Duckburg Gazette

Well, not really but I am making it that edition because I just returned from SDCC and I am tired! Traveled by train this year and it was pretty nice.  I think I would definitely do it again but coming back was a bit crazy because everyone is leaving on the same day instead of coming in at various times and days.  But was a nice trip overall.  I am just glad it is over ... for now.  One thing I did notice about this year compared to the previous 5 or 6 years ... not as busy.  I was able to walk the streets and convention floor without being like sardines in a can.  I am not sure what is going on but it just seemed so much easier to get around.  Is SDCC dying?  What is going on?!

Weekly Update:

While at SDCC I ran into some various people.  No one too crazy big but a few good ones I think and overall not a bad catch:

*Anthony Bourdain - renowned chef and world travel, a nice guy.

*Alfie Allen - From "Game of Thrones" and a really nice guy.

*Zachary Levi - Best known from the show "Chuck" and a nice guy.

*Adam Scott - Best known from the movie "Step Brothers" and a cool guy.

*Jamie Hyneman - One of the "Mythbusters" and a neat guy.

*Patricia Tallman - From "Babylon 5" and really nice.

*Paul Wesley - From "Vampire Dairies" and an OK guy.

*Richard LeParmentier - I know him best from "Star Wars: A New Hope" and a cool guy.

*Tania Gunadi - On the show "Transformers Prime" and very nice.

*Josh Keaton - Also from "Transformers Prime" and a nice guy.

*Reggie Bannister - From the "Phantasm" movies and a great guy!

At the movies:

The pre-historic gang returns to win the weekend!  In at #1 is Ice Age: Continental Drift with a nice 46 million dollar opening.  Drop down to #2 is "The Amazing Spider-Man" as it grabs another 35 mil and breaks the 200 mil cume mark.  Holding strong at #3 is "Ted" earning an additional 22.2 mil as it continues to get closer to 200 mil.  Drop down to #4 is "Brave" with 10.7 mil as it also slowly tries to reach 200 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "Magic Mike" with another 9 mil as this stripped gem gets closer to 100 mil.  I would say the overall box office this past weekend is a bit down from previous years but we only had one movie open in the prime of summer this week.

Quote of the week:

"Fame is a kind of death." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Other News:

Another week of double loss in Hollywood and the stars go dimmer.  The problem is with these classic Hollywood icons slowly disappearing, the ones entering into the Hollywood sky to replace them are not even that bright nor can they replace them!  So the two we lost this past week ... starting off with famed Hollywood Producer Richard D. Zanuck.  Richard grew up as the son of Hollywood titan Darryl F. Zanuck who was head of 20th Century Fox for years so it was only natural Richard to follow in similar footsteps.  Richard produced such huge films like "Jaws," "The Sting" and "Driving Miss Daisy" of which he went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1990.  Richard passed away in his Beverly Hills home on Friday.  He was 77.

On Sunday, musical comedy star Celeste Holm passed away in her New York home.  Celeste was an amazing actress who won an Oscar for her role in "Gentleman's Agreement" back in 1947.  She was also very familiar with the live stage as came to be associated with "Oklahoma!" in the 1940's.  She continued her career with other great film hits such as "All About Eve" and "High Society."  She continued to wow them on the stage with other performances of "The King and I" and "Affairs of State" in the 1950's.  She later tackled TV with such shows as "Falcon Crest" and "Touched by an Angel." Celeste Holm's was 95.

Facts & Tips:

The number "1" or the word "One" appears on the dollar bill 16 times.

"The heart can betray but the sword never lies." - Adrienne Wilkinson as Eve in the TV series "Xena: Warrior Princess."