"I wake up everyday, no matter what anybody says or what goes wrong or whatever, with this overwhelming sense of gratitude, because it may be that if I hadn't been knocked down in the way I was and forced to come to grips with what I've done, and the consequences of it, in such an awful way, I might not never ever had to really deal with it 100 percent."

1. LA Mayor Richard Riordan on whether or not L.A. is ready for the Democratic Convention: "We are ready to say these three words... welcome to the City of Angels!"

CIGARETTE MAKERS CHANGE PR TACTICS

DIVORCE LEAVES ACTOR CULKIN HOME ALONE, NOTHING HAPPENING

Los Angeles - Actor McCaulay Culkin, 19, has divorced his 20-year-old wife of one year, Rachel Minor, citing Irreconcilable Differences. But despite the actor's solo presence in his posh L.A. mansion full of "really expensive antiques, and stuff", wacky comic hijinks continue not to occur.

Reached in Sioux City where she is currently trying to reschedule a flight canceled due to bad weather, Culkin's mother is reportedly not frantically trying to get back to her son in L.A. "I'm sure he's fine", says the mother of six. She also added that she will not be giving her mother's heirloom watch to anyone willing to give up their seat so that she, a mother, can get back to her son who is "home alone."

Sources within the LAPD report that, at this time, no inept criminal duos are lurking outside Culkin's mansion hoping to use the actor's alone status to break in and clear the residence of valuables. Police Chief Bernard Parks told anxious reporters today that he fears that "the ingenious little traps" Culkin has set up around the house to deter thieves will most likely go unused if the situation continues. "that's a shame too" added Parks, "that thing that coats their faces with hot glue then covers them in chicken feathers would've been really funny. I sure would've liked to have seen that one go off."

:-)

Of course, I saw it for free, so mitigate my feelings on the film to whatever degree you think appropriate. But it's pretty cool-looking, I found the character stories to be fairly interesting, and I enjoyed the dialogue.

One thing I hated about the movie speaks to a larger issue I have with movies in general. I can't ever remember a time when filmmakers were more blatant about leaving their films open to sequels. Back in the day (Star Wars, Raiders...) films used to be stand-alones... and if a sequel became appropriate, they found a way to link one to another. This one, however, has a storyline that just plain peters out right in the middle. There's almost an arrogance to it, like they know we're gonna come back, so they don't bother finishing the tale. So, that really pissed me off.

However, in an era of film when everything has to be complicated, or drawn-out, or clever, or a twist, this movie is refreshingly simple at an hour-and-a-half. For a good example of a film that's not trying too hard, check out the scene where one character must prove to the others that he is who he says he is. His solution is simple, to the point, and damn funny.