Weekly Update:
I survived the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con again but like last year, I only went for one day and it was a Thursday. Still a bit crazy but it was way better than last year for me. As always saw some interesting things from toys to people in costumes and also attended a couple of parties. Got to meet some cool folks as well as some friends:
*Alison Lohman- recently from the movie "Drag Me to Hell" and very sweet.
*Betsy Russell- from several "Saw" movies and very nice.
*Tobin Bell- from all the "Saw" films and a nice guy.
*Terry Crews- numerous movies and TV such as "Everybody Hates Chris" and a way cool guy!
*Alaina Kalanj- from the upcoming show "Stargate Universe" and very nice.
*Robert C. Cooper- one of the co-creators of all the "Stargate" TV shows and a nice guy.
*Brad Wright- another co-creator of the "Stargate" TV shows and another nice guy.
*David Blue- from the upcoming "Stargate Universe" show and a really cool guy.
*Elyse Levesque- from the upcoming "Stargate Universe" show and very sweet.
*Brian J. Smith- from the upcoming "Stargate Universe" show and a pretty cool guy.
*Jamil Walker Smith- from the upcoming "Stargate Universe" show and a REALLY nice guy!
*Robert Carlyle- I know him from "The Full Monty" the bad guy in "The World is Not Enough." He was very nice.
At the movies:A little surprised here as the new family film G-Force takes the box office crown with a 32.2 million opening. Bumped down to 2nd place is "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" with only an extra 30 mil. Still enough to bust past 200 mil but how much further will it go now? New at #3 is The Ugly Truth with only 27 mil, a little below expectations but does it mean Heigl's career is rocky? New at #4 is Orphan with only 12.8 mil and around expectations. Rounding off the top 5 is "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" with an additional 8.2 mil as it struggles to reach 200 mil.
Quote of the week:
"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end." - Henry David Thoreau
Other News:
A new list to share and this one is about 7 franchises that went bankrupt ... and where are they now? The first on the list is Mrs. Fields which is also responsible not only for the brand name stores but TCBY (1,200 locations total). Last year the company filed Chapter 11 but then in October of the same year it restructured its $196 million debt down to $50 mil and has survived for now. #2 is Cork and Olive out of Tampa, Flo which is a wine retail franchise. I've never heard of it myself but they filed in June of last year just four years after they opened. The parent company actually didn't tell the franchisees about the filing ... hah! Today the company struggles as the franchisees meet regularly to stay afloat. #3 is Bennigan's out of Plano, TX. The chain closed all corporate locations when it filed Chapter 7 in July of '08. The 138 franchisees remain open and in October of of last year a private company acquired the company. The new company reopened some of the closed stores and it actually is surviving well today. #4 is Dial-A-Mattress out of Long Island City, NY. Declaring bankruptcy this past March with Chapter 7 and then eventually Chapter 11. Right now this company is in a state of limbo. #5 is Bally Total Fitness out of Chicago. This company has seen filings in both July of '07 and December of last year. JP Morgan is lending but can they survive with such a bad tasting brand name? #6 is Fatburger out of Santa Monica, Ca. Ok, I've had Fatburgers before and so what? They are actually very overpriced for both the portion (not fat at all) and quality. They filed Chapter 11 in April as the company defaulted on $3.9 million in loans. Fatburger is a waste of space. And finally, #7 is Buffets, Inc out of Eagan, Minn. Never heard of them but they filed Chapter 11 in January of '08. This is a steak restaurant chain which controlled outlets like Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet (have heard of this one) and Ryan's. This company controlled about $964 million in assets however carried more than $1 billion in debt. So far 52 locations out of 626 have closed despite statements saying they will keep operating. Last April the company did emerge from bankruptcy with a new balance sheet and reduced debt.
Facts & Tips:To clean paint off your hands, use olive oil - it softens the paint and makes it easy to remove.
"Why you gotta go racial? Look, don't put me in a box, all right? What, because I'm black I can't listen to Green Day?" - Arlen Escarpeta as Lawrence in "Friday the 13th."
posted by McDuck @ 00:18
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