EASTER EDITIONHow did the egg hunt go yesterday? I remember doing that as a 
kid, searching for eggs in the yard and then it got too dirty so we would do it in the house. Then, when I was working at Fox, we would hunt for eggs at work! Now that was crazy fun because we were "adults" and tried to muscle each other out of the eggs where as kids you didn't really do that. When doing it as kids we got small treats. When doing it as adults we got bigger treats and won prizes. I think everyone job should have an Easter Egg Hunt, why not, its fun!Weekly Update:Wow, overall it was a pretty calm week! Other than some minor work things, I did go to the press junket for the film I am working on called "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" which opens this weekend. While there I met up with one of the stars of the film:*Sam Huntington- From "Superman Returns" and "Detroit Rock City" and an extremely cool guy!After that, my good friend Joe was in town with his family from Antioch, CA which is Northern California for you geography types. They were taking their youngest to Disneyland for her birthday so all the kids got to enjoy the trip. It was good seeing him and the family. They are such an amazing group of people.
At the movies:A little bit of a surprise at the box office but it also makes sense with the holiday and kids out of school that "Rio" takes the box office crown for the 2nd week in a row earning an additional 26.8 million and now just over 80 mil cume for the first 10-days. New at #2 is the ongoing series of long titled films Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family earning 25.8 mil for the weekend. New at #3 is Water for Elephants with a modest 17.5 mil for its debut. Hanging on to #4 is "Hop" for this Easter holiday earning another 12.5 mil and now hitting the 100 mil cume mark! Big drop to #5 is "Scream 4" with 7.2 mil as it quickly fades away.New movies that did not make the top 5: Just one this week as Disney continues to release these nature type films on the big screen. At #6 is African Cats with 6.4 million and I am sure this film will make a lot of money as it was probably originally intended for TV and home entertainment anyway. Maybe even have a long 5-year run on stand alone IMAX screens for schools and such.Quote of the week:"The system of Western democratic capitalism never foresaw that in a society governed passively by free markets and free elections organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy." - Matt TaibbiOther News:
Stumbled across an article about the top 10 businesses hiring this week. Kind of odd that it's this week and not in general because it actually specifies the dates. But let's take a look at it anyway ... #10: QinetiQ - Looks like a UK firm that specializes in robotics. They recently deployed robots at the Fukushima, Japan nuclear power plant and were controlled by XBox 360 game pads ... this could be a very futuristic and interesting field with a lot of growth. #9: Huron Consulting - They seem diverse with their portfolio ranging from health-care to Universities. It seems that these days it is cheaper to hire consultants than your own because you eliminate benefits and training needs. #8: Morgan Stanley - Financial services but this particular field seems very up and down. They could be up one quarter than do a 180 degree turn the next. Risky if you ask me. #7: McKesson - supplies over 40,000 pharmacy locations including Wal-Mart stores. Another lucrative field because everyone needs medical supplies. #6: Earthlink Business - honestly, Earthlink is still around? They are making steps to modernize but their strength is still in dial-up??? Personally I don't see them around in the next 5 years. #5: Stryker Corp. - Another medical field related company but they focus more on endoscopy devices, surgical navigation software and artificial joints. They are basically the tech side of the medical field and I see a lot of growth and potential here. #4: Chipotle - Fast food Mexican themed restaurant that I believe will suffer from over expansion. The food is sub-standard and not worth the price just because everything is "fresh." #3: Teavana - selling tea through their own locations mostly located in the South it looks like. I do not see this going very far and potentially could close locations and if they plan to survive need to probably enter the grocery store market more wide. #2: BBVA Compass Bank - Aggressive bank chain doing small business loans in a risky economy. Again, another business that could go either way in this topsy-turvy economy. #1: Corner Bakery Cafe - They have had a slow expansion which is smart however their food has been very hit or miss. I have been to locations where the food and service were fantastic and then I go to another location where the service was OK and the food horrible. They are very inconsistent from location to location and I would rather find a Panera Bread before going to a Corner Bakery. Could be a short term fad because they have had very slow growth at the start and lately have been picking up ... too much too fast?
Facts & Tips:Forty percent of America's population lives within a one-day drive to Philadelphia."No one gets dibs on the mountain guide." - Anita Briem as Hannah Asgeirsson in "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
What a busy week, this should go in the Weekly Update section but figured I would put it up top just because. I spent the weekend at the OC Fairgrounds helping at the booth for German Shepherd Safe Haven for the annual Pet Expo. The whole event was like the mini-county fair but with a lot more animals and less food stands or booths. But I had the customary funnel cake and that was about it ... I didn't see the big potato chips though, guess they decided not to come out to this event. I didn't really get to walk around the pet expo but I was trying to hand stuff out. I think the estimates were about 40,000 people over the 3-days but the traffic was crazy getting there and parking was another separate adventure! Overall, I think the event went great and I hope a lot of dogs found forever homes ... but I worry since I am sure a lot of the adoptions from all the other organizations were more impulse than taking the time to learn about the family and them learning about the pet.Weekly Update:BUSY week yet again! Ever since I returned from the convention in Vegas almost three weeks ago I have not had a moment to just unwind and relax. This past week was no exception as I found myself on the set of "Pair of Kings" again hanging out. Now hanging out may sound like nothing but I actually found myself running around a lot for some reason. I do enjoy just simply being there, just wish the following morning I don't have something to do. But this past week while there, I did run into someone:*Chris Brochu- young up and coming actor who was recently in "Soul Surfer", small movie based on a true story and an incredibly nice guy.On Thursday I attended the ground breaking ceremony for the new Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights which is scheduled to be ready by December. The foundation was already set and just based on that, the place looks amazing. I can't wait to see the finished product after all these years. There were a lot of studio execs there but one I have always wanted to get a pic with but have met many times is:*Dick Cook- Former studio exec of Walt Disney Pictures and by looking at him you think Disney. He has had a few cameo appearances in some movies and a very sweet man.At the movies:
Not a big surprise at #1 this weekend as we are in the Easter break time frame and animation takes the crown. Flying away with the crown at the box office is Rio with a hefty 40 million for its debut. In a LONG distant #2 is the fourth installment of what feels like a dieing franchise in horror, Scream 4 earns 19.3 mil which is enough for the second spot. Big drop to #3 but no surprise as its more-or-less animation vs. animation and "Hop" earns an extra 11.2 mil however it is closing in on the 100 mil cume mark. At #4 is "Soul Surfer" earning another 7.4 mil for its 2nd week. Rounding off the top 5 is "Hanna" earning an extra 7.3 mil and overall had a decent run.Quote of the week:"Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right." - H.L. Mencken
Other News:The Best and Worst Pizza Chains is the list this time! Let me see if I agree with it or not ... As Sbarro's heads to bankruptcy, who is left on the list? They do not mention if Sbarro would have been good or bad but I think I would classify it in the "worst" section. It is in the Least Likely to Succeed for chains and I do agree with that. There is no real care for their mall food court eats. Most Improved: Dominos (pictured) and I whole-heartily agree! They have made tremendous leaps and bounds with the quality of pizza and the current ad campaign is no lie! Even the online ordering process is pretty fun and unique. Worst For You: Uno Chicago Grill Deep Dish Individual Pizza. I have not had this one and to be honest ... I haven't seen an UNO'S pizza in about 20 years. Worst Tasting: Little Caesar's. I would agree with this since the company kind of went belly-up over 15 years ago, the pizza is more of a mass produced item now for a quick tummy stuffer with no real flavor. I will say their cheese bread is still pretty dang good. Best Tasting: Papa John's. Now this I disagree with because I think their flavors for ingredients are very bland, especially the cheese. The pizza sauce on the other hand is too sweet for my taste. Best Overall Pie: Pizza Hut's Pizza Mia. I have not had this one yet but I do love Pizza Hut in general especially the stuffed crust. Worst Overall Pie: Chuck E. Cheese. But why are you really going there for? For pizza they are not the worst but you can't expect much for a children's themed playground that just happens to serve food.Facts & Tips:
The average American will eat 35,000 cookies in his/her lifetime."Salvation lies within." - Bob Gunton as Warden Samuel Norton in "The Shawshank Redemption
Is there a special pass that I don't know about that allows you to drive on the shoulder and ignore all safety like not using your turn signal when changing lanes several times? I want one of those, where do I get one?! Seriously, lately it seems like people don't care who is around them. I know they say drive defensively but in California it is offense offense offense. But at least have some kind of courtesy to signal when coming into my lane ... AND, stay in your lane if its slower than mine please. Do not switch into my lane and then make me hit the breaks because the care in front of you is not 25 car lengths ahead.Weekly Update:VERY tiring week and glad it is over!!! Had work stuff to do which was actually the light part of everything!! But on Tuesday had to take a friend to a recording studio for some dubbing and got to meet a film maker who was very cool and saw clips of his upcoming film which looks really good:*Boak Yakin- Director for "Remember the Titans" and "Uptown Girls" and a really cool guy.Then on Thursday was on the set for this promo piece being put together for the RED Camera which is a really interesting and cool new set-up for film making. What was even more interesting was I met the creator of Oakley Sunglasses there, I guess he is involved with this new camera. Also got to meet a few more folks:*Bill Paxton- From "Apollo 13" and "True Lies" and a REALLY cool guy! He was directing the promo piece.*Daniel Henney- Up and coming actor in small various roles and a nice guy.*Craig Ng- Been in a few movies but does mostly stand-in work but a really nice guy.The week didn't stop there as I spent the weekend at this convention called Monsterpalooza which focuses on horror and movie make-up to props for the genre. Got to meet a few more folks there as well:*Joe Turkel- From "Blade Runner" to "The Sand Pebbles" and a nice guy.*Mick Garris- Writer and director of mostly horror type stuff and a cool guy.*Josh Sussman- Reoccurring role on the show "Glee" and a nice guy.*Daniel Bernhardt- Karate expert from so many various films back in the 80's and a very cool guy.*James Lew- I know him best from "Big Trouble in Little China" (BTILC) and was one of the good guy gang members ... really nice guy.*Gerald Okamura- Another cast member from BTILC who was on the bad guy side and a really cool guy.*George Cheung- More BTILC cast and another good guy ... REALLY funny guy too!*Al Leong- Also from BTILC but Al has been in so many movies like "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" and the original "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon" movies. A very sweet man.
At the movies:Interesting weekend as the live-action/animated feature "Hop" takes top honors for the 2nd weekend in a row with an extra 21.7 million and now north of 65 mil cume for its first 10-days. New at #2 is the remake comedy of Arthur with a mild 12.6 mil. What is funny is the star of this film is also the main character voice in "Hop" Russell Brand. New at #3 is the thriller action film Hanna with 12.3 mil. The true life story of Soul Surfer earns 11.1 mil and 4th place for the weekend. Rounding off the top 5 is "Insidious" with an extra 9.7 mil.Quote of the week:"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." - Ray BradburyOther News:
Found an interesting article about the worst airline carriers but it isn't necessarily a list but the worst in different categories. Let's check it out ... Meanest Major Carrier: United, they had the highest customer service complaint rate but my experiences have been really good. Meanest Region Carrier: American Eagle, haven't flown them in at least 10 years so back then they were really good. Most Complained About Airline: Delta, found them to be good but this seems the same category as Meanest. Most Likely to be Unsafe: JetBlue, I have not flown with them but I know their fleet is very small so I have to guess if you have even one plane with a problem, it is a high percentage of problems overall. Most Likely to Overcharge For Bags: Delta/US Airways/Continental, I think any charge like this is overcharging. Most Likely to Bump You: American Eagle, again never been bumped myself. Most Likely to be Late: Comair, never even heard of this one! Apparently 73.1% of flights last year were late. Most Likely to Mishandle Your Bag: American Eagle, I have had at least one misplaced bag situation but got it back the very next day ... I think it was Delta too.
Facts & Tips:When the moon is directly over you, you weigh less."Look, I've boned a lot of fat chicks in my time, sure. But, as far back as I can remember, I've never fornicated anybody." - Billy Bob Thorton as Willie in "Bad Santa."
Semi - Las Vegas Update
I was at a gas station in Nevada on Friday and was thinking to myself as I put my credit card into the pump that ... remember when we had to go to a central terminal and use our credit or debit card, select the pump number and then return to the pump to get the gas? Then I thought, remember when we had to go inside the gas station and give our card to the attendant so they can put it in the system and then you could pump the gas ... THEN, I thought, remember when it was cash and maybe checks only?! And it wasn't that long ago! We are already seeing systems where you wave a little cylinder type of device over a sensor and then you start pumping as it accesses your account. When will the robot start pumping it for us?Weekly Update:This past week I attended an annual convention but it was a brand new name and brand new hotel. It was on to Caesar's Palace for the 1st inaugural year of CinemaCon which was formally known as ShoWest ... I prefer the latter name. The overall convention was fine but I was expecting a lot of hic-ups in the system. It didn't feel like it ran 100% smooth but you have to expect that when you are more-or-less starting from scratch. Very little in the screening departments and more on the seminar and special events. The final night could have been better but the post party was a nice concept. The green room was a bit lacking ... just not a great vibe or overall set-up like the Paris Hotel was in my opinion. But the final night of events (which was Thursday) I did manage to meet some folks with pics pending since other sources took them ... I hope they come out!*Tyler Perry- Best known as Madea in the live stage shows and films "Madea's _____" and wasn't the friendliest person.*Chris Hemsworth- Will portray Thor in the upcoming films and was recently George Kirk in the latest "Star Trek" film ... REALLY nice guy too!*Rosie Huntington-Whiteley- Victoria Secret model turned movie star who is taking over the girl interest role in the upcoming "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and was very sweet.*Vin Diesel- From "XXX" to "Fast and the Furious" and a pretty cool guy.*Jason Momoa- I know him best from "Stargate: Atlantis" series and will star as the new Conan. Pretty cool and nice guy.*Lisa Bonet- Known from "The Cosby Show" and is dating Jason Momoa. She seemed fine.*Russell Brand- Comedian in the upcoming "Hop" and "Arthur" films and he seemed REALLY out of it.*Helen Mirren- "The Queen" herself and can not express how much of a CLASS ACT SHE IS!!! Amazing amazing amazing person.*Julianne Hough- "Dancing with the Stars" dancer and in the upcoming "Footloose" remake. Extremely nice person.*Morgan Spurlock- Film maker and star of "Super Size Me" and a pretty cool guy.At the movies:
Easter is in the air as the bunny takes the box office crown this weekend. New at #1 is the mix live-animated feature Hop with 38.2 million for its debut. A good solid number for this season feature. At at distant 2nd is the thriller Source Code with 15.1 mil. Right behind that is the new film by a new distribution company Insidious with 13.5 mil. Dropping down to #4 for its 2nd week is "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" with 10.2 mil more. Rounding off the top is "Limitless" with another 9.4 mil as it passes the 50 mil mark.Quote of the week:"When smashing monuments, save the pedestals - they always come in handy." - Stanislaw Lem
Other News:Lot of money going around! So we have Starbucks currently in talks to buy Peet's Coffee in an attempt to have better penetration in the home grocery market. It is reported that Starbucks is already raising the price on their in-store coffee products. Why not increase the awareness and variety of products in stores instead of paying millions to buy another brand? Not sure on this decision and if it the best of moves. Also in the news, online auction site EBay is set to buy online commerce company GSI for $2.4 billion. EBay who already has a healthy and successful e-commerce system takes aim on buying GSI who is know for developing, creating and running online shopping for several big name companies and small. Within GSI's customers include Sports Authority, Toys "R" Us and RadioShack. Oddly enough, these same companies had increasing online sales while at the same time having to close several hundred physical retail stores in order to survive. Currently EBay is known for providing the service of making a seller and buyer connect to one another and handle all other details themselves such as shipping ... are they going to expand their services now? If the sale goes through it is a definite new venture and potential positive expansion for EBay.Facts & Tips:
The first penny had the motto "Mind your own business.""We die and the world will be poorer for it." - Luke Goss as Prince Nuada in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."
kid, searching for eggs in the yard and then it got too dirty so we would do it in the house. Then, when I was working at Fox, we would hunt for eggs at work! Now that was crazy fun because we were "adults" and tried to muscle each other out of the eggs where as kids you didn't really do that. When doing it as kids we got small treats. When doing it as adults we got bigger treats and won prizes. I think everyone job should have an Easter Egg Hunt, why not, its fun!
At the movies:
Facts & Tips:
