From the Globe and Mail:
Bruckheimer, producer of Walt Disney Co’s wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise among a long list of film and TV hits like CSI, said he plans to do for video games what he has done for other well-defined genres of content.
The Jerry Bruckheimer oeuvre: a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
[with apologies to the Bard]
[tags]jerry bruckheimer, pirates of the caribbean, csi[/tags]
Bottled water has always been wasteful and indulgent, but now it’s just getting ridiculous. Via Newsweek:
Holy Drinking Water, produced by a California-based company called Wayne Enterprises, is blessed in the warehouse by an Anglican or Roman Catholic priest (after a thorough background check). Like a crucifix or a rosary, a bottle of Holy Drinking Water is a daily reminder to be kind to others, says Brian Germann, Wayne’s CEO. Another company makes Liquid OM, superpurified bottled water containing vibrations that promote a positive outlook. Invented by Kenny Mazursky, a sound therapist in Chicago, the water purportedly possesses an energy field that Mazursky makes by striking a giant gong and Tibetan bowls in its vicinity. He says the good energy can be felt not just after you drink the water but before, when you’re holding the bottle.
I’d call that truly insidious marketing, but I suppose that’s redundant. At least the nuns have their heads screwed on straight:
The Franciscan Sisters, together with a community of Benedictine nuns nearby, have launched a letter-writing campaign against the largest producers of bottled water and they’ve designed coasters to encourage people to drink glasses, not bottles, of water from the tap.
Via Brijit.com, once again.
[tags]bottled water, holy drinking water, liquid om, franciscan sisters[/tags]
This story by David Sedaris about a transatlantic flight is one of the funniest things I’ve read in weeks. Touching, too, but mainly funny.
The best thing about this particular airline is that after dinner they offer you a sundae. The vanilla ice cream is in the bowl already, but you can choose from any number of toppings. I order the caramel and chopped nuts and the flight attendant spoons them on before my eyes. “Is that enough sauce, Mr. Sedaris?” she’ll ask, and “Are you sure you don’t want whipped cream?” It would be years before I worked up the courage to ask for seconds, and, when I finally did, I felt like such a dope. “Do you think, um . . . I mean, is it possible to have another one of those?”
“Well, of course it is, Mr. Sedaris. Have a third, if you like!”
That’s Business Elite for you. Spend eight thousand dollars on a ticket and, if you want an extra thirteen cents’ worth of ice cream, all you have to do is ask. It’s like buying a golf cart and having a few tees thrown in, but it still works. “Golly,” I say. “Thanks!”
Found at Brijit.
[tags]david sedaris, brijit, new yorker[/tags]
Drive-thrus have become a way of life in car conscious Toronto, as busy GTA residents find they don’t have the time to even get out of their vehicles for a coffee or a hamburger. But what are they doing to the environment and how would you feel if local politicians made a move to either curb them or eliminate them altogether?
I’d question the environmental impact of eliminating the drive-thru. It seems to me it wouldn’t reduce the demand for coffee (could also be hamburgers, etc., but I’ll use coffee as my example here), so you’d have three net effects:
If you believe that removing a drive-thru will reduce the overall demand for coffee, then maybe this model works (for the environment, but certainly not for the business). If you think demand would stay the same, then the model only works if you believe customers will stop driving to Tim Horton’s and will walk there instead, and I’d bet pretty hard against that.
Anyone disagree? Are my assumptions off?
And just out of curiosity, what marketing jackass invented the word thru?
.:.
Two inmates escaped from a county jail, hiding the holes they made in the walls by putting up photos of bikini-clad women, officials said.
Attention, all jail wardens: you might want to WATCH THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION!!
[tags]toronto drive-thrus, jailbreak, bikini posters, shawshank redemption[/tags]
Two more movies down:
This Film Is Not Yet Rated (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was a very interesting look at the MPAA ratings board (you know, the ones who decide whether a film is G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17). The documentary is all about the secrecy around the small group of people who decide the rating, and interviews many filmmakers whose films were rated NC-17. There are lots of interesting angles discussed — bias toward studio films, bias against gay sex, acceptance of extreme violence while sex is considered dirty if it shows too many thrusts, etc. — and the filmmaker even hires a PI firm to track down the identities of the raters. The best part comes, of course, when the filmmaker submits the film to the MPAA for a rating. Highly recommended.
Paris, Je T’Aime (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was a collection of sixteen short films about Parisien neighbourhoods. Apart from one or two, they were all quite good. Some were excellent: “Tuileries” by the Coen Brothers, “Père-Lachaise” by Wes Craven, “Faubourg Saint-Denis” by Tom Tykwer and especially “14th Arrondissement” by Alexander Payne. His lone character’s description of what happens in those transcendent travel moments are simply perfect:
“And then something happened. A feeling came over me. As if I recalled something, something that I had never known and for which I had been waiting, but I didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was something I had forgotten. Or something I had missed my whole life. I can only tell you that at the same time I felt joy and sadness. But not a great sadness. Because I felt alive.”
[tags]this film is not yet rated, mpaa, film ratings, paris je t’aime, coen brothers, wes craven, tom tykwer, alexander payne, paris[/tags]
At 3:30 last night we were awoken by a noise on our balcony. Not the howling wind; we were used to that by the time we went to sleep around 2:00. This time it was paint cans; we’d forgotten that we’d left a box of nearly-empty paint cans out on the balcony, and the wind had finally flipped the box and sent paint cans everywhere.
It’s been that kind of storm so far: violent winds and lots of snow. I can only see the occasional intrepid (“intrepid” means stupid, right?) soul walking or driving on the streets below us. The city’s pretty much shut down. Fine by us; as I said yesterday we used yesterday to finish everything that required a trip outside. I’ve used this morning to do a little work, read my feeds, finish off a bunch of small errands and even read a chapter of corporate finance. Nothing left to do today, really, except watch the Raptors game, pick off one more chapter of my textbook and watch some movies. It should be a very relaxing Sunday.
As I wrote this I saw a few lightning flashes and heard some thunder. Huh…two thundersnows in one year.
[tags]toronto storm, thundersnow[/tags]
There’s no Christmas present quite like a 4-1 win over the Leafs. Fa la la la la la la la la.
.:.
Been watchin’ some movies. Not much else to do when it’s a squall out there.
The Illusionist (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was hard to like at first, and didn’t exactly thrill me with the ending, but in between it was pretty good. There was a very particular style to the film that I had to adjust to — the visual effect of being shot through amber, the simulated screen wipes that made the film look decades-old, etc. — but once I did, and I got into the film, it wasn’t bad. Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti are just good in anything, and pretty much made up for the useless Jessica Biel. It’s worth a watch.
Flags Of Our Fathers (imdb | rotten tomatoes) and…meh. I don’t know; I like war movies, and it was well done, but it was the same well-done war movie I’ve liked about six times in the past six years. I always compare them to Band Of Brothers, and they never stack up. Worth seeing, but there certainly won’t be anything shocking in it for you.
[tags]canadiens, leafs, illusionist movie, flags of our fathers[/tags]
When Environment Canada issues warnings about “copious” and “near-crippling” amounts of snow in the next 24 hours, you know it’s about to get hairy. It’s already pretty ugly out there, but the real fun won’t start until tomorrow. As such, we’ve obtained enough provisions (read: snack food and a full PVR) for the remainder of the weekend.
C’mon, winter, do your worst. It’s fun to see Toronto brought to its knees by snow.
[tags]winter storm[/tags]
We were supposed to go the Whippersnapper gallery tonight to see the photoblogger exhibit, but CB is under the weather and needs to regain her strength before getting on a plane. Really, I was rather wiped tonight so I used that as an excuse to recommend a more low-key plan — dinner at Smokeless Joe — and then chill.
When we got there the place was packed, so we took the last two seats next to the door. Still trying to get the chill off (we walked there) we ordered a 750mL bottle of the Great Lakes Winter Ale to share. Tasted like gingerbread! I skipped lunch today (except for a couple of pieces of cake that T-Bone was doling out) so I was starving. After some tasty bread to start my giant bowl of pesto pasta arrived. Damnation, that stuff is good. A glass of Black Katt Stout to go with it and I was a happy man.
Now we’re back home where it’s warm and we can chill, watch a movie or two. We have a busy-ass day tomorrow (well, Nellie does; I pretty much finished my shopping today) so we’ll be up early and need our energy.
[tags]smokeless joe, great lakes winter ale, black katt stout[/tags]
I’m making the most of my MBA-cation. I got so many little things done tonight my hand is sore from checking things off lists. Tomorrow I’ll finish my Christmas shopping, and then tomorrow night, the last hurrah before I get back to the studyin’, we’re going to the Whippersnapper gallery with CBGB to see the photoblogger exhibit.
And then…back to tax shields and dividend policy.
[tags]whippersnapper gallery, corporate finance[/tags]
Skirl | Dan Dickinson 