Jeffrey Katzenberg and M. Night Shyamalan Featured at 3D Movie Summit

Jeffrey Katzenberg

On September 15th and 16th at The Hilton Los Angeles Universal City, Ca, many of the Movie and Entertainment Industry's key players will meet for something called the 3D Entertainment Summit. But since this is really a story of the emergence of the 3D movie, it's more appropriate and searchable to call it the 3D Movie Summit.

The 2010 event is the third one in this annual meeting. Produced by Unicomm and The Bob Dowling Group, the idea is to have a forum to discuss and share ideas on the current and future state of the 3D art as applied to entertainment. It features DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg as keynote speaker and M. Night Shyamalan (Devil) as a featured participant.

3D Movies Are More Plentiful, But Drawing Crowds?

The 2010 3D Entertainment Summit comes amid a lot of excitement and a lot of concern about the expanded use of 3D. Avatar Producer and Director James Cameron recently spoke out against the conversion of 2D movies to 3D and called for a kind of committee to review and use of 3D in movies. Cameron even went so far as to slam Clash Of The Titans as an example of bad 3D.

About Clash, Cameron said "They worked against themselves with that film. I've heard people say that they couldn't watch (Clash of the Titans) in 3D and thought it looked better in 2D and they enjoyed the film more." Then Cameron added "Let's not do stupid stuff that's going to hurt this burgeoning marketplace."

Cameron attended the 2009 3D Entertainment Summit and reportedly "wowed" everyone as he was set to open Avatar; as of this writing, he's not listed as participating in the 2010 summit.

But Cameron's comment about "stupid stuff" could be leading to the reason why a number of 3D movie efforts don't pay for themselves at the box office.

On top of that, panning 3D has become sport of late. Jon Favreau, producer and director of the Iron Man movie series and the up-coming Cowboys & Aliens, gave an impromptu speech at Comic Con 2010 that's been the talk of the Entertainment Industry.

Favreau said that he wanted to make Cowboys & Aliens in 3D but didn't want to use video. The only option, making it in 2D and then converting it to 3D was one that was so disliked, the Comic Con audience said "NO." Here's the video:



Where 3D goes and is going in the wake of this developing "backlash" will be the talk of the 3D Entertainment Summit.

Stay tuned.

Walking and Talking With Mom On A Georgia Summer Evening

Regular readers of this space know this blogger travels to Atlanta, Georgia to help Mom and just keep her company almost every month. My mother lost her husband and my stepfather in 2005 and to prostate cancer. (In fact, my Mom had breast cancer, and my father and stepfather passed away from prostate cancer in 2005, so that was a hard year.) Fortunately between good friends nearby and my aunts and uncles just four hours by drive in Tennessee, and then me, she's not without company.

Even though it's hard on me as an only child, and I'll explain why later in this post, I do enjoy my company with my Mother and for several reasons. First, she knows who I am as a person. Second, I don't know how much life I have to share with her, she's a breast cancer survivor, so things she may said or done that have bothered me in the past, don't impact me anymore. Third, she's my only family member. And finally, my stress goes away when I'm here. We're out in the country where you need a good car to get to, and the wide open space (which is evident in the video) is incredible.

I find Oakland to be a stressful place to live. If it's not the noise and the constant sirens, it's the fact that at times it seems people are everywhere and you can't escape them. Then there's the occasionally neurotic person who's screwed up for some reason. Then there's the city's constant need for money such that it tries to get it from high parking rates and fees for this and that. And finally it's the large number of people who seem unhappy because they're out of work or for some other reason.

Now, all of that's offset by the fact that I know a lot of people and I am very much part of the fabric of the Oakland community. I have a good set of Godparents in Oakland, and friends I love very much. Plus, there are a lot of small "life fabric" improvements to celebrate in Oakland. But the overall mood of the city has been more negative than positive for most of the time I've lived in it. Oaklanders always talk about potential; I'm tired of hearing about that. After a while that gets to be a bit much.

So all of that brings me here to Georgia. Yes, Mom would love it if I has a family with kids, and that will happen one day. But my priority is to make sure my Mom's doing fine.

That's what my friends - some of them - don't seem to get. I'm an only child - no brothers or sisters to help out with Mom. My mindset is different such that I have to make my schedule with my Mother in mind. Thankfully my work makes that possible.

But all of that's mostly my guilt, which I've learned is common in only children to have. Whatever the reason, I've never felt better about me than over these last few years of my life. And that's because I'm right with my Mom.

Raiders Darrius Heyward-Bey Called "Turd" By KNBR / 49ers Gary Plummer

Darrius Heyward-Bey 

According to a tweet issued by Ann Killion just one minute ago as per this writing, KNBR Color Announcer and Former San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Gary Plummer issued an unfortunate description of Oakland Raiders Wide Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey just before the Raiders Preseason game against the 49ers.

Killion tweets that Plummer called Heyward-Bey (or DHB), a "turd."

Here's her tweet:

annkillion - On my way to the game tonight in Oakland I heard #49ers broadcaster Gary Plummer call #Raiders DHB a "turd" on the radio. Really.
1 minute ago via TweetDeck

Gary Plummer, who's not a bad guy from personal experience, could have picked a better term to use in talking about Darrius Heyward-Bey. While it's true the Raiders should not have selected DHB as high as they did in the 2009 NFL Draft, they have him and in the middle of a dramatic coaching staff and system change. Give DHB a chance this year; he will surprise observers.

True Blood newlyweds pre-Emmy Bash party by Suzannah B. Troy

Hey all you True Blood fans, first the newlyweds Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer showed up for a pre-Emmy bash and the most adorable photo and dish on the hot couple and other celebs is covered by Pop Watch on EW.com

I am looking forward to tomorrow night!!!  How about you?  Here is a clip from HBO.  It is superb, fantastic, beyond thrilling and very, very  short so here is the link!   It is Eric confronting Russell!!!!!!

The back drop is a painting I wish I could get a closer look at and in a very unusual quiet why the clip made me think of Westerns I used to watch as a little girl when I had a crush on John Wayne.  Eric reminds me of a very slender John Wayne but this scene has an odd elegance and beauty packed to the brim with tension!  Is tomorrow night going to get very bloody?

I watched several times already in anticipation.   I even check TV guide listings to make sure True Blood is on tomorrow.  You might want to check out that link if you haven't.  The page has all kind of fun True  Blood references including an update on the actress Lois Smith who played Sookie and Jason's Granny. Check it out.  Enjoy.  I will meet you back here tomorrow night after True Blood.
Fangs away!
best,

Suzannah B. Troy

Ed Schultz loud and proud in DC

Ed Schultz spoke loud and proud at Al Sharpton’s ‘Reclaiming the Dream’ Rally in DC, today, speaking as a proud, successful product of middle class integrated education. With all the unseemly divisiveness and unexpectedly blatant racist rhetoric today in America, it was refreshing to see American leaders speak up for the dream of peace and social justice Martin Luther King Jr. always preached so eloquently.

Thousands gathered at Dunbar High School in Washington DC today, to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., 47 years ago today. The Rev. Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders in attendance gave moving speeches in tribute to MLK and the work still unfinished in America, to make King’s dream a reality.

Sharpton directly addressed states’ rights as incongruous with Dr. King’s teachings and instead focused on education, poverty, jobs and immigration reform. Sharpton told his rally it was important to keep King's dream alive and that despite progress more needs to be done. "Don't mistake progress for arrival," he said.

You may ask, what do I know about racism and bigotry in this country, not being a victim of racial discrimination myself. Well I know the difference between right and wrong and anyone who hates another simply because they may be different from themselves, is truly a sad excuse for a human being, let alone an American.

I voted for Obama, campaigning feverishly for the ‘Change’ America so desperately needs and took a lot of guff from those who told me I had no place in supporting a black candidate for president. I supported the best man for the job period, and personally did not care about anything else.

My family upbringing exposed me to bigotry, but I made my decision to embrace tolerance as a lifestyle when, within a matter of weeks, assassins’ bullets robbed America of two great humanitarian leaders: Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy in 1968. I was only 8 at the time, but felt both losses very deeply.

What I cannot understand is how America in the year 2010 could revert to such rampant racism, not seen so openly manifested in this country for decades. 47 years ago, MLK spoke of the Fierce Urgency of Now. In 2008 President Obama used those same words but in a different context, to describe what needs to be fixed in this country. Have we learned so little in nearly 50 years time that race should still divide Americans?

With Beck’s “I have a scheme” rally in DC not far from Sharpton’s gathering, it was widely speculated that there could be some disruptive or violent outbursts, should the Reclaiming the Dream attendees mingle with the Back Head crowd. Sharpton and the several thousand marching with him did cross paths with some of the crowds leaving Beck's rally. People wearing "Restoring Honor" and tea party T-shirts looked on as Sharpton's group chanted "reclaim the dream" and "MLK, MLK." Both sides were generally restrained, although there was some mutual taunting.

Sharpton’s crowd honored the great words of Martin Luther King Jr., when in his 1963 speech he said:

"In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Jimena (Ximena) Navarrete Miss Universe Reads David Letterman Top 10 List

Fresh from her win as 2010 Miss Universe, the now-Former Miss Mexico Ximena Navarrete (who's name has been misspelled as "Jimena Navarrete") appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman and to read the David Letterman Top 10 List as only she can do.

Here's the video of Jimena (Ximena) Navarrete reading the list, followed by the test of what she said:



And here's the text courtesy of Babble.com:

10: "Inspire peace and unity by looking hot."

9: "During this bedbug crisis, go door-to-door scratching the itchy."

8. “Bring your car to my house, and I’ll change the oil.”

7. "I'll find a new wack-job to take over as American Idol judge."

6: “I’ll offer Osama Bin Laden a meet-and-greet. When he shows up, BAM, we grab him.”

5: “Teach men to pull over and ask for directions. Am I right, ladies?”

4: "Give world what it really needs, a new celebrity perfume."

3: "Bring peace and stability to Jennifer Aniston’s love life."

2. "Gonna go around the globe, kicking butt like The Expendables."

1. "Support equal rights for less attractive people, like Dave."

Judging by the search rankings, Ximena Navarrete's still an Internet hit in Mexico. Google Insight For Search reports that overall search intensity for her name spelled with a "j" - a common error - is 26, where as it was 100 last Tuesday. But in Mexico, it's at 100. But when her name's spelled with an "X" the search intensity increases to 31 Worldwide, and 100 in Mexico.

Paris Hilton Arrested Drug Bust? by Suzannah B. Troy

According to CNN News, Paris Hilton was arrested Friday night Nevada  on cocaine charges.  She was pulled over by the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.  The police detected the smell of marijuana and she was arrested for suspicion of carrying cocaine.  I guess you could say the arresting officer won the drug lottery arresting the Hilton Hotel heiress who not so long ago wiggled out of an alleged marijuana arrest in South Africa.

Paris Hilton sure gets around in trouble, and the police always seem to be close by.   TMZ of course has the mug shot for Paris Hilton fans!

Paris Hilton's lawyer is already quoted in People Magazine saying, "Don't Judge Paris Hilton on drug bet yet."  He is quoted in People as also saying,  "This matter will be dealt with in the courts, not in the media, and I encourage people not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of law," attorney David Chesnoff said in a statement. "


I am not a Paris Hilton fan, although I did watch part of the sex tape, and I felt sorry for her.  She did not appear to like the sex at all, and as I recall she found part of it painful.  She just wanted to go out and party.   I am glad the police are not giving her special treatment.  Paris, if you want to party and be above the law, come to NYC.

Paul Allen Sues Google by Suzannah B. Troy

A firm owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has filed a lawsuit against Google, Apple, Facebook, and other companies alleging that they have violated patents related to search, multimedia, screen pop-ups and database management. Billionaire Paul Allen of Microsoft fame is suing Google among others as reported by IDG, Washington Bureau in an article by Grant Gross.

Gross reported, these, "...companies named in the lawsuit are Aol, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Staples, Yahoo and YouTube."

An unnamed Google representative states this:

"This lawsuit against some of America's most innovative companies reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace. Innovation -- not litigation -- is the way to bring to market the kinds of products and services that benefit millions of people around the world," a Google representative said."


My Suzannah B. Troy thoughts on this is how many plebeians dream of doing what Paul Allen is doing? I have to  laugh out loud. It is not just that Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft by that he has the chutzpah or should I say moxie to take companies that us plebs dream of taking on.


Good luck Paul Allen and I look forward to how this story ends because Paul Allen isn't the kind guy use to losing.

The 99er video has been released

The 99er video has been released and it is excellent. This emotional 2 minutes, 15 seconds on YouTube really speaks to the 99er plight, desperation and frustration with Washington indifference. See America's 99'ers: The Forgotten video below.

The 99er Nation is hopeful their video can go viral, that way it will be covered on all the big TV media outlets in America. The video showcases one of thousands of suicides that have occurred since the beginning of America's tragic recession, including the note one man left for his children.

America's 99'ers: The Forgotten was professionally created at a production company in Atlanta. The 99er community were asked to send in their pictures and this story really hits home. There was not room in the video to show the hundreds of pictures which were sent in to the studio, but the photos put a human face on the statistics and untenable situation of long term unemployment in America today.

The 99er movement in America is dedicated to lobbying Washington for jobs and until those jobs are available, the UI benefits needed to survive. All of the sudden, Congress has forgotten that the 11 million job loss fiasco over the past 3 years was caused by Wall Street and not America's Jobless victims. Washington bailed out Wall Street because the bankers line the pockets of Congress with campaign contributions and lobbying graft, but the unemployed have no such money to bribe Congress to get the help they desperately need.

If the lawmakers on Capitol Hill were more interested in helping the economy and not building their own wealth/campaign war chests it would behoove them to remember that the most immediate and stimulative thing to do is to extend UI benefits to all the longest term unemployed. For every $1 in UI benefits spent by Congress, over $1.90 is put back into the economy immediately. (this according to NELP and the Congressional Budget Office)

With the release of the 99er video comes the hope that Americans and politicians alike will see first hand the suffering of their brethren and do something before yet another 99er takes their life, goes homeless or God forbid turns to crime in order to feed their family.

If the video does not work try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSVkgXoijwI&feature=player_embedded

UC Berkeley Letter To Students On California By Prof Michael O'Hare

 Berkeley Prof. Michael O'Hare 

The UC Berkeley Letter To Students On California by Berkeley Professor Michael O'Hare is one that California Gubernatorial Candidates Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman should see because both are part of the generations that Michael O'Hare points to as essentially responsible for the decline of California, but for different reasons.

Jerry Brown was Governor of California when Prop 13 (also called AB 8), the legislation reducing property taxes to 1 percent, was passed in 1978. Prop 13 us widely pointed to as the legislative device that robbed California of the tax revenue is used to provide the public services it was known for.

Meg Whitman never voted or bothered to register to vote, or participated in California Government and politics, but now thinks she can run the state.  The idea of running for governor somehow entered her head 26 months ago.

Who Is Michael O'Hare?

Michael O'Hare is Professor of Public Policy At The UC Berkeley Goldman School Of Public Policy, where he's chair of that schools undergraduate minor program. He also maintains a blog at Samefacts.com.

This blogger saw the "UC Berkeley Letter" in a group email from the Oakland, California-based Welstone Democratic Club's Yahoo Group, and it was taken his blog entry at Samefacts.com.

August 23rd, 2010
A letter to my students
by Michael O'Hare

Welcome to Berkeley, probably still the best public university in the world. Meet your classmates, the best group of partners you can find anywhere. The percentages for grades on exams, papers, etc. in my courses always add up to 110 percent because that's what I've learned to expect from you, over twenty years in the best job in the world.

That's the good news. The bad news is that you have been the victims of a terrible swindle, denied an inheritance you deserve by contract and by your merits. And you aren't the only ones; victims of this ripoff include the students who were on your left and on your right in high school but didn’t get into Cal, a whole generation stiffed by mine. This letter is an apology, and more usefully, perhaps a signal to start demanding what’s been taken from you so you can pass it on with interest.

Swindle - what happened? Well, before you were born, Californians now dead or in nursing homes made a remarkable deal with the future. (Not from California? Keep reading, lots of this applies to you, with variations.) They agreed to invest money they could have spent on
bigger houses, vacations, clothes, and cars into the world’s greatest educational system, and into building and operating water systems, roads, parks, and other public facilities, an infrastructure that was the envy of the world. They didn’t get everything right: too much
highway and not enough public transportation. But they did a pretty good job.

Young people who enjoyed these ‘loans’ grew up smarter, healthier, and richer than they otherwise would have, and understood that they were supposed to "pay it forward" to future generations, for example by keeping the educational system staffed with lots of dedicated, well-trained teachers, in good buildings and in small classes, with college counselors and up-to-date books. California schools had physical education, art for everyone, music and theater, buildings that looked as though people cared about them, modern languages and ancient
languages, advanced science courses with labs where the equipment worked, and more. They were the envy of the world, and they paid off better than Microsoft stock. Same with our parks, coastal zone protection, and social services.

This deal held until about thirty years ago, when for a variety of reasons, California voters realized that while they had done very well from the existing contract, they could do even better by walking away from their obligations and spending what they had inherited on
themselves. "My kids are finished with school; why should I pay taxes for someone else’s? Posterity never did anything for me!" An army of fake 'leaders; sprang up to pull the moral and fiscal wool over their eyes, and again and again, your parents and their parents lashed out
at government (as though there were something else that could replace it) with tax limits, term limits, safe districts, throw - away - the - key imprisonment no matter the cost, smoke - and - mirrors budgeting, and a rule never to use the words taxes and services in the same paragraph.

Now, your infrastructure is falling to pieces under your feet, and as citizens you are responsible for crudities like closing parks, and inhumanities like closing battered women’s shelters. It's outrageous, inexcusable, that you can't get into the courses you need, but much
worse that Oakland police have stopped taking 911 calls for burglaries and runaway children. If you read what your elected officials say about the state today, you'll see things like "California can't afford" this or that basic government function, and that "we need to make hard choices" to shut down one or another public service, or starve it even more (like your university). Can't afford? The budget deficit that's paralyzing Sacramento is about $500 per person; add another $500 to get back to a public sector we don't have to be ashamed of, and our average income is almost forty times that. Of course we can afford a government that actually works: the fact is that your parents have simply chosen not to have it.

I'm writing this to you because you are the victims of this enormous cheat (though your children will be even worse off if you don't take charge of this ship and steer it). Your education was trashed as California fell to the bottom of US states in school spending, and the
art classes, AP courses, physical education, working toilets, and teaching generally went by the board. Every year I come upon more and more of you who have obviously never had the chance to learn to write plain, clear, English. Every year, fewer and fewer of you read newspapers, speak a foreign language, understand the basics of how government and business actually work, or have the energy to push back intellectually against me or against each other. Or know enough about history, literature, and science to do it effectively! You spent your school years with teachers paid less and less, trained worse and worse, loaded up with more and more mindless administrative duties, and given less and less real support from administrators and staff.

Many of your parents took a hike as well, somehow getting the idea that the schools had taken over their duties to keep you learning, or so beat - up working two jobs each and commuting two hours a day to put food on the table that they couldn't be there for you. A quarter of
your classmates didn't finish high school, discouraged and defeated; but they didn't leave the planet, even if you don't run into them in the gated community you will be tempted to hide out in. They have to eat just like you, and they aren't equipped to do their share of the
work, so you will have to support them.

You need to have a very tough talk with your parents, who are still voting; you can't save your children by yourselves. Equally important, you need to start talking to each other. It's not fair, and you have every reason (except a good one) to keep what you can for yourselves with another couple of decades of mean - spirited tax - cutting and public sector decline. You're my heroes just for surviving what we put you through and making it into my classroom, but I’m asking for more: you can be better than my generation. Take back your state for your kids and start the contract again. There are lots of places you can start, for example, building a transportation system that won't enslave you for two decades as their chauffeur, instead of raising fares and cutting routes in a deadly helix of mediocrity. Lots. Get to work. See you in class!

50 Cent tweets up a storm By Nikky Raney

It is unclear whether 50 Cent is tweeting under the influence, if Kanye West hacked his Twitter account, or if he just wants to be outrageous.

In any event the tweets that 50 Cent has posted are getting lots of attention for outlandish statements, references to Ja Rule (Shady records and Murder Inc. had the huge feud that spewed between Ja Rule and 50 Cent), the Obama administration, and details of his intimate life.

Here are some screenshots of the tweets from the past few hours:

The tweets may be entertaining and re-tweetable, but let's hope that everyone will be able to just laugh it off.

Huge Jobs-Justice-Peace Rally in Detroit

Today thousands of Americans gathered, chanted and marched through the streets of Detroit in the huge Jobs-Justice-Peace Rally, sponsored by the UAW and Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition. Jackson encouraged citizens across the state to rally together on Saturday, for various causes, including student loan forgiveness, jobs and ending the current wars.

Participants in Saturday's march were asked to meet at 10:30 a.m. at the UAW-Ford National Programs Center, 151 W. Jefferson Ave Detroit, Michigan, for a march, prior to the rally. The rally itself was held at the Grand Circus Park. People were bussed from neighboring states by the rally's sponsors and the turn out was stunning.

According to The Detroit News: Jackson said the focus of the initiative is to ensure policy makers put people first when making decisions.

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), said Detroit was chosen as the kickoff site for the campaign because it is at the heart of the nation's economic fight. "This is the epicenter for the struggle for jobs, justice and peace," she said at a press conference before the march. "We have come here because we have no choice."

It is unknown at this time how many other similar rallies are planned for the Jobs-Justice-Peace Campaign, but if Jesse Jackson in behind this effort, the series of rally dates is sure to be a huge success, drawing media attention wherever they decide to march.