Disaster strikes Hollywood G!

As some of you know, romance is a big part of my life. When there is romance, then the incredible happens. Now, there is no romance in my life. This sixth life I started about 7 months ago was a life for handling tough situations. It is a life that started with some adventure, and it is now about handling disaster. Earlier today, disaster struck Hollywood G. as the romance in his life dissolved. Hollywood G. is looking at moving on with his life, and it will take time to perform this action. It is a horrible way to start the new year, but it will teach him some valuable lessons in life. First, it was a loss of a job and a girlfriend in his life. Now, the tables are turned. The job is there, but the romance is gone. It was probably for the best, and now it is time to move on to bigger & better things in life. No matter what, Just Keep Living!

BO: Time Man of The Year (plus a segueing to Sarkozy)

In this story, B.O. stands for Barack Obama. It does not stand for body order or boron oxide. Hope you liked the chemistry in that last comment. :) Back to the story, Barack is the 2008 Time Man of The Year. Other notable people in the running were Sarah Palin (Governor of Alaska), Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Chinese Filmmaker Zhang Yimou, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It is surprising to see Zhang Yimou and Sarkozy on this list, especially Sarkozy. Sarkozy is President of The European Union (EU), and he holds this post in addition to his presidential duties in France. In an 60 minutes story earlier this year, Lesley Stahl referred to Sarkozy as "Sarko The American." He has been given this moniker by other reporters as well. Nicolas is doing his best to institute a 40 hour work week in France, which Americans find to be the norm here in the US. This may mean more working hours, and less vacation for the laissez faire French people. He wants to improve relations between the US and France also. Sarkozy is putting France back on the map, and he is a bright face in Europe too!

The Harsh Reality from RSG

Well, can you believe that there are only 2 weeks left in 2008? What a year for the world economy? As many economists will state, the world is in a deepening global recession. This could be the worst crisis since the Great Depression. A few weeks ago, The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced that the US has been in a recession since December 2007. The unemployment rate sits at 6.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It seems each industry is being hit with layoffs, and it is challenging the consumer tremendously. For the consumer, confidence in the economy is quite low as well. Just look at the latest consumer confidence report which shows the index stands at 44.9. Finally, GDP in the 3rd quarter of 2008 was -0.5% and it will be probably negative for the 4th quarter. This is your classic definition (2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP) of a recession. So, how does the economy continue to avoid the road to economic perdition? I think the US consumer is looking for the right government people (Barack Obama, Ben Bernanke, Tim Geithner, etc.) to lead them out of this recession. Let's hope that 2009 is a year of better economic times! Remember that January 20, 2009 is the end of an error, not an era!

Better Than Casino Royale (Review of Quantum of Solace)

On Sunday, I saw the new bond movie and it is much better than "Casino Royale." Quantum of Solace has less violence than the last bond, and the story was easier to follow than Casino Royale. These two attributes set it apart from the last Bond movie. Olga Kurylenko does a great job as "Camille", and she is also on the cover of Maxim's magazine December 2008 issue. For all you Maxim lovers, go & buy this edition. :) On another note, Quantum of Solace raked in $70 million in the weekend box office gross. It was easily #1, and it shattered the record set by "Die Another Day" by more than $20 million. If you are a huge fan of James Bond, then you will definitely have to check out this movie. Adios from the Red Carpet. 'Til next time, keep it off the record & on the QT. "

Hollywood G.'s Latest Reviews: "W." & "Body of Lies"

Hello, I saw W. tonight and it was a funny movie. It is kind of long and slow at times, but it was worth the price of admission. I think josh brolin did a great job as the president, and thandie newton looked just like the real condoleezza rice. Jeffrey Wright did a fantastic job as Colin Powell, as did Richard Dreyfuss with his role as Dick Cheney. The movie could have been better, but it was worthy of a C rating (on a letter grade scale). Also, Hollywood G. is going to talk about "Body of Lies." This was a good flick with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe trading a lot of verbal punches. The story takes place in various cities in Asia, Europe, and North America. With these sequential stops from city to city, it kept Hollywood G. engaged in this intense thriller. The book, Body of Lies, is better than the movie. Nonetheless, the movie is worth seeing. Ridley Scott directs and Russell Crowe stars in another of his thought provoking movies. As for Leonardo DiCaprio, he also does a great job as Agent Roger Farris. Leo is very intense and he did many of his own scenes. It was 14 years ago that Russell & Leonardo were in the same movie, The Quick and The Dead. In "Body of Lies", they reunite for a better movie about real world issues (terrorism, the CIA, and how the world is coping with terrorism in a post 9/11 world).

Crazy time in Chicago!

Well, I am back from a crazy 72 hour weekend in chicago. Let's just say that "Chicago is one crazy town that leaves you feeling amazing about life." G. Ripley was there for a wedding, to see some friends and family in the city and in the suburbs, plus to see some spectacular sights and attractions too. First, the architecture in this city is beautiful just like the Trump International Tower picture above. Second, the weather was gorgeous (almost 75 degrees F for a high) which is a major plus. Finally, I was in the 96th floor of the John Hancock building on my last night there. From that high up in the sky, you can see Lake Michigan and some other panoramic views. The city may be depressed about the White Sox and Cubs losing early, but the rest of city has elements which make any human being feel high off life. If you have never been to the Windy City, then you don't know what you are missing!

Hitting Thirty Deuce!

Well, today is the day which Hollywood G. (aka G. Ripley aka Rahulio Ganpuleone) came into this planet, Earth. As he looks back at the events which have occurred, there is only the luck of god that has saved him in so many ways. Hollywood G. has had the joy of meeting people from washington dc (a la Alan Greenspan), hollywood (rupert grint, david hasselhoff, etc.), bollywood (another covert story), and other walks of life. For now, there is a whole lot of living left to do. So, Just keep living (J.K.Living) which is a phrase from Matthew McConaughey. I have to quote this hollywood actor who has made great movies for the past decade or so. Check out Tropic Thunder, because Matt M. made the movie funny, but the credit also goes to Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, and a few other actors/actresses too.