MEMORIAL DAY EDITION
This weekend is a short one because despite having an extra day off form work, its only 1-day extra we take a moment to recognize those veterans past who risked their lives for how we are able to live today. They should be remembered all year round but that is probably too much to do so maybe give them a month at least ... Make something like July Veterans Month for both living and dead. We so under-appreciate those who serve and served.
Weekly Update:So this is interesting, last Tuesday night James Hong called me and asked if I could accompany him to some red carpet event at this little club. He wasn't sure what it was for but that it involved a younger crowd and thought I might like to go and check it out. James Hong, invites me??! I naturally said sure so he had me pick him up at his home and we drove over. I still have no idea what it was for but it was a very interesting crowd and it did skew a bit young like in the rock-n-roll type of hard rock kind of gang. James was the biggest talent there to be honest and everyone loved him, took pictures and then we went to a Thai restaurant across the street since they didn't serve us any food. It was both a very cool and interesting evening.At the movies:
Big surprise this holiday weekend as the green ogre still takes the top spot for its 2nd week in a row. "Shrek Forever After" earns a nice 43.3 million and now over the 100 mil cume mark which is still below expectations for this film. New at #2 with disappointing numbers is Sex and the City 2 with a weekend opening of 32.1 and a holiday opening of 46.3 since it opened on a Wednesday. New at #3 is the video game adaption of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with only 30.2 for both the weekend and holiday. Slight drop to #4 in its 4th week is "Iron Man" with another 18.7 mil and now past the 250 mil cume mark sure to break 300 easily. Rounding off the top 5 is "Robin Hood" with another 10.3 mil and the last time we will see this in the top 5 as it struggles to hit the 100 mil cume.Quote of the week:"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
Other News:Hollywood lights are a little dimmer this week as we lose two historic actors. The first one is the surprise and young Gary Coleman who died last Friday after a traumatic fall and injury to the head. Official cause of death is intercranial hemorrhage at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Coleman is best know as Arnold Jackson from the hit show "Diff'rent Strokes" where he coined the phrase, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" and one role he never grew out of. After the series had ended, his career remained very flat with having regular jobs like a security guard at the Universal Studios lot. The pint size actor was never able to grow out of that image he played back in the 80's and the rest of his life was legal battle after legal battle over something in his life. Gary was 42.Legendary actor Dennis Hopper died on Saturday after a short battle with 
prostate cancer after he was diagnosed back in October of 2009. Hopper's career is so vast with incredible film roles ... it would be impossible to do it any justice. Just to attempt to name a few: "Rebel Without a Cause," "Easy Rider," "Blue Velvet," "Apocalypse Now," "Hoosiers," and "Speed" to just scratch the surface. Hopper was known as the maverick or wild man of holiday back in the day who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just this past March ... something that was way over due. Hopper died in his home in Venice Beach surrounded with family and friends. He was 74.F
acts & Tips:The most sensitive parts of the body are the mouth and fingertips."My name is D. Freak. Uh, I'm a shopaholic. I'm also a former NBA player." - John Salley as D.Freak in "Confessions of a Shopaholic."
FREEZING!!! I have no idea but its May in Southern Cali and it is almost winter weather. We got some rain during the week but the temps have been in the 60's and continue to be. Throw in some light winds and it gets even colder. Not that I am complaining but I wasn't expecting this kind of chill at this time in our year. Summer always starts in March for us when Winter ends (we don't have a Spring) so this is very ... odd.
Weekly Update:Had a pretty busy week with some events going on for charity and I am just glad its all over more than anything else. Talk about a big headache and waste of time but oh well, what can you do. One event was on Thursday night which was nice, food was good. I was able to have actor James Hong (best known as Lo Pan from "Big Trouble in Little China") attend the event as my guest and it went well. What was kind of nice is the 2009 Miss World was there:
*Kaiane Aldorino from Gibraltar and she was very sweet.Then on Saturday had another event for the same charity and this was more for the kids than the visiting delegates for the convention which was nice. We had some Disney TV talent show up and meet the kids and I got to meet them as well:*Moises Arias - was on the "Hannah Montana" show and a really level headed kid.*Jennifer Stone - from "Wizards of Waverly Place" and very sweet.At the movies:
Major disappointment at the box office this weekend as the 4th and final chapter of a franchise comes up majorly short! The big green guy in
Shrek Forever After made a debut of 71.3 million and though this sounds like a lot, it isn't considering the previous 2 films broke the 100 mil mark on their debuts. No putting a spin on this first disaster for the summer. Holding onto #2 is "Iron Man 2" with another 27 mil and is now past the 250 mil cume mark. Slight drop to #3 is "Robin Hood" with 18.7 mil. Another slight drop to #4 is "Letters to Juliet" with 9.1 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Just Wright" with 4.2 mil.New movies that did not make the top 5: Another major disappointment at the box office is comedy as the SNL (Saturday Night Live) skit turned full length feature MacGruber with only 4.1 in its debut. Yet a miss for another SNL skit.Quote of the week:"Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching." - Satchel Paige
Other News:Came across this interesting list of the top 10 most underrated US cities in the US. I wonder how it compares to what I have seen of those places. These are in no particular order or they are not ranked. I will just call them 1 through 10 and starting with #1: Providence, RI which is also known as the "Creative Capital." I hear good things about this place and I think it would be fun to visit. #2: Portland, OR or "City of Roses" as it is also known. I haven't been there in years and it was kind of boring. #3: Baltimore, MD which has been a place I have always wanted to check out but there are areas in which it does boast the highest murder rates. #4: Fort Lauderdale, FL and most places in FL to me are just ... humid. #5: Houston, TX which has NASA and other interesting things but what is funny is folks from Dallas say Houston sucks and vice versa. #6: Kansas City, MO and it has been revitalized but I still found it extremely ... dull. #7: Louisville, KY and this seems like a cool southern city to visit. #8: Minneapolis, MN which sounds interesting yet I have no interest in going to visit. #9: Pittsburgh, PA which has had some troubled waters but again, no interests to visit. #10: Sacramento, CA ... so been a couple of times and do not care to visit again. Both times I have gone were primarily for work and it was scary at night and just really boring in general.Facts & Tips:
You share your birthday with nine million others in the world."I don't want to rule my own country, I just want to pass the tenth grade." - Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis in "The Princess Diaries."
So I was at a mall the other day which an a pretty interesting parking system. I have seen a lot of places where as soon as you pull into the structure, there are digital displays that tell you how many open spots there are within that given level. This parking lot at the Century City mall goes one further step and not only tells you how many parking spots are available but as you look down the aisle there are lights above each spot. If it is red, then there is a car there and if it is green then it is open. Also if it is blue, it is an open handicap spot. Now the system isn't exactly 100% accurate but from what I saw, it was pretty dang close and a really neat system.Weekly Update:A kind of an odd week for me since I had some time off from work yet I had to make several trip so to LA anyway for meetings and lunches ... how does that always happen?? Well on Wednesday I went to this random birthday party because a bunch of other friends were going to be there and it was at a pretty decent night club. I did meet a friend of a friend:*Bill Hufsey - Best known from the TV series "Fame" and an amazing and nice guy!Other than that ... just another easy week but the next one coming up won't be!!! Too much stuff going on next week, more to tell later!
At the movies:No surprise this weekend as the man of iron holds on to its #1 spot, "Iron Man 2" earns an additional 53 million and now past the 200 mil cume to set the pace for this summer. New at #2 is the re-telling of an old tale, Robin Hood earns a decent 37.1 mil. New at #3 is is the romance story of Letters to Juliet with 13.8 mil. Also new at #4 is the romantic-comedy Just Wright with 8.5 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "How to Train Your Dragon" with an extra 5.1 mil as it keeps going and going.Quote of the week:"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick MoynihanOther News:
Seems the time for disasters is all around us. Just recently there was the big oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana which they are still trying to plug up the leaks that are pouring thousands of gallons of crude oil into the sea. Tennessee is hit with major storms that caused flooding the likes of which they have not seen in decades and are getting little to no government relief, in fact are mostly being over-looked. The Iceland volcano is still causing problems and minor earthquakes on the west US coast are still popping up. Is Mother Earth trying to tell us something? We have certainly taken her for granted and it worsens each year. For every one step of help we try to do, we take 5 steps of damage in the process ... when will the reverse start happening?!
Facts & Tips:At birth, a Dalmatian is always pure white."Not this time." - Jonathan Breck as Blake in "Dreamland."
If you are in a lane on the highway and every car is passing you by and the ones behind you are changing lanes on the right and left of you to get by ... move to the right! It is that simple, you are going too slow! If you drive slow, that is fine but don't be in the the far left lane or in the middle ... go to the right. I think it is interesting when you are on the interstate highways in the middle of no where, you know to get in the right lane if you are slower while the faster cars go by on the left. But for some reason when you add another lane or you don't have desert or fields all around you ... you forget that simple courtesy rule. Simply amazing.Weekly Update:Semi-busy week this past one ... attended various events and almost all of them were last minute so quiet tired to say the least. To say the least ... or to say the more? I don't know. The first event was a charity fundraiser that featured a mini concert with Pat Benatar which was pretty awesome. She sang a lot of key hits from the 80's which was great. At the event itself I met:*Yvette Nicole Brown- She is on the show "Community" and extremely nice.Then on Wednesday I went to this little celebrity karaoke event in Hollywood and ... well ... the level of "celebrity" was ... let me put it this way, you can hear everyone around the carpet ask, "who is that?" because no one knew. The only one of some name was:*Claudia Wells- Only real claim to fame was being the girlfriend in the first "Back to the Future" movie and she was nice.At the movies:
No surprise here as the movie summer officially kicked off this past weekend as Iron Man 2 took the crown with a nice opening of 133.6 million. This film is sure to have the legs to a very successful summer. A big drop down to #2 is "A Nightmare on Elm Street" with 9.2 mil which is a BIG 72% decline from last weekend. Well above the normal drops for any film. Down to #3 is "How to Train Your Dragon" with 6.8 mil and just breaking the 200 mil cume mark. In at #4 is "Date Night" with another 5.3 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Back-Up Plan" with 4.3 mil and probably the last time we see this film on the books.
Quote of the week:"Music is essentially useless, as life is." - George Santayana
Other News:The mic is silent this Sunday as legendary singer Lena Horne passed away at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Horne had a striking beauty and magnetic sex appeal which her voice overshadowed. She was one of the first black performers to sing with the white band at the Copacabana nightclub in the 1940's. She always tried to fight the racial barrier though music and movies but often found herself performing with all-black casts in movies. Her signature piece came in 1943 in the 20th Century Fox role of Selina Rogers in "Stormy Weather" where she sang the title song. Horne was once "I wouldn't trade my life for anything because being black made me understand." Horne was 92.Facts & Tips:
The watermelon seed-spitting world record is about 70 feet."I'm not done protecting you from the world." - Jack Coleman as Noah Bennet from the TV series "Heroes."
WIND ... wow was it crazy this past week with the weather. Had some rain, very cold nights and a lot of wind!!! One thing I hate about California high rises ... they are designed to give and sway in the event of an earthquake so they do not collapse are are safe. But when you are high up and its windy, you can hear the building creek like crazy AND feel it swaying a bit!! Its kind of unsettling at times. Then the wind was so crazy, I was walking from the building to the parking garage and at one point I couldn't move forward as I was leaning slightly forward. The wind was so strong, it stopped me! Well, this upcoming week is suppose to be warm and calm so ... let's see if it stays that way.Weekly Update:Not too much happened this past week ... besides the weather and just trying to keep busy at my consulting job, it was fairly quiet. This coming week looks more of the same except a meeting here and there. I was debating about going to Vegas but I think I will pass on it. It would be fun with the events planned but just don't feel like driving out there for more of a "just because" right now. I did leave the Vegas trip on my schedule in case I did decide to go last minute but ... I don't really see it happening. Never close out the option though ... never know!
At the movies:No surprise at the box office this weekend as horror takes center stage as A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot movie earns a nice 32.2 million. Slight drop to #2 is "How to Train Your Dragon" with another 10.8 mil as it creeps up to the 200 mil cume mark. Another slight drop to #3 is "Date Night" with another 7.6 mil. Hanging on to #4 is "The Back-Up Plan" with another 7.2 mil as the film continues to fizzle with no plan C. Rounding off the top 5 is the new family comedy Furry Vengeance with a disappointing 6.5 mil and on its way out just as fast as it began.Quote of the week:"It is the unlikely things that have power, that are transformative." - Peter SellarOther News:
and would have been enough to cause severe harm to the surrounding area to pedestrians but nothing structurally. The grade of fertilizer used was not high enough to explode by any means but other items such as gasoline and propane tanks were also found. A suspect was seen and caught on cameras from the area leaving the
A little scare in NYC on Saturday night as a make-shift car bomb was found in Times Square. The bomb itself was very crude according to authoritiesvehicle and removing his shirt with another one underneath as he slipped into an nearby alley way. So far no leads as to who the man is nor any ties to known terrorist groups. The bomb would have sprayed metal shrapnel if it did in fact go out with the cheap timing devices, enough to kill people within a certain radius and cause a fireball of the vehicle itself. The area is considered one of the flashiest places on Earth with the high volume of people going out on Saturday night to enjoy dinner, movies and shows. NY is just too crowded, anything of that nature is going to do too much damage no matter what.
Facts & Tips:The speed limit in NYC was eight mph in 1895."We're Americans, we don't plan, we do!" - Bill Hader as General George Armstrong Custer in "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."
MEMORIAL DAY EDITION
Other News:
prostate cancer after he was diagnosed back in October of 2009. Hopper's career is so vast with incredible film roles ... it would be impossible to do it any justice. Just to attempt to name a few: "Rebel Without a Cause," "Easy Rider," "Blue Velvet," "Apocalypse Now," "Hoosiers," and "Speed" to just scratch the surface. Hopper was known as the maverick or wild man of holiday back in the day who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just this past March ... something that was way over due. Hopper died in his home in Venice Beach surrounded with family and friends. He was 74.
acts & Tips:
