Monday, July 30, 2012

OLYMPIC EDITION

Did you know the Olympics started in London this past Friday?  Neither did I!!  I have to say, the ad campaign from other companies like Visa and such made it seem like the Olympics were either happening or have happened because the brilliant strategy was "Hey, we are watching the Olympics!" and of course these ads started over 2 months ago ... smart people.  I did happen to catch the opening ceremonies because I was home channel surfing otherwise, would have missed it entirely.  I think overall they were good but the final lighting of the torch was kind of ... boring.  So the finale (before the fireworks) was a let down and on top of that, Paul McCartney at the end, his singing is long past its prime.

Weekly Update:
Kind of a busy week, both warm and cold.  I was busy running around LA for most of it but Sunday was fun.  Spent the day at the park helping with the German Shepherd rescue.  Lot of dogs and just trying to stay cool.  Luckily it wasn't a terrible hot or humid day, as long as you were in the shade, it felt great.  Being in the sun was OK but after awhile it was getting warm.  But it looked like everyone had a great time and the event appeared to have ran very smooth.  I also visited DreamWorks studio in Glendale.  That place is always nice to visit and had a good lunch there.  Met up with Tim Johnson who has either directed or produced several films for them including "Antz" which was the very first animated film from them.  Tim is such a great guy and always a fun visit with him.

At the movies:
No surprises at the box office this week as "The Dark Knight Rises" stays on top for a 2nd week win with another 64.1 million to bring it close to 300 mil for a 10-day total.  The drop was more than anticipated due to the scare of the Aurora, CO shooting but enough to keep it up top.  Minor drop to #2 is "Ice Age: Continental Drift" with another 13.3 mil as it passes the 100 mil mark.  New at #3 is the comedy The Watch with only a 13.3 mil opening.  Not only does this look like a poor movie, they used Facebook to be their official website and to me, that is not only cheap but weak.  So far my theory continues to hold true.  Also new at #4 is Step Up: Revolution earns only 11.8 mil and again, another Facebook page website ... just sad.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Ted" earning an additional 7.4 mil as it comes just shy of 200 mil but should make it by mid next week I would think.

Quote of the Week:
"No person who is enthusiastic about his work has anything to fear from life.  All the opportunities in the world are waiting to be grasped by people who are in love with what they're doing." - Samuel Goldwyn

Other News:
Moving on up ... to a deluxe apartment in the sky!  And so he did ... actor and comedian Sherman Hemsley who was the lead role in the hit TV show from the mid to late 1970's titled "The Jefferson" passed away on Tuesday. He WAS George Jefferson, owner of the dry cleaning business in that hit sitcom and that is what I grew up knowing him as.  He is known more for TV than film and had many series along with special appearances in shows like "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island" and "Family Matters."  He was also the main title character in other shows post "The Jeffersons" such as "Amen" and "Goode Behavior."  Hemsley's characters were almost the African-American version of Archie Bunker, loud-mouthed and a bigot yet, he was such a watchable and charming character.  A skilled actor on the small screen and on Broadway, Hemsley passed away in his home in El Paso, TX.  The high strutting TV entrepreneur was one of the early pioneers and he will be sadly missed.  Hemsley was 74.

Facts & Tips:
Bamboo (the world's tallest grass) can grow up to 90cm in a day.

"Once again, we got sidetracked again." - TV and film director David Silverman

Monday, July 23, 2012

Do you ever go to Subway Sandwiches and one of the first things you see is a tray filled with very white chicken patties that have grill marks across them.  Am I to believe that Subway's have grills in the back of each them?  I can believe if they have a meat slicer (although I know they probably don't) but a grill to make those perfectly charred marks!  Just sitting in that stainless steal container they already look so sterile and dry ... I don't know why anyone would want that particular sandwich.  Hey if they have a grill back there, my bad and grill me up a sandwich then!  What about throwing some pineapple and onions while you are at it and let's have a real BBQ ... or not, it is Subway.

Weekly Update:
Had a very long and interesting week.  Initially started normal as can be but then I ended up having a dinner with some folks and one of them was an actor.  At first I didn't recognize him and he was sitting across from at the table.  It was kind of hard to understand him with the accent but after about 20 minutes, they started talking about past projects and then it hit me who he was:

*Chi Muoi Lo - best known from the series "Vanishing Son" and a cool guy.

On Friday I drove up to San Francisco for a semi-traditional Chinese wedding and that was long but fun.  The food was good and lots of it, I think 10 or 11 courses altogether.  I was sure full after that!! I did get my Gordo's Taqueria fix in so that is another plus, love me some Gordo's!

At the movies:
The numbers are finally in and of course the big winner is the newest and last of the re-invented Batman franchise The Dark Knight Rises opens to 160.9 million.  This number is a little under expectations but you have to wonder if the incident in Aurora, CO might have played in to the mentality of the average movie-goer and scared them off a bit.  Holding strong at #2 is "Ice Age: Continental Drift" with an extra 20.4 mil as it quickly closes in on the 100 mil cume mark.  Losing speed at #3 is "The Amazing Spider-Man" with another 10.9 mil as it passes the 200 mil mark.  Still doing well at #4 is "Ted" with an additional 10 mil as it struggles to reach 200.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Brave" with another 6 mil as we will see this for the last time in the top and as it finishes off just over 200 mil cume.

Quote of the week:
"Life is like a landscape.  You live in the midst of it but can describe it only from the vantage point of distance." - Charles A. Lindbergh

Other News:
The big news of the week is the tragic shooting at a movie theatre late Thursday night for the opening of the film "The Dark Knight Rises."  Apparently a young man dressed in a gas mask and wearing a bulletproof vest came in through the exit doors of the packed auditorium, threw some smoke bombs and started opening fire into the crowd.  At this time, 12 people are confirmed dead while dozens are still at the hospital of which most are expected to make full recoveries.  Those that were among the dead ranged from a 6-year old little girl to a 51 year old man.  One man was celebrating his 27th birthday and some folks were injured in the adjacent auditoriums as the bullets went through the walls.  This is such a horrific tragedy and I don't feel one can blame the movie, just that he found an opportunity to do the most harm in this situation.  The suspect was arrested in his home which police found booby-trapped with explosives.  There is no rhyme or reason for his actions but utter senselessness and disrespect for all around him.  Being a part of this entertainment industry and having my start at a movie theatre, I am both shocked and confused by it all.  The theatre is a place of escape and enjoyment ... of safety and being able to share an experience with hundreds other as you lose yourself in what you are seeing on the big screen.  I hope no one loses sight of this and we all continue to see movies the way they were meant to be seen.

Facts & Tips:
Vanilla is used to make chocolate.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARrrrrr" - Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk in the TV Series "The Incredible Hulk."

Monday, July 16, 2012

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON EDITION

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."

Monday, July 09, 2012

4th of July Edition
Wednesday was the 4th of July, kind of odd having it in the middle of the week but its not like you plan it that way.  I went to the neighbors where they bbq'd some hot dogs and hamburgers.  It was really good and just had a really nice meal.  The rest of that particular evening was just relaxing and didn't do much.  Of course you can hear fireworks going off all over town but then again, living here you hear them every night at around 9:30PM (unless it is raining) due to Disneyland.

Weekly Update:
This past weekend I went to a local convention that was focused on TV.  The overall turnout was terrible but it was the first kind of convention of this nature in the area. I think part of the problem was timing being a holiday week where people go out of town and also days before San Diego Comic-Con, the largest convention in the world and a week after an Anime Convention at the same location. But despite the turnout, I managed to meet a few people:

*Vanessa Angel - best know from the TV show "Stargate SG-1" and was nice.
*Musetta Vander - know from the film "Wild Wild West" and very nice.
*Erin Murphy - best know as Tabitha from the original TV series "Bewitched" and very sweet.
*Alisa Reyes - from various Nickelodeon shows and way nice

The rest of the past week was pretty tame except for Tuesday.  I went to this neat motion capture studio and the process that involves is pretty fascinating.  I won't see the end result of that for months to come but it took about 2 hours of prep to do 10 minutes of a scene ... crazy.  But while there I ran into:

*Brianna Brown - been in several TV appearance that include a regular in "General Hospital," very sweet.

At the movies:
No surprise at the box office but at the same time, a bit underwhelming.  In at #1 is the reboot of a so-so franchise to start with, The Amazing Spider-Man with 140 million for its 6-day.  It may sound like a big number but if you compare it against "The Avengers" 200 mil 5-day, not so much.  Holding strong at #2 is "Ted" with another 32.6 mil as it rushes past the 100 mil cume mark.  Slight drop to #3 is "Brave" with another 20.2 mil as it starts its quick decline, struggling to reach 200 mil cume.  New at #4 is the action-drama Savages with 16.2 mil.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Magic Mike" cashing in another 15.6 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as the rock concert film Katy Perry: Part of Me earns the #8 spot with only 7.2 mil for its debut.

Quote of the week:
"Everyone is famous to 1,500 people." - Seth Godin

Other News:
Very sad news this week in the world of TV and movies.  Legendary actor Andy Griffith passed away Tuesday morning at his home in North Carolina.  Griffith was the lovable and versatile actor who embodied the American culture and way of life for decades.  He brought what was right and sensible with his homespun way of life as Americans watched regularly the going ons in the town of Mayberry from "The Andy Griffith Show."  He was know best as the role of the sheriff of that town while living with Aunt Bee and raising his little boy, Opie.  Later in his career he decided to fight crime as a lawyer in the show "Matlock" which ran for nearly 9 years and grew popularity with the senior crowds.  Griffith has had some movie roles, more recently the critically acclaimed dark comedy of "Waitress" but his biggest roles were primarily television, maybe it was because he helped shape it and set a standard of Americana.  He was a true pioneer of a simpler and golden age of TV we will never see again.  Griffith was 86.

Continued sad news as Oscar winning actor Ernest Borgnine passed away Sunday morning surrounded by family at Ceders-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  Borgnine won his Oscar for "Marty" which he was the title character.  He was also a great TV actor playing the lead character in a spoof of a World War II PT boat in "McHale's Navy" in which he again was the title role of Quinton McHale.  This was one of my favorite TV shows that I enjoyed watching on both reruns and DVD.  Other notable films are "Flight of the Phoenix," "The Dirty Dozen," "The Wild Bunch" and "The Poseidon Adventure" to name a few.  He was 95.

Facts & Tips:
Dolphins sleep with one eye open.

"I see horror as part of legitimate film. I don't see it as an independent genre that has nothing to do with the rest of cinema." - Film Director Guillermo del Toro

Monday, July 02, 2012

I went to the post office the other day to mail out a small package and it is no wonder they are failing so badly.  Everyone that works there looks and sounds so miserable.  You have about 15 people waiting, two workers helping and another two wondering around the back doing nothing.  Cost of sending stuff is getting higher and higher on top of all this.  PLUS, if you want a box or something, you have to pay for it while other services like UPS and FedEx provide it for free upon request.  The post office is a legacy of American history and culture but at this rate, it may not be around another 5 years.  They need to do something to improve things across the board and fast!

Weekly Update:
Had an semi-eventful week.  Tuesday helped out with some weird live action shoot for Cartoon Network.  Apparently they are going to dabble in the live-action children's off-beat comedy so let's see how that does in the coming months.  I am not sure when it will air though.  Then on Thursday took a special visit to Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine.  I have been here many times but this was a special "Diablo 3" event and got to meet some of the voice talents there:

*Robin Atkin Downes - Does one of the main character classes in the game and a nice guy.  Also has done many feature films but just his voice.
*Jonathan Adams - Another great guy and another voice in the game.  Also has done some actual guest spots on some TV shows like "Bones."
*Michael Gough - known as Decker Cain in the entire "Diablo 3" series and a really nice guy.
*Dominic Keating - Another voice but I know him best from "Star Trek: Enterprise" and a very cool guy.

At the movies:
Big surprises at the box office as a new crown is given to a stuffed bear!  In at the top this weekend is the raunchy comedy Ted with a huge 54.1 million!  Way above all expectations as this bear laughs its way to the bank.  New at #2 is Magic Mike with 39.2 mil.  Goes to show you that male strippers can earn a living!  Slight drop down to #3 in its 2nd week is "Brave" earning an extra 34 mil as it passes the 100 mil cume mark and steady on its way to 150.  New at #4 with a bigger than normal opening is Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection with a sizable 26.4 mil.  Rounding off the top 5, and still holding strong is "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" with another 11.8 mil.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Another one this week as the drama People Like Us earns only 4.3 mil and also the #10 spot.

Quote of the Week:
"The six stages of production: 1) wild enthusiasm 2) utter despair 3) total confusion 4) the search for the guilty 5) the persecution of the innocent 6) the promotion of the incompetent." - Roger Rothstein

Other News:
Another sad week in Hollywood as an amazing talent passed away on Tuesday night in Manhattan.  Filmmaker Nora Ephron died on Tuesday after fighting leukemia.  A best-selling author and successful director, Ephron is known for such hits as "Julie & Julia" and "Sleepless in Seattle."  She also was up for three Academy Awards for her films "Silkwood," "When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle."  She was one of the very few women who wrote, produced and directed her own films.  There is no doubt her films touched on every emotion of a relationship and cross the line from being a "chick-flick" to more mainstream that men and women could easily enjoy.  Through her movies you can see her life.  Having been married three times, her 1986 film "Heartburn," was almost autobiographical on her divorce from her 2nd husband.  Later the issue of single parenting came up in her film "Sleepless in Seattle" in 1993 as she had 2 children of her own.  Then in 1998 we saw "You've Got Mail" which tackled two people in the same city both struggling with their own relationships yet find each other online.  Nora was 71.

Facts & Tips:
With an average life expectancy of 81.2 years, the people of Okinawa, Japan live the longest.

"Boy, look at the neat lightning. I sure hope it hits our house!" - Butch Patrick as Eddie Munster in the TV series "The Munsters."