Drake extends his stay at #1 for a second week running. Even the Super Bowl couldn’t topple him, though the results were close. The Big Game did gain one spot over last week, opening up the #3 spot for Tool, who shot up from the #9 spot.

Basketball rounds out the top five, pro and college. The Heat have been on the countdown pretty steadily since the NBA season returned. The Vanderbilt hoops squad is a newcomer, but college basketball’s season of madness isn’t all that far away, so expect more to come.

Radiohead kicks off the bottom five with a big gain from #10 last week. Coldplay follows, having been spotty on the countdown of late. A fate similar to the Chili Peppers, who were strong but lost some momentum when their tour suffered a delay. They’re back this week as the new tour dates get closer.

Van Halen’s surge quickly lost steam, falling to #10 this week after nearly conquering the countdown last week. They’ve got a few weeks to get back to the top before the new tour begins.

The view from my seat.

I love to travel, and one of the perks of working at TicketCity is catching the latest in live entertainment.

I just returned from New York City, where I had the privilege of attending the hottest theatre show in the country.  I went to see The Book of Mormon at the Eugene ONeill Theatre. After 14 Tony Award nominations and nine wins, I knew I was in for a treat.

When I arrived at the show, the energy in the theatre was electric. Caroline, the Director of Sales at TicketCity, hooked me up with an amazing seat for the show in row K. The show started off with a wonderful introductory song that was so passionate, it energized the entire audience. Things only got better from there!

Please take the time to see this show the next time you are in New York. If you appreciate the humor of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

My very best,

Randy Cohen
Chief Energizing Officer TicketCity

Concerts have the upper hand this week, with a 6-4 edge. It’s really 7-3, since the Houston Rodeo makes it to the list on the strength of their concert line-up this year, which features Lady Antebellum, John Legend, ZZ Top, Train, and Alan Jackson, among many others. At the top is Drake, who enjoys a strong jump from the fifth spot last week. He dethrones Van Halen, though they were a close #2.

The Super Bowl surges back to the third spot, followed by country sensation Jason Aldean. Aldean is on tour and will be stopping by the Houston Rodeo as well. The Heat round out the top 5 after a single digit loss.

In the bottom five we find monster trucks and Justin Beiber, who returns after a longer than usual absence. No new tour has been announced, but he is apparently working on a new album (Believe), so a new tour will likely not be far behind.

Rounding things out Tool slip a couple spots to #9 while Radiohead appears at #10. They’ll be in the US for just over a month, so don’t wait to get your tickets.

This weekend will cap the race to Super Bowl XLVI when the Baltimore Ravens meet the New England Patriots—an AFC showdown of the top two seeds—and when the No. 4 seeded New York Giants travel cross-country to take on the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers.

As if you weren’t already rabid at the thought of these two games, here’s a little something to get you excited—our take on each game.

AFC Championship Game—New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens

New England’s offense ranked No. 2 in NFL this season, Baltimore’s defense ranked No. 3 (and second against the run) while the Ravens’ offense was No. 15 and the Patriots’ defense ranked 31st.

The New England Patriots’ dynasty continues, with Bill Belichick leading his Patriots to their six AFC title game in his 11 seasons as head coach. Belichick and co. have perhaps their best all-around team this season, especially if you consider their strength down the stretch. Tom Brady has mastered this offense, using match-up nightmares Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to mystify defenders.

The Baltimore defense is no slouch, though. The Ravens are smart, with future Hall of Famers Ed Reed and Ray Lewis—and maybe Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata too—patrolling the field. Brady will face the toughest test of the season in a game that could put the Patriots in line for their fourth Super Bowl ring and a top the NFL hierarchy with Bill Walsh’s 49ers and Chuck Noll’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Prediction: New England 34, Baltimore 17

NFC Championship Game—San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants

San Francisco’s offense ranked No.26 in the NFL this season and New York’s defense ranked No. 27—on the flip side, the Giant’s offense was No. 8 overall and the 49er defense ranked No. 4 overall and first against the run.

The NFC Championship game will feature hard hits, little scoring and plenty of pressure on the quarterback—the two teams combined for 90 sacks during the regular season.

The 49ers, as the home team, open -2.5 as favorites to win the game. For the 49ers to pull out a victory, they’ll need a big day from Frank Gore at running back. Gore was limited to zero yards on just six carries due to injury when the 49ers defeated the Giants 27-20 in Week 10. The 49ers have Gore back, and cut Braylon Edwards after numerous timing problems in the first game, but the Giants have a healthy Justin Tuck and a suddenly unstoppable secondary.

Prediction: San Francisco 24, New York 20

Matt Miller is the founder of the NFL draft site, New Era Scouting, which TicketCity is proud to sponsor. Matt will be a guest author for several posts a month on the TicketCity blog. Matt is Bleacher Report’s No. 1 ranked writer, and his work has also been featured on NFL.com, SI.com and USA Today.

Jackson is ready to win the contest!

We received so much great feedback on yesterday’s blog post that we’ve decided to host a Pet Pic Contest. It only takes a minute and you’ll have a chance to win a $100 TicketCity gift card!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

1: Post a picture of your pet to the TicketCity Facebook wall (extra love for sports or music themed pics).

2: Ask your friends to come to our wall to vote on your picture. A vote counts as a “like” or comment on your pet’s picture.

3: Whichever pictures receives the most votes by next Tuesday, January 24th at 2:00 p.m. wins the $100 gift card.

CHANCE TO WIN AN EXTRA $50:

If the picture with the most votes belongs to someone that has also:

1: Added us to their circles on Google+

and

2: +1 or commented on a post on our Google+ page

then the winner will receive a $150 gift card instead of $100!

Ready to win? Then go ahead and get posting. We can’t wait to see your pet pics!

When Ryan, our Director of Purchasing, brought in his golden retriever puppy we joked about the accuracy of the commercial’s tagline. There we were, all gathered around a fuzzy little bundle of joy “Awww”-ing until we could aw no more. As it goes with proud parents, we each started talking about our own pets and their infinite cuteness. We all started sharing pictures with each other, and so was born the post you see before your very eyes. Below are some pictures of the fuzzier (and arguably cuter) half of the TicketCity family.

If you’d like to put a face with the fuzz, below are the humans responsible for the adorable pups and felines featured here.

We always welcome additional cuteness, so feel free to share your own pictures with us on our Facebook page.

Interesting shuffle this week, as we bid a final farewell to bowl season. The NFL postseason still figures heavily on the list, though it’s now in the bottom five. At the top we have Van Halen, whose upcoming tour has proven quite buzzworthy, thanks in no small part to the release of their first new album in fourteen years. It’s the first Van Halen album since 1984 to feature David Lee Roth on lead vocals. Fans have had quite a wait for this one, and are ready to pack stadiums to see them.

In slightly more bittersweet concert news, the #2 entry on the countdown, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, surged from #9 last week, but also announced the kick off of their tour would be delayed. Chili Peppers faithful will have to wait until late March to see the band.

Rounding out the top 5 we have the Heat hanging in at #4 and Drake, who is on tour promoting his latest album, Take Care.

Down in the bottom five we find the Texas and the Super Bowl, along with a favorite diversion for the cold winter months: Monster Jam.

Longtime fans that have been anxiously awaiting the Red Hot Chili Peppers North American tour will now have to wait a little bit longer. RHCP has postponed their tour due lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis’ recent foot injuries.

Kiedis is expected to make a full recovery in time for the new tour dates. The updated Red Hot Chili Peppers tour dates are below. Still looking for tickets? Check out our available Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets here.

Alabama and LSU is a rematch of the defensive battle these two schools waged in the regular-season; a game the Tigers won 9-6 in overtime. The big questions are whether LSU can defeat Alabama twice in one season and whether either team will score a touchdown in the Championship Game. Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban is playing for his 3rd championship ring, while Tigers head man, Les Miles, is trying to win his second ring with LSU.

As we speak, these two great fan bases are living it up in the Big Easy, knowing that tonight the champion will be decided steps from Bourbon Street in the New Orleans Superdome.

Below are some videos we’ve found on YouTube to get you pumped up for the game. Who do you think will emerge victorious?

Starting off 2012 with a fresh list. A list that shows thoughts of football fans turning back to the pros as bowl season comes to a close. Not to say there’s not a little steam left in that engine. The Cotton Bowl makes a strong showing at #2 and the big rematch finds its way to #6.

The pros take the top spot, as the Texas make their debut appearance in the post season. Houston fans are lining up to see the Wildcard game against the Bengals on home turf in Reliant Stadium. Saints fans are little more accustomed to post-season play, but that doesn’t dampen their enthusiasm, pushing the team to #3 on the list. The big game itself makes it to #5, and Giants fans can be content with #7.

The NBA’s Heat check in #4 while the bottom of the countdown sees a tidy cluster of concert performers. Leading off the pack is Tool, on tour this winter with the possibility of a new album arriving this year. The Red Hot Chili Peppers return as do Coldplay, both seeing a lot of interest in their tours. It’s a little cold out there these days, so catching a concert inside a nice warm venue is a great way to keep warm.