Monday, November 26, 2007

POST THANKSGIVING DAY EDITION

I am so full, but don't we always say that after a big turkey dinner with all the fixin's? I think I ate enough for a week in fact ... is it that much of a stretch to say that? Why is it so necessary to put all the different foods out just because it has become more or less traditional? I think Thanksgiving should start on Thursday and end on Sunday as you spread out the different foods and the meat can rotate between turkey and ham ... or soy turkey and soy ham if you are one of those people (pssst, non-meat eaters!).

Weekly Update:
Black Friday ... what is it and what does it mean? It's basically a plague like the Black Death when millions of people swarm places (stores/shops) that contain items that if given the correct amount, the items are yours. What makes it even more special is that these places of business open their doors before farmers wake up to start their day. Even more crazier than that, everything is discounted so these millions of people can buy more, more, MORE! Few casualties this day, I stayed home for shelter.

At the movies:
Disney's Enchanted takes the holiday box office crown this week with a decent 50 million to start off its first 5-days. This fantasy comedy looks like it has a lot of potential to carry through the rest of the holidays. In at #2 is a holiday titled film This Christmas with 27.1 mil. Holding in at #3 is "Beowulf" with another 23.3 mil for the 5-day weekend. New at #4 is video game to big screen of Hitman with only 21 mil. Great idea and good movie, timing is a bit off if you ask me. Rounding off the top 5 is the buzz of "Bee Movie" with another 15.9 mil and now a cume of over 112 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Showing up at #7 is the drama August Rush with only 13.3 mil. Normally that would be a good opening but not for 5-day holiday. In at #9 is the suspense-horror The Mist with only 13 mil. Ok, when I saw the ads on TV for this I thought it was another made-for-Sci-Fi-Channel show ... then I saw the MGM logo and it made more sense ... straight to video ... what? NO?! oh my.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Southern California ablaze again last week as over 50 homes were caught in its path. Latest news is uncertain what may have caused this particular fire. Back in October, the Malibu fire was caused by some high winds knocking down power lines. Mixed with the dry weather and draught the state has been suffering, the fire was out of control fast. The damage during this fire seems more severe as far as Malibu goes as this one burnt through over 50 homes. Still with dry weather and high winds, the one thing firefighters were able to catch a break on is the temperature. October we saw high 80's to mid 90's while this past weekend averaged low 70's. As residents and the state are still recovering from last month's disasters, the relief will definitely continue on through the holidays.

Facts & Tips:
Cape May is the oldest seashore resort in America.

"Why, that's a terrible thing. I don't know how many times I've told those boys, never call chicks 'broads.'"- Kevin McCarthy as R.J. Fletcher in "UHF."

posted by McDuck @ 08:52 1 comments

Monday, November 19, 2007

Summer time!! What was the deal in SoCali last week? Temps in the 90's and its mid November already. I hope this is not a sign of another hot winter like 2 years ago. Where is our rain and cold ... where?? Well hopefully that will not be the case and it will cool down this week ... one can only hope.

Weekly Update:
Had a follow-up this week with the surgeon and I am weening off the neck brace now and seeing how far I can move my head around. Its a very odd adjustment after having the brace on for over a month and getting use to functioning with it on ... and not re-adjusting to have it off. Slow process but I think I can get back to work (on a limited basis) at the end of the month. Working from home is cool and all but being in the office (like the one I work in) is nice too.

At the movies:
New animation takes the box office as Beowulf comes in with 28.1 million for its opening weekend, Paramount continues to dominant the box office as of late. In at #2 is Paramount's "Bee Movie" with an extra 14.3 mil and now over the 90 mil cume. At #3 we stray away from animation and have "American Gangster" with an additional 13.2 mil and has reached the 100 mil cume mark. Showing at #4 is "Fred Claus" with 12 mil more. Rounding off the top 5 is the family film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with only 10 mil. There is one thing nice about Magorium, it had a toy drive last week for the USMC Toys for Tots program and set a new Guinness Book World Record of collecting over 28,000 pounds of toys!

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
This is kind of cool, last week an old World War II P-38 Lockheed Lightning fighter plane was discovered under the shores of Wales. It ran out of gas and crashed landed over 65 years ago wear it rested till it started to resurface as the waves slowly revealed the amazing plane. I have always admired this plane and thought it to be one of the better fighter planes of that era. I am sure this one is very rusted out but it would be cool if some of it could be restored to its former glory.

Facts & Tips:
A honey bee can fly at 15 mph.

"I've never seen a... pilgrim... who could use a staff the way you did."- Marc Singer as Dar in "The Beastmaster."

posted by McDuck @ 09:03 0 comments

Monday, November 12, 2007

VETERANS DAY SPECIAL

This weekend brings us another holiday as we should all take just a moment to remember the end of World War I and the lives lost. I would say the majority of folks do not realize this weekend has a specific purpose other than shopping specials and an extra day off from work. Sad ...

Weekly Update:
It has been just over a month since I last blog'd and I am slowly starting to get back into the grove of things as I recover from my surgery. For the most part all went well and I was in the hospital for just over 2 weeks. The first 5 days were mainly recovery and then from there I was moved to another hospital (closer to home) for physical therapy. I discovered that if you seek rest and comfort, the hospital is the worst place to go. Every 2 to 3 hours a nurse wakes you up for medicine or just to check in on you. The bed ... I am still trying to heal from the sores it gave me. So I slowly start to recover from home, I will take it easy on the blogging for now so things may seem shorter or not as detailed as of yet.

At the movies:
The box office is buzzing this week as "Bee Movie" takes the crown in its second week with 26 million. Also holding onto the #2 spot is "American Gangster" with another 24.3 mil. New at #3 is the holiday comedy Fred Claus with 19.2 mil, not a bad number but I am sure WB was hoping to win the week. In at #4 is the drama Lions for Lambs with a very disappointing 6.7 mil given the cast line-up, looks like the lamb got away from this lion. Rounding off the top 5 is "Dan In Real Life" with 5.9 mil in its 3rd week.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Only 1 wide release this weekend, the thriller P2 in at #8 with only 2.2 million. Actually that is 2 mil more than I thought it would make, sadly.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
So what has been going on ... California had some crazy wildfires, some arson and others just by accident. Both with devastating effects to the state. The Writers Guild of America recently going on strike so if not resolved soon, more reality shows may pop up to fill in. And the US death toll in Afghanistan rises as 6 soldiers were ambushed and killed. More troops are sent to both Iraq and Afghanistan which makes for more targets and a steady flow of causalities continues.

Facts & Tips:
Slugs have four noses.

"I just don't think that Brooke could've done this. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."- Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde."

posted by McDuck @ 00:05 0 comments