Book Pricing – How to Determine Book Values Part 3

November 8, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under AUTHORS/BOOKS

So, you’ve decided you want to sell books online after all, but need to find out what price you’d have to set on each to make a profit.  So, where do you even start?  Here’s some ideas of how you could get to the numbers you need.

(The following examples are based on selling on eBay as of November 2008, with the fees in effect at that time and the given that only PayPal will be accepted from now on, and are only a guideline.  You’ll need to put in your own actual expenses to get your possible income/profit.)

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HEROES Shake-Up

November 3, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under Heroes, TV SHOWS

According to Variety, the catchphrase from the first season of HEROES was “save the cheerleader.” This season, it could be “save the scripts.”

Tim Kring, the series creator and executive producer has axed his co-exec producers and writing team, Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb, in an effort to prove to the network that he will be taking a more personal hands-on approach to the upcoming season.  NBC has been hinting that he’d delegated too much of the story development to the two and that the series had gone from a fan-favorite good-vs.-evil virtual live comic book to an overly convoluted, overly plotted confusing mess.   Given the $4M an episode price tag, NBC is definitely interested in getting the show back to its old numbers.  (Viewership dropped almost 21% from season 2 in the main demographics.)

The firing, however, may now prove a little awkward: On Nov. 15, Kring is supposed to appear at the Screenwriting Expo at the L.A. Convention Center, with Alexander and Loeb.  (Oops.)  However, it looks like it may be great for us fans if we can get back to the characters we all love to hate and hate to love…

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UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS

November 3, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under MOVIES

Coming January 2009, this prequel to UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION brings back Bill Nighy (Viktor), Michael Sheen (Lucian), Shane Brolly (Kraven) and Kevin Grevioux (Raze – he also helped write the original story the first movie was based on).

Rhona Mitra takes over the part of Sonja, Lucian’s love.  (Her character was only previously seen in flashback, played by Jazmin Damak.)

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS gives us the backstory of the Death Dealers and their slaves, the Lycans, taking us to where it all began.  (UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION already gave us some of the origin story, but this provides the entire tale.)

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New STAR TREK Movie Photos

November 2, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under MOVIES

Paramount and J.J. Abrams have released 7 new photos from the upcoming STAR TREK movie: Also, the upcoming issue of Empire magazine will have an exclusive photo shoot of Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine, including three exclusive new stills straight from the USS Enterprise.

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STAR TREK The Experience To Close

August 30, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under Star Trek, TV SHOWS

STAR TREK The Experience - Las Vegas

STAR TREK The Experience - Las Vegas

For 10 years, the Las Vegas Hilton has hosted STAR TREK The Experience and now an era is coming to an end: September 1st, the attraction is closing.

According to the AP, thousands of fans are flocking to the shows (the new BORG Invasion 4D and the original attraction, Klingon Encounter) to get a glimpse before the whole thing closes for good.

I always thought it would be fun to check out, but never managed and now it looks like I never will. (1 day’s notice IS a bit short, hmmm?)

Guess this means that Vegas doesn’t give the new movie very good odds, eh? (Otherwise why close the attraction now if there were going to be an upswing in Star Trek interest again??) However, CBS/Paramount, owners of the franchise, seem to be hunting for a new home for it, so maybe all is not lost…

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STAR TREK – Coming May 2009

July 19, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under MOVIES, Star Trek, TV SHOWS

J.J. Abrams and Paramount have finally issued promo ‘posters’ at the official site for the upcoming STAR TREK movie which is being called variously STAR TREK ZERO (as it’s a prequel) or STAR TREK XI (the eleventh movie in the franchise) or just plain STAR TREK. They of course can’t use STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE – that’s already been used. =)

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2008 Emmy Awards Announced

July 17, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under ACTORS, Hugh Laurie, TV SHOWS

Paul Giamatti as John Adams (HBO)

Paul Giamatti as John Adams (HBO)

With 23 nominations, including Paul Giamatti’s nod as Lead Actor in a Mini-Series, HBO’s JOHN ADAMS mini-series was the overall frontrunner in 2008’s Emmy Awards announcements.

In a new twist, 2 basic cable shows, MAD MEN and DAMAGES, also managed to achieve Best Series nominations, something basic cable programs had never managed to do until now.

Here are just some of the 2008 nominees (with the ones I’d like to see win in red):
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MERCY: Duffy’s Soulful Singing is Super

July 14, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under MUSIC

 

Recently, I was listening to a TV music channel in the background when MERCY by Duffy came on. I looked up to watch, expecting to see a retro-1960’s black girl’s group singing it, only to be surprised to see this little Welsh blond belting it out. Needless to say, I was quite amazed at what a great voice she has, part Billie Holiday, part Ronettes, and a little Ben E. King mixed in. =)

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Knox & Vivienne – The Newest Jolie-Pitts

July 14, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under ACTORS, Angelina Jolie, MOVIES

It appears the Jolie-Pitts have added a few more to the growing brood: twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline join Maddox, Zahara, Pax and Shiloh. I’m not so hot on the name Knox, but Vivienne Marcheline flows nicely. (For someone who’s trying to bring children’s issues to people’s attention, especially all the orphaned and abandoned kid’s needing parents, I think Angie needs to maybe reconsider her birth control choices… Or maybe Brad does, hmmm? But that’s just my opinion. LOL)

Guess it will be time to adopt again next, eh? Wonder which country they’ll go for next? (Can you say “Cheaper By The Dozen?” LOL)

This time around she had a C-Section, so I guess more Lara Croft movies in small swimsuits will be off the table for awhile or forever…  (Then again, with today’s movie magic and makeup magic, who knows?)

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FINAL FILMS: Actors Who Died Too Soon

July 1, 2008 by Spotlight-on WM  
Filed under ACTORS

With Heath Ledger’s death before THE DARK KNIGHT was released, he joined a sad, but growing number of actors and actresses who died before their last movie was finished and/or released.

Not all final movies have gone on to break box office records like THE DARK KNIGHT–in its opening 10 days it’s already done over $330 million–but they all mark a sad moment when a Hollywood star was lost.

Here are just some of the actors who passed too quickly and their final films:

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Name Last Movie Year Died Age How They Were Taken
Aaliyah THE QUEEN OF THE DAMNED 2001 22 Plane crash.
John Candy WAGON’S EAST 1994 43 Coronary embolism leading to heart attack while sleeping.
Gary Cooper THE NAKED EDGE 1961 60 Prostate cancer which metastasized to
his bones. Filming was finished, but the film had not been released yet.
James Dean REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE 1955 24 Car crash. Received first posthumous Best Actor Oscar and only actor to have two posthumous nominations.
Dominique Dunne THE SHADOW RIDERS (TV) 1982 22 Strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend
before the film was released.
Chris Farley ALMOST HEROES 1994 33 Drug overdose.
Gloria Foster THE MATRIX RELOADED 2001 67 Complications from diabetes after
filming was finished but before the movie was released.
Clark Gable THE MISFITS 1960 59 Heart attack. Filming had been completed but the movie had not been released yet.
Jean Harlow SARATOGA 1937 26 Uremic poisoning during filming after
years of kidney problems.
Richard Harris HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS 2002 72 Hodgkin’s disease a few weeks before the movie was released.
Phil Hartman SMALL SOLDIERS 1998 49 Shot to death by his wife before she
committed suicide.
John Hodiak ON THE THRESHOLD OF SPACE 1955 41 Heart attack at home while getting ready to go to the studio.
Raul Julia STREET FIGHTER 1994 54 Stroke after suffering from stomach
cancer a few days before filming ended.
Heath Ledger THE DARK KNIGHT 2008 28 Acute (fatal) intoxication by the
combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam,
alprazolam and doxylamine.
Ernie Kovacs IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD 1962 42 Car crash before filming began.
Brandon Lee THE CROW 1993 28 Accidental gunshot wound during filming. A prop gun that was supposed to have only blanks still had a bullet lodged in the barrel from an earlier test firing of
blanks that were made from real cartridges to cut time.
Bruce Lee ENTER THE DRAGON 1973 32 Supposedly died due to
hypersensitivity to the muscle relaxant in Equagesic. His death was
ruled “death by misadventure.”
Carole Lombard TO BE OR NOT TO BE 1942 33 Plane crash while on a war bonds tour during post-production.
Bernie Mac SOUL MEN;  MADAGASCAR:  ESCAPE 2 AFRICA 2008 50 Pneumonia
Marilyn Monroe SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE 1962 36 Accidental chloral hydrate
and Nembutal overdose.
Heather O’Rourke POLTERGEIST III 1988 12 Septic shock from an acute bowel obstruction.
River Phoenix DARK BLOOD 1993 23 Heroine and cocaine (speedball)
overdose.
Tyrone Power SOLOMON AND SHEBA 1958 44 Heart attack during a strenuous dueling scene.
Oliver Reed GLADIATOR 1999 61 Heart attack during a filming break after a heavy drinking and arm wrestling bout.
John Ritter BAD SANTA 2003 54 Aortic dissection (rupture) from a congenital heart defect while filming his TV series, but before the film was released.
Adrienne Shelley WAITRESS; SERIOUS MOONLIGHT 2007 40 Originally considered a suicide, it was reclassified a homicide when a man confessed to strangling her and hanging her body in her shower after she caught him stealing from her purse.
Spencer Tracy GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER 1967 67 Heart attack after filming, but before
film was released.
Natalie Wood BRAINSTORM 1981 43 Accidental drowning.

May They All Rest in Peace…

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