Thursday, July 29, 2010

Jobhunt spam

Thanks to me submitting an updated resume to various jobsites, my Inbox has been getting quite the spammy workout lately.  Not the first time these particular emails have shown up recently, probably not the last.  Be sure to soak in the slimy badness that is atrociously bad grammar and writing.  I did not edit any of this, except for removing the names.  Also keep in mind that this isn't even a position that I applied for or am remotely qualified for:
I'm [name redacted}. I am staff manager of our Staff Department. Our department noticed your resume & Our department believe  you qualified for the position of Financial manager.
For more info about available position, please visit this Url:


[Link redacted because it's a real company, and may be the victim of spam.  Or a really lame staff manager.]

This could be the nice complement to your main work.
If you're interested, write me now.
Best regards
[Name redacted again, just in case]
 Not content to spam me once, there was a follow-up email:
This is [same name redacted]. I'm working as manager of HR department.
I'm involved to searching new employees. I emailed you some the information
on the vacancy couple minutes ago.
I want to make sure that you have received it. Please confirm that you have my last email with information.
Regards
[Same name redacted yet again]
Even as I was typing up this post, I received another set of similarly worded job spam:
I am [name redacted}. I am Top manager of our Co. We reviewed your information on
Hot Jobs so We believe that u are suitable for the vacancy of Travel Coordinator of our Travel Company

-Main duty: processing payments|funds|mone.y from our US clients
-Schedule:  Part-time(2-5 hours per week)

Job conditions:

- sick leave;
-  Training & Seminars
- 3000$

this post will be the great addon to your current jo.b.

FYI: No investing from our employees. No start-up fees. Candidates should
not buy anything to work.

Please view links here for further info about our company:

 [Link to real company, although different from the one in the first set of emails, redacted]

If u're want to start, answer me immediately.
Regards

[Name (which is completely different than the one redacted in the first paragraph) redacted]
 And the obligatory follow-up:

I'm [apparently correct this time name redacted]. I'm working as HR manager of HR department.
I involved to searching new staff. I e-mailed you some info about the job offer couple minutes ago.
I just want to be sure that you did receive it. Please confirm that you
received my message with info.
Regards
[Name redacted.  If I never use the word "redacted" again, it will be too soon.]
Also worth noting: There is nothing on my resume or work history that makes me even remotely qualified for a position in finance or travel, much less management.

Because job hunting isn't difficult enough...

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Happy 70th Birthday, Bugs Bunny

One of the funniest and most talented performers in the history of Hollywood hits the big seven-oh today.

Bugsbunny 

There are so many classic Bugs moments that it's hard to pick just one.  But if I have to pick one...


IImage snicked from the blog post linked above.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Happy 50th Birthday, Hollywood Walk of Fame

Signage

Sunday was the 50th anniversary of the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame.   A number of events were planned to celebrate, but honestly, if I hadn't known about this before I went out and about Sunday, I wouldn't have known anything out of the ordinary was going on.  Seriously, unless it's all about celebrities, this town can't throw a party to save its life.  Los Angeles even flopped with Y2K celebrations.

Anemic Event Central in the Egyptian Theatre courtyard:

Egyptian1

This guy outside Ripley's Believe It Or Not on Hollywood Boulevard startled a Korean tourist by chatting her up in her own language:

Ripleys

A Mariachi Band performed on top of the marquee of the Ricardo Montalban Theater on Vine Street:

Mariachis2

Still, it was another beautiful day to walk The Walk in Hollywood:

1600Vine
The new Trader Joe's is awesome, BTW.

Links:

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Wow, San Diego REALLY wants to hang on to Comic-Con

The trolley signs by the Convention Center hosting Comic-Con this weekend were translated into Klingon for the event:

San-Diego-Trolley-Klingon 

There has been talk that Los Angeles and Anaheim have been trying to lure the annual geekfest away from San Diego.  I think San Diego just made a compelling case for staying put.

Image snicked from the linked article.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Screening: The Blue Dahlia at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater

As part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Oscar Noir Screening Series, The Blue Dahlia was presented on the big screen Monday night.

Oscarnoircoverdahlia
The Blue Dahlia (Paramount, 1946)
Starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Howard da Silva and Hugh Beaumont
Directed by George Marshall
Written by Raymond Chandler
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing - Original Screenplay

Johnny Morrison (Ladd) arrives home from the Navy to his wife Helen, who wants nothing to do with him and everything to do with drinking and partying.  During an argument Johnny pulls a gun on her, then thinks better of it.  He tosses the gun down, grabs his suitcase and walks out.  Unfortunately, the next morning she is found shot to death and Johnny becomes the prime suspect.  The web of other suspects and accomplices includes Johnny's two best friends and former war comrades Buzz (Bendix) and George (Beaumont), Helen's latest lover Eddie Harwood (da Silva) and Harwood's beautiful, estranged wife (Lake), who coincidentally becomes Johnny's love interest.

In my opinion, Bendix stole this movie.  Buzz, who is extremely loyal to Johnny, has returned from the war with an unfortunate souvenir: a plate in his head that causes him horrible headaches and blackouts.  It's during one of these episodes that he encounters Helen after Johnny has left her.  Blunt and coarse, but essentially a good guy, the lingering suspicion that Buzz might have committed the crime during one of these blackouts is heartbreaking.

Some Blue Dahlia trivia:
  • The Blue Dahlia script was still being written as the movie was being filmed.  Ladd had received a medical discharge from the Army Air Forces, but a year later Paramount learned that the actor would be called back to service in a few months.  Wanting to get him into one last film before his departure, they looked for a project that could begin filming as soon as possible.  Raymond Chandler had been working on a novel that he was having trouble finishing and thinking of turning into a screenplay.  Paramount bought it and Chandler went to work on the script.  He hadn't even figured out who his killer was when the cameras began rolling.
  • As production on The Blue Dahlia began to overtake Chandler's writing progress the famously hard-drinking writer, who had been on the wagon for health reasons, told the studio the only way he could finish the script on time was to work at home and resume drinking.  The studio agreed to his odd demands and Chandler went on an extended bender and finished the script.
  • Chandler originally intended for Buzz to be the killer, but the U.S. military objected to the depiction of a veteran turned murderer because of brain injuries suffered in combat.  In fact, the Navy threatened to never cooperate with any future Paramount production if Buzz was the killer, so Chandler had to pin the crime on another character.
  • The Blue Dahlia is the only script Chandler wrote directly for the screen.  All his other scripts were adaptations.
  • In one scene, a thug who helped kidnap Johnny is seen nursing a broken toe suffered during a fight.  This was not in the script - the actor had actually been injured filming the fight and director George Marshall incorporated it into the film.
  • Less than a year after The Blue Dahlia's release, one of the most famous crimes in Los Angeles history took its nickname from the film when the mutilated body of a young woman was found in a vacant lot.  In death, murder victim Elizabeth Short was dubbed "The Black Dahlia".
This week's animated short was the Oscar-nominated Donald's Crime, in which Donald Duck raids his nephews' piggy bank so he can take Daisy Duck on a date.  Eventually Donald's conscience gets the better of him, turning him into a desperate, hunted fugitive (at least in his mind).  Finally, he stumbles across a quick dishwashing job and is able to restock the coins pilfered from the piggy bank.

In Captain Marvel news, Billy Batson and company are still trying to discover the identity of The Scorpion while making some miraculous escapes from The Scorpion's henchmen (the latter courtesy of Billy's secret Captain Marvel alter-ego) and The Scorpion is still trying to get the lenses (no, I don't know how that works) he needs to put his evil plans (whatever they are) into motion.  I've missed a number of screenings so I'm not exactly up on this series, but I have a feeling each installment pretty much follows the same pattern: Get our heroes out of last week's cliffhanger, have their mission make a bit of dangerous progress, then set up a cliffhanger for next week.  Still, as cheesy as this serial is by today's standards, it's definitely an enjoyable crowd-pleaser and a fun look back on the movie-going experience of yesteryear.  Kudos to whoever decided to include this as part of the program.

Links/sources:
The Blue Dahlia on imdbAlan Ladd on imdbVeronica Lake on imdbWilliam Bendix on imdbGeorge Marshall on imdbRaymond Chandler on imdbFilm Noir on WikipediaAdventures of Captain Marvel on imdbDonald's Crime on imdbThe Black Dahlia Murder on Wikipedia

Dahliaposter

Images from the screening program.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

It's funny because it's true: How to make a hit USA Network show

Burn Notice. Psych. In Plain Sight. White Collar. Royal Pains. And now Covert Affairs. USA has amassed a stable of hit shows that all seem to revolve around a similar formula. Is it really that easy to create a popular TV series? We broke the shows down into the factors they all had in common to see if we can put one together in our garage and shop it around to the networks.
Television Without Pity takes a look at how USA does it.

Monday, July 19, 2010