Monday, October 26, 2009

The winds started to kick in Sunday night so is this our next windy season? We are only suppose to have them about twice a year but I feel like this is our 4th or 5th one this year so far. Usually too it means very warm weather which has been the case lately too ... fire season as well? Always a possibility in Southern California.

Weekly Update:
On Monday I had a little fun and ended up going to the "Astro Boy" premiere as an actual guest! Did not have to work, help or crash it! I had tickets and everything for both the movie and party ... that is rare for me. The movie was a lot of fun! I enjoyed the story, the characters and the animation as pretty good. The whole film flowed really well and I think kids and adults will enjoy it, even those adults who either grew up on Astro Boy or have never seen it before. It was just a fun movie. The party afterwards was done really well but one thing I was really surprised about ... the lack of talent attending the party. Actually only one of the cast went to the party despite several being at the movie. It was just surprising. So my list of pics from the night is basically just one person:

*Freddie Highmore- I know him best as August in "August Rush" and a good kid.

At the movies:
Still climbing up the charts and taking #1 this week is "Paranormal Activity" which added over 1000 screens this past weekend and earned 22 million. This little film has taken off and now has reached over 62 mil cume and could break 100 mil when it's all said and done! New at #2 is the horror Saw VI with only 14.8 mil. Holding strong to #3 is "Where the Wild Things Are" with another 14.4 mil. In at #4 is "Law Abiding Citizen" with an additional 12.7 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Couples Retreat" with an extra 11.1 mil and another film that could hit 100 mil as well.

New movies that did not make the top 5: We have a few this week with one surprise and one not so surprising. In at #6 is the animated re-telling of Astro Boy with only 7 million. Quiet surprising actually and I bet Summit Releasing was also shocked. Coming in at #8 is the thriller Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant with only 6.3 and pretty much finished after this weekend. Finally, in at #11 is the bio-pic of Amelia after Amelia Earhart and this one only earns 4 mil. Not a terrible number considering it was less than 1000 runs but something tells me if it was over 1k, we might still see the same number.

Quote of the week:
"The fates are vicious and they're cruel. You learn too late you've used two wishes like a fool." - John Cameron Mitchell

Other News:
Another sad week for the year as comedian legend Soupy Sales (born Milton Supman) passed away on Thursday night in a hospice in Bronx, NY from various health problems. Sales was best known as having his face hit with pies for years. It is estimated he was hit about 20,000 times with pies in his career and also having 5,000 live TV appearances for half a century. Several well known celebrities also took pies to the face alongside Sales such as; Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Shirley MacLaine to name a few. Sales has appeared on a number of TV and movies as well as having his own show for a short time called "The Soupy Sales Show" out of New York. He has been a fill-in host to "The Tonight Show" as well as a regular on "What's My Line?" from 1968 to 1975. His rubbery face and happy demeanor made him a beloved comic to audiences, fans and colleagues alike. Sit down and have a slice of pie to remember Soupy. He was 83.

Facts & Tips:
The first VCR was made in 1956 and was the size of a piano.

"That piece is entitled "Mirror, Father, Mirror." I like to show it to people that I'm meeting for the first time because I feel it says so much about who I am and what it feels like to inhabit my specific skin." - Illeana Douglas as Roberta Allsworth in "Ghost World."

posted by McDuck @ 00:03 0 comments

Monday, October 19, 2009

Hot and cold ... we just can't seem to make up our mind! During the week through Saturday we hit almost 100 degree temps but then Saturday night through Sunday it was nice and cool to almost cold! Just before all of this we had some nice rain on top of it being cold that I needed to pull out the jacket. During all of this, I observed something which I always knew about but it sort of hit me on Wednesday as I was driving into work ... how come if it is 68 degrees outside and I have my car AC temp set to 65 BUT do not have the AC on, just the fan going ... it is actually getting warmer?! Now I am sure it has something to do with the engine but there should be a different control or gauge when not using the AC but the vented air or how about a separate temperate notification so that you know if you use the non-AC air it will actually be 75 degrees instead of the 68 outside! Tell me these things!

Weekly Update:
Not much of a past week except for the crazy weather we have been having. Work is work and still not 100% sure what is going on but I suspect we will know the final decisions this week and we already know what the outcomes will be. I forgot to mention but I did go to Club 33 last Sunday which was pretty cool. That is the members only restaurant in New Orleans part of Disneyland right next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant. The service was amazing and the food was pretty good but not "blow your mind" fantastic. It was a sort of post Anniversary celebration since the only time I could get for dinner was last Sunday. I think membership is something like 20k to 25k a year and what really gets me is that it doesn't include entrance into the park. You have to get that separate and of course the price of the meal is about $200 for 2 ... without alcohol. It was well worth going at least once if I never am able to go again.

At the movies:
Flight of fantasy takes the box office crown as the beloved book turned movie earns top honors! The live action Where the Wild Things Are earns a hefty 32.5 million in its debut. New at #2 is the drama Law Abiding Citizen with 21.3 mil. Climbing up to #3 is "Paranormal Activity" with 20.2 mil which is an increase of nearly 155% from the previous week. I have heard as a movie, this film is terrible but as a roller coaster ride, it is good. Dropping down to #4 is "Couples Retreat" with an extra 17.9 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is suspense thriller The Stepfather with only 12.3 mil and lucky it even made the top 5.

Quote of the week:
"All drama is about lies. When the lie is exposed, the play is over." - David Mamet

Other News:
I found another fun list!! This one is about the worst cars of the 2000's according to Cars.com and to be eligible for the list means the car would have been sold somewhere in the 2000's. Starting from the bottom as we work our way up, at #10 is Pontiac Aztek which I have never seen nor heard of ... but then again I am not much of a fan for Pontiac. #9: Daewoo Anything which is another car I have never heard of nor seen. In at #8 is the Isuzu VehiCROSS which like most Isuzu is a 2-door SUV. I never seen this particular one. At #7 is the Jaguar X-Type - I feel since Jaguar became an American company it has lost its edge altogether. #6: Pontiac Sunfire - wow, yet another Pontiac makes the list! #5: Cadillac Catera - never seen this one either! #4: Toyota Echo - in general I like Japanese made cars but Toyota as the parent brand isn't that great at all. I think I have seen these little subcompacts around and not very appealing. #3: Jeep Compass - Jeep in general is a solid card but I heard the Compass was very unsafe. #2: Chrysler Sebring - seen these and not attractive at all, at least they do not hold up their image past the first year or two. And the #1 worst car of 2000 to 2009 according to Cars.com is ... Smart ForTwo! I call these "zip-zip" cars because that is what I think about it when I see them. Of course I also think how far a truck of any size could punt that vehicle if it were to even tap it in an accident. The only practical place I can see these cars is Catalina Island if you don't want to use a golf cart ... and who doesn't want to use a golf cart!!

Facts & Tips:
Oysters can change genders back and forth.

"I've got a big one for you." - Bruce Thomas as UPS Guy in "Legally Blonde."

posted by McDuck @ 00:13 0 comments

Monday, October 12, 2009

Columbus Day Edition

Cooling down! All this week the temperatures dropped pretty far from what use to be the low 90's to mid 80's is now around 70! The nights even cooler as we hit the mid 50's! Winter is here or so it feels like it for the Southland! I like the cold, always have ... much easier to warm up then it is to cool down. So the real question is will it be cool/cold from here on out for the rest of the year or will we get hit with some more summer SoCali weather from time to time?

Weekly Update:
This past week was kind of interesting. Had a meeting with the Disney HR person who went over the severance package however nothing has been finalized as to what is happening with Miramax just yet. We must assume the worst because the likelihood is just about 99.9% of the entire west coast offices being gone. We are suppose to learn more within the next two weeks but we pretty much know at the end of January we will be out of the offices and on to other things ... hopefully.

But the weekend ended on a lighter note as I went to the 4th and final GEEK-FEST for 2009 at the Burbank Marriott. Got some pics with some folks ...

*John Volstad- GREAT guy and met his family as well. He is probably best known as "my other brother Darryl" on the "Newhart" show.
*Margot Kidder- nice and best known for Lois Lane in the original "Superman" movies.
*Stephen Furst- Extremely cool guy and best known as "Flounder" from "Animal House."
*Linda Gray- Very cool and best known as Sue Ellen Ewing from the "Dallas" TV series.
*Patrick Duffy- Very cool guy as well and best known as Bobby Ewing from "Dallas" as well.
*Katee Sackhoff- Very sweet and best known as "Starbuck" from the newer version of "Battlestar Galactica" series.
*Jeff Conaway- nice guy and best known as Kenickie from "Grease" and Bobby Wheeler from the TV series "Taxi."
*Charisma Carpenter- very nice and best known as Cordelia Chase from both "Buffy" and "Angel" TV series.
*Corbin Bernsen- easy going guy and best known for the movie "Major League" and TV series "LA Law" along with one of my favorite shows "Pysch" on USA.
*Helen Slater- VERY cool and she was on I really wanted to meet because I loved "The Secret of My Success" so long ago.

At the movies:
Not a surprising weekend as we are in the slow time of year as Couples Retreat takes the box office #1 spot with 35.3 million. What is surprising is the gross it made which is on the high side. Dropping down to #2 is "Zombieland" with another 15 mil. Hanging in to #3 is "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" earning an extra 12 mil and just shy of the 100 mil cume mark. Slight drop to #4 is the 3D combo of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story II" with another 7.7 mil as it comes to its re-release end. Rounding off the top 5 is "Paranormal Activity" as it expands into its 3rd week and climbs UP the charts with 7.1 mil. This film will likely expand even more as buzz is high on this film and the per screen average even higher!

Quote of the week:
"The best audience is intelligent, well-educated, and a little drunk." - Alben William Barkley

Other News:
Big week in sports for SoCali, specifically in the area of Baseball! Both the LA Dodgers and the LA Angles of Anaheim (I know, lame name) sweep their series to go to the next round. I caught a couple of the games on the TV and they were pretty good games ... considering it is baseball. This sport is always fun to play and watch in person but it is one of the most boring sports to watch on TV!! Both the Dodgers and Angels started the 5-game series at home winning both games at home. Then both teams traveled; Dodgers to St. Louis and Angels to Boston where they each won one more game to sweep their opponents. The last game for the Angels was a true comeback as they were behind and came to rally in the 9th inning to get past the Red Sox and then finish them after their last at bats. So, lets hope both So Cali teams can keep their momentum into the next round of the play-offs!

Facts & Tips:
The Hawaiian alphabet only has 12 letters.

"Maybe you've lost your faith in people. But you must still be faithful to something. You must still care about something. Maybe we can't change what is. But trying to save a life isn't wasting your life, is it" - Julie Benz as Sarah in "Rambo."

posted by McDuck @ 00:07 0 comments

Monday, October 05, 2009

Dogs in the house! So we currently have two dogs in the house once again but this time, one is basically a puppy! AND, this puppy is from the litter of the current dog we adopted! So it is the youngest of our dog's sons and I don't think she recognizes him. The puppy's name is Orion and he is very lovable but very shy. He runs away from everything but if you are sitting or laying down, he will snuggle up to you. Not sure on the house breaking yet but so far no accidents (knock on wood). Orion doesn't really respond to his name yet ... just might take more time and training for this little one.

Weekly Update:
Tough week this past week. Aside from still coughing and can't get rid of it (although it has gotten a little bit better), work they announced that 2/3rds of the company is being let go. We were pretty small to begin with, about 75 employees but it will go down to a firm 20. More than likely our departments will be eliminated but no matter what happens, we will remain working till the end of January, 2010. So worst case scenario I have 4 months to find a new job but I would like to ride it out till the end of it if I can. The company has been very good to me and I would like to "go down with the ship" as it were. I've been in this situation before and with the current economic climate it is not entirely shocking but still very sad to see such an award winning company be reduced to practically nothing. It was a good ride while it lasted ... hope I can land a new job that will be just as good and fun but highly doubt it.

At the movies:
Horror meets comedy at the box office as Zombieland takes the crown with 25 million. A pretty decent number given this time of the year. Hanging on to #2 is "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" earning an extra 16.7 mil and should hit the 100 mil mark very soon. New at #3 is the double feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 both in 3-D with 12.5 mil. That number may seem low but you have to consider that people are paying one ticket price to see two movies so there will not be a lot of show times available. Coming in at #4 is the comedy The Invention of Lying with only 7.4 mil and the brilliant comedian Ricky Gervais still can't get a box office smash open. Rounding off the top 5 is "Surrogates" with only 7.3 mil as it slowly comes to an end.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week as Whip It rolls in with only 4.9 mil and enough to make it #7. Not a great number considering it was released just as wide as both the "Toy Story" combo and "The Invention of Lying."

Quote of the week:
"Luck is the residue of design." - Branch Rickey

Other News:
Another list but this one is a tasty one!! Top 10 Ultimate Potato Chip Taste Test by Foxy Life, so let's see how they compare ... At #10 is Rock 'n Roll Gourmet Hippie Chips which I have never heard of but their hook is they are made with organic hemp seeds. At #9 is Lays Kettle Cooked Mesquite BBQ Extra Crunchy - I am not a fan of Lays Chips in general because they tend to be on the oilier side and I have not had these particular chips before. #8: Tim's Reduced Fat Lightly Salted Chips - So far I haven't heard or seen any of these and these names are also way to long!! #7: Kettle Yogurt & Green Onion - I don't remember having these but I have had many Kettle brand chips which in general are all decent. At #6: Trader Joe's Popped Potato Chips - Popped chips in general are very tasty but these I have never seen nor heard of. #5: Kettle Brand Backed Potato Chips - I didn't know they had a backed version. #4: Terra Sweets & Carrots - I've had the Terra chips but not this particular kind but so far I have liked what I have tried. #3: Hawaiian Original Kettle Style Chips - I've had these! These are very good chips and glad to see them in the top 5 area. #2: Boulder Canyon All Natural Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt - phew, what a long name for a chip ... and never had them nor heard of them before. And the #1 chip according to this list is Kettle Krinkle! I have had these and they are yummy. Also very good for dipping or simply right out of the bag!

Facts & Tips:
Elephants only sleep two hours a day.

"Adam's dull wit needs all the sharpening it can get." - Emma Samms as Fallon Carrington Colby in the TV series "Dynasty."

posted by McDuck @ 00:19 0 comments