December 2007 Archives

If you think pop culture and celebrity worship has gone too far--I don't think it's gone far enough. Couldn't we amp it up a few by faking our parents' death to get free tickets to a popular concert?

Apparently one little girl did.

Have you no soul?

Anyway, is this the essence of today's celebrity obsessed culture--or just an anomaly? Are children getting the wrong idea of what they should be interested in? Has it gone too far?

The thrill of Christmas is watching your children open their new gifts; one of the terrors of Christmas is opening your children's gifts for them.

As noted, parents are increasingly struggling to open their children's tightly packed action figures and Barbies.

When you're busting out tools fit for a plumber, it's time to question the logic.

To get you up to speed
Blockbuster video is now raising their online rental fees.

There is a macro issue here. Will you continue to rent DVDs from land-based stores?

Will you bother going to the movies anymore when you can order paperview?

Is this the start of the end and do you like it?

At this point, it's fair to say that Will Smith is the biggest movie star on the planet.

Few people have the box office drawing ability, few people can transcend race like Smith.

What's his appeal?

Can you think of stars bigger than him?

Good things come to those who wait...and that means not until 2010. Not until then will you find out if 'The Hobbit' will ever follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, "Lord of The Rings," which went on to be one of the biggest successes in movie history.

This week, it was reported that Director Peter Jackson will be at the head of the movie, based on the J.R.R. Tolkien's book. He not only directed the trilogy, which has tallied more than 90 something awards in all and more than a billion in box office totals, he also directed the very good remake of "King Kong."

Based on his track record, I like what I see.

The story is about Bilbo Baggins' adventure outside of his warm and friendly Shire to darker, more dangerous territory.

Will this be the hit that 'Rings' was? Should they even bother if it doesn't have the action found in 'Rings'? What should we look for?

Now that parents will be rushing to stores in search of, oh, a video game--something called, “The weee?”

Actually, Nitendo’s new gaming system, The Nitendo Wii, is not to be found on shelves at toy stores this Christmas. If you’re asking clerks whether they have a “weee?,” they may even laugh at you, or call you names.

But this isn’t a surprise, given game-makers knew their system would be in high-demand months ago.

Is it a scam to amp up demand, by purposely lowering the supply? Hot concert tickets are “hot” because it typically only lasts a night for a given city. Garth Brooks smeared that strategy by performing several nights in a row at a city.

So Nitendo has agreed to meet parents half way by giving them a rain check if they now purchase the game before Christmas. The catch is, the kiddies won’t receive their system until January.

Fun Christmas morning, huh?

What will you do if your child wants the Nitendo Wii or other high-demand items that might not be on shelves this week?

If we could script new rules for next year, what would they be?

My rules are obvious.

I know you can come up with more.

What are they?

It's here. The movie, based on "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Phillip Pullman, will surely be a smash at the box office, starting this weekend.

But the movie carries an an atheist theme. Is this dangerous?

You already know my point of view.
Will you allow your children to see the film? Are you in agreement with the Catholic League for boycotting the film?

I spent a good portion of my Monday following my wife around at Oak Brook Mall, sifting through gift items. It's a cliche scenario because I don't enjoy shopping and my wife does.

She insisted that I tag along. She even bribed me with a lunch that included fries and beer. It worked. But so much for the fun afterward.

Forgive me for being defeatist, but it's hard for me to comprehend the joy in looking, touching and trying out items that I often can't afford and make me insecure about the money I make. I know I'm not the only one.

My wife picked out a few nice shirts at Macy's and asked me what I thought about them.

"They're $300," I replied while thinking I really don't need any shirts.