Wasabi Prime: Mixed Plate: Hey, Ma, I'm on TV! Wasabi Makes a ...

????I remember watching old movies on PBS, late on Friday nights when I was thirteen. I remember coming home after school and watching cooking shows?where chefs would make fancy?spun-sugar domes?placed over?desserts. PBS was a great window to the world, inviting me?to subjects I never knew I was interested in. I have great fondness for this channel.?And so it was a really special thing to say that I had the rare opportunity to be on PBS, for an episode of Check, Please, Northwest. Yes, Ma, I was on TV!
So yes - for reals, I was on TV! I was glad to hear our local PBS station was developing a Northwest edition of?Check, Please! which started around March of this year, with hostess with the mostess, Amy Pennington. It's a series that brings three people to a table to talk about favorite restaurants and the dishes they liked. It's so simple, but it proves the idea that food can make friends out of strangers. It's a fun, genuine way to present restaurants without the official titles of "restaurant critic" or "food experts." They want?regular folks to sit around a table?and just hang out.?Expertise can muddle?up the enjoyment of food, sometimes you just want to talk about the?place you like to go, without any of the fuss of business and politics of restaurant industry. It really is all about the food, and I think a show like this is a nice reminder of that. I will admit, being on camera -- very weird. So weird I am ashamed to say I haven't even seen the episode of Check, Please! The episode is online now, if you want to take a peek at it. I'm sure I'll eventually watch it. It's not that I didn't enjoy the experience -- it was a blast! And if you live in the area, fill out an application to be a guest.?I love the show, it's put some new places I want to check out on my restaurant-radar. It's just a bizarre thing to see yourself on television. I can see why actors say they love the work, but they feel out of sorts watching their own performances. Seeing and hearing yourself on camera is somewhat overwhelming. But I don't want my weirdness to take away from the experience. It was Amazeballs, the crew and producers of Check, Please! do amazing work and they get an incredible amount of stuff done in a single day. They take such good care of the guests -- I was so nervous and they know how to handle people who have never been on camera before (like me). And yes, the green room snacks are awesome. Even if?I may not watch the final product because I'm a weird-a-saurus-nervous-wrecks, I would totally do it again. It feels good to finally talk about this; had to be all Fight Club about it for a few months until the episode aired. The shooting actually happened back in April, and it was like a month of pure restaurant bliss. As guests, everyone gets to try each others's favorite?eating spots,?so we all have our own experiences at each place. It was a fantastic excuse to visit Adam's Northwest Bistro, Poppy and Shamiana for a meal. When the camera focuses on you, it's total deer-in-the-headlights -- it was for me, anyways. I wished I'd talked about the first time I went to Adam's over a year ago, when I was there with my family. It meant a lot to bring them to a place that had so much of the regional flavors, prepared in a way that was really simple and approachable, and they had a great time. That made this place special for me, so that was the reason it was a restaurant I chose for Check, Please! Of course I forgot to say any of that, I think?I said something more along the lines of, "uh... duh...." and blanked out, but believe me, I meant to say all that in the studio. With any luck, images of deep fried Scotch eggs wrapped in pork sausage and gooey yolk centers are all that people cared about, because at the end of the day, that's really all that matters, right?It was good to go back to Shamiana -- this was one of our old lunch spots when I worked for a company in Kirkland. We would go to their lunch buffet, a totally different experience than dinner, which I think is a good thing to do with restaurants, going at different times of the day. It's really like going to a new place. Lunch is great -- I love getting a little bite of everything and heaping seconds of my favorites, like their chicken tikka masala. Dinner is a much more intimate minus the lunch rush, and it's nice to sample their other dishes. I'd never had a salmon curry before, but I really liked the sweet-sour tomato-based sauce and it workled really nicely with the fish. And they love their cardamom, so if you're a fan of this?marvelous fragrant spice, this is your place. Even if you're not sure if you like this flavor, it adds something special to everything, both sweet and savory. And?if you're getting over a cold like I was when I was there, the cardamom tea is a life-saver.Of course Poppy gets raves from everyone. I think it's?one of the 50 most amazing restaurants in the world on some super-duper?top list. And they're not wrong to put it there -- it's a total?gem. We've been going here for several years, but usually reserved?for special occasions. They really present food in a special, respectful way, so to have it for a celebratory reason makes the whole experience that much more endearing -- proof again that eating in restaurants can be magical. I like getting the vegetarian thali because I think it shows off the ingredients even more than the heavier meat or fish options. And their eggplant fries drizzled with wild honey blew my mindgrape. I definitely want to do a baked version of this with eggplant, I think the honey helps balance out the bitterness eggplant can sometimes have. I don't?need to say?much about Poppy because the food speaks for itself and it's something you have to experience, so if you've never been, put it on your list. 'Nuff said.It was a delicious experience, going to so many places in a month and having the chance to talk about it. The best part of?everything was of course the food, and experiencing such different places. Food is an expression, it can be personal and special. The way its presented is very much a part of the person who prepared it. So savor every moment you have in a restaurant,?really enjoy the food that?someone else has created. And definitely wander around the place -- having to be more aware of the restaurant itself made me take note of little details, like unusual collections, cute teapots and yes, even strange vintage photos in the womens' restroom. Clearly a greater force was at work for this whole experience, as even Nessie made it a point to make an appearance in my beer. A portence of greatness to come, clearly. But I do hope you check out Check, Please! on a regular basis,?add some new restaurants to your must-go list, and support all the marvelous things that PBS does for community programming.

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Watch Full Length Movies Online ? Internet Pay for Play ? RealPlayer

Is the Internet becoming more like television and the movies ? or are the movies and television becoming more like the Internet?

The correct answer is, yes.

Both are happening simultaneously as digital media technologies enable the merging of the mediums. This blurring of the lines can be confusing, especially when exploring options on how to watch full length movies online.

PAYING FOR ONLINE VIDEOS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Keeping the people on this earth entertained is big business. Whether free or paid, the bulk of video on the Internet is entertainment of one sort or another.

Websites delivering that video are in fierce battles for your attention. They want to fill our screens every day with movies; TV shows and original content, and do it while making a profit.

There are a large number of sites that let you watch free videos online, but if your main goal is watching full length movies on the internet, odds are you?ll need to pay. You even pay for watching?current TV programs online.

Think of it like watching regular TV or cable, and subscribing to premium movie channels or video-on-demand programming.

HOW TELEVISON, MOVIES AND THE INTERNET MERGE

A common element among the online video service providers is the ways they bring their streaming video to you. Every conceivable distribution mechanism is being used.

Television is merging with the Internet through built-in broadband connections so videos can be streamed directly to it. This feature is becoming more common, and has now become routine for manufacturers to offer.

If your TV isn?t Internet ready, several external devices such as TiVo, Boxee, PS3, Roku and Blu-ray players are. They essentially act as a tuner on your television or cable box. The difference is, these devices can detect and access the various paid or free online video services that have been licensed to operate on the devices.

But watching full length movies on the internet certainly aren?t confined to a TV set. You can of course access them through a computer connected to the Internet, but more notably, admittance to your electronic theaters is now mobile with smartphones, tablets and other devices. We?re still streaming here, so a Wi-Fi or a mobile data connection is required. However, some services do permit downloading for viewing on mobile devices while not online. All subject to the respective usage rules.

Typically, each video service allows a specified number of authorized devices to access the content.

All of them also share the ?Cloud? as the place the full length movies and videos actually reside. There?s nothing magical or mysterious about the Cloud. It isn?t even new. It simply means the content is on a collection of special computers called servers. Because of the massive storage requirements for full length movies and videos, these are huge assemblages of computer and Internet capacity. The Cloud reference really just means you have to be online to access the content or service.

LEADERS OF THE MOVIE PACK ? IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

Providing the technical infrastructure to deliver the goods, acquiring the rights and keeping track of who?s getting paid, is not for small-time players. Virtually all the entertainment conglomerates and Internet companies are involved in some way.

Some of the better-known names familiar to the public are Amazon, Hulu (owned by NBC and News Corp ? Fox), Vudu (owned by Wal-Mart), Crackle (owned by Sony) and Netflix.

NETFLIX
Originally started by delivering DVDs by mail for a monthly fee, Netflix later added the ability to watch full length movies online. The DVD subscribers used to be able to watch TV shows and free movies over the internet. Netflix now offers a separate online streaming service for $7.99 per month.

You cannot download or otherwise save the movie or show, even if you?re using a TiVo as the gateway device to a television.

There are no social sharing or email linking features with Netflix.

Because you are paying a monthly fee, there are no commercials either at the beginning or during the movies or TV shows for Netflix. This is not the case with all the pay for play or subscription services, such as Hulu Plus. Other providers offer free full length movies and TV shows, but advertisements are inserted.

Netflix streaming had been criticized both for not offering more current movies and television programs compared to other services, and for poor quality streaming. The Hollywood studios determine who get what movies when, so Netflix?s lack of more up-to-date titles is likely due to contractual arrangements.

Netflix claims its streaming quality is getting better. They note that some of the problems are due to slow speeds of Internet Service Providers themselves. High Definition content has recently been added using Microsoft Silverlight technology for video.

The user interface on Netflix is quite easy to use. Like many smart programs, it learns your preferences and suggests movie titles and TV shows that might appeal to you.

AMAZON INSTANT VIDEO
Amazon has tiered usage rules for purchased, rental and downloading videos. There?s also Prime Instant Viewing that offers premium content, such as full length movies. However, these are only permitted through streaming. Content can be viewed on computers, tablets, Internet-equipped TVs and through devices like TiVo, Blu-ray players, Xbox, etc. They?d especially like you to use their Kindle Fire.

When renting, you have 30 days to start watching a movie, and must complete your viewing with a 24-hour period. ?A typical full length movie rental is $3.99. Purchasing the same movie may cost $14.99,?but purchased movies do not have time limits.

Apple?s iTunes movie rental usage rights with the 30-day/24-hour provision are similar. Usage for purchased movies states: ?You can transfer to five computers, sync with all the iPods you own, and burn to DVD for data archiving purposes only (not for DVD playback). You can also sync to up to five Apple TVs which don?t count as one of your five computers.?

Amazon also provides the option to download the full length movie, so you?re not tied to an Internet connection as the regular rent or buy options do. The same time limits apply however.

All these services have different rights and distribution arrangements with the content providers. Amazon must have a good one, because the recent feature film ?Hugo? is on their rental list.

What makes the difference? It?s all about money. There have been estimates that Amazon pays 60% of the fees they collect to the Hollywood studios. That?s supposedly 50% more than Netflix is presumed to be paying. This provides Amazon with the availability of better quality and more recent full length movies and shows.

VUDU
Vudu prides itself on having more high definition movies, particularly in 1080p, than any competitor. They also make the point that streaming video titles are available one day after being released by the studios on DVD, compared to waiting 28 days for Netflix. They claim Netflix streaming is seven years behind.

Vudu also offers some television programs the day after broadcast.

Like Amazon, Vudu must also have a good business arrangement with the studios because ?Hugo? and ?Moneyball? are listed in their catalog of available movies. Again, it comes down to money. You get what you pay for, so I presume Vudu is paying top dollar for its access to quality full length movie titles and High Definition.

Vudu?s pricing structure is based on per-use. You only pay for what you watch. There is no regular monthly subscription fee. If watch full length movies on the internet nightly, this probably isn?t the option for you.

Rent for just $2 for 2 nights is the entry level they advertise, but pricing varies from $.99 to $5.99. How recent the title is and whether it?s delivered in standard definition, high definition, or what Vudu calls HDX all affect the cost. HD and HDX are both 1080p, but HDX is encoded at higher bit rates, plus adds 7.1 Dolby Digital surround sound.

Also like Amazon, there is a window of time in which you must watch the movie. Vudu calls it an ?Exhibition Period? and is the usual 30-day window to watch a rental movie within 24 hours once you start. Purchased content has unlimited viewing, as long as you have an active account and can access the service. No downloading is permitted.

Movies can also be purchased in a range from $4.99 to $24.99. TV shows from recognizable titles like ?Glee? and ?The Closer? to programs you?ve (at least I haven?t) ever heard of. They?re broken into collections by season. They run $1.99 to $2.99 per episode, and up to $43.99 for an entire season.

Vudu has a very nice interface, making it easy to browse through their catalog.

You can view on computers, tablets, smartphones and Internet connected televisions. Vudu supports connections with Facebook and Twitter, but only to the extent that you can post ratings of the videos you?ve watched.

HULU
I?m running a free Hulu movie, ?Chicago? on a separate screen while writing this. They do have a reasonable selection of free full length movies and TV shows. Most are not especially recent to me. It just seemed like older, less well-known movie titles. Many current television programs though. Some examples are yesterday?s ?Colbert Report? and the most recent episode of ?Awake? which I watched just last night on TV. Hulu does offer a large number of films from the acclaimed Criterion Collection.

Although free to watch, there are commercials every so often. I?d estimate one every 15 or 20 minutes. Not really that much of an interruption though.

For $7.99 a month you can subscribe to Hulu Plus. This gives you access to a broader range of more current movies and television programs. However, ?limited advertising? is still included.

A portion of Hulu?s answer to why subscription content contains ads is: ?We include advertisements in Hulu Plus in order to reduce the monthly subscription price of the service. Premium content ? especially from the current TV season ? is not only expensive to make and license, but we also want to compensate our content partners fairly for the valuable entertainment they provide.?

Apparently this advertising policy also applies to full length movies on Hulu Plus, although they do note offering: ?Thousands of critically-acclaimed and award winning movies, many featuring no commercial interruption.?

The other feature of Hulu Plus is access to the standard array of fixed and mobile devices supported by Netflix, Amazon, Vudu and Crackle, and High Definition when available, which the free Hulu service does not.

Hulu provides easy access to share its movies on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, reddit, Digg, Delicious and via email. If you?re posting a movie on your Facebook Wall, anyone can view it there at anytime. For sites that don?t permit the actual video itself, a link back to Hulu is provided.

Another curious point is you can access Crackle through Hulu. Why would Hulu provide this capability?

CRACKLE
Crackle, owned by Sony, surprised me. I had thought it was similar to Hulu?s model of offering both free and paid tiers of full length movies and TV shows. Not so. Apparently everything is free. I tried to find a way to give them my money, but just couldn?t uncover a route to any kind of paid rental or purchase or downloadable video.

Commercials are inserted during movies. There?s one at the beginning, and others added about every 20 minutes or so. Like Hulu?s free full length movies, not a particular inconvenience.

All movies are listed as free & uncut. Shows are broken into TV and original programming, created exclusively for Crackle. Today there was a banner ad for Vin Diesel, ?The Ropes? only available on Xbox 360 through March 8th. After that it would be on Crackle as normal. Seemed like an odd exclusive distribution arrangement. But there were also ads for Netflix on Crackle.

For those of you who are true multimedia, multi-taskers, clicking a few buttons enables you to play two movies at once in two different windows.

Crackle also has buttons to link movies with Facebook and Twitter. In the case of Facebook, the movie is simply inserted on your Wall where it can be played by anyone visiting. For Twitter, it?s a link back to Crackle.

Video content cannot be downloaded, but can be embedded to access them through Crackle.

Crackle recommends you have the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player installed on your browser.

THE FUTURE OF WATCHING FULL MOVIES ON THE INTERNET IS HERE ?? NOW WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT

I can?t tell you how long people in the entertainment and technology worlds have been talking about making this merging of mediums happen. Bringing the Internet into the living room, while at the same time making video content mobile has been coming for a long time, and now, it is most definitely here.

And this is just the start. All the pieces seem to be in position. Now it?s a matter of ironing out how the video and movie content is distributed among the various services.

This is a big issue. Each wants the best content first. The studios have their own business models centered around maximizing profit with when movies are first released to theaters, when they?re available on DVD and Blu-ray, and when they are then offered to online video services. Broadcast and cable television have similar concerns about how to get the most people watching their products, while making money.

It?s tricky. Everyone is still trying to work out exactly how to squeeze the most amount of revenue out of each iteration of a product?s life. Because so much of this is new territory, and the technology continuing to rapidly improve, the rules are always changing.

Let me know your opinion on the best place to watch full length movies on the internet by commenting below.

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Strong quake kills at least 4 in northern Italy

SANT'AGOSTINO DI FERRARA, Italy (AP) ? A strong earthquake shook northeast Italy early Sunday, killing four people, tearing off chunks of church facades and sending panicked residents into the streets. Aftershocks wreaked more havoc in the region, including knocking down a clock tower and injuring a firefighter.

The magnitude-6.0 quake struck at 4:04 a.m., with its epicenter about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Bologna at a relatively shallow depth of 5 kilometers (3.2 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Civil defense agency official Adriano Gumina described it as the worst quake to hit the region since the 1300s.

The four people killed were factory workers on the overnight shift when their buildings, in three separate locations, collapsed, agency chief Franco Gabrielli said, In addition, he said, two women died ? apparently of heart attacks that may have been sparked by fear. Sky TG24 TV reported one of them was about 100 years old.

Dozens of people were believed to be injured.

Two of the dead were workers at a ceramics factory in the town of Sant'Agostino di Ferrara. Their cavernous building turned into a pile of rubble, leaving twisted metal supports jutting out at odd angles and the roof mangled.

"This is immense damage, but the worst part is we lost two people," fellow worker Stefano Zeni said. News reports said one of the dead had worked the shift of an ill colleague. Elsewhere in the town, another worker was found dead under factory rubble.

In the town of Ponte Rodoni di Bondeno, a worker also died as his factory collapsed, news reports said, citing emergency workers.

Nearly 12 hours after the quake, a sharp aftershock alarmed the residents of Sant'Agostino di Ferrara and knocked off part of a wall of city hall. The building already had been pummeled by the pre-dawn quake, which left a gaping hole on one side of it.

The same aftershock knocked down the clock tower in the town of Finale Emilia, injuring a firefighter. Images from Sky TG24 showed the firefighter lying in the street near the rubble. The national geophysics institute assigned an initial magnitude of 5.1 to the aftershock.

The quake Sunday came as Italy was still reeling from Saturday's bombing that killed one person at a school in the country's south.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his traditional Sunday appearance from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, said he was "spiritually close" to those affected by the quake, and asked people to join him in prayers for the dead and injured.

Emilio Bianco, receptionist at Modena's Canalgrande hotel ? housed in an ornate 18th century palazzo ? said the quake "was a strong one, and it lasted quite a long time." The hotel suffered no damage and Modena itself was spared, but guests spilled into the streets as soon as the quake hit, he said.

The fear was palpable in Sant'Agostino. Resident Alberto Fiorini said there was "pandemonium" during the night.

'I took shelter under the bed and I prayed," he told Associated Press. His house was not damaged, he said.

Many people were still awake at 4 a.m. and milling about town since stores and restaurants were open all night.

The epicenter was between the towns of Finale Emilia, San Felice sul Panaro and Sermide, but the quake was felt as far away as Tuscany and northern Alto Adige. One woman in Finale Emilia told Sky a child had been trapped in her bedroom by falling rubble for two hours before she was rescued.

The initial quake was followed around an hour later by a 5.1-magnitude temblor, USGS said. And it was preceded by a 4.1-temblor.

In 2009, a temblor killed more than 300 people in the central city of L'Aquila, where the historic center is still largely uninhabited and in ruins.

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Kershaw outduels Westbrook, blanks Cards

Associated Press Sports

updated 1:10 a.m. ET May 20, 2012

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Getting shut out by Clayton Kershaw was the least of the St. Louis Cardinals' problems. They may have to do without first baseman Lance Berkman for a while because of an injured right knee.

Kershaw outdueled Jake Westbrook with a six-hitter for his fourth career shutout, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-0 victory on Saturday night.

"The first couple of innings I threw mainly fastballs," said the 24-year-old left-hander, who is 14-1 with a 1.40 ERA in his last 19 starts at home. "Once I established it, I used my breaking ball more, and the combination worked. They have a great lineup, but losing Lance Berkman is a big blow for them."

Berkman injured himself stretching for a throw from shortstop Rafael Furcal on Justin Sellers' groundout for the third out of the second inning. Matt Carpenter took over at first and committed a fielding error on a hard-hit grounder by former Cardinal Adam Kennedy in the fourth, allowing the game's first two runs to score.

The switch-hitting Berkman, a six-time All-Star and the NL comeback player of the year in 2011, has played in only 13 games this season and is batting .333 with a homer and four RBIs.

In Friday night's series opener, he homered as a pinch-hitter against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen with two out in the ninth to tie the score, before the Cardinals lost in the bottom half on a bases-loaded walk. The homer ended the longest season-opening home run drought of his career after 40 at-bats.

Berkman had just come off the disabled list last Sunday after being sidelined for 21 games because of a strained left calf he aggravated while chasing a popup. Another trip to the DL is a distinct possibility, judging by the way he was limping around in the clubhouse.

"I wish I knew," said Berkman, who has been on the DL five times. "We're just going to wait and see what the MRI says, but it just doesn't feel right. It buckled on me twice, and I don't know why it did that. I was able to move around OK in here, and then it buckled again. So I have to be careful with it. It's not too painful, but it's just a weird feeling. I wish I could describe it. There's a little bit of instability that's mildly concerning."

Kershaw did not walk a batter for the third time this season while lowering his ERA from 2.22 to 1.90.

"It's scary, but he keeps getting better," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "It just gives us a ton of confidence in this clubhouse that when it's his day to pitch, he's going to give us an awesome chance to win the game. You know what you're getting with Kersh. He's the same consistent guy on and off the field, and he knows he's got a job to do no matter what the circumstances. He wants every game real badly, but you could tell he really wanted this one."

The reigning NL Cy Young winner earned the seventh complete game of his career on 116 pitches, striking out four and not allowing a runner past second base against an offense that came in leading the NL in team batting average, runs, homers, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Sellers triggered a four-run seventh inning with his first home run of the season for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who improved the best record in the majors to 27-13.

The Dodgers beat the defending World Series champions for the sixth straight time - their longest winning streak against the Cardinals since an eight-game stretch from July 24, 1975 through May 12, 1976.

Westbrook (4-3) was charged with four runs - three earned - and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. The 34-year-old right-hander, pitching at Dodger Stadium for the first time in his 12-year career, departed after giving up Kershaw's opposite-field double off the glove of left fielder Matt Holliday. It was Kershaw's first extra-base hit after hitting 28 singles over five seasons.

Tony Gwynn Jr. greeted Eduardo Sanchez with a single that drove in Kershaw. The Dodgers got two more runs that inning when Gwynn scored on Sanchez's wild pitch and Andre Ethier added an RBI single that increased his NL-best RBI total to 36.

Westbrook knew he would have his work cut out for himself facing the Dodgers' ace, but he didn't let that distract him.

"You try not to do that, because you always want to go out there and throw a decent ballgame and put up zeros no matter who you're facing," Westbrook said. "If you put too much added pressure on yourself, it's really counter-productive. So you just go out there and pitch your game and do the best you can."

Ellis doubled his first two times up, and has reached base with a hit or a walk in 31 of his first 32 games - including the last 28 in a row. He entered Saturday with a .459 on-base percentage, the second-highest in the majors behind the Mets' David Wright (.510).

Notes: Dee Gordon, the Dodgers' regular SS and leadoff batter, got the night off after going 2 for 31 with 10 strikeouts and one walk in the previous seven games. Mattingly said before the game that he will sit him for a few days. ... Kershaw, who led the NL with 248 strikeouts last season, has made 13 consecutive starts without reaching double digits in strikeouts. ... In eight starts this season, Westbrook has yielded just one run over the first three innings. He has made only two other regular-season appearances against the Dodgers, both in relief for Cleveland in 2003.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Kershaw outduels Westbrook, blanks Cards

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Clayton Kershaw outdueled Jake Westbrook with a six-hitter for his fourth career shutout, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0 Saturday night.

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At Preakness, no one knows how horses will rebound

Trainer Bob Baffert leads Preakness Stakes horse race hopeful Bodemeister around the barn at at Pimlico racetrack, Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

Trainer Bob Baffert leads Preakness Stakes horse race hopeful Bodemeister around the barn at at Pimlico racetrack, Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

Exercise rider John Cisneros rides Preakness Stakes entrant Creative Cause during a morning workout at Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 18, 2012, in Baltimore. The Preakness Stakes horse race takes place Saturday at Pimlico. (AP Photo/Garry Jones)

Exercise rider Zeke Castro rides Preakness Stakes entrant Went the Day Well during a morning workout at Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 18, 2012, in Baltimore. The Preakness Stakes horse race takes place Saturday.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

BALTIMORE (AP) ? Judging by his appetite and appearance, Bodemeister has rebounded nicely from his vigorous trip in the Kentucky Derby and is ready to shine at the Preakness.

Bodemeister finished second in the Derby and has been installed the favorite in Saturday's second jewel of the Triple Crown.

"I've had some horses, they run (and then) they don't eat for a few days and they sulk in the stall or whatever," Bodemeister trainer Bob Baffert said. "But he's a pretty tough horse. He just bounced out of it really well. If you watch their weight over their rumps, that's where they usually lose it if they can't handle what you're giving them. He filled out nice and his hair looks good. He looks good."

So, Baffert's got nothing to worry about, right?

Uh, not exactly. Because not even a Hall of Fame trainer can predict how a horse will react when thrust into a big race for the second time in 15 days.

"If the gate comes open and they feel like running, they run," he said. "If they don't feel like it, they don't run."

Baffert speaks from experience. In 2009, he brought Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile to Pimlico Race Course for the Preakness. The horse went off as the second favorite and finished 11th in a field of 13.

"I thought he would run huge and he never ran a jump," Baffert said. "They're doing great, but you're still waiting for that gate to come open to see what they're going to do."

Baffert has won the Preakness five times. Doug O'Neill, trainer of Derby winner I'll Have Another, never even visited Baltimore before last week.

The edge in experience goes to Baffert, but the most important factor in determining the winner of a race isn't necessarily the manner in which a horse is groomed, exercised or saddled.

Most times, the best horse wins ? even if the trainer is a Preakness first-timer.

"The cream always rises to the top," Baffert said. "The Kentucky Derby winner is a very good horse and he's going to be tough to beat."

Only six of the 20 horses that ran at Churchill Downs came to Baltimore for the Preakness. Mike Harrington, trainer of Creative Cause, expects his horse to bounce back from a disappointing fifth-place finish ? the first time in nine career races the gray colt finished out of the money.

"He's getting more mature with every race he runs," Harrington said. "He's doing well. He's holding up good. I was talking to somebody this morning and I said it will be interesting to see how many of these are still standing after the Belmont."

Went the Day Well finished fourth in the Derby, and trainer Graham Motion can only hope his horse has enough left to run better in the Preakness.

"Went the Day Well looks like he's doing great," Motion said. "But honestly, I don't know how he's going to run Saturday. He's given me every indication that he's doing super, but I don't think we can tell what the Derby has taken out of them until we get there."

There are five new shooters set to go, all at odds ranging from 15- to 30-1.

One of them is Tiger Walk, who changed jockeys after Kent Desormeaux failed a Breathalyzer test at Belmont Park in New York on Friday. Ramon Dominguez will now ride the 30-1 long shot owned by Under Armour founder Kevin Plank.

"It was a team decision," trainer Ignacio Correas said. "Ramon is a great rider. We're happy to have him."

Other notable new shooters include Teeth of the Dog (15-1), who was third in the Wood Memorial for trainer Michael Matz and Cozzetti (30-1), trained by Dale Romans, who won last year's Preakness with Shackleford.

___

The field, from the rail out: Tiger Walk (Kent Desormeaux, 30-1); Teeth of the Dog (Joe Bravo, 15-1); Pretension (Javier Santiago, 30-1); Zetterholm (Junior Alvarado, 20-1); Went the Day Well (John Velazquez, 6-1); Creative Cause (Joel Rosario, 6-1); Bodemeister (Mike Smith, 8-5); Daddy Nose Best (Julien Leparoux, 12-1); I'll Have Another (Mario Gutierrez, 5-2); Optimizer (Corey Nakatani, 30-1); and Cozzetti (Jose Lezcano, 30-1).

Associated Press

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Former GMAC puts mortgage unit in bankruptcy | Used Car Loan Blog

By Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY and Detroit Free Press

Ally Financial, the former GMAC, which still owes taxpayers about $12 billion $17.2 billion in loans it got as part of the General Motors and Chrysler bailouts, has nudged its home mortgage subsidiary into bankruptcy court to try end the drag of its toxic mortgage assets on Allys profitable businesses, such as car loans and direct banking (ad above).

The Residential Capital (ResCap) unit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early today and Ally CEO Michael Carpenter said in a statement: The action by ResCap will enable Ally to achieve a permanent solution to its legacy mortgage risks and put these issues behind us. He said the action will help Ally focus on further strengthening its already leading US auto finance and direct banking franchises.

Ally Financial was founded by GM in 1919 as the General Motors Acceptance Corp. (GMAC) to provide auto loans. Over the years, it expanded into insurance, direct banking, mortgages and commercial finance. GM sold 51% to Cerberus Capital Management during financial troubles in 2006. It changed its name to Ally in 2010.

Taking ResCap into bankruptcy carries political implications because its a part of the auto bailout that didnt turn out as planned. The government still owns 74% of Ally, and its repaid only $5.5 billion of $17.2 billion it got in the bailout so it could keep offering car dealer and buyer financing for GM and Chrysler. Ally received more than twice the taxpayer help as Chrysler.

It is clear to me this (bankruptcy filing) is part of a housecleaning exercise, University of Michigan bankruptcy law professor John Pottow said. They want to take Ally public soon, and they think (ResCap would) weigh down on it.

Allys ResCap, along with other mortgage lenders, was aggressive in the subprime market, making risky loans without serious reviews of borrowers credit histories. Like others, it took huge losses when the housing bubble burst.

Adding to Allys ongoing burden, some buyers of ResCaps mortgage-backed securities have sued, demanding that Ally buy back the bad securities. Pottow said a ResCap bankruptcy may not shelter Ally from such suits. Some bankruptcy judges wont let corporate parents escape such challenges when a subsidiary files for bankruptcy.

Ally estimated last month that it could lose between $400 million and $1.25 billion because of its exposure to ResCaps troubles, according to in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Aiding Ally in 2009 was a crucial element in the rescues of GM and Chrysler:

Most dealers and many consumers in the 2009 credit freeze werent able to get financing from other lenders. Although Ally now finances dealers and customers of other automakers, its business with GM and Chrysler dealers is a large portion of its portfolio.

Some 72% of GM dealers in North America financed their inventory through Ally in the first quarter, down from 84% a year ago. There was a similar decline with Chrysler dealers: 60%, down from 68%.

Both GM and Chrysler have built relationships with other financial institutions. Last month, Chrysler said that it would end its exclusive arrangement with Ally that made it the preferred source for Chrysler dealers vehicle financing.

Allys auto-lending operations posted a $2.72 billion profit in 2011. Overall, Ally lost $201 million in 2011, including a $402 million loss tied to ResCap. But in the first quarter, Ally earned $310 million.

Bankruptcy became more likely when ResCap missed an April 17 interest payment of $20 million on unsecured debt. Ally said in an SEC filing that there was substantial doubt about ResCaps viability as a stand-alone business.

Allys legacy mortgage assets ? that is, GMAC mortgages and securities predating 2009 ? totaled $10.9 billion on Dec. 31, according to the companys annual report. The company wiped a total of $22 billion in old mortgage assets from its books in 2009, 2010 and 2011. ResCap stopped originating subprime mortgages in 2007.

Ally Financial now conducts most of its mortgage loan-origination business through its Ally Bank subsidiary, with much of its activity centered on refinancing and loan servicing. Ally is the primary servicer on 2.3 million mortgages with collective unpaid principals totaling about $356 billion, according it a recent SEC filing.

ResCap continues to cost Ally for other reasons. In February, the federal government and 49 states reached a settlement with a group of banks on their defective foreclosure procedures. ResCap paid a $212 million fine as part of that settlement.

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Starship Vocals

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