The Daily Dose

Few quick short stories that are... interesting to say the least

First off, after 70 years a group of stars are getting their.... star. Yes... what says Hollywood like grouping together several actors and giving them a big star on the walk of fame that just says, "The Munchkins". Yes, the 8 remaining munchkins from Wizard of Oz were gathered together to celebrate their big (no pun intended) day (just kidding... lots of pun intended). I guess it shouldn't seem weird to me since that's how they were credited in the movie. When the 80 and 90 year old veterans of the silver screen were interviewed they spoke of how Wizard of Oz was the best movie ever made... and how it was in no way demoralizing to little people to be dressed up in colorful outfits and sing about being a member of a lollipop guild... it simply built character... you know... cuz they didn't have enough of that being 2 feet tall.

But i digress into the next interesting story.
Florida... the land of old people, and husbands winning the lottery and attempting to hide it from their wives? Apparently. A man is being sued by his wife for hiding that he won a 10 million dollar jackpot. Arguably he went in on the ticket with co-workers... not to mention he unplugged the tv and phone in hopes that the wife wouldn't find out... however the jig was up when she found a postcard in the mail congratulating him on his new house that he had purchased. Apparently however the wife can forgive him and just wants things to work out... however the man has not been seen in 3 days.

And finally, the creme' de le creme. What says thanksgiving like a giant hitler balloon floating down 5th avenue!? While we may recognize that the thanksgiving parade is now more about advertising than bringing to life the lovable characters of television, maybe... just maybe we're crossing the line? Apparently United Artists in hopes of advertising Tom Cruise's next movie "Valkyrie" about the attempted assassination of Hitler has prepared a balloon for the parade... now i have no pictures... all I've heard it called so far is, the "Hitler Balloon" and i can't help but picture a cartoon version of the fuir with mickey mouse hands floating past the windows of some of the high rise. Not to mention the nazi's earlier attempts at balloons filled with hot air. (That's a pun because it's both about the balloon and hitler... he aparently had a temper... and was painter!)
so to summarize-
munchkins, and money, and nazi's oh my!

MM out

Bad Jokes That We All Love

How do you make a tissue dance?
-you put a little boogie in it!
Why'd the Cowboy buy a dauchsten (weiner dog)?
-Someone told him, "get along little doggy".
A man walked into a bar, the other two ducked.
A termite walks into a bar and asks where's the bartender.
Why'd the zombie [panda] cross the road?

BRRRAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNSSSSSS!!

Pictures Make Dreams Come True

Via Digg

A photographer dad brought his kids' imaginations to life in these brilliant pictures. Check out the whole set here.

on a lighter note

...i just realized i'm wearing pants with a GIANT hole in the butt....

...sometimes i hate my life

Strike Vs Strike

Currently there are two different major strikes going on affecting the entertainment industry. On one hand we have the Writer's Strike in Hollywood; bringing all the television shows we love to watch to an early season finale. This strike has already shut down production on shows like The Daily Show, Colbert Report, and the Late Night talk shows (Leno, Conan, Letterman etc).

On the other hand we have the Local 1 stage hand union in NYC striking. This means all but 8 major productions have been completely shut down (Wicked, Hair Spray, Spring Awakening etc).

The Writer's are striking because they want a slight increase on their payment for residuals (looking to move up to 2/3's of a penny), as well as payment for "new media". The networks are arguing that they need 3 years to investigate into this "New Media" because apparently the Internet is too new for them to understand... yeah, you don't buy that either huh?

The Stagehands are arguing against the league of producers and directors who are trying to enstate new rules regarding the use of stagehands during "production cells" and load-ins. Basically it used to be the case that you set a number (let's say 15 carpenters, 15 electricians and 5 body-men) for a load in; and they have to stay there for the entirety of load-in. Now for anyone who's participated in a load-in you know there are times when that many bodies... jsut can't work; if the carpenters and body-men are loading in a large set, the electricians can't hang lights, focus etc. Basically the producers want to be able to send the different people home earlier, and not have to pay them for the entire day; only for the time they're working. Production cells are the 3 to 4 hour blocks in which they put on a production; however, it doesn't count any side projects like touch-ups on the set that need to be done. For that, they have to get paid an extra hour, even if they do it within that 3 to 4 hour block; they have to get paid another hour, and if it takes more than an hour, the producers are forced to pay a 3 hour shift.

What I'm getting at is how ridiculous this second strike is in comparison to the first. Yes i understand that these new rules, may cause a slight decrease in the amount of work for stage hands (not really, they just won't get paid for the work they're NOT doing). It sucks, yes, but still; they get paid well.

The writers however have been portrayed as money hungry individuals who just want more money... the media has twisted it so much it's kind of funny. I completely support the writer's strike despite how much it's gonna suck not having new episodes of the Office, or completely losing a season of 24, and possibly LOST. However, the stagehands need to suck it up, and give into the producers, it only seems fair in my mind- you get paid for the amount you work.

Writers-1
Stagehands-0
MM out