Saying good-bye to a friend is never easy. 'Golden Girl' Estelle Getty has passed onto the 'Golden Palace' in the sky. Leave flowers for her here. 

Sophia is very much like my late great grandma. She, too, was sharp tongued with a heart of gold. But she lacked the comedic timing of Estelle. 

Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at 84
 
Jul 22, 5:42 PM (ET)

By BOB THOMAS
 
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

"Estelle always wanted to be an actress, and she achieved that goal beyond her dreams," former "Golden Girls" co-star Rue McClanahan told The Associated Press. "Don't feel sad about her passing. She will always be with us in her crowning achievement, Sophia."

"The Golden Girls," featuring four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, grew out of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff's belief that television was ignoring its older viewers.
 
Three of its stars had already appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character to be cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.

"Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," Arthur said in a statement.

When she auditioned, Getty was appearing on stage in Hollywood as the carping Jewish mother in Harvey Fierstein's play "Torch Song Trilogy." In her early 60s, she flunked her "Golden Girls" test twice because it was believed she didn't look old enough to play 80.

"I could understand that," she told an interviewer a year after the show debuted. "I walk fast, I move fast, I talk fast."

She came prepared for the third audition, however, wearing dowdy clothes and telling an NBC makeup artist, "To you this is just a job. To me it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80." The artist did, Getty got the job and won two Emmys.

"The only comfort at this moment is that although Estelle has moved on, Sophia will always be with us," White said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"The Golden Girls" culminated a long struggle for success during which Getty worked low-paying office jobs to help support her family while she tried to make it as a stage actress.

"I knew I could be seduced by success in another field, so I'd say, 'Don't promote me, please,'" she recalled.

She also appeared in small parts in a handful of films and TV movies during that time, including "Tootsie,"
"Deadly Force" and "Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story."

After her success in "The Golden Girls," other roles came her way. She played Cher's mother in "Mask," Sylvester Stallone's in "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" and Barry Manilow's in the TV film "Copacabana." Other credits included "Mannequin" and "Stuart Little" (as the voice of Grandma Estelle).

"The Golden Girls," which ran from 1985 to 1992, was an immediate hit, and Sophia, who began as a minor character, soon evolved into a major one.

Audiences particularly loved the verbal zingers Getty would hurl at the other three. When McClanahan's libidinous character Blanche once complained that her life was an open book, Sophia shot back, "Your life's an open blouse."

"I always told her she should be a standup comic. She was so funny in person," McClanahan recalled. "She would always say, 'Why couldn't we make these characters Jewish? Why am I Sicilian?'"

Getty had gained a knack for one-liners in her late teens when she did standup comedy at a Catskills hotel. Female comedians were rare in those days, however, and she bombed.

Undeterred, she continued to pursue a career in entertainment, and while her parents were encouraging, her father also insisted that she learn office skills so she would have something to fall back on.

Born Estelle Scher to Polish immigrants in New York, Getty fell in love with theater when she saw a vaudeville show at age 4.

She married New York businessman Arthur Gettleman (the source of her stage name) in 1947, and they had two sons, Carl and Barry. The marriage prevailed despite her long absences on the road and in "The Golden Girls."

Getty was evasive about her height, acknowledging only that she was "under 5 feet and under 100 pounds."

McClanahan said her nickname for Getty was "Slats."

"Because she was so short, itty-bitty," she said.

In addition to her son Carl, Getty is survived by son Barry Gettleman, of Miami; a brother, David Scher of London; and a sister, Rosilyn Howard of Las Vegas.

---

Associated Press Writers Robert Jablon and Solvej Schou contributed to this report.

'The Golden Girls' can be seen on Lifetime TV. The 'Golden Palace' was not so lucky. CBS never really gave this show a fair shot.

Networks are only interested in a rare instant hit. Shows never have a chance to build momentum. A show is lucky to last one season now.

Then those same networks compound this problem with floating schedules and off-season starts. Do they really want shows to succeed? 

- Paul     

I have not shopped for a TV in years. But, I would of swarn that I was well versed in LCD and Plasma. It seems my take on plasma is old school.

This post is more about customer service than TV technology. Shoppers are getting false information. Probably because of old school thinking like mine.

Analysis finds TV buyers steered to costlier LCDs

Jul 21, 4:04 PM (ET)

NEW YORK (AP) - LCD or plasma? If you've been shopping for a flat-panel TV, that's the big question. According to a mystery-shopper survey, electronics salespeople don't know much about the differences, but still have a ready answer: LCD.

More than three times out of four, salespeople steer customers to a liquid-crystal display set rather than a plasma screen, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates released Monday.

Never mind that LCD TVs are more expensive for the same size. The survey also found that more than 37 percent of salespeople warned customers that images can "burn" into plasma screens.

"Although burn-in was once a problem with the first plasmas to hit the market, this has not been a serious issue for several years," said Larry Wu, senior director of the technology practice at J.D. Power. The longevity of plasma displays is now on par with LCDs.

Salespeople also often mentioned a plasma drawback that's still relevant: their glossy front surface can create distracting reflections of lights and windows in the room.

Even with their preference for LCDs, the salespeople rarely mentioned those TVs' advantages. Fewer than one-fourth told customers that LCD sets are lighter and consume less power than plasma.

The report was based on the experiences of more than 2,000 mystery shoppers during the last six months. It focused on sets 40 inches or larger, where plasmas are contenders. The recommendation rate for plasmas increased over the period, from 17 percent in the first quarter to 23 percent in the second quarter.

"At most retail stores, large-screen television shoppers face an array of flat panel sets that all look essentially the same to the untrained eye, which is why recommendations from salespersons carry so much importance," Wu said.

Plasma displays were the first mainstream flat-panel display technology, but LCDs have gained ground. Sony Corp. has stopped making plasma TVs to focus on LCDs. Samsung Electronic Co. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the parent of Panasonic, still make both kinds. Pioneer, the premier name in high-end plasma sets, has announced that it will stop manufacturing the displays, and will buy them from Matsushita instead.

Thanks to big box retail, very few sellers truly know their products. In fact, Wal-mart discourages offering information not found on the product packaging.

I applied for jobs at local grocery stores with video departments. Not one would consider me for video. One manager admitted that I was too experienced.

Friends & family have been moved because they knew too much about a department. When did knowledge & experience become bad things?

- Paul   

Mark november 4 on your calendar. This marks the 25th. anniversary DVD release of 'A Christmas Story.' Just in time for the gift giving season - hint, hint! 

'A Christmas Story' DVD/BD coming with various leg-lamp collectibles

Posted July 8, 2008 at 1:13 PM CDT

By Tim Briscoe

OK, I'll go with the obvious headline here: It's like Christmas in July! Warner Bros. has announced an ultimate collector's edition DVD of the perennially-shown holiday classic A Christmas Story.

Releasing for the film's 25th anniversary, this new set will include the following:

• Two-disc special edition in collectible o-sleeve with both full-screen and widescreen versions of the movie plus stars/director commentary, magical making-of, Jean Shepherd audio recordings, Red Ryder rifle and leg lamp featurettes and much more.
• 50+ Page recipe book with festive film photos
• 5 Cookie cutters inspired by the film: leg lamp, bunny suit, house, turkey, and star
• Custom chef's apron designed especially for this colleciton
• All inside a charming cookie tin canister

Now, what would you pay for all this holiday joy? Keep in mind there's a leg-lamp cookie cutter in the deal. If you said a suggested retail price of $39.99, you'd be right.

Also, this ultimate collector's edition will be available on Blu-ray Disc. This version gets the cookie tin but also a string of leg lamp holiday lights. How cool is that? (The BD will set you back fifty bucks at a $49.99 SRP.)

Both releases are coming on Nov. 4. I'm sure these will be under many a tree this coming Christmas season.

A Christmas Story was previously released on special edition DVD (in 2004), Blu-ray and HD-DVD (in 2006). We can't tell for certain if this version is the same as the one coming later this year. I believe it is exactly the same.

Source: Business Wire

 

I have said this before, but this bares repeating. Don't forget to bookmark My Video Store. The "no-pressure" movie web site that I rely on.

 

Why do I say "no-pressure?" They have not one thing to sell you. Yet they offer you a great deal. Like their absalutely free DVD reminder service.

 

- Paul

Yes, after a contract disoute with ABC/Disney -- the famed critics will leave the balcony. Sadly, we have ajusted to not having Roger.

We even adjusted to losing the thumbs. Thanks to another contract disoute with ABC/Disney. The thumb rating is property of Gene Siskel & Roger.

Richard Roeper leaving popular movie review show
 
Jul 21, 10:55 AM (ET)

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper says he is leaving the nationally syndicated show "At the Movies With Ebert & Roeper" after eight seasons.

Roeper said in a statement Sunday that he had failed to agree on a contract extension with Disney-ABC Domestic Television so his last appearance on the show will air the weekend of Aug. 16-17.

"Several months ago, Disney offered to extend my contract, which expires at the conclusion of the 2007-08 season," Roeper said. "I opted to wait. Much transpired after that behind the scenes, but an agreement was never reached, and we are all moving on."

A message seeking comment was left for a spokeswoman for Disney-ABC Domestic Television early Monday.

 
Roeper said he intends to "proceed elsewhere ... as the co-host of a movie review show that honors the standards established by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert more than 30 years ago."

"I will be free to share the details on that program in the near future," he said.

He also said he wishes Disney "the best of luck with their new show, whatever form it may take."

Roeper joined Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert on the show in 2000, after Ebert's original co-host, Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel, died of a brain tumor in 1999.

Siskel and Ebert had begun reviewing movies on television together in 1975 on Chicago public broadcasting's WTTW, which eventually took their program national. The pair jumped to commercial television through the Tribune Co.'s TV syndication wing in 1982, switching to Disney in 1986.

Roeper was chosen from among a large group of contenders to be the permanent replacement for Siskel after his death.

Ebert has been sidelined the last two years because of health issues that have robbed him of his voice.

"Over the last two seasons, as Roger has bravely coped with his medical issues, I've continued the show with a number of guest co-hosts," Roeper said. "It's never been the same without Roger, but I'm proud of the work we've done and I'm grateful to all the co-hosts who stepped in - and to the viewers that stayed loyal to the show."

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/

There is good news - or hope - for all of us. Ever determined Roger is not about to give up. See the statement on his web site about his new plans.

If ever I need it, I hope I can muster have the fight of Roger. It seems like each day he takes a lick'n and keeps on tick'n. I seriously doubt that I have got it.

- Paul   +  =

Saturday was a great "knight" for the drive-in. My last trip was nearly a wash out. If you are in east central Indiana -- visit Sky-Vue or Airline Twin.  

There is a new move toward making superheroes more human. This more dark & edgy 'Batman' fits that bill -- even down to Heath Ledger's Joker.  

'Dark Knight' sets box office record with $66.4M
 
Jul 19, 11:35 PM (ET)

By DAVID GERMAIN
 
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Batman's joust with the Joker has set another box office record. Stoked by fan fever over the manic performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, "The Dark Knight" set a one-day box office record with $66.4 million on opening day, Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman said Saturday.

The movie's Friday haul surpassed the previous record of $59.8 million set last year by "Spider-Man 3.""The Dark Knight" might break the opening-weekend record of $151.1 million, also held by "Spider-Man 3."

"I think they're in jeopardy," Fellman said of the "Spider-Man 3" records.

"The Dark Knight" began with a record $18.5 million from midnight screenings, topping the previous high of $16.9 million for "Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith."
 
The opening day grosses for "The Dark Knight" far exceeded the full weekend haul of its predecessor, "Batman Begins," which took in $48.7 million in its first three days in 2005.

Reviews were excellent for director Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," but they were stellar for his "Dark Knight."

"We've really never seen anything like this," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "The death of a fine actor taken in his prime, a legendary performance, and a movie that lives up to all the hype. That all combined to create these record-breaking numbers."

Buzz had been high for the Batman sequel well before Ledger died of an accidental prescription-drug overdose in January. Trailers last fall revealing Ledger's demented Joker, with crooked clown makeup, turned up the heat even more. The critical acclaim over his performance that built from advance screenings left fans in a frenzy.

"It's a combination of things. Certainly, that's a great part of it, but I think this movie's gross was partly because of the reviews it received and the incredible buzz and word of mouth that preceded it with our early screenings," Fellman said. "And the success and quality of the last one, 'Batman Begins,' delivered by Chris Nolan just set the tone for the opening of this movie."

"The Dark Knight" reunites Christian Bale as Batman, the vigilante crime-fighter tormented by personal tragedy, and co-stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Maggie Gyllenhaal also stars.

The film spins an epic crime duel as Ledger's Joker orchestrates a reign of terror on the city of Gotham aimed to spread chaos and break down the restraint that keeps Batman on the right side of the law.

While critics are taking the film seriously enough to suggest Ledger could be in line for an Academy Award nomination, the action-packed movie also delivers as pure summer movie escapism.

"If you're worried about mortgage payments and gas prices, when you're sitting in 'The Dark Knight' for two and a half hours, you're not thinking about any of that stuff," Dergarabedian said.

The second feature was 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth.' This fantasy action-adventure is another winner. Here, even "paradise" has a "dark side."

Odds are your kids have never been to a drive-in. Do you remember the drive-in? Relive the nostalgia and preserve it by finding the drive-in nearest you. 

- Paul   +  = AVING

Wow, I'm shocked too! I finally have the newsletter done just in time 4 the weekend. That happs so very rarely huh? Let us hope that it becomes a habbit!

Hey Adventureland Friends:

Wow, I am planning to put this issue to bed today. It has been a long time since I have accomplished that. Perhaps I can finally help you plan your weekend -- my goal from the very beginning. 

There are so many great sources for entertainment news. So I scale way back in this area in the weeks ahead. I will recommend a daily newsletter soon.
 
http://groups.google.com/group/adventureland-friends

This is our free members only community hosted by Google. So far only two of you have joined. I hope to welcome more of you aboard.  

Our Shining Star is a lost legend -- Hume Cronyn, the devoted husband of another lost legend, Jessica Tandy. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2003.

The Snack Bar has another recipe for kids -- or dogs. But then what kid has not fed their dog? This week we have Human Puppy Chow. 

Blog Bytes has been considerably slow this week. I have a review of the new Batman movie -- 'The Dark Knight.' You'll also see my take on America today. 

We finally have more Happy Birthday Announcements. Karen turns 42 on July 17. She shares this special day with Phyllis Diller (1917), Donald Sutherland (1934), Lucie Arnaz (1951) & David Hasselhoff (1952).

Happy Birthday to my cousin Libby. She turns 36 on July 19. Amomg those who share this special day are   George Hamilton (1937), Beverly Archer (194 , and 
Anthony Edwards (1962).

Birthday Wishes go to Doris on July 20. She shares this special day with Natalie Wood (193 , Kim Carnes (1946) and Carlos Santana (1947).
      
Add yourself to our Birthday Alarm today. Then you could find your name here with various celebrities. Provide only the info you feel comfortable sharing.
 
http://www.clickaudit.com/goto/?36409
     
I just won a Fandango movie ticket. Before this I had a $5 gift certificate. My sponsor won both as well. I hope you sign-up today and win - because I will too.
       
http://www.blingo.com/friends?ref=LJt9EIXsXBaBuP-fW5DaMrkkYSk

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Share your opinion and participate in our offers to receive a FREE $500 Gift Card!
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MATCH-UP: 'HELLBOY' VS. 'HANCOCK'
 
Superheroes battling inner demons often rule the box office. This time, the superhero was a demon as
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" pulled in $35.9 million to debut as the #1 weekend film.

Universal's "Hellboy" sequel, starring Ron Perlman as the red-skinned devil fighting for the good guys, took over the top spot from Will Smith's "Hancock," which slipped to second with $33 million, according to studio
estimates Sunday.

Sony's "Hancock" raised its domestic total to $165 million.

Opening at #3 with $20.6 million was New Line's
"Journey to the Center of the Earth," starring Brendan Fraser in an underground adventure shot in digital 3-D.
 
Eddie Murphy bombed with his comedy "Meet Dave," a 20th Century Fox release that took in $5.3 million. The movie features Murphy in dual roles as a tiny alien and his spaceship - which is designed to resemble a full-sized human for a visit to Earth.

"It was a tough concept to get across," 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston said of
"Meet Dave," which cost $55 million to make. "It's upsetting for all of us and for Eddie. He's very funny in this. Just not enough people came."

Science-fiction comedy has not been a kind genre for Murphy. His biggest bomb ever was the sci-fi tale "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," which cost $90 million and took in just $4.4 million during its entire run.

"Hellboy II" was a rare case of one studio taking on another's hand-me-downs. Sony released the first
"Hellboy" in 2004 but passed on the sequel, which allowed Universal to step in.

The original was a modest box-office performer, hauling
in $23.2 million over opening weekend and $59 million in its entire run. However, it really caught fire on DVD, convincing Universal that a sequel was in order.

"When a film is a franchise that another studio didn't want to continue to pursue, it makes things even better," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal. "We believed in the filmmakers, the talent packaged together. We saw the potential."

Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth") returned to direct the sequel, which pits Perlman's Hellboy against an elf who aims to unleash a monstrous mechanical army on humanity.

"'Pan's Labyrinth' made a big impression on a lot of people," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "If they weren't fans of Guillermo del Toro before, they certainly are now."

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" stars Fraser in a modern twist on Jules Verne's classic tale about a trip
to the planet's core.

Though 3-D screens accounted for fewer than a third of 2,811 theaters where the movie played, those cinemas pulled in $11.7 million, over half of the picture's revenues, according to Warner Bros.

Warner had to book the movie largely in traditional 2-D theaters because not enough cinemas have projectors capable of showing digital 3-D movies.

"We would have liked to have more of these," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner.

Overall revenues fell compared to the same weekend a year ago, when "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" opened with $77.4 million. The top 12 took in $145 million, down 16% from the same weekend in 2007.

Batman arrives Friday to heat up the box office. The Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" is one of the year's most-anticipated films even without the death of Heath Ledger. His death and the buzz over his performance as the Joker has fans in a frenzy to see the movie.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday - Sunday @ U.S. & Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers. Final figures will be released Monday.

01) "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" @ $35.9 million.

02) "Hancock" @ $33 million.

03) "Journey to Center Earth" @ $20.6 million.

04) "WALL-E" @ $18.5 million.

05) "Wanted" @ $11.6 million.

06) "Get Smart" @ $7.1 million.

07) "Meet Dave" @ $5.3 million.

0 "Kung Fu Panda" @ $4.3 million.

09) "Kit Kittredge: American Girl" @ $2.5 million.

10) "Indiana Jones 4" @ $2.3 million.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/
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To be released on video November 2008.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
 
Starring:  Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Luke Goss, John Hurt, Thomas Kretschmann, Anna Walton
Director:  Guillermo del Toro
 
After an ancient truce between humankind and the invisible realm is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below awakens an army of creatures. Now it’s time to call in Hellboy. Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research & Defense, the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one. Hellboy, a creature of two worlds, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
 
"...once again a strong performance by Ron Perlman as Hellboy." - Chicago Sun-Times,
Roger Ebert 

"...a surprise package of fun, fright and untamed imagination." - Rolling Stone,
Peter Travers  

http://www.hellboymovie.com/
               
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Opening July 23, 2008

BOY A

After spending most of his life in juvenile institutions for the murder of another child, a young man is released and starts a new life.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809924881/

Opening July 25, 2008

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson reprise their TV roles as agents searching for the truth and investigating the unexplained.

Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing content and thematic material.

http://www.xfiles.com/

Opening August 1, 2008

SIXTY SIX

A boy's Bar Mitzvah looks set to be a complete disaster when it is scheduled on the same day as the 1966 World Cup Final.

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual content and brief nudity.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809424343/         
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HUME BLAKE CRONYN

DOB:  July 18,1911 - London, Ontario, Canada
DOD:  June 15,2003 - Fairfield, Connecticut (cancer)  

Actor who had a spectacular career on Broadway as a writer, director, producer and actor. Cronyn’s work in theatre lead him to two of the greatest joys in his life – his successful film career, and his marriage to Jessica Tandy (1942-1994). Cronyn and Tandy starred on both stage and screen together in "The Fourposter," "A Delicate Balance," "The Gin Game," "Foxfire," "Cocoon" (1985), "Batteries Not Included" (1987) and the 1993 TV movie "To Dance with the White Dog." Cronyn and Tandy were honored together in 1994, with the first Tony Award for lifetime theatrical achievement. In recent years, Cronyn made memorable appearances in the films "Marvin’s Room" (1996), "12 Angry Men" (1997) and "Seasons of Love" in 1999. Sadly, Cronyn passed away in June of 2003, but earlier in the year had appeared as himself in the documentary "Broadway: The Golden Age, by The Legends Who Were There."

NOTABLES:

His father Hume Blake Cronyn has an observatory dedicated to him @ University of Western Ontario. The refractor telescope was the largest ever built at the time.

Although not widely known, he had a glass eye, having lost the real one to cancer.
 
Won a Tony in 1964 as Polonius in the Richard Burton Broadway production of "Hamlet", recorded live on stage
in a process known as Electronovision, and shown in theaters the same year.

Was once a boxer who was nominated for the Canadian Olympic boxing team.

He and wife Jessica Tandy were both honored with the American National Medal of the Arts from the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington DC (1990).

Became a US citizen late in life.

QUOTABLES:

"If you're doing the devil, look for the angel in him. If you're doing the angel, look for the devil in him."
[his one rule of acting]

"To act you must have a sense of truth and some degree of dedication."

"The whole business of marshaling one's energies becomes more and more important as one grows older."

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002025/
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800014192/
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7583367

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"HUMAN" PUPPY CHOW
 
This is a wonderful, not so low fat snack, but it tastes good!!! My kids love it!!  by manda1027
 
1 Cup butter
3/4 Cup peanut butter
4 Cups confectioners' sugar
1 (12 ounce) Package chocolate chips
1 (12 ounce) Box Rice Chex

Melt together the butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter.
After it is melted, pour over and entire box of Rice Chex.
Stir to coat.
Place powdered sugar in a paper bag; pour coated cereal in and shake.
Lay cereal on wax paper until cool.
 
© 2007 Recipezaar
http://www.recipezaar.com
 
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INBEV SNAGS ANHEUSER-BUSCH
 
The King of Beers is being swallowed by a Belgian brewer. InBev has an ambitious plan behind its $52 billion acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, hoping to make the Budweiser and Bud brands global products akin to
Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Anheuser-Busch agreed to the $70 per share bid. Swallowing Anheuser-Busch will give InBev half the U.S. beer market and a fifth of those in China and Russia. Busch executives are expected to have a hand in the new company. CEO August Busch IV will be on the new company's board. InBev plans to use St. Louis as its North American headquarters, and will keep open all 12 Anheuser-Busch breweries. They will  also sell off "noncore assets" that they would not name to raise part of the financing for the deal.

http://www.anheuser-busch.com
http://www.inbev.com

REVIEW: 'DARK KNIGHT'
 
It's difficult to separate the movie from its mystique.
Even under ordinary circumstances, "The Dark Knight" would have been one of the most hotly awaited movies. The loss of Heath Ledger in January has amplified the buzz around the film - and his crazed performance as the Joker - to extraordinary levels. Nothing could possibly satisfy that kind of expectation. "The Dark Knight" comes pretty close. The Warner Bros. release is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace. Three stars out of four.

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START SHOPPING @ ADVENTURELAND
http://adventurelandvideo.com 
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SHUTTER
 
Starring:  Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, Adrienne Pickering, John Hensley, James Kyson Lee, David Denman
Director:  Masayuki Ochiai

A newly married couple discovers disturbing, ghostly images in photographs they develop after a tragic accident. Fearing the manifestations may be connected, they investigate, only to learn that some mysteries are better left unsolved -- and that a past mistake can lead to an eternity of vengeance.

Rated PG-13 for terror, disturbing images, sexual content and language.
 
"The director, Masayuki Ochiai, conjures textbook J-horror miasma..." - New York Times,
Andy Webster 

"This wan J-horror remake won't get overexposed." - Hollywood Reporter,
Frank Scheck 

http://www.shutter-movie.com/

WITLESS PROTECTION
 
Starring:  Larry the Cable Guy, Jenny McCarthy, Peter Stormare, Eric Roberts, Joe Mantegna, Ivana Milicevic, Lisa Lampanelli  Director:  Charles Robert Carner
 
Larry the Cable Guy returns as a small town sheriff who witnesses a beautiful, high-class woman, Madeleine,
being held against her will by 4 black-suited men. Recognizing the opportunity to save the day, Larry
“kidnaps” her, only to learn that Madeleine is a key witness and her captors are FBI agents assigned to protect her. Madeleine is furious. But Larry, who rightly suspects the agents are crooked and Madeleine is in danger, forces her on a harebrained trip to Chicago to solve the case himself.

Rated PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor.
 
"A campy outing for Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy." - Chicago Tribune,
Roger Moore 

"This makes 'Delta Farce' seem like a classic by comparison." - Hollywood Reporter,
Frank Scheck

http://www.witlessprotectionmovie.com/
              
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   <> <> <>  COMING SOON  <> <> <>
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To be released on video July 22, 2008.

21
 
Starring:  Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey, Liza Lapira, Aaron Yoo, Spencer Garrett  Director:  Robert Luketic

Ben Campbell is a brilliant M.I.T. student recruited to join a group of gifted students headed in Vegas. With unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa, they've cracked the code. By counting cards and employing an intricate system of signals, the team can beat the casinos. Seduced by the money, the Vegas lifestyle, and his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor, Ben pushes the limits.

Rated PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.
 
"Here's another example of a good story turned into a purely generic one..." - Chicago Sun-Times,
Jim Emerson 

"The screen version of the blackjack caper is fun but gambles away intrigue." - Los Angeles Times
Kevin Crust

http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/21/index.html

To be released on video September 16, 2008.

88 MINUTES
 
Starring:  Al Pacino, Deborah Kara Unger, Leelee Sobieski, Alicia Witt, Benjamin McKenzie, Kristin Cavalleri, Dexter Bell  Director:  Jon Avnet

Al Pacino stars as Dr. Jack Gramm, a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm receives a death threat claiming he has 88 minutes to live, he must use his skills and training to narrow down the suspects before his time runs out.

Rated R for disturbing violent content, brief nudity and language.
 
"A slop bucket of misconceived tricks, rigor-mortis mood, and laughable intentions..." - filmcritic.com,
Chris Cabin
   
"Pacino and company mark time in this preposterous copycat killer thriller." - Hollywood Reporter,
Michael Rechtshaffen 

http://www.88minutestolive.com/
   
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  <> <> <>  SPORTS FLIX  <> <> <>
+===================================+
FOOTBALL MOVIES:

RUDY (1993)

Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to beat the odds and play for Notre Dame.

AIR BUD: GOLDEN RECEIVER (199

Now in the 8th Grade, Josh discovers he has a great throwing arm and tries out for the football team. Soon after his athletic dog Buddy joins the team.

ANGELS IN THE ENDZONE (1997)

The football team Jesse is on is terrible, after the death of his dad Jesse quits the team. Then angels come to help them but Jesse's brother can see them.

LITTLE GIANTS  (1994)

Football star Kevin now coaches pee-wee football. When Kevin excludes his niece, Becky, she convinces her dad Danny to coach a team, and beat Kevin's team.

VARSITY BLUES  (1999)

In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion. The head coach is deified as long as the team is winning.

THE WATER BOY  (199

The coach discovers the lowly water boy for his college football team has an amazing talent for tackling people much bigger than him.

BASKETBALL MOVIES:

HOOSIERS  (1986)

A college basketball coach leaves the Navy in 1951 and becomes coach of an underdog Indiana high-school team.
 
COACH CARTER  (2005)

True story of a high school basketball coach who benched his undefeated team because of poor grades.
 
LUCK OF THE IRISH  (2002)

A teenager must battle for a gold charm to keep his family from being controlled by an evil leprechaun.

A SEASON ON THE BRINK  (2002)

Chronicles Hoosier's 1985-86 season, when Bob Knight granted author John Feinstein access to the team.

BLUE CHIPS  (1994)

A college coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.             
+===================================+
   <> <>  STEALS & DEALS  <> <>
+===================================+
I am proud to bring you 2 new affiliate offers. They have not been added to the web site. So they can only be found here for now. Hope you like them. - Paul

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http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=108293&U=8392&M=15692
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   <> <> <>  NEWS REELS  <> <> <>
+===================================+
FX'S TV PLANS INCLUDE MICHAEL J. FOX
 
Michael J. Fox will return to series TV with a guest role on FX's "Rescue Me." FX also announced Marcia Gay Harden will be joining "Damages" as a series regular, while Ted Danson will return. On "Rescue Me," which stars Denis Leary as firefighter Tommy Gavin, Fox will play a "very funny, very original character," said John Landgraf, president & GM of FX. Fox's character, who uses a wheelchair, is the new boyfriend of Tommy's estranged wife Janet and will be introduced in the fifth-season premiere in spring 2009. The episode's air date was not announced. Fox (47) a friend of Leary,
was "really excited about the part," Landgraf said.
The star of "Family Ties," "Spin City," and the "Back to the Future" films was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 and revealed his condition in 1998. He has acted sporadically since in smaller roles, including several guest appearance in 2006 on ABC's "Boston Legal" as a business tycoon with cancer. 

DEREK APPOINTED 2 HORSE RACING BOARD
 
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named actress & animal rights activist Bo Derek to a state commission on horse racing. Derek (51) was appointed to fill one of two vacant posts on the California Horse Racing Board, a position that requires confirmation by state Senate and pays $100 per diem. Derek is a horse lover who has lobbied Congress for years to ban the slaughter of the animals. She also wrote "Riding Lessons: Everything That Matters in Life I Learned from Horses." Her first meeting will be at Del Mar racetrack. She joins Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M Records & horse owner, on the board. Also appointed was writer/producer David Israel.
As a sports columnist, Israel covered the Triple Crown
victories of Seattle Slew & Affirmed in the 1970s. The 7-member board supervises horse racing and wagering at racetracks in California, enforces laws and regulations, and sanctions violators.
 
+===================================+
   <> <> <>  REEL TALK  <> <> <>
+===================================+
JOLIE'S DAD HAPPY ABOUT GRANDKIDS
 
Jon Voight says he's doubly happy about his new grandchildren. Voight says he's "so excited" that daughter Angelina Jolie has given birth to twins in France. He says he hasn't spoken to Jolie yet. They have been estranged for years. Speaking during a Television Critics Association press tour: "My heart is with them and all my love goes to them." Jolie gave birth to Vivienne Marcheline & Knox Leon with proud papa Brad Pitt at her side.

'PASSION' SUIT AGAINST MEL REVISED
 
A screenwriter's lawsuit seeking higher payments from Mel Gibson for "The Passion of the Christ" has just completed its first edit. The suit was originally filed in February. Attorneys for screenwriter Benedict Fitzgerald were ordered to rewrite the complaint by a judge. Fitzgerald's lawyers filed their rewrite against
Gibson, Icon Productions, Marquis Films and others over payments for the screenplay. The suit seeks $10 million, claiming Gibson and others understated the budget. Fitzgerald claims the result is that he was underpaid for his work. His suit claims that Gibson told him the actor didn't want to make any money.
Fitzgerald's amended suit seeks proceeds from home video, cable and other distribution outlets.

+===================================+
   <> <> <>  TRADE TALK <> <> <>
+===================================+
PARAMOUNT DROPS $450M FILM DEAL
 
A tight credit market prompted Viacom's Paramount Pictures to drop a deal for $450 million in financing from Deutsche Bank. The studio had been seeking financing for a 3-year, 30-movie slate, including sequels to "Transformers" & "Star Trek," but decided not to proceed. "The terms had evolved to a point where they were unattractive compared to alternative sources of financing available to Paramount," said spokeswoman Patricia Rockenwagner. The studio said the decision will not affect its moviemaking plans because projects in the pipeline, including "Transformers,"
"Star Trek" and "G.I. Joe," already have financing in place. Deutsche Bank acknowledged its film financing team had left the bank as the bank scaled back their activity in the sector. "We are maintaining our entertainment financing capabilities, but we continue to realign our business in response to changing market conditions," said Deutsche spokesman John Gallagher.
Major movie studios spent an average of $106.6 million making and marketing each of their films in 2007, up 6.3% from 2006, according to the MPAA.

STUDIOS & SAG TALKS REACH IMPASSE
 
Hollywood producers & the Screen Actors Guild failed to reach a contract agreement after meeting privately for 2 hours. No further meetings planned. The meeting came a week after the union rejected what producers called their final contract offer. Representatives for both sides declined comment. The AMP/TP called on union
leaders to allow actors to vote on an offer that it said would provide $250 million in added compensation. The guild said the offer is highly inflated. Producers said if the offer is not ratified by Aug. 15, any wage increases would not be retroactive to July 1. Actors have been working under a contract that expired last month. SAG is seeking greater compensation for DVDs, something writers, directors nor a smaller actors union could secure in negotiations. SAG also wants more say for actors when they are asked to endorse products in scripted shows.

+===================================+
   <> <> <>  TECH TALK  <> <> <>
+===================================+
XBOX 360 2 OFFER NETFLIX MOVIES
 
Microsoft Xbox 360 will be able to stream movies over the Internet, thanks to Netflix. The arrangement will let Netflix subscribers stream 10,000 movies to Xbox for viewing on TV sets. "This generation of consoles will change the face of home entertainment more than any other generation before," said John Schappert, VP of Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Division. The deal with Microsoft marks an important expansion for Netflix, whose streaming service has been available on computers instead of TVs, unless consumers had bought a small streaming device from Roku Inc. More than half of Xbox 360 owners pay $50 for a "gold" membership, which will be required for access to Netflix's "Watch Instantly" library. They must subscribe to Netflix,
which charges $9 for the least expensive plan that includes unlimited streaming. Until recently, Netflix streaming service hadn't been a big hit because there was no way to easily watch movies on anything but a computer. That changed when Roku began selling a small $100 set-top box.

+===================================+
   <> <> <>  GAME TALK  <> <> <>
+===================================+
MICROSOFT DINKERS WITH $$ & GIGS AGAIN
 
Microsoft is trimming the price of its Xbox 360 to make way for a new model with a bigger hard drive.
Starting Sunday, Microsoft's mid-range Xbox 360 with a 20GB hard drive will cost $299 in the U.S., down from $350. Blogs have carried rumors of the decision since June, when photos depicting the $299 price tag were posted to the Internet. An updated Xbox 360 is set to arrive in stores in early August. The $350 replacement will sport a 60GB hard drive. Microsoft did not adjust prices for its more basic Xbox 360 Arcade version, which has just 256MB of storage and costs $280, or for the Xbox 360 Elite, a $450 model with a 120GB hard drive. Nintendo has kept the Wii's price at $250 since its U.S. launch in November 2006, while Microsoft & Sony have made several cuts to prices in different regions. Currently, PS3 models cost $400 to $500.

NINTENDO UNVEILS WII IMPROVEMENTS
 
The Wii Remote is getting in touch with its sensitive side. Nintendo unveiled Wii MotionPlus on Tuesday. The new accessory plugs into the base of the Wii Remote and will provide more intuitive motion controls. Wii MotionPlus is scheduled for release in spring and will come packaged with "Wii Sports Resort," which will feature beach-themed activities such as frisbee throwing and jet skiing. The company also showed off music simulator "Wii Music" and the WiiSpeak room microphone, which will come with "Animal Crossing: City Folk." Games announced for the Nintendo DS include "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" and "Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades."

DOWNLOAD MOVIES 2 SONY PLAYSTATION
 
Sony is raising the curtain on a PlayStation 3 movie download service. The company announced it will featuring films from such studios as Disney, Fox & Warner Bros. The standard and high definition videos can be downloaded to the console and transferred to a PSP. Rentals will cost $2.99 to $5.99. Purchases will cost $9.99 to $14.99. Sony also announced it will sell an 80GB PS3 for $399 beginning in September. Among the new games revealed were "God of War III" and "Massive Action Game," which will allow 256 players online.

NEW 'STAR WARS' GAME BRIDGES FILM GAP
 
Consider it "Star Wars III and a Half" - complete with a pivotal plot twist. "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" on Sept. 16, will serve as George Lucas' median between
2005's "Star Wars: Episode III" & 1977's "Star Wars: Episode IV" In the game, players become Darth Vader's secret apprentice and use The Force to hunt the Jedi.
The game will also change the way fans view "Episode IV" through "Episode VI" LucasArts project lead Haden Blackman said. "There's a couple of big twists and turns in the story." Versions of "The Force Unleashed" will be available on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS & PS2. Blackman and his team worked with Lucas to craft the original, which mixes both pre-established elements from "Star Wars" as well as new characters, locales and details. "We pitched a number of different story ideas and concepts to him," said Blackman. "We left some openings for a sequel," said Blackman. "We were definitely cognizant to leave some doors open at the end." Lucas will premiere the new animated film
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars," which takes place between
"Star Wars: Episode II" & "Episode III," on Aug. 10. The film will be pegged to a weekly animated TV series as well as "Clone Wars" games for Nintendo DS & Wii.

http://www.lucasarts.com/games/theforceunleashed/

 
+===================================+
   <> <>  TIME CAPSULE  <> <>
+===================================+
July 16, 1999 - Harold Greene received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
   
July 17, 1955 - Disneyland opened in Anaheim, CA.

July 18, 2000 - It was announced that Christopher Reeve would direct and executive producer the TV movie "Rescuing Jeffrey."

July 19, 1946 - Marilyn Monroe acted in her first screen test.

July 21, 2000 - NBC announced they had found Milton Berle's kinescopes. The filmed recordings of Berle's TV shows had been the subject of a $30 million lawsuit filed by Berle.

July 23, 1904 - The ice cream cone was invented by Charles E. Menches in St. Louis, MO.  
         
+===================================+
!!  TURN EVERY MOVIE INTO AN EVENT !!
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+===================================+

I am sure it is a done deal. There has been a great deal of offer and counter offer. Now we are jumping through hoops like trick poodles.

As for our newsletter in august. We will have to see. My goal is a newsletter (probably abreviated) each week. Until I must go offline for the actual move.

I am thinking about visiting Sky-Vue for 'The Dark Knight' and 'Journey To The Center Of The Earth.' What have you got planned for this weekend?

http://www.skyvuedrivein.com/
http://www.teichertheaters.com/airline_twin_drive_in

See you next week. I hope to know more about my plans and have a daily newsletters for entertainment news. A weekly just can not do you justice here.
 
Rewind,
Paul @ Reel 2 Reel

To comment on this issue, simply hit reply or find this issue on our blog and post your comment there. Or send me an email to advland@live.com. 

Did you know 270+ people subscribe to our weekly rag?  The news gets even better. We have almost 0 unsubscribes. I find this to be simply amazing.

- Paul

You are invited to an exclusive midnight screening of 'Dark Knight' @ Sky-Vue. For this one night only, the gates will open @ 11:00 & close @ 12:00. Same ticket prices apply.

REVIEW: 'DARK KNIGHT' 
 
Jul 12, 6:49 AM (ET)

By CHRISTY LEMIRE

It's difficult to separate the movie from its mystique.

Even under ordinary circumstances, "The Dark Knight" would have been one of the most hotly awaited movies of the summer blockbuster season. The loss of Heath Ledger to an accidental prescription-drug overdose in January has amplified the buzz around the film - and his crazed performance as the Joker - to extraordinary levels.

Nothing could possibly satisfy that kind of expectation. "The Dark Knight" comes pretty close.

Christopher Nolan's film is indeed an epic that will leave you staggering from the theater, stunned by its scope and complexity. It's also, thankfully, a vast improvement over his self-serious origin story, 2005's "Batman Begins."

As director and co-writer with his brother, Jonathan (David S. Goyer shares a story credit), Nolan has found a way to mix in some fun with his philosophizing. Ambitious, explosive set pieces share screen time with meaty debates about good vs. evil and the nature of - and need for - a hero.

Batman (Christian Bale) has been that guy. Now, he's not so sure he should be anymore. He's protected Gotham fiercely (and with some fierce toys), but the new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), seems to be putting a dent in organized crime with help from Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman). Perhaps Batman should return to his "normal" life as billionaire Bruce Wayne and leave the clean-up work to the professionals. Maybe he can even rekindle his romance with old flame Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, taking over more than capably for Katie Holmes, although she doesn't get much to do, either).

And so "The Dark Knight" presents an existential crisis - what comic-book hero doesn't suffer these? - but does so in a totally different way from its predecessor. Whereas "Batman Begins" felt too solemn and introspective, this installment might actually be too fast. Like the Caped Crusader himself, speeding through the streets of Gotham City on his tricked-out Bat-Pod motorcycle, Nolan moves breathlessly from one scene to the next.

Trouble is, he's got such great vision and is so adept at creating a compelling mood, it makes you wish he'd held some moments for a beat or two longer, just to savor them - and to let us do the same. A couple of scenes in Bruce's stark, crisply lit Bat-bunker come to mind, as does Batman's nighttime flight over a glittering Hong Kong. (Wally Pfister, a longtime Nolan collaborator who also shot "Batman Begins" and "Memento," returns as cinematographer. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard once again teamed up to compose the huge, sweeping score.)

Nolan was wise enough, however, to give Ledger plenty of room to shine - albeit in the actor's indelibly perverse, twisted way. There's nothing cartoony about his Joker. Ledger wrested the role from previous performers Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson and reinvented it completely.

Yes, he's funny, wringing laughs from both clever one-liners and maniacally grand schemes. He can be playful, finding unexpected avenues into the character: "You complete me," he purrs to Batman, mockingly borrowing Tom Cruise's classic line from "Jerry Maguire" and dashing all possibilities for the Caped One's imminent retirement.

But because there's no logic behind his mayhem, he's also truly terrifying. The terror he inflicts on Gotham is meticulously planned (the opening bank heist, shot with IMAX cameras, is a marvel of timing) and yet his sole inspiration is to create chaos, then watch the city squirm and burn.

That his attacks grow larger each time, regardless of the collateral damage, makes him so genuinely disturbing. Ledger seems to have understood that, and brings an appropriate - and riveting - unpredictability to the role. It's also a neat touch that his makeup, which looked like a slapdash effort from the start, steadily deteriorates, streaking, cracking and peeling away as the film progresses; it's an outward manifestation of his psychological spiral.

Back to Batman, though - because theoretically, it is his movie, right?

Bale seems more assured than ever, now that he has more facets of Batman/Bruce's personality to reveal than he did in the last film. He's consistently proven he's capable of going to dark, scary places for his characters (see: "American Psycho,""Rescue Dawn") and this is no exception.

Also returning are Michael Caine as Bruce's butler, Alfred, and Morgan Freeman as gadget guru Lucius Fox. Both veterans help anchor the movie with a wisdom and calmness that's crucial when everything (and everyone) is in a state of turmoil. As for Oldman, he disappears into the role of Lt. Gordon and makes it look so effortless, he makes you forget he's acting.

Eckhart, the snarky star of "Thank You for Smoking," may seem an unusual choice to play a law-and-order kind of guy. Here, he's subtle enough to keep us guessing until nearly the end as to where his morals and allegiances truly lie (though eventually he will become the villainous Two-Face, as we know).

But the key showdown, of course, is between Batman and the Joker. Theirs is a relationship that's strangely symbiotic - you could even call it codependent. Or as the Joker puts it, "You and I could do this forever."

If only.

"The Dark Knight," a Warner Bros. Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace. Running time: 152 minutes. Three stars out of four.

This is an unadvertised web site only special. Tell them "Paul @ Adventureland Video.com" sent you.

- Paul

The U.S. dollar has tanked. The economy is tanking. Inflation is through the roof. Of course, Washington wishes that we, too, were blind to the truth.

So, what does this have to do with Anheuser-Busch? I'm glad you asked. They are yet another casualty in the global economy.

To be very blunt, the world is picking us clean like vultures. You & I have seen them circling overhead for years.  Where has Washington been? Good question.  

InBev snags Anheuser-Busch and its marketing clout
 
Jul 14, 6:32 PM (ET)

By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD and EMILY FREDRIX

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The King of Beers, the folks who spent lavishly to bring you the Bud Bowl, the Talking Frogs, the Whassup Guys and the Clydesdales, is being swallowed by a Belgian brewer known for its frugality.

But InBev SA has an ambitious plan behind its $52 billion acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, hoping to tap into the U.S. company's massive marketing power and make the Budweiser and Bud Light brands into globally recognized products akin to Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

Leaving marketing untouched, though, will mean cuts elsewhere. InBev expects to wring out $1.5 billion in annual savings, most of which will come from better managing the supply chain. InBev keeps a sharp eye on costs, forcing managers to justify every cent spent.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. agreed to the sweetened $70 per share bid late Sunday to create the world's largest brewer and head off what was shaping up as an acrimonious fight. Swallowing Anheuser-Busch will give InBev, the maker of brands including Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass, half the U.S. beer market and a fifth of those in China and Russia.
 
Gaining control of an iconic beer brand - Budweiser - to sell into emerging markets such as China and Brazil was a key part of the deal, said InBev Chief Executive Carlos Brito, who will retain his position.

"What consumers care is that their Bud will always be their Bud, and that's what we're committed to, not only the product, the quality, the beer ... but also the heritage, the breweries, who brews the beers, and everything that's connected to the breweries," Brito said Monday.

That image has been built by spending heavily on marketing. Industry estimates put Anheuser's U.S. spending last year at $378 million, said Benj Steinman, editor of the Beer Marketer's Insights trade publication. That's more than the combined spending of its biggest rivals, Miller Brewing Co. and Molson Coors Brewing Co., which began their own joint venture in the U.S., MillerCoors LLC, as of this month.

Those marketing successes have coined popular phrases such as "This Bud's for you," its Clydesdale horses are a fixture of Super Bowl ads and the Bud logo adorns sports events from NASCAR to Ultimate Fighting.

"This deal is transformational for InBev, not just because of the scale and the economic scope that this gives them, but because InBev is seeking to become more of a marketing-based culture," said Steinman.

Brito made his commitment clear Monday, saying InBev has no plans to trim advertising in the United States.

"What we see in Anheuser-Busch is its marketing expertise, and that's one of the pillars of why they built such great brands," Brito said.

Still, some experts questioned whether InBev can really hold off indefinitely.

With the U.S. economy slowing, InBev might constrain spending on sports endorsements, said John Sweeney, director of sports communication at University of North Carolina's School of Journalism. But the company must guard against competitors swooping in to buy any advertising space it abandons, he said.

Ryan Kurek, CEO of Leverage Sports, a motorsports marketing firm based in Charlotte, N.C., said he would be more than surprised if InBev decided to pull the Budweiser brand out of American sports and NASCAR in particular.

"Budweiser does spend an awful lot of money in overall sports marketing and you might see cutbacks, but I'd be stunned, frankly, to see any significant cuts in NASCAR."

Anheuser-Busch executives are expected to have a hand in the new company, and presumably in its marketing plans. CEO August Busch IV will move into a non-executive role, but will be on the new company's board.

InBev said it plans to use St. Louis as its North American headquarters, and that it will keep open all 12 of Anheuser-Busch's North American breweries.

Brito tried to reassure workers worried about possible job loses, saying the company could instead expect "growth and investment" despite Anheuser-Busch's existing plans to shed 1,185 positions - mostly by offering early retirement and not filling existing vacancies.

That plan had already spread the pain across the board, but InBev's approach is more surgically precise, said financial analyst Juli Niemann of Smith Moore & Co. In a company that watches costs very carefully, employees must justify their job every year.
 
Where Anheuser-Busch executives travel by private jet, Niemann said InBev folks will be flying coach to St. Louis - and taking the city's light rail system, not a cab or limousine, from the airport to Anheuser-Busch's headquarters.

"They'll start cutting from there," she said. "They've got it down to a science. They're very smart people."

The companies will also sell off "noncore assets" that they would not name to raise part of the financing for the deal. They hope to close the deal by the end of the year, though it needs approval by the shareholders of both companies as well as U.S. and EU antitrust regulators.

Anheuser-Busch might have a difficult time pushing Budweiser overseas, though, because America isn't known for beer - unlike its hamburgers and soft drinks, said Stanley Baran, a communications professor at Bryant University in Rhode Island.

"I don't know that that's worth it given the difficulty in becoming an international brand. You can be an international brand of soda because we did soda and nobody else did," Baran said. "But other guys were doing beer before we were so much so that we give our beers foreign sounding names so that we can seem beer equivalents."
 
InBev has had its share of marketing stumbles. After the 2004 merger between Belgium's Interbrew and Brazil-based AmBev, the share price soared as InBev cut costs and rolled effortlessly into booming emerging markets in Russia and Brazil.

But holding market share amid Europe's reluctant drinkers has been more difficult - and may be where InBev most needs Anheuser-Busch's expertise.

InBev quietly dropped Brahma from the global beer brand after failing to win over Europeans to its neutral taste, and Stella's branding ran into serious trouble in Britain where the high-alcohol lager was nicknamed "wife-beater."

Mexico's Grupo Modelo, half-owned by Anheuser-Busch, said Monday that that relationship gives it consent rights to the deal. But Brito said he didn't "see any impediments coming from Modelo" and he was in "positive" talks about keeping the company as a partner.

Anheuser-Busch shares rose 37 cents to $66.87 after rising to a 52-week high of $67.55.

---

Associated Press reporters Aoife White in Brussels and Cheryl Wittenauer in St. Louis contributed to this report. Emily Fredrix reported from Milwaukee.

http://www.anheuser-busch.com
http://www.inbev.com

- Paul

Zinester subscribers must think that I got lost. I had forgotten to post tan issue there last week. So they have 2 issues for this week.

Hey Adventureland Friends:

Again, I am so very sorry that this has been so late recently. I would really hate to abreviate this more. But it looks like I am going to have to.

Our friend Amber @ Free N Clear Stuff has married her childhood sweetheart. She will be posting some wedding photos to her blog. Look for the link on her web site.

http://www.freenclearstuff.com   
 
http://groups.google.com/group/adventureland-friends

This is our free members only community hosted by Google. So far only two of you have joined. I hope to welcome more of you aboard.  

Our Shining Star is Tom Hanks. Did you know that he auditioned for the part of Joal on Risky Business. He attended the funeral of Princess Diana with Tom Cruise who won the role of Joal Goodson.

The Snack Bar has a pizza cookie for kids. Yes, you heard me correctly. I can hardly wait to play around with recipe because Koda Bear loves pizza.

Blog Bytes covers everything from the ongoing labor dispute in Hollywood and the migation celebrities to Nashville. We even go OT with dial-up vs. broadband.  

We finally have more Happy Birthday Announcements. Karen turns 42 on July 17. She shares this special day with Phyllis Diller (1917), Donald Sutherland (1934), Lucie Arnaz (1951) & David Hasselhoff (1952).

Happy Birthday to my cousin Libby. She turns 36 on July 19. Amomg those who share this special day are   George Hamilton (1937), Beverly Archer (194 , and 
Anthony Edwards (1962).

Birthday Wishes go to Doris on July 20. She shares this special day with Natalie Wood (193 , Kim Carnes (1946) and Carlos Santana (1947).
      
Add yourself to our Birthday Alarm today. Then you could find your name here with various celebrities. Provide only the info you feel comfortable sharing.
 
http://www.clickaudit.com/goto/?36409
     
I just won a Fandango movie ticket. Before this I had a $5 gift certificate. My sponsor won both as well. I hope you sign-up today and win - because I will too.
       
http://www.blingo.com/friends?ref=LJt9EIXsXBaBuP-fW5DaMrkkYSk

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   <> <> <>  BOX OFFICE  <> <> <>
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'SMITH' HAS BOX-OFFICE SUPERPOWER
 
Will Smith's "Hancock" - story of a boozing, foul-mouthed superhero who dresses like a street bum - led the weekend with a $66 million debut, according to studio estimates.

That raised the total for Sony's "Hancock" to $107.3 million since it opened Tuesday to get a jump on the holiday.

It was a familiar place for Smith, one of Hollywood's most-consistent draws. "Hancock" is his 5th. movie to open at #1 over the Fourth of July. Others were "Men in Black," "Independence Day" and "Wild Wild West."

"Will Smith, Mom, apple pie and the Fourth of July. It doesn't get any better," said Rory Bruer, distribution head for Sony. "People just so relate to him and the characters that he plays. They totally embraced it as something different, something fresh."
 
The previous weekend's top flick, the Disney-Pixar tale "WALL-E," slipped to second with $33.4 million. Its 10-day total is $128.1 million.

Overall business slipped for the first time in a month. The top 12 movies pulled in $158.7 million, down 4% from the Fourth of July weekend last year, when "Transformers" opened at #1 with $70.5 million, according to Media By Numbers.

Revenues this summer are at $2.22 billion, about 2% ahead of Hollywood's record pace in 2007, when summer revenues topped $4 billion for the first time.

"Hancock" co-stars Jason Bateman as a public-relations man to Smith's character. Charlize Theron plays Bateman's wife, who has her own reasons for wanting the superhero to stay out of her life.

It was the second-best opening weekend for Smith, following last December's "I Am Legend" at $77.2 million, and was his 8th-straight movie to open at #1.

"'Hancock' did not get great reviews, but it doesn't matter. A guy like Will Smith is arguably the most-bankable star in the world," said Paul Dergarabedian of Media By Numbers. "He's utterly likable and he's real, and that permeates from the screen to the audience."

Overseas, "Hancock" pulled in an additional $78 million in 50 other countries.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday - Sunday @ U.S. & Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers. Final figures will be released Monday.

01) "Hancock" @ $66 million.

02) "WALL-E" @ $33.4 million.

03) "Wanted" @ $20.6 million.

04) "Get Smart" @ $11.1 million.

05) "Kung Fu Panda" @ $7.5 million.

06) "The Incredible Hulk" @ $5 million.

07) "Indiana Jones 4" @ $3.9 million.

0 "Kit Kittredge" @ $3.6 million.

09) "Sex and the City" @ $2.3 million.

10) "Don't Mess With Zohan" @ $2 million.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/
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To be released on video November 2008.

HANCOCK

Starring:  Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan, Martin Klebba, Alexa Havins, Daeg Faerch Director:  Peter Berg

With great power comes great responsibility -- everyone knows that -- everyone but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in his wake. The public has finally had enough -- the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy.

Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language.
 
"The movie has a lot of laughs, but Smith avoids playing Hancock as a goofball and shapes him as serious, thoughtful and depressed." - Chicago Sun-Times,
Roger Ebert 

"...it's hard to find a clear villain in this piece, and even harder to accept the way Hancock eventually turns around." - E! Online,
Alex Markerson  

http://www.hancock-movie.com/
               
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Opening July 18, 2008

THE DARK KNIGHT

Christian Bale returns as the Caped Crusader to protect Gotham City from the mad criminal mastermind known as the Joker.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace.

http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/

Opening July 23, 2008

BOY A
 
After spending most of his life in juvenile institutions for the murder of another child, a young man is released and starts a new life.

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809924881/

Opening July 25, 2008

STEP BROTHERS

Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly are middle-aged, overgrown boys who become step brothers when their parents get married.

Rated R for crude and sexual content, and pervasive language.

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/stepbrothers/

Opening July 30, 2008

THE ROCKER

Rainn Wilson stars as a failed former '80s hair band drummer who unexpectedly gets a second chance at rock n' roll glory.
 
Rated PG-13 for drug and sexual references, nudity and language.

http://www.rockermovie.com/
       
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THOMAS JEFFREY HANKS

DOB:  July 9, 1956 - Concord, California. 

Actor who can transition from comedic to dramatic roles with ease, while excelling at each of them as a performer. After starring on the series "Bosom Buddies," Hanks made guest appearances on many sitcoms, most notably "Taxi" and "Happy Days." Ron Howard remembered Hanks from his "Happy Days" episode, and in turn cast him in his first feature film, Splash (1984). From there, Hanks went on to star in a steady stream of blockbuster hits including Big (198 , A League of Their Own (1992) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Hanks won back-to-back Best Actor Oscars in 1993 and 1994 for his work in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Hanks later appeared in Saving Private Ryan (199 and The Green Mile (1999), and his success has continued with his performances in Cast Away (2000), Road to Perdition (2002) and Catch Me If You Can (2002). Currently, Hanks can be seen starring in The Terminal.

NOTABLES:

Received the Distinguished Public Service Award, the U. S. Navy's highest civilian honor, on Veterans Day 1999 for his work in 'Saving Private Ryan' (199 .

Dislocated his shoulder when he fell through a rotting floor in a building in Germany while scouting with Steven Spielberg for "Band of Brothers" (2001)(1999).

Second actor to win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars, for 'Philadelphia' (1993) & 'Forrest Gump' (1994). The first was Spencer Tracy, for 'Captains Courageous' (1937) & 'Boys Town' (193 .

Attended Skyline Highi School, Oakland, California.
Chabot College in Hayward, California. And California State University, Sacramento.

After a guest appearance on "Happy Days" (1974), Ron Howard asked him to read for a secondary part in 'Splash' (1984), and he got the lead instead.

Father, with first wife Samantha Lewes, of Colin Hanks (1977) & Elizabeth Hanks (1982). They married 2 months after Colin's birth.

His Oscar acceptance speech for 1993's 'Philadelphia' (1993) led to the plot of the movie In & Out (1997). Hanks thanked a gay teacher in his speech.

Received American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award, presented by Steven Spielberg, the youngest ever to receive that award (2002).

Returned to his old high school to dedicate a theater named for Rawley T. Farnsworth, the retired drama teacher he thanked in his Philadelphia (1993) Oscar speech. Hanks donated 1/4 of the $465,000 cost of the project. (March 2002).

Father, with Rita Wilson, of Chester Marlon (1990) & Truman Theodore (1995). His first wife Samantha Lewes died of cancer.

He is a 4th. cousin, 4 times removed, of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. Their common ancestors were William & Sarah Hanks, who were great-great-great-grandparents of the president.

He once worked as a hotel bellman. Some of the celebrity guests whose bags he carried were Cher, Sidney Poitier, Slappy White and Bill Withers.

Related to Bill Cosby's wife Camille O. Cosby (Camille Olivia Hanks), as both share a biological lineage to Abraham Lincoln through his mother, Nancy Hanks.

He once shared a record with Tom Cruise as the actor to star in the most consecutive $100 million movies (7). Both were surpassed by Will Smith in 2008.

Cited as America's Favorite Movie Star in Harris Polls in 2002, 2004, 2005, a record number of times as the favorite. Harrison Ford & Clint Eastwood are the only other to achieve that feat.

Collects manual typewriters, having purchased over 80 of them around the globe.

QUOTABLES:

Some people go to bed at night thinking, "That was a good day." I am one of those who worries and asks, "How did I screw up today?"

I must say that I do wrestle with the amount of money I make, but at the end of the day what am I gonna say? I took less money so Rupert Murdoch could have more?

My favorite traditional Christmas movie that I like to watch is 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (1930). It's just not December without that movie in my house.

It's just as hard . . . staying happily married as it is doing movies.

I've made over 20 movies, and 5 of them are good.

http://www.myspace.com/tomhanks
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800010392
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000158/
 
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By Stephanie Gallagher, About.com

PIZZA COOKIES

These pizza cookies are like a savory shortbread cookie. The sun-dried tomatoes add flavor and color.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese (freshly-grated)
2 Tbsp. chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
3/4 Cup flour
1/4 Tsp. kosher salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place all ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until mixture comes together to form a dough.

Roll dough out on a lightly-floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick.

Cut into triangles. Place on a baking sheet.

Bake 6 to 8 minutes until lightly browned around the edges.

http://kidscooking.about.com/
©2007 About.com, Inc.

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   <> <> <>  BUDDY LIST  <> <> <>
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DO DIAL-UP USERS UNDERSTAND BROADBAND?
 
A new study suggests attitude rather than availability may be the key reason why more Americans don't have high-speed Internet access. Findings from Pew Internet and American Life Project challenge the argument that broadband providers need to more aggressively roll out supply to meet demand. Only 14% of dial-up users say they can't get broadband, Pew reported. 35% say they have dial-up because broadband prices are too high, while 19% say nothing would persuade them to upgrade.
 
KIDMAN ADDS 2 NASHVILLE OASIS IMAGE

Nicole Kidman described Nashville as a quiet escape, a nice place to raise a garden or grab coffee without photographers. So it really shouldn't be a surprise that she & husband Keith Urban chose to have their first child there. Kidman (41) gave birth to a baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. The couple also owns homes in Los Angeles and Australia. Nashville has been a music center since the 1920s. Stars are largely left alone here when they're out and about.

ACTORS AT ODDS OVER DEALS WITH STUDIOS
 
The labor drama gripping Hollywood is entering its final act after one group ratified a new deal and the other turns down a final offer. American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said that its contract goes into effect retroactive to July 1. Screen Actors Guild said that its bargaining was not yet done. SAG, with 120,000 members, could throw the industry into turmoil. AFTRA has 70,000 members. SAG and AFTRA share 44,000 members. AFTRA called for a summit in the next months to restore unity to the bargaining process.
Membership squabbles in March led SAG and AFTRA to bargain separately for the first time in 27 years.

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  <> <> <>  DVD SHOWCASE  <> <> <>
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START SHOPPING @ ADVENTURELAND
http://adventurelandvideo.com 
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   <> <> <>  NOW SHOWING  <> <> <>
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STOP-LOSS
 
Starring:  Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ciaran Hinds, Timothy Olyphant, Victor Rasuk  Director:  Kimberly Peirce 

Sgt. Brandon returns to his hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind with his family, and his best friend, Steve, who served with him in Iraq. Brandon & Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon's will, a "Stop-Loss" order extends his enlistment and forces him back to Iraq. This tests everything he believes in: family, friendship, love and honor.

Rated R for graphic violence and pervasive language.
 
"...a brave, probing look at the inner lives of soldiers" - E! Online,
Dezhda Mountz

"...the first major movie of the new year that touches greatness..." - Rolling Stone,
Peter Travers   

http://www.stoplossmovie.com/

FOOL'S GOLD
 
Starring:  Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland, Ewen Bremner, Kevin Hart, Alexis Dziena, Ray Winstone   Director:  Andy Tennant

Ben "Finn" Finnegan is a modern-day treasure hunter obsessed with finding the 18th century Queen's Dowry. In his quest, Finn sunk everything he has, including his marriage to Tess. Just as Tess has begun to rebuild
her life, Finn discovers a clue to the treasure's whereabouts. Even Tess can't resist the lure of finally
uncovering the treasure that had eluded them so long.
But they are not the only ones after the prize. Let the treasure hunt begin.

Rated PG-13 for action violence, some sexual material, brief nudity and language.
 
"...fails spectacularly at comedy, romance and adventure."  - Chicago Tribune,
Geoff Berkshire

"...a foolish enterprise if ever there was one." - USA Today,
Claudia Puig

http://foolsgoldmovie.warnerbros.com/
             
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To be released on video July 15, 2008.

PENELOPE
 
Starring:  Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon, James McAvoy, Peter Dinklage, Catherine O'Hara, Richard E. Grant, Simon Woods   Director:  Mark Palansky

Penelope is a lonely heiress who has spent her entire life trying to break a strange family curse that left her with the nose of a pig. When she meets a charming aristocrat (James McAvoy) who seems to see beyond her physical appearance, Penelope learn loving herself is more important than breaking the curse. A delightful modern-day fairy tale for the entire family.

Rated PG for thematic elements, some innuendo and language.
 
"For her part, Witherspoon might have been more inventively comic with the pig snout than Ricci."  - Boston Globe,
Wesley Morris

"...smart about its characters and the not-quite-real world they inhabit." - Hollywood Reporter,
Kirk Honeycutt  

http://www.penelopethemovie.com/

To be released on video August 19, 2008.

STREET KINGS

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Chris Evans, Hugh Laurie, Amaury Nolasco, Naomie Harris, Terry Crews   Director:  David Ayer

Tom Ludlow is a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he's been a part of, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him.

Rated R for strong violence and pervasive language.
 
"...nonsense, and yet the crooked, racialized world underneath the soulless mayhem is pretty fascinating."
- Boston Globe,
Wesley Morris 

"...a viscerally compelling but thematically confused mess of an action noir..." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
William Arnold

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/streetkings/
   
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FOOTBALL MOVIES:

RUDY (1993)

Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to beat the odds and play for Notre Dame.

AIR BUD: GOLDEN RECEIVER (199

Now in the 8th Grade, Josh discovers he has a great throwing arm and tries out for the football team. Soon after his athletic dog Buddy joins the team.

ANGELS IN THE ENDZONE (1997)

The football team Jesse is on is terrible, after the death of his dad Jesse quits the team. Then angels come to help them but Jesse's brother can see them.

LITTLE GIANTS  (1994)

Football star Kevin now coaches pee-wee football. When Kevin excludes his niece, Becky, she convinces her dad Danny to coach a team, and beat Kevin's team.

VARSITY BLUES  (1999)

In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion. The head coach is deified as long as the team is winning.

THE WATER BOY  (199

The coach discovers the lowly water boy for his college football team has an amazing talent for tackling people much bigger than him.

BASKETBALL MOVIES:

HOOSIERS  (1986)

A college basketball coach leaves the Navy in 1951 and becomes coach of an underdog Indiana high-school team.
 
COACH CARTER  (2005)

True story of a high school basketball coach who benched his undefeated team because of poor grades.
 
LUCK OF THE IRISH  (2002)

A teenager must battle for a gold charm to keep his family from being controlled by an evil leprechaun.

A SEASON ON THE BRINK  (2002)

Chronicles Hoosier's 1985-86 season, when Bob Knight granted author John Feinstein access to the team.

BLUE CHIPS  (1994)

A college coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.             
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   <> <>  STEALS & DEALS  <> <>
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I am proud to bring you 2 new affiliate offers. They have not been added to the web site. So they can only be found here for now. Hope you like them. - Paul

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http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=108293&U=8392&M=15692
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'CROCODILE HUNTER' DAUGHTER'S DOLL
 
The daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin is getting her own doll. The Bindi Irwin doll sports khakis, pigtails and hiking boots, and comes with binoculars, a camera and other outback gear, as well as a cockatoo, wombat and python. A talking version of the doll uses such phrases as, "Crikey! Let's go help wildlife," and "You can make the world a better place." The dolls will cost $15 to $20, with a portion going to help fund efforts to breed endangered species and rescue animals. They are expected to be in stores in September. Wild Republic in Twinsburg, Ohio, is developing the doll. The company marketed a Steve Irwin doll after his death in 2006. "Bindi the Jungle Girl" began in June 2007 on Discovery Channel.

SPEARS 2 TOUR WITH MADDONNA -- SORT OF

Madonna (49) has recruited Britney Spears (26) for a virtual appearance on her upcoming tour. "There is footage being shot of Britney some time this week in conjunction with Madonna's upcoming (Sticky & Sweet) tour," Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said. "That is all the information I have available. The rest is 'a secret.'" Madonna guest starred in a music video for Spears' single "Me Against the Music" in 2003. The singers stirred up controversy that year with an open-mouth kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna will kick off her tour Aug. 23 in Cardiff, Wales, and wind through Europe including London and Paris before she jumps to the U.S. in October. She wraps it up Nov. 30.

http://www.madonna.com/

 
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MCCONAUGHEY IS A NEW DAD 2 BABY BOY
 
Matthew McConaughey's longtime girlfriend, Camila Alves, has given birth to the couple's first child, a 7-pound, 4-ounce boy. Alves (24) gave birth Monday and named the child Levi, McConaughey's publicist, Alan Nierob, said. The actor (3 announced that Alves was pregnant on his Web site in January. "Camila and I were side by side the entire time," McConaughey told OK! magazine. "We are both tired and elated, and are so happy to have created the greatest miracle in the world - having a child and making a family. Now comes the greatest adventure - raising one, together."

http://www.okmagazine.com/news
http://www.matthewmcconaughey.com

DREW & JUSTIN END THEIR ROMANCE
 
Justin Long  (30) & Drew Barrymore (33) have ended their romance, the actor's publicist said. "I just wanted to confirm that, yes, they did break up," Carrie Gordon said, adding that the couple remain friends. Gordon didn't give further details. This comes as a surprise, given their public displays of affection since they began dating last year.

ACTION STAR MUSEUM UNDERWAY

Jackie Chan's Web site says construction begun on a museum for the star in Shanghai. A statement says the 54-year-old attended a ceremony marking the start of work earlier this week. The museum will house props and costumes from Chan's movies, photos and other memorabilia, the Web site said. Construction is scheduled to finish in October 2009.

BRAD IS A DAD... AGAIN AND AGAIN

The Brangelina twins are here. Dr. Michel Sussmann, told The Associated Press that the actress, the babies and Brad Pitt, "are doing marvelously well." Jolie gave birth to a boy, Knox Leon, and a girl, Vivienne Marcheline, by Cesarian section. The boy weighed 5.03 pounds and the girl 5 pounds. The actress gave birth at around 8 p.m on Saturday. Pitt was there during the operation, said the doctor. "Everything is going well,"
said Sussmann. "The mother, the babies, the father are doing marvelously well." He said the Cesarian was moved forward "for medical reasons" so that the babies could be born "in the best conditions." Sussman did not give details. Jolie is expected to stay in the hospital for a few more days. The baby girl's middle name was chosen in honor of Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died in 2007 of cancer. The first photos of the new twins are expected to fetch millions of dollars. Local newspaper Nice Matin reported that the couple have sold rights for the first photo to a U.S. publication (unnamed), proceeds will go to charity. The newspaper gave no source for that information.

DOWNEY 2 PLAY SHERLOCK HOLMES
 
Robert Downey Jr. is following his action blockbuster
"Iron Man" with the title role in "Sherlock Holmes," a mystery drama based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective and an upcoming comic-book. Guy Ritchie is directing the Warner Bros. film, which is set to begin shooting in October. That should put it ahead of the "Sherlock Holmes" comedy in development at Sony, which will star Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell. Downey co-stars with Ben Stiller & Jack Black in the August comedy
"Tropic Thunder," about a group of pampered actors stranded in an Asian jungle. This fall, Downey stars with Jamie Foxx in "The Soloist," a drama about a schizophrenic music prodigy living on skid row.

 
HAWKE HAS MARRIED HIS GIRLFRIEND
 
Ethan Hawke has married girlfriend Ryan Shawhughes, the actor's publicist said Thursday. The couple, who are expecting a baby, were married last month in New York City, Mara Buxbaum said in an e-mail. "No further details are available," Buxbaum said. Hawke (37) has 2 children from his marriage to Uma Thurman. His screen credits include "Training Day," "Dead Poets Society,"
"Great Expectations" and "Before Sunset."

BRUCE LEE MUSEUM IS PROPOSED
 
A developer who owns Bruce Lee's old home in Hong Kong lobbied the government to turn the property into a museum. Yu Pang-lin met with Hong Kong's commerce and economic development secretary about his plans for the two-story house. The developer-turned-philanthropist is willing to donate the property, where Lee lived in 1972 and '73, and wants the Hong Kong government to set up a trust and spearhead efforts to plan and raise funds for the museum. Michael Choi said the house and land fetched an offer of $13 million. Lee, who died in in 1973, was born in San Francisco but grew up in Hong Kong. His credits include "The Chinese Connection,"
"Enter the Dragon" and "Return of the Dragon."

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July 8, 1953 - Notre Dame announced that the next 5 years of its football games would be shown in theatres over closed circuit TV.

July 9, 1922 - Johnny Weissmuller became the first person to swim the 100 meters freestyle in less than a minute.
 
July 10, 1928 - George Eastman first demonstrated color motion pictures.

July 11, 2000 - The video "Jaws," the Anniversary Collector's Edition, was released.

July 12, 1982 - "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" broke all box-office records by surpassing $100-million in ticket sales in the first 31 days of opening.

July 14, 2003 - Jerry Springer filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate from Ohio. 
         
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!!  TURN EVERY MOVIE INTO AN EVENT !!
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Depending on how things go today, August could be a very busy month for me. Requiring me to be offline for extended periods of time.

Our duplex is being foreclosed on. So we have been actively house-hunting. We maybe buying a place in the country. At this point, all of the signs are good.

Anyway, this place will need some work to make it move-in ready.  We would likely move in late august and/or early september. Wish us luck.

http://www.skyvuedrivein.com/
http://www.teichertheaters.com/airline_twin_drive_in

See you later in the week. Perhaps we will have some good news. This will be really great for Koda Bear. And save the rest of us some money too.
 
Rewind,
Paul @ Reel 2 Reel

To comment on this issue, simply hit reply or find this issue on our blog and post your comment there. Or send me an email to advland@live.com. 

Reguardless, I will make every effort to do newsletters next month. But they could be shorter than usual. It would be hard for them to get any later.

I will be offline for the actual move. Hopefully no more than 3 weeks. The first few newsletters after I'm back will likely be late as well.

- Paul

The actors of competing unions are at odds. AFTRA has reached an agreement with the AMP/TP. SAG is going to reject what AMP/TP calls their final offer.

A seed of reconcilliation has been planted. AFTRA admits that SAG could of landed a better offer. SAG knows that they needed a unified front.

Actors union ratifies deal with Hollywood studios
 
Jul 9, 8:26 AM (ET)

By RYAN NAKASHIMA

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The labor drama gripping Hollywood is now entering its final act after one actors group said its members ratified a new deal and the other prepared to turn down the major studios' final offer.

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists said Tuesday that its members had ratified a three-year prime-time TV contract with studios with 62 percent of voting members supporting it, after fierce opposition from the larger Screen Actors Guild.

The deal goes into effect retroactive to July 1.

"In the face of that kind of attack, the percentage we ratified this by is really good," AFTRA president Roberta Reardon told reporters late Tuesday. A previous AFTRA contract covering soaps and talk shows received 93 percent support.

SAG, which said approval of the deal would undermine its own talks, responded by saying its bargaining was not yet done.

"We will continue to address the issues of importance to actors that AFTRA left on the table," SAG President Alan Rosenberg said in a statement.

That left Hollywood in limbo about whether there would be a replay of the 100-day writers strike that ended in February.

The guild, with 120,000 members, represents the vast majority of actors in prime-time TV and movies, and still could throw the industry into turmoil.

AFTRA has 70,000 members including actors, singers, announcers and journalists. SAG and AFTRA share 44,000 dual members.

Talks between SAG and the producers have largely stopped since the expiration of the actors' contract on June 30, but the guild has not called for a strike authorization vote.

The alliance, representing major studios under companies such as Viacom Inc. and The Walt Disney Co., is set to meet with SAG on Thursday to discuss the producers' final offer.

The alliance said the offer was worth $250 million in new compensation.

The studios said in a statement they hope the AFTRA vote "demonstrates to SAG's Hollywood leadership that there is support for the new economic relationships we have built with writers, directors and actors - and not much support for a strike."

The AFTRA deal marked the studios' fourth major labor agreement in the last five months.

But the guild is holding out for further increases in fees for DVD sales and Internet content and better protection for actors made to endorse products in scripted scenes.

It took out an ad to run in the Idaho Mountain Express on Wednesday, appealing directly to media company executives who are in Sun Valley, Idaho for the Allen & Co. investment bank's annual retreat.

"We want a deal," the guild ad said. "Let's keep talking."

Entertainment lawyer Scott Witlin, who has represented television networks in the past, said the ratification vote by the smaller actors union should pressure SAG to relent.

"Hopefully the SAG leadership will come to their senses," Witlin said. "People in Hollywood have been through one painful strike already this year and I don't think people have the stomach for another one."

Studios and the actors unions have said they wanted to avoid another work stoppage like the devastating strike by the Writers Guild of America that ended in February.

That walkout stalled production on dozens of TV shows and is estimated to have cost the Los Angeles-area economy more than $2 billion.

AFTRA said its three-year deal, involving a handful of prime-time TV shows such as "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Rules of Engagement," establishes higher fees for downloaded content and residual payments for ad-supported streams and clips.

It also sets a 90-day deadline after ratification to develop rules that would have actors consent to the use of clips in a commercial market similar to iTunes.

The dispute had pitted actor against actor, with Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and others urging support for the AFTRA deal while Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen and Holly Hunter endorsed SAG.

On Tuesday, Reardon called for a summit of actors, performers and other leaders in the next months to restore unity to the bargaining process.

Membership squabbles in March led SAG and AFTRA to bargain with studios separately for the first time in 27 years.

"Perhaps there are things that might have worked better if we'd all been sitting together at the very beginning," Reardon said.

Actor Danny Woodburn, a 43-year-old actor who has appeared in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," said he was running for a SAG board position when about a third of the members' terms end in September, partly to heal the rift between performers.

"My goal is to get the two unions back on the same path at least. If it doesn't mean merger, it means a united front," he said.

Things don't look good for SAG now. The AMP/TP has shown a willingness to