TORONTO EDITION
Took a trip out of ... THE COUNTRY but it was only Canada. I mean really, is going to Canada traveling to another country? I feel like it should just be another US state or called USA-Lite or something because that is what it's like. The weather this time of year has been nice, high 70's but night it felt like mid 60's and we are next to one of the Great Lakes. One cool thing about the stay here, the hotel windows from the room ... the Roger's Centre which is where a Canadian football team plays and the Toronto Blue Jays so I watched part of a football game from my window and then watch them convert it to a baseball diamond for an upcoming game. Pretty cool.
Weekly Update:
Spent pretty much Thursday through Sunday at the Toronto Fan Expo and it was pretty dang exhausting but pretty neat and cool. While there I managed to grab a few snaps with some folks for the collection:
*Colin Baker - the 6th Doctor from Doctor Who and a cool guy.
*Vic Mignogna - voice-over actor and a nice guy.
*Joe Dante - Director of "Gremlins" and a great guy.
*Alice Cooper - Born Vincent Furnier and a really awesome guy!
*Hulk Hogan - Born Terry Bollea and pretty nice guy.
*Sam Witwer - From the show "Being Human" and a super guy.
*Ian McDiarmid - Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars and a nice guy.
*Shawn Ashmore - from "The Following" and X-Men films and a nice guy.
*Laurie Holden - from "Walking Dead" and very sweet.
*Steven Yeun - From the "Walking Dead" and an amazing guy.
*Ken Foree - From "Dawn of the Dead" and "Devil's Rejects" and a pretty cool guy.
*Jason Priestley - Best known from Beverly Hills, 90210 and a pretty cool guy.
*Luke Perry - Also from the original 90210 and a really cool guy!
*Zachary Quinto - the new "Star Trek" and the TV series "Heroes" and a very awesome guy.
*Karl Urban - also from the new "Star Trek" and a really nice guy.
At the movies:
A little surprise at the box office as "Lee Daniel's The Butler" claims the box office crown for the 2nd week in a row. This drama earns a nice 17 mil and has reached 52 mil cume not to mention the award season buzz it will get. Holding ground at #2 is "We're the Millers" with 13.5 mil as it is not just shy of 100 mil cume. New at #3 is the teenage drama Mortal Instruments: City of Bones earns a disappointing 9.3 mil. Also new at #4 is the third Cornetto sequel The World's End with 8.9 mil. Holding on to 5th place is "Planes" with an extra 8.6 mil as it pushes its way to hopefully 80 mil cume.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week didn't crack the top 5. In at #7 is the thriller You're Next with only 7 mil but considering how all the films did this week, that isn't too far off from the rest.
Quote of the week:
"There's no business like show business, but there are several businesses like accounting." - David Letterman
Other News:
Ten bizarre things you can get form a vending machine ... let's see, shall we! 10) Doggy Bath - the Dog-O-Matic machine offers a full doggy wash for about 25 Euros and takes about 30 mins apparently. #9) Quick Wedding - this seems very possible since Vegas is know for this anyway but why not through a machine now. #8) Live lobster - Lobster Zone, cost about $10 per lobster and operates like a claw game machine! #7) Bike parts - this makes a lot of sense in areas where bikes are the main mode of transportation or universities/schools in general. #6) Hot pizza - I've seen this vending machine before ... along with hot dogs and other foods. #5) A hairdo - This is new and I can see this for a pretty basic style or two but I wouldn't use something like this ... although its for a do and not a cut. #4) Gold bars - Someone told me about this but have yet to see it. #3) Baby goods - why not if we can have toys and foods. Even more sense for these in points of transportation nodes like airports for something you may have forgotten while traveling. #2) Books on demand - Just like toys and such, I can totally see this. Problem is keeping it stocked with current or popular titles. #1) Swapped things (pictured) - The Swap-O-Matic ... you bring unused, slightly used items to donate and it gives points which can be used towards other things ... interesting.
Facts & Tips:
Greyhounds can reach speeds of 45 miles per hour.
"Two men skating together? And in our division, no less! Why, Stranz? Why is God singling us out to the greatest suffering the world has ever known?" - Amy Poehler as Fairchild Van Waldenberg in "Blades of Glory."
Sure has been hot lately but I suppose that goes with the season. Can't say much about that but at least the nights continue to remain very cool. I remember one summer where the nights were just as hot or muggy as the day so still needed to run some AC during that time through the night or I couldn't sleep. That was a few years ago and I don't think we have had those kinds of nights in some time which is great. Well I hope this not-so-hot summer means a nice fall and a great winter!
Weekly Update:
Hmmm so what did I end up doing this week ... dog sat for a bit earlier in the week and then finished with dog sitting a different dog starting on Sunday for a couple of days. Went to two charity events, that was pretty fun. One was a movie and watched "Kick-Ass 2" since I really enjoyed the first one. This one wasn't as good but still enjoyable and raising money for charity. Then the next night (Thursday) went to a charity event at my local comic book store called Extra Life. They were playing table top games to help raise money for CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County) and this is also to build up to a game-a-thon on November 2nd of 25 hours of playing games. Kind of a cool charity I might have to look more into. After all, I like playing games and helping children so this seems pretty cool.
At the movies:
Drama earns the crown this week and could be the start of an early award season ... At #1 is Lee Daniels' The Butler with a nice 25 million to open. Slight drop to #2 is "We're the Millers" earning a decent 17.8 mil as it slowly makes its way to a possible 100 mil cume. Average drop to #3 is "Elysium" with 13.6 mil as it will fall very short of that 100 mil cume mark for this big budget sci-fi thriller. New at #4 is the sequel Kick-Ass 2 with only 13.6 mil as that falls short of not only the first film but industry standards as well. Rounding off the top 5 is "Planes" with another 13.1 mil as this one quickly comes in for a landing and put into the hanger.
New films that did not make the top 5:
As we have come to the end of the summer season, we have two films that fell short for the seasonal break. In at #7 is the bio-pic jOBS with only 6.7 mil which also continues the loosing streak for this film studio. I also do not think there has been one successful film that has used Facebook for its home page either. In at #13 is the action-thriller "Paranoia" which has no website, that seems so 1999 to me .... but they had a nice opening of only 3.5 mil and will probably be lucky to hit 15.
Quote of the week:
"Some people have a way with words, and other people not have way." - Steve Martin
Other News:
So stumbled across this little gem .. 13 Things Theatre Employees Won't Tell You ... really? Having been on that side of the business for nearly 15 years, let's see ... #13) Popcorn has a chemical in it to make its aroma fill the theatre - wrong. Popcorn smells like popcorn, its like cooking inside your house and if you don't have windows, where does the smell go? #12) Other large format is actually lower quality than IMAX and it is used because easier to maintain - wrong! Theatre circuit's are tired of having to give part of the ticket sales as well as licensing fees to IMAX so investing in their own is cheaper but not in the sense you think. #11) 1st month or two of a movie, ticket sales goes to studios - correct and incorrect. Every ticket sales goes to the studio but the percentages are what matters. The first 2 weeks a theatre/studio split is about 40/60, 50/50 for smaller studios. Sometimes second but by third week it flips to 60/40 or 70/30 in favor of the theatre. Do not let them fool you, they are making way more now on ticket sales than say 3 years ago. #10) Know all the methods of sneaking in but don't bother to kick you out - yes and no, if you are lazy than sure but if you care about your job, I have kicked many out and have people arrested for sneaking in ... it is basically stealing. #9) The only foods I trust are popcorn, drinks and boxed candy ... don't trust pretzel, hot dogs and nachos - that is personal choice because boxed candy guarantees certain number of bug and rodent parts/feces by the manufacturer. I have seen WAY dirty drink heads ... so personal preference. #8) Yelling at employees to put on a show - WRONG. This is always unacceptable to yell at an employee in public and in fact several states its considered harassment. Know your labor laws! #7) Concession Combo deals don't save money - this could be very true actually but that is almost the same with fast food places. #6) Saving calories by ordering a small but that small could have been a medium last month - I don't understand this but popcorn is overall good for you. #5) Microwaves can't cook frozen pizzas fast - most theatres use special ovens but microwaves are back-ups in cases of rushes of people. #4) Can't give extra cups, everything is inventory - this is very true. #3) Excess garbage sweeped under the seats - they are not doing their job then. Sure one may miss something but I could clean a 500 seat theatre in under 2 mins with myself plus 1 helper. #2) Movies start late - the movie or the presentation? Trailers are considered part of the movie presentation. #1) Popcorn keeps for a day or two, customers confuse warm with fresh - not really, popcorn will go stale after a few hours even if you do warm it up.
Facts & Tips:
Pistol shrimp can make a noise loud enough to break glass.
"I'm the nightmare your mama told you about!" - Terence Knox as Sgt. Clayton 'Zeke' Anderson in the TV series "Tour of Duty."
Seems like our weather so far for August has stabilized to be warm but not hot ... cool breezes and nights. So overall pretty nice. You always wish weather can be like this year round but just doesn't happen ... we did have some days of humidity which is still very uncommon for here but at least it isn't every other day of that because that would just be so miserable then. Aside from that, pretty nice this week and hope we get more of it! Now we just need is some ocean (which really isn't that far) with no one on it (that is the problem), a couple of palm trees near the sand and a hammock to swing back and forth on ... yeah, that would really be nice!! How about some drinks and food! Ok, now I am just daydreaming here but being in Hawaii on vacation or a cruise really spoils you.
Weekly Update:
Had a pretty eventful week for the most part. All throughout I was helping here and there with a local comic book store move and preparing for a re-grand opening at a brand new place. The new place is probably three times bigger than the existing so tons of room yet with all the stock, it looks pretty dang filled. But also during the week I was asked to help an actress (not a big name one) with her social media:
*Lili Bordan - From various sci-fi shows like "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome" and INCREDIBLY awesome person!
Then later that same day I met up with the actress, I went to a police event in Hollywood and it turned out another actress was there, not sure why but who cares! So managed to grab a quick pic with her:
*Pauley Perrette - best known from "NCIS" and very cool.
At the movies:
Not a big surprise at the box office as we come to the end of summer ... sci-fi continues to dominate but not by much anymore as Elysium earns to the #1 spot having a weekend total of 30.5 million. A nice presence at #2 with an R-Rated comedy is We're the Millers earning a decent 26.6 mil for the weekend (5-day total of 38 mil with a Wednesday opening). This should have decent legs till Labor Day. Probably the last animated film to do anything for the summer is Planes with only 22.5 mil while Pixar/Disney tries to capitalize on the "Cars" craze with airplanes ... but just didn't work. Also new this weekend at #4 is the franchise of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters earning only 14.6 mil for the weekend (5-day total of 23.5 mil) and my guess is this franchise is done in the theatres. Rounding off the top 5 is "2 Guns" in its 2nd week earning an extra 11.1 mil as like all the summer films winding down.
Quote of the week:
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan
Other News:
How about this one ... 10 weird facts about cereal! #10) Pink Poop - back in 1971 General Mills introduced Franken Berry with a die that did not absorb into the human body and came out the same color it went in. #9) Extinct Cereals - Several brands of cereals that are themed to TV or celebrities disappear but then end up on eBay for hundreds of dollars. #8) Cap'n Crunch - Full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch and born on Crunch Island in the Sea of Milk ... and he isn't a Captain because he is missing one rung on his on his sleeve which is one below a naval captain. #7) Vegans - cereal (aside from the milk) isn't for vegans. Most cereals use an animal-based ingredient from the lanolin of sheep. #6) John Harvey Kellogg - This was an odd man who ran an odd company back in the day. From enemas to a pint of yogurt after you received it ... but you eat half the pint while the other was shot up into you. #5) Mascots (pictured) - If there isn't an celebrity or athlete endorsements then there was the mascot. #4) Yukon Territory - This is more of an advertising technique of linking a TV show with a product, in this case the "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon" sponsored by Quaker Oats. #3) Atomic Bomb Ring - This probably started the prize in the box craze. #2) Crunch Berry Lawsuit - In 2009, a California woman filed a class-action lawsuit against PepsiCo, the parent company of Quaker, sued against Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries claiming they weren't real fruit ... really. The suit was dismissed. #1) Phreaking - In 1964, the son of an Air Force engineer enlisted in the USAF and promptly put his technical skills to use by hacking into a telephone switchboard and had friends making free phone calls ... he was nicknamed "Cap'n Crunch" ... yeah, that is the tie-in here folks, pretty lame.
Facts & Tips:
To temporarily revive your ballpoint pen, dip the tip into hot water for a few seconds.
"Blunt force trauma to the back of the skull ..." - Robert David Hall as Dr. Al Robbins in the TV series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Humid! Plain and simple ... it has been humid here and we are not a humid area. I felt like Florida in early Fall, not sure what is going on ... it can't be global warming because that doesn't exist according to people ... yeah right. We get heat here, it is Southern California but it's direct heat, straight from the sun and almost zero moisture. The humidity makes everything sticky and gross that you just want to take another shower after being outside for 5 minutes or less. I have literally experienced that before when I have been in Orlando in mid-October, it is simply not pleasant at all.
Weekly Update:
Somewhat of a normal week but got a chance to head to a recording studio again to watch some work being done on a Blizzard game and/or expansion, can't really say at this time. But the studio they do it has other people there doing other things for games, videos and shows. So while having lunch, there was a girl hanging out in the tiny kitchen and managed to sneak a picture with her just in case ... turns out, she was someone I knew from various movies!
*Alyson Stone - best known from "Step Up 3D" and she was VERY cool to hang out and chat with for about 30 or so minutes.
Aside from that the rest of the week was pretty nice and mellow.
At the movies:
Action and comics take the box office as the film 2 Guns shoots up the crown earning a nice 27.4 mil for its 3-day weekend. This film is based on an actual comic book, who knew! Holding ground at #2 is "The Wolverine" with another 21.7 mil as it reaches 95 mil cume, sure to break 100 by Tuesday. New at #3 is the sequel to our beloved childhood friends ... Smurfs 2 with only a weekend total of 18 mil and a 5-day total (opened on Wednesday) of 27.6 mil. Holding solid ground at #4 is "The Conjuring" with 13.7 mil as it breaks the 100 mil cume mark. Rounding off the top 5 is "Despicable Me 2" earning another 10.4 mil as it slowly reaches the 350 mil mark for domestic box office.
Quote of the week:
"Social networks are to socializing what reality TV is to reality." - Aaron Sorkin
Other News:
Now this is a cool list ... top 10 Greatest Syndicated Comic Strips in American. In this day and age the printed medium is fading extremely fast but till then, these are the comics who have "made it" in their world and though it won't be the same as online, they can still enjoy their glory for a couple more years probably. #10) Krazy Kat - written and drawn by George Herriman and ran from 1913 to 1944 in papers ... not one I am familiar with but have actually heard of before! #9) Liberty Meadows - By Frank Cho and have seen this comic but was never really a fan. Couldn't get into it at all. #8) Garfield - by Jim Davis and I actually got to meet him once when the original movie came out. I grew up on this but looking back I wonder why. It ran for pretty much two decades and I always felt bad for Odie the dog. #7) Li'l Abner - by Al Capp and this has been an American classic even though I never really followed it. Capp drew this comic for 43 years. #6) Opus - by Berkeley Breathed and I never knew he had his own comic. The lovable penguin was part of Bloom County and that is the comic strip I know. #5) Doonsebury - by Garry Trudeau and I found this to be one of the boring-est comics on the face of the planet, even today. I was never a fan but I do recognize his place in comic strip history. #4) Peanuts - by legendary Charles Schulz who drew this comic for 50 years and should be much higher on the list, closer to #2 even ... a beloved American classic. #3) Pogo - by Walt Kelly, never read this but have heard of it. Was in the time frame from 1948 to 1975. #2) The Far Side - by Gary Larson, what made this comic so appealing was its quickness to the joke, even a one-frame picture at times. It was both funny and fun ... lot of newspaper clippings and calendars are out there for this one. #1) Calvin and Hobbes (pictured) - by Bill Watterson. Another one I grew up on from day one and thought the world was being seen through a stuffed tiger's eyes.
Facts & Tips:
At 5 feet, the whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America.
"What? No. I'm from Saskatchewan. The hinjews of Saskatchewan. Some thought we were a cult of some sort." - Vik Sahay as Lester Patel in the TV series "Chuck."
At the movies:
Facts & Tips:
