Dick Clark: remembering the late and great television-personality

Dick Clark, the iconic American TV personality, passed away after suffering a massive heart attack yesterday. Since the late 1950's he's been one of the main television personalities hosting iconic shows such as "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve".

He served as not only as a famous personality, but a savvy businessman as well. His production company, Dick Clark Productions, has produced thousands of hours of television throughout the years and even had a licensing arm which owned or operated restaurants and theaters across America.

Ryan Seacrest, mentee and friend of Clark, issued a recent statement to NYDailyNews.com stating:

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. I idolized him from the start, and I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel. When I joined his show in 2006 , it was a dream come true to work with him every New Year's Eve for the last 6 years. He was smart, charming, funny and always a true gentleman. I learned a great deal from him, and I'll always be indebted to him for his faith and support of me. He was a remarkable host and businessman and left a rich legacy to television audiences around the world. We will all miss him.”

The news hit this current day TV personality hard. Just after the news broke Wednesday, Ryan remembered the late Clark on "American Idol". Not only did Seacreast idolize him growing up, but Clark became a close mentor as well as close friend of his. Seacrest even co-hosted "New Years Rockin' Eve" after Clark suffered a stoke in previous years.

Imagine: your idol, the person you grew up watching, the person you dreamed about becoming, actually ended up being a peer and friend. It has to be heartbreaking to the American Idol host.

But, if there's one thing Seacrest learned from his late idol, was Clark's love for his work. While remembering Clark during "Idol", Ryan told the audience, "I know he's in a better place, saying 'Hey, let's get on with the show'," then added, "You got it, boss".

Who says YOLO?

Ok, so maybe you can only live once, but with today's technology you can come "back to life" as a hologram. Yes, I'm referring to the new viral sensation of Tupac's hologram performing at Cochella this past weekend.

It really is incredible to watch, and in perspective of normal concert production costs, isn't over-the-top expensive to produce. News sources estimate the hologram cost between $100 thousand to $400 thousand to create and took around four months.

With help from Dr. Dre, and a blank check received from Cochella organizers, this idea became a reality.

The mastermind behind creating this optical illusion, Digital Domain, is the same company responsible for the reverse aging in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and de-aging Jeff Bridges in "TRON:Legacy". While AV Concepts was responsible for actually projecting the image and having it perform flawlessly.

What's especially interesting, is that this isn't just a projected previous performance. Nick Smith, president of AV Concepts, describes how when creating holograms, "you can take their likenesses and voice and...take people that haven't done concerts before or perform music they haven't sung and digitally recreate it".

So is this the beginning of a new age in touring? There's arguments to be made on both sides. While some argue that it can be a cost-efficient way to bring celebrities and artists to more venues, others argue that the surprise factor and uniqueness of holograms would wear off too quickly if over-used.

I agree with the later. I don't think I'd pay to see just anyone's hologram in concert. However, if used for special occasions, I think it could really open up great opportunities in the realm of entertainment.

They're baaaack...

If you lived through the 1980s, you probably either 1, were obsessed with; 2, watched or 3, at least heard of the hit TV show "Dallas".  It brought world-wide recognition, not to mention stereotypes, to my hometown of Dallas and the state of Texas.

Since I was born in 1990, I missed out on the original "Dallas" craze. However, I'm particularly excited that TNT is bringing the show back this coming summer because of two reasons. Firstly, because my mom worked in the costuming department, so having the show picked up would be of personal interest to my family. Secondly, I think the show will do well if given the chance by the public.

To be blunt, a lot of remakes fail. Melrose Place, for example, came back to TV in 2009 and lasted only one season with horrible reviews. However, "90210", the remake of "Beverly Hills, 90210", came back in 2008 and has lasted thus far, so there's hope for "Dallas" yet.

The new "Dallas" features original cast members including Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray as well as a new generation of Southfork: Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster and Julie Gonzalo.

Using both original and new cast will hopefully draw in multiple target markets and hopefully create great new ratings for this historic show.

So stay tuned this summer, Wednesday, June 13, for the "Dallas" two-hour season premier!

An aniversary of Titanic proportions

The hit movie "Titanic" has come a long way from its two-part VHS past to the digitally remastered 3D theater experience of today. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've had its re-release date on my calendar for about five months now, so I'll be a happy camper (or should I say blubbering mess) Friday after FINALLY having the time to go see it!

The original film grossed over $1.8 BILLION since its original release in 1997, and according to the LA Times, "Titanic 3D" has grossed about $28 million domestically so far, coming in third behind "The Hunger Games" and "American Reunion". Incredible, considering the majority of the public has already seen this film multiple times before.  After taking about two years to convert to 3D, its re-release is timed perfectly with the tragedy's 100th year anniversary.

When the 2,224 passengers boarded the RMS Titanic April 10, 1912, times were extremely different. President William Howard Taft was in office, the average salary was about $750 dollars a year and America's divorce rate was 1/1000. For entertainment, people enjoyed live music or went to "talkies" on the weekends, and while radio had technically been invented, it was still in its very early stages of scientific trial.

It's crazy to think about how far we've come in just 100 years. From silent films to blockbusters in 3D, I'm sure our forms of entertainment would be incomprehensible to those living in the early 1900s. While no medium could ever come close to experiencing the actual tragedy, it will be interesting to experience this movie in 3D. This extra element allows you to feel a little more involved in the story more than ever before, resulting in a unique experience for the viewer.

While some, aka my mom, thinks this movie is corny or melodramatic, I think it's breathtaking. Of course the characters Jack and Rose are purely fictional, but they represent all of those on the voyage; all of the mothers, husbands, children and lovers that were torn apart that fateful night. It's epic, romantic and heartbreaking all at the same time. This film gives a voice to those stories lost at sea 100 years ago.

So, if you haven't already been to the new "Titanic 3D", go see it. Not only to see a spectacular movie but to remember those who lost their lives on that tragic April night.

And ladies, of course be prepared to fall in love with Leo all over again...in 3D!

Facebook, an online memorial: a place for grieving, sharing, healing

I never realized just how powerful facebook really is. While waiting at the carwash, killing time with a casual facebook check, my world changed.  My jaw dropped, tears rushed to my eyes and I was hit with the heavy news...

Today my post will be a bit different than normal.
It's time for me to get on my soap box and make sure you remember how precious life is...because all too frequently we forget.

This past Friday, my childhood friend, Indiana Graham, lost his five year fight with cancer.
He was not only my middle school sweetheart but the guy in high school that everyone loved.
He was the class clown, the baseball player, the friend of every person he met.

Even after being diagnosed with cancer sophomore year of high school, he kept a positive attitude and that big smile of his on his face. After graduation, while we all went our separate ways, he stayed at home to go to community college and receive his necessary treatments (always trying to persuade me that his dream college, OSU, was better than UT). But, despite his poor college allegiance and thanks to facebook, we were able to keep in touch and stay friends.

It was through facebook, that I stayed up to date on his life: his family, his treatments, his true love (his Mustang), his recent Make-A-Wish NYC trip and at 2 p.m., Friday the 30th, at Arbor Car Wash, the news of his passing.

Through facebook, I found out an hour after it happened.
An hour.
News that used to take a few days to circulate from family members to friends, now takes literally seconds. A gift and a curse for everyone involved.

All in all, I think the lightening-speed information sharing via social media is a good thing to have. I'm appreciative of the quick news, allowing me to quickly move my schedule around to attend his funeral service back in Dallas. I'm also appreciative of the memorial power of facebook. I think it serves as a powerful, online place for friends to grieve, share photos and memories, and ultimately start the slow healing process. As trivial as it sounds, embrace facebook and the ability it has to keep those you care about connected with each other.

I write this not to be morbid, depressing or dramatic, but to remind you to tell your friends you love them. I don't think it gets said enough. Life is short: conquer your goals, embrace your hobbies, but most importantly enjoy the journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When I get where I'm going, there'll be only happy tears, I will shed the struggles that I've carried all these years, yeah when I get where I'm going, don't cry for me down here"

RIP Indy

What do chicken, seafood and barbecue all have in common?
One thing. McGuire Moorman Hospitality group.

After the success of Lambert's Downtown Barbecue and Perla's, Larry McGuire and Tommy Moorman seem to do no wrong in the restaurant industry. Now, their latest venture, Elizabeth Street Cafe, a french-vietnamiese fusion, is receiving great reviews as well.

Larry McGuire started all three of these restaurants and watched them grow and flourish all before his 30th birthday. However, his entrepreneurial spirit isn't stoping here. Now he, along with a few partners, are delving into the drive-through restaurant market with Fresa's Chicken opening later this year.



However, with this group's track record, it won't be your typical greasy, fast food drive-through. The same quality preparation and ingredients will go into making these to-go meals. Like the group's three previous restaurants, almost all ingredients are from local sources. Even the chickens are sourced from Peeler Farms in Floresville, Texas, where they're pasture-raised and fed non-GMO feed, resulting in a top-quality bird.

To me, it's about time Austin gets a drive-through style restaurant with a sit-down-quality taste. Sure, there are a ton of burger restaurants such as P. Terry's and Hat Creek Burger Co. that use local ingredients, but unless you want burgers every time you want a quick meal, these choices aren't very helpful.

Fresa's Chicken Al Carbon will offer half or whole slow-roasted chicken breasts and sides such as mexican street corn, grilled vegetables, spicy potato salad and various side salads. Now, busy Austinites can pick up a whole, healthy meal on the way home for their families.

So if the past is any indication of the future, I'd say these entrepreneurs have a good chance for another restaurant success story.

Homeless Hotspots: ethical or offensive?

Another SXSW has come and gone, and in the aftermath, its time for people to critique its many shows, films and...labor practices?

Yes. In case you've been living under a rock, or just have been mentally checked-out over spring break, SXSW's use of homeless hotspots is creating some extreme debate over ethical labor issues.

Thirteen volunteers from a local homeless shelter worked for the marketing agency BBH throughout the week. Each carried around a wi-fi device and donned t-shirts with, "I'm ____, a 4G hotspot", then further instructions on how to connect to the device.

ReadWriteWeb called this a "blunt display of unselfconcious gall". While a Wired blogger described it as “something out of a darkly satirical science-fiction dystopia.”


However, those working at the shelter, marketers at BBH and the actual volunteers all disagreed with the backlash of negativity.


Mitchell Gibbs, director of development at the shelter where volunteers stayed, said he was surprised by the criticism of the project. Gibbs said the project inspired "entrepreneurial spirit" among participants. He even advised BBH on the best ways to set up the pilot program.


One volunteer, Clarence Jones, 54, told The New York Times that, “I love talking to people and it’s ...an honest day of work and pay.” And, while he knows others think that he's getting "the rough end of the stick" he doesn't feel that way. 


Personally, I don't see what all the uproar is about. While I think this could have been carried out a bit more tactfully (e.i., ensuring minimum wage is met), I think the idea is legitimately good and heres why:

• The work isn't demeaning in anyway. I think everyone would have been on-board if there were unpaid interns walking around as wireless hotspots.
• Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers: It's not like BBH picked up someone off the street corner, slapped a shirt on them, and glued a wireless device to their hand. BBH collaborated with the shelter and paid the volunteers wanting to earn money during SX.

However, that being said, I do think opponents to this have a point. From what I've read the volunteers only got paid $20-$50 dollars a day, which depending on the hours worked isn't even minimum wage. 


I think it boils down to an underlying factor of guilt. People don't want to necessarily pause from their carefree SXSW experience to talk to someone who may not have such a carefree life. Though it sounds harsh, people are attending the festival to network, relax and party; not to have to think about real-world problems facing others.