Monday, August 29, 2011

HOT! I guess I spoke to soon about enjoying the summer as the weather heated up really fast this past week. The temps managed to say below 100 but some days it got pretty dang close. The nights got as high in the 80's and had to have the AC on quite a few times. Not sure where it came from, just make it go away. I guess we couldn't have that perfect summer but I can't really complain since places on the East coast and South were getting hit with massive heat all summer long and HIGH humidity numbers. Did we just stumbled into a late summer or is it just a passing phase? I have no idea but if you think about, our calendar is probably off by 2 or 3 months along with how the Earth orbits the sun and all that anyway.

Weekly Update:
The start of the week started pretty busy, I was so tired and sleepy! But as the week went along, it got easier but still never caught up on my sleep. I did see a pretty good movie on Thursday called "Safe" which opens in October. Very solid action film with a good storyline. While there I met with:

*Catherine Chan - Plays the main focal point in the movie, a tiny little girl with a computer in her head that she remembers everything and did an amazing job in the film and very sweet.

And the rest of the week was calm ... but how did I manage to not get much sleep then?! Bummer.

At the movies:
Major surprise at the box office this weekend as "The Help" holds on to to the #1 spot for the 2nd week in a row with 14.3 million. This film is in its 3rd week of release and now has a cume just shy of 100 mil! New at #2 is the suspense-action film Colombiana with 10.3 mil for its debut. Also new at #3 is Don't Be Afraid of the Dark with 8.7 mil. Slight drop to #4 is "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" with another 8.7 mil as it closes in a 150 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is Our Idiot Brother with 6.6 mil. With these overall numbers it is clear that the summer is over for the box office.

Quote of the week:
"Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful." - Warren Buffett

Other News:
Here is one interesting list which may surprise people ... 10 Things the Nazis Got Right! Probably a sensitive or controversy topic or list but let's face, they did some things right while most things wrong ... #10: Banning of Vivisection - basically the cruelty of animals and how they are killed for food and the like. In 1933 they enacted a total ban to end animal cruelty. #9: Animal Conservation - In 1934 they passed a national hunting law to regulate how many animals could be killed per year ... the first of this kind and hence also started "hunting seasons." #8: Anti-Tobacco Movement - It is rumored that Hitler could not stand someone smoking around him so prior to 1940 they banned smoking in restaurants and public transportation areas. #7: Welfare Programs - Nazi Germany had one of the largest public welfare programs in history with the philosophy that all Germans should share a standard of living. One of the most famous of these programs is the Winter Relief program where both high ranking Nazis and common citizens both took to the streets to collect charity for the unfortunate. #6: The Volkswagen- literally means the "People's Car" and considered one of the most highly reliable and affordable cars then and today. #5: Autobahn - Not originally their idea but they did have the first freeway network system across Germany. #4: Father of Modern Rocketry - Wernher Von Braun was a member of the Nazi party and aided both Germany and later the US in use of rockets during W.W. II. #3: Film Innovations - Had many use of film for their propaganda machine, they developed the equipment and techniques and first to use magnetic tape recordings. #2: Fashion - Of course this can be said from any military but they contributed thick-soled leather boots, cowhide coats and various hats to the fashion community. #1: Medical Advances - Though true they developed many life-saving medical techniques but it can be very questionable how they came to these methods.

Facts & Tips:
Hawaii is the only U.S. state never to report a temperature of zero degrees F or below.

"We fled China all we wanted was to be free." - Russell Wong as Jian-Wa in the TV series "Vanishing Son."

posted by McDuck @ 00:13 0 comments

Monday, August 22, 2011

OK, this weather here has been AMAZING!!! Not much more I can say about that because it has consistently been in the mid 70's and breezes keep it nice. The evenings have been chilly but not cold and you only feel out if you are in the direct sunlight! I don't know what we did to get this weather but I hope it carries through Labor Day Weekend! I guess overall we have been very fortunate that our weather has been really good and no major heat waves into the 100's like last year.

Weekly Update:
Wednesday night we had the 1st Annual Variety Poker Tournament over at the Paramount Studios Lot and it was a really nice evening. I was asked to bring some "talent" and while there, I got to meet up with some new talent faces. The event itself was well received by everyone and all who participated seemed like they had a great time and helped raise money for a great cause. Did manage to get a few pics:

*Kevin Covais - Best known for season 5 of the TV show "American Idol" and a very nice guy.
*Rachael Kathryn Bell - up and coming actress on the the TV show "Suite Life on Deck" and very nice.
*Roger Cross - Best known from the show "24" and an AWESOME guy.
*Camryn Manheim - Best known from the show "The Practice" and nice.
*Sara Rue - From various smaller TV and movie roles and OK.

Friday I was out and about and went to a recording studio to help out with a project. While there I ran into:

*Lauren Tom - Best known as the voice of Amy Wong on the TV series "Futurama" and very sweet!

That same night I ended up attending another charity poker tournament for an organization called CAPE which helps Asian Americans in the entertainment industry. While there I ran into some folks and got some pics:

*Archie Kao - From "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and all around nice guy.
*Kelly Hu - various movies and TV and very sweet.

At the movies:
Wow what an amazing show at the box office this weekend! One of those rare times where the little movie that could, did! Going from last week's 2nd place spot, "The Help" moves up to #1 and earns a hefty 20.5 million with a two week total of 72 mil. This may not sound like too much but considering this film isn't your mainstream popcorn movie, its quiet impressive. Holding on to #2 is "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" with another 16.3 mil as it gets a 134 mil cume. New at #3 is Spy Kids: All The Time in the World which is the 4th installment and also features 4D. The 4th being smell-o-vision ... who knows. New at #4 is the remake Conan the Barbarian 3D earns only 10 mil and I think the 3D may have killed it. New at #5 is Fright Night earning only 8.3 mil for its debut.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week but no big surprise since the screen count was less than 2,000 and not a lot of buzz on the film. In at #9 is the romantic-drama One Day earns a modest 5.5 mil for its debut.

Quote of the week:
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." - George Bernard Shaw

Other News:
Top 10 movie remakes that didn't suck ... this should be an interesting list! #10: The Fly (1986) - from the original version in 1958 which was black and white and didn't care for either to begin with. #9: Oceans 11 (2001) - The original had an all star cast of its time much like the remake and I found the remake better. #8: The Blob (1988) - Another one that I didn't care for of either version. #7: The Italian Job (2003) - Didn't know this was a remake till now! This newer version was very clever and overall good action flick. #6: The Hills Have Eyes (2006) - I actually helped with the marketing on this one and never saw the original ... truth be told, I never saw the new one either. #5: The Magnificent Seven (1960) - remake of the classic "The Seven Samurai" which both films were really good. #4: Payback (1999) - Another two movies I never saw but I might actually see the later version. #3: King Kong (2005) - Saw both, didn't like either one at all but I am not a fan of movies with primates of any kind. #2: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - I do not remember the remake but I do remember the original which was OK but not my cup of tea. #1: The Thing (1982) - The original was from 1951 and never saw either but again, not my genre of films I like to watch.

Facts & Tips:
Cold water weighs less than hot water.

"A list, you, you want the whole list of every plant I've ever been to? Okay; Earth you never forget your first. Right!" - Ben Browder as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell in the TV movie "Stargate: Continuum."

posted by McDuck @ 01:38 0 comments

Monday, August 15, 2011

I never knew that Northern California could get so hot. I was in the bay area but in the East just north of Oakland and Berkley in a town called Antioch. The wind would be blowing pretty strong and it was about 8PM with the sun still out ... and it was freaking 88 degrees outside! I always thought the bay area was generally cooler than SoCali but I guess not! And also I noticed, the sun was blinding if you turned down any road heading West in the afternoon. Even with my sunglasses and sun shade down, I could barely see anything!!

Weekly Update:
Took a short trip to Antioch in the later part of the week to say goodbye to a dear friend who passed away a couple of weeks ago. He had a nice memorial service on Friday but what made it above the norm (and typical of my friend) is that as people walked into the service, playing on the monitor up front was "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back." Next to the urn that held his ashes was a full body Stormtrooper outfit watching over the ceremony. As you can guess, he was an avid Star Wars fan and in tribute, I wore my "Han Shot First" shirt because that was his favorite shirt of mine. It was a tiring, sadden and long trip but glad I went ... I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Was very sad to say a final goodbye however he will always be part of my life past, present and in the future.

At the movies:
Man has no hope if the apes keep taking over the weekend! Still holding ground with a decent drop in gross is "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" earning another 27.5 million this past weekend as it just barely crosses the 100 mil cume mark for its first 10 days. New at #2 is the drama-dy The Help with 35 mil for its debut (opened on a Wednesday). New at #3 is the suspense-thriller of Final Destination 5 with 18.4 mil and this could be the final one ... but probably not. Slight drop to #4 is "The Smurfs" with another 13.5 mil added to their break-through of the 100 mil cume mark this past weekend. Rounding off the top 5 is the comedy 30 Minutes or Less with only 13 mil for its debut.

New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week and its the concert movie from the TV series Glee: The 3D Concert Movie falls to 11th place for its debut. With over 2000 plus theatres, it earns a disappointing 5.7 mil which I am sure between costs of materials, marketing and distribution, they might break-even when it is finished ...might.

Quote of the week:
"Where all are guilty, no one is; confessions of collective guilt are the best possible safeguard against the discovery of culprits, and the very magnitude of the crime the best excuse for doing nothing." - Hannah Arendt

Other News:
How about the top 10 most influential arcade games? Overall a very subjective list but let's examine it and see how it compares to my personal experiences (being an avid gamer). At #10: Asteroids - Released in 1970 by Atari and I remember seeing this in the bowling alley arcade but never really played it too much. A friend of my brother's use to play it and he could stand there for hours on one quarter, rack up about 100 extra lives, let someone else play it down to one life left (usually in under an hour), take back over and get it back up to 100 plus lives again. #9: Phoenix - From Centuri in 1980 and it was a very "space invaders" meets "Galaga" type of game. I did play this a little bit and thought it was pretty fun. #8: Galaga - Namco, 1981 and this one I did play a lot. I could pretty high (so I thought) in the low 30th level area. Fun game, especially trying to dodge the falling arrows when I had double ships going. #7: Q*Bert by Gottlieb in 1982. I never got into this game too much, didn't think it was all that great. It felt like a weird alien jumping around on an Escher puzzle. #6: Frogger - Konami in 1981 and this was such a fun and easy concept game ... it could have been a chicken trying to cross the road for that matter. #5: Mario Bros. - Nintendo in 1983 and continues to live today in so many variations and improved graphics. The original game was OK, wasn't a fan of the sewers though. #4: Space Invaders - Taito in 1978 and this is definitely one of the classics. Simple, great sound and probably could still be popular to a certain extent today besides being nostalgic. #3: Donkey Kong - Nintendo in 1981 and I played this one a little bit but only got around the third round of it. I think something about primates just doesn't appeal to me. #2: Pac-Man - Namco in 1980 and I always thought this game was boring. And the #1 which is also considered the first arcade style game ... Pong - Atari in 1972 and I remember having this game with the paddle controls and would play for hours with my brother and friends over this simple game that started a revolution.

Facts & Tips:
A kangaroo can jump 30 feet.

"Dear Baby, I hope someday somebody wants to hold you for 20 minutes straight and that's all they do. They don't pull away. They don't look at your face. They don't try to kiss you. All they do is wrap you up in their arms and hold on tight, without an ounce of selfishness to it." - Keri Russell as Jenna Hunterson in "Waitress."

posted by McDuck @ 00:47 0 comments

Monday, August 08, 2011

What a long week this has been and this coming week will be even longer as I will be taking a short road trip to Northern California. Not really looking forward to it like I usually do but I have to go. I like road trips in general over any other form of traveling. I am not sure why but I think part of it is being in control of your own travels. If I want to stop, I can stop. If I want to push on through, I can do that. Most of the time you have your own agenda with this type of travel and it is also very scenic at times. I would like to some day travel across the country and up along the Eastern Coast and maybe back to the West Coast via Canada ... that would be an interesting and at least 2 week trip to make it enjoyable. Well, someday.

Weekly Update:
Busy week but made it and glad it is over ... On Monday at the last minute I was invited to a movie premiere for a movie I sort of wanted to see but wasn't exactly going to go out of the way to see. But because of the timing and traffic, I missed the movie premiere but made it to the after-party for "The Change-Up" at the Hammer Museum which is a pretty cool place. I have been there several times for many parties but oddly enough, never to actually see what the museum has on display. While at the party, I did get to sneak in some pics with some folks:

*Leslie Mann - From various comedy movies and very sweet.
*Judd Apatow - Great comedy director and very cool guy.
*Jonah Hill - Best known for "Superbad" and "40 Year Old Virgin" and an OK guy.
*Olivia Wilde - Known from the recent "Tron" and "Cowboys & Aliens" films and extremely nice and sweet!

At the movies:
No surprise at the box office as the monkey's take over ... In at #1 Rise of the Planet of the Apes earns a hefty 54 million for its debut. Not really one for monkeys in movies of any kind but I hear the special effects are amazing. Slight drop to #2 is "The Smurfs" with another 21 mil as it quickly makes it way to a 100 mil cume. Steeper dip to #3 is "Cowboys & Aliens" with 15.8 mil as it struggles to break 100 mil before the summer is over. New at #4 is the comedy The Change-Up with only 13.5 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Captain America: The First Avenger" with another 13 mil as it comes short of 150 mil cume but no doubt will surpass it next week.

Quote of the Week:
"What if this is all a cruel joke on us? What if the people who hate government are good at it and the people who love government are bad at it?" - Maureen Dowd

Other News:
Double sad news in Hollywood this week as we lose two notable actors on the same day. Wednesday morning, NFL Superbowl Champ and later turned actor Bubba Smith (Charles Aaron Smith) who was Officer Moses Hightower in all of the "Police Academy" films passed away to causes unknown. His height and gentle giant attitude in those films gave him the most recognizable role of his life in the industry. He did play many one-time parts through the mid 80's and 90's in TV but his biggest role would be from the "Police Academy" franchise. He passed away at his home in Baldwin Hills, CA. Bubba was 66.

Then later on Wednesday, actress Annette Charles who is best known as Cha Cha DiGregorio from the classic film "Grease" in 1978. Her biggest claim to fame was this film and the scene where she ended up being the date opposite John Travolta in the big televised dance-off within the film. She passed in Los Angeles after complications due to cancer. She was 63.


Facts & Tips:
The medical term for writer's cramp is graphospasm.

"Yes, my sister and I were actually a very good team. We were called "fire and nice." I was "fire," 'cause of the red hair, and Claire was "nice," because it was ironic and she wasn't." - Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett in the TV series "Modern Family."

posted by McDuck @ 00:12 0 comments

Monday, August 01, 2011

Strange weather we have had these past few days and no clue what to make of it. Mostly during the day it has been warm and sunny, in the mid to high 70's which is great. Night got a bit chilly in the low 60's (that his chilly for us). But Sunday ... it rained and was cold in the morning and then it got to the high 80's later in the afternoon! What in the world is going on around here? This is like Midwest weather. The only other time I have seen crazy changes in weather like this was YEARS ago in Michigan. Very strange indeed.

Weekly Update:
Had a very busy week this past one and glad it is over. But it was also interesting at times but ended it over sadness (in the Other News section). But to being, Monday went to Cartoon Network to watch some reading for a show I have never heard of and one of the guest voices was:

*Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker himself from the original three Star Wars films and a really cool guy.

Got a picture with him and he was kind enough to sign a couple of things for me for some friends. Then on Wednesday went to the up-fronts version for cable TV. Only attended and helped out with the GMC (Gospel Music Channel) with a panel they were holding and while there met a few folks:

*Eric Benet - Primarily a singer and all around cool guy.
*Erick Gluck - Young actress and very talented.
*Luke Schroder - Yep, the son to Rick Schroder from "Silver Spoons" and a nice guy.

What was kind of funny, I was THIS close to going to the Playboy Mansion afterwards for Playboy TV. How odd would that have been after being at the GMC panel during the day and end up at the Playboy Mansion at night?

At the movies:
Smurf happens! Big surprise at the box office this weekend as the fabled 3 apple high creatures from another realm take the box office crown! In at #1 are The Smurfs with 36.2 million which is barely enough to win this weekend. Under performing at #2 is the sci-fi action film Cowboys & Aliens with 36 mil. Big drop to #3 is "Captain America: The First Avenger" with an additional 24.9 mil as it surpasses the 100 mil mark. Average drop from week 2 to 3 is "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" with 21.9 mil as it just passes the 300 mil mark for domestic gross. Rounding off the top 5 is the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love with 19.3 mil for its debut.

Quote of the week:
"The toughest thing about being a success is that you've got to keep on being a success." - Irving Berlin

Other News:
Friday afternoon I received a very sad text. One of my close friends had passed away that morning after a very short fight with ALS or also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Basically what the disease does is attacks your motor and muscles and depending how advance it is, deteriorates the nerves and muscles. He was originally diagnosed earlier this year around January/February and then about 2 weeks or so ago was admitted into a hospice or assisted care living. Every time I had a chance to talk to him before losing his ability to speak, he always had such high spirits and maintained his positive outlook on life. Even in his later e-mails, he continued to quote movies with me and reminded me that he was still there and missing our almost daily chats on the phone. He had such a love for life, his family and movies. He loved his life because of his family and friends ... he lived his life for the movies. It was rare of Joe to not know what movie you were talking about and give you the next line to a movie quote. His favorites were Star Wars, the original 3 series but he loved almost every movie ever shown on the silver screen. He was a collector of movie posters and varying movie odds and ends that studios would create to promote a film. One thing he always was on the look out for was things he could give his kids to enjoy. He was an instant friend the first time I started talking to him. That was just the way he drew people in and treated them, like family and your concerns outweighed any of his own. He was truly taken from all who knew him and taken from those yet to meet him way too soon. Joseph Depew, you will forever be a part of me and my life and your outlook and approach to life will always be an inspiration to me. Rest well my friend ... I miss you. (Pictured: Joe with one of his all time heroes who he credits as teaching him to read ... Stan Lee).

Facts & Tips:
The average person spends two years on the phone in his/her lifetime.

"Yes sir!" - Bruce Mahler as Cadet Douglas Fackler in "Police Academy."

posted by McDuck @ 00:45 0 comments