The Future of Design

Smarter Than the Average Bear

2008-10-20T23:24:00.000-07:00

Guess who is coming to theaters...Yogi Bear! This is cool. He was one my favorite Hanna-Barbera creations. I would say he is number one on my list, but I recall driving my cousins crazy with seemingly endless viewings of The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones. The bear will have to settle for runner up.

The film will bring Yogi, Boo Boo, and the rest of the gang from Jellystone Park together in live action/CGI format, much like last year's successful Alvin and the Chipmunks. This new project was announced just a few weeks ago, I would guess a 2010 release.

Yay

2008-10-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've been so excited for this movie for like a month. The latest Clint Eastwood film, Changeling, staring Angelina Jolie opens October 24th. Talk about Oscars...I can't wait!

Splitsville

2008-10-09T06:16:00.001-07:00

I'm actually sad about this. Holly Madison and Hugh Hefner Have called it quits. Geez, I'm bummed. Poor ole' Hef is so old. He's 82. What is he going to do? Die alone or die with some bitch he just met sucking on his cock?! Apparently He let Holly know months ago that marriage and children were not gonna happen. It seems as if he was never officially divorced from his wife whom he seperated from years ago. Smart cookie, he doesn't wanna give that bitch half. HAHA. At the moment Kendra and Bridget will remain in the house.

Hef is still looking forward to a sixth season of The Girl's Next Door, and is content with finding new girls to fill any spaces. Useless celebrity gossip I know. Though full to the brim with T and A, the show is one of the few reality programs that doesn't feel staged and doesn't resort to fights, drama, and foul behavior to attract viewers. That is why I'm sad the show may be in question.

September Movies

2008-10-08T03:49:00.000-07:00

These are the films I watched in the past month. Below is my rating scale.

Shit _
Lackluster *
Enjoyable **
Good ***
Excellent ****
Classic *****

The Apartment - 1960 ***
I really enjoyed the concept of this film. This Best Picture winner tells the story of a loveable pushover (Jack Lemon) who allocates time for higher ups at his office, who in favor insure his advancement in the company, to use his Upper East Side apartment for their extramarital relations. Shirley McClaine plays the young love interest. Good story, I thought it was clever.

Baby Mama - 2008 **
I Really wanted to love this movie. In the end I found it enjoyable. The story of the surrogate mother (Amy Poehler) of a woman who cannot conceive (Tina Fey) is light hearted and has a couple laugh out loud one liners. The style in the film is very fresh, perhaps too fresh. My silly self was caught on the fact that the relatively hillbilly Poehler seems way too stylish and put together. Something just bothered me with the over polished feel. Mean Girls was funnier.

Burn After Reading - 2008 ***
This is the only film I saw at a theater in September, which is a good thing because my attention may have been strained had I later watched it at home. The Cohen Brothers are back after their Best Picture win last awards season for No Country for Old Men, a film I prefer, with this dark comedy. Burn is cooky, crazy, vulgar fun. Though not difficult to follow I sometimes felt a lack of cohesiveness. One unexpected scene with Brad Pitt became my favorite. It was entertaining. There were not as many laughs as I imagined. The movie caters to specific tastes.

National Treasure Book of Secrets - 2007 **
I love subjects on exploration. Having traveled to many places when I was younger including, exploring ghost towns, mines, finding mammoth bones in the artic, visiting national parks etc., was what excited me to watch this sequel. Its your normal summer big budget movie. Not original but lots of fun! One other thing, "Book of Secrets" was also the sequel to Blair Witch, and a horrific flop. Sad, The original was the most successful film ever (by profit vs. production margins).

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - 2008 ***
I was not aware of very much buzz about this film. If there wasn't there sure as hell should have been. This movie was such a pleasant surprise. Another great Appatow produced film. Any film that has full frontal male nudity is alright with me. And no, its not because I'm a horny ole gay. The cookie cutter romantic comedy rules are handled well. I had lots of laughs and lots of fun, partly due to my low expectations, but I thought it was decent.

Rear Window - 1954 *****
Another classic film by Hitchcock. Much like many of his films Rear Window has been parodied in pop culture an uncountable amount of times. Lisa (Grace Kelly) is the love interest of L.B. ( Jimmy Stewart's), an injured photographer who bed ridden has little to do but spend his days gazing out his apartment window. His unhealthy curiosity into the lives of his neighbors grows. Great film, great cast, worth watching again! I would so live in this apartment!

Once Upon a Time in the West - 1968 ****
This Spaghetti Western is now considered one of the best Westerns ever. This Film is ranked amongst others like, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Shane, and Unforgiven. This nearly 3 hour epic is stunning. I loved this movie. Its not the fastest paced film but that did not bother me. The movie pays homage to many earlier westerns and features gorgeous scenes and massive landscapes. Henry Fond and Charles Bronson are perfectly cast in this Leone masterpiece. I enjoyed the way the film played out and how the story came together. The ending is one of my favorites ever, its even the subject of an Arcade Fire music video. If you like excellent films you should see this one!

WALL-E -2008 *****
I foung myself home alone giggling and saying aloud, "Oh my god this is SOOOO cute" at this latest Pixar film. WALL-E is an absolute delight. Interesting, heartwarming, featuring the main message of the wrongs of excess, and portrayed in a stunning futuristic landscape, this movie can be enjoyed by all ages. You'll fall for this little robot named WALL-E with a big heart. Addressing important and dire 21st century issues are what sets this film apart. Great movie, another Pixar classic.

What Happens in Vegas - 2008 **
Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher get drunk and get married in Vegas...Blah blah blah. The two hate one another, and a court order will keep them together for 6 months if the want to collect on their shared 3 million dollar winnings they came across in Vegas. Not a great film but I knew it wouldn't be going into Citizen Kane. I had a hunch it would be enjoyable enough to watch on a lazy Saturday, and I was right. "What Happens" kept me stimulated enough.

Reunited and it feels so good

2008-09-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

Its been a decade since you could watch Leo and Kate together at the multiplex, but now they're back. Thank goodness for that. Their latest film Revolutionary Road, due out Christmas, pair the two in the film version of the 1962 bestselling book.

I'm very excited for this film. Can anybody else smell a Best Picture nomination? Lets hope Winslet knocks it out of the ballpark and finally wins an oscar after her five previous nominations.

Welcome to Chase

2008-09-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

I was walking past the 2 year old WaMu Center, which I once worked at, the other day. I think its a gorgeous building and always have. That day I stopped and it hit me, 'This building was built on pure greed'...wow. Faulty loans, bad money, and lies built that building. If I'm not mistaken the fallen Bear Stearns was nearing the completion of their own new headquarters as. Again, bad money. Those same bad dollars are now putting the entire economy in jeopardy. Such pretty things built from such a dirty things.

Us WaMu folks are now apart of Chase Bank. In the future we will get new cards and the blue Chase symbol will replace the big blue and yellow W on the side of our neighborhood branches.

WaMu was around since 1889. It saw two World Wars, a dozen recessions, and a Great Depression. Though the downfall was longer coming, within two years of the housing bubble the bank collapsed. That really upsets me.

God Save the Queen

2008-09-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

The British are coming!

Currently the top 4 best selling albums this year globally are all British acts. I don't know if this has ever happened before, but I'm pretty sure this can now be categorized as the "3rd wave" of British acts. These waves usually come after periods of extremely low British Influence on American charts. In both 1963, and 2002 there were points in which no UK act could be spotted in the Top 200, or Hot 100 charts. Following '63 came the first British wave, the second began in the early 80's when Duran Duran became the dominate Brit act of the era.

Now, just a few years after a complete absence of Brit acts charting in the US, what i like to think of as the "3rd British wave" is peaking. At the moment 8 of the top 40 singles in the US are from English acts.

Here is a list of the Best Selling Albums in the world thus far in 2008. Amy Wino has racked up 11 million with Back to Black. Thats pretty impressive in this day and age. "Black" may end up being one of the 5 best selling albums of the second half of this decade. I'm the proud owner of 4 of these albums, one of which i never really listened to. Wanna guess?

2008 sales, Total Sales
1 Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Coldplay 5,000,000 5,000,000

2 Back to Black, Amy Winehouse 4,974,000 10,930,000

3 Spirit, Leona Lewis 3,306,000 4,488,000
4 Rockferry, Duffy 3,238,000 3,238,000
5 Hard Candy, Madonna 2,843,000 2,843,000
6 As I Am, Alicia Keys 2,750,000 5,970,000
7 Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne 2,585,000 2,585,000
8 Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna 2,560,000 5,643,000
9 Sleep Through the Static, Jack Johnson 2,248,000 2,248,000
10 Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack, Mamma Mia! 2,031,000 2,031,000

Choo choo

2008-09-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

In California there has been a year of momentum behind what I am just recently discovering. The largest state in the union, and 7th largest economy on the planet intends to help America catch up with the rest of the Westernized world. High speed state wide rail is a proposed 40 billion + venture that the Golden State seems close to creating. But no worries, the money is not as big of an issue as it seems. It pails in comparison to the near 100 billion that California will need to invest in highway expansions and other transportation needs if something drastic is not done to accommodate the 50 million population in the state by the next generation.

We are talking a network of thousands of miles of tracks, dozens of stations connecting as far north as the capitol all the way down to San Diego. 220 mph trains in North America?!? Thats pretty exciting

WOW, this is SO COOL! check the site out! there are many many features and videos to explore!

http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/

30 ROCK

2008-07-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

No, not the show, the address. Look what I found like a month ago, a 16,000 lbs. 65 ft tall miniature "skyscraper". The metal structure in this video was created fully from Erector set pieces. a MILLION of them. it was assembled at Rockefellar Center. AWWW and its modeled after the GE Building, A.K.A. 30 Rock ;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7447636.stm

Blame Arkansas

2008-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a while. I've had about 15 blogs that I have wanted to post in the past month but just never got around to it, mainly because I was having log in issues, oh well. I'll just start from scratch. I was watching some show this morning on Wal Mart. Who would have ever imagined some little shop in Arkansas would transform into the world's largest company.

With at least a dozen stores being opened a year in China, the big wigs believe there could be thousands of Wal Mart's across that country in the next few decades, just like in the US. I wonder what will become of the company in the next 10 to 20 years. Look what is happening to Starbucks and its financial woes, thanks to over expansion. Not to mention, Wallie World is the larest employer in The US, Canada, and Mexico.

Three days ago Wal Mart unveiled its new logo. Surprise to me, I never thought they would alter their boring old type face...you wouldn't change the McDonald's font. =P

From China to Chinatown

2008-05-10T03:18:00.000-07:00

Oh San Francisco. The City by the Bay is finally adding some new additions to a rather stale skyline. None of the city's tallest 20 buildings (Which are all above 500 feet in height) have been built within the past 20 years. I will go out on a short limb and guess that that statistic does not apply to any other major city in North America. In 2008 two new large high-rises will breathe fresh air into the overall look of the city.
One project, the Transbay Terminal Center and Tower which could be completed by 2013, would be the largest and most redefining building addition to San Fran since the iconic TransAmerica Pyramid in 1973. If it was currently built, the 1,200ft giant would be 50 feet shy of the Empire State Building. Not only would that make it the 13th tallest building in the world, it would be tied as the 3rd tallest in the Western Hemisphere.

One draw back I noticed to the proposed project is that it is very reminiscent of Hong Kong's crowning achievement, Two International Financial Centre. I was not the only one to notice. Transbay Terminal has already received criticism due to its similarities to the Chinese building.

2008-05-06T14:57:00.001-07:00

Today Myspace launched its latest application, KARAOKE! UH OH. The picture displayed above this is what my saturday nights will be looking like for a long time. Thanks Myspace!

2008-05-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Three's a Crowd

2008-05-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here we go, another show about a middle aged kick-ass law enforcing female. Mary McCormack is the star of the new USA series In Plain Sight. The show hits the air June 1st. As you know Kyra Sedgwick, the former "next Julia Roberts" of the 90's came outta nowhere a year ago to win herself an Emmy for her role in The Closer. TNT couldn't get enof macho chick action and gave Holly Hunter a go with her show Saving Grace. Somebody save me! If Gillian Anderson gets a role as a bounty hunter on some Limetime show im going to kill myself.

Museum Plaza

2008-05-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

Why did I not know about this project? This is the most interesting thing I have seen in a while. Blocks and cubes stacked vertically and horizontally totaling out at 62 floors is what makes this building unique. So this 703 foot wonder, which begin construction last October, will soon be the newest addition to what international skyline? Well, actually...Louisville. This is being built in Kentucky? Indeed. The $490 million dollar mixed use complex, named Museum Plaza is set for completion in 2010, and will feature around 200 lofts and condos, offices, a department of the Louisville University, museum space (hence the name) and a Westin hotel, among other things. The last big office space skyscraper boom peaked in the mid 80's and ended by 1992. Its very exciting to see this project. If Kentucky is getting in on all the action of the new high-rise boom by putting up half a billion for innovative projects like this one, just wait and see what the next few years bring! =)

"Jus cuz"

2008-05-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

...Thats all it took me to finally start a blog of my own. Not that I ever intentionally stayed off the bandwagon, I just never thought about creating a personal blog.

Speaking of intentional distancing yourself from popular online crazes, I find it somewhat annoying when people don't have a Myspace for the purpose that they "don't need one", but only when these same people are very much so advocates of photo sharing and trying to hookup. The icing on the cake is that they "don't do the whole Myspace thing" yet they have a facebook which they want to show me so badly. A Facebook? Like that helps, like I want to add some random sex driven homo to my friends just so i can see their pics...BLAH.

What do I expect out of this blog? Thats a good question. Hopefully this doesn't go the way of my Xanga page from high school, and suck. Between my new chaotic escapades, and upcoming new book releases from some of my favorite authors, I have experienced a new drive to start writing more. Perhaps this blog will cater to my renewed desire to write. Maybe I will relearn how to write proper English again. Yes, write! Not only do I "wanna go back to skewl" on AIM, I "would luv to see ur new place 2moro" on paper. Its a mess!

I suppose its time to start expressing myself.