Monday, September 28, 2009

Ok make the heat go away someone!!! The official first day of Fall (or the Autumnal Equinox) was last Tuesday and it has basically been nothing but a massive summer heat wave for the past week. Some of the nights have been cool but a couple in there remained in the high 70's with no breezes. No breezes means it stays warm and you keep the AC going all through the night. What is the deal here? I want DST (Daylight Savings Time) to start! But I don't think that happens till the end of October ... why? I don't know, I just want it! And the Fall one, not the Spring one because I hate losing an hour.

Weekly Update:
Stop this crazy world, I want to get off ... just as I thought last week was a sort of "roller-coaster" for me, this week seemed almost just as crazy. So Monday night I ended up going to the after-party for the film "The Invention of Lying" because my good friend Jacob thought it would be star-studded since it was the night after the Emmy's and that is a very valid point. It was a bit lack-lustre which was surprising but still got some snaps with some folks:

*Lizzy Caplan- From various TV shows like "True Blood" and "American Dad" as well as some movies. Plus she was very sweet.
*Nikki Reed- From both "Twlight" movies and a really nice person.
*Martin Starr- Various small roles in numerous movies and seemed a bit out of it.
*Fionnula Flanagan- A few "Lost" episodes and a very sweet lady.
*John Hodgman- Best known as PC from the Mac commercials and a very cool guy.
*Rob Lowe- Numerous credits but most recently from the TV show "Brothers & Sisters" and just an overall cool guy!

Then on Wednesday I attended a "Fame" event at the Grove in Los Angeles. I didn't stay for the movie but they did a little mini concert which was entertaining. While there I ran into some folks:

*Cassie Scerbo- Young talent who hasn't been on anything big yet but she was very nice.
*Kay Panabaker- Another young talent and most recently in "Fame" who is also very sweet.
*Mario Lopez- AC Slater himself from "Saved by the Bell" and he seemed nice.
*Charles S. Dutton- Use to have a show himself called "Roc" which he was the title character and a cool guy.
*Megan Mullally- Best known as Karen from "Will and Grace" and a very nice person.

At the movies:
Animated comedy hangs on to the box office crown this week as "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" earns another 24.6 million. New at #2 is the sci-fi thriller Surrogates with 15 mil ... and to be honest I didn't even know this film was opening. Singing in at #3 is remake of Fame with only 10 mil and from what I hear, just see the original. Small drop to #4 is "The Informant!" with an additional 6.9 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" with another 4.8 mil and I can't wait for this film to be out of the top 5 because the title is simply way too long.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week and also no surprise here as the horror film Pandorum earns only 4.4 mil which is pretty low for a wide release and it chimes in at #6.

Quote of the week:
"Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known." - Garrison Keillor

Other News:
A new poll taken by "60 Minutes" and Vanity Fair revealed that Wal-Mart best symbolizes America ... really?? So you are telling me a company that pays its employees very little yet if they were to shop at Wal-Mart they couldn't survive is the symbol of the US? Actually, I guess if you really think about it does in a way. Can't afford goods that we sell or can't afford within our means. To me, Wal-Mart symbolizes what kids can do to your company once the founder passes on and they want more profits over happy employees. Another part of this poll shows that dining out was chosen most as a luxury they hate to give-up during these economic times which I do agree with. This is also interesting, 37% say that a politician taking bribes is far greater a sin then the 2% saying an extramartial affair is a greater sin. One last interesting tid bit on this poll ... 24% say that would like to trade places for a week with President Obama while 26% say George Clooney. I would pick Clooney as well because to run a country for a week is WAY more intense and stressful then say being on your own yacht doing nothing or working on a movie set with the current hottest leading lady ... huh, decisions decisions.

Facts & Tips:
Lobsters can live up to 50 years.

"Well, the accepted vernacular is gay... but yes." - Kevin James as Larry Valentine in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry."

posted by McDuck @ 00:02 0 comments

Monday, September 21, 2009

Another week of really hot days and cool nights ... just when you think summer is over (not technically) you get hit with heat waves of close to 100 degrees. One day I thought we were going to have rain but just a lot of clouds instead and it remained hot still. Not sure what the next week will bring but I do hope it cools down ... just 10 degrees would be nice!!! I do like the cool nights however, there are no breezes to feel it when you have the windows open. Well, the price we pay for living in Southern California I guess.

Weekly Update:
I've had a busy week! I am not sure how it happened but it just did. I am glad it's over too! I guess it started on Tuesday where I met up with my friend John and Doug Jones because Doug was doing a signing at a store close to my work. So I hung out with them and met some other new folks. I also got a pic with ...

*Jordan Ladd- VERY nice person, does a lot of horror type films and is more known as the daughter to David and Cherryl Ladd.

Then Wednesday happened and that was a very crazy day just in itself! I had to leave work early and help out a the Children's Hospital of LA for their annual Radiothon and try and get pledges from folks who donated last year. Right after that, I had to go approve some artwork for a display we are doing. THEN, I went to support my friend at Fox at a "Jennifer's Body" event at Hollywood/Highland complex but while there, met up with:

*Diablo Cody- She was very nice and also an Academy Award winner for "Juno."
*Johnny Simmons- Sharp and nice guy. He was one of the kids from "Evan Almighty" and also the main star of "Hotel for Dogs."

THEN!!!! Later that evening (yes, still Wednesday) I went to a small screening for one of our films called "Boys are Back" but I knew I wasn't going to make the film so I went for the Q&A they did and reception afterwards. I got a chance to met:

*Scott Hicks- Director of the film and nice guy.
*Clive Owen- Really cool guy!

And the wrap it up, Friday I went to the Disney Lot for a special ABC TV event which was too dang hot to be outside for but oh well. I did catch some people there though:

*Greg Vaughan- From "General Hospital" and a really nice guy.
*Bradford Anderson- Also from "General Hospital" and a cool guy.
*David Arquette- He was wondering around the lot and was handing out some flyers ... weird but also a very cool guy!

At the movies:
Surprise at the box office just when you thought the summer rush was over ... Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs takes the crown this weekend with a hefty 30.1 million for this animated adventure. New at #2 is the comedy The Informant! with only 10.5 mil for it's debut. Holding in at #3 is "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" for an extra 10.1 mil. New at #4 is the romantic comedy Love Happens for a disappointing 8.4 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is the horror film Jennifer's Body with a very weak 6.8 mil for its opening.

Quote of the week:
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - Don Marquis

Other News:
This week started off sad as Hollywood loses another young icon. On Monday Patrick Swazye passed away after a short fight with pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles with family by his side. Swazye danced his way into the hearts of movie-goers in "Dirty Dancing" opposite Jennifer Grey as the rough and tumble dance instructor. His list of movies are some of my favorite including "Red Dawn" where the US is invaded by South America and Russian forces in this "what if ..." scenario. This was one of the first PG-13 rated films and I saw it when I had just turned 13 and was very excited. He has had many memorable performances such as Sam Wheat from "Ghost" opposite Demi Moore that can make the coldest of people shed a tear. Who can forget the surf hunk Bodhi from "Point Break" where Swazye's character robbed banks during the summer while spiritually surfing into oblivion. I actually had a very nice personal moment with Patrick Swazye and I remember it very well. I was working the MGM/UA premiere of "Dark Blue" at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinerama Dome Theatre. The film had just started and I was walking out of the theatre into the lobby (I was a theatre captain) when our director of special events grabs me and says, "Find him a seat" and as I turned to see who it was, it was Patrick Swazye. I replied, "of course, follow me please" and got him situated right away in the packed auditorium. As I waited for him to sit and started to walk back out, he grabbed my arm and said in a whisper, "Thanks!" and I shook his hand and simply replied, "very welcome, enjoy." Swazye was only 57.

Additional sad news, classic comic actor Henry Gibson passed away on Monday as well. Gibson was in such classic movies such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Inner Space" which were two of my favorites. He was more recently in "The Wedding Crashers" and some TV work including "King of the Hill." He is widely known for being on the TV show "Laugh-In." Gibson died in his Malibu home after a short fight with cancer. He was 73.

Facts & Tips:
Beavers were once the size of bears.

"Do you know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed. You can look it up later." - Gina Torres as Zoe Washburne on "Serenity."

posted by McDuck @ 00:37 0 comments

Monday, September 14, 2009

Has the heat wave broken?! I wan to know!!! Yesterday was an exceptionally cool day but the rest of the week was very up and down. Overall however, it wasn't too bad. I think the summer heat could be over for us for now but it can easily fake you out. I am sure all the firefighters enjoyed the break from the heat as they continue to battle a couple of fires still in the south land. At one point in Sunday it almost looked it was going rain! Now that is what we do need!!

Weekly Update:
Kind of a nice mellow week as I spent most of it working from home to avoid the post-Labor Day traffic (which I heard was insane as usual). On Thursday I did help out at the first official convention for the newly formed Disney fan club called D23 Expo. The fan club itself is just called D23. It was very lack luster and the ABC folks really mismanaged their talent there which really set off a lot of people. I am very surprised considering it is all encompassing "Disney" and it sure left a very sour taste to probably a few hundred people. The bad thing about that is you know those few hundred will tell 10+ people each and it becomes thousands in a short time ... disappointing indeed, bad job ABC. I did manage to catch some of the kids from various Disney Channel TV shows thanks to the folks at Radio Disney who did a GREAT job:

*Debby Ryan- Very sweet girl, currently on "The Suite Life on Deck."
*Cody Linley- Cool guy and currently on "Hannah Montana."
*Nicole Gale Anderson- Also very sweet and currently on "Jonas."
*Doug Brochu- pretty nice and on "Sonny with a Chance."

I did end up going back on Sunday to see if I could catch some other folks but ... Disney blew it again and it was a total bust. This new D23 Expo needs a lot of work and re-tooling ... A LOT of it!

At the movies:
And the summer of movies is officially over as the crown this week goes to Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself earns a nice 24 million. Never dismiss those urban-esque films, they will surprise you. In at #2 and opened last Wednesday, 9 earns a 5-day total of only 10.9 million. Holding ground at #3 is "Inglorious Basterds" with another 6.5 mil and has now broke the 100 mil cume mark. Slight drop to #4 is "All About Steve" with 5.8 mil and close to being done. rounding off the top 5 is "The Final Destination: 3D" with an additional 5.5 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5: We have a couple this week which is no surprise given the films. Coming in at #6 is the teen horror Sorority Row with only 5.3 mil and these pledges failed to be accepted. In at #7 is the "chiller" Whiteout with only 5.1 mil and pretty much all melted away.

Quote of the week:
"If we aren't willing to pay the price for our values, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all." - Barak Obama

Other News:
ANOTHER LIST!! This one seems kind of a fun one that I happen to stumble across ... name brand vs store brand items, which one tastes better? The list isn't too long but I am just going to point out a few of them and compare it with my own experience. #1) BBQ Sauce - KC Masterpiece Original ($1.96 per bottle) against Publix Original (never heard of it but it is $1.51 per bottle). KC won this with the mix of smoke, heat and sweetness vs the tomato-based sauce. Honestly KC has a very distinctive flavor and clearly my pick. #2) Frozen Lasagna - Stouffer's ($1.44 per serving) vs Great Value (Wal-Mart brand at $.88 per serving). TIE! This is a shocker because anything Wal-Mart quality is very sub-par but then looking at the notes they give, I can see the tie. Stouffer's was cited with more flavors (um, duh) while Great Value had firmer pasta (which sounds like not fully cooked to me). Who surveyed this?? #3) Salsa - Old El Paso ($.17 per serving) vs Kirkland Signature (Costco brand at $.10 per serving). Kirkland won with El Paso having more crisp and smoky flavors. Kirkland fared pretty well with more complex taste ... I am good with either one really because once you put it on a chip it doesn't matter as long as it taste good. Last one ... Brownie Mix - Duncan Hines ($1.95 per package) vs Market Pantry (Target brand at $1.32 per package). Tie and I can agree with this because its a brownie and sweet is sweet.

Facts & Tips:
In 1985, the fastest bicyclist was clocked at 154 mph.

"I hate you! I hate you! I wish I was never artificially created in a lab!" - Seth Green as Scott Evil in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery."

posted by McDuck @ 00:01 0 comments

Monday, September 07, 2009

LABOR DAY EDITION

You know what is starting to really bug me and I don't know how people do it ... e-mails that come in after I leave work!! Ok, here is the dealio ... I like to try and keep a very clean inbox (and almost completely clean outbox) so I put things in folders on my work computer in case I need them for reference for later. So when I go home, there is next to nothing inside. I would say almost every day I sit at my computer and hit refresh so many times ... to get no e-mails for as long as 2 hours. Then, I finally decide to leave after no e-mails or phone calls. After I hit the freeway, buzz buzz buzz buzz ... E-MAILS!!! They pour in as many as 2 dozen in the span of 3 minutes. Sometimes I think it's the server and it's lagging and trying to catch up but it's never the case! The reason I know this is because sometimes I might get one e-mail or two, I will answer them and then I will get a response right away. I swear, the two times people wait to send me e-mails are either 1) I go to lunch and 2) I leave for the day!!! The lunch time also bugs me but I know I am going back to the office so I can clear it out. Seriously.

Weekly Update:
Not a bad week for me as it was pretty light ... I like that! Work was nothing exciting and just an ok week. The temps were pretty nasty during the day and it even started to get humid which is good because with all the fires going on, the firefighters needed it! I think the highlight of the week for me is I finally had lunch at the world famous Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles and it was really good. I'm not sure how many of these there are but I went to the one in Hollywood and talk about plain and simple good eats. Nothing fancy and who knew such a combination of chicken and waffles would taste so good. I clearly ate too much but it was a little bit of simple heaven which you don't get to have all the time. Definite place for a return visit and a great meal at a decent price.

At the movies:
Horror still hangs on to the box office lead as "The Final Destination: 3D" earns the #1 spot with an additional 12.3 million for the extended holiday weekend. Holding on to the #2 spot is "Inglorious Basterds" with another 11.7 mil and now almost to the 100 mil mark. Not sure if it will take another 2 or 3 weeks to hit it though but it should make it with no problem. New at #3 is All About Steve with a very disappointing 11.2 mil given the talent behind this film. Although I must say I knew it was a throw-away movie since its been on the books for over 2 years. New at #4 is the action film Gamer with only 9.1 mil. Heck, I am a gamer and this film look terrible to me. Rounding off the top 5 is "District 9" with another 7.1 mil as it barely breaks the 100 mil mark which honestly amazes me it was able to do it.

New movies that did not make the top 5: One this week and unfortunately it was Extract with only 5.3 mil and enough for the #10 spot. This is a ok movie with a great cast ... just couldn't break though and needed a bit more work to it. I am sure this film will be big in the home entertainment markets though.

Quote of the week:
"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." - George Bernard Shaw

Other News:
Essentially the summer is over on many different levels. While technically the season may not be but for schools, some jobs and the movies ... we move on to the next season. Looking back though, I found a nice list for the top 10 movies for the summer of 2009 from Rotten Tomatoes. Starting off with #10 is the surprise sleeper hit "The Hangover" which became this summers top R-Rated comedy. At #9 is "Bandslam" which I have no idea why it's even on the list as it failed on both box office and audiences. Showing up at #8 is "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" as we slowly see this franchise coming to a near distant end. Coming in at #7 is "(500) Days of Summer" which this little film surprised at the box office and with critic acclaim for this tiny film. At #6 we have the late summer release of "Inglorious Basterds" which did "OK" at the domestic box office. #5 is "District 9" and we can just move on. In at #4 is the little gem "Ponyo" which saw very few screens but did fairly decent. At #3 is "Drag Me to Hell" which didn't do that great dollar-wise but many have said it is a solid film. Showing up at #2 is "Star Trek" which is great re-inventing of this dieing franchise and also one of my top pics of the summer (but I didn't see that many movies to begin with). AND, the #1 film for the summer of 2009 (based from Rotten Tomatoes) is the animated film "Up" which is currently the highest grossing animated for the year so far!

Facts & Tips:
Baboons were once trained by Egyptians to wait on tables.

"I saw you die." - Tony Plana as Morales in "The Rookie."

posted by McDuck @ 00:20 0 comments