There have been YouTube Meetups, but never one in America's most exciting city, Oakland, California. The Oakland YouTube Meetup at Lake Chalet at 1520 Lakeside Drive in Oakland, and is on Saturday, December 12th 2009 from 2 PM to 5:30 PM.
What's the plan? To meet, eat, and video! But the idea is to meet YouTubers from all over and especially Oakland, San Francisco, and Northern California. But it's also a party for non-YouTubers to learn more about how YouTube and YouTubers can help promote their business; you learn by watching us in action and mingling!
It's also a YouTube contest with prizes for the person who uploads their video the fastest.
Join me and other YouTubers like Sarah Austin for a cool event in a really awesome place: Lake Chalet:
Visit our Facebook page here.
More information to come, but contact me Zennie62 at zennie@zennie62.com
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
President Obama's Speech makes case for war
Tonight, before an audience of well-dressed and metallic blue suited West Point cadets, President Barack Obama gave the first speech calling for war in his young career. It was an Obama Afghanistan speech of 35 minutes time that turned this still skeptical observer from mild opponent to supporter.
Why?
Because President Obama reminded me of America's unique place in the World. It's something all too easy to forget in a time of massive job loss, outsourcing of industrial capacity, and decreased wealth. It's all to easy to believe that America's just another country rather than the leader of the free World. Obama gave me a wake up call.
Obama said we do not seek to occupy Afghanistan or to target a religion or an ethnicity. Obama explained that he wants to rid Afghanistan of the terrorist cancer in its culture (my words) and cause the country to become a partner with the industrialized World.
Obama also gave a picture of a region that's producing terrorist enemies who try to enter America at a regular rate. That was new information for me and caused me to place Obama's decision in another perspective: Obama wants to go to the source of these terrorist attempts and stop it.
President Obama did what few other Presidents have done: place the act of war in an overarching framework that fits within America's ideals. Unlike President George W. Bush, who said he wasn't an advocate of nation building, then sent America on a mission to do just that in Iraq, President Obama insisted that a long occupation was undesirable, then explained why. Obama assembled the intellectual and emotional framework for a troop surge and did so in fine fashion. The lingering question is will it work?
The one part of the grand scheme is Afghanistan. Will they Afghan people be able to take over and run their affairs in 18 months? Will we stay if that's not the case, or leave according to timetable? Can Afghanistan be trusted to do its part in this effort, or is the culture so intermixed with Al Queda that such expectations are folly?
Those are the questions I have, but I'm ready to go forward because this President reminded me of America's place in the World.
Tiger Woods car accident and Elin Nordegren argument animated
A friend sent this video above from Taiwan news which has the two versions of the Tiger Woods scandal in cartoon animation. The first part of the video contains an animation of Tiger Woods driving into a tree, then wife Elin Nordegren saving him using a golf club to smash the window of his Cadillac SUV.
The second part of the video is more dramatic. It features an animated version of the alleged argument between Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, and has Elin slapping Woods, causing him to run away and to the Cadillac SUV, then turning to see her give chase and taking his eyes off the road, causing him to crash into a hydrant and then a tree. Below is the original title of the video in Taiwanese:
【蘋果動新聞】伍茲深夜撞車 老婆破窗救夫 疑點重重
Which roughly translates to:
[apple moves news]Woods late at night has a collision the wife broken window to rescue the husband questionable point layer on layer
Jaimee Grubbs releases alleged Tiger Woods texts, fails to prove affair
A Jaimee Grubbs / Tiger Woods update: Jaimee Grubbs released the alleged Tiger Woods texts to RadarOnline.com. The online celeb site reports that there were just two texts, which read...
“I will wear you out...when was the last time you got (bleeped)?”
And...
“Send me something very naughty…Go to the bathroom and take (a picture).”
But this does not provide evidence of an affair. Also missing are the dates and times of the texts. What's interesting is RadarOnline starts the post off with a link to seven pictures of Jaimee Grubbs. Grubbs is or was a San Diego cocktail waitress, who's San Diego-based Facebook page is down where she calls herself "MissBluesky".
I think that's a reference to Blue Sky Vodka, which commonly hires young, hot women to pour vodka at events. Here's an example from my SF Giants Opening Day video:
Grubbs claims she met Tiger Woods in Las Vegas in 2007.
If this is all she's got it's terrible. So far there are holes big enough to drive a truck through here. It would be one thing if she had a photo of the two of them, but a text message without identification information is a joke. Still, it's caused an Internet frenzy as four of the top ten Google Trends as of this writing have the name Jaimee Grubbs.
It reminds me of the young L.A. rapper who claimed he was the father of Bristol Palin's daughter. I and others then speculated that Bristol's man just may be black so we turned up the heat on him and it all turned out to be a hoax. About the only thing it did was bring attention to his awful MySpace music.
Stay tuned.
“I will wear you out...when was the last time you got (bleeped)?”
And...
“Send me something very naughty…Go to the bathroom and take (a picture).”
But this does not provide evidence of an affair. Also missing are the dates and times of the texts. What's interesting is RadarOnline starts the post off with a link to seven pictures of Jaimee Grubbs. Grubbs is or was a San Diego cocktail waitress, who's San Diego-based Facebook page is down where she calls herself "MissBluesky".
I think that's a reference to Blue Sky Vodka, which commonly hires young, hot women to pour vodka at events. Here's an example from my SF Giants Opening Day video:
Grubbs claims she met Tiger Woods in Las Vegas in 2007.
If this is all she's got it's terrible. So far there are holes big enough to drive a truck through here. It would be one thing if she had a photo of the two of them, but a text message without identification information is a joke. Still, it's caused an Internet frenzy as four of the top ten Google Trends as of this writing have the name Jaimee Grubbs.
It reminds me of the young L.A. rapper who claimed he was the father of Bristol Palin's daughter. I and others then speculated that Bristol's man just may be black so we turned up the heat on him and it all turned out to be a hoax. About the only thing it did was bring attention to his awful MySpace music.
Stay tuned.
Miley Cirus hates Twilight: New Moon, calls it a cult
While Miley Cirus is the teen singing sensation that doesn't mean she buys into the whole Twilight: New Moon craze. According to The Manila Bulletin, Miley Cirus, who earlier this year caused an Adam Lambert-sized PR buzz with her Teen Choice Awards stripper pole dance number and then with her concert crouch grabbing routine,...
Is far more conservative in her view of the hit film series, the Manila Bulletin records her saying:
Cyrus then went on to say that she thinks actor Johnny Depp is hotter than Twilight: New Moon star Robert Pattinson, or..."way hotter for sure."
Right now, Robert Pattinson's got the hot film, earning over $230 million at the box office.
Is far more conservative in her view of the hit film series, the Manila Bulletin records her saying:
"I don't believe in it," said Miley in an interview.. "I don't like vampires. I don't like the wolf that pops out of the screen when I'm watching my TV at night. I don't like it. I don't want anything to do with it. I don't like the shirts. I don't like any of it...“I think it’s a cult. I think it’s bad. I think it’s, like, just people get too [much] into it. I feel really lame because everyone is so excited and I’m like, ‘Don’t even talk about it.
“For me, I think it’s like when guys look at supermodels and they’re like, ‘That’s the perfect girl.' That’s what those kinds of movies do to us.
“They’re like thinking that’s what girls should be like and not everyone is going to be Edward [Cullen], hate to say it."
Cyrus then went on to say that she thinks actor Johnny Depp is hotter than Twilight: New Moon star Robert Pattinson, or..."way hotter for sure."
Right now, Robert Pattinson's got the hot film, earning over $230 million at the box office.
Parkway Theater update: no new news
If, like me, you're wondering what the newest information on the Parkway Theater is, well, according to the "i like the parkway" website forum, there's no news - but that's news.
If you need a refresher, this video explains what happened to The Parkway Theater:
And this video covered the first community meeting:
And this is my video interview of former Parkway owners and founders Catherine and Kyle Fisher:
This is the communication that was released recently:
Stay tuned.
If you need a refresher, this video explains what happened to The Parkway Theater:
And this video covered the first community meeting:
And this is my video interview of former Parkway owners and founders Catherine and Kyle Fisher:
This is the communication that was released recently:
Dear friends of the Parkway Theater,
We hope you're well. We've missed you. It's been a while since we've given an update on the status of the Parkway, so we'd like to share the information we have about the on-going efforts to get a new business opened there.
As we approach the time of year where friends and family are a central theme, the organizers of I Like The Parkway are reminded that we have found both in the eclectic group of movie-lovers united through the loss of the Parkway. We know that this theater will re-open because of your support, your passion, and as time has told in the 9 months since it closed, your patience. For this we are thankful. Happy Thanksgiving.
** BUSINESS OPERATOR UPDATE **
The Parkway building is still empty. Yes, yes, we know. Not cool. The Motion Picture Heritage Company is no longer looking to open a theater there - we don't have the details, but it seems the cost of building repairs has been a big hurdle.
As most of you know, the first potential operator (Motion Picture Heritage Corporation) that made a serious effort toward re-opening the Parkway did not end up signing a deal. Since then, several groups have shown interest, put together business proposals, and worked on their plans with the theater building owners and/or the city. Some have since moved on; some are still somewhere in that process. Unfortunately, nobody has gotten to the point of signing a lease on the space, so we don't anticipate the theater opening up before the year's end. From the consistent activity of potential business operators, we are optimistic about a 2010 re-opening.
Because of your collective enthusiasm for the reopening of the Parkway, potential operators have recognized the benefit of working with the community to understand our needs and concerns. To date, multiple parties have reached out to begin that dialogue with us. What has become clear is that there is no shortage of interested parties who would like to re-open the theater in the spirit of what it once was. The challenge is crafting a deal that is agreeable and fair to both the would-be operators and the building owners and in demonstrating the financial viability of such a business to banks or investors. Until the reality of a deal presents itself we will continue to act as we have, fostering relationships throughout our community and throughout Oakland that we believe will lead to a better home for all of us and the re-imagination of the Parkway. Our primary objective is to ensure that anyone who reopens the Parkway has a clear business plan that reflects the ideas and concerns of the community, while balancing the requirements of a profitable business.
** WHAT NOW? **
As I Like The Parkway continues to grow, there are still people that love the theater and have no idea what happened. If you know people that love movies (that's most people, right?) and want to bring back a great place for movies and food, send them to http://www.iliketheparkway.com this week. Forward this email to 5 of your friends for eternal good luck!
** MURAL THANKS **
Have you driven by the theater recently and noticed the mural? Thanks to Ras Terms and Desi W.O.M.E. If you're at Woody's across the street, be sure to thank Steve or Robert for coordinating with these artists.
** FOR THE DOGS... **
For those of you interested in the neighborhood immediately adjacent to the Parkway, there is a group of residents that recently proposed creating a fenced, off-leash dog area in the small green space bordered by Park, E. 22nd, 5th, and E. 21st (see the map here). Councilmember Pat Kernighan is soliciting feedback through a survey on her site. Please visit her survey to share your thoughts.
Until next time, we hope you have a happy holiday, get to spend time with family and friends, and, as always-
We won't give up if you don't.
Thank you for all that you do,
I Like The Parkway
Stay tuned.
December is film awards nominations month - here's a list
With such events as The Sprit Awards and The Annie Awards as well as the National Board of Review Awards, its hard to keep up with all of the award programs that are about to announce their nominations this month. To make it easy for you, and me for that matter, here's my list of dates that nominations are expected to be announced for each event based on several sources:
December 1: Annie Awards, Sprit Awards noms
December 3: National Board of Review Awards noms
December 7: Washington Area Film Critics Awards noms
December 13: American Film Institute Awards noms
December 14: Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Awards noms
December 15: Golden Globe Awards nominations noms
December 17: Screen Actors Guild Award noms
December 20: Satellite Awards
December 31: Online Film Critics Society noms
That's just for those awards where the dates were confirmed. As I get more information I will update the list. There are almost 30 award nominations that will be released in December.
December 1: Annie Awards, Sprit Awards noms
December 3: National Board of Review Awards noms
December 7: Washington Area Film Critics Awards noms
December 13: American Film Institute Awards noms
December 14: Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Awards noms
December 15: Golden Globe Awards nominations noms
December 17: Screen Actors Guild Award noms
December 20: Satellite Awards
December 31: Online Film Critics Society noms
That's just for those awards where the dates were confirmed. As I get more information I will update the list. There are almost 30 award nominations that will be released in December.
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