Sometimes it is a difficult task coming up with topic ideas for this blog. Other times, the right image or article will cause everything to fall into place, as if pre-ordained by God Himself. In this case the image here (actually, both images: The one of the left absolutely required me to find the one [...]

Sorry, but I was just floored by this ratings summary by Variety:
A closer look at the Nielsens for the preem of “HSM2”:

The movie easily outdrew the previous record for a cable movie, set by TNT’s “Crossfire Trail” in January 2001 (15.5 million). And it also bested the previous basic-cable record audience for any telecast, 16.0 [...]

STEVE MCQUEEN’S FERRARI FETCHES 2.3 MILLION AT AUCTION
This brings the average price of used cars way way up.
FANS MARK 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ELVIS’ DEATH
Elvis himself considers coming out of hiding to join in fun.
TOM CRUISE PRODUCTION COMPANY RAISES 500 MILLION
We will never be rid of this guy!
MARY-KATE OLSON AND BEN KINGSLEY HAVE KISSING [...]

I worked in movie theatres for years. Not as long as Dan has, but it was my college job and I managed several theatres in San Francisco. It was the dying last days of single-screen theatres in the City, and they were each treasures: the Egyptian-styled Alexandria 3, The Réne Lalíque-inspired Metro, the postwar Moderne [...]

High School Musical - a phenomenon so enormous that people will even interview the WRITER of it.
In a rare network television appearance, Peter Barsocchini (HSM, HSM2, DROP ZONE, and one time producer of THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW) explains his unlikely participation in the unlikely mega-success of everyone’s favorite made-for-cable tween musical comedy. Interesting, if for [...]

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the passing of Elvis Presley, who died of a heart attack on August 16 1977. If you’re more of an optimist, you can look at this as the 30th anniversary of the lucrative Elvis post-mortem marketing dynamo.
There are talks of opening an Elvis-themed resort in Vegas, which at this [...]

Matt Damon is doing a lot of interviews lately. Perahaps too many, not to put too fine a point on it. Look what he said recently in London, at the UK premiere of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM:
“Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it, and drinks Martinis and cracks jokes… [...]

Box Office Weekly #079 (MP3 - 16.2 MB - 23.5 min)
Listen here:

In todays show: Imus settles his suit, to be paid in monkey glands… YouTube asks Colbert and Stewart to testify against their boss… and in this week’s commentary; Skot tries to put his desperation on mute. All this and Merv haunts my show, today [...]

I went out a lot over the weekend.
-daniel k

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
–Henry David Thoreau, from his book Walden, 1854
Quite honestly, I believed the line “quiet desperation” came from this source below. I still think most average English-speaking people of a certain age do as well:
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come [...]