Month: February 2008

While attending Toyfair, I found out that Hasbro is putting together an international version of Monopoly, and instead of street names on the board, there will be city names. The color coding remains the same: The most valuable real estate will be on blue spots, for instance (normally occupied by Broadway and Park Place), and then green, yellow and so on. There is currently a vote going on that is open to anyone in the world with a computer, and you can vote once a day for up to ten cities. The top vote getters will be on Broadway and Park Place, and the rest will be apportioned to the remainder of the real estate.

Now how, you may ask, is the United States faring in this international voting? The answer: Miserably. Of the twenty eight properties on this quintessentially American game, only two US cities are making any kind of showing, and neither is in prime real estate. New York is #8 (relegated to the much less tony yellow section of the board), while, Las Vegas is an abysmal #23. What’s number one, you may ask? The most popular international city?

Istanbul.

Are you freaking kidding me?

Personally, I think this is an abysmal state of affairs. Istanbul the number one city of international Monopoly? The best thing one can say about Istanbul is that it’s a catchy song covered by “They Might Be Giants.” But “New York, New York” is practically an anthem.

According to the woman at Hasbro I spoke to, the website where the voting is going on–www.monopoly.com–is getting 10,000 votes a day. That’s not all that much. A concerted web effort can turn this around.

Obviously I want to see New York nestled in the top spot, with more US cities occupying as many of the rest of the valuable properties as possible. Knee-jerk patriotism? Unreasonable nationalism? Well…yeah. You got a problem with that? If the residents of freaking Turkey should be allowed that indulgence, so should I.

We’ve only got until February 28th to get it done, so spread the word to all and sundry. Feel free to repost this anywhere and everywhere.

PAD

Well, when the hosting company says “no action will be required on your part for this migration. We will archive and copy the site content to the new server”, they’re wrong.

Bear with us. And by bear, we mean one of those Stephen Colbert bears.

The first post “Messiah CompleX” issue.

Whad’ja think?

PAD

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
–Shakespeare

The WGA membership voted overwhelmingly (92 percent from what I’ve heard) to end the strike. This is a separate matter from voting on the new contract, which will take place over the next two weeks. I suspect that will be ratified as well.

Writers should be back to work as of today.

PAD

A brilliant writer and talent, an entertaining dinner companion, and an all around great guy.

He will be missed.

PAD

An actual conversation I just had with an outfit that regularly calls Kathleen (during dinner time, of course) looking to have her donate money:

CALLER: Is Kathleen David there?

ME: No, she’s not.

CALLER: When would be a better time to reach her?

ME: When she’s here.

(Confused silence. Then…)

CALLER: Thank you.

ME: No problem.

PAD