I’ve just finished putting up http://avatarvstitanic.wordpress.com — a daily tracking site to watch how Avatar proceeds in the “beat Titanic” derby I’ve been writing about. I’ll be updating it daily in the coming weeks. I’ll look pretty stupid if all my predictions turn out to be wrong. Anyway, it’s just for fun.
Last week as the week was rolling along, I got the feeling that people were not putting Avatar’s Box Office performance into perspective — that people weren’t studying the trend lines which showed it has a very different trajectory than a ‘typical’ 75m opening weekend film would have. So … dipping my toes into the […]
Well, it seems I hit a nerve with my prediction that Avatar will overtake Titanic and could possibly go as high as $1B domestically. I’ve been getting a lot of heat on some discussion boards. My prediction was called “insane”, “outrageous”, and more. In my original post I gave some of the stats that led […]
Weekend Box Office figures are in and Avatar only dropped off 3% which means Cameron’s film has phenomenal word of mouth as well as the ability to draw viewers back for second and third viewings. Considering that the average dropoff for a blockbuster is around 40%, this bodes extremely well for the longterm prospects and […]
Last night our family began gathering, as we do every year, at the home of my 83 year old mom in Niceville, Florida. My four kids have arrived — Patrick and Michelle from California, Pilar from Texas, and Kaitlyn from Florida. My wife and best friend Rena is here; my sister Valerie; my cousin Curt […]
When’s the last time you came out of a movie and just wanted to get in line and see it again right then? When’s the last time you wanted to shout to the people in line waiting to get in –it’s INCREDIBLY AWESOME, PEOPLE? That’s how strongly I felt when I walked out […]
Dear Tiger Woods,
A few days before you announced that you were taking a break from competitive golf ‘indefinitely’ to focus on being a better husband, father, and person, I was already on board with this idea and writing and talking about it to those who care to listen to me. I thought that yes […]
Pretty much everyone out there who knows me, knows that for the past fifteen years or so I’ve been plying my trade as a hands-on film-maker — a writer, producer, and (more recently) director. My most recent film is Beneath the Blue, which is now very close to being finished. I’ve been blogging about […]
I passed this along in an email blast to all of our investors, but am mentioning it here as well. I’m working on a yearend report that will go out before Christmas that will include an update on exactly where we are in terms of completing the film; where we are with our foreign pre-sales; […]
Like most everyone in America, I’ve spent a good bit of the holiday weekend watching the Tiger Woods trainwreck unfold in slow motion in front of the world. I was watching the Auburn-Alabama game while surfing online when I first saw tweets about it. Oddly, I have frequently worried about Tiger’s safety — not fearful […]
It was the Filipino revolution, and the images flashed across the world of soldiers refusing to fire on their countrymen, that Filipinos with some justification believe inspired the subsequent Velvet Revolution in Czechoslavakia, and eventually the fall of the Berlin Wall.
TV Guide today is reporting that the Vampire Diaries Premiere last night on CW
“became the most watched series premiere in network history”, with 4.8M viewers.
This is VERY good news for us because Beneath the Blue’s Paul Wesley stars in the series and such a strong premiere clearly means the show is destined […]
A couple of weeks ago I posted “Great News From Taiji” from Ric O’Barry at my other blogsite — dolphinbuzz.wordpress.com–but neglected to post it here. It’s worth a read — Ric O’Barry is the now world famous dolphin trainer turned dolphin activist who is at the center of The Cove — the […]
But Taiji can change this image of shame, if they want to. I will be telling them that the town of Nantucket used to be the capitol of the whale killing industry in the US. Now, it uses its history of whaling combined with whale-watching to market tourism very successfully. Whales and dolphins are worth more alive than dead. Taiji can do this, too. But the killing has to stop.
by John Prine
We had an apartment in the city,
Me and Loretta liked living there.
Well, it’d been years since the kids had grown,
A life of their own left us alone.
John and Linda live in Omaha,
And Joe is somewhere on the road.
We lost Davy […]
by John Prine
Small town, bright lights, Saturday night,
Pinballs and pool halls flashing their lights.
Making change behind the counter in a penny arcade
Sat the fat girl daughter of Virginia and Ray
(Spoken:)
Lydia
Lydia hid her thoughts like a cat
Behind her small eyes sunk deep […]
by Eric Clapton
It’s late in the evening; she’s wondering what clothes to wear.
She puts on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.
And then she asks me, “Do I look all right?”
And I say, “Yes, you look wonderful tonight.”
We go to a party and everyone turns to […]
by Waylong Jennings
Cowboys ain’t easy to love and they’re harder to hold.
They’d rather give you a song than diamonds or gold.
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded levis,
And each night begins a new day.
If you don’t understand him, an’ he don’t die young,
He’ll prob’ly just […]
Always On My Mind
—————–
by Willie Nelson
I:
D A
Maybe I didn’t love you
Bm D G A
Quite as often as I could have
D A
And maybe I didn’t treat you
Bm D Em7
Quite as good as I should have
II:
(I really can’t even fake this anymore — I only knew it briefly for a period in the early 80’s. But the lyrics are cool, evocative.)
by Al Stewart
The fishing boats go out across the evening water
Smuggling guns and arms across the Spanish border
The wind whips up the waves so […]
by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
It is the evening of the day,
I sit and watch the children play.
Smiling faces I can see, but not for me,
I sit and watch as tears go by.
My riches can’t buy ev’rything,
I want to hear the children sing.
All […]
by John Denver
He was born in the Bitterroot Valley in the early morning rain
Wild geese over the water headin’ north and home again
Bringin’ a warm wind from the south
Bringin’ the first taste of the spring
His mother took him to her breast and softly she did sing
[…]
It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done
To be so in love with you and so alone
Follow me where I go what I do and who I know
Make it part of you to be a part of me
Follow me up and down all the way and all […]
How many roads most a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned ?
The answer my friend is […]
Gerry Goffin and Carole King
Lyrics: Tonight you’re mine, completely
You give your soul so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow
Is this a lasting treasure
Or just a moment’s pleasure
Can I believe the magic in your sights
[…]
There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I’m one
My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new bluejeans
My father was a gamblin’ man
Down in New Orleans
Now […]
by Kris Kristofferson
Take the ribbon from your hair, shake it loose and let it fall,
Layin’ soft upon my skin. like the shadows on the wall.
Come and lay down by my side till the early morning light
All I’m takin’ is your time. help me make it through the night.
[…]
by Kris Kristofferson
See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans
Wearing yesterdays misfortune like a smile
Once he had a future full of money, love and dreams
Which he’d spend like they were going out of style
And he keeps right on a changin’ for the better […]
by Jimmy Buffet
He went to Paris looking for answers
To questions that bothered him so
He was impressive, young and aggressive
Saving the world on his own
But the warm summer breezes, those french wines and cheeses
Put his ambitions at bay
The summers and winters scattered like […]
DON’T CRY BLUE
(Malcolm McKinney)
Jonathan Edwards
I heard them engines runnin’
On the road away from home.
Sound like thunder callin’ out my name.
Well I listened hard the first time
That I heard ’em roll along.
I listened and I’d never been the same.
Well, don’t cry, […]
Year of the Spy Book Trailer
Above is the Year of the Spy Book Trailer — for my upcoming non-fiction book about espionage upheavals on the streets of Moscow in 1985.
Below is a “trailer” showcasing the writing and video services I provide to clients.
Michael Sellers — Writing and Video Services
My eBook — Just released Dec 5, 2012
EBook You don't need a Kindle or iPad -- Download Adobe Digital Editions for Free, then read the .mobi (Kindle Format) or .epub (Nook, iPad Format) digital book on your computer. Or order the PDF which is formatted exactly like the print book.Recent Posts
- Arsha Sellers — Today I’m One Big Step Closer to Becoming a Real Forever Dad
- Meet Abby Sellers and Arshavin Sellers — My Wife, My Son, My Inspiration Every Day
- What the Mueller Report Actually Says
- Remembering James Blount, an American Who “Got” the Philippines in 1901
- America the Beautiful? You Mean America the Pitiful. I Am Ashamed
