BOXING DAY EDITION (and Holiday)
December 26th is Boxing Day, a national holiday in Canada that was created to box up the Christmas decoration inside and outside of your homes. Basically it is the government telling you, Christmas is over. But hey, it gives them another reason to have another day off. We should have one of these in the US but make it on the 27th because give us at least one more day to enjoy it and then we would get at least 2 more days off at work ... Because of the gap and you can't have a holiday, go back to work and then another holiday after all.Weekly Update:Not to much happened this past week. Worked, drove up to San Francisco for the holidays and that pretty much sums it up. The drive up was nice and it has been freezing weather all week no matter where I went. Not much planned either for the week coming up since I will still be in San Francisco ... so I will try and relax a little.
At the movies:Soft weekend at the box office for this time of year but order of things is both expected and shocking in a bad way. In at #1 is "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" with a one week gross of 58.9 million. Not a surprise it is #1 but just that low is kind of shocking. At #2 is "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" with another 17.8 mil as it quickly makes it's way to the 100 mil cume. At #3 is "Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" with another 13.3 mil. New at #4 is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo brings in 21 million for its 6 day total, pretty low if you ask me. At #5 is The Adventures of Tintin only earns 17.2 mil for it's first 5 days, yet another overall low opening.New movies that did not make the top 5:Just one this week that opened on Friday as the rest of the films this week opened earlier. The true story drama We Bought a Zoo chimes in at #6 with 7.8 mil for it's debut.Quote of the week:"Goodness is the only investment that never fails." - Henry David ThoreauOther News:
Find a nice list to sort of end the year off ... The Best and Worst Movie Posters of 2011. Not sure who voted and it doesn't seem to have any kind of order but let's see if it compares to my thoughts. Best: "Fast Five" - Disagree, this poster was pretty boring to me. Worst: "Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star" - I agree, it was a pretty lame poster but I guess it fits the movie in that respect. Best: "The Ides of March" (pictured) - I agree, it was a very classy and interesting way to split two actor's faces with one being on a Time magazine cover. Worst: "Bad Teacher" - It was OK but nothing special. Best: "Jane Eyre" - Boring, looks like a book cover. Worst: "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" - Based on the "Black Swan" movie and disturbingly bad. Best: "Hobo with a Shotgun" - Never seen this one and not a fan of this style of artwork at all. Worst: "New Year's Eve" - Agree, very boring with a list of names. Best: "Muppets" - I thought this lacked a lot of imagination sadly. Worst: "Prom" - agree, a big mess if you ask me. Best: "Cat Run" - another one I have never heard of and it looks like a poor attempt at a High School photoshop project. Worst: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" - Agree, so overly photoshoped. Best: "Drive" - the title treatment is very misleading in that it looks like pretty and pink film. Worst: "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" - agree, boring. Best: "Winnie the Pooh" - looks like another kids book cover, so so. Worst: "The Smurfs" - Totally agree. Best: "The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo" - I can take it or leave it so disagree. Worst: "X-Men: First Class" - The first version before Fox pulled it was horrendous! I am not sure how this made it past the first pass stage! Best: The Mechanic" - not very creative if you ask me. Worst: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" - yeah, not that impressive for a huge franchise to go out on.
Facts & Tips:Dogs can make about 10 sounds, cats make about 100."Don't bring the money! I'm a computer programmer! I don't need my legs!" - William H. Macy as Dudley Frank in "Wild Hogs."
So was driving a lot this past week but this time it was distance instead of time. Although because of the long distances, it took just as much time on the road. One day, I drove over 300 miles and I was exhausted! But I was pretty amazed at what I saw a LOT of this week ... people talking on their cell phones while holding the cell phone. I saw they were connected with an ear piece yet the felt the need to hold the phone to their mouth as they talked ... WHAT?! I just don't understand.
Weekly Update:This week has been semi-hectic but VERY tiring. This Monday I went to an ACLU dinner event because they were honoring the CEO of the company I work for. I wasn't planning on going but for some reason, the CEO asked my boss if I was attending. So with that, we both took that as "you better go" so I went. But what is the ACLU? It stands for American Civil Liberties Union and what does that mean? Funny, I know it best by the movie "An American President" were Michael Douglass as the current Presidents says that it is an organization who's sole purpose is defending the Constitution. The award they were presenting was called the Bill of Rights Award. The cool thing though of the evening, while there I ran into:*William H. Macy - I think I know him best from "Pleasantville" as the dad in the film and he was just an incredibly cool guy too.After that evening, on Tuesday, I went to the Disney Cast and Crew Holiday Party which was a lot of fun. Finally went on the new Star Tours and it is a much better ride but does it really need to be 3D?? I think if it wasn't, it would be almost perfect. The night was WAY cold but very fun.I didn't mention someone before that I ran into because to be honest, I had no idea who it was. But at the time, my friend wanted to get a picture with this person and I went ahead and got one as well figuring we would find out who they were later. Turns out, we had no clue and then about 2 months later I see her picture with someone else and find out it is:*Ashley Benson - not know for too much but on the TV show "Pretty Little Liars" but she was also very nice.At the movies:
A little disappointment at the box office with the new movies as they felt like they underperformed a bit. Coming in at #1 is the sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows earns 40 million for it's debut. Signing in at #2 is the third installment in the family franchise of Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked earns 23.5 mil. New at #3 and in VERY limited release (mostly IMAX and the rest large format screens) is the action film Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol earns a nice 13 mil for only being on just over 400 screens! Drop down to #4 is "New Year's Eve" with 7.4 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Sitter" with 4.4 mil as we see this adventure coming to end.Quote of the week:"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." - Hannah Arendt
Other News:This is pretty big news ... North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong Il passed away Monday (Korea time) due to heart illness. The "beloved" leader of an impoverished nation who ruled with fear and intimidation has left his mark on the world. He was a huge fan of western culture and reportedly had a collection of high priced sports cars from around the world while his people lived in darkness, literally. Kim has been very off his rocker as it were for years and during all this time, his third son has been groomed to take over which is rumored to be even more ruthless than his father was. Kim also made his people refer to him as "Dear Leader" as he smoked high end cigars and dined on gourmet cuisine. But with all of this, South Korean went on high alert as the news of Kim's passing was made public since the actions of the son are considered reckless and uncertain. Kim came into power of North Korea inherited by his farther, revered North Korean founder Kim Il Sung who died in 1994. Much like Jong Il's third son, Il Sun groomed his son for years to take control of the nation he built post Korean War. Now the real question remains, what is next for this country that potentially sits on the brink of war or commerce? Kim was 69.Facts & Tips:
A pineapple is neither an apple or a pine. It is, in fact, a large berry."I was a florist." - Bubba Smith as Cadet Moses Hightower in "Police Academy."
INSANE! This week sucked. I don't think I have spent so much time in traffic in a one week time frame than I just did this past week. So let's see ... in a 5-day period there is 120 hours. Ok, Monday took me 2 hrs to get to work, then an hour going home, not so bad. Tuesday: 2 hrs going to work, 2 1/2 hrs to get to a dinner and then 1 hr going home. Wednesday: 2.5 hrs to work, 2 hrs to a small event and 2hrs home. Thursday: 2.5 hrs to work, 1hr to an event, 2 hrs home. Friday: 2 hrs to work, 2.5 hrs to an event, 2 hrs home ... so that is 27 hours on the road!! I spent about 23% of the week, almost 1/4, in traffic. LA sucks.Weekly Update:Let the holidays begin! The past week was filled with events (as mentioned above) and this week looks like it will continue as such! It is funny when I look forward to NOT the events or where they are but ... when will I get to sleep in next time! And by that I mean past 9AM to like maybe 10AM, that would be incredibly nice. Hopefully this Satur... oh wait, I have an early morning event that day. I guess this being the time of year it is, it just happens. But some of the early morning stuff is for good causes so I do not mind. It is the Monday through Friday work part that I don't care for as of lately. But one thing is for sure, this month is already flying by so fast that the year will be over before we know it!!
At the movies:A overall sad looking weekend at the box office. The total dollar amount suffered an all time low as the new movies this week failed to spark any interest. In at #1 is the romantic-comedy New Year's Eve with 13.7 million for its debut. Also new at #2 is the raunchy comedy The Sitter with 10 mil. Dropping down to #3 is "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" with another 7.9 mil as it passes the 250 mil cume mark. Slight drop down to #4 is "The Muppets" with 7.1 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Arthur Christmas" with another 6.6 mil.Quote of the week:"Opportunities multiply as they are seized." - Sun TzuOther News:
Another sad week in Hollywood as veteran actor Harry Morgan passed away Wednesday morning at his Los Angeles home. I know Morgan best for his iconic role of Sherman T. Potter from the award winning show "M*A*S*H" which was originally based on the movie of the same name. He came in about half way through the series replacing a character of the show, taking over the MASH 4077, one of many units throughout the Korean War which this sitcom was based on. Morgan has many other iconic TV as well as movie roles such as TV's "Dragnet" which he played Officer Bill Gannon, partner to Jack Webb's Sgt. Joe Friday. He appeared in many Westerns and had reoccurring roles in shows like "Love Boat" and "Gunsmoke" to name a few. When the TV show MASH ended in 1983, he was asked if working with the show's cast had made him a better actor. Morgan's reply: "I don't know about that, but it's made me a better human being." Morgan was 96.
Facts & Tips:Termites eat through wood two times faster when listening to rock music!"The snake arrives, walking as if human." - John Hannah as Batiatus in the mini-series "Spartacus: Vengeance."
Hot and cold ... So the start of the week we saw some really warm temperatures, almost in the mid 80's and we are in December. But comes the weekend and mas drops to the 60's. This coming week it is suppose to hold around there which to me, that makes sense since it is winter and we are in Southern California. We don't get snow, just rains but it is suppose to be cold ... so, we'll see what happens.
Weekly Update:A normal week but it sure felt loooooong!! I guess when I have a busy week, it makes the time fly by. This week was very quiet for me and each day seemed like a month long! I felt like I was on Vegas time (what I like to call it because it feels like one day in Vegas is 7 days any where else). Well, I guess because it was so quiet and the amount of traffic was unbelievably bad. My office is just barely 1 mile from the freeway ... probably about 1.2 miles. The other day, Wednesday I think, it took me 90 minutes to travel that distance. Of course when I got to the freeway, it only took me an hour to travel the remaining 50 miles. Going in to work remains to be 2 hours each day no matter what time I leave in the morning. What is going on here people?! Why can't people drive? Aren't you suppose to take a series of tests before you are allowed on the road?! Simply insane and I just hope as we get closer to the end of the year it lightens up but at the same time ... not holding my breath.At the movies:
Not a big weekend for movies this week as nothing major opened. Holding ground at #1 is "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" earns another 16.9 million and is just short of the 250 mil cume. At #2, "The Muppets" continues and gains another 11.2 mil as it passes the 50 mil cume. At #3, "Hugo" earns an extra 7.6 mil as it slowly slows down. Holding at #4 is "Arthur Christmas" with 7.4 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Happy Feet Two" with another 6 mil as it just passes the 50 mil cume threshold.Quote of the week:"Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody." - Benjamin Franklin
Other News:What a crazy week in Entertainment news ... the rule of 3! They say celebrities pass away in three's but the rule doesn't say they have to be associated as in all TV or movies but just people of note or their works highly known. This week, the rule of 3 prevailed as early on British film maker Ken Russell passed away last Sunday at the age of 84. He was an off-beat director but one of his best known works was the sci-fi thriller "Altered States" from 1980. A very innovative and semi-controversial film for its time. Then the very next day, comedian Patrice O'Neal (pictured) passed after some complications with a stroke about a month ago. He was in some movies of note like "25th Hour" and "Head of State" but I think he was best known for this stand-up comedy and many comedy roast appearances. He was probably up there with Comedic Roast Master Jeffrey Ross and could dish out as well as take the jokes with the best of them. Patrice was only 41. THEN, on Thursday, actor Bill McKinney passed after a battle with lung cancer. Bill was an avid chain smoker in his earlier days which finally caught up to him. Bill has several notable roles but probably his best was from the 1972 film "Deliverance" starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. Bill gave a chilling performance in this dramatic thriller. He also had memorable roles in "First Blood," "The Green Mile" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales." Bill was 80.Facts & Tips:
You will burn seven percent more calories walking on hard dirt then pavement."I don't hit on every girl I see, once and awhile I let one pass." - Bill Hufsey as Christopher Donlon in the TV series "Fame."
At the movies:
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