Mid Week Update

Its time once again for the Two Minute Drill. The one stop for all your rambling editorial needs!!

Tuesday afternoon Johnnie Cochran, the famed attorney who most recently got OJ Simpson of the hook for murder, passed away. The cause of death was listed as complications from a brain tumor. With his flashy style and commanding court room presence, Johnnie became something of a celebrity in the legal circuit. He will always be linked with OJ, but in reality Johnnie was always helping out the African American community, famous or not. My condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Cochran.

Funny how a few days ago I joked that I would hire him as MY lawyer if I ever got into serious trouble.

A powerful earthquake rocked the tsunami ravaged area of Indonesia killing over 1,000 people. Even though the earthquake was about a 8.2 on the ricther scale scientist are baffled as to why it didnt cause a huge tsunami. I mean they're relieved no doubt, but it is strange. One theory is that this earthquake wasnt cenetered as deep in the ocean as the one that struck in late December. Whatever the reason, its too bad that these people have to deal with yet another catastrophe. This is the first time in recorded history that two earthquakes of such a powerful magnitude struck within months of each other. I'm sure there's reason to be alarmed about that somwhere.

Its been about 13 days since Ms Schiavo has gone without food or water. Reportedly she is near death and can go at any minute..

ITS RANDOM RANT TIME!!!! You know the rules!! First thought that comes to my head..which is scary..here we go!

-Barry Bonds = crybaby!! Oh..boo-hoo!! My knee hurts and i'm tired of you media guys making a big issue of me cheating. Its time for this guy to shut up and just go away...

-This whole Terry Schiavo issue has divided the country again. Basically between the religious right (the same group of idiots that got Bush re-elected) and moderate left. Funny how there are people all over the US that may be in similar situations, but there are no protestors in front of their hospitals. No congressional order keeping them alive. Etc..This thing just got blown out of proportion. The government had NO BUSINESS getting involved in this. Period.

-So Wonder Woman is finally going to be made into a movie. This movie has been stuck in devlopment limbo a LLOONNGG time. Almost as long as "Superman Returns". No word yet on who would play the Amazonian princess, but the safe bet is that it will be an unknown actress so that they save SOME money and put it to use on the production and effects of the film

-X-Men 3 is back on track now. FOX is trying to get all the key cast members to return. Dont look for this film to appear til MAYBE next summer or 2007.

-Anyone seen that new breakfast burger from Burger King?? The friggn thing has more calories and fat than a WHOPPER!!! I think the serving suggestion is something like "Eat only ONE a year.." I'm surprised they dont sell that thing with a waver saying you cant sue if you have a heart attack after eating one.

OK, that will do it for now. Hope you are all doing great. Til the next time!!

Weekend Wrap Up

Its time for the Two Minute Drill! Hope you all had awesome weekends. Happy Late Easter to you all. I took Friday off without warning. It was Good Friday, what can I say?? hehehe

The Pope tried to lead worshippers in an Easter Mass ceremony on Sunday but was too frail and unable to speak. An assistant filled in for him. There are more rumors going around that he may be in worse condition then they are letting on. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Terry Schiavo continues to live on, going on her 11th day without food or water. On Saturday a state judge rejected her parents motion to have her feeding tube reinserted. They have said they would be giving up their legal battle soon and it may only a couple of days or even hours until Terry passes away. Her doctors have been giving her morphine in the hopes of dulling any pain she might be feeling. Her father fears that the doctors might try to kill her by giving her too much morphine. In her current malnutrioned state, that might be possible. But I dont think they would. Because that would be basically murder and even if a patient is near death, a doctor cant willingly just kill someone off. What a strange accusation to make.

I have really cheap Lakers playoff tickets if anyone is interested. Just drop me a line....

Dodgers season starts a week from tommorrow

Weekend Box Office Report (Better late than never..)

Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac in "Guess Who?"

1) Guess Who?, $21 mil: A mild upset for sure. This remake of the classic film of the same name but with the race roles reversed, scored big with audiences. The chemistry between Kutcher and Mac seemed to appeal to alot of movie goers. Will word of mouth keep this movie afloat?

2)Miss Congenialty 2, $14.5 mil: The film that most people thought would open in first, instead opens a distant second. The sequel did pull in more in its initial weekend than the original ($10 mil). For what its worth, the reviews for this film werent exactly positive. But, whether or not that had anything to do with it, I'm not so sure.

3)The Ring Two, $13.8 mil: Wow, from first to third. For a heavliy hyped film thats not good. Could the reveiws be right about this one? We'll see if this one has any legs.

4)Robots, $13 mil.: Just narrowly missed the third spot. Will gross more than $100mil beforeit ends its run. People werent to high on this film either, but here it is. FOX Animation is definetly back.

5) The Pacifier, $8.5 mil: Another film that will soon top $100 million. Vin Diesel, the money is in family comedy it seems. Stick to that bro. Forget the action stuff. hehehe

That will do it for this update! Hope you all have a good week. Til the next time!

DQ

Thursday Night Misc..

Hello everyone!!! I hope you guys enjoyed the look at Harry Potter. What do you guys think? Was it worth breakin into the Publicity office for? hahaha..j/k...On with the show

Lots to cover and I dont even know where to start. I guess I'll start with the big story right now..

After countless appeals and unprecedented federal intervention, it looks like Terry Schiavo is out of time. Her parents' appeals have been rejected at every level and even the emergency bill that the Senate rushed through to President Bush could do nothing. Their last chance lies with the US Supreme Court. However, they have already refused to hear the case on three seperate occasions.

Honestly, I dont want to sound heartless and what not..but I think that if the Supreme Court again refuses to hear the case, Terry's parents should let it end there. All they are doing is causing more heartbreak to themselves. We will never know what Terry's wishes were, but I'm pretty sure she would not have wanted her husband and parents to be squabbling over this.

Can someone please tell me why congress would get involved in such a personal matter?? They dont have any business in this case. How many countless other people have been in this situation and they have done nothing. Those members of congress that supported that emergency bill were in it for political gain. Simple as that. Why else would they get involved? By the looks of the recent polls, this strategy may have backfired. It seems the majority of Americans agree that Congress has no business meddling in family disputes. And I love the scene of Prez Bush "rushing" back to Washington, DC from one of his MANY MANY vacations to sign this bill. Hmm..I wonder what wouldve happened had he rushed back from a previous vacation back in the Summer of 2001 when the CIA was trying to convey to him the very real possibility of a terrorist attack. Instead of taking the threat seriously, he decided to stay on his ranch and play cowboy. Oops, I'm getting sidetracked arent I?

One final thought on the Schiavo matter...Whether or not her husband is right or wrong is irrelevant. As her husband, he is the legal guardian of her and if she toldhim that she would not have wanted to be kept alive, then he has EVERY right to have her disconnected. The order of legal guardianship goes spouse, children and then parents. This event has caused many people to go and review their wills and for many to write a living will. Its never a bad idea to be prepared for anything. Because you never know when the day will come.

OK, I'm sorry to sound like such a downer..lets move on..

The big news in sports right now is Barry Bonds coming out and saying that he may not play this season. Is reasons range from his bum knee that has been operated on twice in the last three months to all the media scrutiny surrounding his alleged steroid use. Bonds is within striking distance of baseballs all time home run record. I dont honestly think he is going to sit out the entire year. He may just have been frustrated with everything that is going on. I fully expect him to play for the Giants this year and i will continue to do so until the team makes it official. Of course, being a Dodgers fan that would be great news for my team. But I would rather them beat the Giants at full strength than weakened. One thing is for certain: The Giants' season may be over before it even starts if Barry indeed sits for the year. As always, we'll have to wait and see...

Superhero Movie news now. Thomas Hayden Church, the star of the recent hit film "Sideways" has been cast to play an as yet unknown villian in "Spider Man 3". The film is set to release in the Summer of 2007. Speculation is running rampant as to which villian he will be playing. Could this mean that "Spider Man 3" will have TWO villians?? At the end of the second film, it seemed pretty obvious that the Green Goblin would be returning. As that role had already been cast, what character could Church be playing? One net rumor has him playing "Venom". That would be an awesome choice, but if the Green Goblin indeed is going to return, I think the fans would rather have "Venom" featured solo in a "Spider Man" movie. I'm betting its either going to be "The Lizard" or "The Scorpion". Make sure to watch that rumor wire. It will be working overtime until the official word comes out.

"Superman Returns" officially started production Wednesday in Australia. The film which is set to release June 30th, 2006, has been in devlopment for quite some time. I dont have any real solid news on the film, other than Superman's costume will have a similar look, texture wise, to the Spider Man costumes in those movies. As soon as ANY production stills or stories come out, I will report them here. The primary cast consists of Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and uknown actor Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel himself. 

You hear that sound? Thats the Lakers playoff chances getting crushed. It has been a tough and grueling season and its almost over. 15 games left and they are 4 1/2 games out of the final playoff spot. Unless they win all 15 they are pretty much finished. Its rebuiling time in LA. Hopefully they make the right moves this time around..

Alright, that will do it for now. Hope you enjoyed your visit here. Til the next time...

 

DQ

Taboo Tuesday (Photo update)

Hello one and all!! I've got a quick, mini eye candy update for you all. Basically just for the Harry Potter movie and one quick pic of the next book. If you're interested scroll down. If not, then I will be back later with a more traditional update! For the rest of you, enjoy

First up, a look at a promotional poster for "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire". I'm sure this isnt going to be the final one, since it looks so plain.

Next up some stills (quality is not that great sorry)of the Tri Wizard champions Krum, Fluer and Cedric:

Stanislav Ianeveski as Viktor Krum

Clemence Poesy as Fluer Delacour

 Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory

This next image was taken from a promo poster for a Lego playset. However it may just end up being the final movie poster. I apologize for the quality

 Movie poster?

Harry and the Golden Egg

And one last Harry Potter pic. The cover art for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

 July 2005!!

DQ

Weekend Wrap Up

Hello again everyone!! Welcome back to the drill. Another week ahead of us. Short week for many of you. Its Good Friday on Friday. So be good....on Friday...Lame..sorry. Lets just get to it, shall we? ;-)

After many, many emotional court battles, the parents of Terri Schiavo were able to get congress to intervene and save their daughthers life for now. The both arms of congress debated and finally passed an emergency bill asking that a federal judge look into the matter. Schiavo's feeding tube was removed this past Friday, as a result of her husbands court victory, which many thought had settled this case. Her husband is her legal guardian and has maintained that his wife would NOT have wanted to be kept alive artificially. Her parents have said that she would have wanted to live and that what her husband is doing is nothing short of murder. Schiavo has been in a vegative state for more than 10 years now after suffering a heart attack which caused blocked oxygen to her brain.

Right or wrong Michael Schiavo has every right to order his wife removed from the feeding tube that has kept her alive. The courts have all agreed with his and many other medical assesments that his wife will never recover from her condition. However Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and now President Bush have both intervened and tried to stop that from happening. This latest bill is a last ditch effort to keep her alive. If it fails, then Schiavo will die in about two weeks. Stay tuned.

After going through a road trip that saw them go 2-4 the Lakers returned home Sunday night and lost again. They are now 3 1/2 games out of the 8th and final playoff spot. This could be their last stand as far as this season goes. And honestly, even if they DO make the playoffs, San Antonio or Phoenix or whatever team they playin the first round would soundly whup em. As a Lakers fan, it pains me to write that, but its the truth. There's always next year....

Some people are saying the Michael Jackson trial is moving along quickly and may wrap up WWAAYY faster than expected. It does seem that way. We'll have to wait and see though. The defense still hasnt presented their case though.

BOX OFFICE REPORT

Naomi Watts and Kelly Stables in "The Ring Two"

1) The Ring Two, $36.0 mil: Hopefully the above pic doesnt freak anyone out! (j/k) A solid opening for the sequel to the movie which many (but not me) consider the scariest movie of all time. It surpassed the opening gross of the original ($15 mil) but came up short of the estimates of some studio watchers. Easy to say that this was the most anticipated movie of the winter/spring season.

 

2) Robots, $21.8 mil: Last weeks #1 drops down a notch as expected. Still held up pretty well though. Better than recent number 1's that for sure.

 

3) The Pacifier, $12.5 mil: Holdin up strong after three weeks. It's Walt Disney Picture's first solid hit of the year.

 

4) Ice Princess, $7.0 mil: The weeks other opener. Disappointment? Yes and no. This is the kind of movie Disney puts out to appeal to the teenage girls and one that they hope will turn a small profit. Then just market the hell out of the DVD and make more $$$. Considering it starred almost an entirely unknown cast, it probably didnt cost that much to make. Good business plan?

 

5) Hitch, $6.6 million: Wow, I guess I was wrong about this film droppin out of the Top 5. Still going strong and its still the number 1 movie overseas. Has an outside shot of topping the $200 million mark.

 

And that will do it for this update. Hope you all have a great week and I'll be back again hopefully for a Tuesday update. Til then

 

DQ

TGIF!!

Ah, back to blue!! Welcome back to the Drill!! Today is a special Random Rant edition. You know the rules. I'll just throw out the first things that come to mind and attempt to wow you all with my wit. At least in theory thats how it works. NE Who...

-Some people are still shocked that Robert Blake got off free. The fact of the matter is, the evidence was weak. And in order for someone to goto jail you have to prove without a shadow of a doubt. No hard evidence, no hard time.

-But then what about OJ? Well, he just had a really good lawyer. Cmon you gotta give Johnny Cochran props. Like him or hate him. He had a MOUNTAIN of forensic evidence against OJ and he was actin like "Why we even havin a trial?"

-If I ever (God forbid) goto court, I want him representing me. Simple as that...hehehehe..j/k

-Lakers got KILLED by the Heat Thursday.like 10000-78 or something like that....j/k..might as well. They are just hard to watch right now. No one else but Kobe stepped up in this game. Once the Heat saw that the other Lakers werent playing well, the just collapsed on Kobe and DARED the other players to stop them. Unless these guys pull it together, its all over.

-In what was at times a very emotinal scene, former and current Major League Baseball players and executives testified in front of congress on the issue of Steroid Abuse in baseball. They all denied using steroids, but they also refused to name names and say anything negative about their teammates. This is probably just the begining of a LLOOONGGG process as Congress will not be satisfied til they get to the bottom of all this alleged abuse.

-Jeff Weaver will start the Dodgers home opener April 12th. As far as Opening Day 2005 on April 5th, Derek Lowe will get the call then. I cant wait to hear Vin Scully utter those famous words "Iiiiitttt'sss Time for Dodgers Basball!! Less than 20 days to go!!

-I know I've said this before, but I am really going to miss Jose Lima playing for the Dodgers. The energy he brought to the club was awesome. And just hearing Vin Scully say "Lima Time" was worth it. I think he liked saying it too. Because whenever Lima was to pitch he would always say something along the lines of "Tommorrow night, it will be Lima Time for the Dodgers..." or right before Game 4 fo the Division Series which Lima started: "...For the Dodgers, well, they are hoping that Lima Time will be just in time for them..." Gotta love it...or maybe its just me..ne way...

-March Madness has begun (AKA the NCAA Tournament) No picks here sorry. I dont follow it enough to bet money on it. I would literally be just giving it away. "Here, take my $50! I dont want it!" hehehe

-Wrestlemania 21 is in 17 days...just in case you forgot. ;-)

-Buzz Lightyear @ Disneyland is NOW OPEN.

***UPDATED 1:10 PM***

Just thought I would share with you some pictures from Buzz Lightyears grand opening yesterday @ Disneyland

The scene in front of the castle

A close up of the Army Men. Can you tell that green was the theme?

This mini parade would wind its way to the ride itself. These lucky children were seleced from the local schools to participate in the ceremony. (All photos courtesy of laughingplace)

-Coming soon to Disney's California Adventure: A Monsters Inc ride. And in a few years, a ride based on the Incredibles. Why all the Pixar inspired rides all of a sudden? Thats anyones guess right now...

OK, that will do it for this week. Hope you all survived it well. Have an awesome weekend and hopefully I'll be back Sunday night with the Weekend Wrap-Up! Til then...

DQ

Thursday Misc (St Patricks Day edition)

Top O' the mornin to you! Welcome back to the drill!! Yes its a festive green. Or at least dark green. The other greens were too bright. Hehehe..Happy St Patricks Day to you all! Try not to drink TOO much green beer. It is a work night afterall. And next year St Patricks will be on a Friday! That will be insane!!

Hope you all enjoyed the little peak at Disneyland. I'll try to post more pics of things and try to make this thing look just a bit better!! ;-)

Wednesday was like the day of trials.

Up in Northern California, Scott Peterson found out that he would indeed be executed by the state. The judge refused to grant him a new trial and upheld the verdict of the jury. For Peterson, this marks the end of a long journey. A journey that started the day he was caught near the US/Mexico border to the day he was found guiltly of killing his pregnant wife Lacy and their unborn son. Lacy's family now has closure and can hopefully get on with their lives, knowing that the heartless monster that killed their daughter is now behind bars and will one day die for his actions.

 

Meanwhile, in Van Nuys, Robert Blake was found not guilty of killing his ex-wife Bonnie Bakley and not guilty of trying to solicit his friends to kill her for him. From the start, the prosecution's case was weak. There were no witnesses to the crime, no hard evidence to tie him to the murder and the entire case rested on the testimony of two men whose credibility the defense promptly shredded. In the words of one juror, "They couldnt place the gun in his hand." The family of Bakley has already began drawing up papers for a possible civil trial where the burden of proof is far lower. Blake is far from being finished as far as this case is concerned.

So apparently if you are a celebrity and you murder your ex-wife, then you will go free. First OJ and now Blake. Is Blake guilty? IMO, yes. He may not have actually killed her, but I'm sure he had something to do with it. But you gotta love his alibi. "I couldnt have shot her, because I had gone inside to get MY gun that I forgot." Not to make light of it, but that is funny. At least I think it is....

Today (Thursday) is the day representatives from Major League Baseball will testify in front of congress on the issue of steroid abuse in baseball. I've already said all I can about this topic. I just hope they step up and do whats right for the sport. Baseball seriously needs to clean up its act or the fan base will become more suspicious as time goes on. It will be interesting to see what happens and if any new facts come out of these hearings. We'll have to wait and see.

The Lakers meet the Heat tonight for the final time this season tonight in Miami. This game doesnt have the hype and intrigue surrounding it as the first game did. Perhaps because the Lakers are the HUGE underdogs going into this game. They are battling for the 8th and final spot in the Western Confrence playoffs. Defeating the Heat (and yes Shaq) will go a long way in making a statement. With all the barbs Shaq has fired at the Lakers, you can bet they will be pumped up and will do what it takes to get the job done.

 

Well thats all for this update. Take care all and I will see you next time...

DQ

Mid Week Update (Disneyland Edition)

Hi everyone! Just wanted to provide u all with a sneak peek at whats going on @ Disneyland and what the are doing for the 50th. Enjoy.

First up a look at the lead float in the all new "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams"

A mock up of what the castle will look like once all the decorating is done

Another look at Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters (Photos Courtesy of MiceAge)

 

Here the new and improved Tiki Room (Photos courtesy of MiceAge)

 

I'll be back later for another update. Til then..

 

DQ

Taboo Tuesday

 

Welcome again one and all to this little blog that I call the Two Minute Drill. See, I really am trying to update everyday when I can. If the AOL would just cooperate it would SSOO much easier. Oh well. Lets get it started..

Testimony by the alleged victim in the Micheal Jackson trial resumed Monday. And much to the chagrin of the prosecution, the defense was once again able to punch holes in his story and not only that, brought up the fact that he was a troublemaker in school. The defense so far has been doing a great job at painting the victim and his family as a family of liars and gold diggers. Which, if its true, is really just sad. Of course not all the facts have come through, but the prosecution has to be really worried about the direction the case is going in. Testimony is scheduled to continute tommorrow.

Major League Baseball officials have decided they will testify in front of Congress this coming Thursday to discuss steroid use in baseball. However, of the seven players asked to appear, only Boston pitcher Curt Schilling as agreed. Congress has stated that any player refusing to appear will be held in contempt and could face a fine or jail time. As I said earlier, they really need to just go and get this over with. There delays and refusal to show are only further damaging the credibility of the sport. Baseball needs to clean up its act and redeem itself. This would be a great start. We may hear more as the day draws nearer about which players are going and which are staying away. Stay tuned...

Following up on my Disney CEO story last night, it seems Wall Street has reacted favorably to the announcement of Bob Iger replacing Michael Eisner in September. However many are wondering why they would make this, lets face it, pretty big decision on a Saturday night. This move was so sudden that several board members had to vote by telephone in a hastily put together conference call. The critcs of this move are already regrouping and former board members Stanley Gold and Roy E. Disney are going to be rallying the troops. The board may have thought this fight was over, but in all honestly according to savedisney.com, the war has just begun.

DISNEYLAND UPDATE: Not all Disney news is bad news. Over @ Disneyland, work continues at near breakneck speed as the May 5th kickoff date draws closer and closer. This Thursday will see the grand opening of Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters in Tommorrowland. Having seen in ride photos and reading ride reviews in the various msg boards, the word is this ride rocks. One cool feature is that at the end of the ride you will be able to email the picture that they take of you inside to your email address for FREE. Yes, Disney is actually giving something of free! This Thursday will also mark the return of "Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room" in Adventureland. While the popularity of this attraction has dropped considerably as of late, its nice to see that they spent the millions of dollars it took to renovate it and make it look brand new. According to reports, the ride has been restored to its original glory with a remastered soundtrack and ALL the animatronic effects have been repaired. And finally, a press release went out late last week announcing what I had reported here earlier. "Space Mountain" WILL relaunch on July 15. Two days ahead of schedule and two days before the "official" 50th Anniversary of Disneyland. I am planning a week long project on Disneyland here on this blog in the not so distant future. So if you're interested stay tuned for that. And if not, then you can always skip it! ;-)

The Lakers are 2-1 on their current trip that will make or break their season. They are fighting for their playoff lives now. Can Kobe and Co. keep it together til April? And its Kobe vs Shaq III on Thursday in Miami. We'll see if any sparks fly that day.

Well, that will do it for now. Hope I havent wasted your time ;-) Til the next drill...

DQ

Weekend Wrap-Up

 

Welcome once again to the Two Minute Drill. I've gone to a sporadic update schedule here as of late. I apologize for that. Dial up issues and time issues. I'm trying to update everyday and if that doesnt work then at least 4 days a week. We'll see how it goes from here on out.

Over the weekend, the Walt Disney Company named Robert Iger the new CEO of the company. He will take over Disney September 30, the day Michael Eisner steps down. For many Disney fans concerned about the state of the company, this is a huge disappointment. Iger is seen as a Eisner clone. Someone who is worried more about the bottom line than the quality of what they are putting out. It was hoped that the Disney Board of Directors would bring in an outside person. Someone who could re-energize the company creatively and financially. The creativity at Disney has really gone downhill in the last few years, as making money became the most important issue. Even if it meant sacrificing quality for a cheaper product. One of the biggest proofs of that mentality sits next to Disneyland in Anahiem. I'm talking of course about Disney's California Adventure. This park was supposed to be the center piece of a multi-billion dollar resort project. Something that the Imagineers (Disney's creative team) were going to go all out for. Instead, after the budget was slashed and slashed and slashed some more, it turned into the joke park it is now. As someone so politely put it a "Half Park for Full Price." Already Disney's two most vocal critics Stanley Gold and Roy E. Disney (Nephew of Walt Disney) are blasting the board for making this choice. These two men are the reason why Eisner is stepping down in the first place. They successfully launched a shareholder revolt last year and kept the pressure on Disney to make changes at the top. It will be intersting to see what strategy they come up with to try to get the shareholders to have Iger removed before he takes power. If you want more info on that, I suggest you visit www.savedisney.com. I of course will be keeping an eye on things and updating here if any other news breaks.

The Pope returned home Sunday after spending several weeks in the hospital as he recovered from throat surgery. The Pope waved from his Vatican window and spoke breifly during his weekly Prayer Service. Although he sounded a bit hoarse, he was upbeat and seemed in better spirits. He is still not fully recovered, but he is well enough where doctors felt he could go home.

The child accusing Michael Jackson of child molestation will continue his testimony on Monday. Trial followers are split on how damaging his testimony could be. The defense has done a great job of discrediting the boys sister and younger brother. If Jackson's defense team can punch holes in the boys story as well, then it will go a long way towards saving Jackson from jail. If he does get off though, I HOPE that the people around him will finally put in end to all this. In other words, can someone PLEASE get it into his head that its NOT ok for him to hang out with all these little boys!! Even if it is innocent fun, its not ok. Especially not for someone who has had a history of child molestation charges brought against him. You know the saddest part? I believe he is so unstable, that he might just try to kill himself if he is found guilty. Because unless he is in some special jail, he wont last long there. Michael Jackson in prison just doesnt seem like a safe thing. Thats just me though...

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT:

Ewan McGregor as the voice of Rodney in "Robots"

 

1) Robots, $36.5 mil: This would mark FOX's second straight #1 opening for their animation department. A dept that was almost terminated until "Ice Age" saved it a few years ago. The same team that made that great film, were behind this one as well. FOX is quickly becoming a player in the CGI Animation genre. More competiton equals better films for us to enjoy.

2) The Pacifier, $18 mil: Last weeks champ drops to number 2. Vin Diesel may have found his first real hit since "The Fast and The Furious". As I said last week, this films box office total will help him re-establish himself as a box office draw.

3) Be Cool, $10.3 mil: Dropped a notch from last week as well. Havent really heard any reviews about this film. 10.3 million isnt bad for a second week, but I'm sure MGM was hoping it would be doing better.

4) Hostage, $9.8 mil: Bruce Willis' action flick didnt open very well. He's also got "Sin City" coming in a few weeks. The advance buzz on that film has been pretty positive. Not so positive have been the rumors about him and Lindsay Lohan supposedly hooking up at a party a few weeks ago. I'm not gonna get into that here though.

5) Hitch, $8.7 mil: Almost 150 million later and this movie is still going strong. Is was also the number 1 movie overseas this past week. I suspect though, that this will be the last week its in the top 5. I could be wrong though. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Well, that will do it for this edition. Hope you all have a great week and I'll see you next time. Til then....

DQ

Tech Trouble TGIF

This is just a quick post. Because of some ongoing computer issues, there will be no TGIF update. However, stay tuned Saturday night for another installment of the TWO MINUTE DRILL!!

Thursday Rant

Hello again everyone. Welcome back to the drill. Havent updated for two nights, but I wasnt about to go for the three peat. I wanted to try something new this time. I will still report the news but on certain days I will include some "Random Rants". Its something that I used to do in my old high school column. Basically just one or two quick sentences about a random topic. Sometimes more than that. Lets see how it works.... Here...WE...GO!!

So Wed Afternoon in the Michael Jackson Trial, the alleged victim took the stand and testified. He seemed dead set in trying to convince the jury he had been wronged. He hardly made eye contact with Jackon, but would stare directly at the jury when he would talk. Jackson was seen shaking his head as the boy spoke about some of the things Jackson would do with him. Among many things, was surfing the internet with him and making him (the victim) view pornographic websites filled with pictures of underage girls and other adult material. Before the victim took the stand, the boys younger brother finished up his testimony. The defense once again grilled him and punched more holes into his credibility. A mixed day for Jackson overall. We'll see how the boy holds up during cross examination in a few days.

So the US Congress has basically demanded that several former and current Major Leaguers come testify before congress about steroid use in baseball Some of the most noteworthy names: Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Curt Schilling and Jose Canseco (Who basically started this whole mess). Barry Bonds was not asked to appear, as congress felt that including him would take the focus away from investigating the use of steroids in baseball to just whether or not he himself uses them. The Players Union is trying to stop them from forcing the players to testify basically saying that they have no right to do it. Here's my thing: If they have nothing to hide then they shouldnt be worried about anything. Just go, give your two cents and leave. They just want to know the truth. If they arent scared to say it, then why should there be a problem? I think that if the players go through with this, it may help diffuse this controversy just a tad. But their adamant denial to cooperate only compounds their guilt in the court of public opinion. Should be an interesting next couple of days...

LA Mayoral Race (Prt 1) has ended and it will be a rematch of four years ago as once again Antonio Villaragosa will face off against James Hahn. This time however, Hahn is the incumbent mayor and Villaragosa is a more experienced political foe. Hahn has also been hurt by recent corruption allegations and by some controversial decisions during his four year tenure. Over 75% of the votes in the primary went to candidates other than James Hahn. He will have a tough 3 months to try and win those votes back.

Random Rants

-Barry  sucks...

-Lakers need to pick it up or their season is done. They lost to the CLIPPERS!! THE CLIPPERS!!! I guess we know now, who the better LA team is....

-George W Bush still amazes me at how gullible he is. Case in point: During a recent Tsunami Relief Update Press Conference he actually had to LOOK down at his binder and see what the program was called. Didnt even try to play it off. Just turned the binder he was showing to the reporters around and read the title. He said something along the lines of  "We're here to talk about our Tsunami...Relief...Uh..".(Blinks wildly..panics...looks down at binder he is holding...) The look on George Bush Sr's face was priceless. Like "Oh Lord, not again..."

-What is up with this weird SoCal weather? One week its raining and cold..next week its warm and sunny. Could it be? Winter is almost over? Oh, there's rain in the forecast for Monday..Nevermind...

-Wrestlemania 21 is in 25 days...just in case you were wondering....

-Barry STILL sucks...

Notable Quote: "Micheal Jackson's trial is expected to last about six months, but Jackson has asked for time off to entertain the troops. OK, so they're a Cub Scout Troop. But they're still troops!!!" -Brad Garret on the Tonight Show delivering a joke that Jay Leno was unable to read outloud because of a court order forbidding him from speaking about the trial.

OK, that will do it for now. Always late, but worth the wait. Well..Always Late..we'll leave it at that...Til the next time...

DQ

Monday Night Misc.

Hello again everyone! And welcome to the Two Minute Tech Trouble Drill!! More dial up issues. I think that from now I will just update from work. At least there I can use the super fast broadband connection. So here we go

There was some very graphic and disturbing testimony in the Michael Jackson case earlier Monday. Among the highlights (or lowlights depending on how you look at it) is the victims brother stating that he personally saw Jackson molest his brother in Jacksons house. And that he witnessed Jackson give the victim wine in a soda can. It isnt looking good for the "King of Pop" but we'll see if this testimony holds up under cross investigation tommorrow.

More celebrity legal troubles. This time with the Robert Blake trial. The jury is deliberating the case. There is no indication on how long it will take them to reach a verdict, but in most cases, if its a slam dunk it only takes a few days. We'll see if the prosecution was able to sway the jury into finding Blake guilty. Me? I think he did it, but the case against him wasnt as strong as it couldve been. And you have to be able to prove guilt, BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT to find someone guilty. We'll see....

So Barry Bonds cant shut up. And I thought Kobe said some stupid things. Over the weekend Bonds made some comments about steroids and baseball. Let me paraphrase some of his quotes: "I dont see what the big deal is about steroids. This isnt the Olympics...I'm an entertainer. I entertain. If someone pays $60 for a ticket and I'm not in the lineup who gets cheated??....We're entertainers. Our job is to entertain." What...A....IDIOT....sigh...First off, this isnt the WWE..this is MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!! You are NOT an entertainer..you sir, are a BALL PLAYER!! You dont entertain. You get paid millions of dollars to play a game. The entertainment comes from the game being played. Your job, is to PLAY. Just because you use steriods and smack homeruns does not make you an entertainer. sigh....Maybe he should just keep to staying quiet and "entertaining." That way we dont have to here stupid things like this....

BOX OFFICE REPORT
I know its late but here it is anyway:

Vin Diesel in "The Pacifier"

1)The Pacifier, $30.5 mil: Another upset this week. Diesel hasnt exactly had the best track record of late when it comes to movies (Chronicles of Riddick anyone?). But this film seemed like a good fit for him. Maybe action isnt his genre. Family comedy is. In any event, this was a solid opening and will do alot to help his status as a box office draw.

2) Be Cool, $23.4 mil: Well this has to be seen as a disappointment for MGM. Not totally as it still did pull in almost $24 million. But, this was supposed to be the number 1 movie this week. With the star power and clever marketing campaign, it seemed like a no brainer. Then again, "Get Shorty" wasnt THAT big a hit either. Again..We'll see....

3) Hitch, $12.1: One of the first runaway hits of the year. There arent any other films of this category out right now, so anyone looking for a romantic comedy fix will have no choice but to watch this film

4) Diary of a Mad Black Woman, $11.0 mil: Well that was a short lived reign at the top. From first to fourth. They werent expecting this film to do big business anyway, so just opening in first was a big accomplishment.

5) Million Dollar Baby, $8.1 mil: Well, there's that post Oscar bounce again. This film just keeps coming back. Its funny how movies that are nominated for or win the Best Oscar Award arent usually huge commercial success. With the exception of Titanic and The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, no other films have done big business. "Baby" isnt going to make TONS of money. But it will still turn a profit and be a pretty good sized hit.

 

So thats it for today's update. Til the next time...

DQ 

Thursday Misc

Hello everyone!! Welcome to back to oft delayed Two Minute Drill! If lack of material doesnt stop this column, then the crappy AOL dial up will!!

So Kobe's case is finished. The two sides agreed to a settlement and are moving on. The exact amount of the settlement my never be known, but I'm pretty sure she's set for life. Both sides signed a confidentiality agreement so she cant cash in on telling her side of the story or disclose the amounts publicly. Well, at least Kobe learned his lesson in gettin her to sign something that will keep her quiet.(j/k) In all seriousness though, he should have never put himself in this kind of situation. I dont think he was stupid enough to assault her, but we will never know the truth.

With his legal troubles behind him, now maybe he can help the Lakers win some games. They purple and gold dropped ANOTHER road game, falling to the Celtics 104-101 @ Boston. They are now exactly a .500 team. This team can still make the playoffs. i honestly believe they do. But I also believe they will be bounced out quickly. They just dont have what it takes to compete with the top seeds in the West.

Spring Training games have begun finally and the Dodgers won their debut game 4-2 over the Florida Marlins on Wed. In Thursday's game they rallied back to tie Atlanta after falling behind early, but were defeated 9-8 in an eight inning game that was called due to rain. Its still wwaayy to early and the exhibition season doesnt mean a thing in the regular season. But its always nice to win regardless!

I hope you all enjoyed the Star Wars pics. I'm not really that big a Star Wars fan, but I know this is one of the most anticipated films of the Summer so I couldnt pass it up. I've only seen one Star Wars movie (Return of the Jedi) and just bits and pieces of the other films. I do want to sit down one day and just watch them all to get what the hype is about. 

The thing that I always found funny is that ever since the prequels came out, the other three older movies suddenly had numbers attached to their names. (IE, the original Star Wars became Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back became Episdoe V: The Empire Strikes Back, etc...)  George Lucas has always maintained that the original Star Wars movies were actually the last half of a Six part story. Whether or not that is true, eh, I'll let the super fans debate that. I dont know enough to have an opinion. ;-)

I'm sure the ratings for that March 10 episode of the OC are gonna be HUGE!! I wonder why they just didnt do it during Feb Sweeps to really cash in on the ratings.

Disneyland Update: The park continues its mad dash to the kick off of the 50th Anniversay May 5th. Almost half the park is down while they repaint and spiffy up the place. One cool thing they are doing is painting ONE ride vehicle from the original rides (Autopia, Dumbo, Jungle Cruise, etc..) Gold or in gold tones. they are going crazy with the gold paint if anything. From what I have heard, the fireworks show for the 50th is going to be awesome. The biggest display ever in Disneylands history. We'll see if it lives up to the hype.

OK, that should do it for now. I'll be back tommorrow (hopefully) to wrap it all up for the week! til then....

 

DQ 

Mid Week Update

Hi everyone!

This is just a quick update til I get home later and give you the full one. 20th Century Fox just released new production photos of "Star Wars: Epsiode III: Revenge of the Sith" and I thought I would share some with you here. Not only that, but it was also announced that the new trailer for the movie would be premiering during the March 10 episode of "The O.C." I'm sure this will throw you "Star Wars" fans out there for a loop! Enjoy the pics and tune in later.

Taboo Tuesday

Hello everyone! And welcome back to the drill! Remember, when news breaks, we fix it!! hahaha..on to business!

Opening statements began today in the Micheal Jackson Molestation trail. The prosecution is trying to pain Jackson as a sexual predator and someone who has a problem but will not admit to it. The defense is countering by trying to prove that the accusors mother is a gold digging scam artist and is just trying to shake down Jackson for money. Who will the jury believe? I think its going to be tough for the defense to get Jackson off this time. He shouldve stuck with Johnny Cochran. hehehe...We'll see how this thing plays out..

Speaking of played out, Kobe Bryant's Rape Trial has been postponed and there is now talk of a possible settlement between the two sides. A monetary settlement would probably be in the tens of millions of dollars as the victim is seeking compenstation for various things including emotional distress. An announcement could be coming in the next few days. Stay tuned...

OK, enough is enough. The Lakers lost to the KNICKS!! THE FRIGGN KNICKS!!!! What is the matter with these guys?? The Knicks??!! I mean sure, they rallied back to make it close. But when you are getting blown out by a team that you should by all indications beat easily...something is wrong. I predict a big shakeup of the roster in the offseason. Jerry Buss is NOT going to allow his team to become a laughing stock and be just another NBA team. With the prices the Lakers charge, they MUST win. People are not going to pay $700  for courtside seats to watch a team that is BARELY above .500!!! We need a new coach and some new players and possibly a new GM!! Becuase Mitch Kupchak is an idiot!! I'm sorry but he is. He thought it was a good idea to give Devean George, a highly overrated player, a fat contract. And when he had a chance to unload him and get a great shooter in Peja Staijokovic (spell check) he decides not to pursue the trade. Is George even going to play this season?? And what about Vlade?? Yeah, he did a "GREAT" job replacing Shaq!! sigh...sorry to go off on a tangent, but geez, this team has just hit rock bottom!!! 26 more games to go!! Can they hang onto that last spot?? We'll find out.

Spring Training start Tuesday for the Dodgers and the rest of Major League Baseball. The march is on for Opening Day in early April. I'm sure you're all waiting for my 05 preview...rriigghhtt...hehehe..if AOL cooperates you'll be seeing it in late March.

OK, thats all for this Tuesday edition! Hope you are all well and I'll see you next time!

DQ