Home Edition
So the Maui trip is over and I do miss it. My sleep schedule has been completely out of whack since returning. Falling asleep has been harder without the ocean waves crashing onto the beach, I sure got use to that. I didn't miss the humidity but I do miss seeing the ocean and two other islands out the window every morning.
Weekly Update:
Came back home from the trip on Wednesday after the wedding on Monday. It sure was windy the entire trip and on the day coming home, the weather was perfect with clear skies and next to no humidity, of course. Getting home was sure a chore because one thing happened to another from losing one's ID to missing the flight to lost luggage ... it was an adventure in traveling. Eventually made it home the next morning (2:00 AM to be exact) and after a late night dinner, went straight to bed, after all, it was 11PM Maui time! But in the end, ID was found with credit cards and money along with the luggage returned the next day with nothing missing. After all the craziness, we lucked out in the end. I don't think I have ever had such a crazy travel adventure like that one.
At the Movies:
As expected the new Disney/ Pixar film takes the crown this weekend as
Brave earns a nice 66.7 million. Mixed reviews for Pixar's first female heroine but it should carry for another month fairly well. Surprising slight drop to #2 is "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" with another 20.2 mil as it passes 150 mil cume for it's 3rd weekend. New at #3 is the alternative tale of
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as it debuts with only 16.5 mil ... and it used a Facebook page for it's official US website? That is never good. The two companies that make the worst websites besides using Facebook is Disney and Sony for their films. It ends up making their films feel like cookie cutter style with no uniqueness to them when you try and check out their sites. Dropping down to #4 is "Prometheus" with another 10 mil as it barely breaks the 100 mil mark. Rounding off the top 5 is "Snow White and The Huntsmen" with another 8 mil as it struggles to reach 150 mil cume but it should make it.
New films that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as it still qualifies for a wide release despite its 1500 plus screen run is
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World which obviously had a longer title than what it did at the box office as it comes in at #10 this week with only 3.8 mil.
Quote of the week:
"There are two kinds of light -- the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures." - James Thurber
Other News:
Here is a good list from a website article I found ... The Ten Worst One-Hit Wonders of Summer ... being that these songs came out at summer time. Let's check it out ... #10) Macarena by Los del Rio (1996): By far one of the worst songs ever yet you still hear it at weddings for a group number ... this song must die! #9) The Dawn of Correction by The Spokesman (1965): Not familiar with this one but its an oldie. #8) Telephone Man by Meri Wilson (1977): Heard a little of this one and it seems more spoken word then a song ... but it is pretty bad. #7) Bitch by Meredith Brooks (1997): So so song, I do remember this and just impartial on it. #6) General Hospi-tale by The Afternoon Delights (1981): Do not know this one but after listening to it ... yeah, its pretty bad. #5) I Wanna Be Bad by Wila Ford (2001): This was like a boy band type of song and it is just plain ... bad. #4) On My Own by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald (1986): How can you be on your own if its a duet ... that may explain a lot. #3) Who Let The Dogs Out? by Baha Men (2000): A good song for kids under 12, that is about it. #2) Almost Paradise by Mike Reno featuring Ann Wilson (1984): Slow paced song best known from the film "Footloose," yeah, it wasn't that great then either. #1) Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team (1993): Yeah, that is pretty agree-able there.
Facts & Tips:
Alaska was bought from Russia for about 2 cents an acre.
"I am McLovin!" - Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell in "Superbad"
So I was at Home Depot over the weekend and they always have those day laborers waiting for someone to drive by and hire them. The time I went was about lunch time so there were only a couple of guys left. I wasn't looking for workers but I did notice one of them and thought, who would hire this guy?? He was wearing what looked like to be an Ed Hardy hat and shirt! I mean they could have been knock-offs but still, you don't wear that when you are looking for ANY kind of work! For one thing, that clothing is just stupid and second, if it was real then you clearly don't need the work. Not to mention the gold chains around the neck, nice tough. Seriously ... sell the gold chains and get rid of the shirt and hat with branding on it. Oh, did I mention he was on his either smart phone or blackberry too?
Weekly Update:
What a CRAZY week it has been ... I am exhausted and so glad it is over!! Monday started off pretty light but then Tuesday came and BAM! I was on the set for three days for Disney's "Pair of Kings" show helping out my friend. Tuesday wasn't too bad except the very early call time. Wednesday was better and just an average day but Thursday was LONG! I was out for over 12 hours and was running on fumes. The cool part about it all though is that when I am on that set, no one seems to care what I do or where I stand. They treat me like part of the crew and almost everyone I run by knows my name (which can be kind of scary). But the cast of the show all see me and give me the handshake hug (where you go in for the handshake and then bring the other arm around for the hug). Ask how I am doing and what is new, catch-up-chit-chat. They really make you feel welcomed and at home, part of their family. Once that was all over, Friday was at Nickelodeon helping the same friend with a voice-over job for "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness" TV show. I am beat!
At the movies:
A little bit of a surprise this weekend as animation takes the lead but then again, we are in the starting weeks of summer. Roaring into #1 is the third installment of this animal franchise as
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted earns a nice 60.4 million for its debut. Sci-Fi comes in at #2 with the prequel to the "Alien" franchise with
Prometheus earns a respectable 50 mil. Big drop to #3 is "Snow White and The Huntsman" with another 23 mil as it just misses the 100 mil cume but no doubt will get that by end of day Monday. Sizable drop to #4 is "Men In Black 3" with another 13.5 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Marvel's The Avengers" with an extra 10.8 mil as it now has a domestic cume of just over 570 million.
Quote of the week:
"To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so." - Robert Orben
Other News:
Food & Wine Magazine (actually,
online since magazines are quickly dieing) released a list of the best
hamburgers in the US. I thought I would take a look at this because I
love a good hamburger. They don't seem to rank them, just list them in
no particular order. So I will present the first 10 on this list and
just number them myself ... 10) Minetta Tavern in NYC - Black Label
Burger, mix of dry-aged rib eye, skirt steak, brisket and short rib
topped with caramelized onions. 9) Holeman & Finch in Atlanta,
GA - Burger, two cheeseburgers on a house-made bun. 8) Custom House
Tavern, Chicago, IL - Custom House Burger, short rib and sirloin patty
with aged cheddar on sourdough brioche. 7) In-N-Out, California -
Cheeseburger (pictured Double-Double Cheeseburger), now this is the
first chain fast-food to make this list and I do have to disagree with
the selection because the double-double with animal style onions is the
best way to go. 6) Michael's Genuine Food & Drink - Miami, FL -
Black Angus Burger, I think the name speaks for itself. 5) Zuni Cafe,
San Francisco - House-ground hamburger, served in a rosemary focaccia.
4) Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, TX - Ranch Burger, topped with
mushrooms, onions, green chilies and cheese. 3) Green Street Grill,
Boston, MA - Bacon Double Cheeseburger, two four ounce patties with
American cheese and smocked bacon topped with Russian dressing. 2) Farm
Burger, Decatur, GA - Farm Burger, Vermont aged smoked white cheddar
cheese, caramelized onions and a special house sauce. 1) Gott's
Roadside, Napa - Ahi Burger, seared Ahi tuna with ginger-wasabi mayo and
Asian slaw on a toasted egg bun. After seeing this list, of course it
makes one hungry for a good burger but with the exception of the the
last location, this list should be about Best Cheeseburgers and not
Burgers. I personally classify them separately!
Facts & Tips:
Oregon has more ghost towns than any other US city.
"I think there's a vague sense out there that movies are becoming more and more unreal. I know I've felt it." - Film director Christopher Nolan
Warm days and cold nights ... I don't know what season this is anymore but we have had very off-beat weather. It drizzled one day of the week, then was way warm, in the high 80's and the nights were really cold. Starting to see those annoying June-bugs all over and other summer time bugs of gnats and such. The June-bugs are pretty harmless but kind of creepy looking because you can almost see their sticky legs and you usually find so many of them at once. I hate when they get on you, again harmless, but flicking them off you can feel the stickiness as you fling it off. What a weird bug.
Weekly Update:
Not too much was going on this week but this coming week looks to be pretty packed. Mostly just did errands and got some minor things done that I have been putting aside but other things come up. It's like a never ending cycle but what can you do. I did spend the first part of the week taking care of the dogs like I did at the end of the previous week. I am just lucky that out of the four dogs, the two that are ours can not be any easier to take care! They can walk themselves if you let them! All I had to do is feed them twice a day and let them go outside to go to the bathroom ... if I had left the doggie-door open, I wouldn't even have to do that! I wish all dogs were this easy.
At the movies:
No surprises at the box office, the updated fairy tale of
Snow White and The Huntsman takes top honors with a nice 56.3 million opening. Decent drop to #3 is "Men in Black 3" with another 29.3 mil as it surpasses the 100 mil cume as excepted. Holding ground at #3 is "Marvel's The Avengers" with another 20.3 mil as it gets up to 550 mil cume domestic box office. Sizable drop to #4 is "Battleship" earning another 4.8 mil as it struggles along the box office ocean. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Dictator" with another 4.7 mil as it continues to laugh its way through, doing well for a comedy and with below than normal screen counts since opening.
Quote of the week:
"It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper." - Jerry Seinfeld
Other News:
A double whammie this week in Hollywood as it loses two of their own. On Saturday morning, Kathryn Joosten passed away from lung cancer at her Westlake Village home. She did not start acting till 42 and didn't come to Hollywood till she was 50. She did have some memorable roles such as the secretary to the President in the TV series "The West Wing" and more recently the cranky neighbor on the hit TV series "Desperate Housewives." She had won two Emmys for her role on that show which recently ended its run on ABC last month. In both the show and in life, she passed away after fighting cancer. In real life, she was a two-time cancer survivor. Joosten was 72.
On Saturday night, actor and game show host, Richard Dawson passed away due to complications with esophageal cancer. Dawson coined the phrase "Survey says ..." from the hit TV game show "Family Feud" in which he was the original host. He hosted other game shows such as "Match Game" but I know him best as the TV actor when he was on the World War II sitcom "Hogan's Heroes" as he played the loveable British Officer, Captain Peter Newkirk. Originally from Hampshire, England, he also had some famed movie roles such as the TV host for the life and death games in the film "The Running Man" not to mention other wartime films "The Devil's Brigade." He had disappeared from the spotlight in the late 80's from film and then from TV in the mid 1990's. Dawson was 79.
Facts & Tips:
George Washington took his oath of office in New York City in 1789.
"Oh, boy ... " - Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett in the TV series "Quantum Leap."
Weekly Update:
Other News:
