Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Today I would like to introduce to you the Korean word bo-ja-gee.

These days there is an assortment of expensive, quality name brand bags in the market and also many different designs of scarves. There are also different kinds of book bags for school children. There are even many different kinds of wrapping paper to wrap gifts in.

Today, Korea is not very different from the United States, however, 40-50 years ago there was a time when the functions of bags, scarves, and wrapping paper were all done with a cloth called bo-ja-gee.

A square shaped cloth was used to wrap up just about anything that needed to be carried somewhere and it was even used to wrap up gifts. It could also be used as a scarf.

Today, people can buy bags, scarves and just about anything they want, and there are also people who can’t afford quite as many things. Such is the human condition. This does not mean that the people who can buy anything they want are happy and that the people who can’t buy those things are miserable.

That very fact is what we can learn from the bo-ja-gee. Even though it was just a piece of cloth, it served many functions. Where there was a will, there was a way.

At our cleaners, we make sure that your scarves maintain their original color.

I hope that every day of this week will suit you like your preferred way of wearing a scarf.

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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.

This morning I got a reminder from Burbank Water and Power executive, Joanne Fletcher, about the dedication of their EcoCampus and community fair tomorrow in the Media City. The BWP is inviting the public to come celebrate the opening of what it’s touting as the state’s first sustainable utility campus.

The program will be hosted by green media maven, Sarah Backhouse, who is also Discovery Channel’s “Planet 100″ host.  Special guests include Senator Carol Liu and representatives of the US Department of Energy. The event will have a festival flavor with exhibits, tours, music, children’s activities, and some of those popular food trucks. Oh, those who can show a driver’s license with a Burbank address will receive a free highest-efficiency LED bulb.

The Saturday event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the BWP site, 164 West Magnolia Boulevard. There will be free parking at the Metrolink station and shuttles will provide transportation. For more information call the BWP at  818-238-3730.

The nominees for the 84th Academy Awards are getting a lot of attention — the day after the big announcement. Yesterday, “Hugo” picked up 11 nominations — the most of any film — including best picture and best director. The movie is a 3D drama adventure about a 12-year-old boy who lives in a Paris train station tending to the clocks and his quest to fix a mysterious machine left by his father.  The film is based on the book, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” by American author and children’s book illustrator, Brian Selznick.

Here are some of the major nominations for the 2012 Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

Best Picture

The Artist
Thomas Langmann, Producer
The Descendants
Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor,
Producers
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Scott Rudin, Producer
The Help
Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and
Michael Barnathan, Producers
Hugo
Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
Midnight in Paris
Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
Moneyball
Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt,
Producers
The Tree of Life
Nominees to be determined
War Horse
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir
A Better Life
George Clooney
The Descendants
Jean Dujardin
The Artist
Gary Oldman
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt
Moneyball

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close
Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis
The Help
Rooney Mara
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams
My Week with Marilyn

Best Director

The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants
Alexander Payne
Hugo
Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen
The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick

For a complete list of the nominees as well as a chance to pick your favorites go  to the official Oscars website . The winners will be announced at the lavished Academy Awards ceremony set to be broadcast live, around the world,  on Sunday, February 26 beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.

The silent French film, “The Artist,” begins the week with some extra Oscar heat. Last Saturday the feature, about an aging silent male film star and and a rising young actress, picked up the top trophy at the 23rd Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. In the past two years, the winner of the PGA honor for the best produced motion picture has gone on to win the Best Picture Academy Award. Last year, “The King’s Speech” — in 2010 “The Hurt Locker.”

Here are some of the big winners:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

 ”THE ARTIST”
Producer: Thomas Langmann

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

“THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN”
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:

“Downton Abbey” (Masterpiece) (PBS)

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

“Modern Family” (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

“Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter

A complete list of the winners on the Producers Guild of America website.

A rainstorm is moving through Burbank and the Southland this morning. We’re getting steady rain, strong winds, and cool temperatures. The high today in B-town upper 50s — lows tonight in the 40s. In a weird weather twist, another blast of spring in the forecast for the middle of the week. By Wednesday, the high is expected to reach 80 in the Media City!

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

 Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year on the Lunar Calendar. It’s the day that many Americans know as Chinese New Year.

In China, it is called Chun Jie, which means the beginning of spring. It is also the day of the biggest festival of the entire year.

Other countries like Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia etc. that surround China also celebrate this day as the beginning of the year.

In Korea this day is called Suhl Nahl.

Unlike in China, it is not a day of a big festival. Suhl Nahl translates to “refrain me to be careful.” Considering the day as a fresh start to a new year, it is a day to be careful of what you say and do.

Traditionally, Koreans bow and offer blessings to their ancestors who have passed on and also bow and offer blessings to living parents and grandparents.

Another tradition is for husband and wife to bow and offer blessings to each other also. (This traditions is no longer observed.)

Every culture has its own unique traditions.
Also, traditions change as generations go by, similarly to the way fashion trends in clothing size, color, and styles change.

However, I hope that no matter what country you are from or what traditions and customs you hold, people will continue to respect one another, similar to the expression of respect that is shown in the traditional bow and blessings that Korean husbands and wives gave to one another.

In the same way, I guarantee that I will offer the same respect to every item of clothing that I clean and do my best with each of them.

This is the traditional blessing that is offered along with the traditional bow, and I would like to offer it to you, saehae bok mani badeuseyo, which means that I hope you receive many blessings this new year.

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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.

Ah, winter is back — wet and cold. The high may reach 60 today.  Raindrops are falling in Burbank this morning. They might taper off this afternoon, but there is still a chance of showers throughout much of the day. So keep the umbrella handy and be careful out there on those rain-slicked streets in the Media City.

“Jumping the Broom, “The Help, “Pariah,” and Tower Heist” among the films receiving multiple nominations for the 43rd NAACP Image Awards. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization. The Image Awards celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, film, and literature as well as honoring individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.  The nominees were announced yesterday.

Here are the major film nominations for the 43rd Image Awards:

Outstanding Motion Picture

“Jumping the Broom”

“Pariah”

”The First Grader”

“The Help”

“Tower Heist”

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Eddie Murphy “Tower Heist”

Laurence Fishburne “Contagion”

Laz Alonso “Jumping the Broom”

Oliver Litondo “The First Grader”

Vin Diesel  “Fast Five”

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Adepero Oduye “”Pariah”

Emma Stone “The Help”

Paula Patton “Jumping the Broom”

Viola Davis “The Help”

Zoë Saldana  “Colombiana”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Anthony Mackie “The Adjustment Bureau”

Charles Parnell “Pariah”

Don Cheadle “The Guard”

Jeffrey Wright “The Ides of March”

Mike Epps  “Jumping the Broom”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Bryce Dallas Howard “The Help”

Cicely Tyson “The Help”

Kim Wayans “Pariah”

Maya Rudolph “Bridesmaids”

Octavia Spencer “The Help”

For the complete list of nominees go to the NAACP Image Awards website. The winners will be announced during a live broadcast on NBC, February 17 . The show begins at 8 p.m.

Still  a lot of talk about last Sunday’s 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills. For the third year, British comic, Ricky Gervais, was the host of the TV broadcast, however, he reportedly doesn’t intend to do it again. Deadline.com has a post on what Gervais is saying about his latest stint as the emcee of the Golden Globes. Warning: graphic language in that post.

Here’s a recap of some of the top winners at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards.

Best motion picture drama
“The Descendants”

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama
Meryl Streep “Iron Lady”

Best performance by an actor in a drama
George Clooney “The Descendants”

Best motion picture comedy or musical
“The Artist”

Best performance by an actress in a motion picture comedy or musical
Michelle Williams “My week with Marilyn”

Best performance by an actor in a motion picture comedy or musical
Jean Dujardin “The Artist”

For all of the winners and nominees click here. For more on the 2012 Golden Globe Awards including interviews, photos, videos, and the fashion on the red carpet go to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes website.

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 -- April 4, 1968)

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ ”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream, 1963.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Have you ever experienced the effects of generation gaps?

First generation immigrants like me, with children who grow up in America, experience a significant generation gap with their children.

A generation that knows what it’s like to go hungry has a much different experience of life than following generations who have never gone hungry. If you add cultural differences on an already existing large generation gap, it can become very difficult for immigrant parents to see eye to eye with their Americanized children.

I read an article about how the “hungry generation” is turning into the “hangry generation,” and I believe that is very good thing.

Hangry is an acronym for Hi-Tech, Amusement, Naturalism, Green, Realism, and You First.

Though it’s true that the advancing of technology (Hi-Tech) has been beneficial to us throughout the passing generations, however, I believe that the remaining five letters of hangry have made it through thousands of year of human history without any change and have remained important aspects of modern human life.

To illustrate what I mean consider clothing; technology advancement has allowed people to created synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, but natural fabrics like cotton and silk have remained top quality fabrics for thousands of years.

Of all the words or phrases represented by hangry, I think “You First” is the most important. It’s the first step to making the world a better place.

I would like our cleaners to be “the cleaners that thinks of you first.” If I can go about business with that kind of mindset, I wonder if that could help bridge the generation gap between my children and me. I hope that would help me be able to see things from their point of view.

I hope that your week will be filled with a “you first” mentality.

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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 entertainment industry’s awards season is in full bloom. This past week, the Directors Guild of America released a slew of its nominations for television, feature films, and documentaries.

Here are the nominees for the prestigious outstanding directorial achievement in feature films for 2011.

Woody Allen  “Midnight in Paris”
Fifth nomination. He won in 1977 for “Annie Hall”
David Fincher “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Third nomination.
David Hazanavicius “The Artist”
First nomination.
Alexander Payne  “The Descendants”
Second nomination.
Martin Scorsese  “Hugo”
Ninth nomination. He won this award in 2006 for “The Departed”

The DGA Award for feature film directing is a pretty good barometer for who is going to walk away with the Academy Award for Best Director. The DGA Awards began in 1948 and since then, only six times has the DGA Award winner not picked up the Best Director Oscar as well.

The winner will be announced at the 64th Annual DGA Awards gala later this month on Saturday, January 28 at The Grand Ballroom in Hollywood.

For the DGA Award nominees in television go here and for documentaries here.  Also, the winners in these categories will be announced at the DGA Awards dinner and ceremony on January 28.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank's 2012 Rose Parade float "The Dream Machine" in the parking lot across the street from the Burbank Central Library at Glenoaks Boulevard and Olive Avenue January 4, 2012

Only a few more hours to view Burbank’s superb entry into the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade. The float has been on display in the parking lot across from the Burbank Central Library at Glenoaks Boulevard and Olive Avenue since Wednesday, January 4.  Today is the last day to see the float up close, before it is dismantled.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A boy's sleeping dreams are depicted in the Burbank winning 2012 Rose Parade float, The Dream Machine" January 4, 2012

“The Dream Machine,” about a boy’s wishful dreams, won the Mayor’s Trophy for most outstanding presentation nationally and internationally.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank's "The Dream Machine" won the Mayor's Trophy at the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade January 4, 2012

I dropped by to see the float a couple times. On Wednesday, I chatted with some of the Burbank Tournament of Roses Association members/volunteers/leaders. I learned that a volunteer team creates and decorates the city’s float, and it all begins around February of  each year. “The Dream Machine” was built on a city budget of $62,000. It’s hard to believe there were efforts to try to cut the funding for the Burbank Rose Parade float project, which produces an incredible amount of positive PR for the city and joy for volunteers and viewers.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Folks watched the Burbank 2012 Rose Parade Float "The Dream Machine" come a live with animation in the parking lot across from the Burbank Central Library at Glenoaks Boulevard and Olive Avenue January 7, 2012

Oh, not only are you able to get up close to the float, but a food truck proves a yummy bargain lunch as well. Each day a different kind of cuisine. It was a terrific idea. I had a pastrami on rye from the Cantor’s truck last Wednesday and a taco special from the Don Chow truck last Saturday. Both lunches were quite good.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A line formed at the Don Chow food truck during the viewing of the winning Burbank 2012 Rose Parade float, "The Dream Machine," in Burbank on Saturday January 7, 2012

Today, lunch is from 11:30 to 2 p.m. and a food truck will be there offering deluxe crepes and fries. The entertaining animation on “The Dream Machine” will be in action several time today. You still have a chance to see it at 1 p.m, 3 p.m. 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

It’s been quite a while since the film, “Back to the Future,” hit movie theaters in 1985. Many of us probably have, at some point or another, thought about the idea of the ability to go back and forth in time from past, present, and future.

Many things have indeed changed throughout the course of time. Things that might have been unimaginable many years ago are a reality today. However, time travel is still just something that’s fun to think about, but not a reality.

People have varying levels of wealth, abilities, and power, but there is one thing that we all have been blessed with equally — time.

We all get 24 hours of time every day. Also, we’ve all been given a fresh new year.

This year, I would like to do everything I can to make my cleaners the best in quality of work and also the best in delivering honest service among cleaners in our area.

I hope that you would use this time to make 2012 your best year thus far and continue to make each year following even better.

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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.

“Little White Corvette”  — Action/comedy screenplay by Michael Diliberti reportedly sold in a deal worth a cool million bucks to GK Films. It’s about money-strapped siblings who set out to peddle a load of cocaine discovered in the trunk of their late father’s white corvette. Diliberti wrote the story with David Branson Smith. Script is on the Black List 2011, a collection of unproduced screenplays favored by Hollywood executives. Emma Stone is attached to star and will executive produce along with Diliberti. Both Stone and Diliberti are repped by WME. Stone is managed by Anonymous. Diliberti managed by New School Media.

“Cult”   — A mystery crime drama from sci-fi writer/producer, Rockne S. O’Bannon, has been greenlighted by the CW Network. TV series revolves around an inquisitive female production assistant on a popular TV show called “Cult,” who teams up with a journalist blogger to investigate copycat crimes which appear to be perpetrated by zealous fans of the show. In a strange twist in the deal, the CW ordered the pilot after rejecting it six years ago. O’Bannon is the creator and executive producer of the sci-fi series “Farscape.”

The Writers Guild of America has put out the rest of its list of nominees for 2012 awards. Yesterday, the WGA West and East, revealed the nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the big screen during 2011.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment

Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Pictures

Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics

Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight

Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures

The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures

Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures

Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Better This World, Written by Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega; Loteria Films

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Written by Marshall Curry and Matthew Hamachek; Oscilloscope Pictures

Nostalgia for the Light, Written by Patricio Guzmán; Icarus Films

Pina, Screenplay by Wim Wenders; Sundance Selects

Position Among the Stars, Script by Hetty Naaijkens-Retel Helmrich, Leonard Retel Helmrich; HBO Documentary Films

Senna, Written by Manish Pandey; Producers Distribution Agency

The winners will be honored on Sunday, February 19, 2012, during simultaneous ceremonies in Hollywood and New York.

I know the calendar says January, but the weather feels very much like springtime in the Southland. And I love it! Temperatures soared into the mid-80s yesterday in B-town and are expected to do the same today.  We could see a slight cooling trend by Friday here in the Media City.

Sigh. Sooner or later winter weather will return  …  until then enjoy this bout of glorious SoCal sunshine and warm temps.

The Producers Guild of America’s list of best motion picture producer nominees of 2011 include some of the year’s most talked about films. Yesterday, the PGA released the names of the nominees for the Producer of the Year Award in theatrical motion pictures, animated theatrical motion pictures, and in long-form television. The documentary film category and other television category nominations were releaved by the Guild last month.

Here are the nominees for The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:

THE ARTIST
Producer: Thomas Langmann

BRIDESMAIDS
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend

THE DESCENDANTS
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin

THE HELP
Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green

HUGO
Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese

THE IDES OF MARCH
Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum

MONEYBALL
Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt

WAR HORSE
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

Also, Steven Spielberg will received a special honor — the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures. All 2012 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced later this month, on January 21, during a gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

More of the nominees and selected award winners  here on the PGA website.

“Jadoo”  by writer/director, Amit Gupta, has a deal and is now on the really fast track.  That’s a great start to the new year for one filmmaker.  Done Deal Pro reports Gupta is repped by Abram Nalibotsky over at Gersh.

Based on Gupta’s family experience, the story revolves around  two feuding twin brother chefs who set up rival restaurants across from each other, leaving it up to a daughter, 20 years later, to try to bring them back together to cook her wedding feast.

AIR productions greenlighted the comedy feature and Nikki Parrot of Tigerlily Films is co-producing. The cameras are set to roll on “Jadoo” in March, according to Variety.