Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Hundreds of holiday baskets, boxes, and bags lined the walls outside the auditorium at George Washington Elementary school in Burbank December 16, 2011

More than 555 Burbank families are enjoying some holiday cheer, thanks  to this year’s very successful Holiday Basket Program sponsored by the Burbank Coordinating Council. The deliveries, by volunteers, began officially on December 17 and were completed a few days ago.

Four hundred of the families were adopted by local Churches, school PTAs, service organizations, studios, businesses, individuals, and city offices ..” according to the Holiday Basket Committee co-chair, Janet Diel.  

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank City Councilman Dave Golonski among the volunteers who come back year after year to help create and deliver holiday baskets to needy families December 16, 2011

The  holiday baskets, boxes, and over-sized bags were stuffed with donated new clothes, games, toys, food, gift cards, movie DVDs and much more.  Each gift container was filled with items that reflected the needs of a specific family.  

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Former newspaper reporter Joyce Rudolph pitched in to help assemble holiday baskets at George Washington Elementary school December 16, 2011

Donations came Warner Bros, Disney, Universal Studios, Ralphs, Vons,  Ikea, and many small businesses, local shops, and individuals.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Volunteers worked meticulously putting together holiday baskets for 155 unadopted families at George Washington Elementary school in Burbank December 16, 2011

The volunteers included city officials, community activists, Girl Scout troops, and local residents who took time out from their own holiday activities to lend a helping hand.  

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- The driving force behind the Holiday Basket Program, Janet Diel, fielded cell phone calls at George Washington Elementary school December 16, 2011

Speaking on behalf of the Holiday Basket Committee, Diel said:”It took hundreds/ thousands of people to donate money, gifts, food, and time to make this project a success. We are grateful to all who participated and thank you so much for making a huge difference in so many lives.”

UPDATED: Friday 12/30/11

One very lucky ticket, bought  in New York , has all of the important digits for last Tuesday’s Mega Millions draw. Those numbers: 23, 32, 33, 39, 43 and the Mega number 8.  Three tickets purchased here in Cally missed only the Mega number. Each of those tickets is paying out $338, 106.

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The Mega Millions lottery jackpot has leaped the $200 million mark. For weeks, players have not been able to match all six numbers in recent draws. Last Friday the winning digits were: 8, 3, 5, 29, 18, and the Mega number 14. No winner, so the jackpot skyrocketed to 206 million bucks!

Five tickets bought in the Golden State did come very close to winning it all. They had all but the Mega ball. Each is worth $155, 663. That will pay off a lot of holiday shopping and entertainment bills.

The next big Mega Millions draw is tomorrow, 8 p.m.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Many people often ask me the same question.
“Are you from South Korea or North Korea?”
Chances are, every Korean person you have ever met is from South Korea.

Last week, North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Il passed away.
A customer asked me what my thoughts are about this.

The Korean peninsula is a very small piece of land. It has been 66 years since it was divided into North and South Korea. The land has a very sad history.

Today is Christmas.
I understand that there are those of you who celebrate Christmas and there are also those of you who don’t.

However, regardless of what religion we adhere to, this is a season of peace.
My hope is that every person on earth could experience peace.
I’m not talking about something huge like world peace.
I mean that I hope we could all be at peace with everyone we interact with on a daily basis, whether that’s family, friends, or neighbors.
I pray that North and South Korea could experience that same peace.

The reason I am able to clean your clothing and enjoy life is because of peace.

I hope your week overflows with peace.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Mary Did You Know

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy, would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know-w-w-w
That your baby boy, would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know
That your baby boy, has come to make you new?
And this child that you delivered will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy, will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy, will calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know
That your baby boy, has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby you kissed the face of God?

Oh, Mary did you know

 The blind will see
The deaf will hear
The dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
And the praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy, is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy, will one day rule the nations?

Did you know
That your baby boy, is Heaven’s perfect Lamb?
The sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am

Performed by Clay Aiken

Song lyrics by Mark Lowry (1984), music Buddy Greene

Ho, ho, ho! The pre-Christmas Mega Millions jackpot has hit the “wow” mark. No one ticket had all of the winning numbers in last Tuesday’s draw, so the jackpot blew-up to $173 million. You could seriously holiday shop with that kind of money.

Still, the numbers from last Tuesday’s draw were lucky for a couple of California players. Each won $319, 493 with a ticket that got all of the numbers right except the Mega number. Here are those digits: 20, 24, 27, 45, 51 and the Mega number 31.

The next big money draw is tonight at 8 p.m.

It’s sunny and windy in the Media City today. In fact, there’s a wind advisory for the entire Southland in effect until 2 p.m. tomorrow. That advisory says ” gusty and potentially damaging Santa Ana winds expected today and Friday.” 

Winds of 20-30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph are whipping through So Cal this morning. The winds could get even stronger before this weather drama is over.  Oh, you might remember that vicious wind storm about three weeks ago that hammered the city. Keith Sterling, Burbank public information officer, says the cost in clean-up and other services from that storm – an estimated $250,000.

The high today in B-town — only in the 60s. So button up that coat, hold onto your hat, it’s going to be a blustery day.

You could have a super green Christmas , if you score the Mega Millions lottery jackpot in tonight’s draw. That jackpot shot up to $152 million — after no one matched all of the numbers in last Friday’s draw.  Those hot digits: 2, 4, 26, 36, 39, and the Mega number 27.  Seven lucky players in California got all but the Mega ball right. Each of their tickets is worth $72, 824.

The next chance to win the Mega Millions jackpot is tonight at 8 p.m.

We’re coming down to the wire for Christmas — with just a few more shopping days to the big holiday. Counseling4Kids, a mental health program, is collecting gifts for over 500 children in foster care and is still in need of donations.  

“Oftentimes children in foster care receive very little during the holidays.  Foster parents often have several children in their home at one time, and it can be very challenging for them to purchase gifts for all of them given limited foster care stipends.  Providing a gift is one way we can help a child in foster care feel loved at a very difficult time of year,” states Dr. Marianne Callahan, clinical director at Counseling4Kids, in a news release.

Counseling4Kids is a non-profit that provides mental health services to abused and neglected children and youth in the foster care system in Burbank, the San Fernando Valley, and throughout Los Angeles County. Those wanting to brighten the holiday season for one or more of these foster children, can drop off new and unwrapped gifts or money to purchase gifts at the Counseling4Kids local office 601 South Glenoaks Boulevard, Suite 200, Burbank  91502. The collection will continue through the entire month of December.  For more information contact community liaison, Rebekah Miller at (818) 441-7800 ext.121 or rebekah@counseling4kids.org.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

You’ve probably noticed a lot of holiday decorations being up lately. When I close up shop to head home, I see many beautiful decorations and lights all over the place. Some of you probably decorated your houses with holiday cheer as well. There are also probably others of you who don’t decorate or celebrate at all.

You can put many different meanings into decorations. You might feel thanks and joy as you prepare and lay out your decorations. Though, others might just see all the decorations as a bit excessive — so they might not like decorations at all.

However, there is no wrong or right in any of these cases. Whether you put up holiday decorations or not, I hope that all your hearts are beautifully decorated.

I hope that your hearts are decorated with everything you are thankful for about this past year and all the people that helped you along the way. I also hope your hearts are decorated with the love and appreciation for your family as they’ve experienced all the good things and bad things of this year with you. These are the kinds of decorations that can never be too excessive.

I would like to express my thanks and gratitude for everyone who sought after our services throughout this past year.

I hope your week will be decorated with many things to be joyful about.

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

The Hollywood award season is in full swing.  Today the Hollywood Foreign Press Association released its list of nominees for the 69th annual Golden Globes. “The Artist,” “The Descendants”,  and “The Help” got the most film nominations. All three films have Oscar buzz.

Check out the Golden Globes website for a complete list of the nominations. The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony is next month, January 15,  5 p.m. on NBC.

A sudden thunderstorm rolled into Burbank around  3:30 p.m. this afternoon. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and the rain came down hard. And I though we’d get away without much rain today. Not only will you need that umbrella — some areas might need some of those freebie sandbags from the city of Burbank.  Be careful out there.

More millions got stuffed into the Mega Millions lottery jackpot after no one matched all of the winning numbers in last Tuesday’s draw. Those golden digits: 5, 6, 22, 26, 41, and the Mega number 6. Three lucky ticket holders in California got all but the Mega number correct. Each of those tickets is worth $148, 228.

The jackpot is now hovering around $135 million, which could answer a lot of Christmas wishes past, present, and future. The next Mega Millions draw is tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Some lucky thespians are celebrating nominations for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards . The nominees were announced yesterday in West Hollywood and leading the film field “The Help” and “The Artist.” Toping the  TV list, “Broadwalk Empire,” “Breaking Bad,” and “Modern Family.”

The Los Angeles Times has extensive coverage here. The winners will be announced during the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, which  will be simulcast live nationally on TNT and TBS Sunday, January 29  5 p.m. from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is still growing.  It now stands at $116 million, but could go higher before tonight’s draw. No one matched all of the winning numbers in last Friday’s draw. Those numbers: 4, 12, 29, 49, 51, and the Mega number 44.

Tonight’s draw is at 8 p.m.

One of the most debated and scrutinized lists in the entertainment industry came out today.  The Black List is a collection of unproduced screenplays that for whatever reason rated as a “like” or “favorite” by a number of film executives. This year, 300 of them reportedly sent in suggestions to film executive, Franklin Leonard ,who started compiling The Black List back in 2004. Since then, scripts have been plucked from this list and whizzed into production, turning the lucky screenwriters into hot scribes. To many, that’s better than any award or trophy.

Over on deadline.com, there’s the full Black List followed by some interesting comments, as well as breakdowns by agencies and management firms.

To make the list, a script had to receive six votes. Here are the top three screenplays on The Black List for 2011.

THE IMITATION GAME by Graham Moore  (133 votes)

The story of British WWII cryptographer Alan Turing, who cracked the German Enigma code and later poisoned himself after being criminally prosecuted for being a homosexual.

AGENCY:  CAA
AGENT: JP Evans, Jacqueline Sacerio
MANAGEMENT:  The Safran Company
MANAGER:  Tom Drumm
FINANCIER:  Warner Brothers
PRODUCER: Ido Ostrowsky, Nora Grossman

WHEN THE STREET LIGHTS GO ON by Chris Hutton, Eddie O’Keefe (84 votes)

In the early 1980s, a town suffers through the aftermath of a brutal murder of a high school girl and a teacher.

AGENCY: WME
AGENT: Simon Faber, Sarah Self
MANAGEMENT: Tariq Merhab Management
MANAGER: Tariq Merhab
PRODUCER: Imagine Entertainment

CHEWIEby Evan Susser, Van Robichaux (59 votes)

A satirical behind the scenes look at the making of Star Wars through the eyes of Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca.

AGENCY:  WME
AGENT: Mike Esola
MANAGEMENT: Industry Entertainment
MANAGER: Jess Rosenthal

The rest of The Black List here.

It’s a rainy Monday in Burbank and more showers, with the possibility of some hail, in the forecast through the evening and tonight. Also, this is a cold storm with the high in B-town only expected to reach into the 50s. And there’s a chance of another wet system later on in the week.

All this stormy weather prompted Burbank officials to put out an announcement this afternoon about free sandbags for residents and businesses. The sandbags are available empty or filled — 25 per person. Proof of business or residency required.

Sandbags can be picked up at the Public Works Field Service Yard 124 South Lake Street between Olive and Verdugo Avenues. Normal hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., but could be extended during emergency situations.  For more information: (818) 238-3800.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Have you ever been to the top of any mountains?

Korea is a very small country in land area, but it has many mountains. About 70% of the land is covered with mountains. Most of them are not very high though. Anyone could climb to the top of them.

When you’re at the top of these mountains, if you yell something, you would be able to hear echoes.

Whatever you say, the mountains will echo back to you. If you yell, “I’m tired and beat!” they will echo back “I’m tired and beat!” If you yell, “I’m so happy!” the mountains will echo back “I’m so happy!”

It is the holiday season. We have to get all our cards and gifts ready.

Like the way it is very tiring to climb up mountains, sometimes buying and packaging gifts and writing cards can be tedious and unpleasant.

However, just like the way the air is cool, crisp, and refreshing at the top of the mountain, and the feeling you get when you yell at the top of your lungs when you’re up there, it is gratifying to see the happy look on the faces of your family and friends when they open the gifts and cards you got for them.

Whenever you do good things for others, the good things will echo back to you like the way your voice echoes in the mountains.

Have a wonderful week and I hope that you get into the spirit of giving!

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Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Garden Guru Emilio "Elmo" Telles

Shopping for a fresh cut Christmas tree should be a fun and analytical experience. The first two things to look for is (obviously) shape and gaping holes between the branches. A little bit of gap is okay, because when you hang the ornaments the weight will help bring the branches down.

What about the old story about pulling the branches to see if any needles pull off? If some needles come off and are green, you’re okay. It’s when they are brown and it’s still two weeks until the 25th – choose another tree. The most important thing to make sure the trees are positioned in a tree stand with a water bowl combination at the lot.

A lot of times I get customers that want a second cut so the tree is “fresh”. The problem with that is that when the salesman makes another cut, by the time you get it home the cut will “self seal” and you’ll have a dry tree soon. If the bowls are filled up every day at the tree lot, the cut tree should easily last you until after Christmas.

The real trick, is to check the tree once in the morning and once again when you get home from work, or the evening. Cut trees are thirsty. Keep the trees in your home in a place away from the heater drafts.

A very important thing is after the holiday, look up a local tree recycling center. There should be one close to you. They shred Christmas trees up for mulch and you can use it for your gardens in the spring!

I take the bus to work and nothing looks worse than old Christmas trees littering the streets. Sometimes when I’m walking, I have had to jump over some of the dumped trees!

Any questions feel free to write/post a comment here.

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Emilio “Elmo” Telles is a garden expert at Armstrong Garden Center  5816 San Fernando Road, Glendale  91202.