Here is some recent good news for Mr. Laurence Fishburne. It seems that he is expecting a new child with his wife Gina Torres. Mr. Fishburne is a father already, with 2 other children, so I’m sure he’s well prepared for the task of fatherhood. I wish their child a health birth and great success.
In odd news I think I know what you can do if you win the lottery for XXX millions. If you think it’s too crowded where you live, or disagree with the government you can always just buy your own nation. I’m serious. The principality of Sealand is now on the market according to Prince Michael Bates. It seems the family took over a platform that’s 7 miles off the coast of England and claimed sovereignty. Already the miniscule nation has fended off a hostile takeover and the British Navy. So you get a little history with you nation. And a currency as well as a national anthem.
I wish I had the money. Though the view is a bit parse, and it’s hardly self-sufficient. If it comes with a seat at the U.N. (and thus international aide) I think it’s a steal. I could really have some fun with this. So what would you do if you had your own country? Talk about a dollar and a dream.
In other odd news is the announcement that a sequel to a 43-year-old movie is now going forward. Yes it’s only taken more years than I have been alive. The demand must be intense, the money has been rolling in. Or so you’d assume. In fact is a sequel to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. This is a genuinely funny movie. It’s filled with an ensemble cast (which is virtually impossible in the current environment of mega-pay for top entertainers) and a decent script. It made me laugh at least. But the plans have been made to continue the story with stars from today. Considering the quality of most sequels and re-makes these days I don’t have high hopes. Since most stars will not forgo their pay to make a movie, lesser stars are probable and I doubt a top notch comedy director is available at a discount (though most comedies these days makes me wonder who is a top-notch comedy director). Lastly the story is a bit dated, without a solid comedy writer I don’t think the idea grabs today’s generation. Essentially all the reasons why Rat Race was such a failure. Let’s hope this try is better.
Another thought that scares me a bit is the fact that Disney seems determined to enter the MMO space. If you aren’t familiar a MMO is a massively multiplayer online game. You may have heard of, or seen commercials for, Everquest and World of Warcraft. These are not a niche game genre, many games boast millions of players. And they get to play together in real-time. So you begin to see the attraction for Disney.
While the current efforts to bring a Pirates of the Caribbean MMO to life may be interesting I’m just afraid of a trend. Disney is know for running amok when it goes in a direction. I base that observation on Disney Europe and 42nd Street in New York City. Some may enjoy the mini-Disney that is now on west 42nd, I tend to feel that all the character has been sucked out of the area. When I’m there I don’t feel like I’m in NYC, I feel more like I’m in some kind of corporate vortex. So news that this corporation plans to try to map out world’s of whatever vision it would like to sell to our kids, terrifies me. My only hope is that they lose enough money to prevent any other mega-corp from following. If not I fear the gaming landscape that will appear.
Lastly, I wish a sad goodbye to Mr. Iwao Takamoto. His name may not be familiar to many but his creations are known world-wide. Mr. Takamoto created one of the most loved dogs ever, Scooby-Doo. Mr Takamoto was an animator, a career he started on due to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. His legacy far outstrips the deplorable conditions that gave rise to it. In multiple decades his animations have brought joy to millions. Whether it’s the humor of Alexandra from Josie and the Pussycats, or Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web (which he directed), to Astro from the Jetsons. The artistic that provide us such wonderful gifts always go too soon. Any time we lose them it’s always too soon.
This is what I think, what do you think?
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