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