Off we go to the Burt Reynolds Museum and hilarity ensues.

When I found out that I would be in Florida I got all excited because I have always wanted to visit the Burt Reynolds Museum and Institute.

To be honest I was hoping the museum would be like a Planet Hollywood restaurant but without food it would sell beef jerky and chaw.

Well much to my surprise the place was really nice and classy.

We were lucky to have an amazing tour guide named Jo and she made our stay a fun adventure.

We shot about 45 minutes and here is a little trailer of our visit!



*Reminder* The camera adds 40+ pounds.....I am really not that big!

Hope you like!

-saul

More ways to feel like you were there!

A while back I posted about this site called Wolfgang's Vault that allowed you to listen to live concerts streamed right to your computer. Well as great as that site is I found one just as cool...well sorta. This new site is called FabChannel and like Wolfgang's Vault it too allows you to listen to concerts on your computer but they have upped the ante and added full length concerts with full streaming video.

The FabChannel site is slicker but doesn't have as many bands I love as the other. That being said I found two incredible shows that I have attached here.

The Frank Black show is kick ass with great picture and sound. The "Dela" Show is a bit fuzzy but enjoyable just the same.

Enjoy!





-saul

The movie going "experience" is coming to a theatre near you!

I am a few days late on this announcement but surprisingly I didn't see much pickup on it so I am going to blog about this now as if it was two days ago.......so here goes.

Any regular reader of this bloggie blog know that I love movies. I used to think I would only be happy working for a fancy pants movie studio (even though I am very happy doing what I am doing now)and because of my passion for this stuff I follow the industry news reasonably closely.

Well today (remember I said we are pretending) I came across an announcement that Cineplex Entertainment (the largest movie theater chain in Canada) is moving forward to revolutionize the movie going experience .

According to their press release "Cineplex will unveil some impressive out-of-home entertainment extras. The new amenities and services at the 12-screen, 45,000-square-foot movie complex include bowling, billiards, babysitting and VIP auditoriums.

The chain's aim is nothing short of "revolutionizing the entertainment landscape in Canada," says Cineplex president/CEO Ellis Jacob. "This is a true entertainment complex like no other, with something for guests of all ages to enjoy. It is the next generation in theater entertainment, with many new amenities and services all under one roof."

Taking this on face value I think this is a cool idea and it is something I suggested a while back but I wonder if this will work the way they are counting on it to.

I say this because as someone who loves movies I actually have absolutely no complaints about the movie going experience. If I had my way I would only see films in the theater and only watch films at home that are not available any where else.......so why am I skeptical about this announcement?

Because going to the movies is about spending a lot of money. This is not just a perception but a reality. Concessions are out of hand and a single ticket is actually less then getting a hot dog and a large drink. In my humble opinion I think movie chains would benefit a great deal from making films and concessions more reasonable instead of offering us more ridiculously overpriced forms of food and entertainment.

So you are probably asking yourself how I know that these new options will be over priced and the answer is..............I don't! But my perception (and this is their brand because all good marketers know that your company brand isn't what you think it is but rather what others think it is) is that all stuff by this chain is over priced and expensive.

Anyway here is the full list of all the new stuff going into the theater

• The Backlot family entertainment centre has six lanes of bowling, a licensed lounge with appetizer menu offerings, two party rooms and a games room with the latest interactive video games and billiards;

• VIP Experience (for ages 19 and up only) with three auditoriums featuring reserved seating, in-seat service and a licensed lounge with appetizer menu offerings, private box office, concession stand and premium seats;

• Cineplex Kids Club child-minding services staffed by the YMCA of Oakville for parents and caregivers while they watch movies;

• Canada's largest digital cinema system with nine cutting-edge projectors delivering razor-sharp images;

• FastLane Service allowing guests to order food and beverages at an automated kiosk and then proceed to the FastLane counter to pick them up;

• XTRAS - a retail store offering DVDs, CDs, books, magazines and movie collectibles including posters, action figures and T-shirts. (again I need to pat myself on the back because I thought of this along time ago)

.....and even with all my ranting I will probably go check it out at least once......cause deep down in side I am a bit of a sucker who loves movies.

-saul

I want my Late Night TV

If any of you read my google reader share list you will see that I share a bunch of Entertainment industry news and have shared a number of interesting articles about the WGA writers strike.

I am not going to weigh in on my opinion of the strike since....well....I have no inside info or even a different spin then you are getting from folks more connected then me.

One thing I did read this morning that I did find newsworthy and shareworthy was the report that Jon Stewart is paying his writers for two weeks out of his own pocket. Just so we are clear...he is not paying them to write his show but rather paying them to strike and do what they need to do while they are out of work.

This is a classy move and one that owners and managers of other companies can learn from. Paying your staff to strike against you is obviously not a smart idea but this is a different sort of situation so treating your staff with respect and consideration while they work out things will certainly make the return to work much easier and with less hard feelings.

More stuff later

saul

I have been tagged and now I have to share personal things about me!

I am “it”.

I am saying this because I was tagged by by Stephanie Fierman to participate in a b5media’s meme about 7 (G-rated) things you may not know about me (or care)....so here is my list:

1- I love Blaxploitation films like Coffee, Black Belt Jones, and Dolomite
2- I sold my 20,000+ comic book collection because I didn’t want to move them with me into my new house....but I kept my 500+ trade paperbacks.
3- I own 12 suits, 45 shirts and 100+ ties and yet I wear jeans and superhero t-shirts everyday
4- My two favourite fiction authors are Lee Child and Harlan Coben.
5- I fall asleep listening to podcasts
6- If I am home alone for dinner I will usually eat cereal.
7- I usually read two books a week...and by books I mean real books (business or fiction books)

And as a bonus.......#8 – I am the Smartest Man in the World (I bet you saw that coming)


Stolen directly from Stephanie Fierman's site

According to The New York Times, a meme “is an infectious idea or any other thing that spreads by imitation from person to person… the World Wide Web is the perfect Petri dish for memes.” It seems like a 21st century chain letter to me but (a) neither I nor any of my family was threatened with death if I didn’t ‘pass it on,’ so that’s an improvement, and (b) it seems a harmless way to connect with people and to promote websites and blogs not only inside your existing network but to a broader audience, as well. Perhaps memes could be worked into fresh “Refer A Friend” online customer acquisition campaigns.

I tagged email a few folks and told them to participate but I am not going to publicly tag anyone!

Hope you liked my list

-saul

Thoughts on Great Ideas

Ideas Ideas Ideas!

Lets ask David Lynch what he thinks of them!



Thanks to Yves Van Landeghem for finding this!

saul

Stuff I Like - The end of summer edition!

Hi Everyone!

I haven't done one of these "Hey look at me and what I like" posts in a while and I know deep down inside you really want to know what I am into right now so consider this a pubic service announcement of sorts for you to run out and be like me (ya know you want to) so with out further pause I bring you "Stuff I Like - The end of summer edition)....Ok one more pause, because I want to say that this list is far from definitive...I am going off the top of my head so if you want to add anything please feel free to add them in the comments!

Favorite Podcasts of the past little while:

This American Life Two eps this past month really moved me (in very different ways).

The first was called Unconventional Love "Stories of unconditional love between parents and children, and how hard love can be sometimes in daily practice." The first story was about a couple who adopt a child from Romania and the child's unwillingness to bond with his new parents. Being the parent of two adopted children this really spoke to me and made me almost cry.

The second was called Meet the Pros "The story of one man's journey from obscurity to international professional celebrity—aided only by his own hard work, a sneaker commercial, and mad handles." This story didn't touch me the way the first one did but I did think it was cool since it was a profile of "TRIKZ Da Silva" a regular guy who landed a spot in a Nike Basketball commercial that made him an overnight international celebrity.

You can check out the commercial(s) here

and the longer version featuring a bunch of NBA and WBA stars as well


One other Podcast that really stuck out this past few weeks was one by C.C. Chapman (Managing the Grey) about his recent decision to leave his job and work freelance. It also talked a lot about personal happiness and calculated risks. This podcast really got me thinking about stuff and making some plans....nothing to announce right now but stay tuned!

Favorite Books:

I kind of got out of the habit of reading this past month as my family moved into a new house and all my books are still waiting to be unpacked (before the move I was reading a book every 2-3 days on my commute) so I didn't a huge selection to draw from but two books I did read and really dug were Punk Marketing by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons and Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win by William C. Taylor and Polly G. Labarre Both books were great reads and worth your time!

Favorite Movies:

Really didn't see much this past little bit except the Bill Lee documentary Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey

and Finally (since I am running late for something) Favorite Music:

Elvis Costello : My Aim is True (Deluxe Edition) I know this is probably the 15th reissue of this album (as much as I love Elvis Costello I admit he has to be the most re-issued artist of all time) but this is an awesome version with an entire second disc featuring a live concert!

Black Francis : Bluefinger You can call him Frank Black or Black Francis but the former and current front man for the Pixies has a new album out and while it sounds a lot like the Frank Black solo stuff (and I love that)I have read that he is using the Black Francis persona because these were supposed to be tracks used for a Pixies cd.

Ok...that is all I got for now. Check back later as I am working on a big post about a major retailer that wont take my money. I should have it up tonight!

-saul

Movie companies should hire me!

Hi Everyone,

This past Saturday the wife and I went to see The Borne Ultimatum. This may not seem like a big deal but with two kids (three and four years old) getting out to something as simple as a movie is a big deal.

Now I could easily post about how expensive a night at the movies are but that would be like a stand up comedian talking about airline food……so instead I want to talk about how bland the actual movie going experience has become.

OK so let me start by saying that I love movies……love em love em love em. When I was in high school I would go to the noon movie on a Saturday and usually see 2-3 movies in a day….and like a sucker I would pay for them all and not just sneak in. Like most kids I wanted to work in the movies but I never wanted to be an actor…I wanted to work in the marketing department of a film studio (and I still do…hint hint) so when I say the movie going experience isn’t what it used to be I say this from a point of expertise.

So we get to the theatre about 40 minutes before the start time, grab some snacks and head to our seats. For the entire 35 minutes before the movie started there was “trailers” playing on the screen and I thought this was cool until they played the same three trailers in a loop so I saw them 4 times each before the lights went down. Once the lights went down they showed the exact same three trailers in the “official” coming attractions section and this got me thinking…….why not make the “before the lights go down time” a fun interactive event that gets people excited about going to the movies again.

Theatres could be equipped with game show buzzers and people in the seats can play “movie trivia” for a chance to win movie swag or fee snacks. The “fun” element will create a cool experience that will get people talking about “going to the movies” and not just the movie they are seeing and since movie swag like t-shirts and sweat shirts will help promote the films there really is no loser in this situation!

…….and while we are on the topic of movie experience. Why don’t movie theatres sell DVD’s on site? I am not talking about releasing movies in theatres and dvd at the same time rather but they could sell a small selection of “new releases” and grab people when they are in a “movie mood”.

…..and if selling DVD’s is a no no then at the very least movie theatres should sell current film soundtracks. I read somewhere (can’t remember where so I might be making this up) that movie soundtracks are some of the biggest selling cd’s in any music store. If this is true then why not offer soundtracks as an impulse buy to people leaving the theatre. You could have a kid with a 50’s style cigarette girl harness full of cd’s and watch the money flow.

Ok so here is my final thought on this (I have plenty more but I need to keep some to myself just in case this post gets me a job offer) I think theatres and DVD subscription companies like Zip.ca (or Netflix for my American readers) would benefit a great deal from working together and not creating a one or the other mentality. Sure they are both trying to make money and develop loyal followings but if the home subscription companies sent people OUT to the movies every now and then and vice versa it would develop passion about movies in general and passionate customers spend more money…….at least that is what my Magic 8 Ball tells me.

-saul

"Chief.......it's MAX"

A teaser trailer for the new Get Smart movie is now available. Click on the picture to check it out.

...I hope the updated version has cool portable cones of silence!

saul

"Arite Lange has the charm of a date rapist"

I watched Artie Lange's Beer League last night and really liked it. Sure it is silly and juvenile but there was some funny stuff and it made my being trapped in a hotel room almost bearable. If you do get a chance to see this dvd I highly recommend you taking the time to explore the bonus features. The uncensored commentary is unlike any I have ever listened to as Artie talks about stuff like being addicted to heroin just before the filming and how a reviewer said he had all the charm of a date rapist, to witch Norm MacDonald reminded him that a date rapist is 10 times more charming then a regular rapist because a date rapist has to get the date in the first place.

Pretty mindless fun and before anyone gets silly here I am not "pro date rape" or any kind of rape...unless it involves and and I have pre-arranged to have an amazonian redhead attack me in a mutually decided location....but that is not really what we are talking about.