Steven Helmer Publications

 My thoughts from last night's Green Bay Packers' 27-19 win over the Kansas City Chiefs: Green Bay is giving a new definition to the term "rebuild." The Packers, like most teams, might not have used that word but that's what this season was supposed to be. The willingness to part ways with a veteran player like Rasul Douglas mid-season is evidence of that. However, Green Bay is proving a rebuild year doesn't need to mean you finish near the bottom in the league. If the season ended today, they'd be in the playoffs with two key wins that should make the higher seeded teams a bit nervous. Jordan Love for League MVP? OK, this is admittedly an overreaction from the Packers reaching .500 on the season. Or is it? Statistically, he's right up there with the MVP favorites and he's putting up those numbers with rookie and second year receivers. If the Packers finish the year in the playoffs, I think he needs to at least be in the conversation. I mean, did

Synopsis: A year after regaining her Christmas spirit at Evergreen Lane, Emily is helping her boyfriend, Jared plan the annual Christmas activities while Jared secretly makes plans to propose to her. However, their plans are disrupted when the Jolly Johnsons, a famous reality television family, moves to the neighborhood and immediately try to take over the holiday planning, eventually pitting neighbor against neighbor. Who's in it? The movie stars Lacey Chabert , Wes Brown , Melissa Peterman , Seth Morris and Jennifer Aspen. Review: Hallmark Christmas movies, by their very nature, have a one-and-done feel to them. So, when I saw there was a sequel to a movie that I wasn't overly impressed with, I had a lot of doubts. However, it still starred Lacey Chabert and, as I've said, my wife and I are big fans, so we gave it a try anyway. As it turns out, my first instincts about this movie were correct. I think the biggest problem I had with this movie is, much like the first f

Synopsis: On her 18th birthday, defiant Kay Allyn tries to marry her fiancé Jack Pierson, much to the chagrin of her father, J. C., who is president of an advertising firm and knows his daughter is just trying to get married to spite him. With the help of drifter Bruce "Butch" Baeder, the wedding is broken up and J. C. keeps Baeder around to make it difficult for Kay to sneak off to marry Jack by pretending to be Kay's husband. Kay, in turn, tries to outwit both of them by playing along with the charade. Who's in it? The movie stars Craig Reynolds , Ann Sheridan , William Hopper , Anne Nagel and Hugh O'Connell. Review: I've had this movie in my library for some time now and started watching it once or twice before turning it off after a few minutes. I finally got around to watching it in its entirety and it turned out to be better than expected. I will warn you; this movie is definitely dated. Yeah, most movies from this era are, especially when it comes t

Synopsis: When crazed killer Billy Lenz escapes the mental institution on Christmas Eve, he makes a path straight for his childhood home. Unfortunately for the sorority sisters of Delta Alpha Kappa, his former house is now their sorority house. With police assistance at least two hours away because of the heavily falling snow, they are forced to find a way to survive on their own. Who's in it?  The movie stars Katie Cassidy , Michelle Trachtenburg , Lacey Chabert , Robert Mann and Andrea Martin . You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Black Christmas (2006) (wizzley.com)

While free agency can be a quick fix for NFL teams, sometimes knowing who not to sign can be just as effective. This includes a team's own players, even when there is fan protest. Green Bay Packers' General Manager Brian Gutekunst did a lot of that this off season, due in no small part to limited cap space. However, based on the way those lost free agents are performing with their new teams, that decision seems to be one of genius despite opinions that were expressed at the time. Here's a look at their biggest losses from the off season. Allen Lazard - This was arguably Gutekunst's biggest roll of the dice this off season because Lazard was the team's number one guy in 2022 and the remaining receivers lacked experience. Lazard would sign a 4-year, $44 million contract with the New York Jets, hoping to continue playing with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, of course, got hurt in the first game of the season and Lazard's numbers suffered to the point he was a

Synopsis: Still hurting from a recent breakup, an art teacher, Jordin, attends a holiday event known as the Santa Summit (a Christmas-themed bar crawl) with her two best friends and colleagues, Ava and Stella. When she drops her wallet, Jordin meets Liam, an architect, and immediately feels a spark. However, she and Liam become separated before learning each other's names and since they were wearing Santa costumes, don't know what each other looks like. Determined to find love, they begin to search for each other while attending all the Santa Summit events. Who's in it? The movie stars Hunter King , Benjamin Hollingsworth , Amy Groening , Stephanie Sy and  Rodrigo Beilfuss .  Review: As is usually the case when we stay out late the night before (karaoke date night) my wife and I were pretty wiped out yesterday and, after doing a few things around the house, wound up hanging out on the couch. It gave us an excuse to watch another Hallmark Christmas movie, and this is the