The party is over, and all evidence it ever occurred has been destroyed or returned to its normal loft existence. 
Overall, I would rate the night as successful, however, I would stop short of wildly successful because nobody cried and nobody got naked. Either of those instances could have pushed the soiree to new heights, but alas, it wasn’t in the cards that night. But everyone came, ate and drank and the guests stayed anywhere from two to six hours which was manageable and didn’t make me want to throttle the stragglers for outstaying their welcome.
A few lessons I learned, which might are probably obvious to people who do this regularly included:
• Plan to sleep in and then drive immediately to your favorite place for brunch the next morning. The dirty dishes and mess will be there when you get back, however, you will feel more inclined to tackle it after eating a plate of migas, having a mimosa or bloody mary and drinking at least six cups of strong coffee.
• You will always have too much food so only buy things you want to eat yourself. Saturday and Sunday were spent grazing on leftover sushi rolls, cold cuts, bell peppers, carrots, hummus, chips and salsa, and cupcakes. If anything, I would limit the extra cupcakes because the only thing eating extra cupcakes makes you want to do is continue eating leftover cupcakes while sitting on the couch and I swear that I was sweating pure buttercream icing at the gym this morning.
• 'Planet Earth' on Blu Ray supplies the best background images available for a party. I figured this would be a good idea since there would be music playing, and you missed nothing by only viewing the movie pictures without verbal narration, but the guests went even wilder for this mini-series than I anticipated. One minute the video is traveling through landscapes like the Tetons or the African Sahara in vivid colors and then you’re watching a great white shark leap out of the ocean to gobble a seal (or possibly an otter, I can’t entirely remember). Regardless, it inspired various comments like “I feel like I’m running down the mountain with that billy goat” to “this is making me really horny.” 
• If you want pictures, then you should pick your friend who spends the most time inside Facebook and ask them for help. I did not follow this rule and the only pictures I got were of the early set-up shown above as I quickly forgot about the camera and focused on more pressing issues like drinking and the bathroom and occasionally drinking in the bathroom to save a trip.
I’m sure there were other lessons learned, but those are the main ones that stick out on a Monday morning. Everything went smoothly, and yet I don’t feel the need to throw another one for quite awhile despite there being 2 or 3 more discs of Planet Earth that I’ve yet to watch.
-BDS
"Don't you know that eating that stuff can give you very large breasts?” – Val Kilmer, “Real Genius”
I love ‘Genius’ as it stands as an 80s classic, and features a relaxed and funny performance from Kilmer before he starting taking himself too seriously. Besides, how can you not love a film where some dude lives in a closet?
Oh well, it’s going to be hectic day as I’ve still got food to pick up and beer to ice for the party, so before I leave the office by 3 p.m. to get it all done, let’s look a the hard stories of the week such:
Ryan Seacrest signed a new three-year deal this week with CKX, parent of "American Idol" producer 19 Entertainment, worth $45 million.
Under the pact, which is believed to be the richest ever for a reality host, Seacrest will be exclusive to CKX in broadcast TV primetime to host "Idol" or any CKX-produced show that might succeed it. "Idol" producers 19, FremantleMedia North America and Fox all declined to comment on Seacrest's new deal, as did his attorneys. 
Nobody spoke because everyone involved remains embarrassed by the situation.
Singer Oksana Grigorieva released a preview of her new music video directed by her boyfriend Mel Gibson this week.
People magazine revealed the video for Grigorieva's song "Say My Name" from her upcoming album, "Beautiful Heartache." The video was filmed in Mexico over 7 days, and features a torrid tango session. 
It also features scenes of slow-motion torture, impalings and cries of ‘Freedom,’ which is how the average viewer will know that Gibson directed it.
In other Gibson news, the actor is in negotiations to star in the whimsical drama "The Beaver," a film about a man and his beaver puppet with Jodie Foster also in discussions to direct and co-star. 
{Insert your own beaver joke here}
Jessica Simpson and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo have split up as the athlete broke it off with Simpson the night before her 29th birthday, according to People.com.
"She is heartbroken," said the source. "She loves Tony. But it's been difficult lately. He's busy with his career and she's getting ready to shoot her show (The Price of Beauty). They decided to part ways."
I guess Romo is now hunting for a new tight end to throw the pigskin with. Ouch.
Molly Ringwald, 41, and her husband Panio Gianopoulos, welcomed twins this week as daughter Adele Georgiana and son Roman Stylianos arrived after a natural birth in Los Angeles, according to People magazine.
The two new additions will join their five-year-old sister, Mathilda Ereni.
Once Ringwald has two more children, she will finally have enough to fill out a complete Breakfast Club at her house.
Robert Redford married artist Sibylle Szaggars this past Saturday evening in Hamburg, Germany in front of 30 family and friends.
Speaking to People magazine, Pastor Frank Engelbrecht of Hamburg's St. Catherine Church, said the couple "wanted a very intimate ceremony." 
It was unconfirmed, but prior to the wedding, Redford allegedly made Engelbrecht an Indecent Proposal that she accepted after much deliberation.
On the flip side of marriage, Amy Winehouse's marriage finally ended Thursday when the singer and Blake Fielder-Civil were granted a divorce by a judge in London.
Winehouse married Fielder-Civil in Miami in 2007, but he was arrested six months later over an assault and sent to jail. He filed for divorce earlier this year on the grounds of her infidelity.
Divorce papers filed stated that Fielder-Civil found living with Winehouse "intolerable," and Winehouse acknowledged adultery and said she would not contest the divorce.
Winehouse only requested the return of her crack pipes in the settlement.
As always, let’s end with a gold image or two: 
It felt like an extra hand might be needed today, and these images just made sense to me. So, find a good partner, engage in mutually productive behavior and . . . Happy Friday!
-BDS
Throwing a party is for suckers.
Seriously. It is a poor idea, and a trap where all your time will be swallowed whole and just when you think everything is covered, six more things spring up from the underbelly that require immediate attention as well as more money. Selah.
My wife and I are having people over to the loft on Friday for reasons I can’t entirely remember. One impetus was the painting we had done recently downstairs, and the rest are just vapors at this point. But the important thing is this: They are coming. They is not even that many people (maybe 20), but it’s still enough to dominate my time this week as I’m working on that as much as my actual job. 
Yesterday it was picking up the ingredients to make what I’m calling Existential Sangria Wine – so good it will make you question everything.
Today, it’s attempting to make it through Costco for a variety of things including beer, sun dried tomatoes, hummus, Stacy’s Pita Chips and water. And I hate Costco because people wield those massive carts in the most oblivious and foolish ways imaginable and I always feel like running them down like dogs once I’m half-way through the store, yet it’s a necessary evil. 
The rest of the week will be spent on sushi trays and cold cuts, ice runs and Ipod mixes, house cleaning and hiding pornography and making sure I get Planet Earth on Blu Ray for background images during the party. 
I don’t even like parties. But there’ s no time for that kind of thinking as I’ve got a cup cake order to place and with some luck, I might actually get some work done too.
-BDS
Worth Full-Price, Matinee or Rental: Matinee. If you're a Dillinger fanatic, then you could justify paying full price since you get strong performances and a nearly 2 1/2 hour running time, however, I felt the overrall product is only good enough to pay for matinee box office prices.
Will I Own It On DVD: Doubtful. If I can get it for a good price (i.e. $15 or under), then I might grab it on a whim, but I'm in no rush to own the film since I think viewing it one more time will suffice. 
1) I wanted to like 'Public Enemies' more than I did. It boasted an excellent cast, a strong director and an interesting public figure that I knew very little about outside of the legendary name of John Dillinger. But even with a long running time, 'Enemies' sheds very little light on Dillinger's motivations and character outside of a few broad entertaining strokes, and reveals even less about Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), the FBI man who hunts him down. 
2) The lack of character depth and details could have been overcome with a more propulsive movie, but Mann directs 'Enemies' in his familiar slow burn style which favors a low-key approach that carves out a fine realistic perspective yet this tone also makes for occasionally flat viewing. 'Enemies' never drags or feels indulgent, however, it could have benefitted from manufacturing more tension in a few places for a stronger overrall product.
3) 'Enemies' also parallels nicely to 'Heat,' a superior cops and robbers saga that Mann directed in the late 90s (?). Both films deal with professionals who take their jobs very seriously despite being on different sides of the law. They both touch on subjects of honor and loyalty and working with a strong crew to succeed. Finally, they both feature excellent actors taking on one another - De Niro and Pacino in 'Heat' and Depp and Bale in 'Enemies' - who unfortunately share only one real scene together.
4) Johnny Depp inhabits the Dillinger character well. It was nice to see him play a flesh and blood person versus a fantasy creation (Sweeney Todd, Willie Wonka, upcoming Alice in Wonderland) as he makes Dillinger easy to pull for thanks to his charisma and live today to the fullest mantra, a theme on display throughout the movie.
The supporting cast is also uniformly excellent with strong turns from Marie Collitard as Depp's love interest, and especially from Billy Cruddup who shines in his role as J. Edgar Hoover. 
5) Overall, 'Enemies' is a worthwhile effort that produces consistently good results without ever soaring to spectacular heights. That still vaults it far ahead of most of the other summer films in circulation, and if you keep your expectations in check, then it is a rewarding experience and a fine way to cool off for an afternoon away from the sun.
-BDS
“It a choice, Wesley, that each of us must face: to remain ordinary, pathetic, beat-down, coasting through a miserable existence, like sheep herded by fate - or you can take control of your own destiny and join us, releasing the caged wolf you have inside,” – Morgan Freeman, “Wanted”
It’s terrible dialogue like this along with a mean-spirited tone that turned “Wanted” into a waste of time – at least for me. Personally, I have no zero time to waste today since I plan to be gone from the office by mid-afternoon and will be somewhere with air conditioning since the temperature is once again more than 100 degrees in Austin.
But before I find ways to cool off, let’s look at the hard stories of the week such as:
Much like the previous week, this one was dominated by Michael Jackson headlines and some of the major ones were:
• A public memorial was held Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where entertainers and family performed and spoke of Jackson for more than two hours. Some of the famous attendees were Mariah Carey, Magic Johnson, John Mayer, Brooke Shields, and others.
• Michael Jackson's music sales keep soaring as fans purchased more than 800000 of his albums last week, Billboard magazine said.
• Jackson’s longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the pop singer's estate, a judge said Monday, denying the request of his mother, Katherine Jackson, who had applied to oversee her son's estate
I’m sure there other stories that I simply tuned out or missed, and I only hope that Jackson (and the rest of us) can find some peace and quiet soon enough.
Lindsay Lohan was the subject of a lawsuit filed this week which claimed that Lohan and another woman stole the recipe for a spray tan.
Chemist Jennifer Sunday filed the lawsuit in federal court in Tampa claiming that Lohan took the goods for the product called Sevin Nyne. Lohan and Lorit Simon, a Vegas businesswoman, launched their line in May. Sunday is suing Lohan, Simon, and Simon's company for breach of contract, theft of trade secrets, civil conspiracy, intentional interference with contractual relations and deceptive and unfair trade practices.
It won’t help Lohan’s case if she shows up to court looking as orange as an Oompa Lumpa, which was her color the last time I checked.
In other Lohan “news” this week, the actress reportedly turned down the stripper role eventually taken by Heather Graham in the summer movie hit "The Hangover," UsMagazine.com reported.
According to Us, Lohan thought the script "had no potential." 
Lohan obviously confused the script with her current career – must be all the spray tan leaking into the brain waves.
Paula Abdul, whose contract with "American Idol" expired at the end of last season, confirmed to the Associated Press this week that she’ll be back on the show for a 9th season.
"I've been invited to stay the duration of the show, however long it lasts," she said, adding that she thought details of her contract would be negotiated before the start of the next season. She added "I'm the nurturing mom, Simon's the disapproving dad, and Randy's the cool brother," she explained. "It's been an interesting journey. It's something that I'll always want to be a part of." 
She concluded with: “Besides, those prescription pills aren’t going to pay for themselves,” then giggled incoherently and passed out on the floor.
Sharon Stone's rep denied reports this week that the police recently detained the actress at Salt Lake City airport.
Stone, 51, was allegedly met by law enforcement officers after getting into an argument with a flight attendant about her bag before a Salt Lake City-bound Delta flight from Montana after the attendant told Stone to check one of her bags.
Airport spokeswoman Barbara Gann had a different story, however, and stated: ``The airport police were requested by Stone. She was traveling alone and had requested in advance if we could give her special assistance because she was traveling alone and didn't want to cause disruption or congestion from autograph seekers.''
It’s been my experience that 3 or 4 people does NOT equate to a “disruption” or “congestion.”
Three's Company star Joyce DeWitt was arrested on suspicion of DUI on July 4th, TMZ reports.
El Segundo, Calif., cops told the website the dinner-theater regular drove past a barricade Saturday. When she was pulled over, an officer smelled booze, and DeWitt was arrested, then posted $5,000 bail.
Reports that DeWitt was out drinking with that sleazy guy Larry from the complex were unconfirmed at press time.
As always, let’s end with a gold image or two:
This is certainly a slumber party I’d desperately try to wrangle an invitation to, and only confirms what I knew to be true since middle school about what happens when females get together. So, have your pillow and blindfold ready today, feel free to confirm long-held beliefs and . . . Happy Friday!
-BDS
When you spend as much time driving as I did this past holiday weekend, you tend to notice patterns on the road.
Disturbingly large numbers of people obliviously pick their nose in full view of others, Hybrid cars do not belong in the passing lane, and everyone seems to have a boat - everyone except for me. It was this last part that gained traction in my mind as the weekend wore on because boats were being pulled behind nearly every car on the highway. 
Small boats, speed boats, and a plethora of other sizes jockeyed for space on the holiday asphalt, and I wanted one too.
It seems like a fine thing to have a boat, especially when it’s 100 degrees in the summer. Being on the water, steering with one hand while the other grasps a margarita, intent on motion as well as surveying the bikini-laden passengers on deck behind a pair of pitch black sunglasses meant to camouflage ogling eyes suddenly felt like the solution to a problem I didn’t know existed. 
But after doing a bit of research, it seems this is a dream better left to others. Boats are a money pit. They rot and weather more quickly the Lohan family, and only pumping vast amounts of cash into them will keep you afloat. Maybe. Then, you have to find somewhere to store the thing, and then it would drive you to buy a lake house and the slippery money slope would only continue from what I could discern from the Internet.
Instead, the solution is finding friends with boats. Forget friends with benefits as those are a dime a dozen, what you really need to do is to get chummy with people who have access to aquatic flotation devices and then discreetly find their boating schedule so you can wrangle invitations. 
Kicking in gas money seems like a far better ROI than owning the craft. Besides, when someone else is piloting the thing, you can join the bikini party and not just stand on the sidelines.
-BDS
{The workplace is a jungle filled with jackals, wineheads and bosses with mouths like a crocodile. There are also decent people, but I'm starting to question the percentages. This is the 18th in a series of corporate encounters which offer no easy resolutions.}
It’s the last day of the quarter at my office, which means that anarchy reins, nerves are frayed and you can run the gamut of emotions from pure exhilaration to utter despair in the course of a single hour.
Some people love this kind of action, but I do not. The last week of each quarter is ugly and has fewer rules than illegal cockfighting, so I try to lay low and keep to myself, take back doors in and out of the office building and use the restroom on different floors to avoid any “how’s it looking ” talk from executives. 
I also generally keep my emotions in check, although I’ve gotten more vocal since the recent lay-offs because my particular section is largely devoid of other human beings. After what just happened, however, I’m beginning to question the logic of that stance.
About an hour ago, I was on a conference call to go over some final details of a project, and I was using a head-set to talk. I rarely use a head-set because I think the volume sucks, it echoes and you look like a jackass while wearing one, but I needed to be able to type during the call, so I strapped mine on and everything was fine for the first 27 minutes. 
Then, we got to a delicate part of the requirements, and the potential customer spit out a curveball that caused me to yell (or at least state loudly): Shit sandwich!
This wouldn’t be a big deal if I had been on mute – where I had been for the majority of the call – but I wasn’t.
I don’t recall who was speaking at the time, but the silence following my outburst was universal. Nobody said anything for several seconds, though it felt like hours, and then the call resumed with nobody commenting on the statement.
The only good thing about it was that there were many people on the call, and most of them were men, so it will take awhile before they can track down the culprit. I hope that’s the case. But in any event, the only way to cope with situations like this is deny, deny, deny . . . and always use the mute button.
-BDS
“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!” – Bill Murray, “Ghostbusters”
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to any of that today as I just don’t think I could handle it on a Friday. I can barely cope with the 12th straight day of 100 degree weather, a predicament which rules out patio drinking. But before I roll out of here around 3 p.m. and find a new plan for the evening, let’s look at the hard stories of the week such as:
Police have charged the tour manager of the Black Eyed Peas with assault after he allegedly punched celebrity blogger Perez Hilton outside a Toronto nightclub.
Hilton said he got into an argument with band members Fergie and will.i.am at the Cobra nightclub early Monday morning and was punched outside by Polo Molina, the band's tour manager. Molina turned himself in and has been charged with assaulting Hilton.
Hilton, who is openly gay, told The Associated Press that he called will.i.am a "faggot” after the musician told the blogger not to write about his band on his Web site.
Despite Hilton’s sexual preference, I think he’s confused on the definition of that word and when to use it (i.e. never).
Jon and Kate Gosselin announced plans to divorce this week.
The co-stars of "Jon & Kate Plus 8,” who are parents of 5-year-old sextuplets and 8-year-old twins, spoke of their decision to separate during Monday's episode of the TLC reality series. Near the end of the hour-long episode, a title card summed read that "legal proceedings were initiated in Pennsylvania to dissolve the 10-year marriage of Jon and Kate Gosselin."
"We've been dealing a long time with this," Kate said, speaking of her marital problems and the attendant publicity.
"It's been a hard seven or eight months," Jon said in one of his separate on-camera sessions. "It's been a really hard last four months. This is the hardest episode ever."
It will be even harder for the Gosselin’s when the checks from their reality TV show stop coming in.
Actress Daryl Hannah was among 31 people arrested Tuesday as they protested mountaintop removal mining in southern West Virginia.
State Police Sgt. Michael Baylous said all were released after being cited for impeding traffic and obstructing an officer after they blocked a road near a Massey Energy Co. subsidiary's coal processing plant.2.jpg)
I guess this story proves that contrary to recent rumor, Daryl Hannah can still get arrested in this town.
Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault against his one-time girlfriend Rihanna this week.
Brown will not serve any jail time, but he has been assigned to six months of community service in his home state of Virginia, and he will serve five years on supervised probation with quarterly California court visits and complete a domestic violence counseling program. Finally, Brown has been ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna at all times with the exception of music industry events they are both attending. 
Personally, I plan to stay at least 50 yards away from any more mention of this story.
Former MTV reality star Nick Lachey and former "TRL" host Vanessa Minnillo have broken up after three years together, according to People.com.
"They have amicably split but remain good friends who still greatly care for one another," a rep for Minnillo told the magazine. 
Apparently, the break-up ensued after endless arguments about which reality star had faded more quickly from public consciousness.
Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila Alves announced they are expecting their second child this week after McConaughey posted the news on his website.
Matthew wrote: "Happy Father's Day - it's my first, and the last 11 months with Levi and Camila have been the most rewarding adventure to date - we have more blessed news to celebrate this Father's Day that make this time next year double the fun." "Levi is going to be a big brother... Yeah, we pulled off the greatest miracle in the world one more time, Camila and I are expecting our second child, bringing more life into the world, making more to live for. The future looks bright as the family grows and we thank you for all the well wishes you send our way."
McConaughey doesn’t plan to stop having children until he can fill out a complete band of naked bongo players.
“Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick become parents to twin daughters this week as their babies were delivered by a surrogate mother.
The girls, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, were born in an Ohio hospital on Monday. 
The biggest surprise was that both children were given reasonable names, a rarity among Hollywood parents.
As always, let’s end with a few gold images:
A little self confidence and affection towards a mirror or with another person if fine with me. So, don't be afraid to enjoy yourself or others today, have fun either way and . . . Happy Friday!
-BDS
{Editor's Note: R.I.P. Michael, Ed & Farrah. Just sad.}
I’m excited because I finally got Blu Ray for my loft. 
It had been 12 months of eyeing the technology, 9 months of saving and then finally deciding that I had waited long enough when Best Buy started running 3 years financing at 0 percent interest. It also helped that I walked into the store, and told the salesperson that I will pay x amount for the Blu Ray player, and after “checking with his manager” for a few minutes, he came back and said yes to all my pricing proposals.
This is one of the few benefits of a down economy as consumers have loads of bargaining power if you’re willing to wield it like an iron fist.
At first, I was skeptical about the entire Blu Ray endeavor, however, the picture really is a hell of a lot sharper and the sound rings louder. But it’s the picture that gets me charged up. Every bead of sweat or stray hair or vivid landscape is capture perfectly in startling detail. This new frontier will demand perfection from make-up artists moving forward because the technology is impressively unforgiving.
It also means I am in absolutely no rush to buy pornography on Blu Ray because some things – like the bottom line of an eye exam chart or anyone you pick up after 2 a.m. inside a bar - are best left slightly fuzzy and just a little bit out of focus.
Anyway, the issue now is which Blu Ray discs to purchase, especially when you already own a significant number of standard DVDs. But this dilemma also presents an opportunity because when I do find myself with a redundant disc, I am happy to mail it off to anyone who wants it. Just email me an address at twodollarproductions@live.com and whenever I can make it to my local Pak Mail place, it will be sent.
This is a first come or rather first-emailed basis, and these posts will occur at random, but hopefully the DVDs will end up scattered around the U.S. and abroad, like the $2 Dollar Productions t-shirts of yesteryear (and if anyone is worried about receiving anything other than a DVD, you can verify with those who received shirts that nothing else unexpected will arrive. Ha.)
To kick things off, the first DVD that I now have two of is: Ghostbusters.
A classic comedy that is somehow 25 years old, which is a vaguely depressing thought.
The email gates are open, and I stress that nobody should hold out for any porn becoming available because the thought of super-detailed close-ups sucks most of the fun out from that particular lifestyle choice.
-BDS
