Monday, March 31, 2008

Spring time! I totally forgot that a couple of weeks ago was the first day of Spring! Or is it now sprung? Either way, the winter is finally over (bummer) and means we are that much closer to summer. It is generally pretty warm here year round anyway, at least this past week was nice and cool. It was sunny and being in the direct light was kind of toasty but there were some cool breezes which felt nice. Sooner or later we will hit the 80 degree temps, then the 90's and close to 100 if not over a few days of the year. AC, it's is a miracle thing!

Weekly Update:
This past week sure felt really long and I am not sure why. It is probably due to work and how slow and boring it was. Traffic was pretty bad mid-week but early and late it was very clear, go figure that one out. I don't think there are many schools out there still on Spring Break. Last week was very clear but also a short week due to Good Friday in the mix. I am already ready for the next holiday to happen!

At the movies:
Gambling at the box office as 21 takes the weekend pot with a nice 23.7 million opener. Holding in at #2 is the elephant that knows as "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" with another 17.4 mil and now a cume of over 117 mil. New at #3 is the flying low Superhero Movie with only 9.5 mil. Big drop to #4 is "Meet the Browns" with only 7.8 mil more. Rounding off the top 5 is "Drillbit Taylor" with an extra 5.8 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: We see two this week, in at # 8 is the modern day war drama of Stop-Loss with only 4.5 mil. Showing up at #13 is the comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run with only 2.4 mil.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Aloha Aloha! What does that mean, well in this sense it means goodbye Aloha Airlines as it closes down and prepares for bankruptcy-induced shutdown. Competition started about 2 years ago as Phoenix-based Mesa Airlines started to tap into the island market with cut-rate fares. Aloha and the Hawaiian legislature tried to compete and come up with loan packages to keep the airline afloat. What airport is effected the most is Orange County's John Wayne as Aloha was one of the very few who offered flights from the southland to the islands. Most major carriers fly out of LAX and San Francisco with some from San Diego. It is a sad day when a little carrier has to go to the wayside to a struggling economy. Aloha Aloha Airlines.

Facts & Tips:
The average human will eat an average of eight spiders while sleeping.

"Death is only the beginning." - Arnold Vosloo as High Priest Imhotep in "The Mummy."

posted by McDuck @ 00:01 0 comments

Monday, March 24, 2008

EASTER EDITION

This past Sunday was Easter Sunday and what did you eat? Seems like another holiday to just eat all day like Thanksgiving and Christmas but I am not one to complain, just pointing it out. I think there is more chocolate involved with this one though because of the treats during Easter egg hunts and all the edible bunnies. I think it's also a time to be creative with the decoration of those eggs for the hunt. I have seen some pretty cool ones and then there are the ones I have painted when I was little ... nothing wrong with a single colored scheme egg!

Weekly Update:
Wow, it seems like when it rains it does pour. Yet another terrible week at work, maybe even one of the worst yet. Not sure what to do or where to go from here but feeling like a 2nd hand citizen is nothing but a crappy situation to be in for anyone. It's funny when you promote everything as a team effort and yet internally its nothing like that all. Behind the scenes is different camps and then you throw up a charade of a united group and/or front. Time for a change? Maybe it is ...

At the movies:
The elephant takes the box office crown again! With an extra 25.1 million, "Dr. Suess' Horton Hears A Who!" wins for the 2nd week in a row and now over 85 mil cume stomping its way to a cool 100 mil plus. New at #2 is the comedy Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns with 20 mil. Also new at #3 is the suspense thriller Shutter with only 10.7 mil. Taking 4th place this week is the new comedy Drillbit Taylor with 10.2 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "10,000 B.C." with an extra 8.6 mil.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
The milestone finally hit for the US troop casualties in Iraq. It was a week longer than I had thought and it's also a week sooner then I had hoped. Yesterday four US soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb marking over 4,000 US troops killed in Iraq over the past 5 years of the conflict. These four add to the total of 61 people killed in general across the country of Iraq. The fighting is still continuing over there despite what the politicians are sharing with us. Are we ready for an exit plan? YES. Are we ready for another few years of this? NO. Depending on how our election turns out this year, it will surely determine that outcome.

Facts & Tips:
The state of Maine has 62 lighthouses.
"Quick! To the Batmobile!"- Adam West as TV's "Batman."

posted by McDuck @ 00:01 0 comments

Monday, March 17, 2008

HOME!! What a long and tiring week it was in Vegas. From late LATE night events to early morning meetings. From parties to screenings and other events it was a whirlwind of activity. But the weekend home was all about catching up on sleep and now its back to work on the grey Monday morning ...

Weekly Update:
During the ShoWest weekend, it was nothing but go go go!! But along the way I got to get some snaps with a few folks:

*Brenden Fraser- Meet him before and he was nice although he doesn't seem to smile too much.
*Anita Briem- Very nice and friendly lady, she was charming to chat with.
*Steve Coogan- Top notch guy!
*Ang Lee- Quiet but very nice, I was invited to come hang out with them!
*Jason Biggs- Just a cool guy.
*Julie Benz- Very pretty and very sweet.
*Jodie Foster- Classic and very cool!
*Eric Brevig- Sat next to him during a dinner, cool guy.
*Sarah Jessica Parker- very sweet.
*Emile Hirsch- down to earth and cool guy.
*Matthew Fox- tall and cool.
*Christopher Nolan- quiet but nice guy.
*Seth Rogen- VERY cool and level-headed guy.
*Robert Downey Jr.- kind of a dry humor guy but very funny at that!
*Anne Hathaway- very pretty and extremely nice.
*Jim Sturgess- seemed like an overall nice guy.

At the movies:
A movie is a movie no matter how big or small ... the new kid on the block takes the #1 spot this weekend as Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! earns a nice 45.1 million. Holding in at #2 is "10,000 B.C." with another 16.4 mil. New at #3 is Never Back Down with only 8.6 mil to support it. I guess you can't back down if you never go forward to begin with. Dropping to #4 is "College Road Trip" with an extra 7.9 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Vantage Point" with another 5.4 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week which is no surprise here. In at #7 is the apocalyptic Doomsday with only 4.7 mil.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Have we forgotten Iraq? It seems like with the election year upon us and so many domestic problems going on, the US death toll in Iraq was sort of brushed under the rug. Does anyone realize that any moment now we will reach a new milestone of having 4,000 US Soldiers killed since the war began? Let's take a quick snap-shot ... The 1,000th US Soldier was killed in September of 2004. The 2,000th in October of '05 and the 3,000th on the last day of '06. I suppose statistically speaking it's an improvement that the 4,000th will happening March of '08 but that still doesn't make it any better. As the politics get heated here in the US, will the topic stay hot for them or will there be enough domestic issues that Iraq will become a footnote? I guess time will tell but I am sure for those soldiers over there, they will vote for the one who will get them out of there.

Facts & Tips:
Long Beach Island was once frequented by pirates.

"I've been getting complaints that you're not allowing the kitchen staff to vote today!"- Freddy Rodriquez as Jose Rojas in "Bobby."

posted by McDuck @ 00:00 0 comments

Monday, March 10, 2008

LAS VEGAS EDITION

Arrived and chill'n in the city of sin, Las Vegas! In for almost the entire week for an annual convention and I hope I don't have to go outside too much, its usually pretty dry and warm here during the days. Once again I will be staying at the pleasant Paris Hotel (pretty boring site) ... I sure do know this hotel like the back of my hand!

Weekly Update:
The past week at work was nothing but HELL!!! Again I encountered simple and very routine tasks (which I do not mind at all) being made completely complicated because someone has a power trip or just doesn't get the simplicity of it. Look, if A>B and B>C then therefore A>C, right?? NO, A is smaller than B because its "b" and not "B" but b=B!!!! It's simply making a simple job or situation into a three part complex dilemma that could have been done days ago. It's very stupid ... I don't get it.

At the movies:
History takes the crown this weekend as 10,000 B.C. opens to a nice 35.7 million. Luckily it wasn't 10,000 dollars, though cute but in terms of box office that is very very bad. In at a distant #2 is the comedy College Road Trip with 14 million. Not a bad number in the grand scheme of things. Holding in at #3 is "Vantage Point" with an extra 7.5 mil. Hanging in at #4 is "Semi-Pro" with another 5.8 mil and slowly coming to an end like the studio that released it. Rounding off the top 5 is the action film The Bank Job with only 5.7 mil to open and eventually close at.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Sad day for gamers around the world. Legendary co-creator of Dungeon's & Dragons, Gary Gygax passed away on Tuesday in his home in Lake Geneva, WI. In my opinion, D&D started the fantasy "paper and pencil" role-playing era that still continues to this day. From its creation, the evolution of role-playing has carried over to online gaming but the old standard still does exist and in many shapes and forms. From fantasy to sci-fi, mystery to horror, spy to cartoon the gaming world is hit with a ripple of shock as one of its roots fades away. One of the biggest offsprings from all of this is the mutli-colored and odd shaped dice used for various aspects of the games. Expanding on the 6-sided die we saw 8, 10, 12, 20 and even a big 100-sided die. One of my personal favorites was the small 4-sided and its pyramid shape. D&D itself evolved directly as well to online gaming, movies, mi natures and even a Saturday morning cartoon. Thanks Gary ... you will be missed. He was 69 years of age.

Facts & Tips:
There is a town called "Jersey Shore" in Pennsylvania.

"Your diary, you mean you actually keep one of those stupid things?" - Barry Williams as Greg Brady in the TV series "The Brady Bunch."

posted by McDuck @ 00:53 0 comments

Monday, March 03, 2008

This past week sure was a roller coaster of weather. It got to be near 80's half the week during the day and then parts were as low as 50 degrees! Not sure if I am coming or going with this weather. It drizzled one day while the others were bright and sunny that I am sure some folks went to the beach. Yet the mountain tops are covered in snow. This is sure some wacky and inconsistent weather we are having lately! Is it cloudy, is it sunny, is it hot, is it cold ... your guess is as good as mine.

Weekly Update:
This was a nice and quiet week for the most part. Attended a charity event which raised a lot of money for kids and enjoyed some dinner with some friends while watching a basketball game or two ... pretty quiet overall which is nice to have every so often. In a couple of weeks I am Vegas bound for an annual convention so I am sure that will be pretty crazy. I guess I better rest and enjoy it while I can.

At the movies:
Sports in the #1 spot as Semi-Pro takes the trophy with an opening of 15.3 million. A little lower than I expected but overall a decent number to start with. I am sure the remaining folks at New Line were hoping north of 20. Holding at #2 is "Vantage Point" with another 13 mil. Also holding good at #3 is "The Spiderwick Chronicles" with an extra 8.8 mil. New at #4 is The Other Boleyn Girl with 8.3 mil for starters. Rounding off the top 5 is "Jumper" with an additional 7.6 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week, Penelope with only 4 million to kick it off and unfortunately comes to end with.

Comment Response:
None at this time.

Other News:
Well this is an interesting time killer. Apparently a study was done to see who has The Best Delivery Pizza in the US. I am not sure who the panel was or how extensive this study was done but I have a feeling it was a few college kids who were hungry and decided to make a paper out of it. The winner out of the top three examined (Domino's, Papa John's and Pizza Hut) was Papa John's as it states it had the highest overall marks. They felt that their pizza was made with more care and tastier along with better ingredients. Domino's won on the cheap side of pizza but here is the funny part ... I never do delivery anymore! I prefer to pick it up or get it along my way home from work. Tipping seems to be out of control when the price of pizza is so high these days. I remember getting a large pizza (and they were large!!) along with a tip for the driver being a total of $15 to $17. Now it feels like you get a large (that is actually a medium) for a starting price of $17 and you end up paying close to $25 with extra toppings and tip. Well, I guess that was then, this is now.

Facts & Tips:
The Wildwood Boardwalk extends nearly 2 miles and has more than 70,000 wooden planks.

"Hello." - David Lander as Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggmann in TV's "Laverne & Shirley."

posted by McDuck @ 00:09 0 comments