Monday, December 31, 2007

PRE-NEW YEAR EDITION

Happy early New Year! The day before the start of 2008, don't forget to put '08 now when you write those checks. I always seem to forget to do that for the first 2 months of the new year and always write down the previous one. Besides that, hope everyone has a safe night tonight and a prosperous New Year!

Weekly Update:
Pretty much a quiet week for me as I rested and sat at home in front of the computer and just veg'd out. Nothing wrong with that but it is what I did. So really nothing worth mentioning for the past week. It did get surprisingly cold at night, I think in the 40's which is heck-a-cold for SoCali. Yeah, you heard me! I said, "Heck-a-cold" because that is what it was! I do like wrapping myself up in a big blanket ... just wish there was a little rain though, we need some! Not a lot, just some rain, soon ... please! We did get some clouds a couple of times, what a tease.

At the movies:
Hanging on to the #1 spot for its 2nd week is "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" for another 35.6 million and a cume over 124 mil now. Also holding on to the #2 spot is "Alvin and The Chipmunks" for an extra 30 mil and now surpassing the 142 mil cume. Showing at #3 is "I Am Legend" with an extra 27.5 mil and just short of the 200 mil cume mark. Some improvement at #4 is "Charlie Wilson's War" with 11.8 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is the little title of "Juno" with a big 10.3 mil for this limited release.

New movies that did not make the top 5: There were a few films that surprisingly enough couldn't break into the holiday magic. At the #6 spot is the battle on Earth, Aliens vs. Predator-Requiem with only 10 mil but a holiday gross of 26.9 mil (opened 12/25). At #7 spot is the family tale of The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep with only 9.2 mil and holiday total of 16.8 mil. In at #11 is the MGM blockbuster The Great Debaters with only 6.3 mil and a holiday total of just 13.5 mil.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
What a turbulent time we are in now as the holiday week saw much violence in the middle east region. The big story is the death of Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto from a suicide bombing on December 27th. Since then there has been civil unrest and over 45 deaths as a result of it. The country both mourns and fights over this issue while the government tries to bring some order back as her husband and son prepare to succeed her. I think more bloodshed will occur before the crisis in Pakistan gets resolved ... but will never be forgotten.

Facts & Tips:

A ball of glass will bounce higher then a ball or rubber.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"- Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa in "Star Wars."

Monday, December 24, 2007

PRE-HOLIDAY EDITION

The day before Christmas Day and Chanukah has already passed. The air is very crisp and cold and people are out doing last minute shopping. It is a good time of year and I wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas Eve!

Weekly Update:
About two weeks ago we had our annual company holiday party and it was pretty nice. Had the big In-n-Out trucks with Pink's Hotdog stations along with some pizza stations. Beer truck with 5 different kinds on tap along with all the other standard beverages. Fun and tiring party because of all the walking and standing around. But the one thing that I thought was cool is I ran into a former NBA player!

*John Salley- nice guy and SUPER tall!!!

At the movies:
Big box office weekend to start closing up the year as National Treasure: Book of Secrets takes the #1 spot with a hefty 45.5 million. Holding ground at #2 is "I Am Legend" with another 34.2 mil. Also hanging tight at #3 is "Alvin and The Chipmunks" with a solid 29 mil more. New at #4 is the political drama Charlie Wilson's War with only 9.6 to its name and doesn't look to good for this film. Although it does have some critical acclaim, but will it be enough to help? Rounding off the top 5 if is the musical dark story of Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with a very disappointing 9.4 mil. I am kind of tired of the Tim Burton style of film, its all the same.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Two big releases hit the screens with some BIG disappointing numbers ... in at #6 is P.S. I Love You with only 6.5 mil and this heart is broken. At #8 we have the comedy spoof of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story bringing in a sour note of 4.1 mil.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Not major news but this is the time when all the holiday classics are all over the TV stations. So if you don't need to be out, stay home, relax and enjoy some TV with the family. Watch Ralphie get is BB gun, watch Scrooge get a new leash on life, watch Bad Santa turn good ... or enjoy some real classics with the misfits of the holidays.

Facts & Tips:
454 U.S. dollar bills weigh exactly one pound.

"I just wanna eat some peanuts."- Kevin Hart as CJ in "Scary Movie 4."

Monday, December 17, 2007

Bright days and chilly nights. Although there was no rain this week, the days and nights were extremely cold which is typically unusual but also welcomed. Yeah yeah, I know its freezing but hey, for here it is as close as we have to an actual winter season. When the air is this cold, it also feels crisp and smells a little bit cleaner than the standard smoggy odor. I hope it stays like this for the rest of the year, with some rain here and there of course.

Weekly Update:
A week of holiday cheer and a week of sadness. Last Friday night someone I knew for a very brief time, but still made an impact on me, was a former co-worker that was killed in a car accident. From the story as I know it, her and her boyfriend were coming home at 1 am when a drunk driver ran a red light hitting their car. Both the boyfriend and my friend were killed but the drunk driver survived the accident. Such a senseless tragedy for such a young women with a remarkable career that she just found. She was definitely going to make a huge name for herself in our industry only to have it cut short by stupidity. She will be greatly missed and I thank her for the short time I got to know her.

At the movies:
Will Smith takes the holiday box office by storm with a huge opening for I Am Legend coming in with 76.5 million. Nice bump in the holiday slump. New at #2 is the trio of singers Alvin and The Chipmunks with a surprising 45 mil. Big drop at the box office but hangs on to #3 is "The Golden Compass" with 9 mil, over a 65% decrease but not a surprising drop. At #4 is "Enchanted" with another 6 mil and on its way to an easy 100+ mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is "No Country for Old Men" making its way from the indie crowd to main stream with 3 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week in wide release. In at #6 is Perfect Holiday with only 2.96 mil making it fall just barely short of the #5 spot.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Music legend Ike Turner passed away last week at the age of 76. Led by a life of hard rock, hard drugs and hard alcohol along with an abusive marriage to another music legend, Tina Turner. He passed away peacefully in his California home.

Facts & Tips:
A turkey can run at 20 mph.

"You're a doctor and Mom's a lawyer, and you're both successful in everything and that's great! But maybe I was born to be a regular person and have a regular life. If you weren't a doctor, I wouldn't love you less, because you're my dad. So rather than feeling disappointed because I'm not like you, maybe you should accept who I am and love me anyway, because I'm your son."- Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theodore 'Theo' Huxtable from the TV series "The Cosby Show."

Monday, December 10, 2007

MO Rain!! Well we got a few more days of rain this past week which was great. The sound it makes as it hits the roof of your home or taps against the window ... its kind of soothing to me and just comforts the soul as I stay indoors all nice and warm. But even being out in it is nice as it washes the dirt from my car. Ever listen to that sloshing sound as you drive and the rubber of your tires lifts up the water on the ground and let's it drop back down ... neat.

Weekly Update:
So my jury duty ended last week, the case only lasted 2 days, 1 day less then originally thought. The person on trial was found innocent of the two charges against him. The interesting thing about the charges is each one had four elements. If just one of those elements has a doubt about them, then the whole charge must be deemed "not guilty." In short it was a forgery and fraud case but what made it doubtful was "intent to fraud to cause harm." I would like to say is I do not trust LA Fitness, 24 H
our Fitness and Bally's.

At the movies:
Fantasy takes the box office crown this week as The Golden Compass earns 26.1 million. Not a great number as I am sure they were hoping double that, looks like this compass is pointing south. Still strong at #2 is "Enchanted" with another 10.7 mil. Hanging in at #3 is "This Christmas" with 5 mil more and the holidays are over for this one. Another holiday story at #4 is "Fred Claus" with 4.7 mil and struggling to hit the 100 mil mark. Rounding off the top 5 is "Beowulf" with an additional 4.4 mil.

Comment Response:

None at this time.

Other News:
The world is going crazy and we are in the middle of it. Over the past week we had a shooting at a shopping mall in Omaha, Nebraska which left 9 dead and at the end of the week two separate shootings at churches in Colorado which left 4 dead. If that is not bad enough, we go halfway across the globe were bombings occur in Baghdad. As we begin a month that is suppose to be synonymous with peace and good cheer is now tarnished for many with death and senseless bloodshed. Who is to blame for all of this? With so many things to influence us these days, I am sure someone will blame the easiest and not the obvious, themselves.

Facts & Tips:
A teaspoon contains 120 drops of water.

"I suppose your father lost his job to a robot. I don't know, maybe you would have simply banned the Internet to keep the libraries open."- Bruce Greenwood as Lawrence Robertson in "I, Robot."

Monday, December 03, 2007

RAIN!!! We got some much needed rain last Friday and it was great. Nice over cast weather and the sounds of rain all day long, it was music to my ears at least. Is the winter starting or is this just some kind of vicious tease? I don't know but its also getting pretty cold which is fine with me as well. Like I say, its always easier to warm up than to cool down ... for me anyway.

Weekly Update:
I was actually planning on going back to work this past week for a couple of days, sort of ease into things. Instead, I got stuck calling in for jury duty and then I was selected as a juror on a case which is suppose to take 2 to 3 days (not including jury selection which was 2 days). It's kind of funny on the timing of it all but hey, what can you do. This is my first time being selected as a juror, all the other times I was just excused or was never sent to a court room and was let go at the end of the day.

At the movies:
A very slow week at the box office but didn't think it would be this slow. In at the #1 spot is "Enchanted" for its 2nd week and earning another 17 million. Overall a decent number as its now just over the 70 mil cume total. In a far distance #2 spot is "This Christmas" with only 8.4 mil. Third week at #3 is "Beowulf" with 7.8 mil and overall this film's numbers are disappointing. New at #4 is Awake with only 6 mil and ... this movie should have been called asleep. Rounding off the top 5 is "Hitman" earning another 5.8 mil.

Comment Response:
Will I keep the brace? Yeah, I think I will. I will just wash the pads and then store it. Never know when I may seriously need it.

Other News:
Mummification? I'm sorry, I don't know you! Recently a study of a well preserved dinosaur has given scientist some great insight into this creature as well as into the past. What I find interesting about this is the preservation of it and how mummification has helped us see more clearly of possibilities. Fairly recently the sarcophagus of King Tut was finally opened and new physical evidence shows an interesting story of his possible demise as fractures were found on his skull. This is almost like a Discovery Channel special ... looking glass into the past.

Facts & Tips:
Antarctica is the driest, coldest, windiest and highest continent on earth.

"Wow. You know, it says here that by the time the average American is fifty, he has five pounds of undigested red meat in his bowels."- Judge Reinhold as Detective William 'Billy' Rosewood in "Beverly Hills Cop."