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September, 2011

  1. 1 Decade Ago – Top Grossing Movies of 2001

    September 26, 2011 by Bill

    Hard to believe a decade has passed since these releases...were you a fan of any of these 'classics'?
    The Top 5 Highest Grossing Movies for 2001
    Movie Domestic Box Office Gross Release Date Production Budget Distributor
    1
    Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $317,57 million November 16th, 2001 $125 million Warner Bros. Pictures
    2
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring $313,36 million December 19th, 2001 $93 million New Line Cinema
    3
    Shrek $267,66 million May 16th, 2001 $60 million DreamWorks Pictures
    4
    Monsters, Inc. $255,87 million November 2th, 2001 $115 million Buena Vista
    5
    Rush Hour 2 $226,16 million August 3rd, 2001 $90 million New Line Cinema

  2. “Wizard of Oz” ruby slippers up for auction

    September 23, 2011 by Bill

    A pair of the iconic ruby red slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" is going up for auction with an estimated price of $2 - $3 million.

    California auction house Profiles in History said the slippers -- one of four known surviving pairs made for the 1939 movie -- are believed to have been worn by Judy Garland's Dorothy when she clicks her heels to return home to Kansas near the end of the film.

    The slippers will be auctioned on December 16 in Los Angeles as part of a Hollywood memorabilia sale. Profiles in History owner Joe Maddalena said he was expecting bids from around the world.

    "This is the most important film prop in the world. There is nothing more famous," said Maddalena. "They are one of the greatest pieces of pop culture in existence."

    One of the pairs of slippers used in the "Wizard of Oz" is on exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, one is in private hands and another was stolen from the Judy Garland museum in Minnesota.

    Maddalena said the pair up for auction in December were originally found on the MGM lot by costume department worker Kent Warner in the early 1970s, and later sold at auction in 1988 to a private collector.

    They are marked #7 Judy Garland, and the leather soles are painted red. They are described as in mint condition but with light scuffs on the soles.

    The auction house said the scuffs suggested they were used in close-up shots when Garland kicks her heels together three times, and possibly were placed on the protruding feet of the Wicked Witch of the East after she was squashed by Dorothy's house.

    The slippers have a pre-sale estimate of $2 - $3 million. A pair of red test slippers for "The Wizard of Oz" from the vast Hollywood collection of actress Debbie Reynolds sold for $612,000 in May.


  3. Top 10 Vacation Travel Spots

    September 21, 2011 by Bill

    Plan your next vacation to one of 2011 Top Vacation spots...or go the quiet route and go somewhere less traveled. Paris, France Like all great cities, you can spend months in Paris and barely scratch the surface of the city’s cultural treasures. It has museums galore, stellar shopping and busy cafés perfect for people-watching. New York, New York New York is true to its roots and remains a city of immigrants with inspiring architecture and a thriving arts scene. Take in a show on Broadway, shop in SoHo, spend a lazy day in Central Park and explore the city’s diverse neighborhoods. Rome, Italy The Eternal City Rome celebrates its long history with monuments, churches and restored ruins that offer a glimpse into life during the days of the great Roman Empire. Celebrate the city’s roots and immerse yourself in the culture over a heaping bowl of pasta and a taste of gelato. Cancun, Mexico Miles of beaches, endless luxury accommodations and a nonstop party atmosphere in Cancun have transformed this once sleepy village on the Yucatan coast into one of Mexico's most popular tourist attractions, particularly during spring break. London, England London is a cosmopolitan city with a unique blend of historic traditions and a hip, modern culture. You can enjoy tea and crumpets and celebrate the city’s royal roots before heading out to a slick gastropub for gourmet dinner and drinks. Miami, Florida The American Riviera, Hollywood of the East, SoBe, or the Art Deco District -- whatever you call it, Miami's South Beach is hot year-round. The embodiment of excess, South Beach is an international playground offering non-stop nightlife, sandy shores, unique architecture and plenty of eye candy. Orlando, Florida There’s fun around every corner in Orlando with wild roller coasters, twisting waterslides and theme-park fun. Mickey Mouse certainly plays a starring role in the festivities, but there’s plenty of magic beyond the realm of Disney. San Francisco, California Bring a hearty appetite and good walking shoes to the City by the Bay. For a quintessential San Francisco experience, climb aboard a cable car, peruse the farm-fresh goods at the Ferry Market, stroll through Golden Gate Park and board a ferry to the island of Alcatraz for a dose of history and great city views. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina As the largest resort along South Carolina's 60-mile Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach is the East Coast's ultimate vacation hub. The town teems with summertime action along the Strand with beaches, amusement and water parks, restaurants and live entertainment and a host of hotels ready to pamper guests young and old. Branson, Missouri Branson is an unassuming vacation destination with small-town charm and big-city entertainment in the heart of the Ozark Mountains. Millions of visitors come each year to see a show at any of the 50 theaters and enjoy outdoor fun on the lake.

  4. Fill The Complaint Jar!

    September 13, 2011 by Bill

    Have a complaint for these employees? Great! No, really. They actually want your feedback. Word it as strongly as you'd like, embellish things, they don't care. We know what you're thinking: There must be a catch. And you're right. Of course you're right.

  5. Oh Poop, I Typo-ed.

    September 12, 2011 by Bill

    If any of you bought the iBook edition of romance writer Susan Andersen's latest corset-ripper, "Baby, I'm Yours," delete it immediately! Olaf or Butch or whatever the hero's name is will never seem the same once you read a certain coprophilic typo 300 pages in.   Let Susan explain: I wanted to give you all a head's up on a killer typo in my digital edition of Baby, I'm Yours and apologize for page 293, where it says: He stiffened for a moment but then she felt his muscles loosen as he shitted on the ground. Shifted--he SHIFTED! God, I am so appalled, not to mention horrified that anyone would think that's what I wrote. I'd really appreciate it if you would forward this to your romance reading friends just in case they bought the ebook, which is on sale for $2.99 at the moment so has likely been selling even better than usual (trust me, usually that's a good thing). Please assure them that I'm on it and it will be fixed asap.

  6. What chatbots talk about when humans aren’t around

    September 1, 2011 by Bill

    Computers can converse well enough to fool people into falling in love with an imagined human. But in listening to the random conversation of one chatbot talking to itself, a robot-on-robot love connection seems rather unlikely. Igor Labutov, Jason Yosinski and Hod Lipson at the Creative Machines Lab at Cornell University connected a chatbot called Cleverbot to itself - just for an "afternoon hack", Yosinki says. Cleverbot is a web server that has been running since 1997. A human enters text and the bot searches its memory of over 20 million past conversations for the most appropriate response. In the video, two Cleverbots exchange text and a program converts the text to audible speech. Another program syncs an avatar's movements with the speech. During their conversation, the two bots quickly discover that the other is a robot, although one declares itself a unicorn. After some passive aggressive comments, the conversation turns to God and philosophy, with one bot regressing to name calling after deciding the other is not helpful. Ninety seconds later, one abruptly blurts "Au revoir". v The team ended the conversation there to keep it from lasting indefinitely, as Cleverbot does not understand that "goodbye" politely ends a conversation. What's most interesting is that viewers' reactions to the video, as reflected in the comments on YouTube, attribute human characteristics to the avatars, Lipson says. The group is thinking about releasing an extended conversation or planning a public debate between many different chatbots. Artificially intelligent chat programs have yet to completely con humans. An annual competition, called the Loebner Prize, offers $25,000 for the first program to trick judges into believing that they're conversing with a human. The prize has gone unclaimed for 20 years.