Hot and cold ... but mostly cold. Had a day of rain but was promised two ... well, maybe not promised but the weather people were so sure we would get with two solid days of rain but ended up with maybe a few hours on just one day. I thought in this day in age the systems and technology are much more accurate than that, how can it be so far off?? Getting the temps in a range is one thing but when that range is within 7 degrees? Really? A couple degrees is good but I can tell someone a range like that. Is the weather so unpredictable and our technology not that good we can't get a better accuracy?
Weekly Update:
Pretty quiet week in general which was nice but I think it felt quiet because of the holiday the past Monday. I do like short weeks and I think we should change the standard work week to 4 days with a 3-day weekend ... I think that makes more sense and we can just work 10 hours a day instead. OR have a hump day and still work 10 hour days but give us Wednesdays off along with the weekend. I am good with either plans if someone in the government wants to make it official ... I will be happy to vote for it.
On another note, I may have mentioned I found a new comic book store near by called The Comic Book Hideout. It is a nice little gem and the people who own it and work there are very cool. Although I may not be into comics like I use to be, it does bring back some fond memories of when I was in high school and beyond and getting my issues each week. Now I am trying to unload and sell my comics but I do appreciate them and I will probably keep certain ones and who knows, maybe I will pick one up every now and then for old time sake. But for now, I just enjoy spending a little time at the shop and simply hanging out like I use to.
At the movies:
Kind of a quiet weekend at the box office but that is to be expected. In at #1 is the comedy "Identity Thief" wit another 14.1 mil as it closes in at 100 mil cume. New at #2 is Snitch with 13 mil and will probably end there. Doing well at #3 is "Escape From Planet Earth" earns another 11 mil. Holding ground at #4 is "Safe Haven" with 10.6 mil as it closes in at 50 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is "A Good Day to Die Hard" which is a substantial drop from last week with only 10 mil.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week as Dark Skies comes in at #6 with only 8.9 mil and pretty much done before it started.
Quote of the week:
"It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating." - Oscar Wilde
Other News:
Sunday night was Hollywood's big event with the 84th Annual Academy Awards held at the now Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Overall the show was below par, the new host of Seth MacFarlane was luke warm at best. He presented himself well but the skits were just bad and the singing boring. Does he always have to sing now? I could do without it. No big surprises this year as everyone that won is pretty much what I would have picked and if not, I had 2nd choices which ended up being who won. Ang Lee for best director for "Life of Pi" was my 2nd place as I thought Spielberg would have won for "Lincoln." Daniel Day Lewis for "Lincoln" was my pic along with "Argo" for Best Picture since Ben did not get the director nomination. Jennifer Lawrence was my first pick for "Silver Linings Playbook" and Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables" for supporting. "Amour" was the lock for Foreign Language and Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained." For both Best Animated and short were obvious with "Brave" and "Paperman" so I think all in all ... I probably scored about 7 out of 8 depending on what categories one would pick to guess upon.
Facts & Tips:
Hawaii is the only US state that grows coffee.
"Game over." - Betsy Russell as Jill in "Saw VI."
What is with all the meteors and asteroids lately? Interesting how we sort of hear about it the day of them coming by the earth where they are actually visible and parts of one burn up in the atmosphere. You would think with all the telescopes out there and satellites we would have had some advance notice. OR, did we all know but didn't really pay attention? I would think something like this would be headline news days prior but never noticed anything. Or did I not look at the right publications and should have been reading NASA Journal or LOOK UP Magazine? Do these even exist?? Well regardless, nothing happened, you blinked you missed it. Pictured is the meteor that broke up in the atmosphere over Russia earlier this week.
Weekly Update:
Went to a small premiere on Tuesday for a basically straight to video release called "Shanghai Calling," didn't watch all of it but it was pretty funny from what I did see. Met up with some friends there and met some new people as well from the film:
*Sean Gallagher - new on the scene and a cool guy.
*Zhu Zhu - Chinese actress in a few roles but very sweet.
On Sunday went to D-Land for some craziness. It could have been worse being a holiday and all but wasn't too bad. I saw the World of Color show and it was OK. I am not a big fan of images being projected onto water because it just doesn't look that sharp or clear to me but the other stuff they did with lights and fire, that was pretty nice.
At the movies:
No major surprises at the box office this weekend as A Good Day To Die Hard led the holiday pack with a nice 25 million opening. Holding strong at #2 is "Identity Thief" with an extra 23.4 mil as it quickly climbs to the 100 mil cume mark. New at #3 is the romantic-action-drama Safe Haven with 21.4 mil. No official website can be found for this film except a Facebook page, lame. New at #4 is the family animated film Escape from Planet Earth with 16.1 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is the rom-zom "Warm Bodies" with another 9 mil.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week which is one I thought would do poorly. In at #6 is Beautiful Creatures with only 7.5 mil for its debut and will finish not to far from there.
Quote of the week:
"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something." - Steve Jobs
Other News:
One of the big news stories of the week is the cop killer and how he took out police and innocent civilians because they were associated with officers. I won't mention the name of the killer because he shouldn't even be recognized for what he did but instead, I will mention the names of the victims for they should be remembered and honored. The killer is believed to have killed Monica Quan (28) and her fiance Keith Lawrence (27) in the city of Irvine. He did ambush at least one officer, shot dead at the scene. He was Riverside police Officer Michael Crain (34). I thought there was a 2nd but the story doesn't indicated another. When the killer was trapped in a cabin/house in Big Bear or around that area, he did hit two officers which one was killed, San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Jeremiah MacKay (35). His partner, Alex Collins, was seriously wounded but is expected to recover. Upon further details, it looks like the partner of Officer Crain was wounded and looks like will recover as well. The killer's body was found near or in the burnt wreckage of a fire he more than likely created after a manhunt for him had started.
Facts & Tips:
About 85% of the world's population is right-handed.
"Guys? I don't feel so good." - Lizzy Caplan as Marlena Diamond in "Cloverfield."
Kind of a crazy weather week with reports of hail in the Southland. I didn't see any of it because the day it was hailing (supposedly) in the OC, I was in LA. And when I was in LA, I had nothing but sun till I drove out of the parking garage and it was raining but not too much. The days were very cool, maybe mid 60's but the nights were crazy cold like mid 40's. Now this is winter! But very little rain which was disappointing in general because we can always use it and my car can use the wash.
Weekly Update:
Wow am I ever tired this week. I have had to wake up earlier than normal all week and I don't like it one bit. I did get to sleep in a little on Saturday but not enough, I sure could use a lot more. In fact, as I am writing this out I want to take a nap. But aside from lack of sleep, it was a pretty tame and boring week overall. Not much going on at all but it could be from just simply being drained maybe. I did find this cool new comic book store near by, only been open for about 3 months. They are very small but very cool and its called The Comic Book Hideout. I wish it was in a better shopping center but there is plenty of party, just not a lot of (or any) foot traffic. But what can you do I suppose and rent could be good there. I hope they make it, need more of these types of stores around because they are disappearing thanks to the Internet.
At the movies:
Not a big surprise at the box office but the amount is surprising. In at #1 with a BIG margin is the comedy Identity Thief with 36.6 million for its debut. I don't think anyone saw this gross coming. Slight drop to #2 is "Warm Bodies" with another 11.5 mil. New at #3 is Side Effects with 10 mil for its opening. Hanging in at #4 is "The Silver Linings Playbook" with an extra 6.9 mil as it quickly makes it way to an 100 mil cume. Rounding off the top 5 is "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" with another 5.8 mil as it quickly comes to a burn out.
Quote of the Week:
"I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad." - William Shakespeare
Other News:
Here is a cool list ... top 10 movies that battled for blockbuster success ... #10) The Road vs The Book of Eli - I never saw either movie, they both looked bad to me but I believe in terms of blockbuster The Book of Eli won while The Road received more praise. #9) Top Gun vs Iron Eagle - hands down Top Gun was the better movie, I think the kid aspect ruined Iron Eagle. #8) Return of the Jedi vs The Last Starfighter - tough one for me because Starfighter had so much potential but obviously Jedi won this one easily. #7) Lincoln vs Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - of course the first one is nothing but critical acclaim but Vampire Hunter just sounds funny ... however it isn't a comedy and did very poorly. #6) Ben-Hur vs Spartacus - wow, this is a tough one because both are awesome classics! Ben-Hur brought home the gold which mattered more back in that day. #5) Dante's Peak vs Volcano - I remember the era of disaster films and how each year there was two of them with similar situations ... I am not sure which one won but I think they both did poorly. #4) Tombstone vs Wyatt Earp - Tombstone hands down won this one as Wyatt Earp was nothing but very long and very boring. #3) Deep Impact vs Armageddon (pictured) - another two of the disaster movies yet Armageddon came out on top on many levels include music oddly enough! #2) Braveheart vs Rob Roy - both had critical acclaim but I found Rob Roy rather boring compared to Braveheart which I think ultimately won on many levels. #1) Saving Private Ryan vs The Thin Red Line - Ryan was an amazing movie with some great effects while Thin Red Line ... just disappeared and didn't really attract much.
Facts & Tips:
The Lemon-Yellow Tree Frog is only active in the darkness of night.
"champagne wishes and caviar dreams." - Robin Leach on the TV series "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."
Hot and cold ... make up your mind. This week it was pretty much warm days and cold nights. I mean I guess that is how it should be but for winter time it should be cold all the time. If I have to wear a jacket, I just want to be able to wear it all day and night, simple. But I guess it can never be that simple. I wouldn't mind some rain but only after I get to the office and then it pauses till I get home, perfect. We had some good rain recently but then I noticed up in the mountains it wasn't very snow covered so we clearly need more so we can ensure some fresher water for a few more months once the season is over.
Weekly Update:
On Friday morning, and I mean MORNING!! I went to Universal Studios for some re-shoots of the upcoming film R.I.P.D. which is one of this summer blockbusters. Can't say much about the film but I did grab some pics with a couple of people and found a bunch of minions running rampant the lot as well:
*Robert Schwentke - Director of the film and a really cool guy.
*Marisa Miller - Supermodel and in the film, super awesome.
Then on Saturday morning, went to a special (and small) event to launch Stan Lee's Kids Universe and met the host:
*Jaime Pressly - best known from "My Name is Earl" and super cool. Funny thing, I met her YEARS ago back in Atlantic City during a convention and we talked for about 10 minutes but at that time, no one really knew who she was.
At the movies:
The unusual rom-com wins the box office as Warn Bodies earns an ice 20.5 million for its debut during the award season and Super Bowl madness. The movie is a little slow but cute and fun to watch at least once. Average drop to #2 is "Hansel and Gretal: Witch Hunters" with 9.2 mil more. Slow drop to #3 is "The Silver Linings Playbook" with 8.1 mil as it continues its way to 100 mil cume. Slight drop to #4 is "Mama" with 6.7 mil and should fizzle out pretty soon. Rounding off the top 5 is "Zero Dark Thirty" with 5.3 mil.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just two this week (which isn't good) ... at #6 is the action film Bullet to the Head with only 4.5 mil for its debut. Not good for a brand new film with over 2400 screens. All the way down to #17 is the comedy Stand Up Guys with only 1.5 mil but in their defense they only went on less than 700 screens.
Quote of the week:
"The toughest thing about being a success is that you've got to keep on being a success." - Irving Berlin
Other News:
Eight Retailers That Will Close the Most Stores by 24/7 Wall St. These are the top eight retailers to not completely disappear but close the most stores in 2013 and honestly, none of them really surprise me at this moment. I don't really see any kind of order of these other than they just put them in 1 through 8. #8) RadioShack (pictured) - I know a few years ago they tried to re-brand which didn't work and they estimate 450 to 550 out of their 4,412 stores closing. They had a one-year stock performance of (68.1%) and really surprised they are still around with their 2nd rate quality merchandise at very high prices. #7) OfficeMax - 150 to 175 out of 872 stores to close. They had a one-year stock performance of 80.8% which doesn't sound terrible to me but I prefer Staples. #6) Gamestop - 500 to 600 out of its 4,471 stores with a (2.2%) 1-year stock performance. I was never a big fan of Gamestop because I thought they completely ignored computer gaming for console gaming and had overpriced their merchandise. #5) Barnes & Noble Booksellers - 190 to 240 of their 689 stores and had a 1-year stock performance of 8.95% Booksellers have been struggling for years now but I like B&N. #4) Office Depot - 125 to 150 of it's 1,114 stores with a 1-year stock of 50.7% #3) J.C. Penny - 300 to 350 of it's 1,100 stores and a 1-year stock of (53.6%). JC Penny recently went through a new policy and company image change which apparently didn't work and they are back-peddling. #2) Sears Holding Corp. - 175 to 225 of its 2,118 stores with 1-year stock of 8.8% I would think Sears would close more than that with strong competition from other retailers and especially online. #1) Best Buy - 200 to 250 out of their 1,056 stores with a 1-year stock of (36.8%). I think in general online and very poor in-store customer service is what hit them hard. I have had nothing but positive experiences but have read so many negative in-store incidents.
Facts & Tips:
Licking a stamp burns 10 calories.
"Your species is even weaker than I expected." - Clifton Collins, Jr. as Ayel in "Star Trek."
On another note, I may have mentioned I found a new comic book store near by called The Comic Book Hideout. It is a nice little gem and the people who own it and work there are very cool. Although I may not be into comics like I use to be, it does bring back some fond memories of when I was in high school and beyond and getting my issues each week. Now I am trying to unload and sell my comics but I do appreciate them and I will probably keep certain ones and who knows, maybe I will pick one up every now and then for old time sake. But for now, I just enjoy spending a little time at the shop and simply hanging out like I use to.
At the movies:
Facts & Tips:
