The weather here is officially insane! I wonder with the occurrence of so many earthquakes lately, have we actually shifted from a sub-tropic to a tropical zone now?? With the various spots that earthquakes have been hitting ranging from 3.0 to as high as 6.5, that is enough to do some movement. It has been so humid and we are not an area that has this much of it and if we did, not this long! So my only reasoning is either global warming or we have shifted enough to change our climate now and forever ... or both can be the reason too. Just want it to be cool again please.
Weekly Update:
What in the world did I do last week? Not too much I don't think or its simply a blur. I did go to a screening of this movie coming out in March which was pretty good. Went to the Fox Lot for a "Simpsons" table read and I think that about wraps up my week. Nothing too spectacular or strange happenings, just a lot of driving around I guess. Funny how one week is packed with stuff and then the next can be so boring. Can never seem to get that middle ground for two weeks at a time. And I already know this upcoming week is going to be crazy, at least through the week and hopefully the weekend will calm down ... but you just never know anymore!!! Vacation, I need one of those about now I think.
At the movies:
Interesting weekend for films this week ... it looks like we have a tie! The final numbers are still being fought out but the two contenders are for #1:
End of Watch, realistic LA cop drama and
House at the End of the Street both come in with 13 million. I hate it when studios use Facebook as their films official website ... talk about cheap and lazy. So with a tie at first, #3 is also very close! The baseball drama
Trouble with the Curve with a decent 12.7 mil, much more than I would have thought. Holding on to #4 is "Finding Nemo 3D" with another 9.5 mil for its re-release. Rounding off the top 5 is "Resident Evil: Retribution" with 6.7 mil more.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one wide release this week as the re-make based on the comic book
Dredd as it comes in at #6 with 6.3 mil for its debut.
Quote of the week:
"There has never been a better time to saddle the naked ambition of the entrepreneur." - Tim Draper
Other News:
Top 10 dirtiest cities in the United States! New list just released on the top 10 cities that travelers found the most grimy and unhealthy. Starting at #10: Houston, TX - I have not been there before but it is considered the worst ozone in the nation with high smog. #9: Memphis, TN - been here and found it fun! But that was about 6 years ago as litterbugs have taken over the city has set up a clean hot line. #8: Miami, FL - I never cared for this place in general. Contains very polluted soil and overall chaotic/lawless streets with bad noise and worst drivers. #7: Dallas/Fort Worth, TX - Been through it, boring. Lack of green, was hard to find parks apparently. #6: Philadelphia, PA - Been here briefly at night and couldn't wait to get out of there. Ranked #2 for gritty and full of litter. #5: Atlanta, GA - felt not safe by voters and full of cigarette butts. #4: Los Angeles, CA - since I live here, surprised its not higher up the list!! But bad air, bad traffic and bad crime in the dense areas. #3: Baltimore, MD - city filled with rats apparently. #2: New Orleans, LA - mass debris but can you blame them with hurricanes and tornadoes? #1: New York City, NY - not a surprise but #1 spot for grit and grime along with litter that carry stiff fines.
Facts & Tips:
The average lead pencil can draw a line 35 miles long or write roughly 50,000 English words.
"Painting our guns, painting our guns for the bank robbery, 'cause if we go in
with our plastic guns then the cops will shoot us in our face..." - Aziz Ansari as Chet in "30 Minutes or Less."
HOT! To put it simply this past week was probably the hottest it has been in a long time. Several of the days this past week, especially towards the end, reached over 100 degrees! Some days were just shy of 110! I don't remember the last time we had temps this high but it was crazy. The nights have been OK thought, usual temps in the mid 70's with some breezes so I can turn off the AC and open the windows. But man, come 10AM, close them all up and the shades to try and keep it cool!!!
Weekly Update:
Tuesday was the 11 year anniversary of the tragic events on September 11th, 2001 and what has become known as 9/11. I remember waking up that morning to my radio clock and listening to the DJ talking about an airplane hitting a building as I hit my snooze button. Then after 10 minutes, they were still talking about it and I hit snooze again. Finally, on the 3rd time, I actually started to listen and couldn't believe what I was hearing and immediately got up and turned on the TV to see the horrific events transpiring. Watching the 2nd plane go into the 2nd tower and hearing all kinds of reports of The Pentagon, it was so surreal and crazy to hear and watch. It will be one of those moments that one never forgets and I can not imagine the folks in New York and DC where it happened, it is a scar for them.
But the week wasn't a total drag, on Saturday and Sunday I went to the 2nd Annual Comikaze Convention but this time it was called Stan Lee's Comikaze. It was pretty crazy but not SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con) crazy, nothing can beat that. But much improved attendance-wise than last year by a ton!! While there, I did grab some pics with some folks:
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Andy Dick - from "NewsRadio" fame and a really great guy.
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Kevin Smith - film and podcast guru and an awesome guy!
At the movies:
To hot at the box office?? No, not really ... but still some decent numbers for an off-season time period. In at #1 the franchise continues with
Resident Evil: Retribution takes a decent 21.1 million. I have to say, Sony usually makes some of the crap-tastic movie websites but this one looks and feels way better! What happened?! Swimming into the #2 spot is the re-release of "Finding Nemo" but in 3D. Why people?? But it did bring in 17.5 mil with the 3D addition and that is nearly all profit to the bank for Disney. Holding ground at #3 is "The Possession" with another 5.8 mil as it struggles to just reach 50 mil cume. Slight drop to #4 is "Lawless" with an additional 4.22 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "ParaNorman" with 3 mil extra as it will soon pass 50 mil cume.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as a little independent film takes the #15 spot titled
The Last Ounce of Courage with 1.7 million to open. For any indie that may sound like a lot but not when they release it with over 1400 screens.
Quote of the week:
"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
Other News:
The Importance of Icons. There was a yahoo article recently about TV icons for ads of late and how important they have become for both the company and the consumer. To me it is like following the life or the adventures of the icon and we continue want more and watch more. This particular article focused on the following: TALKING M&Ms: These folks have been around awhile and although I find them 50/50 on the funny to non-funny scale, they are still cute and the merchandising along must be HUGE. According to the E-Score (a firm that measures consumer sentiment of corporate characters and celebrities from most likable to least) - 62% awareness, 66% appeal, 3% dislike. E-TRADE BABY: I do not like these commercials AT ALL. They are both creepy and borderline annoying. E-Score = 26% awareness, 58% appeal and 12% dislike. WILLIAM SHATNER as the PRICELINE NEGOTIATOR: They actually killed the character off ... or did they!? These have been simply fun. E-Score - 71% awareness, 52% appeal, 5% dislike. 'FLO' from PROGRESSIVE: I have heard mixed reviews but I enjoy these, not too much but they are fun and she seems like your every-day girl. E-Score - 49% awareness, 44% appeal, 14% dislike. AFLAC DUCK: So annoying, so so annoying. E-Score - 41% awareness, 42% appeal, 11% dislike. GEICO
GECKO: Really a boring character, the only funny one I have seen is
when he is out to lunch with the human co-worker and appears with large
objects as if he pulled them out from a pocket. E-Score - 54%
awareness, 45% appeal, 10% dislike. NATIONWIDE: I know the jingle but do not remember, if anything, of the commercials. E-Score - 5% awareness, 29% appeal, 35% dislike.
Facts & Tips:
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
"Ma'am, I'm eight years old. You think I would be here *alone*? I don't think so." - Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone."
We have been having some crazy weather lately. It sure has been very hot, almost in the 100's a couple of days this past week and the nights either are very cool or toward the end of this past week, muggy, mid 80's. I am not sure what is going on!! Just last night we had thunder storm warnings with potential of nickel-size hail along with 30 mph winds. On top of the numerous earthquakes all over the place, is nature telling us something?? Oh right, that global warming thing that the Republicans say doesn't exit ... riiiiight.
Weekly Update:
Interesting week for me, had a few meetings which might pan out for some projects but I never hold my breath because you don't know what may or may not happen. But also attending an event on Sunday evening for the Burbank International Film Festival. First off, the city of Burbank has a film festival?? It was kind of a low-rent event and not your typical film festival. In fact, part of it took place while a REAL film festival just started, the Toronto Film Festival! So what can you do. But while at the event, despite it being pretty low-key, I did manage to meet a couple of people there:
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Fritz Coleman - local Los Angeles weather man and a really nice guy.
At the movies:
Pretty disappointing weekend at the box office which truly means the summer season is over for this industry. In at #1 is "The Possession" with another 9.5 million as it quickly declines. Holding ground at #2 is "Lawless" with an extra 6 mil. New at #3 is the drama
The Words with a terrible opening of 4.9 mil. Still fighting in there is "The Expendables 2" with another 4.8 mil as it struggles to break 100 mil cume but will fall very short. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Bourne Legacy" with 4 mil more as it just breaks the 100 mil cume barrier.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this weekend but it looks like a throw-away film. In at #13 is the action-thriller of
The Cold Light of Day with only 1.8 million for its debut ... and pretty much its end.
Quote of the week:
"Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive." - C.S. Lewis
Other News:
Yet another very sad week in Hollywood as the entertainment world lost a powerful actor yet kind hearted soul. The behemoth of a man, Michael Clarke Duncan passed away this past Monday. Earlier in the summer he suffered a minor heart attack but was thought to be out of danger but did not fully recover from it. He was a big man and worked as a bodyguard and bouncer before landing his first small part in a major movie back in 1996, "Armageddon" starring Bruce Willis. From that, he got a starring role opposite Tom Hanks in the 1999 prison drama "The Green Mile." His role for inmate John Coffey on death row gained him an Best Supporting Actor nomination for the Academy Awards. He went on to other big movies like the box office flop of the remake "Planet of the Apes" and "The Whole Nine Yards." Duncan was recently seen in the short lived Fox crime drama "The Finder" with Geoff Stults. Through all his roles, film and TV, he sure had a commanding deep voice that was so distinct it landed him many animated roles such as "Kung Fu Panda." Duncan was a big guy with a huge heart and warm smile. I had the pleasure of meeting him once and he was nothing short of kind and welcoming. He was 54.
Facts & Tips:
Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of a blue whale.
"Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead." - Fionnula Flanagan as Mrs. Bertha Mills in "The Others."
LABOR DAY EDITION
Usually this weekend signifies the end of summer for just about every industry. This is the time when families tend to take the final vacation with everyone like camping or going to Disneyland. It is also when students return to school the next day for almost everyone from pre-school to college. Some did start earlier but have what they call soft-starts where they spend half-days to get to know the school and teachers, especially helpful for those new students in the area or the ones coming up from the previous grade level. Now, I hope with it, the heat will end as well!!
Weekly Update:
Had a pretty busy week again but I would say the highlight was Friday. Started off pretty busy in the morning as I went to Nickelodeon Studios in Burbank. As I was leaving, who was coming in?
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Paul Reubens - Pee Wee Herman himself! He was a really GREAT guy and chatted with him for about 15 minutes.
Then later that night I went to a premiere of some sort but honestly, a real premiere is not on a Friday night let alone a holiday weekend! It was for this film called "Supercapitalist" and honestly it just wasn't that good, definitely the independent of independents if that is even possible. Probably should have gone straight to DVD. I won't get those almost 2 hours back. The film looked good visually but the main character's acting was very sub-par and overall story, seen it, it was called "Wall Street." It also had a lot of slow moments which would almost put me to sleep.
At the movies:
Interesting week at the box office considering it was a 4-day weekend as we close out the summer of 2012. In at #1 is the new horror film of
The Possession with a decent 17.7 million. New at #2 and opened on a Wednesday is the crime-drama of
Lawless which opened to a 6-day cume of 11.8 mil. Holding ground at #3 is "The Expendables 2" with another 8.8 mil. Steady hold at #4 is "The Bourne Legacy" earning an extra 7.3 mil as it closes in on the 100 mil cume mark. Rounding off the top 5 is "ParaNorman" with another 6.6 mil as we see its summer come to an end.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as the kids film
Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure scores a hefty .7 mil (700,000) for its debut, enough to take the #25 spot! This is a really bad number giving it a per screen average of only $207 which in this industry, anything below $6,000 for a major wide-release is beyond poor. I almost worked on this film but I knew after I saw it, whoever released it was going to take a major loss of epic proportions and so they did. Right now it is being reported as the worst film opening of all time.
Quote of the week:
"I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends ... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them." - Adlai E. Stevenson Jr.
Other News:
Another sad week in Hollywood in both music and entertainment. Legendary songwriter Hal David passed away at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to complications from a stroke. David is remembered for his works in the both film and TV for the tremendous impactful music he wrote. Some of his best works probably include "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" which is used in so many films but was originally written for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" back in 1969. He also won the Oscar for that very song for Best Music, Original Song. David also contributed music to "Forrest Gump," "Goodfellas" and "Fargo." He also wrote the lyrics to the song "What's New Pussycat" for the 1965 film of the same name. His music has been borrowed and used in many TV productions including various Academy Award telecasts, "The Simpsons," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and many more. He has also teamed up with some notable musicians as well such as Burt Bacharach, Julio Iglesias, Willie Nelson, Henry Mancini and John Barry. David was a musical legend for so many decades. Hal David was 91.
Facts & Tips:
Miami installed the first ATM for rollerbladers.
"Yes. It's in your blood - it's in the blood of ALL Frankensteins. It reaches the
soul when words are useless. Your grandfather used to play it to the creature HE
vas making."- Cloris Leachman as Frau Bluecher in "Young Frankenstein."
At the movies:
Facts & Tips:
