The Final Draw - WM 2006/Wetten, Dass...

So Friday was the final draw for the Weltmeisterschaft 2006 (World Cup), where basically they chose which teams would play against whom. I had gone out to eat with Alex, Zoey, and Meredith, and came back to my apartment to find Christian, Pablo, and some of Christian's friends ("Matze," Sebastian, & his girlfriend) sitting in the living room around the TV. Of course, this was not nearly an important event to me as it was to them, especially since I know nothing of which teams are good and which are not.

I decided to sit down and watch, and all I can say is it was a pretty European moment. Every so often, someone would either receive or make a phone call on his cell phone to say, "Kannst du es glauben?!" or something (Can you believe it). Basically, the whole program was a bunch of guys standing in a crescent, picking balls out of these large bowls with team names and games on pieces of paper within the balls. It wasn't all that intriguing, but at the same time, I thought it interesting to watch the reaction of the people around me. Everyone was hoping that the U.S. would end up in a game against Mexico, but it didn't happen. Schade, because that would be fun to see.

It was also pretty cool that Germany was picked for the opening game. I'm sure it's going to be crazy and I'm really looking forward to it. Germany will also be playing a game here in Berlin, so I'm hoping to get tickets for that game...at least I will have some sort of association rather than blindly cheering for a team I have no sort of feelings for. However, I wouldn't really care if I wound up seeing a game that I don't care about either team, because it would just be an experience to go to a World Cup game.

Last night before Alex and I went to a movie with Meredith and Zoey, we watched TV with Christian, Pablo, and Sebastian. It was this program called Wetten, Dass...(Bet That...) which I think we need to import to the U.S. To put it simply, it's Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks but an entire show. The twist to it is that they have all these celebrities on, and then they bet the celebrity about the stupid trick.

Stupid tricks last night included a guy who could name any Beatles tune being played by three guys with brooms and a kid, when blindfolded, who could tell you what stuffed animal was in front of him by feeling it with his barefeet. I'd like to comment on these, um, "talents," if you will. First, the guy & The Beatles songs with brooms. How the hell do you figure out you have a talent like that? Do you practice Beatles songs with brooms? And why would you do either? I guess it could be a pretty interesting pick up line: "Yeah, so I can name any Beatles tune that is played with brooms...how many people do you know that can do that?" Regardless, I guess it was a pretty unique talent, and ziemlich geil.

Then the kid who could identify his stuffed animals by feeling them with his feet. Um, three words: What. The. Fuck. Seriously! What sort of child sits around and feels his stuffed animals with his barefeet? Does he have any friends? Or do his friends indulge in this strange behavior as well? Christian, Alex, and I were definitely making fun of him. I mean, what kind of "talent" is that? If I were the kid's mother, I would be worried if he just sat at home all day feeling stuffed animals with his feet. That's just weird.

The last thing I would like to comment about last night's episode of Wetten, Dass... is Robbie Williams. He was on performing, and God only knows why he is so popular here. The people in the audience were going NUTS for him, as if it were just like Beatlemania. I mean, girls were crying and screaming and tearing out their hair practically. I'll admit it wasn't nearly as maniacal as with The Beatles, but it was pretty close. He walked around the audience while performing, singing "to" people, taking pictures with their cameras, etc. During the performance, I just had to say, "Ich verstehe nicht, warum Robbie Williams so populär ist. Er ist SO langweilig!" (I don't understand why Robbie Williams is so popular. He's SO boring!) Everyone just sort of laughed and agreed.

So for anyone who is coming to Germany any time soon, be warned: Robbie Williams is EVERYWHERE. He's taking over Europe, apparently. I keep thinking, "Robbie Williams...he's that dude that sang that song 'Millenium' and 'Angels.' Why is he so great?" He's on posters, advertisments, commercials, etc. He's even playing the Olympiastadion here in Berlin, which would be the equivalent of playing Giants Stadium at home. If Robbie Williams had a concert in the U.S., I feel like he would be lucky to fill Jones Beach Amphitheater. It's so strange to think that Robbie Williams is actually popular...

Currently listening to Nerf Herder's "Pantera Fans In Love"