Moran details troubles in capital

RUSSELL -- The 50 or so Kiwianians who turned out to listen to U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran were to serve as his voice of reason for his return to Washington, D.C.

Instead, the exchange between Moran and members of the Russell Kiwanis Club on the last day of 2009 turned into something closer to what could only be described as an essay on "What's the matter with Washington, D.C."

It would be easier to say there's little right, what with the partisanship and selfishness that has resulted in the federal government simply spending too much and borrowing too much, according to the message from Moran.

Moran was especially critical of what's going on in the nation's capital. In a bit of irony, all that came after the group said the Pledge of Allegiance, prayed and sang "God Bless America," all the while Moran was standing behind a sea of flags.

Moran, who grew up in Russell County, received a standing ovation after being introduced as one of the "bright shining lights in that dismal place called Washington, D.C."

"Are you all happy with what's going on in our nation's capital?" Moran asked.

His question was greeted with an outpouring of laughter.

"That's the response I get when I ask that question," he said.

Moran said his recently completed round of town hall meetings showed both promise and despair, in that larger-than-ever-before crowds had turned out for the meetings, reflecting concern about what the federal government is doing along with showing that people are ready to take charge.

What he also found is that people agree the government is spending too much, borrowing too much, growing too big and "becoming too selfish."

"I shouldn't be in D.C. talking about the next election," Moran said of the approach the nation's political leaders take when they head to Washington. "It ought to be about the next generation."

The point, he said, is Congress should do what makes the future brighter for the next generation.

The current health care debate, he said, reflects that.

"I opposed the heath care bill," he stated flatly.

But the prevailing effort is to simply pass a bill.

"The focus in D.C. is to get the president the headline, "President signs health care bill," he said. "It ought not be about the headline, it ought to be about the substance. We're missing substance in Washington, D.C."

He's especially troubled that the bill is chock full of pork, and not just about health care.

On the last day of 2009, Moran said he's hopeful that a new year will mean a new approach.

"I hope in 2010 we get our act together and do what's good for America," he said.

He's apparently not too optimistic.

"We've got to turn this around," he said of the burgeoning spending, "if we are going to have a viable economy."

Moran said he thinks he's been able to remain committed to common sense because he and his family didn't make the move to Washington, instead remaining in Hays where he returns nearly every weekend.

"At some point in time, I'm coming back to live a normal life somewhere in Kansas," he said.

In the meantime, he said he will fight to right problems in Washington.

If the health care bill passes, Moran said, he will introduce legislation to repeal the measure.

Moran said he's not opposed to changes in the health care system, but he said the root of the problem needs resolved, and then insurance costs will follow.

He pointed to health-privacy legislation that has long been law, forcing a crush of paperwork on the industry.

"There is a broad brush that we paint in Washington, D.C., that makes no sense to us in Kansas," he said.

But the push now is to provide insurance for 44 million people, some of whom simply don't want insurance and include illegal aliens.

"When you take them out, you're down to about 12 million people," Moran said. "I'm all in favor of doing something to take care of them."

But the measure should also include prevention, through exercise and diet.

"Insurance costs a lot because health care costs a lot," Moran said. "So if you do something about healthcare, you'll save a lot on insurance."

Source:hdnews.net/

MTV's Real World Washington D.C draws in 1.9 million viewers; includes Philadelphia native in cast

On Wednesday, Real World XXIII premiered, landing eight strangers at the nation's capital. According to reports, the first episode drew 1.9 million viewers. Perhaps the fact that the cast is in the same city as President Obama, created more appeal since the last season, Real World Cancun, only drew 1.4 million (the smallest amount ever in Real World history) viewers during its premiere. With the various number of reality shows these days, Real World hasn't enjoyed high numbers (such as 4 million viewers) that it did in the 90s and early 2000s. However there is hope for the twenty-third season as there may be something there to hold viewers' attention.

Of course, the four-story brownstone the roommates will live for a few months is a lush trendy spot as the Real World houses always are, but this one has political spirit and is peppered with political decor. There is a computer room that resembles the oval office complete with a carpet with the eagle emblem in the center and red, white, and blue splattered here and there through the house.

Each of the bedrooms features pop art looking pictures of presidents like Reagan, Lincoln, and JFK. Of course, the first episode was filled with traditional Real World formula; pairs of roommates meet up to get to know one another briefly before they reach their new abode, some of them feel connections with one another already, they jump for joy when they see their house and eagerly choose rooms before others reach the house, and of course they stereotype themselves by jokingly looking for any "token" people. Here's what was learned about the characters from the first show.

Ashley - A self-proclaimed Obama lover. She admits she is deep into politics and embraces liberal ideologies and at the same time shares with other cast member, Mike, her devotion to her religion. During the first show, Ashley finds herself in a bit of a religious quarrel with Ty when he offends both her and Mike. She decides she may not get along with Callie because Callie chooses to room in the "Reagan" room and reveals she is not sure which side of the political spectrum she is on. Ashley says she hopes Callie learns while being in Washington D.C to go left because "left is right".



Mike - Mike is the jock with the piercing green eyes who looks as if he stepped out of the pages of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog. His religion is very important to him as well, which is why he is offended when Ty, who leans towards being anti-religion, questions him about his faith. The two later make amends realizing that it is too early in the Real World experience to butt heads, but not before Mike, wanting Ty to understand him better reveals that he is bisexual.

Andrew - Andrew is a certified goofball and he loves it. Andrew, who doesn't mind sleeping in bed with a stuffed panda and wears a panda hats, admits that his comic "humor" has gotten him in trouble at his college newspaper, but of course he doesn't care because all we wants to do is laugh and have fun. His playful attitude makes him out to be the roommate less likely to be involved in drama, but that is only if he keeps his "playful" hands to himself as he admits he loves the ladies.



Emily- Emily is the wild child who says because of growing up isolated in a cult-like religion until the age of 13, she has dedicated her life to exploring and cutting loose. She has to restrain herself from showing too early her attraction to Ty as she admits to the cameras he reminds her of her ex-boyfriend. She believes that life is to be lived and the Midwestern native seems like she will be doing a lot of "living" while in Washington D.C; she also reveals that she is bisexual as well.



Callie - Callie is the token small town girl coming to a big city. Her dream is to be a photographer and she describes her town as "having a prison and a college and that's it". We learn that the vegan Texas-raised blond is not liberal, and becomes uneasy when Ty decides to room with her because she has never roomed with a man before. She later upsets Ty when her and Erika decide they would be more comfortable rooming with one another and they decide to move Ty's belongings into Josh's room without Ty's permission.



Ty -If you look too fast, you may mistake Ty for Alton from the Real World Las Vegas season, but he quickly distinguishes himself when he discusses his background The Trinity College graduate who explains that his girlfriend broke up him when she realized he was going on the show, comes from an inner-city area of Baltimore, Maryland. He compares his upbringing to the raw former HBO drama, The Wire, also set in Baltimore. Ty raises a few peoples ruffles when both Mike and Ashley don't take his comments about religion lightly. Though he eventually patches things up with Mike, the same did not ring true for his conversation with Ashley which is disastrous.

Erika - Is the windy city rocker /singer type of girl who adores her boyfriend telling him there is nothing to worry about when she is away doing the show, but she appears to love music even more. The red-haired singer presents herself as open-minded, outgoing and free-spirited. Hopefully she doesn't become "too free", as it seems like there may be chemistry between her and Josh.



Josh - Is our South Philadelphia native who admits he has lived a hard knock life (experienced being locked up, dropped out of school twice), but now he has dedicated his life to change and focused on his music. The singer/songwriter/rapper (as he introduces himself to Erika) shows his confidence early and admits in the first show to having a crush on Erika who is "his type of girl". Unfortunately, Andrew doesn't seem to like Josh's confidence too much as he says he doesn't like how Josh walks in the house like he's "too cool" for everyone, and that although the Philly musician is cool he shouldn't act like he is.

Source:examiner.com/

Avatar merchandising bonanza?

LOS ANGELES -- The Hollywood studio behind Avatar is banking on the film to drive its biggest US product licensing push in years, starting with toy figures and expanding to items from home decor to party goods.



The News Corp.-owned 20th Century Fox is making that gamble even though consumers know virtually nothing about the blue, cat-like characters in Avatar who will be at the heart of the merchandising effort.


Fox has used its Avatar licensing deals, including one with Mattel Inc. for toys, as a way to recoup on what is one of the most expensive films in history, costing at least $237 million to produce, analysts said.


But if the movie, which opened on Friday and tells of a soldier infiltrating an alien race, crashes at box offices, stores may be left with shelves of unpopular Avatar products, literally standing with their tails between their legs.


Howard Roffman, head of licensing for Lucasfilm, the company behind Star Wars, said he would be "very nervous" to launch a retail push now, as Fox has done with Avatar. "The economy is not good, retailers are challenged, licensee companies are challenged, so my hat’s off to people who rise to that and get a program out there," Roffman said.


Last year, the Warner Bros. release Speed Racer bombed at box offices when it was released in May, and analysts say it crippled sales of toys tied to that movie.


But if all succeeds, Fox and its partner companies could turn Avatar into a major merchandising franchise, and perhaps even enter the same universe as the $18-billion retail phenomenon Star Wars, the movie franchise that has long been an inspiration for Avatar director James Cameron.


Is "The Force" with them?


By moving aggressively, Fox stands to avoid what happened to Star Wars when it opened in 1977. Then, no toys were out when parents started clamoring for them and at Christmas, kids received empty boxes with certificates for Star Wars toys.


Fox sees Pandora, the extra-terrestrial globe where Avatar is set, as a rich fictional world that can be mined for retail products.


"In the US market, this is the largest launch that we have had probably in recent memory -- if ever," said Robert Marick, executive vice-president of Fox Licensing.


He declined to give specific sales projections.


For comparison, the recent film G.I. Joe was based on a decades-old brand that consumers already knew, and Hasbro forecast toy sales of $100 million for 2009, said Chris White, analyst with Wedbush Morgan. "Avatar will be a sliver of that, it will be a lot less than G.I. Joe," he said.


Since October, Mattel has been selling Avatar figures with an "i-TAG" that can be held near a computer’s webcam. The computer scans the tag and launches an image of the character moving on-screen, or even fighting with another character.


Last month, News Corp’s HarperCollins published several books on the film, including Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora. JEM Sportswear and Awake Inc. launched T-shirts, sweatshirts and fashion tops.


This month, videogame maker Ubisoft released James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game. Fox hopes to one day launch home products such as bedding, as well as costumes, party goods, toy building sets and other products, Marick said.


Still, some analysts wonder if the strange-looking characters of Avatar will connect with children.


Even Tim Kilpin, general manager of Mattel’s girls, boys and games division, acknowledged that because the movie is new "there’s going to be some ramp-up to awareness."


"We think before too much longer, a lot of people will know these [Avatar] stories and these characters," he said. -- Reuters


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Avatar leads US box office despite storm
LOS ANGELES -- Titanic director James Cameron’s Avatar, a 3D extravaganza hyped as a giant leap in cinematic prowess, ruled the worldwide box office during its first weekend even as North American sales were hit by an enormous snow storm, its distributor said on Sunday.


The film -- one of the most expensive ever made -- earned an estimated $232.2 million from North America and 106 foreign markets, according to News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox, provisionally the ninth-biggest opening of all time.


Moviegoers in the US and Canada chipped in $73 million, far short of enthusiastic forecasts in the $85-million range. Top contributors to the $159.2 million foreign total included Russia ($21 million), France ($19 million) and the U.K. ($14.2 million).


Avatar edged ahead of 2006’s The Da Vinci Code ($232.1 million) among worldwide openings, while the disaster picture 2012 slipped to No. 11 with $230.5 million. If the number is confirmed when final data are issued on Monday, Avatar will set a new opening record for a nonsequel.


The record for a worldwide opening is $394 million, set in July by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Avatar opening also fell far short of the $275-million opening for The Twilight Saga: New Moon last month.


Blue people wow critics


Avatar garnered almost as much attention for its reported budget of at least $300 million as for its eco-friendly tale of a disabled ex-Marine sent from Earth to infiltrate an alien race of 10-foot-tall blue people in order to save his polluted planet. Inter-species romance ensues between computerized characters representing actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana.


It marks Cameron’s first dramatic feature since 1997’s Titanic, the biggest film of all time before accounting for inflation. He spent the intervening years waiting for movie-making technology to catch up with his vision for the followup. Production took two years.


His new film won breathless reviews from critics. "You’ve never experienced anything like it, and neither has anyone else," said the Los Angeles Times.


Despite the buzz, the weekend haul ranks as merely the sixth-biggest of the year in the US and Canada. The 2009 record was set last month by The Twilight Saga: New Moon, with $143 million. The all-time record of $158 million was set last year by The Dark Knight.


A blizzard along the East Coast crippled business for all movies. Holiday-shopping distractions also had an impact. Fox said Avatar sales in New York fell 18% on Saturday from the previous day. The drop was 86% in Baltimore and 75% in Washington DC. But the studio hoped business would rebound as the weather improved.


Fox distribution president Chris Aronson dismissed the industry forecasts, saying the studio had been hoping for an opening in the mid-$60 million range. He said the 163-minute running time reduced the number of daily screenings.


On the other hand, ticket sales for Avatar were inflated by premium pricing for screenings in venues equipped with 3D technology. Such venues accounted for 59% of the total cinema count and 71% of sales, Fox said.


Exit polling for the film was strong across the board, and he was surprised that 62% of moviegoers were aged over 25. Men accounted for 57% of the audience.


Profit, Oscar hopes


The big issues are whether Fox will make money on the picture, and how it will fare at the Academy Awards. Media analyst Rich Greenfield of Pali Capital last week upgraded News Corp. to hold from sell, saying Fox was unlikely to lose "a massive amount of money" on the film.


The rough rule-of-thumb is that the studio and theaters split the gross evenly. Fox is also on the hook for worldwide marketing costs of $150 million, and must share some profits with Cameron. DVD sales will add to the windfall, although critics sayAvatar is best appreciated in a 3D theater environment.


As for the Oscars, for which nominations will be announced on Feb. 2, the film is making some early headway, picking up key Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations. -- Reuters

Source:bworldonline.com/