Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December 28, 2010

Just a few days remaining in the year? What will you blog about. Here are some ideas.
  • 65 years ago the United States congress officially recognized The Pledge of Allegiance (1945)
  • 10 years ago retailer Montogomery Ward officially announced it's going out of business (2010)
  • 154 years since the birth of 28th President Woodrow Wilson
  • American comic book legend Stan Lee turns 88 (born 1922)
  • Actress Dame Maggie Smith turns 76 (born 1934)
  • Musician John Legend turns 32 (born 1978)
  • American Idol runner-up David Archulete turns 20 (born 1990)
  • In the tradition of celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, today is the fourth day of Christmas

Available on DVD: December 28, 2010

Film
The American (staring George Clooney)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (staring Milla Jovovich and Wentworth Miller)

TV
Jersey Shore: Season 2

Saturday, December 25, 2010

New Film Releases - Christmas Day - December 25, 2010

Wide
Gulliver's Travels (Fox)

Limited
The Illusianist (Sony Classics)

Expanding
The King's Speech (Weinstein Company)
Rabbit Hole (Lionsgate)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Mid-Week Film Releases - Wednesday December 22, 2010

Wide Releases
Little Fockers (Univeresal)
True Grit (Paramont)

Limited Releases
Country Strong (Song/Screen Gems)
Somewhere (Focus Features)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Available on DVD: December 21, 2010

New to DVD
  • Devil
  • Easy A
  • Salt
  • Soul Kitchen
  • Step Up 3-D
  • Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Monday, December 20, 2010

Thinking Christmas: Taking Pictures

It's Monday, and Christmas is less than a week away.

This week is a great week to blog about the holidays. Perhaps you've been blogging for a few years and need some fresh "holiday ideas."

Today's post is about some personal holiday-related pictures you can take to share with your blog readers to make you and you're holiday experience come alive:
  • "Wrapping: Amateur or Expert?" - are you an expert or do you flounder. Share some examples of your best or worst present wrapping.
  • "Present Wrapping Room" - show off the skeleton's in your closet when you get down and dirty (or perhaps neat and organized) in your present wrapping schemes. My guess is this area of your house will have a significant clean up before the guest arrive.
  • "Something Old, Something New" - Christmas decorations seem to get passed down, boxed up for years and put out again and again. What's the oldest holiday decoration that dresses your home? Similarly what's the newest thing you've added this year?
  • "Making a List, Checking It Twice" - The holidays are busy, so that means lists. Food lists, gift lists, to do lists, party lists. If you have one of these lists share your chaos or organization by snapping a picture of your lists and what your lists says about you.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

December 19, 2010

  • 69 years ago Adolf Hitler became Commander-in-Chief of the German Army (1941)
  • 27 years ago the original FIFA World Cup Trophy (the Jules Rimet Trophy) is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio De Jeneiro. The trophy has never been recovered (1983)
  • 111 years since the birth of Martin Luther King, Sr. (born 1899, he died 1984)
  • Jake Gyllenhaal turns 30 (born 1980)
  • Anniversary of the death of Emily Bronte (died 1848)

Saturday, December 18, 2010

1 Year Since US Premier of Avatar

Avatar premiered in United States December 18, 2009.

The film earned $27 million on opening day in the US, and $77 million it's first weekend.

Dollar for dollar Avatar is the highest grossing film in the US and Worldwide with a domestic gross of $760,478,635 and a worldwide gross of $2,777,461,400.

Although, adjusted for inflation BoxOfficeMojo's data shows Avatar as the 14th highest grossing film of all time (source).

Avatar is reported to have had a $237 million dollar budget.

The film broke records as the top selling Blu-Ray release of all time.

Avatar would win 3 Oscars (Art Direction, Cinemotography, Visual Effects). Other nominations included Directing (James Cameron), Editing, Original Score (James Horner), Sound, Sound Editing, and Best Picture.

Friday, December 17, 2010

This Weekends New Films - December 17

Wide
Tron Legacy (Buena Vista)
Yogi Bear (Warner Bros.)
How Do you Know (Sony/Columbia)

Expanding
The Fighter (Paramont)

Limited
Rabbit Hole (Lionsgate)
Casino Jack (ATO Pictures)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

December 14: Monkey Day

December 14 is Monkey Day (the official website is here).

The official observation is as unorganized as you can imagine for a day with such a title, with a purpose that spans from general appreciation of monkeys, evolution, to advocacy and protection.

That being said, I suppose that gives you the freedom to celebrate Monkey day how ever you see fit, here's some ideas:

  • Monkey Day origins: Started in 2000 by comic book artist (Fetus-X), Casey Sorrow
  • Peter Jackson's King Kong legitimized the day in some ways with it's release in 2005 on Monkey Day
  • Monkey Day seems like the perfect day to write about your famous monkeys
    ◘ Gordo, the space traveling monkey
    ◘ Ramu, the imprisoned monkey in India who wildlife activist are trying to have freed
    ◘ Maggie the Monkey, the Canadian monkey known for predicting the Stanley Cup winners
  • Or there's the fictional monkeys
    ◘ Curious George, the little guy who was brought back from Africa by the Man with the Yellow Hat
    ◘ The Winged Monkeys, those scary creates from The Wizard of Oz
    ◘ Abu, Aladdin's buddy in the Disney film
    ◘ Mojo, Homer's helper monkey on The Simpsons
  • Monkey-related nonprofits:
    Chimps, Inc
    Primate Rescue Center

Monday, December 13, 2010

December 13, 2010 - Celebirty Birthdays

  • Musical Starlet Taylor Swift turns 21 (born 1989)
  • Tom DeLonge (guitarist of Blink-182, Angels and Airwaves) turns 35 (born 1975)
  • University of Nebraska College Football coach Bo Pelini turns 43 (born 1967)
  • Musician, Actor, Oscar winner Jamie Fox turns 43 (born 1967)
  • One of the Coen Brother's favorite actor Steve Buscemi turns 53 (born 1957)
  • Actor Christopher Plummer turns 81 (born 1929)
  • Actor/Comedian Dick Van Dyke turn 85 (born 1925)

Sunday, December 12, 2010

December 12, 2010: Women In Church Leadership

On this day, 60 years ago in 1950 Paula Ackerman became the first woman in the United States to lead a Jewish congregation in the United States.

When her husband Rabbi William Ackerman died November 30, 1950 she took up the post of leading her husband's congregation, Temple Beth Israel in Meridian, Mississippi.

She served in this role until 1953, never being ordained or going through the traditional school experience of one who leads a Jewish congregation.

Ackerman again later in her life would serve for 9 months in her home town of Pensacola, Florida.

Ideas for blogging:

1. What's your thoughts on women in church leadership?


2. How has your thoughts changed or stayed the same in your lifetime?


3. How do gender roles positively or negatively impact spiritual life?


4. What female spiritual leader do you find inspiring (examples could be: Joan of Arc, Joni Earekson Tada, Beth Moore, Elizabeth Dole, Selina countess of Huntingdon, Sarah Crosby, Catherine Booth, Lottie Moon, Ester Johns, Corrie Ten Boom, Anna Frank, Golda Meir).

Friday, December 10, 2010

This Weekends New Films - December 10, 2010

Wide Release
The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Fox)
The Tourist (Sony/Columbia)

Limited
The Fighter (Paramount)
The Tempest (Miramax)

Expanding
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight)
I Love You, Phillip Morris (Roadside Attractions)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

December 7, 2010

  • The anniversary of Cicero's assassination (43 BC)
  • 80 years since the first television commercial, an ad for I.J. Fox Furries who sponsored the CBS TV broadcast of the The Fox Trappers (1930)
  • 69 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII (1941)
  • 100 years since the birth of "The King of Swing:" Popular swing, big band, and lounge act Louis Prima (born 1910, died 1978)
  • International Civil Aviation Day (as created by the UN General assembly in 1994 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation).

Monday, December 6, 2010

December 6, 2010

  • 4 years ago since NASA revealed pictures from Mars Global Surveyor indicating that there may be water on Mars (1996)
  • Ulf Ekberg, founding member of Swedish 90s sensation Ace of Base turns 40
  • Christkind, a day in central Europe that is a gift giving day with the view that the baby-Jesus-like-sprite brings gift to children
  • The main feast of St. Nicholas for whom the Santa Clause tradition is based. Saint Nicholas day is celebrate December 6 in many parts of Europe through gift-giving.
  • The 2nd "season" of NBC's television show The Sing-Off premiers. The five episode show is a reality competition game-show that features accapella vocalist

Sunday, December 5, 2010

December 5, 2010

  • Today the BCS bowl announcements will pave the way for the big college football games over the holidays.
  • The first round of film awards came out, including the prestigeious National Board of Review awards (full list here).
  • Washington Post tells different messages about the film Fair Game. The movie reviewer says it's great, but the op-ed tells people to stay away from lies (foxnews story here).
  • Today's the day of the Las Vegas Rock N' Roll Marathon

Friday, December 3, 2010

This Weekends New Films - December 3, 2010

Wide Release
The Warrior Way (Relativity)

Limited Release
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight)
Dead Awake (New Films Cinema)
I Love You, Phillip Morris (Roadside Attractions)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Compare & Contrast: Religion & Public Funds

Two stories I've heard recently both use some similar sounding arguments in some similar but inconsistent ways.

I think most people can sound off on one of these stories or the other, but I think a true blog-craftsman could weave these together in an interesting ways. Use the best logic you have in defending or critiquing one of these stories and use the same logic in the next, or explain why similar logic isn't needed.

Story #1: Nativity Scene at the Colorado State Capital Building and Protest Billboards
The organization Boulder Atheist will be placing Billboards up in the vicinity of the Colorado State Capital protesting the nativity scene that is included as part of the state's holiday display. The billboards will read: " "Stop government support of religion. Move this Denver nativity scene to a church." The state says it will not remove the nativity scene which has been part of it's display for 40 years. Read the story and watch the video here at 9new.com.

Story #2: Controversial Art of Jesus in Government Funded Art Gallery
The Smithsonian has removed a portrait from it's exhibit Hide/Seek featuring the art of homosexual artists portraits. The art removed is a video by David Wojnarowicz called A Fire In My Belly, which was removed after political pressure about government dollars funding art that depicted Jesus on a crucifix covered with ants. The NPR story can be found here.