I thought George Clooney’s The Descendants was a terrific movie — the best of the year, in fact. So, I’m not going to give away the plot, beyond noting that real estate figures prominently in the engrossing story. Specifically, because of something called “The Rule Against Perpetuities,” the trust run by Matt King (George Clooney’s...Read More
“Evo 3-D,” Anyone? In a world where new cell phone models seem to be coming out daily, how do you tell which one(s) are the real deal vs. a flash in the pan? I subscribe to what I’ll call the “brand extension” theory — namely, if you want to know which products have a shot...Read More
“I Feel So Good: The Life & Times of Big Bill Broonzy” “Um, Clapton? Sounds better than Clapton, though.” –Musician guessing the identity of the guitar player in a YouTube clip featuring legendary bluesman Big Bill Broonzy. Looking for a superb Father’s Day gift for the dad/husband/son/brother into blues music? (or not — the book’s a great read...Read More
Do Realtors Really Add Value? [Note: Since it appeared more than 3(!) years ago, this post has become one of the all-time most popular on City Lakes Real Estate — just on the earlier (software) version of this blog. I’m re-posting it now for the benefit of blog newcomers, and to make it easier for the search engines to find...Read More
. . . But Skipping the Commercials Before Sarah Palin beats me to it, I thought I’d propose my very own addition to the English language (as far as I know): “Synch-ron-ate”: taping a show, then watching it — without commercials — so as to finish at the same time as the live telecast. So, if I...Read More
Want to know if Colin Firth — nominated for a “Best Actor” Oscar for “The King’s Speech” — is truly a great actor? Given his status as the runaway favorite, here’s my criterion: it’s whether he can convince the audience and viewers that he’s actually surprised if he wins tonight. (And yes, he delivers a...Read More
