HOT! It has gotten hot again and it looks like it will continue to get even hotter this coming week ... when will this summer be over?! The nights have remained nice and cool but will that continue? I just hate running the AC on but you just have to at times especially with dogs that have a lot of fur. I feel bad for them. Although I guess I shouldn't complain too much because I am sure in places like Texas and Arizona it is reaching 100 degrees easily. I heard Palm Springs was on average 102 throughout the week. Yeah, I will stay closer to the beach please and give some of those breezes once and while ... more would be better though.
Weekly Update:
Let me see, what did I do this week ... a lot of driving around! Well, more than a usual week for me lately but still was semi-productive. I went to a recording session on Tuesday for a show called
China, IL which is on the Cartoon Network for their Adult Swim programming (after 10 or 11PM). I haven't heard or seen this show before this session and what I did see looks really ... odd. But while there, I did get to meet one of the shows creators and writers,
Brad Neely who also worked on some "South Park" episodes. Everyone there at the studio was incredibly nice but the snacks were kind of on the weak side compared to other recording studios. Hey, you have to want me to stay there, no?! But aside from that, it was just other various errands and such.
At the movies:
Sad week at the box office this weekend but it is a good indication that summer of 2012 is over. In at #1 for the 2nd week in a row is "The Expendables 2" earning another 13.5 million to give it a cume of only 52 mil so far. Holding ground at #2 is "Bourne Legacy" with another 9.3 mil as it struggles to reach that 100 mil cume mark. Slight drop to #3 is "ParaNorman" with another 8.6 mil. Laughing at #4 is "The Campaign" earning an extra 7.4 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Dark Knight Rises" with another 7.2 mil as it reaches a nice 422 mil cume so far.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
We have several this week as all three new movies failed to deliver. In at #8 is the suspense-action film
Premium Rush earning just 6.3 mil for the weekend. Barely coming in at #10 is the "comedy" action film
Hit and Run with only 5.9 mil for a 5-day cume since it opened on a Wednesday. Even with those 2 extra days, it still manages the #10 spot and I put "comedy" in quotes because, well it isn't funny. New at #12 and with only 800 screens is the thriller
The Apparition with 3 mil and that will about wrap that film up ... as well as all of the new films this past weekend.
Quote of the week:
"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel." - Steve Furtick
Other News:
Yet another legendary star dimmed on Monday. Funny and wild-haired comedian Phyllis Diller passed away in her Los Angeles home. She was a pioneer for women in the stand-up comedy world and spanned across film, TV and live-stage. Her breakout appearance was on the original "The Tonight Show" with Jack Parr and eventually led to other appearances on "You Bet Your Life" and "What's My Line?" Her on screen acquaintances included the legendary Bob Hope and would join Hope on his USO troupe tours. Her quirky style and attitude made her the gem she was and everyone wanted to have her on their program or in their films for several decades. In the 1980's her career started to slow down a bit but continued to make guest appearances on "The Love Boat" and "Hollywood Squares." By the early 2000's, she had mostly retired from acting but did lend her voice to shows such as "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy." Diller was 95.
Another "star" fell last week but this one actually went to the stars. Saturday it was announced that Astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away. Neil is credited as being the first person to transmit and walk on the moon back on Jul 21, 1969. With no atmosphere on the moon, his boot step still sits there on the surface of the little rock. He is credited for saying the first words from the moon, "Houston, the Eagle has landed" and then more of note the famous line when he first stepped on the moon, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." The whole trip of the Apollo 11 craft was 8 days, 3 hours and 18 mins with its crew; Neil Armstrong (Commander), Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot) and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. (Lunar Module Pilot). Neil is the first of the three to pass away and he leaves a grateful nation ... and a grateful race for his achievements. He accomplished what many doubted could happen and lead the US in the race to space. Neil was 82.
Facts & Tips:
Right handed people tend to chew food on the right side and lefties chew on the left.
"That boy ain't right." - Mike Judge as Hank Hill from the TV series "King of the Hill."
HEAT EDITION
This whole week has been nothing but hot both day and night. What is funny is I started the week in Chicago and it was cool to cold which during this time of year, it is suppose to be hot and humid. Then I come home and it is a major heatwave! But I did hear the last weekend was worse than this past weekend so I guess I should be thankful for that.
Weekly Update:
First part of the week I was still in Chicago and took a city tour, it was wet! It started off with light rain but kept getting worse and worse. Did the Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower) and it was cloudy. Couldn't see a thing but I still enjoyed being in the 2nd tallest building in the world. Coming back from Chicago, got bumped to First Class on Virgin America and that was nice. I haven't flown first probably in nearly 20 years. The food was good and Virgin overall is just a cool airlines to fly! THEN, on Wednesday had the 2nd Annual Variety Poker Tournament at the Paramount Lot. Had the usual suspects from last year but did catch the one new edition:
Thursday went down to the Del Mar Racetrack for the annual Ultrastar
Cinema Day at the Races, that is always a GREAT time. The rest of the
week, non-stop busy!! Helping with some weird project for China, who
knows if it will even take off or not.
Then on Saturday I spent the day at the LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits for some work and it was freaking hot!! But while there I ran into:
*
Fay DeWitt - From various shows in the 1980's with random character parts and very sweet.
I am glad the weekend is over, it was too long and hot!
At the movies:
Not a big surprise at the box office but a little disappointing in the numbers coming out of it. New at #1 is the action sequel
The Expendables 2 with only 28.8 million. A bit on the low end of expectations considering the price tag on this movie. Dropping down to #2 is "The Bourne Legacy" with another 17 mil. New at 3 is the family film
ParaNorman with 14 mil. Drop to #4 is the comedy "The Campaign" with another 13.4 mil as it makes it past 50 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is the urban drama
Sparkle with 12 mil for its debut.
New films that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as it opens on a Wednesday,
The Odd Life of Timothy Green opens with a 15.2 million 5-day gross but for the weekend it only lands 10.9 mil and the #7 spot.
Quote of the week:
"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information." - Oscar Wilde
Other News:
"Ooooh! Ooooh! Ooooh!" The lovable character from the 1970's sitcom "Welcome Back Kotter" Arnold Horshack played by the talented Ron Palillo passed away in his home in Palm Beach Gardens, FL on Tuesday. Palillo suffered from an apparent heart attack in the early AM hours. He was one of the members of the Sweathogs from the show and always raised his hand while yelling "Ooooh! Ooooh! Ooooh!" in class whether it was to be recognized by the teacher or to answer the question at hand. Unfortunately Palillo never could get out of that typecast of his Horshack role and didn't see much additional acclaim in film or TV outside of that show. He was only able to really get guest appearances in other popular shows in that time and into the 1980's like "The Love Boat," "Cagney and Lacey," "The A-Team" and "Ellen." Palillo later spent his time teaching acting at G-Star School of the Arts, helping potential other Horshacks find their voice and place in the classroom. "All of us have been or known one of those Sweathogs." Palillo said to the LA Times last year. He was 63.
Continuing with more bad news, famed Hollywood film director Tony Scott passed away on Sunday from an apparent suicide. Police said the director jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge which resides in Long Beach, California. Scott is brother to other famed Hollywood director Ridley Scott. Tony is know for such films as "Top Gun," "Man on Fire," "Enemy of the State" and more recently "Unstoppable." He was also the director of the remake "Pelham 123" and was set to do "Top Gun 2." He often partners up with his brother as producing partners in several films. Tony is also credited for producing numerous projects such as the mini-series "The Pillars of the Earth" and "Numb3rs." He was also known for his trademark faded red baseball cap which he also wears in his films when he appears in them. Tony Scott was 68.
Facts & Tips:
French author Michel Thayer published a 233 page novel which has no verbs.
"From the top." - Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester from the TV show "Glee."
CHICAGO EDITION
In the "Windy City" this past weekend for a convention and it has been a pretty good time. Arrived on a red-eye on Thursday morning and went into the city via the subway. That was an interesting and fun ride and checked out the river and some places while downtown. Saw a lot of Dunkn Donuts! It was a big humid too but by Friday, the humidity was completely gone! Did a lot of walking again but that is good too. I return on Tuesday morning so going to try and see more of the sites during the day and night on Monday. Not sure what I will see yet but should be fun regardless.
Other News:
So while being at the Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con, I ran into these folks at either one of the parties or the green room during the convention and got some pics with:
*Craig Parker - Best known for the series "Spartacus" and a really cool guy.
*Katrina Law - Best known from the series "Spartacus" and incredibly awesome.
*Avery Brooks - From "Deep Space 9" and a really smart guy.
*Tom Felton - From the Harry Potter movies and a great chap!
*Holly Marie Combs - From the show "Charmed" and nice.
*Brian Krause - Also from "Charmed" and a nice guy.
*Colin Ferguson - Known from the TV show "Eureka" and an awesome guy!
*Laura Vandervoort - Known from the short lived remake of the TV series "V" and incredibly nice.
*Joseph Lawrence - Best known from "Blossom" and a nice guy.
*Dean Cain - from "Lois and Clark" and a great guy!
*Bruce Campbell - Legendary actor from TV and film, great guy.
*William Shatner - From Star Trek fame and a so-so guy.
So not a bad score in pictures for a convention I have never been to before till now. And Chicago was a cool place too.
At the movies:
No big surprises for the weekend so with that, the legend continues but with a new face as Bourne Legacy takes top honors with a nice 40.3 million opening weekend! Comedy takes #2 as two giants duke it out in this mock political film The Campaign with a decent 27.4 mil. Holding ground at #3 is "The Dark Knight Rises" with an additional 19.5 mil as it quickly approaches the 400 mil cume mark! A more senior romantic-comedy takes #4 as Hope Springs earns a strong 20.1 mil for its 5-day week as it opened on a Wednesday. Rounding off the top 5 is "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" with an extra 8.2 mil.
Quote of the week:
"Genius does what it must, and talent does what it can." - Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton
Other News:
So the 2012 London Olympics are officially over ... did they start? I watched some of the closing ceremonies and boy, did Madness sound ... old. If indeed Pet Shop Boys were singing, they sounded good. Did someone forget to tell the UK that the boy band era is over ... One Direction is only going down. But I did enjoy the Stomp segment, they have been around for years. I guess overall the Olympics were good but the coverage was just terrible. In today's modern technological age, you can't broadcast them after they have happened. People want it live and if they miss it, then just simply re-broadcast it and they will watch it later. It is insanely stupid not to show them live when they can read them live. It is either live or nothing, old news is no news. Hope they learned from this mistake for future Olympics or other world involved events. Otherwise, it is click click click, the sound of the channel being changed or the TV being turned off.
Facts & Tips:
A duck has three eyelids.
"Hello legs!" - Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox in "Batman."
Mars Edition
NASA last night safely landed the latest unmanned space craft called Curiosity on to the surface of Mars, the 4th planet in our solar system. Mars is distinguished by its redness as the surface looks like a barren wasteland. The previous mission to Mars was deemed a failure but it still proved possible and the information from that land rover that was sent back was still tremendously valuable. It is believed that Mars could sustain some kind of life and that it has in the past. Hopefully this mission will prove successful and send back all the data and proof needed as well lead the way to a manned flight to the red planet.
Weekly Update:
Spent the majority of the week on the set of Disney's "Pair of Kings" again as they quickly wrap-up their season. They said they have about 2 to 3 more weeks and then they are done for this year and completed season 3. No word yet on a season 4 but the ratings are good so it has a 50/50 shot at coming back. I hope it does because it is a well put together kids and family show. The cast and crew are amazing as well as their guest stars. While there this week, I got to meet some of them and snap a couple of pics:
*
Logan Browning - best known from the TV series "Meet the Browns" and tremendously sweet.
*
Damion Poitier - does a lot of stunt work but has had some minor roles in various sci-fi films lately.
*
Eric Petersen - fairly new face but a good goofy looking comedic actor.
All the days on set were really long, longer than expected. I spent the majority of the weekend just napping! For not getting paid to help out, it sure felt like work.
At the movies:
No surprises at the box office this week as the "The Dark Knight Rises" continues to dominate at the #1 spot for at least another week as it earns an additional 36.4 million and reaching a cume of over 350 mil so far. New at #2 is the remake of
Total Recall with an opening of 26 mil for its debut. Also new at #3 is the family film series
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days as it opens to a nice 14.7 mil. Slight drop down to #4 is "Ice Age: Continental Drift" with 8.4 mil extra as it struggles to reach the 150 mil cume mark. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Watch" with 6.4 mil more as it just struggles. Interesting to see three 20th Century Fox titles in the top 5 but then again, they were almost released in three consecutive weeks.
Quote of the week:
"Nothing recedes like success." - Walter Winchell
Other News:
Here is an interesting list that came out last month but I forgot about it. It is the top 20 TV's most powerful moments. Looking at the list, I have either seen it or was around when it happened. Going from bottom up ... #20) Funeral of John F. Kennedy (1963), was not around for it. #19) Casey Anthony verdict (2011), was around but didn't care and this shouldn't have made the list! #18) LA Riots (1992), was around and lived during it, it was scary. #17) Bush/Gore election results (2000), and shocking. #16) Oklahoma City bombing (1995), vaguely remember it. #15) Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963), again not around. #14) The Royal Wedding (2011), didn't care. #13) Barack Obama's acceptance speech (2008), remembering it happened but nothing of the speech itself. #12) Capture and execution of Saddam Hussein (2006), remember it well. #11) Death of Whitney Houston (2012), remember it well and drove by the hotel a day later to see the crowds and news vans. #10) Princess Diana's funeral (1997), I remember the accident more than the funeral. #9) BP oil spill (2010), remember more of the aftermath. #8) Columbine High School shootings (1999), again another case of remembering more of the aftermath. #7) Earthquake in Japan (2011), remember it well. #6) O.J. Simpson white Bronco chase (1994), remember this very well because he drove by the theatre I was working at on the 91 FWY. #5) Death of Osama bin Laden (2011), remember it well. #4) Challenger space shuttle disaster (1986), I remember the incident but not where I was at when it happened. #3) O.J. Simpson verdict (1995), remember it but not much of it. #2) Hurricane Katrina (2005), I remember more of New Orleans devastation than the cause of it. #1) Sept. 11 tragedy (2001), remember this well and first thought it was a radio joke.
Facts & Tips:
In Albania, nodding your head means "no" and shaking your head means "yes."
"Are they going to help us?" - Beth Grant as Helen in "Speed."
At the movies:
Yet another legendary star dimmed on Monday. Funny and wild-haired comedian Phyllis Diller passed away in her Los Angeles home. She was a pioneer for women in the stand-up comedy world and spanned across film, TV and live-stage. Her breakout appearance was on the original "The Tonight Show" with Jack Parr and eventually led to other appearances on "You Bet Your Life" and "What's My Line?" Her on screen acquaintances included the legendary Bob Hope and would join Hope on his USO troupe tours. Her quirky style and attitude made her the gem she was and everyone wanted to have her on their program or in their films for several decades. In the 1980's her career started to slow down a bit but continued to make guest appearances on "The Love Boat" and "Hollywood Squares." By the early 2000's, she had mostly retired from acting but did lend her voice to shows such as "Robot Chicken" and "Family Guy." Diller was 95.
Facts & Tips:
