WatchDog roundup
Hockey player-turned tooth fairy Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson) "wings" it with some makeshift duds that combine the best of both worlds in "Tooth Fairy" (20th Century Fox). Credit: 20th Century Fox
Rock is shaken on ice
"Tooth Fairy," the new family comedy starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is only tangentially about hockey.
But it did require Johnson, who grew up mostly in Hawaii and Florida, to don ice skates for the first time. It went badly.
"Within a couple of minutes, I realized it was very sobering, a humbling experience," he said over soft drinks at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Columbus Circle.
"It's the arrogance of the athlete. I told them, 'I can do this.' Five minutes later, same conversation: 'I can't do this. We're going to need to find stunt doubles.' They did a great job covering my incapabilities."
Part of the problem was his inability to put all of his weight on his left ankle because of the Achilles tendon injury he suffered filming "The Game Plan" several years earlier.
Filmmakers used overhead wiring to allow him to skate in a line and to lift some weight off his skates. "It was interesting how we had to set up the camera shots," he said. "It's an illusion."
Johnson never had been to a hockey game before filming but now has an appreciation for the sport.
"We had a lot of ex-pro players on the teams, and watching how fast the game is played and the violence of the collisions was amazing to me," he said.
Last week, Johnson attended a Bruins-Kings game.
"It was a special 'Tooth Fairy' day," he said. "They made me an honorary King. I'm not quite sure if I earned that, but I appreciate the gesture."
SNY's Lucas is fired up
SNY's Jets postgame has gained a substantial following in recent weeks.
That can be attributed in part to coach Rex Ryan's news conferences and locker room speeches, but also to the unpredictable stylings of Ray Lucas, a former Jets quarterback who is unafraid to give in to fanlike excitement when the team wins - and fanlike disgust when it loses.
"We're all fans, No. 1," he said. "The fact we do the show is a bonus . . . I'm feeling everything I say. It's awesome. It really is."
Producer Will O'Toole said he "listens carefully for balance" in his analysts but does not want to restrain Lucas' emotions.
"Ray's passion is what makes him great," he said. "Fans relate to that."
SNY plans to produce a show every day from South Florida if the Jets advance to Super Bowl XLIV. Lucas said Jets-Vikings would be "my dream matchup."
Why? "Stick it right down [Brett Favre's] throat."
Deion: Revis ready for prime time
Some thoughts on Darrelle Revis from the NFL Network's Deion Sanders - perhaps the best cover cornerback ever:
"I think he's going to be great for at least five to seven years. The reason is he has instinct, mobility and one thing that people really don't understand: He's never out of position. He's never high. He plays low. He has great balance.
"I'm not going to say he's a speedster, but he has a burst, and he knows the integral parts of the game. He's a studier. He takes his work home with him. You're not going to worry about him going to jail after practice or something absurd like that.
"He is a constant professional on and off the field, and his work habits are second to none. I just feel elated about this kid, his potential."
In '68, Jets fans were in dark
Strange but true: The 1968 AFL Championship Game - the second-biggest victory in Jets history - was blacked out from live TV in the New York area.
New Yorkers were stuck listening on the radio, traveling north or south to find a TV signal from Philly or Hartford, or watching the Colts blow out the Browns, 34-0, for the NFL title.
The Colts sure looked like the better team, but the Jets were young and cocky and had a young coach on their staff named Ryan and . . . well, you know.
SB ads are better early
You might think the best part of the Super Bowl in which to run an ad is late in a close game, but I learned at a Nielsen seminar that by far the most value in terms of recall and likability comes early in the game.
Those factors peak in the first quarter and tail off dramatically from there, presumably as people become more focused on the game and the novelty of watching commercials wanes.
Another Super Bowl finding: 51 percent of people say they enjoy the ads more than the game.
'Mink Man' is sidelined
John Minko, a WFAN original and one of the station's most popular update men, is under the weather and will be sidelined for at least the next several weeks.
Twenty-four-hour sports talk radio never has existed without him, and it won't be the same until he returns. Get well soon.
