FedEx Field

Washington-based electronic duo Thievery Corporation will open for Paul McCartney at FedEx Field Saturday, organizers announced today. "We're excited and honored to open for Paul McCartney in our hometown of Washington, D.C.," Thievery Corporation's Rob Garza said in a statement. "Having a chance to play to his audience is unique for us and we're really looking forward to it."

"Unique" is one way to put it. I wonder how the baby boomers are going to react to Thievery Corporation's music. I must admit -- at first, I was puzzled by the announcement. On second thought, it does make sense: McCartney has been making experimental electronic music under his alter ego, The Fireman, since the early '90s. And according to a New York Times review, he's been performing some of The Fireman's material this tour.

More than 85,000 are expected at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night (11 p.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel) for the Galaxy's friendly against Euro champion Barcelona. Meantime, ticket sales for United's encounter with Real Madrid next weekend at FedEx Field are over 55,000.

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have signed defensive end Everette Brown, the club's second-round pick in the 2009 Draft. In just three seasons at Florida State, Brown ranked fifth on the school's all-time list in sacks (23) and second in tackles for losses (46 1/2). The 43rd overall selection -- Carolina's first pick of the draft -- was runner-up for ACC Player of the Year in 2008, when he recorded 13 1/2 sacks and 21 1/2 tackles for a loss.

Approximately 7,000 tickets for each of the ten home games (eight regular season, two exhibition) are reserved for single game tickets. Prices range from $51 to $90 per ticket, and fans may purchase up to four games with a four-ticket limit per game. The website describes Panthers Search as, "An online portal dedicated to helping you earn digital dollars called "Swag Bucks", which can be redeemed for exclusive Panthers merchandise."

As I was looking around the Carolina Panthers website the other day, I noticed a banner on the screen touting a new feature of their site called Panthers Search. What this is is a way to earn what are called "Swag Bucks" that you can redeem for merchandise online. The prizes range from MP3 downloads all the way to a giant Star Wars action figure set, with plenty of trading cards and autographed memorabilia thrown in. If these things don't interest you, you can trade in your swag bucks for sweepstakes entries.

Observe and Report

Warner Home Video will counter Paul Blart: Mall Copy and release the Seth Rogen comedy Observe and Report on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on September 22. Co-starring with Rogen are Anna Faris, Michael Peña, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe and Ray Liotta. Ironically (or not), Observe and Report's announcement comes the same day Judd Apatow's Funny People, co-starring Rogen, arrives in theaters. Earlier rumors had Observe and Report scheduled for a July release, not announcement.

On Blu-ray, Observe and Report will be presented in 2.35:1 1080p video and 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio. Observe and Report on Blu-ray will retail for $35.99. I will pass along Amazon.com pre-order information when available. If it's announced that there will be special features on perhaps a "special edition" DVD version of the film, I will certainly keep you updated.

Warner Home Video has made a few DVD release announcements over the last few days. Leading off these announcements is the dark comedy, Observe and Report starring Seth Rogen. This film will hit shelves on DVD and Blu-ray on September 22. It appears that there actually won't be any special features on the DVD version of the film, but on the Blu-ray there will be a picture in picture commentary track, a few featurettes, and a gag-reel.