Star Wars Day And Godzilla 2012 At Comic Con?

Wednesday was Star Wars Day, and if you're wondering where that came from, it doesn't seem to have had a thing to do with Star Wars, but with Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister of the 80s. Reportedly, the new PM was installed on May 4th and the saying was "May The Fourth Be With You," a play on the words "May The Force Be With You," from Star Wars, and that's how we got into this mess.

So, it was a great Star Wars Day, but equally great is the unfolding news about the next Godzilla Movie, called "Godzilla 2012." While attempting to secure an interview with the legendary Thomas Tull, head of Legendary Studios, I learned that the studio wasn't granting talks because the movie was in "full active development."

That leads one to speculate if Legendary Pictures will have something ready in the form of a presentation for Comic Con 2011? We can only guess at this point, but the news is that the process to make Godzilla 2012, led by Tull, Godzilla Producer Brian Rogers, and Director Gareth Edwards is under way.

And in the frenzy, this blogger ran across a cool movie clip that features a CGI Godzilla which could be a great forcast of monster to come. Called "Return of Godzila 2009, it's here:



At first, the origin of the video was not known to this blogger, but other Youtubers pointed to a movie called Always Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi (Always sunset on third street 2).

The film has nothing to do with Godzilla, other than that it was set in 1958. Godzilla appears in an "imaginary sequence" at the start of the film, and his role was kept a secret until the movie was shown in 2007. It marked the first time Godzilla was created using computer animation, rather than a person in a suit, or motion capture.

And the effects were terrific.

Stay tuned.

Osama Bin Laden Is Dead - Raytheon Company Employee Disses Obama

A lot of opinions are coming out in the wake of the demise of Osama Bin Laden last week, reported via President Obama. To this blogger and supporter of Obama, the attempts to discredit his work are just, in many cases, totally absurd.

First, credit goes to a wide set of people, from the U.S. Navy Seals who carried out Obama's orders to execute the plan to get Osama Bin Laden, to the past work of George W. Bush (even though I contend he kept Bin Laden around for political reasons while we invaded Iraq), and to our military and our defense contractors, too.

Defense contractors like Raytheon Company, who's 75,000 employees benefited from a nice stock boost in the wake of the exit of Osama Bin Laden.

But one of those supposed employees, a man named Jared with a YouTube channel called Jaredshipwash2003, doesn't seem to care and his hatred for Obama's so great, he would come to my Zennie62 YouTube channel video page and leave this comment:

If you voted for Obama last time you did it to not be racist. If you vote for Obama again your doing it because your an idiot.

Okay!

I wonder what Raytheon Company will think about that?

Why would an employee get on YouTube, leave his employment calling card, then make comments like that?

His YouTube channel says that he works for Raytheon Company!  

What a head-knocker!

I guess he hates his job at Raytheon Company as much as he hates President Obama.   Moreover, he must be interested in hampering their ability to land more large contracts in the future, huh? 

Oakland Birthday, Russo To Alameda, Thanks League Of Women Voters

Well, today is not only Star Wars Day, but the birthday of The City of Oakland, California, my town. To that, this blogger says, Happy Birthday, Oakland!

Oakland turns 159 years young today, May 4th, and has only gotten better with age. Oakland is a city Oaklanders care about because of its - and yes, even in today's diverse society - incredibly high level of diversity and small town / big city feel. Oakland's an easy place to get to know and to love. It deserves many more birthdays.

And while we're celebrating, congratulations to my friend John Russo, who officially accepted the position of Alameda City Manager, and leaves a 16-year legacy of excellent political and policy work in Oakland.

Now, John can focus on the redevelopment of what was once the Alameda Naval Air Station and have that city play catch-up with its own development time table. It's going to be fun to watch John move Alameda out of its Mayberry RFD (remember the TV show?) pace and into a true big-city level of energy.

Here's a photo of John's resignation letter:

The question for Oakland is, can it replace someone of John's now legendary stature. I hope that the seat's not filled by someone who's a weak, "rollable" personality. The Mayor and the City Council may want that kind of person, but at the end of the day, it's not good for them. Russo saved them a ton of pain from potentially calamitous decisions on several occasions, most notably his challenge to the City's push to advance the production of weed, after the Feds told it to hold off.

Thanks Libby And The League Of Women Voters

Great thanks to my sister-from-another-mother Oakland's District Four Councilmember Libby Schaaf and the League Of Women Voters for their award to me for my blogging efforts. I was in New York City for The 2011 NFL Draft last week, but Oakland Local's Susan Mernitt was kind enough to not only accept the award on my behalf, but text me that everyone was saying nice things about me.

Of course, I only half believe it, but it's nice to know about.

Just kidding.

It's a great award considering that it came on the heels of my crits of the League and the Sierra Club.

See, for the readers who don't know, I took on the issue of the League and the Sierra Club having a debate where they planned to invite just three of the ten Oakland Mayor's Race candidates. After a lot of pressure from this space, the Sierra Club and The League - to their credit - did the right thing and had a forum that was a real benefit to Oakland, where all of the candidates participated.

Here's a video from the event:



In fact, I met the terrific Kate Looby, who's the Sierra Club's East Bay Director at my gym a while back, and after exchanging pleasantries as I'd never met her or seen her before, and did not know she was with the Sierra Club, let alone in charge, had my ears burned almost off as she screamed at me from across the room, and then walk back saying "You're THAT GUY. I WANTED TO KILL YOU!!"

I gotta kick out of that one.

But, as I told Kate, it was all because I cared that all of the candidates get a chance to at least be seen by Oaklanders. Plus, we did get a good mayor out of the process.

Kate didn't kill me at the gym that night, by the way.

Dog on it.

Other Oakland News

Got this email from the Adams Point Neighborhood Group from April 20th:

We have experienced a total of six different street robberies in Area 2 in the last two hours. We believe that the same suspect is responsible. He is described as a black male, 25-30 years old, 5'9", 180 - 200 lbs, black ski mask, white short sleeve t-shirt and blue jeans. Suspect vehicle described as an 1985 - 1990 Ford Taurus, light blue with a license plate SIMILAR to 4FET409. Please call the Oakland Police Department if you see this vehicle. DO NOT APPROACH THE SUSPECT OR THE VEHICLE.

I have not seen a note that this person has been caught, so keep your eyes open.

Oakland Budget Video By Mayor Quan

I spotted this video on YouTube, which has been seen only four times since its upload on May 3rd; this embed and presentation should give it a small boost. She informs that the budget season will last a few months, and that the budget cuts are designed to "share the pain." Employees are asked to contribute "somewhere between 10 and 15 percent" in their payment reduction cost. The Redevelopment Agency Budget is not a part of this, as of this writing.

In this budget, the City of Oakland would have to close all of its libraries if it does not receive more contributions from employees.

Here's the Mayor, and new City Administrator Lamont Euwell below:



Mr. Lamont Euwell:



And with all this, the Oakland Coliseum got just a $7 million naming rights deal. Imagine if it was $80 million - its true value That, oh, $20 million (the City's share) would have really helped the City of Oakland at the right time.

Now do you see why I am so upset with the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum?

Stay tuned.

Rashard Mendenhall - From Osama Bin Laden Twitter To Roethlisberger Dry-Hump, Never Dull

Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Rashard Mendenhall has done it again. One can say that from his semi-pro Osama Bin Laden Twitter Tweet of Monday, to his Ben Roethlisberger Dry-Hump after the Steelers AFC Championship victory over the New York Jets, he's never dull at all.

What Rashard Mendenhall did on Monday, was issue a series of Twitter Tweets that communicate a certain insensitivity to the pain and suffering of those who were immediately impacted by the events of 9-11, September 11th, 2001, and just as America was celebrating the demise of the most feared enemy of our nation since Adolph Hitler.

This is the series of tweets that got Rashard Mendenhall in hot water:

R_Mendenhall Rashard Mendenhall
For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn in hell and piss on his ashes, I ask how would God feel about your heart?

2 May
Rashard Mendenhall
R_Mendenhall Rashard Mendenhall
Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves.

2 May
Rashard Mendenhall
R_Mendenhall Rashard Mendenhall
I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge.

2 May
Rashard Mendenhall
R_Mendenhall Rashard Mendenhall
What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side...

While Mendenhall is referring to allegations that 9-11 was faked, the bottom line is that, first, over 3,000 people were killed, and second, Osama Bin Laden himself did say that they intended to hit the twin towers of The World Trade Center with a hijacked jumbo jet, and in this video called the hijacker a "hero:"



Steelers Embarassed

Rashard Mendenhall's social media actions sent the Pittsburgh Steelers into damage-control mode, with team president Art Rooney II saying "it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments."

Still, the Steelers themselves have not used Twitter to issue a statement, which, considering that the whole story came from Twitter, would have been a good idea to do.

Overstock Buys Oakland Coliseum Naming Rights While In California Lawsuit

To add insult to the injury of a terrible $7 million naming rights deal with e-commerce retailer Overstock.com that was reported at Zennie62.com, comes the revelation that the agreement was stuck while the Internet firm was and is embroiled in a lawsuit involving the State of California, and the County of Alameda, as well as six other California counties.

The lawsuit was filed on November 17, 2010, and is still active as of this writing.

It alleges that Overstock.com has, to quote the blog White Collar Fraud, "engaged in fraudulent pricing practices after a two year investigation."

Moreover, one look at the copy of the lawsuit that is online, shows one name well-known to many as the County of Alameda's new District Attorney, Nancy E. O'Malley. Here's the link to the lawsuit: Overstock.com Lawsuit.

This blog post is not to dive into the details surrounding the lawsuit, only to ask how and why the City of Oakland and the County of Alameda, and the Oakland Raiders got involved with a firm who's very way of treating the customer has been tainted by lawsuit?

Did the Oakland Raiders say anything?  What about anyone with the City of Oakland or the County of Alameda.   Did they even know that the County was involved against Overstock.com in this way?

Moreover, how could the San Francisco Bay Area print media, normally derisive of bloggers like myself, miss this legal issue?

So, to close, we have two problems with the Overstock.com, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Stadium Naming Rights Deal: it's way under valued at $7 million, and the firm that's on the other side of the deal is being sued by the same County of Alameda it's giving money to, and for allegedly fraudulent business practices.

Yikes!

Stay tuned.

Overstock Paid JUST $7 Million For Oakland Coliseum Naming Rights

The Oakland Coliseum is continuing a tradition of bad naming rights deals that goes all the way back to when it was called Network Associates Coliseum for just $6 million in 1998.

This time, over a decade later, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum authority approved a deal for Overstock.com to place its name on the stadium where the Oakland Raiders and Oakland Athletics play for just $7 million for six years.

Let's see, just a million bucks more over that time?

Overstock.com Chairman and CEO Patrick Byrne said, "Overstock.com is thrilled to become a part of Oakland and Alameda County, and to be associated with the Raiders and the A’s—two globally-recognized championship teams"

What Byrne should have said is "I'm so happy to deal with an organization that routinely gives so much globally-recognized value away for so little money." Overstock gets to put its name on stadium signage, internet, television, radio and print promotion, and all for just $7 million.

This penchant for bad deals is something this blogger has railed about for years, and one reason why I've asked Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby to look at what's going on with the Oakland Coliseum. This is terrible. And before I continue on my angry rant, I'll show you why.

While the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority was giving away the store, again, Farmers Insurance signed a 30-year, $700 million naming rights deal for a football stadium in Los Angeles that hasn't been built, in a media market that hasn't seen football in 15 years!

And The University of Louisville even tops the Oakland Coliseum with a 10-year 13.5 million deal with Yum Brands, that was done in 2010.   

Yeah.  For The University of Louisville! 

That news, right there, should be enough to make any Oaklander's blood boil. But folks, this crap has been going on for years. Oakland City Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente, who should not be surprised that this blogger's raising hell about this, should be flogged for even speaking highly of this deal, let alone approving it. Ignacio should have said "You know, I'm not going to sign off on this deal, because Zennie's going to be on my butt - again - if I do."

Damn right.

What the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority should have done is execute the plan I laid out when I worked to try and bring the 2005 Super Bowl to Oakland: name both the stadium and the field, which includes the parking lot. The Oracle Arena, (which was the focus of a price that was not named, but we can guess it was somewhere in the area of what Overstock.com paid) would not be hampered by the plan.

But the idea is to offer the true stadium complex and its overall value. When I crafted that plan, and the argument for it, I asserted that if we landed a Super Bowl, we could afford an "ask" of $200 million, and Sports Business Journal at that time, estimated that the value of a stadium naming rights deal for the SF Bay Area could be as much as $80 million.

That's right: $80 million.

The problem is that Oakland thinks small of itself, and therefore is just happy for what it gets.  And this goes for the Oakland Raiders, who get part of the $1.2 million annual payment.  How else to explain the continuation of such crappy stadium naming rights deals in Oakland?   Plus, what really bothers me, is the Coliseum people only seek local businesses to name the Coliseum, which gets "global" exposure.

Overstock is well aware they got off with a bargain, else Byrne would not have mentioned that the facility, because of the teams, was "globally recognized." 

This is an outrage, and I'm not done outraging about it!

Let's see now. Oakland's crying about a deficit, and asking people to share the pain, and we can't even get our stadium act together. And to think that I wanted to run the Oakland Coliseum way back in 1998, and guess who rejected then-Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris' recommendation?

Ignacio De La Fuente.

If I were running the Coliseum, this would not have happened.  Heads would roll.  

I like drinking with Ignacio, but I've got to hammer him on this one. It's not personal. It's only business.  This crap has to stop. 

Julio Jones WR, Atlanta Falcons 2011 NFL Draft Pick

Of all the picks not Cam Newton, Julio Jones just may be the most electrifying one. Jones, the Alabama wide receiver who wowed the NFL Combine with an amazing performance and 4.39 40-yard-dash speed while participating with a broken foot, is The Atlanta Falcons 2011 First Round Pick in the NFL Draft.

The Falcons traded up to get Jones, getting the Cleveland Browns' sixth pick, and trading five picks to get there, moving up 21 spots in the process. And Jones, who's from Foley, Alabama and not far from Atlanta, could not have been happier. "I'm excited," he said in the Media Interview Room at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday, "I'm excited. It's not far from home, and I can go to a winning program. I can go in and play. I'm looking forward to it."

Jones, who said he loved the atmosphere of The Georgia Dome, the Falcons' home, will be paired with Falcons star Wide Receiver Roddy White, making what will become the most dangerous receiving duo in the NFC South. "I'm going to call him," he said. "I'm going to learn the game from him."

In the video interview, Jones said that the fact the Falcons traded up to get him means that they know he's a hard worker, and then said "A lot of people don't see how hard I work."

I don't know where he got that from, because all the talk, especially on the NFL Network, was about his work ethic. Anyone who could come into the NFL Combine on a broken foot and do that well is a wonder.

And now that he's heeled, the prediction here is for Julio Jones to make the 2012 Pro Bowl squad in his rookie year.

Stay tuned.