Pencil Shavings

And Now For Something Completely Different - Movies!

I am a little tired of James Cameron.  I mean I know, he's a native son and all, and he does make some really neato movies, but his hubris is so un-Canadian.

So I thought, "Self," I thought, "Is Avatar really the top film of all time?" 

And like so many things I think, I discovered that someone had actually thought of it before me!  I found this website (Box Office Mojo)  that tracks actual ticket sales (that would be people who actually attend movies in the theatre) and found out that on a per bum in seat measurement Avatar isn't even in the top 20.  In fact it's number 26 and has a load more bums to get into seats until it hits number 1.

Here are the top 10, and some of them won't surprise you, some of them might.  For Comparison the number if tickets for Avatar is running around 75 million tickets sold.

10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at 109 million tickets

9. The Exorcist at 110.5 million tickets

8. Dr. Zhivago at 124 million tickets

7. Jaws at128 million tickets

6. Titanic at just short of 129 million tickets (just escaping the jaws!)

5. The Ten Commandments at 135 million tickets

4.  ET at 141.8 million tickets

3. The Sound of Music at 142 million tickets

2. Star Wars at 178 million tickets

and number one with a runaway lead is

Gone With the Wind with 202 million tickets (and that was before huge overseas markets and viral marketing!)

Let's put it this way - at today's ticket prices Gone with the wind would have earned 1.5 BILLION dollars.

There is nothing like a classic!

Not Every Celebrity is Worth Following

This guy keeps showing up on my TypePad dashboard.  He's a celebrity, in a TV show, done a high profile movie.  Typepad seems to think that I should follow him.  I clicked on his picture and there were his updates.  Lots of one liners about "the industry" but nothing really gripping, a lot of gloss, and no real substance.

And what is it about people who think they are channeling e.e.cummings and won't use capital letters.  That's either pretentious, or just annoying. 

Anyway, I didn't follow him.  I really only read one "celebrity" blog and that is Wil Wheaton's.  Because even though he has probably one of the most loyal followings on his blog and on Twitter he doesn't think of himself as a personality.  His tag line on his twitter feed says it all "I'm just this guy, you know?"  He writes about himself (as most of us bloggers do) but it's real and compelling, it's funny and sad, it's frustrating and delightful.  It's life. 

He's also a really great writer, and not just because he uses punctuation and capital letters, but because he has an unerring way of making us hear his voice through the silent medium of words.  

Trying to get back to my point (I'll blame the coffee) just because we admire someone on the screen doesn't make them sparkle in all mediums.  Some folks earn our loyalty as readers by trying hard to keep us as readers.  Being a fan doesn't mean you are required to follow everything  - keep your illusions and skip the blog.

Family Day Out and a Review of UP!

Our Family had a total kid day today.  We escaped the snow (snow in June!  Mother Nature is surely pissed off at us now!) and the rain and went to the wavepool/water-slide.  The kids really loved that.  There is a man-made river there that has a really strong current that pulls you along... but it's shallow enough for my kids to stand up in if they get going to fast.  We had a great time on the water slide and my husband showed us just how big a splash you can make at the bottom!

Then we took off to the theatre to see UP.

First let me say that if you can buy tickets online the theatre should be equipped to scan them to let you in – instead of sending you back to line up to get printed tickets.  We would have spent less time lining up if we had just bought our tickets there in the first place.

But once we settled into the movie it was great.

Pixar really never fails to hit a home run, and even though this is not a typical kids show it certainly had enough appeal to keep them entertained.  And really Pixar is one of the few companies making films that are really for the whole family.

The voice work was great.  Ed Asner as Carl was inspired.  Also it's great to wait to see what part John Ratzenberger will play.  And Christopher Plummer (go Canada!) does have a chillingly evil voice in this one.

My kids were pretty scared by the dogs in the movie.  (In fact my 5 YO wanted to go home when the dogs came along) We managed to get through the “scary” parts to the happy ending.  Lost on the kids were the numerous Star Wars references and some of the more in jokes.  But they liked it enough that my 7 YO was looking for the book in her book order form when we got home.  It's a very melancholy movie and not full of the outright laughs and slapstick that we know from Toy Story, but there is some of that and the story is compelling enough to keep the adults entertained too.  The kids liked Russel, Kevin and Dug.  They didn't “get” Carl so much and thought that he was more mean than curmudgeonly.  Although I found Carl to be the most sympathetic character.  I guess that's why the show appeals to the whole family.

The Family gave it a full Popcorn, twizzlers and drink rating

Forever Blonde

It's Teacher's Convention here in the city.  The girls have five days off, and it's winter!  We took the train down to the museum and saw the Marilyn Monroe exhibit (as well as the regular exhibits at the museum) then went for lunch with our friends.

I did enjoy the museum (and it's always nice to get there early before the crowds.)  I did find the Marilyn exhibit to be a bit sad, I always find stories and pictures of her sad, but probably more because of what I know about her, than the items themselves.  There were the Warhol prints, and the gowns, and the playboy shots.  But all of it, despite the bright colours and flash, seemed a little wan to me.

The museum has a discovery room where you can make projects related to the feature exhibit.  We were able to make our own Warhol-esque paintings, and a “star shrine” and even a model of a 1950's car.  It  was fun and the kids had a great time.  We got on the train, tired, but happy, and made our way home in the beautiful light of being unknown.

I Hate It When That Happens!

I was painting all afternoon, and the good news is that the dragonfly is nearly done!  The bad news is that the witty, insightful, award winning blog entry I was contemplating while I was painting got swept away by the hurricanes that are my children returning home from school!

I think it had something to do with materials.  Or maybe it was something to do with forgetfulness...  or parenting, making snowmen, eating popcorn, or Indiana Jones.

Perhaps it was about crazy cats who attack their food dish for now reason (that I know of) or forgetting your lunch, or drinking too much coffee, or iMix playlists. 

Wait I think it's coming back to me, it was about stuborness.  No, that's not it, hang on I know it will come to me if I try harder.

Gratitude? Chocolate? Shopping online? My Mom?

Dammit.  Maybe it was about fingerprints, or aliens, or bad hair days, or weird weather.  The importance of taking time off, or macaroni and cheese.  Maybe it was serendipity?

It had to be one of those things.  I'm sure.  I wish I could remember.

Oh well.  The good news is that I think I have the shipping for the paintings to New York under control, and I only need 15 more trading cards made up for the class on Friday.  I am very, very close to finishing my fourth painting, and then it's putting the final touch on the fifth for the show and I'm set.

The other news is that I'm bone tired, and going to bed.  Goodnight internets!

Everything Old is .... Well Still Old

This is why I don't watch much TV anymore. Because why watch TV when you can watch your favourite old shows in the movie theatres.

What is the latest? Miami Vice! The show that convinced guys to wear pink (and no socks), that revolutionized the way that television used music, and that probably predated Sienfeld with the concept of appointment TV. I remember that everything in my house stopped when Miami Vice came on.

Can the movie compare to the original. I doubt it. How can you reproduce what was so fresh, sharp and revolutionary about the original? You can't. It's been done and re-done.

I have a feeling that watching this movie will wind up disappointing me, because I have such strong feelings for the original series. Instead I think I'll check out some of the independent movies coming out this fall, at least I can hope they will be original.

The Google Zeitgeist

Another Friday night, and another chance to do something frivolous with my time instead of doing some serious writing.

Here are the top ten search terms from Google for the week ending July 4^th (and a happy belated Independence Day to my American friends (all two of you).

#10 The Devil Wears Prada: The new movie based on the novel. My take... any movie with Stanley Tucci in it is a movie worth seeing (although given my child rearing state it may be on DVD).

#9 Kate Bosworth: the new 2006 Lois Lane. I'm still struggling with the idea of Lois getting hooked up with someone who is not Clark Kent... and have you ever wondered why so many comic book characters have alliterative names?

#8 Michelle Wie: Now here is a super hero I can support. If only because it's nice to see a woman making golf headlines instead of a buncha fat white guys with addiction problems.

#7 Fireworks: Did I wish all those American's a happy Independence Day? For a change we weren't awakened in the middle of the night on Canada Day by fireworks... the night before is another story.

#6 The View: Ah yes, that bastion of calm, rational, detached news reporting. Or am I thinking of something else?

#5 Spiderman 3 : the top ten seems littered with comic book characters this week... oh, sorry – I forgot not to count anything associated with The View. Superheros are made to suffer and none seem to suffer more than Peter Parker (see alliteration).

#4 Brandon Routh: Superman! Why is it that even when you are young, tall, fit and handsome you still look a little silly in tights?

#3 Wimbledon: Yes – there are other sports besides the World Cup, and Baseball... (I'll duck now!)

#2 Tour de France: I rest my case.

#1 Star Jones: Barbara erased from the show and the credits within 24 hours... I wonder if she was looking for a bigger eraser when Star went on the talk show circuit?

Friday Night Top Ten Blog Searches

It's Friday night, my brain is nearly sapped, so I decided to let the fine folks at Technorati give me the inspiration for this blog. Technorati provides a list of the most searched for blog and news topics in the last hour. The last hour. No wonder my life seems to be slipping away to quickly – and to reveal my antiquity - I remember when top ten lists were for a year!

The top ten blog searches for tonight are:

#10

Couchsurfing: Seems that the web site CouchSurfing.com has gone belly up. I had never heard of this site before, but it seems it was dedicated to the low budget traveler who wanted to crash on someone's couch while touring the local scenery, and to those who had couches to offer. I did a bit of this in my youth - both the crashing and the offering to people I barely knew. It was a great way to be immersed in a new city or country.

#9

Argentina: I was puzzled by this (living in a non-sporting household) until I remembered that the World Cup is on! D'Oh!

#8

The One Percent Doctrine by Ron Suskind: a chilling book about the Bush Administration and some of the things that we hoped were rumors but that in fact are moon cast shadows compared to the truth. I wonder if this is going to keep me awake tonight

#7

Britney Spears: Well if the former won't give me bad dreams....

#6

Clay Aiken: Is is my imagination, or are we obsessed with celebrity or even near celebrity?

#5

Tour de France: The top contenders are out due to a doping scandal. Makes you wonder if Lance got out just in time (sorry... I couldn't help myself)

#4

Azure and Coincidence: the title of a poetic blog written three years ago that was lifted in it's entirety (including the title) and posted as another woman's blog. Plagiarism on the web – I suppose I should be shocked.

#3

World Cup: the world is cup crazy right now. Who am I cheering for? The team I always cheer for, the underdogs.

#2

Pirates of the Carribean: Movie? Theme park ride? Book? All of the aforementioned. Interestingly Johnny Depp wasn't in the top ten list of searches.

#1

Star Jones: Fired/Quit from "The View". It's the talk of the Internet (which makes me a little sad I have to admit) Maybe she can give a boost to CouchSurfing.com It will at least give her a place to rest that ridiculously large ring she's been sporting.

Have a great night!

I Don't Get It – It's FICTION!

“(AP) - A senior Vatican official has called for a boycott of The Da Vinci Code, while the Council of Churches in Jordan and Roman Catholic activists in India want their governments to ban the film altogether. “

OK, I read the Da Vinci Code, and mostly enjoyed it. I do admire the way Dan Brown wove real life places and objects into his fiction, it certainly helped me suspend my disbelief.

But, people, please, it's FICTION! Even if Dan Brown states in his forward that parts of the book are based on the truth, it's sold in the fiction section of the book store... so... it's fiction

Ron Howard, who I respected before, but now want to invite for dinner, refused pleas to put the disclaimer “This is a work of fiction” at the beginning of the movie. Being quite sensible in saying that spy thrillers never have disclaimers. And they don't need to, because they are FICTION.

Just so we all are on the same page:

Non-fiction = real stuff

Fiction = made up stuff

Yann Martel's book “Life Of Pi” states clearly in the forward, this is a true story, and it will make you believe in god.

Well clearly it is not a real story and I didn't believe any more when I was finished than I did when I started. But I did read that book non-stop for four days and kept poking my husband in his sleep and saying... “you're not going to believe this!” But of course he wouldn't believe it... it's FICTION!

Is There A Real DaVinci Code Conspiracy?

So, the plagiarism case against Dan Brown wound up yesterday. The verdict was really no surprise to anyone who was following the case, and I am sure it was a relief to anyone who writes fiction based on non-fiction (and I use that term loosely in this case) sources.

There are a more that a few things that bother me about this case. Nearly all of them have to do with timing.

Firstly, the DaVinci Code just recently came out in paperback. Sales, although brisk, haven't been as brisk as other paperback blockbusters (this may be due to the fact that many people have bought the hardcover and illustrated editions).

The movie based on the book and starring Tom Hanks is coming out within a month.

One of the complainants has a new book gracing the book shelves that has recently been released. Micheal Baigent's The Jesus Papers is selling pretty well. Not to mention that the book that is also being looked at in court is by Baigent and Richard Leigh Holy Blood, Holy Grail.  And that book is being snapped up at a rate that it has probably never been sold at before.

And finally both parties are published by the same publishing house, Random House.

Although Baigent and Leigh are expected to pay for Random House's legal costs (about two million dollars) and cover their own legal expenses, I can't help but think that two million bucks is cheap for a global advertising campaign for three books and movie. And I wonder if their kindly publisher will waive the fine once all the fuss about the case has died down and the press isn't watching all this so closely?