10 Lessons from the 2009 Box Office

Time Sep.14, 2009 -- Forget the stars, hire Transformers and don't forget the women — here are the 10 things every movie mogul should keep in mind when it comes to the summer of 2010.

Summer at the Movies
1. Skip the Stars
2. Get Animated
3. Spend Money to Make Money
4. Ignore the Grownups
5. But Don't Forget the Women
6. Out-Apatow Judd Apatow
7. Send a Get-Well Card to Indies
8. Send in the Dinosaurs
9. Make Sequels and Prequels
10. Wow the Fans on Friday

Seriously From Mao

"Jia Junpeng, your mom is calling you to come home and eat."
  
                                                                                          -- Mao  
( Note: Jia is a teenage Internet-game-addict. )

仓央嘉措

昨夜独坐高楼，夜寒似冷衾，雨雾凄然。微光如语，四下无声。掩卷，天已大凉，终是仓央嘉措的夏天已经过去...... 

人说他为政治误，为情误，却不知他为世间所误。正如李白、李煜、纳兰容若、鱼玄机，情至深处，清平寂寞，之后，竟至解脱。仓兄有灵，亦当惊知己于千古矣，何有寂寞可言？

那一刻 我升起风马 不为乞福 只为守候你的到来

那一天 闭目在经殿香雾中 蓦然听见 你颂经中的真言

那一日 垒起玛尼堆 不为修德 只为投下心湖的石子

那一夜 我听了一宿梵唱 不为参悟 只为寻你的一丝气息

那一月 我摇动所有的经筒 不为超度 只为触摸你的指尖

那一年 磕长头匍匐在山路 不为觐见 只为贴着你的温暖

那一世 转山转水转佛塔啊 不为修来生 只为途中与你相见

那一瞬，我飞升成仙，不为长生，只为佑你平安喜乐

夜 · 鹿

南人北迁。从洛杉矶到底特律，一路开去，寒暑易季无常。有终点的路途，多远都不算太远，只是常觉得天黑得太早，夜路难挨。从南达科他州的印第安古战场往前，一路是草色枯黄的旷野，疏疏落落的树。偶有印第安人残败破落的寓所。邻里间远隔数里，千里无城镇，百里无人烟。傍晚时候，白天滚烫灼人的暑气退去，凉风扑面，穿过发间。正前面，路的正当中，是一行鹿。为首，是一头雄鹿。他的目光投过来，悠然自若，没有一丝慌乱，望了一会儿，才转身离去，背影也同样凝重优雅。回头望时，鹿群里还可以分辨出他来。他的角很美。

天一味黑下去，直到分辨不出天和地来，只有探照灯打出来的一条路。甚至不像路，而是巨大黑色岩石中一条黄白色的隧道。再有，就是鹿莹黄色的眼睛，车光照上去，显得明亮而呆滞，像是不知躲避灾祸的孩子。我很怕，脑子里反复都是Franz Marc那一幅画。



那画的背面写着“一切存在皆是燃烧的痛苦”。

Comic Con 2009, San Diego

It was almost as crowded as a spring festive fair. Got in wearing a volunteer badge -- Angle Morales, my new Mexican name.

Met Chris, who was working on the first hip-hop comic book. While the work of the other two artists, Bruno and Dale, could take one's breath away. It was all overwhelming, fantastic and incredibly fun, only ended too fast. Everyone was having a great time. It's a mystery why people would rally holding "Twilight Ruined Comic Con" signs.



Meanwhile, free hugs were offered all over town...

Lunch with Peter

Is always enlightening and often comes with multiple "Oh my goodness..." And it's not even from food. (Food, by the way, whether Italian sushi or Caesar salad or this time new China cuisine, is always the essence of L.A. cuisine -- fusion, imaginative and fantastic.)

The unknown, untold history of ancient and modern China is as equally as fascinating as a look into the future. This time, Peter went right into the Chinese artistic mind -- I could not believe it. All these years, when I felt torn and bound and conflicted, it all go back to thousands of years ago. The mentality is geared to survive the harshest time. It avoids confrontation, it schemes, it lies. How twisted...

Again I was told there were two things that Chinese people couldn't resist -- eating and gambling. Just coming back from Vegas, I could easily understand it. And I did figure out the rest of the puzzle -- in eating and gambling, everything moves straight forward, there's no need to hide the intention. We are either connected to our tongues, or the chips in front of us. No more disguise or detour. It soothes our soul. Ah...

On the other hand, this man knows way too much. Who told him Chinese people prefer dark meat in chicken. Isn't supposed to be confidential?

Vegas (July 17-20)

Just when I thought I've had all the tastes in life, I was led into the 27th floor Venetian suite. Start the next morning with a bite of chocolate gondola, followed by lunch at Grand Lux Cafe, swimming at Mandalay Bay, dressing up, dinner at Lavo, sleep, swimming, lunch at Dos Caminos, more swimming, dinner at Japanos... Plus a little gambling to make things more interesting.

Auntie mystifies me. The way she talks and walks through the casino, like Venetian is her front porch and Mirage is her backyard. I only got to see her shortly at lunch and dinner time. She was always tired, sometimes happy tired, sometimes moody tired... I hate to put two and two together.

Auntie was my idol when I was ten. She was gorgeous. She is still gorgeous, maybe even more than years ago. The mysteries and power make her distant -- a shady character that has a golden glow.

That might be my last visit to a Venetian suite. Still, it was fun to ride a high-roller's wave and play a little petty-penny-slot-machine.