Monday Mania

Welcome back to the better late than never Two Minute Drill. Time sure does fly when you're having fun doesnt it? Maybe I should call this a weekly blog instead of a daily one. Sigh..more content on the way. I promise

WHY YES I AM LAZY...

So I havent updated in about a week. So what better way to start off this week with a photo update? The following pictures are photos of testing going on for the new fireworks show and parade @ Disneyland. Enjoy

First up, "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams" is undergoing dress rehersals as we speak. Here are a couple of shots of two of the floats

Simba lives!!

Ursula

These next few shots are of the "Remeber...Dreams Come True" fireworks show. Of special intrest is this first shot. *SPOILER* (If you dont want to know, keep scrolling past the first pic!)

The Matterhorn and Castle trade shots in this scene paying tribute to "Pirates of the Carribean" While this is going on, the theme to "Pirates" will be blaring in the background while a pirate flag will be projected on the Matterhorn itself

Random Shots:

When you wish upon a...

 M-I-C-K-E-Y...

Random Disneyland Notes: The Submarine Lagoon has been drained and an official announcement concerning the "Finding Nemo" overlay of this beloved attraction should come shortly...Work has finished on the Main St. Opera House which will play host to the new 50th Anniversary exhibit and film.....There is word that the a new ride film for Star Tours may be in the works. George Lucas has long wanted to redo this classic ride and with Episode III all wrapped up, Lucas is now free to work on the new ride film. IF we do see a new Star Tours ride, it wont be til Jan 2007, which BTW is also the 20th anniversary of this ride..stay tuned!....Over at California Adventure, work begins on the new "Monsters Inc." ride in the Hollywood Backlot area. Expect an offiicial announcement on this as well. Yours truly and fiancee will be attending the official AP-Only preview day on May 4th. stay tuned for a recap of that event.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman in "The Interpreter"

1)The Interpreter, $22.8 mil: Nice to see Sean Penn still has some drawing power. This movie looked pretty good in the trailers, but I have no idea how it actually played out. Still, I would expect this film to stay #1 for long.

2) The Amityville Horror, $14.2 mil: Held somewhat steady at number 2. We are reaching that point of the year when every week seems to bring with it a new box office champ. The summer movie season is about to heat up. "Amityville" may lose alot of its audience when "House of Wax" opens this week.

3) Sahara, $9.0 mil:  I'll admit, I didnt this this film would do so well. I guess because I dismissed it as a "National Treasure" rip-off. But this movie has legs afterall.

4) A Lot Like Love, $7.8 mil: Well, Ashton Kutcher's box office streak ends. Which is good news for the ladies. Kutcher had vowed to pose for a underwear ad if his movie didnt open in first. Something tells me he was planning on doing it anyway... 

5) Kung Fu Hustle, $7.2 mil: A comedic take on all the recent artsy marital arts films. This movie was a huge box office smash overseas. How well it plays here in the states is yet to be seen.

And finally, I want to leave you all with the very first publicity still to be taken of Brandon Routh (Aka Superman) in the highly anticipated "Superman Returns"

SUPERMAN LIVES!!

Hmm..I dont quite know what to think. One thing is for sure though: I think the "S" looks kinda cheap. Its not really overwhelming is it? Hope its not a sign of things to come.

Well that will do it for now. I'll be back later with more stuff. Til then

 

DQ

Taboo Tuesday II

Just a quickie "breaking news" update.

After only about 2 days of balloting, we have a new Pope:

Cardinal Ratzinger of Germany was elected as Pope early Tuesday morning. Cardinal Ratzinger took the name Pope Benedict XVI.  Ratzinger had worked with Pope John Paul II since 1981 and served as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

For many, this was the first time they had ever seen the process of a Pope being elected and confusion reigned supreme this morning. Smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney early Tuesday but the color was unclear. Once the smoke became thicker and obviously lighter in color, a cheer erupted from the many standing vigil outside St. Peters Square and many rushed into the plaza to await the arrival of the new Pope.

White Smoke = new pope!

Bells then began tolling and before long Pope Benedict XVI arrived at the window and gave his first blessing to the crowd below.

Truly a historic moment and it will be intersting to see what happens to the Catholic Church now and what direction Pope Benedict takes them in.

 

Well, TWO count em TWO updates in one day!! I'm gettin better!! hehehe...Til the next time we meet

 

DQ

 

Taboo Tuesday (Anti-Bush edition)

 

Its time once again for the Two Minute Drill!! Hey, maybe this week will go better than the previous one. Update wise any way. Like the song says: "Lets get it started...."

So a few months ago, President Bush stated that he wanted to overhaul the Social Security Program. His main goal, was to privatize the system by having people divert their usual SS taxes into a prviate account, rather than the SS Pot. Obviously, this announcement ruffled alot of feathers in the country. Republicans AND Democrats agreed that the President's idea, though ambitious, was obviously flawed. So "Dubya" has spent his time since that announcement, trying to convince the public that his idea is a good one. OK, nevermind the fact that this plan does NOTHING to actually fix SS. Think about it, if there is no more money going into the system, because everyone is using private accounts, in essence SS will still slowly die anyway. And one thing he hasnt explained is that yes, SS will go bankrupt eventually if the system isnt fixed. But that isnt expected to happen til at least the year 2040. So all this gloom and doom about SS dying in a few years is all a scare tactic. With SSOO many other pressing issues facing this country right now, why would he choose to tackle something that is obviously so complex and such a sensitive issue to many? See, Bush feels that this can be HIS legacy, that he can be always remembered as the great "savior of Social Security". However, the public already disapproved of his policy then and now comes the news that he may consider RAISING the minimum age for retirement. Can someone please tell me what is the deal with that??!! Sure, lets make people work harder and for a longer period of time to finally be able to call it quits. How does that make sense??? Just when I think it can get no worse with this guy, he pulls something like this. And why did he get re-elected again???!! Instead of doing the obvious thing and restoring the tax to the wealthier Americans to shore up SS, he continues to cut their taxes and basically leave the middle class and lower income people to continue to fend for themselves. We'll see how the public reacts to this latest newsbit. So wrong on so many levels. Sigh...

Day 1 of the Conclave ended with no new Pope elected. The world is watching and as soon as the news breaks, thats ALL we are going to hear about. And of course I will report it here. Hey, gotta stay in the loop right??

Well, I'm gonna end it here. Talking about Bush got me all riled up and I feel like I basically vented here. I'll have better stuff next time hopefully. Til then, hope you all have a great day...

DQ

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hmm, hadnt I promised a update on Friday? Geez, its gettin bad here isnt it?! Apologies all around. Hope you all had great weekends! This isnt going to be so much a Weekend Wrap Up so much as its going to be a rant session. Apologies again!! ;-)

RANDOM RANTS

-Gas prices are gettin out of hand. When you have to pay $30 to fill up a sedan, something is seriously amis. But, as long as we are at the mercy of OPEC and the other oil rich countries, and not to mention the fact that our Prez refuses to do anything about it, we're gonna have to keep digging deep. Do what you can to conserve gas, because this crunch is isnt gonna be over soon.

-The Lakers season is ALMOST over. The team is 10-26 since that fateful day when Rudy T. bailed on them and basically put a wrench on the whole season. The rebuilding is coming. Hopefully, they get the right parts this time! You know Shaq is just loving the way his former team has gone down in flames.

-One team that is suprassing all odds and predictions are the Dodgers. Pegged by many to finish third or
fourth they have jumped out to a 9-2 start and have the best record in baseball thus far. Its still WWAYY to early to get excited over anything, but this fast start has many in LA happy. Including yours truly. ;-)

-The conclave to elect a new Pope begins this week. I cant believe they are actually posting odds on who the next pope will be. I like what Amy Poehler on SNL said last week: "I'm no Cardinal, but why dont they just select John Paul III??" Wrong, but funny!

Weekend Box Office


1)The Amityville Horror, $23.3 mil: The horror movie train continues. This remake wasnt has heavily hyped as other recent horror films, but it still made a pretty good chunk of chnage this weekend. Lets see if this one follows the recent trend of horror movies that open strong and then tail off considerably. "The Ring Two" is seriously underperforming as we speak.

2) Sahara, $13.1 mil: Last weeks top draw, drops down a notch. Was last weeeks opening a fluke or does this film have what it take to keep going strong? Stay tuned..

3) Fever Pitch, $8.8 mil: Unchanged from last week. And actually, the fact that it didnt drop and stayed about the same, may be a good sign.  But lets wait til next weeks numbers before we jump to any conclusions.

4) Sin City, $6.7 mil: Robert Rodriguez's dazzler continue to chug along. There's already been preliminary talk of using more of Frank Miller's comics to make a sequel to this film. Interesting.

5) Guess Who, $4.9 mil: Speaking of chuggin along, thats what this romantic comedy is doing. It sill probably take a hit, once Ashton Kutchers next film opens.

Only two weeks to go before Disneyland's 50th Anniversary Celebration kick off ceremony. On May 5th, all the Disney Magic Kingdom parks around the world will participate in honoring the park that started it all. Should be a sight to see, and I will do what I can to provide you all with pics of the ceremony.

OK, that should do it for now. Hope you all have a good week. I will hopefully be back sooner rather than later with more Two Minute Drill-ness. ;-) Til then...

DQ

Thursday Dodger Photo Update

Hello everyone! I know I havent updated, and I decided to take the easy way out today by making this a photo update. The following are highlights of the Dodgers season so far. I PROMISE i will have a content filled update for the Friday posting! Until then, ENJOY!

Jose Valnetine Celebrating his game winning HR.

Opening Day 2005 @ Dodgers Stadium

Nohiro Nakamura scores on Opening Day

Milton Bradley jumps into Jayson Werth's(28) arms after driving in the winning runs in the Dodgers Opening Day victory

Bradley greets the fans after the Opening Day victory

Hee-Soep Choi gestures after hitting his first homerun in Dodger Blue

Dodgers celebrate after sweeping the Giants

Had to put this one in here. Its "Dubya" throwing out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals Opening Day. I'm surprised he even knew where to throw it. ;-)

OK, thats it. No more pics. I will be back manana with more ranting and stuff. Til then...

DQ

 

 

Weekend Wrap Up

Welcome back to the Drill. No I havent given this up yet. I just have had very little time to actually type something interesting for you all to read. So I apologize again, and I know I have been sounding like a broken record, but hopefully I can get back on track soon.

The Pope was laid to rest last Friday morning in a emotional and lavish ceremony. Now the worlds attention turns to the college of Cardinals as they will assemble April 18th to begin the process of electing a new Pope.

Also over the weekend Prince Charles of England married his long time girlfriend/mistress Camila Bowles Parker. This couple had been in and out of the public eye for years and Camila will always be known as Charles' mistress even now that they are married. Many in England will never forgive them for the hurt they caused to the late Princess Diana. I'm just surprised it took this long for them to get married. I mean they have been "dating" for many years since his marriage to Diana ended. I mean , its not like anyone can stop him from getting married. He's the friggn Prince of England for crying out loud. But seriously, I'm sure the paparazzi in England are goin crazy now, trying to be the first to get pics of the married couple and pics of them on thier honeymoon, etc. The more things change....

BOX OFFICE REPORT

Penelope Cruz, William H. Macy and Matthew McConaughey in "Sahara"

1) Sahara, $18.5 mil: Yeah..I liked it better when it was called "National Treasure". Seriously though, a number 1 opening, albeit a low one. Overall the box office numbers have been down as of late. Lets see how this one does in week 2.

2) Sin City, $14.1 mil: Last weeks number 1 drops down a notch. I caught this film over the weekend and was impressed with the visual style and storyline. It tends to drag a bit in the middle of the film, but Robert Rodgriguez does a great job in staying close to the original material. A very good film.

3) Fever Pitch, $13.0 mil: I'm surprised Red Sox Nation didnt turn out in droves for this one. A disappointing opening for sure. I also caught this film over the weekend. It had lots of comedic moments and a nice little story about relationships and what one person will do for the one they love. This film especially hit close to me because if you switch Red Sox with Dodgers you will basically have the story of my fiancee and I. Seriously though, a enjoyable film and one that I recommend.

4) Guess Who?, $7.1 mil: Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac continue to chug along. Its had a pretty solid run so far. Kutcher also has a another romantic comedy coming out soon so hopefully the audiences dont get burned out on Mr Demi Moore.

5) Beauty Shop, $7.1 mil: Well, so much for that new franchise. Actually, its not doing THAT bad. But its not going to make anything NEAR what the first two Barbershop films did. A mild disappointment to say the least.

OK, that will do it for now. I hope this week goes better contnent wise than it has recently. Have a great week everyone. Til the next time....

DQ

Mid Week Update

 

Welcome back everyone to the Two Minute Drill: You’ve Got Questions..That’s..Understandable.. Now that my lame excuse for humor is out of the way we can begin

 

You turn on the news/TV/Radio or just go online and all everyone is talking about is Pope John Paul II passing. His impact on this world was huge and he will be sorely missed by many. In Rome, hundreds of thousands of worshipers have arrived to stand in lines that reach up to 9 hrs to pay their respects to the Pope. Wednesday afternoon the US Delegation, consisting of Pres Bush, George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condileeza  Rice, were to arrive and pay their respects.

 

The College of Cardinals has set April 18 as the date for the start of the conclave that will elect the new Pope. This process may be a drawn out one and for many of us it’s the first time we see it. Should make for some interesting times and we will probably learn a lot about Catholic Law and what not.

 

ITS NOW TIME FOR THE RANDOM RANT..BROUGHT TO YOU BY HOOVER VACUUMS…HOOVER VACUUMS: WE REALLY SUCK.

 

-Wow two bad jokes in one update, that must be some sort of record.

 

-Dodgers lost their season opener yesterday 4-2 to the San Fran Giants. Despite a solid performance by their starter, Derek Lowe, the defense let themdown late inthe game.

 

-I LOVE THE DODGERS, don’t get me wrong, but I am so FURIOUS that they lost because of errors. TWO errors that led to TWO runs. Basically, they gave that game away. Either they learn how to catch and throw now or its going to be a LLOONNGG season!!!

 

-Barry Bonds accepted his MVP Award yesterday and declared to the crowd “I WILL be back!!” And your point is?? See, I knew his little tirade a few weeks ago about being hurt and beat up, blah, blah was all just an act. Yeah, come back Barry and continue your steroid fueled rise to the top of the record books…

 

-Wrestlemania 21 on Sunday was awesome. For me, a lifelong dream was finally fulfilled when I was able to attend. I get a lot of flack for watching wrestling, because people think I don’t know its fake. Whenever someone finds out I am a wrestling fan their first response is always “You know its fake right?” My typical response “What?? Really?? And all that stuff about the Easter Bunny (Or Santa or the tooth fairy) is all wrong too??!!” I know its fake. I still find it entertaining. Been hooked to it almost as long as I have been a Dodgers fan.

 

-Well the Lakers finally crashed on Tuesday and have been eliminated from playoff contention. How hard the have fallen is truly amazing. Get ready for a new and hopefully improved Lakers team next season. That is, if Mitch Kupchak would finally start acting like a GM that knows what he is doing.

 

Okay, that should do it for now. Want to say thanks for all the props I have received and that I hope to able to update on a more frequent basis. Til the next time..

DQ

Weekend Wrap Up

Its been delayed, but never stopped..welcome to the Two Minute Drill. Its been a crazy last couple of days and I havent been able to update as much as I would like. I apologize ONCE AGAIN for the delays. So lets get to it...

By far the biggest story over the weekend was the death of Pope John Paul II. There had been speculation for weeks and weeks about the true extent of his illness and on Friday his health started deterioting rapidly. By Friday night he had been given his last rites and the death watch was on. A few hours later, at 11:38 am PST the Vatican announced that The Pope had indeed passed on. For many in the catholic faith, this was devastating news. A day that many had hoped would never come but at the same time had to be expecting it soon. For the younger generation, John Paul II is the only pope they have ever known.

Now the world has converged on Rome and it is expected that hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will make the voyage to see the pope one last time as his body lies in wake. Vatican Officials are hoping that they can accomodate everyone that comes, but the mass of people that is expected will make that job very, very difficult.

All eyes are also on the Vatican as it pertains to WHO will replace the Pope? The 117 Cardinals worldwide are traveling to or are in Rome already to hold a super secret session and then vote for a new Pope. The process has really never been fully disclosed and even now in this technologically advanced world, it will be kept as low key and secure as possible. Before they even meet, the room will be secured and searched for any sort of recording or listening devices. So we will know, when THEY let us know.

I had been saying for weeks how the Pope's physical condition was probably worse than they were saying it was. It is sad that he passed away, however at the same time he is no longer suffering and is now a much better place. His duty here on Earth is complete. It was time for him to move on to the afterlife and be at peace.

Not to be lost in the news, although it seems as if she has already been pushed out of the public's eye was the passing of Terri Schiavo late last week. Even in her passing, there is controversy. Her family would like a full fledged funeral service while her husband is opting for a private cremation and burial in his home state of Pennsylvania. This poor woman lived for 15 years of drama and bitter family bickering and even in death she cant rest in peace. Her husband did concede to the wishes of her parents and there will be a funeral/memorial service but he is still pushing forward with her cremation. I think he might be glad that the attention is off his wife's death with all this talk of the Pope.

Weekend Box Office Report: Better Late Than Never Edition

 

Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis in "Sin City"

1) Sin City, $29.1 Mil: Well, the box office prognasticators got it right finally. This movie's visual style sold a lot of people who were otherwise not fans of the comics. I'll admit it even caught my attention when I first saw the trailer. Robert Rodriguez does it again. Rodriguez is one of the best directors in Hollywood when it comes to taking risks and revolutionary visual styles. Should hold up well with next weeks openings.

2) Beauty Shop, $12.8 Mil: The "Barbershop" spin off does repsectable business. Not a smash opening, but a solid one for a spinoff film. It probably wont outdo the numbers of the original films though.

3) Guess Who? $12.7 Mil: Last weeks top film tumbles to third place. A sign of things to come or just a down week going up against two new films? In any event, "Fever Pitch" another romantic comedy, opens on Friday. This film will probably suffer more as far as box office reciepts go.

4) Robots, $9.8 Mil: Remains unchaged from last week. This film has already grossed more than $100 million. According to estimates its doing very well overseas where its in the top 3. Not much kids fare out right now, so this one should enjoy a healthy run here in the states for a few weeks longer.

5) Miss Congeniality 2, $8.1 Mil: This has to be considered a flop. I guess 5 years IS too long for a follow up to a smash film. Had they struck when interest was still high on the character then maybe it would have done better. However, according to the critics this film had none of the charm or laughs of the original. I guess audiences felt the same way.

FYI "Elektra" gets released on DVD Tuesday. A whopping 2 monhts since it ended its theatrical run. Usually the turn around time for a film from theatre to DVD is six months. I guess it was a bomb afterall.

Well that will do it for now. Hope you all have a great week ahead. I'll be back later with more updates and rants. Til then, have a good one..

DQ