Friday, November 27, 2015

The "Gremlins" remake/reboot, hoboes with arsenals and the battle for the South China Sea


- The accusations are a-flyin’ at the United Nations tribunal hearing to decide control of a disputed portion of the South China Sea. The Philippine delegation presenting the southeast Asian nation's case against China fired some big salvos this week, denouncing China’s nine-dash line claim ''hopeless and indefensible." Deputy President Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Philippine delegation used its arguments on the second day of the hearing to lock in on how China's actions prevent the Philippines from exploring its living and non-living resources in the contested waters. A bulletin for the Nov. 25 hearing featured Valte quoting counsel lawyer Andrew Loewenstein as saying that none of the three conditions to establish historic rights is present in China's case, making its claim "hopeless and indefensible." The arbitral tribunal will decide the outcome of the case lodged by the Philippines against China after ruling that it has jurisdiction over it and that isn't sitting well with China, which has acted in extremely shady fashion by quickly constructing artificial islands over South China Sea reefs it claims to control. According to these communist a-holes, it  has finished its reclamation activities and is now in the process of building structures on it. The best part of the tribunal process is that China is refusing to take part, arguing that the proper way to address the dispute is through bilateral talks. Yes, a massive and powerful nation wants to sit down alone with a smaller, much poorer nation and bully that smaller nation to get what it wants, which should surprise no one. During the second day of the hearing, Professor Philippe Sands argued that China cannot claim sovereignty over the reefs it controls. These cleverly named locations include Mischief Reef, Second Thomas Shoal, Subi Reef, Mckennan Reef and Gaven Reef and according to Sands, these reefs are all low-tide elevations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and as such, cannot generate its own territorial sea, exclusive economic zone or continental shelf. Like that’s going to stop China……….


- Life has not turned out the way Boston Celtics 2015 draft pick Marcus Thornton wanted in recent months. For starters, he’s not playing for the Celtics and is instead toiling Down Under for the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League. But hooping it up for the other Kings - not even the mediocre outfit that calls Sacramento home - and playing a game against the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong isn't the major indignity Thornton is coping with right now. No, that would be having an elderly fan lean out of his private box at the game and pour some of his wildly overpriced arena beer onto Thornton’s head. That elderly basketball fan has been banned for the rest of the Australian season for the beer shower, which happened after Thornton drove to the basket during the third quarter, absorbed contact from a defender and fell to the floor on the edge of the court. That’s when the old-timer leaned over the front edge of his private box and poured his drink on Thornton while the fan’s female companion talked a ridiculous amount of junk. These two ass hats were escorted from Wollongong's WIN Stadium a short time later and NBL general manager Jeremy Loeliger made a grand understatement by describing the situation as "unfortunate.'' The spectator had been in sitting a box owned by Figtree Private Hospital, which apologized in a rather lame statement. "The 83-year-old father of a long-term, valued employee has some cognitive impairment and does not recall the incident,'' the hospital said in a statement. "His family are very regretful of the incident and have indicated they will be making a formal apology on his behalf.'' A “cognitive impairment” means what exactly? Very vague and cryptic of you, Figtree……..


- Life on the streets in Los Angeles is rough. In the City of Angels, trying to survive on the street isn't the same shallow, superficial, BMW-and-Chanel-flavored experience that the city’s wealthy residents enjoy and a homeless person has a lot on their plate when it comes to getting by day to day. As such, maybe the long arm of the law wants to relinquish its firm grip around the throat - legally speaking - out Richard Cunningham, a homeless man who was arrested this holiday week for possession of five firearms, including two operable World War II-era machine guns. Police arrested Cunningham while they were patrolling a homeless camp in Harbor City. Sheriff’s Detective Dennis Elmore said deputies picked up the well-armed vagrant, who was in possession of high-capacity magazines and ammunition for the M3 machine guns, which are also known as “grease guns.” The idea of a homeless man, possibly dealing with emotional and psychological problems, having not only this impressive arsenal but also two makeshift silencers is scary on some level, but you can bet no one else is trying to thieve his preferred spot under a bridge or the ideal alley way slot behind a bakery that affords the best chance at semi-stale bagels once the place closes in the evening. Deputies were patrolling Doble Avenue and Lomita Boulevard when they found the homeless camp on private property and began to inspect it. Unfortunately for Cunningham, being prepared to wage literal war for that brand new discarded refrigerator box to expand your current box home to a two-room luxury dwelling doesn’t sit well with The Man and he now faces charges including possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a large-capacity magazine and possession of a machine gun. No one is sure what his previous criminal conviction was or how he was able to obtain such an arsenal of weapons, but give the guy credit for being prepared for whatever life sends his way……….


- Nice spin job, Zach Galligan. Galligan, who starred in the cult classic 1984 comedic horror movie “Gremlins,” is trying to sell the world on the fact that a revival of the film is neither a remake or reboot. He played Billy Peltzer in the original film and its 1990 sequel, both of which featured an adorable furry creature called Gizmo who cannot be fed or get wet after midnight lest he spawn a brood of evil relatives hell bent on chaos and destruction. The news of a possible reboot/remake/shameless rip-off to avoid having to be original first broke earlier this year with the rumor that screenwriter Carl Ellsworth (“Disturbia”) had been hired to write a new “Gremlins” script. Two men who were a heavy part of the original fim, writer Chris Columbus and executive producer Steven Spielberg, will reportedly be involved in the new project, which Galligan is trying to separate from the two projects it is so clearly predicated upon. "It's not going to be a reboot. It will not be a remake in any way, shape, or form. Chris Columbus has come out and said that the first film is very near and dear to his heart and as long as he is alive it will never be remade," Galligan said during a special screening of “Gremlins” in London. "So the only thing they will be, and apparently are going to be doing, is something along the lines of like Jurassic World, where it will be 30 years later." Whatever you say, Z. This guy doesn’t even know if he’ll appear in the new movie, but said it was likely because he’s one of the few actors from the movie who are still living and/or acting. Hoyt Axton, who played the father of Galligan's character, died in 1999, and Phoebe Cates retired from acting in 1994. Both Corey Feldman and Howie Mandel - who provided the voice of Gizmo - are still alive and acting, so they could definitely be a part of this remake/reboot/sequel……….

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