A Quick Update

The Contest -

We finished our short script for The 2006 Screenwriter's Challenge and turned it in July 28th. The winners will not be announced until September 12th....the wait is killing me! The way the contest works is we were given a genre and a subject and then had 1 week to turn in a short script (20 pgs max). Our genre and subject was Drama and Soldiers. Our script is title "As You Were" and is the story of a retired Army Colonel that rallys injured troops in a VA hospital, and in doing so finds purpose at the end of his career.

I posted the script on the Screenwriter's Challange message board and we have received really good feedback from the other entrants. So far our script has been viewed 187 times and we've received 16 very positive comments like -

"You have a very beautiful story here. I think it is structured perfectly and I love the character of the Colonel."

"Being a soldier myself, I had to read this. I liked it. I totally understood where the Colonel was coming from. If you don't have a military background, you wouldn't know it from reading this short. The Colonel's character was a spot on depiction of a career military man who doesn't know how to do anything else but be a soldier. I've known many of these men."

"Your story moved me. My grandfather was a Colonel and it was hard for him to leave that life behind. You captured the feeling wondefully. Nicely done."

"I thought you did a great job with the pace of the story, it was moving and well done. "

"Overall a top notch script nailing both, genre and theme."

Naturally these great comment just make the wait all the more unbearable. Especially in our heat we are competing against 17 other writers and so far only 6 have posted their scripts to the message board so there are still 11 out there that I haven't read. Did I mention the wait is killing me?? Only 26 more days!!!

Oh well there's a bunch of other things going on. The month of September is going to be busy!!!

The first weekend we're going to visit my mom and go to Silverwood! The following weekend my sister is coming to town and we're walking 5 miles in the PAWS walk...for which I've raised $200. If you would like to donate Click Here!! Also that weekend I have a script pitch and pre-production meeting for another short our production company, 50 Prime Studios (formerly Count It! Productions), will be shooting the end of the Septemeber. The weekend of the 15th and 16th C will be in Las Vegas...lucky bastard! Then the 23rd we're going to see Elton John. Then the last weekend I'll be shooting as mentioned above.

Did I mention school starts the 18th?!?!?! Oh well, looks like October is going to pretty low key. Then on to November which is already shaping up to be busy. The first weekend is our annual company party and then next weekend we're leaving for California to see Barbra Streisand and then might have a weekend rest and then we're smack into the holidays....Uh where did 2006 go??

That's about it for now.

Let Down by the Washington State Supreme Court

Today the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the state's ban on gay marriage stating the state has "a legitimate interest in regulating relationships that produce children. " What a bunch of crap. What about the woman who's had hysterectomy or the man that has had vasectomy are they not allowed to marry because their marriage will not produce children?? So the entire purpose of marriage is to have babies? I don't think so.

The times are changing and gay marriage is coming. It wasn't so long ago that popular opinion supported slavery, segregation, refusing to let women vote, ban on interracial marriage, and on and on. Popular opinion is a risky thing to bet the farm on.

Liberty and justice for ALL beats popular opinion every time!!!

The Screening and The Contest

The screening for the 48-Hour Film Project went well. We did not win an audience choice award but we're still in the running for Best of City. This was the first contest we entered that held the screening in an actual real movie theatre. Let me tell you it is a little unnerving to see yourself on the big screen 15ft tall....CRAZY!!!

Oh well, we're keeping our fingers crossed hoping we place in Best of City.

Now for the contest...my friend and cohort Accidental Housekeeper...entered a screenwriting contest that started on July 21 and we have until the 29th to turn in our completed script. So far it's going well we have our story and outline completed and I'm working on writing the 1st draft.

That's about all I have time for right now...got get that 1st draft done!!!

48-Hour Film Project

So I'm just now recovering from last weekend to blog about it. I'm too getting to old for this crazy stuff....can't bounce back like I used to.

The weekend started Friday at 6pm with me meeting other team members at The Seattle Film Institute to draw our genre and find out what the other requirements would be. We drew comedy and the requirements were as follows -

Prop - Sleeping Bag
Character - Bob or Bonnie Henry, Insurance Agent
Dialouge - "I expect you to prompt - prompt and courteous."

Once the drawing was complete we headed to Bothell were the rest of the team was waiting. We phone ahead and let them know what the requirements were and by the time we arrived some serious brainstorming was underway. We finished the script about 1:30am. By time I got home and too bed it was well after 2:00am.

The alarm went off way to early...6:15am...I had to meet the crew at 7:00am at Whole Foods in Bellevue...barely had time for a shower and cup of coffee. We shot at Whole Foods tl about 8:15AM then it was off to dowtown Seattle to film in an office building and adjacent martini lounge. We wrapped about 2:00pm and headed to Bothell to shoot a kickball game...yes I said kickball game...we wrapped in Bothell about 8:00pm.

After grabbing a quick bite we headed back to Seattle to film on a rooftop on Capitol Hill. We got a great shot of the Space Needle and Lake Union at sunset...so I guess it was worth it. We finished up about 10:30pm. One last location...we headed to Bellevue to shoot at a doctor's office. We finally finished about 1:15am. As you may imagine I was exhausted having only gotten about 4 hours sleep the night before and then having been up for almost 20 hours it was all I could do fall into bed. I slept tl noon on Sunday!

Despite the lack of sleep I think we did a pretty good job. The screening was Tuesday night in Seattle and we got a lot of laughs! I think we're a long shot to win but at least I thought we were on par quality wise with the other contestants.

You can see for yourself - Click Here

(Give it time to load)

Eventually I think that it will be available on the national 48-Hour Film Project site but so far they only have last years up there. There's is one more public screening tonite so I'm sure after that they'll put them on the site. In the meantime you can look at using the link above.

Pink's New Song.....Pink? Yes, Pink!

I came across this song called "Dear Mr. President" by Pink the other day on You Tube and all I can say is - WOW. That takes some guts y'all. There's no clever wordplay, no sugar coating, and no apologies. It's smack in your face and balls out. I know this is going to sound cheesy but it actually brought a tear to my eye.

Check it out

Relocated

We're officially moved in and settled...for the most part.

Loving the new neighborhood. There are tons of places for walking, even a few trails.

Here's some pics of 4th of July festivities.

It's Getting Serious Now

There's been another, exciting, development in the movie world. Last weekend we had a pre-production meeting to prepare for the 48-Hour Film Project that's coming up in July. Nothing too major, we all brought a dessert, and talked about the rules of the contest and took inventory of our assets, equipment, props, access to locations, etc.

After about an hour or so the meeting wrapped up and people started to leave then myself and two others were asked to stick around. I was all, "sweet", cause there was still dessert left. After everyone else had left we get down to business...literally. Turns out the reason for the meeting wasn't so much about the 48-hour project but to get us together to talk about taking the next step in our careers. Basically there are six of us that are the "core" group and then a couple others that kinda float in and out. It was proposed that the six of us form a production company and start raising money to produce a short-film to submit to festivals.

Once I picked myself up off the floor it was very exciting. The more we talked the more sense it started to make. Each of us brings a unique skill to the group but we also work very well together. "J" has mad producer skills, "T" has mad directing skills, I have mad production management skills, "F" has mad camera skills, "H" has mad post-production skills and "J2" has mad writing skills....put it all together and what do you get?? Count It! Productions. Like I said we work together very well and collaborate on all aspects of production...we've worked together for about a year now and really are a good team!

After the announcement was made we went around the room and each shared our thoughts and it was really interesting because we pretty much all shared the same "story" of how we've always wanted to do this and how we feel that time is slowly ticking away. I think four out of the six are over 30 and we all seem to be in the same place. Actually one of the guys is from eastern Washington too and our stories are really similar, we both moved here to get into the movie thing and we're in our 30's and aren't getting any younger, etc. It really made me feel good and I realized how close we really are. Also expressed was the desire to do more "substantial" material, which was really nice to hear. The three minute stuff has been fun but I know that I was ready to tackle meattier material, so it was good to hear that the rest of the group wants to as well.

Right now we're in the process of the getting a website up and actually forming the company. "T" is meeting with an attorny on the 16th to get details on forming an LLC and what that takes and how much it costs and all that stuff. Then we need to nail down all the other stuff...like how we're going to raise $15,000 - $20,000 we need to shoot the film. Obviously not everyone will be able to invest at the same level. We are truly from every walk of life, two are home owners, the rest aren't, four of us have good jobs and are for the most part financially secure, and then a couple are college kids that are working 2 part-time jobs, etc. We're not thinking that all the money will come from us...I imagine probably 1/2 will but that still leaves a pretty good chunk so we'll have to come up with some fundraising schemes. Plus it's going to be a good 1 to 2 year committment. Obviously none of us are quitting our day jobs so it's going to take awhile to get everything in place and raise the money and then shoot it and edit, etc.

That's all I know now.....stay tuned for more information!!!

The Count Down Has Begun!!

I can't believe the waiting is almost over!! We move next week!! In fact today I called the cable company and got my install appointment all set up to ensure that my access to the internet is in no way interupted!!

We can actually start moving in on Tuesday the 20th and might take a few boxes over that evening but the major portion of the move won't happen until the weekend of 24th and 25th. Then thankfully I have June 29th through July 6th off from work so I'll have plenty of time to get settled in and all that good stuff.

It's a good thing that we've already started packing stuff up cause we're heading to Yak this weekend so won't have time to do anything. Next week is going to be busy!! Oh well I work from home on Tuesday and Thursday and C is off on Wednesday so I'm sure we'll have it well in hand. I'm pretty sure that we can have the guest bathroom, dining room, guest bedroom and non-essential kitchen items moved before the weekend. Then when the weekend comes I'm thinking 1/2 the day on Saturday we're done.

I'm sure I'm over simplifying but we'll see :-)

No STIFFY...:-(

Sadly we were not voted a winner at the "Weekend Film Challange" screenings over the weekend as part Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF). I do feel that we made a strong showing and the caliber of our work was on par with the winners. It was a fun, creative and great learning experience.

Stay tuned for information about the 48-Hour Film Project coming up in July.

Oh yeah...if you haven't already check out the new website of Angry Mo Productions at ...www.angrymo.com! That's right it's own domain!! You'll find more information on the 48-hour Film Project as well as information about other projects!!

Finally, if you haven't already, telephone or e-mail your US Senators and ask them to oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Washington Won't Discriminate

The Angry Mo needs your help! Keep discrimination out of Washington State. Click on the logo below to see how you can help.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left
to speak up for me.

--Pastor Martin Niemöller

The Dixie Chicks, The Economy and The FMA

Oy….where to start?

The Dixie Chicks – GET OVER IT! It was three years ago. For those of you that say they are entertainers and should just shut up and sing I don’t pay to listen to your opinion, don't be a hypocrite. Not a day goes by that a celebrity isn’t saying something about something. So the next time a celebrity uses their voice to bring awareness to poverty, genocide, famine or human right issues remember to tell them to just shut up and sing. I guess freedom of speech only applies when it's inline with the popular opinion of the time. Just because someone says something you disagree with doesn't mean they don't have the right to say it.

I know the “America, love it or leave it” types don’t get it but let me try to explain it. The fact that they said what they said and didn’t get beheaded, thrown in jail or otherwise tortured or punished is EXACTLY what America is all about…not “love it or leave it.” That’s whole point – YOU CAN DISAGREE. And, by the by, people usually speak out because they love it. Patriotism is NOT just waiving the flag, bowing your head and saying yes sir, it’s speaking out, it’s taking chances, it’s about trying to make things better and it’s about having a voice!

All over the county folks vowed to never buy another Dixie Chick album or ever go to another concert, they even convinced some radio stations not to play their music. Fine that’s their choice. Some folks even went so far as to send letters saying the most horrible and hurtful things. These letters called them unpatriotic and accused them of treason and those were the “nice” one. Some of these letters included death threats, not only to the band, but death threats against the band’s (at the time) unborn children, their parents, their brothers and sisters. Now, compared to what the Dixie Chicks said about Bush, who's the bigger asshole?

Just an FYI…The Dixie Chick’s new album is #1 on the Billboard chart and is the most purchased CD from Amazon.com since it was released a week ago? That my friends is truly “America the Beautiful.” Hope springs eternal for the Angry Mo.

The Economy – WHO’S GETTING RICH?? It ain’t me. A recent poll reports that 60% of Americans are unhappy with how President Bush is handling the economy. Naturally Bush doesn’t get it because the economic indicators are up. Good Morning America sited gas prices as the major contributing factor to people’s dissatisfaction with the economy. While gas prices are high what I have the most problem with is how can the economic indicators look good? I don’t even really know what these indicators are but let me share some of my own indicators and then you tell me if the economy is UP?

• Gas prices are up 49% since 2004


• Home prices (King County, WA) are up 18% in the last year alone (**UPDATE 06/12/06 - new figures announced on the news last night...the increase over last year is 22% and in neighboring Pierce County one city saw a 32% increase. In an area that is 2,307 sq mis, roughly twice the size of the state of Rhode Island the average home price is $405,000.**)


• Grocery prices are rising at a rate of 10% a year


• Healthcare costs are up over 15% since 2004




• My salary is up 4% since 2004

Hmmmm, you can definitely count me in the 60% of Americans that are unhappy with the way the economy is being handled. GRRRRRRR!

The FMA – LEGALIZING DISCRIMINATION. Nice, “all men are created equal”, which apparently only applies only to white heterosexual men with a PSI of at least of $98,234.67.43. With all the talk of family values and 50% of marriages ending in divorce I’m not sure I fully understand what the problem is. As a gay man, who is an American citizen, I feel that I have the right to marry my partner of 5 years. I find it insanely ridiculous that I could walk down the street, conk the first girl I see over the head and drag her off to the courthouse and get married no questions asked.

I’m about 99.99999999999% certain that the opposition is based on religious belief. That’s fine you have your belief, as do I, yes gay people believe in God. I’m fully 150% behind you, and respect your belief. However, I’m not asking that my marriage be recognized by you OR your church, I’m asking that it be recognized by the so-called non-religious government. All I want, as a taxpaying American, is equal protection under the law. My partner and I live as a married couple, we are monogamous, we combine our incomes, we make decisions based on our mutual success, we share hopes and dreams and have a made a life together.

Throughout American history, the Constitution has been amended to expand and protect the rights and liberties of the American people. It has been amended to abolish slavery, and give women and young people the right to vote. It should not be used to single out some Americans for discrimination. As gay Americans we are just a regular people, we go to work, pay our bills and our taxes, respect our neighbors and are just trying to get ahead like everyone else. We aren’t asking for special right, we are asking, if not demanding, equal rights. We just want to be treated like everyone else.

This is a civil issue NOT a religious one.

Not A Winner....Please Try Again!

We were not :-( selected as one of the winners in the Seattle Times 3-minute Masterpiece contest. Oh well it was a good expierence anyway. Now I may be a little biased but I just don't get the Grand Prize winner at all....you can see it here and judge for yourself. Yes, it's animation and it probably took a long time to make...but still. Also, while you're there check out "The Diary" and "Go Fish" I think those two were really good.

Don't forget voting is this weekend for "The Cost of Reform" at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. Unfortunately tickets are available at the door only...arrive early!!!

Saturday June 3rd @ 11AM at Central Cinema (Central Cinema is located in Seattle's Central District neighborhood at 21st Avenue and E. Union street. Look for the Neon Marquee. The address is 1411 21 Avenue Seattle WA 98122. ) S

Sunday June 4th @ 11AM at The Market Theater (1428 Post AlleySeattle, WA 98101 - this is at Pike Street Market...hence the name...Market Theater).

Angry Mo Productions

In an effort to legitimize and/or publicize my creative efforts The Diary of an Angry Mo has spawned a companion website for Angry Mo Productions. So check it out and let me know what you think. Any questions, comments or advice is encouraged and greatly appreciated!!

Click Here to go Angry Mo Productions

See It Here..um..There

One of my moviemaking colleagues and friends has created a website. Why should you care?? Well you can view three of our projects....the one that started it all...."Boss and Vasquez", our Seattle Times 3-minute masterpiece entry, "Addiction" and our STIFF entry, "The Cost of Reform."

Check it out

At the top, click on the title you wish to view. If you don't have it already you may be asked to download QuickTime, and if you do have it you may be asked to update...just follow the directions...IT'S FREE.

We've Done It Now

We've entered another 48-Hour film competition. Though this isn't your everyday competition. This is the original "48-Hour Film Project" the one that started it all and the one that every other one copies. That's right this is the national "official" 48-Hour competition. Click here to find out more...you'll see on the right hand side of the screen under the map is a list of registered teams and there we are, "Count It! Productions."

This is by far the biggest competition we've entered. The 48-Hour Film Project hosts competitions in 35 cities around the world. The potential exposure is HUGE...city winners go on to compete nationally. Actually with competitions taking place in Brisbane and Paris it could be international exposure.

The competition kicks off Friday July 7th.....I'll let you know what happens.

HELP!!!! UPDATED

***Updated information for STIFF Screenings***

This pertains to the June 3 and June 4 audience voting screenings...

The voting will be done by ballot: 3 points awarded for a first place vote, 2 points for second, and 1 for 3rd. Again, we need all of the people we can to come out and stuff the ballots for our short film titled, "The Cost of Reform," produced by Count-it! Productions.

Voting can only be done in person at one of the two screenings.

Also I believe that tickets are no longer avail online for the Sunday screening...tickets can still be purchased at the door...but admission is not guaranteed. At this point online ticket orders for Saturday are still be taken.

Finally, if you are going to be over this way over the Memorial Day weekend drop in on Sunday May 28th 11:00am at the Seattle International Film Festival to see our Seattle Times "entry "Addiction." Click HERE for tickets

HELP!!!!!

So I'm reposting this e-mail blast that Travis sent out over the weekend.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! Travis, Jason, Jason, Justin, Frank, Jeff (that's me), Lauralee and Joel with the help of Carmen, Michelle, Michael-Ellyn, Barry, Vincent, Colin, Steve, and Rachel have entered the Seattle True Independent Film Festival's 2006 Weekend Film Challenge. We were given a character, quote, prop, and genre on Friday at 7p and had until Sunday at 7p to have a written, shot, cut, and scored short film submitted. We have come up with a piece that is way cool, BUT the judging is done by the audience for this one. Sooooooo, this is where our wonderful friends and family come in....

If you are available, please plan on attending one of two screenings as linked below:

Saturday, June 3rd, 11:00am, OR
Sunday, June 4th, 11:00am:

Our team name is Count-it! Productions and the name of our film is "The Cost of Reform." We need your support to cheer for us as LOUDLY as you possible can at either of the two venues!

"What's in it for me?" you ask. Well, here is the scenario:

1. You purchase your ticket and attend one of the screenings.

2. You do your part by cheering so loudly for our film that people in neighboring states wonder what the heck all the noise is about.

3. We win the Grand Prize, which is $2500 in services from Victory Studios (a prominent transfer house in North Seattle.)

4. We use the prize to create our next piece, which will be a wonderful short story shot on super 16mm film.

5. This film is well received and the major studios begin a furious bidding war for the rights and we finally settle on an 8-figure deal.

6. Using this money, we charter a private jet for all of you and head somewhere sunny and warm with white sandy beaches and drinks with umbrellas where we party for a week! (Please retain your ticket stub from the screening as this will be necessary to get you on the plane...)

THANK YOU in advance if you are able to attend! We are all grateful for the support given to us by all of our friends and family!

Please pass this email off to anyone who loves short films and would like to attend!

See you at the movies!

-Trav-

Update on the Google and Stuff

I wasn't one of the 10,000 finalists....DAMN YOU TOM HANKS AND YOUR CRAZY EURO-MULLET! Oh well.

I saw our finished 3-minute film for STIFF....it is AWESOME!! I should hopefully be getting a DVD with this one and the other ones that we have done. So's the next time we come to the crack I can show y'all.

In the meantime...check this out....I didn't haven't anything to do with it but the Rasta Man is the same guy that played the lead in our short film "The Ideal Wife". It's pretty funny.

Chuck Norris Rap

...And We're Done!!

Another 48-hour film competition under our belts!!!

Friday night we met for dinner and then headed to the meeting spot in downtown Seattle. It was kind of interesting how they did this one. There were about 15 teams and they drew, 1 character (P. Flowers: A Politician), 1 line of dialog ("More like 28, right guys?"), and 1 prop (pocket change) that ALL the teams had to use. Then each team drew a genre. I don't know what every team got, but we got drama and the team next to us got horror.

Other possible genres included: comedy, action/adventure, thriller, mockumentary, propaganda, musical, western and sci-fi. Oh yeah...the time constraint is that the finished film has to be at least 3 minutes but no longer than 6 minutes. It will be interesting to see if anyone got sci-fi or musical....I think those 2 would be really really hard to do in 48-hours.

After the drawing was over we took over the Il Forniao seating area at Pacific Place on 6th and Pine. We banged out our story in about 3 1/2 hours and recruited one of the security guard to appear in our film, (we got his number and called him Saturday morning and told him where to be and he actually showed up!!) he turned out to be fantastic. He played a double agent in charge of protecting a Senator (Peggy Flowers) and her family, but also works for a group of assasins that are targeting the Senator. Through the course of the story he gets found out and is killed by one of the assasins he is working for. He died beautifully!!!

Probably the most amazing thing that happened was that our lead actress knew someone who owns a house in the Finn Hill area of Kirkland and got permission for us to use the house as the location for the Senators house. HOLY CRAP...this house was amazing...on a bluff overlooking Lake Washington with views of downtown Bellevue, Seattle and Mt. Rainier. The inside was just as amazing as the outside...marble floor and marble columns in the foyer that lead to a sunken 2-story living room with floor to ceiling windows framing that AMAZING view. We estimated that the house had to be worth at least $3.5 - $4 million.

It was fun but really exhausting...I worked all day Friday and then went right to Seattle...didn't get home until about 11pm. Then was up at 6:30am and at our first location by 8am we shot at 3 locations, 2 in Bellevue and the Finn Hill house mentioned above. I got home about 9pm. Luckily, the last location was at the house of our team leader where all the editting equipment is so the editors were able to start editting while we finished up shooting the last couple of scenes.

We are thinking the films will be viewed and the winners announced June 3rd. I'll surely post results here!

Another 48hrs....

...film contest that is. Tonight begins the Seattle's True Independent Film Festival (STIFF) 48-Hour Film Competition. The competition is sure to be bit more STIFF...pun intended...than the Maple Valley Film Festival, but we're hoping for the best. We meet tonight to draw our genre out of the hat and then have until Sunday 7pm to turn in the finished film.

Haven't heard anything about the Seattle Time 3-minute Masterpiece yet....all they said was that winners would be notified on or before May 27th. The deadline to enter was April 28th and SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) just announced their schedule yesterday and the 3-minute winners will screen on May 28th....uh we want to know before May 27th....so we can tell people....duh!!! Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

On a completely unrelated note I've been playing the Da Vinci Code Quest on Google for the last 24 days...each day they release a new puzzle to solve starting April 17 and the contest ended May 10. The first 10,000 people to complete the 24th puzzle and register become finalists in the Quest. So I finished on the 10th and registered and nothing happened so I figured oh well I wasn't fast enough I didn't make it into the top 10. Then yesterday afternoon I got an e-mail that said they had officially received my registration and I had successfully completed all 24 puzzles and they would notify the 10,000 finalists via e-mail on Monday May 15th. So I might be one of the 10,000 after all. I can't believe I have to wait until Monday!!!

If you make it into the finals you receive a cryptex in the mail and 4 stills from the movie. You have to find the code in the stills that will open the cryptex and inside will be instructions on how to get to the final challenge. Then the first one to solve the final challenge wins the Grand Prize.

What's the Grand Prize you ask...holy moley...let me tell you -

• First-class round-trip air transportation for four (4) to New York, Paris, Rome and London.
• Four (4) nights deluxe hotel accommodations and ground transportation for four (4) at each travel destination.
• Four Leisure Select (train) return tickets from London to Paris and London to Avignon.
• One (1) Sony® 40" BRAVIA™ S-Series LCD HDTV Television
• One (1) Sony® VAIO® VGN-TX770P/B Notebook computer
• One (1) Sony® Cyber-shot® DSC-N1 Digital Camera
• One (1) Sony® Platinum DVD Dream™ System
• One (1) Sony® NV-U70 Portable Navigation System
• One (1) Sony® DPP-FP50 Digital Photo Printer
• Four (4) Sony® Walkman Core™ MP3 Players
• Four (4) copies of the Frommer’s Guide Books and Day by Day Guides to New York, Paris, Rome and London.

The total cash value of the Grand Prize......drum roll.....$128,170!!! So I'm really not expecting to win, I'd be happy being one of the 10,000 finalists, but wouldn't it be nice to win all that stuff!!!

So that's about it. Nothing much else going on.