NBA All-Star weekend in New Orleans is now over and this year it did not disappoint. In my February 15^th issue, I discussed the event and went on to rank my Top 10 Dunk Contest winners of all time. Well, after this weekend you can add a new name to the list. Dwight Howard won the contest this year with incredible charisma and a creative arsenal of dunks. Gerald Green who ranked #10 on my list after winning last year's contest also moves up the list based on his impressive showing which included a dunk while blowing out a cupcake candle sitting on the rim. This showdown was extremely entertaining and produced some of the most innovative dunks ever seen. Here is a link to see the highlights of all of the dunkers, please watch and see for yourself. From Howard's first amazing dunk, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands and he did not let them down. I would say this performance combined with that sticker dunk from last year puts Howard all the way up somewhere between #3 and #5 on my list. The dunk contest regained its status as must-see entertainment.

The actual game on Sunday night is almost an afterthought, but at least this year the game stayed close down to the very end. The East ultimately pulled out the victory 134-128 and LeBron James was named the game's MVP. Ray Allen really allowed the East to win by scoring 14 of his 28 points in about the last 3 minutes of the game. As you can see by the final score, there was not much defense played in the game, but that is common to this type of exhibition. The players put on a show and it was exciting down to the final buzzer.

The game ended late last night, but the positive effects that NBA All-Star weekend left behind in New Orleans will remain for quite a long time. You see, there is a certain positive economic benefit when a major event like All-Star weekend is held in any city. This alone served to help a city that is still reeling from Hurricane Katrina two and a half years later. The NBA and its players went one step further with its "NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service." Many of the NBA's brightest stars including LeBron James, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd were joined by 2500 other league employees as volunteers helped the rebuilding process at schools, houses, playgrounds and building sites around the city. There was a front page headline on the local paper which declared it "the largest single volunteer effort since Katrina" happened. The players themselves were rolling up their sleeves and doing the work and at the same time bringing attention to the situation that still exists down in Louisiana. Many people do not realize that the devastation still remains in this region and maybe this attention may help expedite the efforts. Like I have said before, pro athletes get so much negative publicity that I have to take the time to call attention to some of the positive moments. The response of the NBA Family to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina was immediate and sustained. Through the efforts of the NBA, its teams, current and former players, and the National Basketball Players Association, contributions to the Gulf Region have exceeded $15 million to date. NBA efforts have included the construction of 35 homes with Habitat for Humanity and the building of five playgrounds. The NBA's commitment to the revitalization of New Orleans was evident on March 8, 2006, when the Hornets hosted the L.A. Lakers in the city's first professional sporting event following the hurricane, it continued on May 22, 2006, when the city was awarded All-Star 2008, the first major event of any kind to commit to New Orleans and culminated in Friday's "NBA Cares All-Star Day of Caring." New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was quoted saying the Hornets and the league "have gone above and beyond in meaningful support of the people and city of New Orleans. They have contributed to rebuilding housing, education revitalization projects and have supported numerous charitable and non-profit agencies. A strong part of the recovery progress in the city of New Orleans can be linked to the community efforts of the New Orleans Hornets and the NBA." These efforts should definitely be considered one of the greatest highlights of a weekend already jam packed with the more obvious highlights. Congratulations to the NBA and its players on a truly first class event from start to finish.

That's all for this edition of Kickin' it Old School. The Oscars are this coming Sunday, so we will definitely hit some movie topics this week. Thanks for reading and continue spreading the word. I appreciate all of the links back to my blog and I ask you all to consider adding a link to Kickin' it Old School on your site. If you have missed any issues, be sure to click on the Archive buttons in the upper left column to see all of them. Hope you all have a fantastic week. Peace and much love.

Check this out: The cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is in the midst of its annual tribute to the Oscars. They have what they refer to as "31 Days of Oscar" when they show mostly Oscar winning movies. Here is a link to the schedule for this week and the remainder of the month. I am sure there are some movie worth setting your DVR or Tivo to record for you. Wednesday night you can see On The Waterfront and Some Like It Hot. Friday you can see Raging Bull and Ordinary People. Each day you can find films worth watching.

Quote of the day: "Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price." -Vince Lombardi

Download this: "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - This is one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time which was featured on the album E. 1999 Eternal. I am not sure why this song did not become more popular, but I feel it is a truly special song.