Holiday shoppers buying into “… a little faith”

Mitch Albom, author of the hugely popular, “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” has a new bestseller about faith this holiday season.  “Have A Little Faith: A True Story” is the number one bestseller on the Barnes & Noble website Monday evening.

The nonfiction book is about Albom’s renewal of his own faith during an eight year period spent interacting with two men of different religions who share a strong belief in a higher power. More on ”Have A Little Faith: A True Story” and comments from readers about the book here.

Black Eyed Peas reportedly in a battle with business manager over big money

Local band turned music stars, the Black Eyed Peas, have been riding high on the charts with one hit after another since 2003. I love that 2004 jam, “Let’s Get It Started.” Fergie and the guys won their first of three Grammys in 2005 for that single in the best rap performance by a duo or a group category.

They’ve made millions as well. Now according to a story on Nikki Finke’s site, their business manager is being accused of mishandling their funds. Apparently, no one has been paying income or state taxes for the group. Bad news. Also, there’s some missing money, more than a million bucks. Details on Finke’s Deadline.com/ Hollywood.  

Photo: Lisa Burks snapped this rare picture of Michael Jackson’s sarcophagus through an open door at Forest Lawn in Glendale on December 3, 2009.  

Fellow blogger/photog/writer Lisa Burks had a very interesting experience with some devoted fans of the late pop superstar, Michael Jackson recently. The fans made a Christmas visit to Forest Lawn in Glendale, where Jackson’s body is entombed at the Holly Terrace of the Great Mausoleum.  Burks has a nice report, with photos, here of her time spent with these special fans of the legendary entertainer.

Also on Lisa’s Adventures in Grave Hunting blog,  a post about her visit to another local cemetery, Hillside Memorial Park, and what she discovered about the late actor, Michael Landon’s son, Mark Fraser Landon.

There are plenty of good reads and information you will probably not find anywhere else but on this blog, so click over and check it out.  

Disney’s animated film, “The Princess and The Frog,”  is the number one movie in the U.S., after chalking up an estimated $25 million over the weekend. The stars of the film include Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Oprah Winfrey, and Terrence Howard.

 This film is considered controversial for a number of reasons, but mainly because this is the first time the princess is African American and, by the way, the prince frog is not. So what, I say. The more diversity in the movies the better– gives a nice flavor of reality to the make believe world of filmmaking. Disney set this love story in 1930′s New Orleans and reportedly based it on the 2002 E.D. Baker novel “The Frog Princess.”

The sports drama, “The Blind Side” dropped from first to second with around $15.5 million. A new drama, “Invictus” scored third place with $9 million. It’s directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Morgan Freeman as South African Leader Nelson Mandela. In the film, Mandela uses the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a way to bring his country together after the fall of apartheid.

“The Twilight Saga” New Moon” captured fourth with $8 million. In four weeks, the romantic fantasy has raked in $267 million at the domestic Box Office.  And wrapping up the top five, another Disney film, “A Christmas Carol” with around $6.9 million.

Rain, rain, and more rain

 Who says it doesn’t really rain in Southern California?  The storms that have rolled through the region so far have packed quite a punch, and another big one is set to hit tonight.  Some areas are getting pretty soggy, so the threat of mudslides, especially in the neighborhoods ravaged by wildfires, remains high.

A steady rain has been falling most of the day in Burbank, but that’s not stopping exercisers, wearing slick jogging suits and carrying colorful umbrellas, from getting out. Also, there are still knuckleheads speeding up the hill when they should be creeping along cautiously on a wet day like today.

Meanwhile, there’s a chance of thunderstorms and strong winds this afternoon. The high today in Burbank might reach 60, and the lows could dip down into the mid-40s tonight.  

The feds slap a cap on executive pay at more of those bailed out firms

The crackdown on executive salaries at those companies that took bail-out funds has been expanded. Yesterday, the Treasury Department’s Kenneth Feinberg added Citigroup, American International Group, General Motors, and GMAC to the list. The limit is a $500,000 salary. That’s a lot of green to regular folks, but some of those corporate executives at firms that took taxpayer money are grumbling about the restrictions being imposed by the U.S. pay czar.  Details on Reuters.

A sponsor responds to Tiger Woods’ decision to step out of the spotlight

Golfing superstar, Tiger Woods is really in the rough right now. Today one of his major sponsors, Gillette, said it would be limiting his role in its marketing campaigns, in the wake of Woods’ decision to take a break from golf. Woods made the announcement yesterday on his website. In the statement Woods admits to “infidelity,” as the scandal about his alleged affairs continues to grow.  Details here.

Tiger’s statement from his website.

Tiger Woods taking hiatus from golf

 By Tiger Woods

The Southland is getting drenched by a new storm tonight, possibly the first of two to roll through our area over the next few days. Weather observers are predicting 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch of precipitation from this first storm. Raindrops began falling at around 9 p.m. tonight in Burbank. We’re supposed to get periods of heavy rain in the early morning hours.

This storm system is warmer than that arctic blast that pounded our area earlier in the week. Tonight the lows will be in the 40s and 50s. At 11 p.m. it was 48 in Burbank. Tomorrow, the highs are expected to be in the 60s locally. While this storm will taper off sometime on Friday, another one is expected to come through over the weekend.  

Photo: Pete Souza/White House — President Obama checks out his Nobel Peace Prize medal in Oslo, Norway on Thursday, December 10, 2009

President Barack Obama stepped onto the world stage once again, this time to accept the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Back in October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced President Obama had been selected for the award because of his “… “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” In his speech today, the president talked of war and peace.

 ”Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed.  But there has been no Third World War.  The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall.  Commerce has stitched much of the world together.  Billions have been lifted from poverty.  The ideals of liberty and self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced.  We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud.

I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war.  What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work, and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago.  And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace. ”  You can read the full text here.

Photo: Pete Souza/White House — President Obama and First Lady Michelle take a spin around the dance floor at the Nobel Banquet in Oslo, Norway, Thursday, December 10, 2009.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Hall at East Olive Avenue and North Third Street.

Last Tuesday night’s Burbank City Council meeting was like a marathon, it went on and on, but for a good reason. The city council had a busy agenda filled with issues and concerns on December 8 and that packed the chamber at city hall.  The controversy over declawing domestic cats brought out the largest crowd and got the city council bombarded with over 100 e-mails.

During a public hearing on a proposed city ban on the practice, speaker after speaker argued against declawing calling it cruel, even ”inhumane,” and claimed it is primarily being done for the convenience of pet owners. They suggested such simple alternatives as clipping a cat’s nails and providing a scratching post for the feline in order to protect furniture.

A small group of opponents of the ban spoke out as well. Some of them cited pet owners with health issues like “compromised immune systems” as a good reason for declawing. Still others defended declawing as  medically safe, if done properly, and a choice that should be left up to the pet owner and a veterinarian.

Burbank Police Captain Janice Lowers, who supervises the Burbank Animal Shelter, came out in support of the ban. Captain Lowers said the shelter has seen a number of declawed cats with health and behavior problems. After some debate, the city council voted 4-to-1 in favor of banning the declawing of cats only. The lone “no vote” came from Mayor Gary Bric.

Two female Cal State Northridge students sitting next to me were taking diligent notes. One of the journalism students was baffled by Bric’s vote against the ban and asked me about it. Earlier, Bric had stated he couldn’t vote for the ban if it included all animals. Well, Council Member Anja Reinke changed her motion to only cover cats and Bric still voted “no.” I thought that was odd and I couldn’t explain it to the confused student. The way I see it, if you’re going to have a declawing ban it should cover all animals, not just cats. The emergency ordinance takes effect immediately, beating a December 31 deadline for enacting declawing bans. Burbank is now the eighth city in the state to outlaw declawing of cats.

Public comments and the rest of the agenda items followed, so the city council meeting did not wrap until well after midnight. While the rest of us headed for home, the council members went into closed session to deal with more city business.

In retrospect, this was a good council meeting because the council members stayed focused on the issues, this time around, and did not get into petty squabbles. This is something the Burbank Police Commission should try to emulate. At the December 2 meeting, the police commission proceedings were hampered by constant bickering on the panel. There is a huge divide growing between the renegade commissioner, James Etter, and the rest of the panel. How can the police commissioners step up and help solve some of the serious problems in the Burbank Police Department when they can’t seem to stop fighting among themselves? I was very disappointed. I had high hopes for this police commission.

Photo: Chuck Kennedy/White House — President Obama shakes hands with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today after signing three new initiatives to help community health centers.

 ”… I’m pleased to announce that we’re awarding more than $500 million to 85 centers in more than 30 states and Puerto Rico that are providing critical care for so many folks with nowhere else to turn,” President Obama said today at the White House. “So taken together, these three initiatives –- funding for construction, technology, and a medical home demonstration –- they won’t just save money over the long term and create more jobs, they’re also going to give more people the peace of mind of knowing that health care will be there for them and their families when they need it.”

For more on the plans for this stimulus money, here’s the full text of the president’s remarks from the White House website.

Hollywood movies are raking in the dough

Hollywood films are making a ton of money, serious green, like in the billions of dollars. The 2009 Box Office should reach $9.681 billion today, surpassing the best-year ever record of $9.680 billion set in 2007, according to Hollywood.com. This is a surprise for a couple of reasons: one there are still about three weeks left in the year and some big movies will hit theaters during that time and number two, the economy is clawing its way out of a recession!!

If money is rolling into Hollywood like that, why are there so many lay-offs, cutbacks, job freezes, and entertainment folks out looking for work?  It shouldn’t be just the Tinseltown honchos, bigwigs, and a few fortunate ones singing and enjoying  “a holly jolly Christmas” this season.

Bernie Madoff’s victims want more protection for investors

Some of the folks who got scammed by big time crook Bernie Madoff told their heartbreaking stories of financial ruin to a congressional subcommittee today. They want the laws changed to safeguard all the money of investment fraud victims. The disgraced financier is now serving a 150-year prison term for that huge swindle, put at around $65 billion. Here’s the story.

Sunny skies today will help dry out Burbank and the rest of the Southland from some very stormy weather. We got slammed by a cold Pacific storm that swooped down from Alaska and rolled through our area yesterday. Hundreds of accidents on the freeways.There were some evacuations in the communities burned by the wildfires, but residents there managed to get through it all without  any major mudslides or flooding.

 And the mountains got snow — down to around 15-hundred feet. Last night, snowfall shut down the Grapevine, a main artery between Northern and Southern California. At around 9:30 this morning, the CHP began escorting vehicles through that stretch of the I-5 freeway.

Last night the rain moved on, leaving behind gusty wind and some very cold temperatures. At around 11:30 p.m. last night, it was 35 in Woodland Hills, 39 Santa Clarita, 44 West Hollywood, 45 Long Beach, and 43 here in Burbank. Overnight, the temps in the valley dipped even lower, producing a coating of frost in some places.

The chilly temperatures are expected to linger for a few day. Oh, don’t put away those umbrellas, more rain could be headed our way by the end of the week.  

 Are Zhu Zhu pets safe?

Zhu Zhu pets, the robotic hamsters that talk and move, are at the top of a lot of wish lists this holiday season. Recently, a California-based consumer watchdog group’s website reportedly sparked a controversy when it claimed there is a potentially harmful level of metal in the Mr. Squiggles model.

Now, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has weighed in on the controversy, declaring Zhu Zhu pets are in line with toy standards. The latest on the story here.

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center being investigated by the feds

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded an ongoing probe into suspected radiation overdose of patients to include St. Joseph.

The focus is CT brain perfusion scans. Perhaps as many as 34 patients may have received the radiation overload at the Burbank hospital. This is the third medical facility in L.A. county to be included in this probe. The complete story on the L.A. Times website.

Federal employees come up with thousands of ways to save money

It was a simple idea, but boy did it pay-off big time. At the end of September, President Obama’s SAVE Award contest was launched by the Office of Management and Budget. Federal workers were asked to come up with ways to save taxpayer money by making the government perform more effectively and efficiently.

In three weeks, they got 38,484 entries! Some of the plans were so good that the Obama administration is already working on putting them into practice.

The President’s SAVE Award will go to the best of the best. You can help pick the winner by casting your vote.  More details on The White House Blog.

Holiday shoppers waiting for last minute bargains

The uncertain job market has many shoppers spending less or holding out for those pre-Christmas deals this holiday season, that according to a new survey. This is bad news for retailers and the weak economy. The story is on the Reuters website.

“The Blind Side” ran right over the competition at the Box Office this weekend. The sports drama even knocked the hugely successful “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” out of the top spot.  “Blind Side,” which stars Sandra Bullock, raked in an estimated $20.4 million to become the number one film in the U.S.

In three weeks, “The Blind Side” has rung up around $129 million at theaters across the country. On the other hand, second place finisher,”New Moon,” earned a staggering $255 million in the same amount of time. This weekend, the romantic fantasy cooled off a bit with a tally of around $15.7 million.

The new film, “Brothers” landed in third with $9.7 million.  The war drama stars Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman. Maguire plays a traumatized Marine who returns home from Afghanistan and struggles to pick up the pieces of his personal life.

Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” skidded into fourth with $7.5 million, and rounding out the top five the family comedy “Old Dogs” with $6.9 million.

Photo: Pete Souza/The White House 12/03/09

President Barack Obama gets it. The economic recovery will not really hit home for many until the sluggish job market is revitalized. Yesterday, the Labor Department reported the national unemployment rate took a surprising dip to 10 percent in November— the best it’s been since December of 2007. Companies laid off 11,000 workers last month, compared to 111,000 in October. A significant improvement.  Still, millions of unemployed Americans searched but did not find work last month.  

Meanwhile, the nation’s tally of 2009 bank failures hit 130 on Friday when regulators shut down six banks: one in Ohio, another in Illinois, another in Virginia, and three small Georgia banks. Customers of those banks have their accounts protected up to $250,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The tally is nearly five times the number that failed in 2008, and the highest number since 1992 when 181 banks went under.

In his weekly address today, President Obama focused on the economic recovery and the importance of getting millions of unemployed Americans back to work. Here’s the full text of the president’s address from The White House website.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
Saturday, December 5, 2009

Every month since January, when I became your President, I’ve spoken to you about the periodic reports of the Labor Department on the number of jobs created or lost during the previous month; numbers that tell a story about how America’s economy is faring overall.  

In those first months, the numbers were nothing short of devastating. The worst recession since the 1930s had wreaked havoc on the lives of so many of our fellow Americans. Yesterday, the numbers released by the Labor Department reflected a continuing positive trend of diminishing job loss.

But for those who were laid off last month and the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession, a good trend isn’t good enough. Trends don’t buy the groceries. Trends don’t pay the rent or a college tuition. Trends don’t fulfill the need within each of us to be productive, to provide for our families, to make the most of our lives, to reach for our dreams.

So, it is true that we, as a country, are in a very different place than we were when 2009 began. Because of the Recovery Act and a number of other steps we’ve taken, we’re no longer facing the potential collapse of our financial system or a second Great Depression. We’re no longer losing jobs at a rate of 700,000 a month. And our economy’s growing for the first time in a year.

But too many of our neighbors are still out of work because the growth we’ve seen hasn’t yet translated into all the jobs we need. Stung by this brutal recession, businesses that have kept their doors open are still wary about adding workers.  Instead of hiring, many are simply asking their employees to work more hours, or they’re adding temporary help. 

History tells us this is usually what happens with recessions – even as the economy grows, it takes time for jobs to follow. But the folks who have been looking for work without any luck for months and, in some cases, years, can’t wait any longer. For them, I’m determined to do everything I can to accelerate our progress so we’re actually adding jobs again.

That’s why, this week, I invited a group of business owners from across the country to the White House to talk about additional steps we can take to help jumpstart hiring. We brought together unions and universities to talk about what we can do to support our workers today and prepare our students to outcompete workers around the world tomorrow. We brought together mayors and community leaders to talk about how we can open up new opportunities in our cities and towns.

On Friday, I spent the day in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and met with workers and small business owners there. I stopped by a steel company called Allentown Metal Works, and spoke at Lehigh Community College. I visited folks at a job placement center, and stopped by a shift change at Alpo.  The stories and concerns I heard mirrored the countless letters I receive every single day. And they speak louder than any statistic or government report. The folks in Allentown – and in all the Allentowns across our country – are the most dedicated, productive workers in the world. All they’re asking for is a chance, and a fair shake.

And that’s exactly what I’m working to give them. In the coming days, I’ll be unveiling additional ideas aimed at accelerating job growth and hiring as we emerge from this economic storm.

And so that we don’t face another crisis like this again, I’m determined to meet our responsibility to do what we know will strengthen our economy in the long-run. That’s why I’m not going to let up in my efforts to reform our health care system; to give our children the best education in the world; to promote the jobs of tomorrow and energy independence by investing in a clean energy economy; and to deal with the mounting federal debt.

From the moment I was sworn into office, we have taken a number of difficult steps to end this economic crisis. We didn’t take them because they were popular or gratifying. They weren’t. We took these steps because they were necessary.

But I didn’t run for President to pass emergency recovery programs, or to bail out banks or to shore up auto companies. I didn’t run for President simply to manage the crisis of the moment, while kicking our most pressing problems down the road. I ran for President to help hardworking families succeed and to stand up for the embattled middle class. I ran to fight for a country where responsibility is still rewarded, and hard-working people can get ahead.  I ran to keep faith with the sacred American principle that we will deliver to our children a future of even greater possibility.

And my commitment to you, the American people, is that I will focus every single day on how we can get people back to work, and how we can build an economy that continues to make real the promise of America for generations to come.

Successful female films part of a growing trend

The long lines at the theaters tell the story. Female driven films are hot and making mega-bucks. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and “The Blind Side” are just the latest movies to demonstrate the power of female moviegoers.  So is Hollywood going to make more of these films?  CNN has more on the trend and the dilemma.

Oscar Winning Director Roman Polanski in lockdown at his Swiss Chalet

Famous film director and fugitive Roman Polanski was moved from prison to house arrest at his swanky Swiss chalet today. Polanski was released on $4.5 million bail bond. Polanski, a convicted child molester, jumped bail before sentencing in the U.S. back in 1978.  Polanski lived the good life in Europe, until  September 26 when he got arrested on a warrant in Switzerland.

The 76-year-old Polanski has been at the center of heated debate in the Hollywood community since his arrest. Some feel the director’s achievements should win him a pardon for his past sins. Others believe he should be treated like any other fugitive who did the crime, went on the run, got arrested, and now faces a prison term in the U.S.

Polanski has been nominated several times for the Best Director Oscar; he won it in 2003 for “The Pianist.” 

 A write-up on Polanski and his problems with the law on The Hollywood Reporter website.

 Cyber Monday Sales Up

The keyboards were clicking and online shoppers were buying on Cyber Monday. Early data indicates sales were up 14 percent over last year. On the average 4.3 million consumers per minute reportedly visited shopping web sites yesterday. More on the cyber shopping bonanza here.  

Black Friday Sales Tumble

Big crowds turned out on Black Friday and over the Thanksgiving weekend, but apparently those shoppers were more lookie-loos than serious buyers. Early figures show those shoppers spent 8 percent less than last year — which is really bad news all around. Consumer spending reportedly fuels the U.S. economy by as much as 70 percent.  Reuters has more on the 2009 holiday shopping season.  

IRS Holding $123.5 Million in Unclaimed Tax Refunds

Over a 100,000 refund checks were returned to the Internal Revenue Service this year, because of problems with the addresses. The average tax refund is over a thousand bucks! Now that would help add a little cheer to the holiday season. Here’s the story and details on how to claim some of that dough.