Friday, December 21, 2007

Innovation During the Writers' Strike

As I mentioned in my past blog’s about the writers’ strike, there is an opportunity to be innovative in the way television is brought to the masses.

 

While writers, producers and soon-to-be actors are on strike and unwilling to produce new programming, we the general public now have the opportunity to partake in new forms of entertainment.  The longer the strike goes on the more these new innovations will develop and weaken standard television programming as we know it today.

 

3 fill “Void” with Biggies (Hollywood Reporter, 12/21/07) – Today’s Hollywood Reporter is bringing a story of three writers who have signed a revenue-sharing agreement with Biggies to create web-based programming called “The Void”.  This reason this story is important is we’ve gotten rid of the corporate studio and writers union and now all parties involved in this project have agreed upon a way to create and be compensated for work.

 

Writers’ strike sends TV pilots into tailspin (Reuters, 12/20/07) – Reuter reports about the change to the face of the traditional television season.  The television season is from September to August.  With the strike the networks are now forced to change the time table of the season.  Or better yet, to get rid of the season timetable all together.  Why does there need to be a season?  The general public does not demand it.  You can thank cable for providing programming year round and now the networks should start looking at this model.  “Hey Networks, your television models are now declared useless.”  Give me quality programming year round.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Shortened TV Season

Let me first state that I’m for the most part on the side of the Writers in the strike.  A lot of their work will earn money that they will not see.

 

I’m reading the LA times today and I find it interesting that the Producers have hired Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane as advisors.  These two joker were former aides to Clinton and Gore and they are pretty nasty when it comes to attacking political adversaries.  They took a dig up as much dirt on your opponent and spin it as bad as you can approach.

 

Hollywood writers are for the most part liberal Democrats.  All I can say to the liberals have fun as your being pelted by your own.  The LA Times suggest the writers hire some GOP advisors.

 

I’m just frustrated that my favorite shows have gotten interesting and there will be no resolution for a long time.  Rather than people figuring out a solution its institutions – corporation vs. union.

 

The conservative in me just says that everyone involved in a production should just negotiate individually rather than resting on industry deals.  The internet seems to be the big sticking issue, the problem here is that the revenue model for the internet is not yet established.  No one really knows if money can be made from downloads and streaming content.  Sure you can advertise, but just how effective it that.

 

Are people really going to flock to the internet for on demand programming?  I’m not convinced that people are willing to do this.  Yet we’re trying to come to a final decision on this new medium.

 

They way entertainment is being distributed today is still up in the air.  All the strike is doing right now is weakening the tradition method, network television and studio productions.  If the strike goes on, no one is going to win except for those who are innovative.  This strike is going to make amateurs a lot of money.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The writers strike so far.

So what do I think of the writers strike so far.

 

As a conservative, I am generally not a fan of unions.  Philosophically I believe in the free market negotiation of products and services.  Unfortunately, that’s a moot point because by the end of the year I’ll be watching repeats (with a few exceptions).

 

I’m very disappointed.  The issue of the strike seems to revolve around DVD sales and internet downloads.  Writers want more money from DVD sales, which has increased significantly since the last contract negotiation.  Also, internet downloads.  Both activities that I have actively engaged in.

 

I downloaded from iTunes that last season of the Office and I’ve been watching episodes of shows that I like online at various network websites.

 

I believe the writers have every right to demand a part of these new streams of revenue.  I also believe the producers have the right to play hardball.

 

Writers see others making money off their work and producers see higher expenses, smaller TV audiences and lower advertising revenues.  Writers will never see their work on the big screen without producers and producers will never have quality products without talented writers.  So keep striking and keep negotiating.

 

What needs to happen now is innovation.  Hey everyone, technology has brought us to a point where anyone can create, produce and distribute their own material online.  I know plenty of talented non-professional writers who can’t get their foot in the door because the union won’t let them in until they’ve paid their due or because they know someone in the industry.

 

Hey amateurs, take this opportunity now to be creative and get your work out there.  Let the world see your work.  Start making money on your creativity.  You have no competition at the moment.  People will watch your work, because in a few weeks there will be no new programming on the air.

 

Now’s the time to make a name for yourself.

 

Hey Unions, rather than placing an entire industry on hold, consider the fact that now you’re in a position to negotiate your position from a project-to-project basis.  Actors in movies are doing it all the time, where they will appear in a movie and receive only a percentage of the revenues.

 

Hey Producers, you’re competition is growing.  You better find a way to make everyone happy.

 

Good luck and hello YouTube.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Herbalife - the aftermath

This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me.  I've been making calls and sometimes rejection is something you have to deal with when making calls.  I've wondered if a male voice is really the voice of comfort to people who need to lose weight.  Laurie's had just about the same amount of success that I have.
 
My goal so far is to send out Sample Packs.  I've had about 32 people to call.  I reached a few and they just weren't interested.  It's a little discouraging, but I'll keep plugging away.
 
I have 2 potential leads but now it's a game of phone tag.
 
If you saw my last blog there's a comment from a fellow distributor.  She was very encouraging.  I'm trying to sound natural and passionate about the product.  I'm just trying to figure out if it's me or just the way things go.  You know, people just not willing to respond.
 
It's a great product.  I'm losing weight and I'm feeling healthy and energetic.  I just need to persevere and get my ratios established.
 
Now I'm just rambling.  I'm trying to be honest in this Multi-Level Marketing business.  I just want to get at least one pack out.
 
Alan Ng
 
 

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Big Herbalife Day

Well, today is the day.  I am making my first set of phone calls for our new Herbalife business and, needless to say, I'm nervous.  I've gone through all of the training and I feel confident that I can do it, but I'm nervous none the less.  Maybe a little stressed. (Please pray for me).
 
Anyways from the weight loss standpoint, I am officially under 200 pounds and I'm excited about this.  I figure I can lose 5-10 pounds more and I'll be where I need to be.  Then it's off to the gym for some muscle building.  I definitely can see the difference.  My double chin is going away and my belly is starting to shrink.
 
The best part is that I'm doing this without starving myself.  I have three meals a day and I'm taking the vitamins so I know I'm keeping healthy.  I love this program.
 
If you want more information at this diet please do not hesitate to contact me or visit my website at www.energeticfolks.com.
 
Alan Ng
 
 

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Earning a Little Extra - Part 2

Its been about 2 and half weeks since Laurie and I started our Herbalife training and I'm happy to say we're finally done with the first phase of our training.  We're ready to sell and make phone calls.
 
Let me give you an update on weight loss goals.  My hope is to get to the 190 - 195 level.  That's a good weight for someone my size and build.  After 10 days of being on the Herbalife diet, I'm currently at 201 lbs.  I'm two pounds away from being under 200 pounds, which I haven't been at since college about 15 years ago.  My clothes now look horrible on me.  I'm like a little kid wearing grown up clothes.  With good comes bad I guess.
 
Laurie is having good results too.  She is definitely shrinking and still looking very fine, like the hotty she is.  She's going to have the same clothes problems as well.  I'm just happy that she's having three healthy meals each day and not going on one of her pageant-starvation diets.
 
Nows the time for us to hit the ground running.  We have phone calls to make tomorrow.  Don't worry, it's not to you, our friends, but these are leads from our website.  The system is pretty easy, we have a website, www.energeticfolks.com. At this website we offer visitors a chance to request a sample diet pack for free.  They just pay for shipping and handling.  The pack comes with samples of our products and a DVD to watch.  The DVD will do most of the selling for us.
 
Once the pack is sent, we'll book a follow up appointment to discuss the DVD and samples and hopefully get an order at this point.
 
To be honest, I'm a little nervous.  I'm not the salesy type.  What helps is that I'm actually one the product and I'm actually seeing results.  In two weeks, I should be at my target weight.  At this point, it's to the gym to being toning.
 
If you're interested in the sample pack, please call me at 888.349.8471 or visit my website at www.energeticfolks.com or to purchase Herbalife products now, go to www.herbalfolks.com.
 
Talk to you soon.
 
Alan Ng
 
 

Friday, October 19, 2007

Earning a Little Extra

As some of you know, Laurie and I are trying to earn a little extra money for a special event coming up. We've gotten into the Wellness industry and are now selling Herbalife products. I wanted to blog about this and let you know how things are going.

Herbalife is definitely a multi-level marketing program. For those of you not familiar with multi-level marketing, it where you make money selling a product and then you make more money by bringing other people in to do the same thing.

The reason the Laurie and I really hate doing this is because, we don't want to approach our friends and family and get them to sell this product too. That's not our style. What we like about Herbalife is that we don't have to do this. We can make this business succeed primarily with total strangers. I'll talk about this another time.

Part of the program is for Laurie and I to actually use the product. If you know me, you know that I'm slightly heavy for the height, but I'm not exactly overweight. I'm 6' 1" and 210 lbs. According to iVilliage, I should be around 168 - 192 as ideal. I'm definitely on the higher end of the scale, so I'm shooting for 190.

I had a kidney problem earlier this year and before the Kidney specialist looked at my chart, he immediately said I need to lose weight. Fortunately, there's nothing wrong with my kidneys.

Anyways, I'm on the program and as of this morning, I weigh 203 pounds. That's 7 pounds in 7 days. I'll take that. I'm well on my weigh to hitting my weight goals. I'm also supposed to measure myself in inches. I am measuring my chest, waist around belly button, waist around hips, waist around buttocks, thighs, calves and biceps. I started at a total of 261 inches. I'm now at 263 inches. I've gained 2 inches, but if you look at my chart, I lost 4 inches in my waist and butt, but gained 6 inches in my legs and arms.

Basically, I'm losing my belly and improving my muscles. That's not bad either. I definitely can see the change in my gut.

So week 1 on Herbalife seems to be working for me. Well, friends, I would love to talk to you more about this in person, because I don't want to send you spam. If you'd like to get Herbalife products or be a seller, please let me know. alan@mypalal.com

Visit either of these sites - www.herbalfolks.com or www.energeticfolks.com

Alan

Star Trek is ready for Launch

Hey Folks,

 

Looks like they have the cast ready to go for the J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek prequel.  Let’s take a look.

 

Captain Kirk – Chris Pine.  Credits: Just My Luck, Smokin’ Aces.  Didn’t see any of those. Not familiar with his work.

Spock – Zachary Quinto. Credit: Heroes, 24.  As a Heroes fan, I’m so jazzed about this casting.  Can’t wait to see Sylar in the ears.

Bones McCoy – Karl Urban. Credit: Lord of the Rings, Two Towers and Return of the King.  Karl played Eomer in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Scotty – Simon Pegg. Credits: Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.  I never thought I’d like Shaun of the Dead but it was a hilarious movie.  Those are the only horror movies that’s I’ll watch.

Uhura – Zoe Saldan. I’ve never seen any of her work.  I see though she’s been a two episodes of Law and Order.

Chekov – Anton Yelchin. He’s a TV dude appearing in episode of this and that.

Sulu – John Cho.  Credits: American Pie Movies, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.  I like this casting but again it brings up one of my pet peeves.  A Korean playing the role of a person who is Japanese.  I guess it’s true. All Asians look alike.

 

Can wait to see this movie.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Funny Weight Loss Story

I just lost 4 pounds in 3 days on my new Herbalife diet.  I have a funny story.
 
My clothes are not fitting me at the moment.  Thank goodness it's because they are too big.  So I'm at Disneyland and I'm at one of the stalls in the bathroom.  Normally the way it works is that your rear end keeps your pants up while you're doing your business.  In this case, because I lost a few inches on my hips, my pants fell down exposing my underwear from behind.  Oops.
 
When anyways, if you're looking for a safe and healthy way to lose weight, visit our Herbalife website at www.herbalfolks.com
 
Alan Ng
 
 

Friday, October 05, 2007

The TV Season So Far - Part 2

Let’s keep going.  I’ve given you my thoughts so far on the TV season, but I have a few more shows to go.

Ugly Betty. I’m a passive viewer on this show.  My wife and I are constantly fighting over the remote in our bedroom.  This is one of the shows that I’ll watch because I can tolerate it.  That’s basically my feeling on the show.  I tolerate it.  It’s got its moments and the season premiere was not that bad.  The shows just a little over the top, but I like the Spanish Soap Opera feel to it.

Aliens in America.  Due to Tivo conflicts, I’m not able to watch this show live.  I downloaded it from iTunes (currently free).  I really like this show.  I’m not sure I like it well enough to remove the shows it has conflicts, but it’s got a sweet side to it and a different take on the whole fish out of water story.  Good acting and good start.

Cavemen.  On the other hand, this is a rehashed story of the Fish out of water plot.  But now with Cavemen.  I expected this show to be really bad.  It wasn’t.  I expected this show to not be great and it was.  It was OK.  The writing was descent and it was tolerable.  There’s just nothing profound about the show.

Pushing Daisies.  I was looking forward to this show.  It’s being hyped like crazy by Disney and it was Kristin Chenoweth in it.  I think I got my hope too high on this one.  I really liked the pilot, but not at the level I was expecting, but great start.  It’s got a quirky, beautiful look to a TV show.  My concern is that it’s going to battle between whether it’s a love story or a procedural show.

Survivor: China. Ashley’s no longer on the show, I’m not going to watch anymore.

30 Rock:  Another great start for the show.  Can’t wait to see Carrie Fisher next week.

Monday, October 01, 2007

The TV Season So Far - Part 1

It’s the first week of a new Season and I’ve had a chance to watch all of my shows, new and old.  Here’s my initial thoughts.

 

The Office.  I’ve talked to a lot of people who were disappointed with the Office this week.  I for one was not.  Yes, it wasn’t the most hilarious episode ever, but it was still funny.  I loved Andy’s chaffing nipples.  I think what turned my friends off was Dwight euthanizing Angela’s cat.

 

My Name is Earl.  I’m a silent fan of Earl.  It’s appeal is that Earl tries real hard to be a new person and that’s something America can really relate to.  This is the same reason why Michael Scott is nothing like David Brent.  David Brent really offends you, Michael Scott has an endearing quality and Earl is the same way. That’s why you have Joy as the extreme opposite.  I’m looking forward to seeing more of Earl in jail.  I hope they go most of the first season in prison.

 

Kidnation.  Boring.  I caught the episode where they voted on whether to kill chickens.  Leave it to the liberal media for portraying meat eaters as the enemy.  For the show in general, I don’t think this show is very controversial.  The concept might be, but this is not what you are watching.  I guess if the Kids start killing each other, then you have something.

 

Heroes.  Good start for Heroes.  It definitely does not have the energy that it had when the season ended, but that’s the point of a season finale.  Everything leads to a dramatic conclusion.  The season premiere sets the stage for the rest of the season which will lead to an exciting finale.  I was sad to see George Takei killed in the first episode.  Can’t wait for Elle to make her first appearance.

 

Dirty, Sexy Money.  Despite the title, I really like this show.  It has Peter Krause as a moralistic lawyer who takes the place of his father as the family lawyer of this incredibly rich family.  He finds out that his father was murdered and is going to take the job, balance this family life and find the murderer.  Laurie and I thought the premiere was one of the best this season.

 

Desparate Housewives.  Great start for the season, especially with Dana Delany and Nathan Fillian.  The best part was the end when everyone pledged to never keep secrets from one another.  This was a much better start than last season.

 

Kitchen Nightmares.  This is the side of Gordon Ramsey that I like to see.  He just a jerk on Hell’s Kitchen.  Now you truly stand behind his need to yell and swear at people.

 

Survivor China.  I stopped watching survivor after the third season.  I saw the primiere and liked it a lot because of two of the contestants – WWE Diva Ashley and Poker Pro Jean-Robert Bellande.  Because of it’s timeslot, TIVO will not record the rest of the season for me.  Oh well.

 

Journeyman.  About 20 minutes into this one I was about to shut it off.  I got through the rest of it.  I’m going to give this 2-3 more episode.  It better get better.

 

Las Vegas.  Las Vegas to me is a silly show, but I love it.  Sad to see James Caan leave the way he did, but I guess they needed to make sure he wasn’t coming back anytime soon.  Tom Sellick is a good replacement as owner.  This first episode reminds me of Disneyland and their Million Dreams campaign.

 

That’s it for now.  I’ll have the rest of the shows next time.

 

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Another Case of Liberal Descrimination

It amazes me how liberal democrats can say they take the mantle of equal rights and free speech and at the same time dish out the same level of discrimination and censorship.

 

TMZ.com reports that Barry Manilow cancelled his appearance on The View because he did not want to be on the same stage as Elizabeth Hasselbeck.  Manilow states “I strongly disagree with [Hasselbeck’s] views. I think she’s dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her.”  To their credit, Barbara Walters said it was “too bad” about Barry’s stand and producer Bill Geddie adds “we don’t do that…we support everybody…he’s not going to call the shots.

 

This is not the only instance of liberal not wanting to be in the vicinity of conservatives.  It’s just the most recent.  Here’s the hypocrisy of the whole situation:

 

  • Censorship. Liberals support your freedom of speech as long as you agree with liberals or if you don’t, then keep your mouth shut.
  • Discrimination.  Liberals will discriminate against you based on creed and religion.  There’s a reason why Hollywood and the press are mostly comprised of liberals.  Once a liberal finds out that you’re a conservative they automatically label you as closed minded and fanatical. This, my friend, is classic prejudice. 
  • Hatred. Liberal will say that conservatives hate minorities, the poor, etc.  But with even more passion, they can get away with hating a person with opposite views.  They describe any outspoken conservative and evil and hateful, or as Mr. Manilow puts it “dangerous and offensive.”

 

I have many liberal friends, but I will tell you that when Bush won re-election in 2004, I was not a well-liked person.  It wasn’t for anything that I did personally, but it was based solely on my beliefs.

 

In response, I did not “hate” my liberal friends when the Democrats took back Congress.  Because they had nothing to do with it.

 

Your comments are welcome.

Monday, September 17, 2007

The Emmy's Last Night

For those of you care, here’s my thoughts on the Emmy awards broadcast.

 

As many of my critics can attest, I love to watch television and so I enjoy watching the Emmys.  Unlike the Oscars, I probably have seen most of the entries, especially in the comedy categories.  So with that, let’s get to it.

 

Censored Moments.  I saw three censored moments and was curious to see what happened:

 

  1. Ray Romano’s stand up was replaced by preshow footage of the audience.  Here’s what he said.  In making comments about Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer starring in the new show “Back to You”, Ray said “Frasier is screwing my wife.”  Is the s-word in the case forbidden?  I guess from my conservative Christian background, this is just not that big a deal to me.
  2. Katherine Heigl mouthed the real s-word when hearing that she won for best supporting actress.  OK. I’ll give this one to them, but it’s interesting that you can say the s-word on other cable channels after primetime.
  3. Sally Field said “Let's face it, if the mothers ruled the world, there would be no goddamned wars in the first place.”  Other than this being a really stupid statement from a no nothing liberal.  I ask myself, when was “goddamned” a bad word?  I would have let this one slip.

 

Other thoughts

  1. Ryan Seacrest was OK as host.  I’m glad that they decided to give him and minimal amount of jokes to tell.  This allowed the show to move on quickly, even though it ended late.
  2. I had just seen the second season of Extras and Ricky Gervais was hilarious and deserved the Emmy.  My only thought was that the show was only 6 episodes; it just doesn’t seem like enough.
  3. Loved Ray’s standup, not much into Brad Garrett’s.
  4. Sopranos is finally never going to win another Emmy.
  5. Terry O’Quinn was the only award that I cared about.  When I saw the episode of Lost where we find out how Locke ends up in a wheelchair, I thought, Terry better win than Emmy or to me the whole award process is political.
  6. Another surprise was Conan O’Brien winning the best writing for a variety series.  I was ecstatic that he won, especially over the Daily Show.  This last season was especially brilliant.  Can anyone say “Horny Manatee?”

 

That’s what I think.  Also, Kim won Design Star, which I thought would happen.  She has the presence to be the host of a show, more than anyone else.  The worst part of the finale was the video montage of all the HGTV hosts saying a few words to the finalists.  I hated this piece, because everyone obviously shot their segment before the finalists were even selected.  The constant barrage of “hey you two deserved it”, “I loved all of your work”, you deserved it was starting to make me gag.  All you needed to do was show someone say, “Hey Todd and Kim, you rock.”  Next time, don’t waste my time with worthless praise and that’s what it was, worthless.

 

Don’t forget to do your Halloween shopping at http://www.themeparkshopper.com/disney_halloween.html

 

Alan

Saturday, September 08, 2007

New Website Upgrade

Things are getting real exciting for me and this website.  I've recently upgrade to Coldfusion 8 and there's a lot of cool features.  You can see some of them right now with the WSOP Photo Gallery.  With the latest upgrade from Adobe, they have tightened up the way things are done and as a result I've had to make fixes (good fixes) to the site.  If you're interested in a new home site and would like to take advantage of some of the automated features of this website, let me know.  Contact me at rep@humblefolks.com.
You can see the work that I've done at www.mypalal.com - Alan Ng Home Page. I've been able to link my various blog sites to my main site, so that my main site acts as dashboard of all of my blogs. The main site also help build the Search Engine rankings for each other.
 
Alan Ng
 
 

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Sci Fi Channel, Mega Snake and I want my life back

I hate to admit this but Laurie and I are fans of Who Wants to Be a Superhero on the Sci Fi channel.  Last year we were religious watchers of the show and very happy when Feedback won.  So anyways.
 
Sci Fi announces a new movie featuring Feedback called mega snake.  In fact here's the ad...
 
Mega Snake
 
Third billing is Matthew Atherton (AKA Feedback).  This is supposed to be a Feedback move.  Instead he appears at the end of the movie as Feedback a guy who teaches kids about electricity to children at state fairs.
 
I may not have minded so much, but I had to endure a really back monster move and sit there until the 1:50 mark to finally see Feedback and of course he had not super powers.  Sci Fi channel, I want two hours of my life back.  You owe me big time.
 
Alan Ng
 
 

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Good Wrestling Memories

I was checking out the WWE website today and I found a little section called “Poems from the Genius.”  I was excited.  It a photo of the Genius Lenny Poffo and a little poem about the upcoming Battle of the Billionaires at Wrestlemania.  The WWE has been doing a “Where are they now” segment and letting me get caught on my favorite stars of the past, especially Brutus Beefcake.

 

Good memories.

 

www.wwe.com

http://www.wwe.com/inside/thegenius/

 

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

New York bans iPods

According to Reuters (2/7/07) a New York State Senator wants to ban pedestrians from using iPods or talking on celphones while walking on the street. Apparently 3 people died because they stepped off the curb and was hit by a car for not paying attention.
 
Tragic events, but now the New York City police can not fine people $100 for walking with an iPod or celphone.
 
Government, please get out of our lives and let us do whatever the hell we want to do.  Then again I think it's the governments job to meddle into our lives. They tell us how to live and what to think.  They have nothing better to do then regulate what we wear on our ears when we walk down the middle of the street.  Let's not give up our freedoms people.
 
Alan Ng
 
 
 

Thursday, February 01, 2007

California Bans the Light Bulb

According to Reuters (1/30/2007), California lawmaker Lloyd Levine wants to ban all incandescent lightbulbs by 2012.  This is way I love living in California.  When lawmakers can bring their San Francisco politics and enforce it upon me.

 

First off, yes, there is global warming, but the impact of man has yet to be conclusive.  I think nature has more to do with Global Warming than we do.  Also, the answer to repairing the Ozone is switching over to nuclear power.  If France can do it safely, we can too.

 

The banning of lightbulbs.  Can you imagine the black market lightbulb?  Incandescent pushers seeing illegal lightbulbs on playgrounds.  Police raids upon unsuspecting Californians.  Walmart executives arrested for willfully violating the illegal lightbult act of 2007.  Middle aged contractors performing back alley track lighting.

 

Oh well.  I can dream.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Indiana Jones is a Go

It's official.  According to a LucasArts press release, the fourth Indiana Jones movie is going to begin production in June 2007 and released in May 2008.  The screenplay was written by David Koepp and Steven Spielberg is quoted "George, Harrison and I are all very excited.  We feel that the script was well worth the wait."
 
I'm excited.
 
Alan Ng