MEMORIAL DAY EDITIONAnother holiday weekend in which we should spend a little time to remember, reflect and thank those you served our country home and abroad. Those who took a part of their life to help defend and represent the country we live in through the years ... many years ago, to present day. We do take for granted the sacrifice so few have made for so many. They get one simple day out of the year yet we get to live the rest of the year relatively safer than most countries ... let's remember.Weekly Update:It was actually a calm week this past week ... nice! Weather was good, times I had to go to LA, traffic was decent ... ahhh, if it was only like this all the time! The holiday weekend I did get to do one BBQ which was also a music video shoot that I helped out with. Nothing major about it but the funny thing was one of the crew turned out to be someone I went to high school with but they were a year older than me. Also it turns out he is currently on the show "Ghost Hunters" which I thought I recognized but couldn't place my finger on it:*Britt Griffith - Cool guy, chatted about high school and some common friends.At the movies:
Slight surprise at the box office ... comedy takes the crown for the holiday weekend but that wasn't the surprise. In at #1 is the R-Rated comedy Hangover Part 2 came in with a 4-day total (Thursday through Sunday) of 118.1 million! Above expectations by a slight margin and still have the Monday holiday to go. In a distant #2 and WAY below expectation is the animated action comedy Kung Fu Panda 2 with only 54 million. Big drop to #3 is "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" with another 39.2 mil, not a bad number however it is almost a 60% drop from the previous week. Holding strong at #4 is "Bridesmaids" with 16.4 mil as it creeps closer to 100 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is "Thor" with another 9.4 mil as this will probably be the last week we see this one in the top 5.Quote the week:"Never make forecasts, especially about the future." - Samuel Goldwyn
Other News:Another sad week in Hollywood as actor Jeff Conaway passes (pictured on the right from the film "Grease") after almost a two week battle in the hospital of being in a coma. Conaway was probably best known from the film "Grease" as Kenickie, one of the T-Birds and also as struggling actor Bobby from the TV series "Taxi." Conaway was later made popular again being on "Celebrity Rehab" after having many years of drug addiction. He was found unconscious at his home after an apparent combination of meds and having pneumonia and was put into an medically induced coma. After 9 days he was declared brain dead and the family opted to take him off life support while his off again-on again girlfriend fought to keep him on it. Conaway quietly passed away Friday morning, he was 60.Facts & Tips:
Cows give more milk when they listen to music."It's difficult to find a movie that feels true to itself. You feel the hand of Hollywood, the moviemaking by committee, on everything." - Zack Snyder, Film Director
The other night I was driving home and I looked up at the sky and saw the moon pretty bright and close to full. It was very cloudy as well and it eventually covered the moon and it almost looked like it was making a ying-yang symbol in the sky but just the outline of one. It is cool what light and clouds can do for each other ... yes, I know, random (Not pictured)Weekly Update:Semi-mellow week ... or it started that way till Thursday when I attended the "Hangover Part 2" premiere after party. Good party, food was terrible but got some pics with some folks:*Ivan Reitman- Director of great films like "Ghostbusters" and a nice guy.*Rainn Wilson- From the TV show "The Office" and the movie "The Rocker," pretty cool guy.*Yvonne Strahovski- From one of my favorite TV shows currently, "Chuck" and very sweet.*Mike Tyson- From both "Hangover" films and former heavy weight boxing champ ... nice guy!*Ed Helms- From both "Hangover" films and a nice guy.*Justin Bartha- From both "Hangover" films and "National Treasure" and a cool guy.*Zach Galifianakis- From both "Hangover" films and kind of an oddball.Then the very next day I was on the set of again for the Disney XD show "Pair of Kings" and they had some visitors to the set who I got to meet:*Cole Sprouse- one of the twins from "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" which was another Disney Channel show and a cool guy.*Dylan Sprouse- The other brother from the same show and also a cool guy.THEN ... on Sunday, attended the "Kung Fu Panda 2" premiere which was a really fun movie. I liked it as much as the first one but in a different way. Not as funny but good story and just fun to watch. Caught some folks there:*Wayne Knight- best known from "Seinfeld" and a cool guy.*Stephen Root- I know him best as the radio station owner from the TV series "NewsRadio" and a very cool guy.*Octavia Spencer- Last seen from "Dinner for Schmucks" and very sweet.*Dennis Haysbert- Best known as the President from the TV series "24" and the Allstate Insurance commercials, nice guy too.*Danny McBride- From the hit cable show "Eastbound and Down" and a really cool guy.*Lucy Liu- From "Kill Bill" and "Charlie's Angels," also very sweet.*Brad Pitt- From the various Ocean films (11, 12, and 13) along with "Fight Club," "Seven" and many more ... was a cool guy.
At the movies:Yo hoy yo hoy ... no surprise at the box office this weekend as the 4th installment in an ailing franchise sets sail. In at #1 to take the Pirates booty is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides debuts with 90.1 million. A solid number to say the least but a bit short of expectation as thought it would be the first 100 mil opener for the summer. Holding ground at #2 is "Bridesmaids" with another 21.1 mil. Down to #3 is "Thor" earning another 15.5 mil as it closes in at 150 mil cume. Still hanging in there at #4 is "Fast Five" with 10.6 mil as it closes in at 200 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 and probably the last sight for this film in this area is "Rio" with 4.7 mil as it just passes the 130 mil cume.Quote of the week:"Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you." - Carl JungOther News:
The Top 10 Positively Portrayed Female Game Characters ... huh, well that is an interesting list. Let's see what they are talking about: 10) Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I guess Zelda has gone from damsel in distress to heroine in this series. 9) April Ryan in The Longest Journey - know nothing of this game or character but has a sort of fantasy mythical look. 8) Hidegard von Kron from Soul Calibur IV- Medieval warrior in full metal armor. 7) Lara Croft from Tomb Raider - hero for sure but outfit skin tight. 6) Samus Aran from The Metroid Series - sure has come a long way from the old bit map game. 5) Commander Shepard from Mass Effect - no clue about this game. 4) Jade from Beyond Good & Evil - looks a little old school like the original Tomb Raider. 3) Jennifer Tate in Primal - a sort of noire look with a touch of vampire. 2) The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - tough and gritty but the name is too long for a game. 1) Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2 (pictured) - not my kind of game but the graphics are getting closer to life like.
Facts & Tips:Mount Everest rises a few millimeters every year."Heroic is nice; depraved and insane is better." - Jared Harris as Mac McGrath in "Mr. Deeds."
I'm not really sure what season this is anymore. I think it is suppose to be Spring going into Summer but lately it feels like Fall going into Winter! This past week the days have been sunny till the weekend when it rained. But during the week days it was bright but cold if you were in the shade with a lot of breezes. At night it dropped down into the 60's a lot which isn't that bad but for here, that is winter weather. I guess I shouldn't complain because 1) I like cold and 2) other parts of the country are suffering heavy storms and flooding. But it does make you wonder what is going on? Will we get a nice cool summer like last year with just a few scorching days? Hard to tell but the coming weeks show cool and wet days ahead.Weekly Update:Had a pretty normal week ... at least I think I did. Not too busy and not entirely quiet so that was good. On Tuesday night I did attend this panel at the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) about Asian Americans or just Asians in the entertainment business. Most of if it seemed about the struggles they face and ways to overcome or potentially can do to help them. I'm not sure if that was the point of the panel but either way it was a nice evening. While there I got to meet:*Peter Kwong- Was there to see the panel, best known as one of the storms from "Big Trouble in Little China" and a really nice guy.*Jodi Long- Was the mother in the short lived TV series "All-American Girl" and was the moderator of the panel, also very nice.*Chris Tashima- Academy Award Winner for a short live film he did about 10 years ago, quiet guy but nice.*Sandra Oh- From "Grey's Anatomy" and the movie "Sideways" and was very nice.At the movies:
The God of Thunder manages to hang on to the box office crown this week as "Thor" is #1 with an extra 34.5 million and now past 115 mil for the domestic cume. New at #2 is the comedy Bridesmaids with 24.4 mil for its debut. Slight drop to #3 is "Fast Five" with another 19.5 mil as it quickly approaches the 200 mil cume. New at #4 is the sci-fi action-thriller Priest with 14.5 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Rio" with 8 mil as it reaches 125 mil cume this week and probably the last time we see it on the list.Quote of the week:"Old age is fifteen years older than I am." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Other News:I ran across this interesting article about the make-up women love to wear or use but men who hate it. It is a sort of list but at the same time a comparison of what women and men like on women. I found it kind of interesting. Not sure if it is in any particular order but 1) Heavy foundation and powders - I guess it covers up blemishes and such but honestly girls, we can see how thick it is and it makes us either a) wonder what you are covering and b) makes you look very fake or plastic. 2) "Bumps" - This is hair and how it sort of puffs up in the front ... I think this depends on the person and if their face structure can pull it off. 3) Neon Lipstick - really? I thought these went out in the 80's! 4) Too-thin brows - I don't mind thin eye brows as much as I hate the permanent drawn ones. The drawn ones look kind of freaky (typically) on women. 5) Bold eye-shadow: I think this sort of falls under the first point of heavy foundation. It makes them look like a raccoon or they are going to go out and fight crime. 6) Rosy cheeks - yeah, this looks worse as you get older ladies. 7) Two-toned lips - I have to agree, when the lips have two tons of lipstick it makes you look ... well, cheap. 8) Glitter - yeah I thought only Junior High kids wore glitter?Facts & Tips:
Colors like red, yellow and orange make you hungry."I am a Death Dealer, sworn to destroy those known as the Lycans. Our war has waged for centuries, unseen by human eyes. But all that is about to change." - Kate Beckinsale as Selene in "Underworld."
MOTHER'S DAY EDITION
Even though yesterday was Mother's Day, this is still the edition for it. Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Went to dinner with my mom and of course every where was packed but that is completely expected. If one did not expect some place that serves a nice meal to be busy that day/night ... I don't know what to say to them. Those are probably the same people who go to the mall on the day after Thanksgiving wondering why it is so busy.Weekly Update:Had an overall mellow week till the weekend happened. It has been awhile since I left the house when it was dark and returned that same day when it was still dark! Friday morning I left the house at 5AM to be on a very short and tiny set for a Funny or Die skit. However, that ended up finishing before noon which was nice but then helped my friend James with a few errands and back to his place to help with some other stuff. Eventually we ended up going to dinner with his wife and then on to Best Buy afterwards because he needed a new TV. Originally it was just going to look for a new TV but then that turned into buying one. So, I had to go back to their place to set it up for them otherwise they would probably have to pay someone an over priced amount to do that. That only took me about 30 minutes to do but by that time it was already past 10PM. I got home just before midnight and was pretty tired the rest of the weekend ... still am tired! Funny how one day can throw your entire system out of whack!At the movies:
No big surprise at the box office this weekend as the legendary comic book Norse god takes the thunder! In at #1 is Thor with a decent 66 million for its debut, a little under predictions but not too far off. Anticipated drop down to #2 is "Fast Five" with another 32.5 mil as it reaches 140 mil cume. New at #3 is the urban comedy Jumping the Broom with 13.7 mil. Also new at #4 is the rom-com Something Borrowed with 13.2 mil, just shy of the #3 spot. Rounding off the top 5 is "Rio" with another 8.2 mil as it makes its way past 110 mil cume.Quote of the week:"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith let us dare to do our duty as we understand it." - Abraham Lincoln
Other News:I found an updated list of the most polluted cities in the country ... let's take a look. #5: Hanford, CA - first off where the heck is this place? My guess is central California and it has a population of about 150,000 people. Sounds like a pretty small town but must be congested to make this list. #4: Visalia, CA - this one I have heard of and it has about a pop of 430,000 people. I believe this is a pretty dairy farm or cow-rich area so not only is it polluted but stinks as well. #3: Phoenix, AZ - Just over 4.3 million people and growing with mostly flat inland country with little breezes to move the smog around. #2: Los Angeles, CA - I'm sure many were surprised this was not #1 but honestly I am surprised it ranked so high. With a population of about 17.8 million, it sits next to the ocean so has a lot of breezes to move the bad area inland. The #1 spot in the US with the worst pollution is ... Bakersfield, CA - With just under 1 million people (807,400 to be exact) it ranks as the worst city in the county in terms of pollution and I am sure we could find some other things. This being an inland and central California city, it can get very hot and has no real wind or breezes so all the bad air just sits there. It is also a fairly high industrial area with many train and truck routes going through it.
Facts & Tips:In 1926, the first outdoor mini-golf courses were built on rooftops in NYC."Once I'm inside, I'm putting chrome to Israel's head and backing out hot. Anybody get gully, you know." - Alicia Keys as Georgia Sykes in "Smokin' Aces."
I was just thinking the other day and I am not sure if I wrote this before or not but ... how to tell a good pizza. There are several factors that make a good pizza, naturally there is flavors, dough, and things like that but I think an important factor in an overall good pizza ... the next day. How good is the pizza not re-heated but simply put of the fridge cold? I was eating a really good Pizza Hut Meaty Stuffed Crust pizza the next day and it was REALLY good! In general I have found all the stuffed crust pizzas to be tasty the next day or the day after. I have had both Papa John's and Papa Murphy's the next day too. To begin with, Papa John's is barely a good pizza when fresh so the next day, not that great. It is hard to make a pizza bad in my opinion so longest comes into play to determine how good it can be and Papa John's is out. Papa Murphy's is fair the next day but not great. I would prefer to re-heat this one. Domino's recently has become very good the next day. Not as good as Pizza Hut but still pretty tasty. There are some small mom-and-pop type places but for the bigger chains, I think that covers it. So go Pizza Hut if you know you will have leftovers.Weekly Update:The week was kind of tiring but the weekend was exhausting! I helped out with this little promotional shoot for a potential movie. What it really was is this guy got funding to shoot this movie idea and if the investors like it, then he will get the rest of the money to shoot the whole thing. Kind of an interesting idea but only if you have money to burn otherwise why do it? Honestly it isn't a good idea to invest or spend money, but again if you have it to burn then sure, why not. But if you are watching the dollars, there are other ways but this was basically three days of full blown production as if it was a real movie shoot. One cool thing about the filming though was one day of it was done at the Chiodo Brothers Studios. It was a very cool place, I was like a kid in a candy store. They are best known for creating the cult classic horror film "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" and doing all kinds of stop motion shorts and features. I actually got to sit and hang out with all three Chiodo brothers as well, incredibly cool guys.At the movies:
No surprise at the box office this weekend as the 5th installment of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise lands #1 this week. Earning a hefty 83.6 million for its debut, Fast Five zooms way into the lead. Good hold on to 2nd place for its 3rd week is "Rio" with an additional 14.4 mil and now passes the 100 mil cume mark. Big drop (dollars) to #3 is "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" with another 10.1 mil. Slight drop down to #4 is "Water for Elephants" with another 9.1 mil. New at #5 is Disney's newest high school adventure Prom with only 5 mil, a really terrible showing for a Disney wide release.New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one wide release that debuts at #6 is Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs Evil which I originally thought was suppose to release almost two years ago. This little gem chimes in with only 4.1 mil and already about to hit the DVD market.Quote of the week:"The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues." - Elizabeth Taylor
Other News:Well this has been on crazy week of news but I would have to say the biggest story is Terrorist Leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in a firefight between US forces and his own Taliban. Credited for being the mastermind behind the World Trade Center attacks nearly 10 years ago, and now he was found and shot in the exchange of fire at his luxury hideout in Pakistan early Monday morning. Ending almost a decade long manhunt and I heard it was immediately buried at sea by the US Navy. They did not want him buried on land due to fears of his grave site being made into a terrorist shrine. Crowds across the world start to celebrate and cheer but this isn't really a time for that in my opinion. This is now a time to be vigilant and more alert as I am sure terrorist cells are preparing to retaliate and to show they are not dead along with their leader. I think a more important celebration is the lives we can remember from the 9-11 devastation rather than the killing of a man such as Bin Laden. It is a good thing that this person can do no more harm through his direct instructions but his cause is still strong and we have to be careful out there. Let's remember how we came together as a nation!Facts & Tips:
It is against the law to put pretzels in bags in Philadelphia."We'll be rich!" - Carl Ballantine as Lester Gruber in the TV series "McHale's Navy."
MEMORIAL DAY EDITION
Other News:
