X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Trailer)

Seen the new X-Men Origins: WOLVERINE trailer yet? If not, check it out!

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD


I'm also really excited to see another X-Men character I've always enjoyed, Gambit, coming to live action! :) Check him out...

The Face to Face Shuffle

A few posts back, I was wondering if there was a name for that feeling you get when you learn about somethign for the first time and then you suddenly feel as if you see or hear about it over and over. I was surprised, and very grateful, that I actually received an answer! It was the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (thanks to superlative's comment)! Though, I doubt I'll be able to remember it if I'm ever asked to name it on the spot. lol

Anyhow, with that in mind, I was wondering if there's a name for another little thing that happens to me often. I'll call it the "Face to Face Shuffle" for now. lol You know...when you're walking in on direction and someone is coming toward you, then when you both are face to face you move to one side, they move to that same side, so then you move to the other side, then they do it also, until finally one person stops moving and the other is able to go around. It's like a little dance! These awkward yet kinda funny moments happen quite too often here in my office. So makes me wonder if there's an official term for these incidents. :)

Rainy Monday Morning

It's almost 6:30 AM right now, on this Monday morning. I'm at J's house, I spent the night here last night. I woke up this morning to the sound of rain outside his window, but I was so comfy snuggled up in the warm bed. I don't always get to wake up at his side each day, so when I do it's a nice treat. With this looming feeling of having to return to work this morning, plus the comfortable warm bed, plus the cold wet weather outside...I just really didn't want to get up! hehe Would've loved to spend the day just snuggled up in bed. But duty calls I guess. Damn work...always gotta ruin a perfectly good feeling.

Random Hottie

To the random hottie that I spotted today at the gym, out by the weight machines, wearing a black workout T with some super short, body tight red & black striped trunks...kudos to you! Kudos guy, for rockin' those tight workout trunks and not giving a damn! ;)

Funny Bumper Sticker

Leaving the gym today, as I was walking in the parking lot, I spotted this big pickup truck that had a bumber sticker that just made me smile. It said:

"YES, THIS IS MY TRUCK.
NO, I WON'T HELP YOU MOVE."

Last Night's HEROES: Does it Tingle?

It's no secret that I love HEROES. Despite some complaints people may have had about the show, and the rise and fall in the ratings, I've been a fan through it all. From the very first preview I ever saw for it, I knew then that this was going to be my show to watch! :) Needless to say, I loved last night's episode. So as I sometimes like to do, here are a few of my thoughts & comments. Please forgive any typos and my random jumping around on topics...I don't exactly plan these things out neatly. lol

If you're not caught up to last night's Heroes episode, then don't read on after the picture of Elle below! I'm warning ya...spoilers to be found through the rest of the post...

****SPOILERS BELOW****

First off, I just have to say...I'm gonna miss our favorite little shocker girl! I guess any and all doubts that may have been left after last week's episode, about whether or not Sylar really killed Elle or if something else was going to happen
to save her at the last minute...those are all thrown out now. Poor little Elle is really dead. And not just dead...burned to a crisp! :( There was a lot of outrage from many of the fans from what I read online, some saying they aren't going to watch the show anymore. But I ask you, were those the true fans to begin with then? LOL I'll miss having her on but if the trade off is having big bad Sylar back again, then I'm game! I love having the Sylar that we knew and feared finally coming back! As Sylar was burning Elle's body, and we got that closeup of the fire reflected in his eyes...I loved that shot. To me part of it showed some sadness he felt in what he had to do, but also that fire in his eyes kinda showed how he's been ignited again...Sylar is back!

I was one of those that felt that Elle might still be alive. We never saw him fully kill her last week. Oh and by the way, is it just me or did it seem like she never tried to fight back? She didn't try to at least throw him back using her electricity did she? I'm not sure. Either way, I was hoping she'd get out of that situation somehow. I guess because of that whole future episode earlier in the season when Sylar had a son, I figured it would be Elle's because of their little romantic interest. And from what I read on Greg Beeman's Heroe's blog, one of the people that works on the show, I was probably right. He said, "Tim Kring and Kristen had explored keeping her around longer – and I know Kristen wanted to come back. There were potential storylines about pregnancies and babies…. But the truth is she has a very busy career with a lot of feature films, pilots and much else in the works. We had no official contract with her – and she couldn’t commit to exactly when she could return. And so it was decided that this would be the most exciting way to end her character. She will be missed."

Of course, on Heroes, with a few time travellers in the bunch, no character ever truly stays dead. :) So who knows, she may make a cameo or two later on.

Before I forget, something I was discussing with a friend recently...I love the music they use for some of the characters. Such as those creepy snake sounds they play in the music for some of Mohinder's scenes, and especially the random tic-tocs of the clocks that play for some of Sylar's scenes, particularly when he's killing someone. If you've never noticed those themes, pay attention and you'll catch them, such as in the scene when Sylar kills the lie detecting birthday girl.

I love that "Cake?" line Sylar delivers when the other office people walk in on him killing the birthday girl. And then the way he tests his power on that elevator guy. Sylar is morbidly funny...I love that. lol

So let's see, what else did I have to say about this episode. Oh yeah, Mr. Petrelli! Looks like "our father" is finally dead. For real this time. At least it seems that way...cuz he did do some weird glowing vaporizing thing after he was shot. Maybe his soul transferred to someone else? Nah. Maybe some remnants of the conduit? Or perhaps it was all the powers he'd stolen from people before...being returned to their rightul owners? If that's the case, poor Maya is in for another disappointment, but super Peter will be back. Your thoughts on that thing that came out of Mr. Petrelli? You think it was just a cool random death scene effect or was there more to it?

And here's a little something to ponder. Peter shot his father...as in he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out, just inches from his father's head, only to be temporarily stopped by Sylar. But then Sylar tell's Peter that he's not a killer, and decides to let the bullet go so that he (Sylar) kills Petrelli. But since it was Peter who shot the bullet to begin with...who REALLY killed him? Had Sylar not been there, the bullet would've shot him anyway. :)

And poor Hiro, trapped in time again, but this time without any powers! Maybe this is why Ando ends up getting his powers, if that really was Ando we saw killing Hiro. Or is that a future that's not gonna happen anymore? I get lost sometimes. lol

The next volume of the series is going to be called "Fugitives." I didn't know who or what the fugitives would be running from, or exactly who the fugitives would be. But hmm....maybe it's this super army that become the hunters and the good guys become the fugitives that have to run because they are outnumbered? How cool would it be to see a big fight somewhere down the series, all the good guys vs all the bad guys, fighting it all out! Can't wait!

**** END OF SPOILERS ****

Why...

Why is it that when you're just looking around in a store and want to be left alone, you get store employee after store employee asking you "Are you finding everything ok?" or "Do you need any help?" But then when you really do need help, there's not a damn employee anythere in sight?

ShamWOW!

Have you seen these commercials on TV, for the ShamWOW!?



Now, before you start thinking I've gone and sold out my oh-so-popular blog in hopes of making millions, that's not the case. Hell, if I could I would! LOL But the only reason I bring this product up is because usually when I see things on TV, things you'd then end up seeing at the stores on the "As Seen on TV" sections...I can't help but always be skeptical. The video above makes this towel look amazing! It can apparently pick up water from a carpet and even soak up a whole bowl. I could've so used this not long ago when I knocked over a glass of water on my bedroom carpet! lol

This past Saturday, we were walking around at the Block at Orange, after having done some shopping and seeing a movie (Cadillac Records...cool movie btw). Anyhow, there was a little booth set up where a guy was selling the ShamWow and doing demonstrations, the same ones the guy does in the TV spots. Wouldn't ya know...the damn thing actually works! Or at least it looked like it did. hehe I mean, I was standing right there and it really did soak up all that water. LOL But who knows...part of me still can't help but be a bit skeptical. lol

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Dec 8th

It's Monday morning, December 8th, 2008, approximately 8:30 AM. I've been up just over 2 hours so far and already I have for today...
The Good: I had a nearly empty gas tank this morning and had to go fill up. My total? It came out to about $18.50! Now those are numbers I can live with! It wasn't not that long ago that I was doing nearly $40 at times! Fortunately my car gets pretty good mileage and I don't drive crazy distances so a full tank tends to last. Hopefully the low gas prices stick around for a long while.

The Bad: The damn restroom at my job had the "Closed for Cleaning" sign up again this morning! Last week, they had that sign up all day on Thursday because they were doing some repairs to the sinks. The reason I hate this is because all the other floors that have a restroom use a key! So I'd have to stand around and wait for someone to walk in or out of the other restrooms! Our floor's restroom uses a number code so I never have to use a key. And well, sometimes when you have to go...you HAVE TO GO! Last thing you want to do is stand around in front of a restroom, grabbing at your junk, jumping around like you used to when you were five years old and couldn't hold it anymore! lol So rather than deal with all that I just went all the way downstairs to one of the restaurants and used their back entrance which leads to the restrooms. hehe Hopefully whatever work they are doing today gets done quick.

The Ugly: That bitch on the road this morning! (Pardon my moderate cursing.) I am a very patient person with regards to many things, but when it comes to driving people just really push my buttons! I don't get why so many people seem to be in a big rush to get places! I was turning at an intersection this morning and after I had already turned, about midway down the block, I merged to my right lane. At about the same time, Mrs. Bitch comes racing down the same turning route I had just gone through and then stops just behind me and starts waving her hands in the air in that angry mode that I could see from my rearview mirror. Seriously!? What is your problem? Oh I'm so sorry that I decided to merge into an empty lane, where no cars were behind it, seconds before you decide to come racing around the corner. Slow down bitch! Ok sorry...just had to let that out. I'm ok now.

Have a nice week! :)

Franco

James Franco.

Hmmm...I didn't really have anything to say here. LOL Just saw this picture online and well...just look at him! hehe

A Weekend Sort of Life

Every day should feel like a weekend day, don't you think? Being able to wake up whenever your body tells you it's ready to wake up...not when the damn annoying "beep, BEep, BEEp, BEEEEP!" of the alarm clock goes off. Knowing that the day ahead brings whatever your heart desires. Want to go shopping, take a little road trip, have lunch with friends, catch the latest movie, take a nap at the park...go right ahead! Nothing's stopping you! The day is yours! It ends whenever you want it to end. Feel like staying up late into the morning hours...go right ahead, after all...you don't have to be anywhere the next day!

Ahhh...how sweet it would be if EVERY single day was like that. I love weekends. Who doesn't, right? Well, unless you're some kind of super workaholic that gets his kicks from working. But that's not me! No sir...I love my free time more than anything! lol Some may call it being lazy, but I call it jus wanting to enjoy life! I don't have to go climb a mountain, dive to the bottom of the oceans, parachute off a plane or jump off Niagara Falls in a barrell (do people even do that? lol)....nope, don't have to do any of that. I'm perfectly happy just living a simple life, having fun in my simple ways, being with my loved one, my family, my friends and everyone I care about. Doesn't matter what we do, as long as I just get to live life with those that mean most to me. There have been many times where I'll be sitting at my desk at work, thinking back to my weekend, and I'll think of the simplest random moments...like just sitting in my bed reading a magazine, while J sits over at my computer checking some emails, both of us just having some random conversation. Simple moments like that end up meaning a lot more when I look back on them.

Ahhhh, it'd be nice if every day could feel like a weekend. Just that feeling of freedom, relaxation...stressfree sorta life. But of course those moments don't come free. That magazine I was reading, that laptop he was using...everything costs money. So there we are, day in and day out, we work work work....so that we can pay the bills, put food on the table, and use whatever we may have left for a little bit of fun. It's the only thing that gets me through a work week sometimes. Just looking forward to a nice weekend ahead. :)

Don't mind me...it's almost 9:00 PM on this Sunday night. I just hate to see another weekend slowly come to an end....can't help but start thinking about what could be... lol

PROP 8: The Musical!

This has been making the rounds already, so some of you may have seen it. But if you haven't, check it out! It's quite funny yet also pretty damn catchy songs! lol

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Holiday Gadgets Wishlist

Ah, the holiday season is in full swing. For those of you that are fresh out of ideas on what to get me for Christmas, let me help you out. Because after all, that's the kind of person I am, always trying to help others. ;) I present to you, in no particular order, my wish list of the top 5 techno gifts I wouldn't mind seeing under my (non existing) Christmas tree this year!

A Tmobile G1 Google phone.
An iPod touch.
A new digital camera (with great resolution, HD pics/vid, lots of zoom and other hi-tech features)
A new HDTV to replace my old one.
A Playstation 3 (mainly because it's one of the best Blu-Ray players)

MILK

"My name is Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruite you!" Those are the words oten spoken by Harvey Milk, an openly gay politician & activist in San Francisco, as he spoke to people back in the 1970's. The new film by Gus Van Sant, "Milk", is his story. Sean Penn stars as Milk, along with a great supporting cast (Emile Hirsh, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Victor Garber and others). I'm not revealing much by saying that this biopic, unfortunately, has a tragic ending. Milk was assassinated on November 27, 2008. This was 30 years ago to the date that this movie was released. The movie explores the life, the courage, the determination, the faith, the love...the man that was and forever will live on...Harvey Milk.

I must admit, despite being a gay man myself, I wasn't actually aware of who Milk really was. So this film really opened my eyes to the life of a person that I never really knew about. I've never been a big activist, never studied up too much on the gay movements and our histories. Which yeah, I know it's kinda bad of me. But I guess a movie like this means even more to someone like me that otherwise probably wouldn't have known more about this extraordinary person. Someone whose actions would affect my life, even if I didnt realize it. Seeing this movie reminded me so much of all the protests and community actions that have taken place in the recent weeks after prop 8 passed (the ban on gay marriages). It reminded me of how fortunate we are now, compared to the past, in that so many things have changed. We've gotten more equality...but not yet completely. We still have a ways to go, for us to finally be able to open up the eyes of those that refuse to accept us.

I'm not good at really doing a movie justice in my reviews. Especially when it's one that has such a historical and important topic as this film did. All I can say is that it really moved me. Seeing the scenes of all the people coming together to fight back, it gave me chills...a rush of pride, excitement and other feelings came over me. If that's what it felt like sitting in a theater watching recreations, I can only imagine what it must've felt like for people that were actually there. People that knew Milk personally or even just through his public appearances.

The movie was a mix of news footage (some seemed genuinely real, others probably slight recreations) along with regular movie footage. So I enjoyed the way it was put together, and I thought all the cast was great. I admit, it did take a bit of getting used to the crazy hairstyles and whatnot. hehe But that's the 70's for you!

The film, from what I read online, was only playing in 36 theaters here in the U.S., yet it managed to make the top 10 films of the weekend, at #10! It grossed over $1.9 million since it came out last Wednesday. Pretty damn impressive for a limited engagment film!

I loved how our theater was pretty much full of gay people. hehe I felt so at home. lol But of course this isn't just a movie for gay people...it's something that I feel everyone should see. Especially with all that's been going on lately.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

It's a sensational opening," Focus distribution topper Jack Foley said. "It's a record opening for a film opening in this many theaters, and there were lots of sellouts wherever it was playing."

The "Milk" debut represented the best per-venue average of any film opened with 30-40 engagements, Foley said. Its bow outpaced the December 2007 opening for "Atonement," which Focus unspooled with $784,145 from 32 playdates or a then-record $24,505 per engagement.

"Milk" pours into 60 theaters in 32 markets on Friday. Foley said he believes Focus' marketing campaign has dovetailed well with nationwide publicity over California's Proposition 8, the recently passed anti-gay marriage ballot initiative.

"Milk" will likely remain one of the awards season's most closely watched releases, with Sean Penn's performance in the title role generating early plaudits. James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and Diego Luna are also featured in supporting roles.

For more information on the film, check out the official site at http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/

Also, be sure to show your support for the film. Leave your name, age and state over at http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/mosaic/supportMilk.php. I already did.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2008

Where does the (holiday) weekend go!? It just flew by too fast! But oh well, I had a VERY nice time over the Thanksgiving weekend, so I'm happy! hehe What exactly did I do, you ask? Well, let's reeeeeeewwwiiiinnnddddd...

I got off work early on Wednesday, at 1:00, so that was definitely a great way to start the holidays! We had planned to go see a movie, Australia, so we went to a gym that was near the theater, then had a nice meal at Rubio's. But then I found out that the movie wasn't playing at that theater! lol So we ended up just staying in that night. Normally we'd have gone to the Thanksgiving pre-party over at Circus (my local favorite gay latino club for you out-of-towners), but we wanted to save our energy and money for Saturday night, when we were going to a new gay night, Piel Canela, put together by a friend of mine.

Thursday morning, Thanksgiving, we went to the gym (yes, again) and just hung out together a while, until it was time for me to head back home to join my family for dinner at my uncle's house. I tend to get a bit...well...bored...when we head over to my uncle's. Only cause I pretty much just end up sitting on the couch watching a TV I have no control over, only getting up to eat. lol But hey, it's family, it's the holidays...gotta get into the spirit, right?

Friday morning I just cut my hair, gave my mom a ride to a store, and then headed back to Juan's to join him and his family for his sister's son's first birthday buffet! It was nice, he's the cutest little kid! He's my "nephew"! hehe So of course I had to get him a gift. I bought him a cute little "learning puppy" (a stuffed dog that he can press and it teaches him words and songs). After the buffet, in the evening we went to the gym again (had to burn off the turkey dinner and buffet plates!) and then at night just hit up a couple stores, to browse the leftover Black Friday stuff. We didn't buy anything though.

Saturday morning...guess where we went? Did you say the gym? Ding ding ding! lol You're right! By now it's probably looking like we're some hard core gym bunnies. But we're not, I swear. When we go together, we'll do about 30 mins of cardio (threadmill or other machines) and then about 30 mins of the weight machines (haven't gotten to the big boy's play area yet...the free weights). Nothing too strenous, but enough to keep us active and feeling healthier. It's been about 5 months now since I started going and I've definitely noticed an improvement in my overall physical and emotional shape. I feel better and it even helps boost self esteem. So gotta love that, right?

Anyhow, after that I headed back home 'cause Juan was going to visit me that night. Our original plans were to go to my friend's club party, but it unfortunatel had to be cancelled/postponed. We ended up going to another gay club in North Hollywood, club Cobra, along with a small group of friends. So it was nice, we had a nice time, I always love seeing my friends. Doesn't really matter where we go to be honest, just love being able to hang out with them.

So finally, it was Sunday morning. We slept in a bit that day, then headed out to the gym again. lol I'd never been to the gym for so many days in a row at an hour a day! Normally, since I go on my own after work, I only go for 30 mins or so. So by this point I was starting to finally feel burned out. (Today, Monday, is my recovery night...no gym. lol) After the gym, which was in the Hollywood area, we went to the Grove out on 3rd & Fairfax and had a nice filling lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, in honor of our seven year anniversary! Yep, we met seven years ago for the very first time, on December 1st of 2001! Seems like so much has happened since then! There've been tough times, as with any life...any relationship...but fortunately it's all worked out for the best and now I couldn't possibly be happier! Not a day goes by where I don't realize how fortunate I am to have found a person I can share my life with so intimately. It's like we were made for each other...all part of a master plan. hehe So we ate our dinner, and celebrated. Afterward we went to the movies and saw Milk...about the openly gay politician in San Francisco in the 1970's....a really great movie! I'll probably post a seperate entry on that.

We ended the night by just going to the Target in West Hollywood (I love seeing all the gay people/couples doing their shopping there). We bought some stuff we needed for the week, and then it was time for us to each go home.

So aside from the movies and the club, we didn't really go out too much this weekend. But I still had a great time! hehe

You've Got Porn!

I know I work at a laid back company when I get pornographic pictures in my official work inbox, and it's ok because it's work related! LOL A couple of our stores do sell porn, so every now and then I'll get emails from one particular vendor regarding some of their upcoming new releases, which often include stills from the films or just their DVD covers. lol As soon as I see the senders name, I always make sure nobody is around before I open it. Don't want to start giving the wrong idea if someone catches me opening them! And by the "wrong idea" I mean that I don't want people to think I'd be looking at naked women (since that company's titles are all straight videos). LOL

BOLT

If you know me pretty well, you'll know that I've always been a kid at heart. I still enjoy some milk with Quik, I still like to catch some Saturday morning cartoons (though they just aren't as good as they used to be, in my opinion), and I even still get excited over little free random toys in the cereals. LOL So it's no surprise that I still get excited to go see the newest Disney animated movies, such as this past weekend's "Bolt". I grew up watching them, over and over, as well as the animated tv shows (loved the "Disney Afternoon"!) and the classic Disney shorts featuring Mickey & the gang.

"Bolt", in a nutshell, is the story about a dog that stars in his own tv show as a super powered canine, but he doesn't realize it's all just a show. He thinks it's real and that he really does have superdog powers. So when his "human"...his owner, Penny...gets kidnapped on the show, he breaks out of his trailer and sets out to find her.

I'm not gonna say that the story was something amazing, moving or award worthy. It didn't make me "feel" too much like I did watching Wall-E. Damn lil robot nearly made me cry at some points. lol If I have to be honest, I thought Bolt was just a good story. Something nice that the kids and grown ups will enjoy. It was fun, often fast paced (especially the cool opening sequence), had some cute and funny characters and moments (my favorite was the trailer begging park scene). It probably won't get as much attention as I think it deserves due to the whole "Twilight" craziness going on....but if you get a chance, and you like good, fun animated movies, go check this one out. If you have a theater near you playing the 3D version, definitely see it there! They may charge an extra couple of bucks, but I really think it's worth it. The picture, with the 3D glasses on, is pretty crystal clear and looks amazing! And they don't overdo it with the "wow look at this hand popping out of the screen about to grab you" type of scenes. lol

If you see it, or saw it already, feel free to share your thoughts. :) There was a trailer for the new Ice Age movie (also in 3D) that was funny too, staring the little creature Scrat that's always in the teaser trailers. The other 3D trailers I saw were for Pixar's new flick, "Up" and for the movie "Coraline". They all looked great in 3D and I can't wait to check them out.

Oh, Canada!

Good news everyone! And by "good news" I mean "good news for me that you could probably care less about." And by "everyone" I mean the one or two people, aside from me, that might actually still read this blog. hehe Anyhow...turns out I'll be taking a trip to visit our neighbors...or should I say neighbours...up north, in the land o' hockey, Canada! :) I love traveling, as I'm sure most people do. But of course there's always the common money and time issues that get in the way. Actually, I had the time, just kinda needed to save up some money. hehe But because I have the sweetest bf ever...not to mention one that didn't want to wait much longer lol...he's getting me an early X-Mas gift...this trip to Vancouver, Canada. :)

We'll be visiting Vancouver, British Columbia, which is just north of Seattle, Washington, for a whole week! The good thing is that we're in the same time zone and the flight is relatively short, so we get more actual time there than if we were to travel to Europe or Australia or other places where you spend a good chunk of your trip on the plane and then trying to adjust to jet lag.

We literally booked the trip just last Thursday! So we'll be planning and planning for the next month. I know Canadian culture is similar to ours in many ways, so it should be easy to adjust. Just gotta plan out where we want to go and what we want to do. I've even been trying to hit up a few chat rooms from there for some tips on the gay scene, so we can have some fun night activities, but of course most of 'em just wanna hook up in those chats. lol Still, I did get a few tips already though.

If any of you that drop by have ever been there, hit me up! Would love to pick your brain for some ideas and hear about your experience. :)

R.I.P. Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was always one of my favorite authors, if not THE favorite. As much as I loved Jurassic Park the movie, it was the books that truly captivated me. I still remember reading the Jurassic Park sequel novel, The Lost World, laying down on my stomach on my hard living room floor, not the most comfortable position, while my family talked around me and watched TV, yet I was so lost in the book that all of that just became invisible to me. I was in my own little world...one that only he could capture. So I was very sad to hear about his passing away today. :(


From Hollywood Reporter:

'Jurassic Park' author, 'ER' creator was 66

Michael Crichton -- whose books were made into films including "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" -- died Tuesday. He was 66.

The author died "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," according to his Web site. A statement on MichaelCrichton.net said Crichton died "unexpectedly" in Los Angeles.

Crichton was a brand-name author, known for his stories of disaster and systematic breakdown, such as the rampant microbe of "Andromeda" or dinosaurs running amok in "Jurassic Park," one of his many books that spawned major Hollywood movies.

Crichton also was a screenwriter and filmmaker, earning producing and writing credits for the film versions of many of his titles. He also created the NBC hospital drama "ER" in 1994.

In recent years, he was the rare writer to get on well with President Bush, perhaps because of his skepticism about global warming, which Crichton addressed in the 2004 novel "State of Favor." Crichton's views were strongly condemned by environmentalists, who alleged that he was hurting efforts to pass legislation to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.

A new novel by Crichton had been tentatively scheduled to come next month, but publisher HarperCollins said the book was postponed indefinitely because of his illness.

An "in memoriam" posting on his Web site read, "While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand.

A private funeral service is expected.




"Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK. He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the earth. In the early days, Michael had just sold the ANDROMEDA STRAIN to Robert Wise at Universal and I had recently signed on as a contract TV director there. My first assignment was to show Michael Crichton around the Universal lot. We became friends and professionally JURASSIC PARK, ER, and TWISTER followed. Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."
-Steven Spielberg

Congrats Obama!

Another election day has come and gone. Some questions/predictions have been answered, while a few still remain to be determined. Despite Prop 8 (which aims to ban California's gay marriages) looking more and more like it's going to pass...I've still gotta say...

There's a new hope & a new changes coming. And the fight, our fight for marriage equality, here in California...is far from over!