Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween 2012

Well y’all, Halloween 2012 went of without a hitch! 

We helped out in Pumpkin Centers in the PCP’s class (showing off his veggie monster)…
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Sister and Bird came over to play and deliver adorable Halloween treats for the littles…
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We dined on a delish supper of chili, cornbread, tombstone brownies (thank you Mimi for the pans and such) and witch’s brew…
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We donned our costumes (Captain America for Whit and Shadow Ice Wolf Ninja…what on earth is that anyway?…for John)…
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And we headed out TrIcK oR tReAtInG with the S family, the R family and the W family!!!  Our host A made the most divine apple cider to keep us warm - I've got to get that recipe!
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Wonder of all wonders, the littles were way more into getting candy than eating candy.  After just three measley pieces, they are already in bed fast asleep.  Now, I’m about put on my PJs and finish my annual Halloween week marathon of horror movies.  Thus far I have Carrie (great), Carrie 2 (okay), Hand that Rocks the Cradle (great) and American Psycho (awful) under my belt.  I know Honey will be happy tomorrow when he doesn’t have to go to sleep with his pillow wrapped around his head :-)

Hope y’all had a safe and spooky Halloween!
xoxo

Best Animated Short - 1969


Happy Nightmare Night, everypony...er...Happy Halloween, everybody. My friends at the Longview Comic Book Club will probably be hooting and hollering it up at their Halloween party, but me? I'm on a plane going to South Carolina for the fifth and sixth residency interviews. Sure, I'd rather have it be to Atlanta to watch Game 7 of the World Series at Turner Field, but that dream kind of died when the Braves were knocked off by the St. Louis Cardinals. Oh well, at least they got knocked off by the eventual World Champion San Francisco Giants. I think I'm less bitter at the Giants ruining the Rangers' World Series hopes than the Cardinals, because the Rangers were so close to the title. And now both Rangers are pretty much going to join the Indians and the Royals as also-rans. It was a good run while it lasted. But I digress. Even though I'm on a plane right now, I have this review up because I'm writing it in advance. There really was no point to this paragraph, but it doesn't matter because the only people that will end up reading this are my sisters, who are more into Japanese anime anyways. So yey, my target audience for this blog is essentially myself! No wonder I've lost the motivation to write it. But I will keep trucking on! We still have 38 years to review, and by golly I'm going to review them!

Read more »

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Best Animated Short - 2012 - Qualifying Films

Well, it's that time of year again, when the Academy reveals their list films that qualify for the Best Animated Short film Oscar. As I revealed in an earlier thread, a film can qualify by either getting a public showing in a Los Angeles County theater, wins a competitive award at an approved film festival, or a Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards (for student films.) Any film that meets one of these requirements qualify, and they'll go in front of a committee that will vote on the films. The top 10 goes on the short list.

This year there are 57 qualifying films. That's a LOT, especially since there were only 33 in 2010, the first year that I paid attention to the qualifying films. The full list, courtesy of Oscar nominee Michael Sporn (Doctor DeSoto, 1984) and Animation Magazine after the jump. I'll write a short blurb that hopefully I can expand once the nominees are announced in January. Plus I'll link to trailers or even the short film whenever available.

Read more »

Disney buys Lucasfilm, will release star Wars 7 in 2015.

star wars 7, george lucas sells lucasfilm to disney

Star Wars fans prepare to be shocked! Seems George Lucas is serious about retiring, as Disney confirmed today it is buying his company Lucasfilm for four Billion Dollars, half of it payed out in Disney shares.

Disney also said it will release Star Wars VII in 2015, and plans to bring a brand new Star Wars movie to the theatre every two to three years. George Lucas will remain available as creative adviser. By owing Lucasfilm Disney now also owns all the rights to Indiana Jones. It is uncertain whether or not Disney is planning a new movie with the character at this point. Disney already bought Pixar in 2006 and Marvel Comics in 2009. In the official press release Lucas stated:

george lucas sells lucasfilm to disney
“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm.

“It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”

So, good or bad news for Star Wars fans? There's certainly ton's of material from all the comic books and games that would make for some interesting new movies. But I need to remind you that Disney's recently released sci-fi movie 'John Carter of Mars', based on the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, bombed at the box office and was heavily criticised for being 'fake' and 'too campy' while it used all the visual effects and 3D graphics money can buy. We'll see what the future brings...May the force be with us!

Brainiacs

On the eve of Halloween, we sat down to dine on brains, of all things…brains for supper (angel hair pasta with marinara) and brains for dessert (sugar free jello with a few gummy worms).
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I purchased the brain jello mold last year FREE (plus $2.95 shipping) from the Kraft Store last year and, as luck would have it, they have the same deal going on this year through tomorrow only!
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While we were dining on all those brains, Honey was enjoying BBQ, beers and a tour of Georgia Tech’s new McCamish Pavilion at an event hosted by Hunter Technical Resources (a gaggle of our college friends started this great biz, for those of you job hunting in the ATL.) 
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Brain pasta and jello versus BBQ, beers, Buzz and besties …yes, I believe I am a tish jealous. :-)

Still praying for all y'all up North...
xoxo

Monday, October 29, 2012

Mummy Monday

After rave reviews last year, our Halloween Witch gave Mummy Monday another go round today!

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The mummified menu consisted of bananas on sticks, white chocolate dipped pretzel rods and crescent roll wrapped hot dogs.  For all the gory details, hop on over to last year’s post

 

Knowing how the littles love some suppertime entertainment, the thrifty Witch picked up a darling Truth or Dare game in the dollar bin at Target.  (Have y’all noticed that I always make a super big deal of anything thrifty?  That’s for Honey’s benefit.) 

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It made for such a memorable night that I’m pretty sure we’ll be doing it again tomorrow!  Highlights included:

Mommy cackling like a witch (yikes, that is pretty horrific looking in retrospect)

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Honey walking like a zombie

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The PCP slithering like a snake

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And the baby doing the Hokey Pokey

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Anytime we have lunch-able leftovers I always go ahead put together meals for the next day.  The littles are already excited about “Mummy Tuesday” and I’m thrilled to shave a good five minutes off the morning routine.

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As for the rest of our day, the baby had a morning AND an afternoon play date, and I was able to sneak off to help the PCP’s class “defy gravity” as a science lab volunteer at school. 

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The baby’s tennis lesson got called off about ten minutes in when limbs starting raining down on the court.  I personally could not have been more relieved, though I heard a few other (obviously eskimo-ish) moms complaining.  It was FRIGID and the perfect excuse to warm up with some hot chocolate at home.

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And in between it all, I was glued to CNN’s coverage of the devastation already caused by Sandy.  Prayers go out to all of you in the Northeast!

xoxo

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Will "Ralph" Wreck The Box Office?


Well, it's only a few days away. Wreck-It Ralph is opening nationwide this Friday. Yes, I am very much looking forward to this and have been pumped about it long before the first trailer was unveiled earlier this summer. As someone who tracks box office, I ask this: How much will it make? How much do you think it'll make?

Wreck-It Ralph is backed by an incredibly aggressive marketing campaign. I had ranted about Disney’s inept marketing in the past on here, and it seems as if my most optimistic predictions came true: Disney is really pushing this film, almost in a Tron: Legacy manner. The marketing is not like the lethargic, bland campaigns that anchored Bolt and The Princess and the Frog nor is it (intentionally?) misleading like Tangled’s campaign. Disney knows they can’t screw this up anymore, especially with a film that had a budget this big. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ growth hasn’t been stymied creatively, but financially, it has due to such bad marketing.

Wreck-It Ralph, some are suggesting, might actually become the year’s highest grossing animated film. It’s certainly the most interesting at first glance: It has video game settings and famous video game characters. That alone makes it more attractive than the other films released this year, but that says nothing of the quality. Brave was fantastic, but to audiences, it looked like a been-there done-that fairy tale. ParaNorman looked like a silly zombie comedy, and the style probably alienated audiences, ditto Frankenweenie. The Pirates! looked like a kids’ spoof of Pirates of the Caribbean. Madagascar 3 looked like... Well... Madagascar. Same with Ice Age: Continental Drift and The Lorax.

Disney got it right this time, something I wouldn’t imagine saying earlier this year. I was very afraid that they wouldn’t, and they would just market it the same way they did with Bolt and The Princess and the Frog, or hide it’s qualities in a Tangled-style marketing campaign. There’s buzz everywhere, and I’ve seen positive buzz from several people who aren’t even into animation. This could not only bring back Disney’s box office power, but also help the medium a bit since many aren’t responding as much to the recent batch of animated films.

We haven’t had an animated feature that made more than $250 million at the domestic box office since Despicable Me in 2010. Cars 2 and Brave missed that mark, no one expected Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax or Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted to reach $200 million. Everything released in 2011 either had a chance (most notably Kung Fu Panda 2) or didn’t at all. Now it’s time to clear that barrier again, and perhaps go higher.

What have I been predicting for Wreck-It Ralph as of late? Now I’ve been expecting an opening weekend that at least tops $60 million. Tangled did $48 million, so its entirely possible, plus the buzz for this was much higher than it was for Tangled. Also, think of the audiences that are going to see this. It seems as if Disney caught more in the net this time.

The tricky part from here is predicting word of mouth. Early reviews have been very positive so far, with very little negative reactions. So far it holds three fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and one negative (reading the little blurb sums up the review itself and the critic if you ask me, plus Slant Magazine has a history of giving critically acclaimed films bad reviews), but even if it gets mixed reception, that may not matter. Look at Hotel Transylvania, that got mixed reviews and look at how it’s holding up. Its multiplier, however, won’t be spectacular by the end of its run, but still good enough. The appeal alone is working in its favor.

Wreck-It Ralph has all of November to itself before DreamWorks’ Rise of the Guardians opens on the 21st. Skyfall and the final sparkling fairies (*cough* I mean, vampires *cough*) installment shouldn’t be much of a threat to this film, animated films tend to hold up well against blockbusters after word gets out that it’s worth seeing. Plus, Skyfall and Breaking Dawn, Part Two will attract different demographics. Ralph will keep the families and everyone else. Then those said audiences could return to Ralph after they have gotten their fix.


Rise of the Guardians may take its 3D screens and some of its audience, but I think Ralph will still prevail. Toy Story 3 kept chugging when Despicable Me came out, Up was still going strong after Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs cut into it. Let's not forget how incredibly strong The Princess and the Frog was. Look what was in its way: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chimpunks: The Squeakuel. Yet despite all of this, and "Shitmunks" taking the family audiences, Frog still got itself a 4.3x multiplier (on par with Pixar's film) and fought its way to $100 million off of a paltry $24 million opening. Tangled had the third NarniaYogi Bear (both were in 3D and were aimed at family audiences) and Tron: Legacy (also 3D and mostly family-friendly) in its way. No problem, it outlasted them and got to where it got. Never underestimate animated films, they hold on well after they've been released. The 3D re-release of Monsters, Inc. probably won’t affect it as much either. That said, with a $60 million opening, Ralph can easily clear $200 million and become Disney’s second highest grossing animated film to date (that is, if goes past Aladdin’s $217 million total).

Last up, will The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey affect it? Probably, but I think it’ll have more of an effect on Guardians than Ralph. By this time, Ralph will have little to no 3D screens which will probably work in its favor since the 3D share for most films these days is less than the 2D screenings.

But the bigger question is, how much will it end up making? With a roughly 3.5x multiplier, it needs an opening weekend of over $70 million to cross $250 million domestically. The marketing suggests that it may reach that, I can’t see it making any less than $55 million this weekend. Most animated films these days open between $40 and $60 million, so I can see this landing somewhere above that since this looks like something really worth seeing to audiences. I would love to say $300 million is possible, but it's out of reach for non-Pixar animated films and even Pixar's films. Finding Nemo got there and so did Toy Story 3 (for obvious reasons), but the closest another Pixar film came was Up.

So in all, I think Wreck-It Ralph will crack $200 million domestically and do very well on its opening weekend. I have a feeling word of mouth is going to really help this one, since it may give audiences what this year's and last year's animated films didn't give them. The video game cameos alone will probably ensure a big opening and generate buzz amongst people, gamers or not. Will it top Brave as this year's animated box office champion? I say it has a very good chance. Worldwide? Hard to predict this one, but the video game themes should help it do well in some markets. It's bound to do well throughout Europe to begin with along with Japan, but this one is a little harder to predict. $200 million overseas should be a given, but how much higher will it go?

What are your box office predictions for Walt Disney Animation Studios' newest animated film?

GT Homecoming

While the game itself left much to be desired, it didn’t put the slightest damper on 3/4 of our family’s Georgia Tech homecoming fun!  (Y’all have likely figured out that the odd man out in that equation is Honey…and that he was more than disappointed in his team’s performance.)  We arrived crazy early and spent hours tailgating with the oldest and best of friends.  It was impossible not to marvel at all the darling littles running around, and at how we’ve all stayed connected over the last *cough* fifteen years. 
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After the game Honey and the PCP headed over to the SAE house for a while and then made a little stop by the ZTA house.  John was more upset by the fact that UGA won than that GT lost, but we ended the day with our standard “if you had fun you won” mantra.  And have fun we did indeed!
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Before I jet off to get the littles ready for mass, I want to say just how much each and every one of your comments on my Deen Team post yesterday means to me.  I read and reread every single one.  And then I read them again to Honey with a tear in my eye and a squeak in my voice.  I am humbled and grateful and flattered and thankful.  This blog writing thing has been one incredible journey!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

xoxo

Saturday, October 27, 2012

The Deen Team

Paula Deen is adding to the Deen Team of bloggers this fall and I’m plum giddy to be throwing my name in the hat!  For my entry submission, I’m going to share a little bit about little ol me and then I’m going to throw out why I think I’ve got what it takes to join the team.
 
All About Amanda
I’m a so-Southern girl that loves delightful décor, perfect parties and being queen bee in a home full of boys! I've spent my whole life living in the South. Originally from Savannah, I eventually stepped out from behind the moss curtain and made the move to Atlanta for college (Go TECH!). I always intended to go back home but two degrees, one husband, two homes and two boys later I'm here for the foreseeable future.

I love fabulous home decor, drinking sweet tea on the porch, the ballet, seersucker, monograms, Coca-Cola, reading, everything Southern, bow ties, smocked outfits and knee socks on the littles, grits, throwing parties, cooking, the beach, red apple martinis and, most of all, my family.
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Amanda, Whit (almost 4 years) aka “The Baby” and “Cookie”,
John (almost 7 years) aka “The PCP” (precious cutie pie) and Honey
 
Top 10 Reasons Why I’ve Got What it Takes
1.  I Love Paula
As evidenced by this post last year, I LOVE Paula! I love her show, I adore her magazine, I swoon over her book (Savannah Style), I crave the buffet at The Lady and Sons, I am an unashamed rubber-necker when driving past her house on the way to my parents’ home, and I admire her motivation, determination, humor and self-made success.
 
2. It’s Genetic
Apparently, loving The Lady is genetic. As a child I remember Daddy-O coming home from work and telling us about the divine lunches he’d pick up from “The Bag Lady” in one of the squares in downtown Savannah. Thirty-some odd years later and my parents live just around the bend from Paula. I’ve gotten a few excitedly hushed calls from Mother (I can all too well envision her hiding behind the co-cola end cap) telling me she's just seen Paula on aisle 3. And, on occasion, I am thrilled to open my inbox and see something like Paula’s gates decorated for Halloween (Mother is constantly on Daddy-O for careening around the bend in a manner that impedes her drive-by photography.)
December 2007 Christmas 057 Lunch at The Lady and Sons – a family holiday tradition – December 2007
 
3. I’m a Mommy and a Wife
As y’all well know, Honey and I have the supreme honor of being parents to two precious littles. I adore rambling on about the good, the bad, the ugly, the unbelievable and the unforgettable of raising up two Southern Gentleman in the best way a self-professed girly-girly knows how to do. Lord knows I never ever in my wildest dreams EVER thought I’d be catching fiddlers in the marsh or dreaming up a gazillion ways to make a baseball snack look cute. (Let’s face it, I thought I’d be a unicorn-riding princess...or at the very least that I’d have a couple of unicorn-riding-princess-dreamers of my own.)
paula1 celebrating 10 yearsa team snack – fishing off the dock – the apples of my eye
 
4. I’m a Party Person
There’s nothing I love more than throwing a good party. Whether it’s a birthday party for the littles, a supper club gathering for our friends or a back to school bash for the neighbors, I take the planning, crafting, designing and cooking that goes into throwing a party super seriously.
 
5. I’m an Eater
Allright y’all, confession time…this “reason why I’ve got what it takes” originally started out as a place where I was going to flaunt my cooking skills. But I wouldn’t be fooling anyone…least of all The Queen of Southern Cuisine…with that sort of nonsense. While I do enjoy cooking, what I really love is eating. And I really super duper love making a fun family meal with recipes that don’t require a degree from the culinary institute, or ingredients that I can’t pronounce, to pull it off.
 
6. I Love to Decorate
Over the last three years, Honey and I have teamed up to overhaul our 1968 forever home – trading out the navy carpets with gold bows and the dark walls and trim for coastal accents and colors reminiscent of the rivers and marshes that we love so much. As y’all know, he finished our entire basement himself by watching YouTube videos and reading how-tos while I was teaching myself to sew drapes, skirt tables and upholster chairs. It’s been no small task to balance my love of shiny, beautiful over-the-top things with durable, down-to-earth, utterly invincible elements necessary for a house with two active (for lack of a better word) boys. This has led to crazy sounding things like mixing crystal chandeliers with outdoor rugs and family antiques with Ikea finds.
 
7. I’m So-Southern
I love the South: the people of the South, the manners of the South, the “come on over for a spell and sit on my back porch with a sweet tea while the littles catch lightening bugs in the bare feet” demeanor of the South. “Y’all” is a sight word around these parts (I added it right to the top of the list after “you” and “all”) and in this house co-cola solves everything from a tummy ache to a pot roast.
 
8. I’m a DIYer
The shower is a dangerous place for me. It’s the five minutes of my day (or every other day to be more exact) that I have to myself. And my mind tends to run wild thinking of things to do, things to make, things to decorate…you get the picture. So, usually with the baby as my second in command, we craft up all sorts of fun things, from décor to party favors to printable files for Dixie Delights’ readers to download for free!
 
9. I Celebrate
I celebrate holidays, birthday, accomplishments and sometimes just Mondays. There is really nothing I love more than making merry! I’m not choosy about what we celebrate, just as long as we do! I mean, it could be the last day of school, the first day our holiday elf comes for the season, a new episode of Scooby Doo, St. Patrick's Day or a spelling test. Not to get all serious on y’all, but I look at every.single.day we have together as an immense blessing and I just can’t think of a good reason not to make the most of it!
 
10. I WANT IT!
As I worked on writing this “why I’ve got what it takes” narrative (it admittedly got very long…I sure hope there wasn’t a word limit!?!?), I realized just how much I want to join the Deen Team. Y’all know I’ve got no shortage of things to rattle on about and I’d love the opportunity to share thoughts, stories, ideas and even those free printables with Paula’s readers each month. Paula, as a member of your Deen Team, I will make you proud!

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With Paula’s likeness August 2008

I suspect Paula’s people will be checking in over here soon, so I’d be as pleased as punch if y’all would weigh in… Do you think I have what it takes? I would literally squeal with delight while doing a jig in my front yard if I were to be picked!
xoxo