tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53967156184742803482024-02-19T08:57:06.938-08:00teamcocoAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18412201448995825033noreply@blogger.comBlogger939125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-42228953268111759402013-12-02T08:31:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.082-08:00A Stooge week-end --Well, I made it to the 16th Annual Stoogefest again and had a nice evening at a great old theater filled with 3 Stooges fans of every shape, color and age group. The "Alex" was built in 1925 and played vaudeville acts as well as silent films. Now, it's been completely redone in it's original style and looks great.The Stooge event begins with a host to talks about the Stooges and later, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-50918463178610840872013-11-29T00:51:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.092-08:002014 Iceland CalendarWe hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving holiday with family and/or friends! We are staying the weekend with Yuriy's brother and had dinner with about 50 members of the Manchik clan last night. We ended the night with a roaring fireplace, a wonderfully cheesy Christmas movie, and a handful of our cousins. It's officially Christmas season!We are so happy to share our new 2014 travel calendar Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-39967691129145415082013-11-25T08:56:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.078-08:00The Stooges and me... It's that time of the year again and hundreds of people are preparing for Saturday, November 30th. I and some friends will be gathering at the Alex theater for none other than the 16th "Three Stooges Big Screen Event".We're not talking about Lady Gaga (whose costumes often feel inspired by the Stooges) nor bad comedians like Dane Clark... nor Iggy Pop and the Stooges. We're talking Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-34260286733554925682013-11-22T09:13:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.073-08:00Where was I?I'm going off the track today as far as the movie business. 50 years ago today in 1963, President John Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas. As with most of the world, I remember where I was. For me, I was in high school, Grade 9 I think, and we were just finishing a boy's gym class when someone came in and told our gym teacher, Mr. Riberdy something. He then proceeded to tell us that the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-74748032566993225612013-11-19T13:43:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.119-08:00Strolling the Streets of Paris is HAUTE!It’s always fun to stroll through the streets of Paris and discover life in the moment. I spent some time near the glass pyramids of The Louvre Museum finding inspiration in the people and places that I encountered. The gardens allow quiet moments of reflection that only Paris can inspire.Fashion, beauty and travel go hand in hand… I even brought along my Sholdit, a scarf turned clutch wrap with Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-83340731369546466372013-11-18T08:46:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.127-08:00Maybe a sale... or not?I had a message left on my phone Friday, posted around 1pm but never noticed it until around 4pm. Message was simple enough, someone wanted to "talk" to me about my script. He gave a name and a company.Those are the kind of calls a writer likes to hear. Someone wants to talk about my script. At first it sounds great. "Talk" is akin to buy? For a moment, I went back to my Christmas Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-46622292855330104282013-11-15T08:52:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.089-08:00The Envelope... and moneyLast week the LA Times started it's oscar race by putting out their own special addition to their paper called The Envelope. As in the Academy Award.It's all about who's gonna win, who might, why they win, how they win and most importantly how many ads will actors, writers, directors, studios and anybody else with a horse in the race spend money.And as usual; it's all about the actors. Today's Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-30949410735437218162013-11-11T09:04:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.070-08:00Everything old is new again again.Lately I've been watching ME-TV, a local L.A. channel that broadcasts old TV shows from the late 1950's to the late 1960's. Shows like Ironsides, Rockford Files, Gunsmoke, Rawhide and lots of others. These were the shows the boomer generation watched as kids. Boomers, for those who don't know were born from 1946 to 1964 and represented the "baby boom" after WW11 when the soldiers came home.A lot Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-40683076547998867682013-11-08T09:43:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.080-08:00The week-end... writing.There was one good thing about this week; I began writing the screenplay my director friend and the actor who suggested it. I held off for a long time, several weeks, not sure of exactly how to write it.Stories I write for myself are generally easier to write then having to write for someone else. I think that most of the produced screenplays I've written were assignments. The catch there is thatAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-22942864470663256872013-11-04T10:16:00.000-08:002013-12-03T08:20:03.066-08:00Meryl, Julia and the beards and Ben...A few blogs ago I mentioned my oscar contenders, both men and women. There were enough men but only two possible female contenders; Bullock for Gravity and Kate Blanchette for Jasmine.But as of today, a whole slew arose, and in one movie; The movie is August: Osage County. And battling it out will be Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. Should be interesting. But that's only four women. Maybe Mary Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-59853686528449566952013-10-30T15:26:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.103-08:00Haute Spot in London: Bvlgari Hotel & ResidencesIf you're in London and you want to check out one of my new haute spots head to Bvlagri London Hotel and Residences. It's a 5-star boutique hotel in the Knightsbridge shopping area with lots to see and do. Jetting in for lunch and Champagne is always the perfect escape for a Haute Travels girl. It's also a favorite among royal families and VIPs. You never know who you're rubbing Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-56554323143200213022013-10-30T14:52:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.100-08:00Beauty Haute Spot: Saint James Paris’ Spa by GemologyThe Saint James Paris is a sight to behold. The former chateau turned hotel and spa with private membership was the site of the first hot air balloon launch in Paris, France. As a recent guest at the Spa by Gemology, reportedly the first mineral spa, I couldn’t help but marvel at the spectacular interior design and cozy comfort of the property. The “pop art splendor” of the Napoleon III style Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-5690555715320875952013-10-30T14:21:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.102-08:00Haute Beauty Talk in ParisMy celebrity makeup artist friend Catherine Maquilleuse is always in the know about beauty and fashion. When we met in Paris at the private membership-only Saint James Paris, we spent the afternoon in the gardens surrounded by hot air balloons. The haute spot is after-all the site of the first hot air balloon launch. I couldn't think of a better place to talk about art, creativity and makeup!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-69404772559054810422013-10-28T09:43:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.115-08:00The black and white of it all...Lefty who I mentioned last week and who always has 6 screenplays "ready to go" asked me to make some changes in Deadhead, my story about an aging jetliner that gets possessed by a ghost with 8 actors in the story. The jetliner is "deadheading" back to the place jetliners retire to and there's only the eight passengers, all employees.Things turn bad when something hits the jetliner and causes it Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-50035275329738965662013-10-25T16:32:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.090-08:00You never know...The hardest thing sometimes, is to want to write. Everybody else on a movie has to be hired and then paid but writers don't always have that luxury. For example, I wrote The President's Heart screenplay last June after stalling for nearly 8 months. Finally I had time and no excuse and I wrote it in 3 weeks.Of course, I didn't make any money on it as nobody's bought it yet. There's another stall Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-21774891223601067872013-10-21T17:05:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.064-08:00Early Oscar contenders?Not much going on so far this week. A few of my friends have started an Oscar pool. Here's what they come up with so far.Best Actor- Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips- Robert Redford for All Is Lost- Bruce Dern for Nebraska (not out yet) - Chiwetal Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave- To add later. Best Actress- Kate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine- Sandra Bullock for... what else... Gravity.Hard to figureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-89412200510579206702013-10-18T09:30:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.129-08:00Heaven's Gate... 33 years later.For those of you who've never heard of this movie, this might be interesting. Heaven's Gate was written and directed by Michael Cimino who had just won Best Picture and director for The Deerhunter, his 2nd movie. It was doomed from the beginning as Cimino had a budget of $11 million, a lot of money in that time. However, the budget began to get larger as Cimino spent huge amounts of money leadingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-23157585296268524332013-10-14T12:33:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.067-08:00A job??Telling anyone that you might have a writing job is risky. But I'm close to it.And no, it's not a huge studio offering me millions of dollars. It's almost a freebie.A popular actor with lots of credits has a story and another friend of mine who's a director got all three of us together. So there you go.As far as money, it's going under what's called the Writer's Guild "low budget" Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-63524611260762626542013-10-11T08:38:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.111-08:00So many movies... where do they go?Friday is the big day for new movies as you probably know. That's when a whole new pack of movies begins to play in theaters in Los Angeles. And none of them has Justin Timberlake or Ben Affleck in them.And most of them you'll never see again.The big opener this week is Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips, the true story about an attempt by Somali pirates of a cargo ship. This movie, of course, it the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-1593452276833595372013-10-08T09:45:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.061-08:00And more Justin...It wasn't my idea.Yes, I went on about Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, I even suggested that his career might be shortened (Justin's). Well, today in the industry magazine Variety... They suggest Justin quit the movies.Just so you know, it had nothing to do with moi.Check it out by copying this link: http://variety.com/2013/film/opinion/justin-timberlake-should-stop-acting-1200702227Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-63095127769714025032013-10-07T08:56:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.110-08:00More Ben...Well, Ben's new movie Runner, Runner made a whopping $7 million as compared to Gravity which made $55 million. Of course you have to take in the fact that Gravity was a "big" movie, special effects and all while Ben's movie was... uh... well I don't know.US magazine says "it's a clunker of a script and a star with little gravitas and charm" (referring to Justin Timberlake).Most reviews criticize Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-45602675450944567792013-10-04T15:07:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.086-08:00Weekender... "Our new Batman?"Okay, so some of you know I'm not a Ben Affleck fan and have wonder the hows and whys of his choice as the new Batman. For my money, Christian Bale was great. So, today in the LA Times, all of the movies opening this week-end have critics talking about them. The big one is Gravity, which looks like a big opening. The second biggest review is a movie called Runner, Runner, and it stars Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-74402436426550269362013-09-30T08:56:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.118-08:00Breaking Bad meets The SearchersWell, I'm gonna start in on how great The Searchers is, the classic western that was the strongest influence on my choice of career. You probably already know how I went on about how The Searchers influenced not only me but also Spielberg, DePalma, Scorceses, Lucas and a dozen or so writers and directors.The scene above is from The Searchers, where John Wayne is ready to kill his niece but his Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-29401128692970784272013-09-23T09:12:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.069-08:00I got a great idea but...Back from my 1800 mile roadtrip through the Canadian prairie, seeing old homes and old friends and old highways. Always brings me back to where I came from and what I am. Still a small town boy.During that time our effort to raise money for Ghostkeeper 2 died miserably but as I mentioned in earlier posts, I expected that due to the lack of promotion and a fan base that wasn't enough. But I Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5396715618474280348.post-90146977886452542652013-09-20T09:29:00.000-07:002013-12-03T08:20:03.134-08:00Iceland's Blue LagoonWe wrapped up our Iceland trip by soaking at the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa before heading straight to the airport. Blue Lagoon is a man made lagoon that has pools of water heated by the lava flow underground. The milky white water is rich in minerals and said to have healing properties. The sun was shining and it was almost blinding as it reflected off the white water, steam, and rocks. We Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15431394204035422410noreply@blogger.com