Post Christmas EditionSaturday was Christmas Day and it was very cold and wet for me. I don't think I have ever had a white Christmas or at least one that I could remember. But where I live it doesn't snow and where I am visiting (San Francisco) it doesn't snow either ... to close to sea level? I don't know but then I hear the East Coast is getting hammered with snow and blizzards. I guess you can't win either way!Weekly Update:Very wet and tiring week but that is what happens during the holidays ... well, maybe not the wet part but the tiring for sure. Drove up to San Francisco on Thursday night and just did the whole holiday thing. Had fun playing a bunch of Rock Band ... the library for that game gets bigger and bigger which is a good thing. They should come out with genre and decade editions though or maybe just updated packages. Ate a ton of food and now for the rest of the year I just want to veg out and do nothing ... isn't that what the holidays are about too?? I did tackle some malls before X-Mas hit, that was a mistake but what can you do. Sometimes you can't do everything online plus it is good to get out a little bit. Someone needs to sell shirts every year though with "I survived Christmas at the Mall - 2010!" I think they would make good gag or novelty gifts.At the movies:
Not a big surprise for the holiday openers as a remake, or reboot some may say, takes the crown. Coming in at #1 is True Grit: Retribution with a 5-day total of 36.8 million as it opened last Wednesday. Word is decent on the film but not great. New at #2 is Little Fockers which clearly this franchise has "jump the shark" for movies. This earns a 5-day total of 34 mil. Average drop down to #3 is "Tron Legacy" with another 20.1 mil as it comes closer to the 100 mil cume mark. Slight drop to #4 is "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" with another 10.8 mil as it struggles to reach 100 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Yogi Bear" with another 8.8 mil and someone put this bear down so it can rest in peace.New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week which comes in at #7, Gulliver's Travels earning 7.2 mil. This film did open on Saturday so it is only a 2-day gross but honestly it probably wouldn't have done much more than that if it did open earlier.Quote of the week:"The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live." - George Carlin
Other News:Yet another sad week in Hollywood as veteran character actor Steve Landesberg passed away Monday afternoon to unreleased cause. Landesberg is best known as the curly hair intellectual and sometimes annoying Detective Sergent Arthur Dietrich on the 1970's cop comedy "Barney Miller." His career also spanned many other TV appearances such as "The Rockford Files," "Law and Order," "That 70's Show," and "Everybody Hates Chris." He has some some film projects but most recently was "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" as the doctor later discovered to be a pediatrician. But despite all these roles, he will always be the agnostic and cynical Sgt. Dietrich, a New York City cop in a station full of oddballs and eccentrics. Steve was only 65.Facts & Tips:
A mile on the ocean and a mile on land are not the same distance."King of the lab!" - T.J. Thyne as Dr. Jack Hodgins in the TV series "Bones."
RAIN!!!! Wow, this past week has been a monsoon of rain but you know what, we need it!! Forecast calls for more rain through this coming Wednesday and then clears up. I say bring us more rain and maybe we can make it through the next 3 months without any water shortages or issues. People in Southern California do not realize that the more rain the better. Yet they complain because of traffic or being stuck indoors for more than 2 hours ... suck it up! We need the water and desperately. Do we quickly forget that we do live in a desert?Weekly Update:Not to crazy of a week this time which is nice ... met up with some friends, watched a movie or two and spread some holiday cheer. Wish I could can holiday cheer and make it into a spread ... you can put it on a cracker or a piece of toast. Simply heat it up and share with your friends, family and neighbors! I would make a million and six dollars if I could can that!! Well, one can wish ... one can wish. This coming week I have some stuff going on but nothing major again. Hopefully it will be enjoyable as this past week was ... but since this Saturday is Christmas ... MERRY CHRISTMAS to all ... hope everyone has a great and safe one!
At the movies:No surprise at the box office this weekend but the numbers are a little disappointing across the board. Taking the crown in its debut is the much awaited sequel Tron Legacy earns 43.6 million. Disney thinks they have the next "Avatar" however that film opened to at least 70 million for its debut. Too long of a wait? Time will tell us starting next week. New at #2 is probably a movie that should have never been made ... the classic cartoon turned into a Garfield-esque live-action/CGI animated feature of
Yogi Bear with only 16.7 mil. Modest drop to #3 is "The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" with another 12.4 mil and struggling to make maybe 1/4 of what it cost to make. Opening wide for its 2nd week and at #4 is The Fighter with 12.2 mil and that is a 3967% increase from what it made last week. But also it went from 4 screens to 2,500 screens as well. Word is they should just give Christian Bale the Oscar now. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Tourist" with another 8.7 mil and the last we will see of this mis-cast film.New movies that did not open in the top 5: Just one in wide release this week. In at #8 is the romantic-comedy How Do You Know with only 7.6 mil and already on it's way out. This film marks one of the worst openings (if not THE worst) for Reese Witherspoon and could also rank up there for some of its other cast members as well.Quote of the week:"Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea, now there's an obstacle." - Ken HakutaComment Response:If its not one thing it will be another!Other News:
Another light goes out in Hollywood ... legendary film writer-director Blake Edwards passed away Wednesday evening after complications from pneumonia. His wife, actress Julie Andrews, and immediate family were at his bedside in Santa Monica. Edwards is best known for fighting with studio executives but for the masses he will be mostly remembered for his works such as the "Pink Panther" comedies with Peter Sellers. Some other iconic films of Edwards include the sexy comedy "10," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," and "Victor/Victoria" which co-starred his wife Julie Andrews. Known as the modern master of slapstick and sophisticated wit, he did suffer from depression most of his life. Earlier in his career he began writing for films and radio and later created the TV series "Peter Gunn." From there it led him to his first box-office hit with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis in "Operation Petticoat" which is one my personal favorite World War II set comedies. His style of comedies are long forgotten in terms of them being made but the films themselves will always be remembered and watched. Edwards was 88.
Facts & Tips:Americans spend more than $630 million a year on golf balls."The reason you don't understand, Doctor, is because you're a *bigot*. A bigot of the highest caliber. And because of that, you have underestimated me and my intelligence." - Don Marshall as Dr. Fred Williams in "The Thing with Two Heads."
It's almost winter but what is nice about this season is the stars. The winter constellation for Northern America has some of my favorites including Orion (The Hunter) and the Big Dipper. My favorite is Orion because I guess it was the first constellation I ever discovered and sort of mapped out when I took Astronomy which was a class I really did enjoy. So check out the winter sky when it gets dark enough ... look for three bright stars in tight row with three tighter stars just below them off 90 degrees. Then all of that is surrounded by four individuals stars in a box shape around the three ... you have Orion.Weekly Update:So so tired!! What a crazy week this has been ... where do I even begin! Monday I went to a screening of the upcoming film "Little Fokkers" which is the third installment of the "Meet the Parents" series. The film was ok but definitely no where near as good as the previous two. Tuesday had a fantastic dinner with the rest of the Young Variety board members for the holidays. Thursday started a crazy next three days for me ... first Thursday morning went to the Fox Lot for another "The Simpsons" table read which was fun script this time. While there I sneaked in a couple of pics:*Julie Kavner- Her main character is Marge Simpson and she doesn't do pictures because (I believe) she doesn't want people to know the face behind the voice of the character. But she is a very sweet person.*David Silverman- Directed "The Simpsons The Movie" and a cool guy.Right after that I then went to a charity function where a bunch of families got a holiday dinner and got to meet Santa Claus. Friday had to get to Burbank for a quick minute and then an hour drive to Ontario, California to have an amazing lunch with a bunch of friends. Saturday another early morning as I helped with the gift giveaway at the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Boyle Heights. This is the last time they will do this at the facility for it is being torn completely down and hopefully this time next year we will have a brand new state-of-the-art facility! Well, I'm pooped now!At the movies:
Very week numbers at the box office this past weekend with some major disappointments I'm sure. New at #1 is the third installment of the Narnia series, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of The Dawn Treader opens to a very low 24.5 million. No wonder Disney dropped this franchise and Fox picked it up. No doubt the price tag on this film surpassed the 150 mil mark just in production alone ... shame. This franchise pretty much died after the first movie. What happens when you put two highly priced action stars together in a terrible story ... not much! In at #2 is The Tourist with only 17 mil for its debut and the combo of Depp/Jolie did not have the crowds rushing to see it. Slight drop to #3 is "Tangled" as it made another 15.6 mil and just surpasses the 100 mil cume mark. Bigger drop to #4 is "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1" with 8.5 mil as it passes the 250 mil cume mark. Rounding off the top 5 is "Unstoppable" with another 3.8 mil which I think this will be it for this film.Quote of the week:"Appeasers believe that if you keep on throwing steaks to a tiger, the tiger will turn vegetarian." - Heywood BrownComment Response:Of course the new week we had sunny skies again ... so yeah, rain is needed all over I guess.
Other News:As you know, I love lists and I found another one just in time for the holidays ... 20 toy fads that you can't believe we bought into ... let's check this out! These are in no particular order and created by Babble.com? Pokemon - from TV, movie, cards and toys this was kind of a lame thing which I agree ... people were into this?? Giga Pets?Tamagotchi - I do remember these but never got one because I thought it was kind of dumb to care for a virtual pet on a key chain ... I would prefer an invisible dog on a leash. Pick Up Sticks - I did enjoy this but I do admit it was kind of a dumb toy/game because you could just get chopsticks and play the same thing! Bok Choy Boys - Never heard or seen these before but they do seem like the kind of thing you get out of a gumball machine ... dumb. Easy-Bake Oven - I never had one but I thought these were interesting. I once saw one made for a computer (the size of a hard drive) and thought THAT would be cool to have! Magic 8 Ball - I had a few of these before but they were promotional items and silly but I would never buy one. Ouija Board - Never had one or played one ... it looks interesting though. Baby Alive Doll - I guess it alive? I've seen them but never had one, obviously. Barbie - What I don't quiet understand is people collect these? I guess since boys collect GI Joe's, why not collect Barbie's. Bakugan - Seen these things and I guess its a toy/game of battle balls? Looks interesting but not worth it at the same time. Zhu Zhu Pets - what what? Motorized hamster robots ... oooookay. Webkinz - huh? I guess these are basically a stuff animal. Silly Bandz - rubber band bracelets in the shape of animals ... draw one on a piece of paper would probably just work as well! Skip It - I remember this toy and its pretty good exercise too but never got one of these. Lego - OK, I disagree on this one because Lego's rule!!! Beanie Babies - another thing that people collect and I'm not sure why. Furbies - The name is kind of disturbing to me but another mechanized stuffed toy that looks scary. Tech Dech - these are skateboards ... for your fingers! What in the world?? Seriously a waste of time and money which has no physical contribution to kids ... yeah, my fingers could use a work out I guess ... what? Colorforms - never seen these but I guess they are vinyl laminated shapes which you do nothing with. And the biggest fad I can remember ... Cabbage Patch Dolls - Never had one but seen them around A LOT growing up. I thought they were the ugliest things and I remember they came with adoption papers for kids ... wow.Facts & Tips:
Philadelphia was the first capital of the United States."You have been Omerized!" - Sam Golzari as Omer in "American Dreamz."
Way cold and the weekend ends in rain. We had a few days there the clouds were dark and it seemed like it was about to pour on us but nothing. The nights remained freezing (well, freezing for SoCali at least) and when Sunday night rolled around, thunder and lightning came for a visit. I like rain, wish we had more of it because it just makes everything nice and clean ... washing away all the dirt and grim. Not to mention we need the water for our forever drought!Weekly Update:
This was a crazy week for me! Well the weekend was pretty crazy I should say. Let me see, where do I start ... ok so on Tuesday I headed to Santa Monica for something, nothing really worth mentioning but just a long drive out there. Then on Saturday EARLY morning I had to head up to Burbank for the 1st Annual Variety Santa Fun Run. This was pretty cool because you had about 80 people dressed in Santa outfits doing a run/walk around this 1/4 mile course. One guy ran 10 miles in the full Santa outfit. I was pretty funny to see and we had other things going on including a photo opp with a pretty real looking Santa, Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks, Megamind and an elf making balloon animals. It was a very cool event. Then after that I went to a holiday party that evening which I was completely exhausted and falling asleep parts of the night. Sunday I didn't have to get up too early but I helped out at the MDA Charity Golf Tournament which was right in my backyard so that was nice. It rained a little bit here and there but quickly went as it came which was good. I'm tired ... and this upcoming week has more stuff going on!!
At the movies:Surprise this weekend at the box office as last week's #2 movie takes the crown this week at the #1 spot! Disney's "Tangled" suffered an average drop but takes the weekend crown with 21.5 million as it is not just shy of 100 mil cume. Slightly larger than average drop to #2 is "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part I" with 16.7 mil as it quickly gains on the 250 mil cume mark. At #3 is "Unstoppable" with another 6.1 mil and I think it will stop! At #4 is "Burlesque" with another 6.1 mil and struggling to make at least 30 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is "Love and Other Drugs" with 5.7 mil extra.New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week with a brand new studio that bought an older brand new studio! The new studio is Relativity and they recently acquired Overture which has been in business for maybe 2 years. Their brand new comic-style action film (with Ninjas) called The Warrior's Way earns enough to come in at #9 for the debut of the film and the studio and earning a hefty 3.1 million. Now the release pattern was below 2,000 screens but then if you look at the per screen average ... very poor performance (1,881 per screen). On the flip side of that coming in at #13 at only 18 screens across the nation is Black Swan with 1.4 million. Small number but for 18 screens its average is 77k per screen which is MUCH stronger than any of the top 5 this weekend.Quote of the week:"If you would have gold in all your days, ascertain where it will exist in the future, and be there when it occurs." - VoltaireOther News:
So for in 2010, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 44 toys for the fiscal year. Forbes put a short list of some of the most unsafe toys for 2010 and in no particular order: Classic Sport Super Bounce Pogo Sticks ($40 retail). The reported hazard was aluminum rivets that can cause support clamp to detach. Personally I think any Pogo stick is inherently dangerous to begin with ... who thought up this concept! Next on the list doesn't mention a brand but it is a Rocking Horse ($105 to $185 retail). Hazard were reins were long enough to form a loop around a child's head and posing a strangulation risk. I never found a rocking horse to be much fun when I was little. Next is the Horse-on-a-stick ($6 retail) and these are basically the horse head on a long stick that you would put between your leg and run around with. Hazard is the same as the rocking horse with the long reins posing a strangulation hazard ... is this really a toy? Next is Bathtub Subs ($7 retail) which looks like a big plastic sub like toy. Hazard is intake valve on the bottom of the toy can suck loose skin. Looks kind of boring to me. Last but not list on this short list is Infant Toys with Inflatable Balls ($20 to $68 retail). Hazards were all the valves on the inflatable portions could easily come off and pose a chocking risk ... wow, they sure don't make toys like they use to.
Facts & Tips:Lemon wood is carved into chess pieces."There's no such thing as a Sharktopus." - Ralph Garman as Captain Jack in the TV movie "Sharktopus."
Post Christmas Edition
Other News:
