Comic Con 2010 - Sylvester Stallone target of Twitter attack for The Expendables

Stallone 

While Sylvester Stallone's new movie The Expendables has many at Comic Con 2010 in the USA excited, the movie's unofficial debut at Comic Con created enough buzz to upset South Americans. As of this writing, Sylvester Stallone represents not one, but three trending topics on Twitter. In order, "CALA BOCA SYLVESTER STALLONE", "Stallone", and just plain old "SYLVESTER" appear on Twitter.

Why? Many tweets are like this "top tweet":

nataliagoficial - CALA BOCA SYLVESTER STALLONE is a brazilian campaign to protest the actor Sylvester Stallone, for trying to denigrate the Brazilian image.
about 2 hours ago via web

But the problem is The Expendables isn't out yet, so the people launching the campaign haven't seen the movie. Plus, at Comic Con 2010, Stallone said to me that it wasn't a political message movie. OK, he was referring to mercenaries at the time, but if you think about it, mercenaries should take offense, too.



In developing a war story, which The Expendables is to a degree, it's almost impossible not to come up with a political message, even if the movie's not about delivering one. In writing The Expendables, Stallone's 63-years of World view has accidentally bumped up against the hypersensitive 21st Century consumers of Internet news.

I'm not calling Mr. Stallone old, just making a point that you have to remember, he played a man in John Rambo who embodies the American soldier's "us versus "them" view at a time, the early 80s, when America was sending hired killers to upend political revolutions in Central and South America.

Perhaps The Expendables would have had even more impact if the focus were North Korea and not a fictional country in South America. But it's too late for that now. The Expendables is set for release on August 13th, and will undoubtedly be helped by this buzz.

Stay tuned.

BP's Deepwater Horizon warning system was disabled

An article in today's Washington Post highlights disgusting, disgraceful business practices at BP. The profit-motive places pressure to pivot risk-analysis decisions on the short term bottom line numbers, particularly when the people making the decision are driven by personal gain.

The Post has video of Deepwater chief engineer Michael Williams, an ex-Marine who survived the April 20th explosion and fire, telling a government panel that "warning systems on the drilling rig were inhibited because the crew did not want to be disturbed in the middle of the night."

Williams told the panel that he understood that the rig had been operating with the gas alarm system in "inhibited" mode for a year to prevent false alarms from disturbing the crew.

Washington Post, 22 July 2010

The profit motive accomplishes certain things very well. It's driven the price of medical equipment in Japan well below what similar products produced in North America costs, for instance, and it obviously drives creative innovation across the business sector.

But the mortgage-lending and Wall Street crises that are still hampering our economy years after they surfaced demonstrate that without regulation and enforcement business owners can, and all too often do, become focused only on money. To balance that greed is one of the ways that governments can, and should, "promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."

Special interest money has entirely too much influence in Washington. It's time that our leaders stopped talking about small businesses while voting to enable big business to ruin our planet, our standard of living, and our future. That's a bankrupt ideology - that's the real threat to our children.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Comic Con 2010 - Sylvester Stallone and The Expendables cast has red carpet fun (video)

Thursday at Comic Con 2010 was a big day, both for San Diego and for Sylvester Stallone and The Expendables cast that arrived for Comic Con (and this blogger's trip was sponsored by The Kings Inn Hotel in San Diego).

The Expendables is Sylvester Stallone's new movie is about a band of mercenaries led by Barney Ross (Stallone), who are led on what they're told is a covert, CIA-funded mission to overthrow the dictator of a South American country. In reality, it's a trick; they were sent on a suicide mission.

Stallone 

The Expendables stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Eric Roberts, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in what is the greatest collection of action movie heros in Hollywood's history. Of the cast, four arrived at the red carpet press conference held at Comic Con and just before their The Expendables panel in Hall H.

From the way Stallone, Lundgren, Crews, Couture, and Austin got along on the Comic Con red carpet, the movie had to be fun to make. But that aside, what is it about Stallone's movies - his formula, if you will - that has made them so popular for so long?

"It's about redemption," Stallone says, before he laid out a big set of words. "My theme is 'epistemological taxonomy,' which means 'spiritual signifiers.' In this movie, or in Rocky, or in Rambo, it's always about something, some mission. Like, in the last Rambo it was about The Burmies, and you had Christianity against Atheism. And in Rocky it's about just having some recognition in your lifetime; the last one was about loneliness. But the main thing I think, in all (of his) films is about redeeming your soul. Mercenaries, by in large are cold-blooded killers for money. And Mickey Rourke in this scene (in The Expendables) says 'Don't be like me. I did that, and I'm cursed. I have no soul left.' So these guys go back to save this person, not for money, but for themselves. They're saving themselves."

With all that, Stallone says he's not trying to make a political statement about mercenaries, even though the focus on a South American dictatorship may ruffle some feathers. But political issues weren't on the plate at The Expendables red carpet, fun was. From Terry Crews bragging about his muscles and saying "The gun show has come to Comic Con," to Stallone, Crews, Lundgren, and Couture, giving muscle poses before the cameras, and just a lot of laughing in general, it's clear these guys really like each other and had a lot of fun making The Expendables.

Where was Bruce Willis?

As Dolph Lundgren noted in the video, a number of cast members didn't show up for the red carpet event, one of them being the legendary Bruce Willis. Later, after the press event ended and the stars rushed to Hall H for the Comic Con panel, I walked outside of room 28 CD to get some air and exit, talked to a security worker, and was pointed to an elevator to take. That elevator went down to a dark driveway dotted with more security people. As I walked, I realized the back entrance to Hall H and where The Expendables cast was, was on my right, so, realizing I could have walked into the event and on stage, but not wanting to make trouble, I walked to my left and as I did, a tall, bald white guy in a dark blue suit walked toward me. As he did, he pointed, gave a smile and nodded; I returned the action. Then I realized it was Bruce Willis, giving me the "bald brother" nod.

Of course, it's hard to miss a bald black guy in a mustard colored blazer.

Stay tuned.

Will the RNC replace Michael Steele with a hockey-mom?

GOP strategists are surely already considering who can best replace their controversy-laden RNC Chair - their principle questions are the timing and who will be able to insure the media spotlight stays on the party's message while inspiring both donors and voters, particularly the vocal, visible Teabaggers. Perhaps this time they'll turn to a woman?

After all, the most recent crop of Naval "Sailors of the Year" were all female, and women make up more than 50% of the U.S. population while turning out to vote more consistently than men.  In fact, if Representative Bachmann weren't seeking re-election she'd surely be in the running, but she'll have to wait her turn as elite GOP strategists have to be aware of the looming November election as they consider their "short list."

Who can inspire big donors? Who can keep the media focused on the GOP's talking points? Who has a photogenic face and comfort in front of the cameras?  Who has the balance of national recognition and all these other elements, and is available to step up and step in when the next gaffe strikes Michael Steele down?

The Thrilla from Wasilla.

It's what she's been waiting for. It won't matter that she's blown any credibility on international affairs, or quit her post as Governor --  the chair doesn't direct policy or even write speeches; the job responsibilities are largely smiling for the cameras and memorizing scripted phrases while insuring a good turn-out for fund-raising events.

I'm sure there are other possibile choices, not to mention that the GOP loves how she distracts the rest of the pundits already pondering future presidential hopefuls.  But the GOP still has Romney and Huckabee, plus Pawlenty and Coleman coming out of "middle America" with records they can ostensibly run on to work with  thus leaving the hockey mom free to court publicity without anybody questioning her readiness or suitability to be Commander-in-Chief.

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, Democratic Campaign Manager, journalist, and photographer who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

NFL TRAINING CAMPS OPEN THIS WEEK; BROWNS FIRST IN ON FRIDAY

From NFLMedia.com
FOR USE AS DESIRED
7/20/10

NFL TRAINING CAMPS OPEN THIS WEEK;
BROWNS FIRST IN ON FRIDAY

“Helmets on! Buckle ’em up!”

That’s what coaches will say to players this week as the first group of NFL teams report to training camp.

Four clubs will begin their on-field preparations for NFL Kickoff 2010 this week, starting with the Cleveland Browns on Friday, July 23 when their rookies report.

Three teams will follow this weekend, starting with the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, July 24 and then the rookie class of two more clubs on Sunday, July 25 – the New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers.

By August 1, every NFL team will be in camp.

For the second consecutive year, 17 of the 32 NFL teams will be “staying home” for training camp, which represents more than half the league (53 percent). In 2001, only 5 of 31 (16 percent) teams stayed close to home.

When he accepted the position of Washington Redskins executive vice president/head coach in January, MIKE SHANAHAN liked the idea of “going away” for training camp to build his team in his image.

But after viewing the considerable meeting space and pristine practice fields at Redskins Park and hearing stories about the huge fan support the team received at the club’s Ashburn, Virginia facility during recent camps, he changed his mind.

“I have heard about the passionate fans and the huge, enthusiastic crowds that come out to support our team during training camp,” says Shanahan. “I’m looking forward to sharing in this experience for the first time. Training camp is the time our players build their identity as a team, and we are pleased to begin laying the foundation for the 2010 season in front of Redskins Nation.”

Here’s a look at the number of NFL teams that stayed home for training camp the past 10 years:

YEAR
NFL TEAMS WITH HOME
TRAINING CAMPS (PCT.)

YEAR
NFL TEAMS WITH HOME
TRAINING CAMPS (PCT.)
2001
5 of 31 (16%)

2006
13 of 32 (41%)
2002
7 of 32 (22%)

2007
17 of 32 (53%)
2003
12 of 32 (38%)

2008
14 of 32 (44%)
2004
12 of 32 (38%)

2009
17 of 32 (53%)
2005
15 of 32 (47%)

2010
17 of 32 (53%)

The Saints’ dream 2009 season began with a home training camp before culminating with the franchise’s first NFL title. The club decided to remain in Metairie, Louisiana for the first time at the Saints practice facility for training camp last summer.

“As NFL training facilities evolve and develop, there is a trend to want to maximize the exposure your team has to all of the amenities that help make training camp successful,” says New Orleans general manager MICKEY LOOMIS. “Training camp is a very physically and mentally demanding period of time for the players, and by being able to utilize our facilities, we feel like it is the best decision that we can make for our team.”

The numbers may prove home-base popularity is a growing league-wide trend, but there are still teams employing the “old-time” philosophy of encamping away. And they just might know something.

Before the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV victory, the previous four NFL champions all trained away from home at college training sites, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers (XL, XLIII) and continuing with the Indianapolis Colts (XLI) and New York Giants (XLII).

“You could just feel the way that the team was coming together, and it went through the whole year,” says New York Jets owner WOODY JOHNSON, whose team trained at SUNY-Cortland last summer en route to an AFC Championship Game appearance. The club recently extended its agreement with the university through 2012.

“The trends that started here at Cortland continue,” says Johnson. “Those kinds of traditions are very important.”

There may be two NFL schools of thought when it comes to where to train, but the debate rages on. When it comes down to it, Detroit Lions head coach JIM SCHWARTZ thinks how they train is even more important than where they train.

“In Tennessee, we did it both ways,” says Schwartz, who spent 10 years with the Titans, including his last eight as defensive coordinator, before earning his first head-coaching opportunity last year. “We went away. We stayed home. We were successful both ways.”

*******************************************************************************************************************
FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS

Two teams – the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs – will encamp at new training sites this year. The Cowboys will once again return to the Alamodome in San Antonio for a portion of camp, but will also spend time in Oxnard, California and Dallas.

While some clubs have changed their training bases in the past decade, others return to familiar venues where they have spent their summer months for years.

The NFL training camp longevity king? The Green Bay Packers, who return on July 30 for their 53rd consecutive summer at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin.

The longest active NFL training camp tenures:

TEAM
TRAINING CAMP
CITY
YEARS
Green Bay Packers
St. Norbert College
DePere, Wisconsin
53
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota State Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
44
Pittsburgh Steelers
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
44


********************************************************************************************************************
The 2010 NFL training camp sites and reporting dates:

AFC
TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS
Baltimore
McDaniel College
Westminster, MD
7/26
7/28
Buffalo
St. John Fisher College
Pittsford, NY
7/29
7/29
Cincinnati
Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY
7/28
7/28
Cleveland
Cleveland Browns Training Facility
Berea, OH
7/23
7/30
Denver
Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre
Englewood, CO
7/28
7/31
Houston
Methodist Training Center
Houston, TX
7/30
7/30
Indianapolis
Anderson University
Anderson, IN
8/1
8/1
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium
Jacksonville, FL
7/29
7/29
Kansas City
Missouri Western State University
St. Joseph, MO
7/29
7/29
Miami
Miami Dolphins Training Facility
Davie, FL
7/30
7/30
New England
Gillette Stadium
Foxboro, MA
7/25
7/28
NY Jets
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, NY
7/29
8/1
Oakland
Napa Valley Marriott
Napa Valley, CA
7/28
7/28
Pittsburgh
Saint Vincent College
Latrobe, PA
7/30
7/30
San Diego
Chargers Park
San Diego, CA
7/25
7/30
Tennessee
Baptist Sports Park
Nashville, TN
7/31
7/31

NFC
TEAM
SITE
LOCATION
ROOKIES
VETERANS
Arizona
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, AZ
7/30
7/30
Atlanta
Atlanta Falcons Training Facility
Flowery Branch, GA
7/29
7/29
Carolina
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC
7/28
7/28
Chicago
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, IL
7/30
7/30
Dallas*
Alamodome/Marriott Residence Inn
Oxnard River Ridge
San Antonio, TX/
Oxnard, CA
7/24
7/24
Detroit
Detroit Lions Training Facility
Allen Park, MI
7/30
7/30
Green Bay
St. Norbert College
De Pere, WI
7/30
7/30
Minnesota
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Mankato, MN
7/30
7/30
New Orleans
New Orleans Saints Training Facility
Metairie, LA
7/29
7/29
NY Giants
University at Albany
Albany, NY
8/1
8/1
Philadelphia
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
7/26
7/29
St. Louis
Russell Training Center
Earth City, MO
7/28
7/30
San Francisco
Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center
Santa Clara, CA
7/30
7/31
Seattle
Virginia Mason Athletic Center
Renton, WA
7/30
7/30
Tampa Bay
One Buccaneer Place
Tampa, FL
7/30
7/30
Washington
Redskins Park
Ashburn, VA
7/29
7/29
* Dallas will train in San Antonio (7/24-8/6), Dallas (8/7-8/13), and Oxnard, CA (8/14-8/27).
2010 NFL PRESEASON NATIONAL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern)

DATE
GAME
NETWORK (TIME)
Sunday, August 8
Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, OH:
Cincinnati vs. Dallas
NBC (8:00 PM)
Thursday, August 12
Carolina at Baltimore
ESPN (8:00 PM)
Monday, August 16
New York Giants at New York Jets
ESPN (8:00 PM)
Thursday, August 19
New England at Atlanta
FOX (8:00 PM)
Friday, August 20
Philadelphia at Cincinnati
FOX (8:00 PM)
Sunday, August 22
Minnesota at San Francisco
NBC (8:00 PM)
Monday, August 23
Arizona at Tennessee
ESPN (8:00 PM)
Thursday, August 26
Indianapolis at Green Bay
ESPN (8:00 PM)
Friday, August 27
San Diego at New Orleans
CBS (8:00 PM)
Saturday, August 28
Dallas at Houston
CBS (8:00 PM)
Sunday, August 29
Pittsburgh at Denver
FOX (8:00 PM)

COMIC CON 2010 - Jeff Bridges and cast talk Tron Legacy

Jeff Bridges from the press room 

Hall H at Comic Con 2010 at The San Diego Convention Center is known for its super-long lines. But one advantage of having a press credential is you can watch it from the press room.

In this case I was able to catch the tail end of the Tron Legacy presentation featuring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner and the rest of the cast. It was a study in how an excited audience has such a generational mix, it has to be reeducated about Tron.

Tron was originally made in 1982 and featured a person, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), who finds himself digitized without permission and thrust into a digital world, all in search of a way to thwart a piracy effort. (Ok, that's a simple explanation.)

The new Tron Legacy is a sequel; something not known by some of the Comic Con audience. One person asked Jeff Bridges if it "was going to be a sequel or a remake," to which Bridges responded "Have you seen the first one?" She said no. "Well," Bridges said, "What difference does it make?"

The crowd roared with laughter.

Frankly, the reaction to the new Comic Con Tron trailer, big build-up and all, wasn't what I expected. I didn't hear the whoops and yells generally associated with a trailer at Comic Con or Wonder Con. Interesting.

Next up for Hall H is Salt, and the much-anticipated appearance of Angelina Jolie. The new Comic Con Tron Trailer will come later today. It's 12:47 PM. Here's a trailer from earlier this year:



Stay tuned.

Comic Con 2010 - Stan Lee talks BOOM partnership and comic book writing

When this blogger tweeted that he was waiting for Stan Lee at Room 33 at The San Diego Convention Center and for Comic Con 2010 (and the trip is sponsored by the Kings Inn Hotel), long-time friend Lars Frykman wrote "Stan Lee is God" on the Facebook page.

Stan Lee 

That alone proves how big the legend that is Stan Lee has become. So large that new comic book producers are falling all over themselves to be linked to him.

But in the case of BOOM Studios, the partnership with Stan Lee started by way of an unnamed mutual friend. That meeting led to the press event at Comic Con Preview Day, Wednesday.

But really it was less about the new characters Soldier Zero, The Traveler, or Starborn, or their writers Paul Cornell, Mark Wald, and Chris Roberson, respectively, than Stan Lee. If Lee's name wasn't on the meeting title, the room would have been almost empty. Instead, the ever-funny Stan Lee said he'd never seen more reporters when he was at Marvel Comics.

What's Stan Lee doing with BOOM Studios? Well, first, he likes the material they're producing, specifically mentioning their Edgar Allen Poe work, saying he could recite it if we stuck around to hear him. The partnership gives Lee the right to be a "budinsky" as he put it, sticking his creative nose into the story creation and writing process.

On comic book writing, Lee gave this advice just off the cuff: "Don't write for others or what you think they want. Write what you like." Lee says others will enjoy it if it comes from you and what you like rather than be created for them.

Stan Lee Looks Good

What's cool about Stan Lee is to see how youthful he is at 87 years old. He's thin, mobile, and dare we say athletic. He clearly enjoys the attention he's getting after so many years of making the Marvel Universe work and doesn't seem to resist a chance to promote himself or what he's doing. A really self-actualized man.

Will BOOM Benefit?

The question is, will BOOM Studios benefit from the Stan Lee media attention. Well, we're talking about BOOM Studios and that's enough.