so indignant about the hollow integrity of religion, patriotism, Establishment values, and the military brass that it was bound to find a sizeable audience in 1967, as the nation found itself mired in Vietnam, with many questioning the rationale for the war. Explosively violent and spiked with whip-smart black humor, "Dozen" fused crowd-pleasing spectacle with curdled cynicism, boasting a dream team of Hollywood stars acting at the top of their games. One of MGM's highest- grossing films, it has never waned in popularity and still packs a potent, anti-authoritarian punch.

Point Blank (1967)- It's not a good idea to double-cross Walker (Marvin), but the Organization, a far-reaching crime syndicate thought they could get away with it. Leaving him mortally wounded (they thought) and without his cut of a lucrative heist, they become increasingly rattled when Walker is suddenly back in their midst wanting his money and not taking "no" for an answer. John Boorman's peerless crime drama is one of the great films of the 1960's. Marvin is a walking, talking time bomb as the obsessed Walker, and a slimy Lloyd Bochner looks and acts the part of chief betrayer Frederick Carter. Angie Dickinson is her sexiest as femme fatale Chris, who hops between men (and beds) with relative ease. And just wait for a pre-Archie Bunker Carroll O'Connor in a pivotal role as Brewster, the big boss. One of my personal favorites, with a palpable sixties look and feel. This one really hits the bull's eye. Pounce, action fans.

The Iceman Cometh (1973)- At a grungy New York ale house in 1912, a group of down-and-out alcoholics gather to celebrate the birthday of bar owner Harry Hope (Fredric March), including Larry Slade (Robert Ryan) and Hickey (Marvin), a perennially cocky, silver tongued loser who believes he has alighted on the proper attitude toward a wasted life. As Hickey berates the assembled for clinging to their never-to-be-realized pipe dreams, his orations unleash a torrent of ill feeling and heart-rending catharsis. Lee delivers the goods in the central role of Hickey, the loutish sermonizer who attempts to convince his fellow losers that admitting to being a failure is the only possible redemption. In the last role of a long and distinguished screen career, March also shines as the aptly named Harry Hope, a widower who numbs his grief with work. Still it's tough guy Ryan who gives the film's most towering performance as the dying, laconic intellectual Slade (Ryan was also terminally ill when the film was shot). John Frankenheimer, normally a director of high-wire political thrillers, helms Eugene O'Neill's raw, devastating play with confidence and sympathy for the plight of his characters. Look for Jeff Bridges in an early role as Parritt, Slade's tragic young friend.

(Incidentally, Bridges, whom I profiled in my last piece, was a huge admirer of both Marvin and Ryan, proving he not only has talent, but taste.)

For over 2,100 outstanding titles on DVD, visit www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com

To see John's videos for WNET-Channel 13, go to www.reel13.org

More on The Oscars

On Sunday, filmmaker Robert Greenwald appeared on CNN's "Reliable Sources" to discuss his campaign against a proposed TV miniseries about the Kennedys, slated to appear on the History Channel.

The series is being produced by Joel Surnow, the creator of "24" and a supporter of George Bush, who Greenwald says "deliberately distorts historical fact" in order to smear the Kennedy family. "I don't care what your politics are," Greenwald says. "This is a below-the-belt trashing of a president of the United States -- not on policy, but character assassination."

WATCH:

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As the death toll from Saturday morning's 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Chile reaches toward 400, attention is split between rescue operations and providing shelter and resources for the million people across the South American coastal nation that have been displaced.

An estimated 500,000 structures were destroyed in the quake, and many residents whose houses outlasted the quake chose to spend the night outside anyway, fearing powerful aftershocks.

ABC News reports that helicopter footage shows extensive damage to roads and neighborhoods, with many other areas flooded.

See our full page on how you can help with relief in Chile, or make a donation to Habitat For Humanity to directly help reconstruction in the area. You can also text CHILE to 23583 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity.

deepakchopra.com

deepakchopra.com

With Jennifer Lopez leading the way, SNL performed a telenovela last night called "Besos Y Lagrimas." Translated, that's "Kisses and Tears." But that's about all we could decipher as the whole thing was in Spanish. That said, we know it was very dramatic. And awesome.

WATCH:

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The rise of motion-capture technology creates problems when categorizing award entries.

For decades, it was easy to tell the two media apart: There were real people in live-action movies; animated films had drawn characters or stop-motion figures. But as filmmaking technology has grown more complex, it's not clear if a single term can encompass movies as different as the five Oscar nominees for best animated feature, the additional 15 films that qualified for the category and the visual effects in movies such as "Avatar." An often heated debate over what is -- and isn't -- animation rages among animators, filmmakers, critics and fans.