Move That Bus!

When the Extreme Makeover crew arrives on the scene in any given community, it’s like the circus has come to town. TV cameras from the show, as well as from area TV stations converge on the scene to catch a glimpse of all the action. People from all over fill the streets in hopes of catching a glimpse of host Ty Pennington. Wrecking balls come in and demolish a house, and right before the eyes of all those gathered, a new house goes up in its place.

When the crew leaves, secrecy continues as no one is supposed to see inside the house until the show airs on TV. Then, when all that excitement fades away, what happens? Many times the once excited family is left holding the bag, looking at mounting bills, with no way to pay them.

In August I wrote about this in a post entitled Extreme Makeover…Hidden Costs. At that point in time, I was discussing what might happen to an area family blessed with a visit from Ty and his crew.

Today however, I’m writing about a true life story where a family who was once over-joyed with their makeover, finds themselves looking for handouts to survive.

Read on …

Movies Are Supposed to Provide A Sense of Escapism

Klaatu Looking For Answers in The Day the Earth Stood Still

We find ourselves in some tough economic times. Not only are things tough in the economy, but we’re also in the midst of the Christmas season when people are hoping to buy gifts for loved ones. When faced with tough times, people usually head to the movies. Why do they go to the movies when times are tough?

To escape the reality of what’s going on in the world around them for a couple of hours.

To get their mind off what’s tearing them apart, and slip into some fantasy world where things are fun. To go find a place where they can live happily ever after.

Aside from writing this blog, Just My Two Cents, I also have a movie review blog called Frame by Frame. That’s where you will find my full review of The Day the Earth Stood Still. While I will highlight some aspects of that movie here, this is not a review of the movie. Instead, The Day the Earth Stood Still generated some ideas on the topic of politics in movies.

Read on …

We are on the home stretch in what seems like a never-ending-presidential campaign. In what’s been like a bad dream at times, could it be all the political silliness will finally come to an end? We can only hope! Of course with just one week to go until election day, the candidates our blazing the campaign trail all in hopes of grabbing a few last minute votes come November 4.

Who will be the winner?

The self-appointed media gods have already named Senator Obama as the next President of the United States. Apparently he’s taking the media cue rather seriously as he’s already started construction of his massive stage where he plans to make his acceptance speech. Talk about putting the cart before the horse! That’s just silly. Of course on the other side of the aisle, Senator McCain keeps pointing out that the polls are very close, and really too hard to call. At one rally over the weekend the Senator proclaimed, “Call me crazy, but I like to determine the winner of these things the old-fashioned way — by letting the voters decide on Election Day.”

Personally, I’m very tired of all the political craziness. While I know we can’t ignore it, there simply comes a point when we go into political overload. With that in mind, as we find ourselves wondering who the next President will be, lets take a few minutes to discuss movie Presidents.

Through the years there have been many movie Presidents. But, if you could chose one to be a real life President, who would you pick?

Read on …

What in the world is Lindsey Lohan thinking…

Earlier this week the fallen teen star Lindsey Lohan said her mother might have a lot to worry about, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about her “coming home pregnant.” She made the comment while discussing why Governor Sarah Palin is not a good candidate for the White House. Of course it’s no secret that Lohan is a Democrat with little to no love for the Republican’s. But then again, very few people have any love left for Lohan these days. She’s turned into a Hollywood train wreck who’s now experimenting with the lesbian lifestyle. Could it be she went gay because guys stopped returning her calls?

In the latest twist of political news in the lack-luster-Lohan-life, Senator Barack Obama is not returning her calls either!

Read on …

Aside from this blog, I also write another blog called Frame by Frame: A Family-Friendly Guide to the Movies. Starting this Monday, July 21, I’m launching a new weekly feature called Movie Monday.

It’s going to be great fun, and it gives everyone an opportunity to tell others about movies you watched over the weekend. For more information check out the latest blog entry Movie Monday Blog Carnival on my Frame by Frame blog.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

The former Attorney General of New York State and of course now the former Governor of New York State should be proud of himself. After being a bully on Wall Street and a sex addicted Governor who lost his position in disgrace, the Eliot Spitzer embarrassment hits Law & Order tonight. The long running NBC hit show has been known to air episodes that some would say are “ripped from the headlines.” The season finale set for tonight is no exception. The plot centers on a murder investigation which in turn leads police to a prostitution ring which counts the governor of New York as one of its clients. Of course who can forget that just a few months ago, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer made headlines when he resigned after being identified by federal investigators as a client of a high-priced prostitution ring.

Of course Sam Waterson, who plays assistant D.A. Jack McCoy on the series said - quote - “I shouldn’t say we’re doing the Eliot Spitzer story. I should say we’re doing a story about a politician who gets into trouble because of sexual questions…involving prostitution.”

Whatever the case may be, the Spitzer story is pretty much the embarrassment of New York that just keeps on giving.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

Britney Spears is at it again. But, I have an idea, let’s just start ignoring her.

The stunts of Britney Spears are not only getting predictable, but they’re also getting boring. Does she have issues? Yes. Does she need help? Yes. However, the bottom line is this, she’s nothing more than a spoiled rotten rock star looking for attention. It’s an attention grabbing spirit that needs to be ignored. She’s been offered help, but she keeps ignoring it. She loves the fact that she keeps grabbing news headlines and she loves the fact that she’s getting all kinds of attention from people saying they want to help her. When people come out of the woodwork to try to help her, she just wants more attention, because that’s what it’s all about.

Her latest stunt took place at an upscale clothing store in Sherman Oaks, California. Apparently Britney entered a dressing room with some dresses and then reemerged a short time later, naked. When a store employee tried to cover her up, Britney spat out a bunch of curse words and told her to “Stay away from me!” She then went back into the dressing room, and after 45 minutes, walked out of the store.

Personally, I’m tired of all the “poor Britney” stories. She’s a train wreck who finally lost her kids because she’s unfit to be a mother. She’s screaming for attention, and getting it. But, it’s time to simply ignore her.

Do I feel sorry for her? Yes. But, people change when they want to change. People will finally accept help, when they realize they’ve melted down and need to make changes in their life or they will be consumed by their life. As for Britney, she’s getting lots of help from lots of people. But, what those who are helping her don’t understand is that they’re actually being used by Britney. She obviously does not want to act on the help that’s been offered her. So maybe we simply need to ignore her and she’ll go away.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

I do believe it’s started. The Writers Guild could be vanishing from Hollywood. Why do I say this? Mainly because a number of late night talk shows hit the airwaves again last night. It all started when David Letterman’s production company made a pact with the Writers Guild which paved the way for writers to return to CBS’ Late Show. That of course put not only David Letterman back on the air, but it also paved the way for Jay Leno and all the others to return to TV too.

Now the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has entered negotiations with the union to reach an interim agreement which will put the Golden Globes award show on the air. This too marks what could be the demise of the Writers Guild. The whole idea of a union is to have the ability to pressure companies to pretty much bow down on their knees and give in to their demands as they bring production to a halt. But, obviously this is not working with the Writers Guild, as writers are going behind their backs, striking deals, and now going back to work. How long will the Writers Guild last, there’s really no way to tell. But, one thing is for sure, this strike is changing the make up and any available power the union once had.

Jay Leno summed it up best last night when he said — quote — “We had to come back because we have essentially 19 people putting 160 people out of work.”

That pretty much says it all.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

In case you haven’t heard, Led Zeppelin got together Monday night at London’s 02 Arena for what was billed as a one-time only performance to honor the late Atlantic Records founder, Ahmet Ertegun. What an amazing show it was. Or at least that’s what we’re hearing.

On our morning show today we spoke live with ABC’s London correspondent Tom “Bonzo” Rivers who was at the concert. He said the 20,000 people in attendance certainly got their money’s worth. Just how much did the tickets cost? Tom said the cheapest price was $250! From there it just went up and up and up depending on how you got your ticket. Some bid on them at auction, others paid the scalper fee. Just how old were the people in attendance? Well, Tom told us he’s 51, and he said for the most part, the 20,000 people in attendance were all boomers who could really appreciate the sounds of Zep.

All in all, as they honored Ertegun, Led Zeppelin also proved once again that they were, and are, one of the premiere concert bands. That’s something artists today need to learn. It’s not just about playing songs, it’s about putting on a concert showing your musical talent and skill.

That’s what Led Zeppelin did last night in London, showing for fans that the Song does indeed “still” Remains the Same.

And, just in case you missed it, or simply couldn’t afford the price of admission, stay tuned for the soon to be released DVD of the one-night at the 02 Arena.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus