Monday, April 30, 2007

Summer officially? Sure was toasty this past weekend and I heard the word draught used for Southern California. I remember many many years ago it was a huge deal in SoCali for at least a summer and then it got better and is it getting worse again? Did we go through the El Nino stages yet? If we did, it was a el nino El Nino.

Weekly Update:
Attended another collector's show (Geek-fest) and it was pretty lack-luster this time around. I mean its no HUGE event but the energy level was very low and just wasn't as exciting as it has or could have been. Did get a few snaps, much lower than my normal average but oh well:

*Henry Winkler- cool guy, seemed king of lowkey but hey, its The Fonz!
*Cathy Silvers- nice and did not know she was the daughter to Phil Silvers.
*Scott Schwartz- Pretty cool guy.
*William Forsythe- VERY cool guy!
*Erik Estrada- PONCH from the show CHiPs, cool guy.

At the movies:
For an amazing 3rd week in a row, "Disturbia" takes the #1 spot at the box office with an additional 9.1 million. Enjoy it while it can because next week, all bets are off except for Spider-Man. New at #2 is another suspense thriller The Invisible with only 7.6 mil, another myspace home page. New at #3 Next with 7.2 mil and I think not only was this the title of the movie but what people were thinking ... NEXT! Someone at Paramount also needs to come up with better poster art ... "Next" or is it "Paycheck" or wait, maybe its "The Next Paycheck for MI:III, Star Trek The Next Generation: Nemisis". Holding in at #4 is "Fracture" with a little 7.1 mil which is a very low drop. Rounding off the top 5 on solid ice is "Blades of Glory" with another 5.2 mil and well over the 100 mil mark cume.

New movies that did not make the top 5: There use to be a time when all new major release movies would be the top 5 pics or within the top 5. Just goes to show you that more and more movies shouldn't be made such as ... In at #9 is the action film The Condemned with only 4 mil. At #11 is the comedy Kickin' It Old School with only 2.8 mil. When has Jamie Kennedy EVER had a big box office opening? OH yeah, "Mask 2" (cough, sarcasm, cough).

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
This past week saw two amazing world figures pass away. The first is closer to me than the 2nd but film lobbyist Jack Valenti passed away last Wednesday at the age of 85. He sure can talk and I have sat in many seminars and dinners listening to him. He fought or the film industry on many fronts including rating systems and piracy issues. He was a great value and credit to this industry and will be greatly missed. Although he did retire a couple of years ago, he never stopped fighting.

Last monday, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin passed away at the age of 76. He was the first democratically elected President of Russia. Russians apparently either loved him or hated him, some blame him for the overall demise of Russia but nonetheless he changed Russian history forever.

Facts & Tips:
The year that read the same upside down was 1961. That won't happen again until 6009.

" I got pulled over this morning for having all the mirrors in the Mercedes turned so I could see myself."- Delta Burke as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the TV series "Designing Women"

posted by McDuck @ 11:00 1 comments

Monday, April 23, 2007

Can anyone tell me why Google still sucks so much? So I am using this bloging "system" and its already buggy as anything, on my laptop. It can't stop shaking up and down which is REALLY annoying!!! So I do the search engine (again) and I forgot how bad Google is and it gives me the top 5 WORST results ever. I then realize, oops, Google, go to Yahoo and bam, find what I need instantly. Google, why do you suck? I also on my 15th attempt to upload a picture and nada, zilch, le poof.

Weekly Update:
What an interesting week it has been for me. Started off kind of sucky and then it had some cool moments. On Thursday I was invited to another The Simpsons table read for the TV Show, very funny as always and caught some more photos for the collection:

*Dan Castellaneta- Homer Simpsons and a pretty quiet, lowkey kind of guy.
*Tress MacNeille- most known for Agnes Skinner, Jimbo Jones, and many other side characters.
*Marcia Wallace- Edna Krabappel and was on the original The Bob Newhart Show. She was VERY cool and the strange thing about this was she wanted to meet me??

Then that same day I went to the Santa Anita Race Track which was very nice. The weather was great and it was for a charity event. I didn't win at the ponies but it was still a good time. The track and the surroundings were very nice, comprable to Del Mar and WAY better than Hollywood Park.

At the movies:
This is pretty amazing as "Disturbia" takes the #1 spot for the 2nd week in a row. What makes it amazing is that typically films of this nature get the one week pop and then fizzle. The film did earn an extra 13.5 million with only a small 39% dip from the previous week. In at #2 is the suspense drama Fracture with only 11.2 mil. I am sure New Line thought they had a major hit chance after "Disturbia's" surprise numbers, not the case. Holding on to bronze now at #3 is "Blades of Glory" with an extra 7.8 mil and a cume now of over 100 mil! Also new at #4 is the thriller Vacancy with only 7.6 mil. Not a good number at all as I am sure they were hoping at least 10. And rounding off the top 5 is "Meet the Robinsons" with 7.1 mil more.

New movies that did not make the top 5: In at #6 is the comedic action movie Hot Fuzz with only 5.8 mil. This may sound like a low number and it is but its due to also a release pattern of less than 900 screens. So with that in mind, "Hot Fuzz" did OK but can this British humor carry? I enjoyed the film and thought it was fun and funny, not great but fun. In at #8 is the romantic film In the Land of Women with only 4.9 mil which is a terrible number. Unlike "Hot Fuzz" this film had a standard release pattern of over 2100 screens. This also supports more of theory that when movies use Myspace as their official website, you know its going to tank.

Comment Response:
How about planets? Jupiter, FL! Its out of this world! They should use that for their city motto ... Jupiter, FL "Its out of this world!"

Other News:
Sometimes one gets overlooked but not forgotten. On April 11th a really great actor passed away and a great voice talent. Roscoe Lee Browne who has been in numerous TV shows and has had his strong and powerful voice in many movies passed, away at the age of 81 from a fight with cancer. Normally I don't point out folks in this fashion but there was always something about this man that impressed me. His commanding and dignified voice is probably what stood out the most ... and will be very missed.

In obversation of the 32 people killed in last weeks Virginia Tech shooting, I felt we need to remember the loss life and not the loser:
*Ross Alameddine- Saugus, Ma
*Jamie Bishop- Pine Mountain, GA
*Brian Bluhm- Richmond, VA
*Ryan Clark- Martinez, GA
*Austin Cloyd- Blacksburg, VA
*Jocelyne Couture-Nowak- Nova Scotia, CAN
*Kevin Granata- Toledo, OH
*Matt Gwaltney- Chester, VA
*Caitlin Hammaren- Westtown, NY
*Jeremy Herbstritt- Bellefonte, PA
*Rachael Hill- Glen Allen, VA
*Emily Hilscher- Woodville, VA
*Jarrett Lane- Narrows, VA
*Matthew La Porte- Dumont, NJ
*Henry Lee- Roanoake, VA
*Liviu Librescu- Romania
*G.V. Loganathan- Tamil Nadu, India
*Partahi Lumbantoruan- Indonesia
*Lauren McCain- Hampton, VA
*Daniel O'Neil- Lincoln, RI
*Juan Ramon Ortiz- Bayamon, Puerto Rico
*Minal Panchal- Mumbai, India
*Daniel Perez Cueva- Peru
*Erin Peterson- Chantilly, VA
*Michael Pohle- Flemington, NJ
*Julia Pryde- Middletown, NJ
*Mary Read- Annandale, VA
*Reema Samaha- Centerville, VA
*Waleed Shaalan- Zagazig, Egypt
*Leslie Sherman- Springfield, VA
*Maxine Turner- Vienna, VA
*Nicole White- Smithfield, VA

Facts & Tips:
Fish have eyelids.

"But at least the truth, is NOT among the hostages because I, Richard Thornburg, just happen to be here. To put his life and TALENT on the line for humanity and country... "- William Atherton as Richard Thornburg in "Die Hard 2"

posted by McDuck @ 10:33 0 comments

Monday, April 16, 2007

Ah, nice and cool ... this past week was nice on several levels. Traffic wasn't bad (spring breaks) and the weather was really nice (to me, I like colder temps). But I did spend a good portion in Dublin ... CALIFORNIA! Yep, thrill a minute in Northern California at good old Dublin, CA. Weather was good here, drive was really nice actually.

Weekly Update:
Not much of a week to report on since I was gone for almost half of it. Work was work, still making simple things more complicated which never will make sense to me. I understand if something doesn't work or work very well, change it or do something different. But if something is working great and is both effective and efficient ... oh well, what do I know.

At the movies:
Not in a long while but a suspense thriller takes the box office crown with Disturbia and a nice 23 million opening. Holding strong to silver this week at #2 is "Blades of Glory" with an extra 14 mil and now over 90 mil cume. Family values still good at #3 with "Meet the Robinsons" taking in 12.1 mil more. New at #4 is another suspense thriller Perfect Stranger with only 11.5 mil. It should have been better as spring break crowds are still out there but I guess this one missed the memo. Rounding off the top 5 is "Are We Done Yet?" with an additional 9.2 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Starting off this list at the #6 slot is the Viking tale of Pathfinder with only 4.8 mil, I guess they were looking for gold and not paper money. Anyone could tell from day 1 this film should have been either limited released or shelved. In at #11 is the high action race movie "The Fast and the ... " oh wait, I mean Redline with only 4.1 mil, just enough to give it half a tank a gas and drive off to no where. Seriously though when you use myspace are your official website, you have some issues going and all materials for this film made me think it was a video game. At #13 is Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie with 3.1 mil ... why? Although the per screen average was OK but ... why? And finally at #20 is Slow Burn with a VERY sad .8 mil which is like a dozen tickets per theatre. Problem with this film is ... what is it?

Comment Response:
Amuse- Thanks for the Easter 411, good to know!

Other News:
Huge storms hit the northeast US, car bomb kills 50 in a Baghdad business district, Iraqi's agree that life under Saddam was better than it is now, call for more fighting against US soldiers in Iraq by Iraqi's, US president sleeps and baseball season is in full swing ... all this and more on the next Oprah! So much is going on in the world as US resentment increases abroad, its everyday living or business as usual in the US. Also recently more troops had their tours of service extended by at least another 3 to 4 months after they spent 2 years plus in Iraq. I think the usual rotation was under 6 months. The times, they are sad.

Facts & Tips:
For every human being in the world there is approximately one chicken.

"I know it's a good thing, raising the money and that, 'cause we need it. But, I can't take them calling me a hero. All I did was try not to get shot. Some of the things I saw done, things I did, they weren't things to be proud of, you know? Mike... Mike was a hero. You ever meet him?"- Adam Beach as Ira Hayes in "Flags of Our Fathers"

posted by McDuck @ 10:07 1 comments

Monday, April 09, 2007

EASTER EDITION

Where did the "hide the eggs" and rabbit come from anyway? I need a holiday special to explain this to me like Frosty and Rudolph did. Jesus came back and we have to hide the eggs? Why??

Weekly Update:
I like weeks like this because its only 4 days of work and 3 days of veg. The weather has been really nice here as well but the traffic was probably one of the worst which doesn't make a lot of sense. This past week we had Passover and a lot of Spring Breaks yet it was so bad road-wise. This should have been almost one of the best weeks next to the week between Christmas and New Years ... what happenend? I don't know.

At the movies:
"Lovely lady humps" as "Blades of Glory" holds on with another gold at the box office taking #1 with an additional 23 million. Also holding on to the holiday weekend at #2 is "Meet the Robinsons" with an extra 17 mil. New to the scene at #3 is the comedy Are We Done Yet? with a weak holiday opening of 15 mil. Also showing a weak opening is the double feature of Grindhouse with only 11.6 mil, goes to show you that people are not interested in double features anymore. Rounding off the top 5 with a very poor opening (however NO surprise at all) is The Reaping with only 10.1 mil and this film opened on a Thursday giving it a 4-day total of nothing.

New films that opened that did not make the top 5: The family film Firehouse Dog with only 4 mil which was barely enough to give it the #10 spot this weekend.

Comment Response:
Blonde- when you get the new blog set up let me know so I can fix my link. Sigourney is an amazing person and she is also a stage actor as well (usually for her husband's plays).

Other News:
"B.C." creator Johnny Hart passed away on Saturday from a heart attack at the age of 76. Though I am not a big fan of "B.C." itself but what I thought was interesting is that he died while at the drawing table which is probably the way he would have wanted to go being an artist and cartoonist. I am sure he had many devoted fans and it is alway sad when one of the funny ones does pass away.

Facts & Tips:
An ant's sense of smell is stronger than a dog's.

"Oh, you've got my favourite movie, Splendor in the Grass! What? Well, that's careless, they left off the G and the R."- Blythe Danner as Marilyn Truman from the TV series "Will & Grace"

posted by McDuck @ 00:30 1 comments

Monday, April 02, 2007

Fire and rain, what a combo! Last week some huge black clouds rolled in right after I got my car washed, of course. Then later in the week, fire! Between the two, life as usual really. Too bad the rain didn't come at the same time as the fire but luckily the fires was very short but bellowed pretty big.

Weekly Update:
Went to a couple of cool events last week. From a small indie premiere to a fun "adopt a firehouse" event! In the process, I got to meet some pretty cool folks:

The premiere was The TV Set which the cool part was, I was a guest of Sigourney Weavers! Much better experience from that side of going to one of these events. Being a guest of hers, I got to meet a bunch of folks:

*Sigourney Weaver- An incredible person, was an extreme pleasure to finally meet her and be one of her guest!!
*Ioan Gruffudd- AWESOME guy and this was my 2nd time meeting him.
*Judy Greer- Very nice and approachable person.
*Fran Kranz- Nice guy.
*Lindsay Sloane- Really nice person and quiet appealing.
*Justine Bateman- Yep, Mallory Keaton! Nice person.
*Mike White- Cool guy, pretty mellow.
*Illeana Douglas- Very nice person.

The other event was for an upcoming film called Firehouse Dog which is catered to the kids and family. The event was adopting a fire station and had all kinds of activities. At the event there was some folks from the movie which was cool:

*Josh Hutcherson- Really nice kid, already in a bunch of films and I am sure lots on the way!
*Bruce Greenwood- Cool guy and very friendly.
*Mayte Garcia- Very sweet lady, pleasure to meeting her.

At the movies:
Ice ice baby as Blades of Glory takes the box office gold with 33 million. Not a bad number but I am sure folks were looking towards closer to 50 on this one. Stepping in through time at the #2 spot is the animated film Meet the Robinsons with a very decent 25 mil. Still holding the line at #3 after 4 week is "300" with a reinforced 11.2 mil and a cume now of well over 175 mil in this non-seasonal time frame. Suffering a HUGE drop and seeing turtle soup hit the restaurants early is "TMNT" at #4 with only 9.2 mil, that is a big dip of over 60%. Rounding off the top 5 is the motorcycle comedy "Wild Hogs" with an extra 8.4 mil.

New to the box office that didn't make the top 5: Only one film but it did have a lower release but not limited was the suspense film The Lookout with only 2 mil.

Comment Response:
What is funny is that I missed Elizabeth Shue that same day so I only have one Shue ... lost the other Shue. As for the other comment, I would agree with you however there are other countries coming into the scene that are oil producing and in fact about to go huge. Also the Saudi's supply is still very vast. I do think think it would be cool if we can tap into electromagnetic energy but then that takes away from Bush and his buddies. Blonde- what happened to your blog??

Other News:
So this is a little interesting, violence in Iraq spiked pretty high this past week. Between US and mostly civilians killed, it was a very tragic and bloody week. At the same time, gas went up about another 20 to 30 cents a gallon. Seems like an awfully huge spike there.

Here is an interesting little news story, San Francisco is about to pass legislation that will ban the use of plastic bags in the city. Alternatives must be a bio-degradable plastic, cloth or paper. What is that going to do to the balance of plastic bags and the wierd ties they put on the top for Asians??? The balance will be lost! How are people in the city going to be able to park at a parking meter and not have to pay by just putting a pink plastic bag over it and writing "broken" on it? I mean that is such an official method and all. Well, I think SF is in store for a big storm comin! Okok, the real story is they are trying to reduce the amount of non-bio-degradable materials in the landfill which makes complete sense. The city even handed out canvas bags so people can reuse them over and over again. Not a bad idea by any means.

Facts & Tips:
In 1900, 1/3 of all automobiles in New York City were powered by electricity.

"I think that if we gave Reese a little more responsibility, he would rise to the challenge. Now, I'm not talking about giving him a key to the house or anything."- Jane Kaczmarek as Lois from the TV series "Malcolm in the Middle"

posted by McDuck @ 00:32 1 comments