I’m really not good at fathers day gifts for some reason. I actually suck at getting my dad gifts in general. Funnily enough, pops’ birthday is on June 26th which means that I usually buy him two crap presents within a couple of weeks of each other. The last decent present that I got him was a television. It’s probably the only gift out of all of the ones that I’ve gotten for him that he actually uses.

The problem is that he’s a pretty simple guy who doesn’t really like things. But this year I got the perfect gift for him (at least for fathers day. I know he’s a pretty big fan of Blockbuster. There’s one right in his town and every time I stop by his place I see their DVDs laying around somewhere.

I guess the big B has been seeing the success of over the recent years and decided to get their behinds into the game. Everyone that I know and I have Netflix and are pretty happy with their service. I figured though, that since pops rents from Blockbuster already and is a few steps more technically savvy than my mother (for the online portion of the process), signing him up for Total Access was kind of elementary. Also, since they’ve been pimping it pretty hard, they have a $9.99 for the first month deal which allows you to have 3 DVDs at the same time.

It took literally 17.9 seconds to sign him up:

I entered my own email address, password, and security answer: 6.2 seconds

Then entered his name and address for shipping as well as my billing info: 9.2 seconds.

That’s it. Now all I need to do is get him a fathers day card (which I will undoubtedly get for him 3 seconds before I see him on fathers day). I’ll put the Total Access details within the card and we’ll be good to go.

One last thing. I usually spend about a hundo (that’s $100…) on fathers day so this Total Access gift I got him will be for 6 months. After the 6 months passes I’ll give pops a shout to get his credit card info and change the billing information on the account. He’ll most likely want to lower the number of DVDs that he receives at that point anyway. I need to do the same thing right now, now that I think about it.

So the last part of this post is the reminder email. I needed something to let me know to change the billing on his service in december. That’s where Future Me comes in handy. Future Me allows you to send an email message to yourself sometime in the future. I went there and sent myself 2 messages, 1 to my work email, and one message to my cellphone. Now, unless future me goes out of business, I’ll get that sweet email in a few months.

Now fathers day is done and I have another week before I have to figure out something for his birthday. Maybe I’ll get him a tie.

Director Peter Webber takes on the myth of the menacing Hannibal Lecter in this terrifying prequel that attempts to trace the murderous roots of the cannibalistic killer. The film follows Lecter from his hard-scrabble Lithuanian childhood, where he witnesses the lengths to which hungry soldiers will go to satiate themselves, through his painful sojourn in France and his final facedown with FBI agent Will Graham, leading to his eventual capture.

Starring: Gong Li
Director: Peter Webber
Genre: Thrillers
Format: Widescreen …
Language: English

Unrated. This movie has not been rated by the MPAA.

Want a sneak peak?

* Hillary Swank
* Patrick Dempsey
* Scott Glenn
* Imelda Staunton

The movie directors:

* Danny DeVito
* Michael Shamberg
* Stacey Sher

Hilary Swank stars as the teacher, Erin Gruwell. She is fresh out of college and naively full of ideas of what she could accomplish. She was raised by a father who had progressive values earlier in his life. He matured and his values changed. He just wants a successful job for his daughter that makes the most of her talents. She is idealistic and seeks job satisfaction. The character, Erin Gruwell, has an intense drive to make a difference. She wants to do good by her students so bad, that she involves her father and neglects her husband.
My favorite scene is when she involves all the students from the different gangs and groups in a game. The game shows them what they have in common. It demonstrated that the pain they share is the same. She built on that common ground. She then opened new worlds to them. She was able to be successful because she took the time to see what their lives were really like.
The harsh realities of inner city life and survival are addressed in the movie. Current day prejudice and injustice are related to other times in our history that the same things were happening and the tragedies that followed. The dedication of the teacher and the dedication of the students is impressive.
It’s a movie with a few surprising twists and some predictable outcomes. Freedom Writers is an inspiring movie about how people can overcome terrible situations, live a life of tolerance, and reach goals they never thought possible. The Freedom Writers Foundation was created to duplicate the success of the class. The foundation is still in existence today.

For some of us, we might not realize there was a time when Blockbuster didn’t exist, let alone movie rentals! Blockbuster opened its first store in 1985. The purpose and goals of Blockbuster included the following:

* Provide a large number of copies and a big selection of movie titles to rent
* Be conveniently located with highly visible stores
* Give customers superior and consistent customer service
* Have prices that are optimized to local market conditions
* Market and advertise the Blockbuster brand name nationally
* Increase efficiency and lower costs through self-distribution.

They have kept up with modern day times and have successfully dominated the internet market. One of the successful tools in doing that was Blockbuster’s Total Access (November 2006) that combines the advantages of online rental with the advantages of in-store rentals.

Currently Blockbuster has it’s headquartered at Renaissance Tower in downtown Dallas, Texas. Blockbuster expansions has put them in locations in over thirty countries, including Canada, Mexico, Italy, New Zealand , Central America , Brazil, South America, Argentina, Uruguay, Ireland, Puerto Rico, UK , Australia, Israel, Chile, Taiwan, and Colombia.

Blockbuster began as Cook Data Services, Inc., in 1982. David Cook founded the company to supply computer software services to Texas’s gas and oil industry. The industry went bust and that meant trouble for Cook. He was searching for another source of revenue when his wife, Sandy, a movie fan, suggested changing direction and entering into the video rental business. After some extensive research, they sold the oil and gas software, and changed the video rental business using his software expertise.

CEO, Joe Mitchell is credited with turning Blockbuster into a multi-million dollar company. Viacom was the name that the company operated under until the early 1990’s. In 2002 things went down hill, the company lost 1.6 million dollars, and the losses continued the next several years.

Special programs were introduced:

* Guaranteed in Stock (2004)
* Blockbuster Rewards (1999)
* Movie/Game Pass
* Game Rush Stores-Game Stop, Game Crazy, Playboy Games (2003)
* Late fee elimination (2005)
* Price changes
* Total Access with free trial (2006)

Things started turning back around for Blockbuster and Total Access exceeded their expectations sure did help. Blockbuster has a history of adapting to the changing climate of DVD (video) rentals and it is expected that Blockbuster will continue to do so. With the addition of online rentals, it just keeps getting better and more convenient for DVD renters.

Ever walk through a natural history museum and wondered what would happen if the wax figure of Neanderthal Man suddenly sprung to life? Or the skeletal remains of Tyrannosaurus Rex? Or Attila the Hun? If so, then Night at the Museum is for you. The story follows one Larry Daley (Stiller), a down-and-out divorced dad in desperate need of a job. When he grudgingly accepts what he thinks is a menial graveyard shift as a museum security guard, he finds out his first night just how difficult his new job will be when everything—and we mean EVERYTHING—in the museum comes to life. Total havoc ensues. (read more)

Night at the Museum Trailer!!!

Move over Herbie, KITT, and the Gadgetmobile. Here, we have an entire world of living cars like you who don’t need humans in the driver’s seat. The movie centers on Lightning McQueen (voiced by funnyman Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie race car who early on finds himself in an unprecedented three-way tie for the prestigious Piston Cup. McQueen is as bold as the bright red paint which marks his exterior; his ego insists that not only he can outdo his formidable foes — consummate reigning champ The King (renowned NASCAR driver Richard Petty) and brash perennial runner-up Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) — but that he can do entirely on his own, without relying on a pit crew or any kind of help.

Bound for a tie-breaker in Los Angeles with visions of victory in his dreams, Lightning wakes up alone in the middle of nowhere. Actually, he is in the sleepy Route 66-centered town of Radiator Springs. In a panic, the race car wreaks havoc on the small neighborhood. (read on)

Sneak Peak!!!!

In A Bug’s Life, the protagonist is Flik (voice of Dave Foley), an ant whose sole desire in life is “to make a difference.” Flik is an inventor, and, when one of his experiments goes wrong, it brings the wrath of the grasshoppers, led by the dangerous Hopper (Kevin Spacey), down upon the denizens of the ant hill. To protect the community, Flik, with the blessing of the ant queen (Phyllis Diller) and Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), ventures into the outside world and recruits “warrior insects” to defend the colony. The group of nine he collects is comprised of a praying mantis (Jonathan Harris, Mr. Smith from the TV version of “Lost in Space”), a butterfly (Madeline Kahn), a black widow spider (Bonnie Hunt), an unladylike ladybug (Denis Leary in a scene-stealing vocal performance), a walking stick (David Hyde Pierce, from TV’s “Frasier”), a caterpillar with a German accent (Joe Ranft), a rhino beetle (Brad Garrett), and a pair of unintelligible pillbugs (Michael McShane). There is a mistake in identity, however. Flik’s “warrior bugs” are actually circus insects, and they accompany him under the false assumption that he is a talent scout. Things start to unravel once the ant and his elite corps discover the truth about each other. (Read On)

May 11, 2007

Blockbuster makes a bold move and gives a say on pay. That’s right, shareholders will get to decide how much of the profits will be consumed by the executives. Blockbuster may be among 50 companies to have a “say-on-pay” stockholder proposal, but they are the first to pass the proposal. In the future it is likely that more companies will be passing similar proposals. Other companies that may be right behind Blockbuster are ExxonMobile, Home Depot, Verizon Communications, Merck, and Coca-Cola. 

Executives are being shoved under the microscope more and more lately. It’s a great trend. Let some of those profits filter down to those employees that are working hard in the stores.

March 21, 2007

Blockbuster CEO, John Antioco, was locked in a war of attrition for more than a year with board member Carl Icahn. When all was said and done, Antioco left a year early, ended up with about a third of what he was expecting, and cannot speak to the press about any of it. 

What started it all was Blockbuster’s 28% drop in earnings in 2006. At 71 years old, Icahn lead the board in offering Antioco a reduced bonus-only $2.8 million instead of the promised $7.6 million. I sure hope the poor guy will be able to still put food on the table with such a measly bonus!

November 2006

Blockbuster brushes itself off from the previous rejection from Hollywood Video and finds a new date! Blockbuster pairs up with the Weinstein company and announced a three-year deal that give the video renting company exclusive rights for rentals starting on January 1, 2007. Too bad exclusiveness went unfulfilled (I know their pain). With the First Sale Doctrine, other rental companies were able to rent the movies, too!
January 10, 2006

Blockbuster’s competitor, Hollywood Video, agrees to a buyout to the Dothan, Alabama-based company, Movie Gallery. Blockbuster ends up the odd man out when the two become an item and pair up.

December 2004

Blockbuster stated it would seek to buy out their competitor, Hollywood Video, and would do so by hostile takeover if necessary. So far, Hollywood Video has refused to negotiate a sale with Blockbuster. I guess it’s not enough to be number one, Blockbuster wanted to make sure they maintained their superior position by eliminating number two.

The recurring news with Blockbuster is that they keep pushing forward and they rise back up when circumstances knock them down.

With Blockbuster Total Access I have all the conveniences of online ordering, plus when it is convenient or I am just plain impatient, I can still do it the old school way and walk in the store and to pick out a movie

It’s pretty simple how it works, I’ll explain each glorious feature!

Rent online-pick the movie and watch it. When you are done you can return it by mail (I do it on Mondays) using the postage paid envelopes that they provide and when they receive it, the next movie on the list will be sent (I usually get it before Friday). Ok, say you are impatient, and don’t want to wait for them to receive the movie and send your next one. Go directly to a participating Blockbuster, return the movie, and it will be immediately marked as returned and the next one on the list will be sent out the next business day.

Unlimited DVD rental-rent as many as you can watch in a month. Re-rent a great one and share it with a friend. It’s all up to you! Keep one movie for a week or watch 7 different movies in a day. Your choice. Finally, something is all about what you want and when you want it! You can start out with as many as three at one time, and just keep watching, returning, and watching something new. Repeat as often or as seldom as you want.

Bonuses-If all your movies are sent in and you are waiting for the next movie, you can print out your coupon for the free in-store movie rental and rent a movie right away. Then plan better the next month and use your coupon because you want to not because you have to!

Yankee Irving (voiced by Jake T. Austin) loves baseball. Like most Americans, Yankee’s family is struggling to survive during the Great Depression, and like most Americans, they also share an adoration for the one bright spot in these difficult times - baseball and Babe Ruth. The only problem is, baseball doesn’t seem to love 10-year-old Yankee back.

After one particularly rough day on the sandlot, Yankee finds a baseball under an old truck. Not just any ordinary baseball, though, this baseball can talk. Yankee decides to call the grumpy ball “Screwie” (voiced by Rob Reiner), and even though no one else can hear the ball (read on)

Everyone’s Hero Trailer: