March to Box Office Madness 2010 Final Results

We have a winner! Some six months later, the spring/summer box office season can finally be declared finished, and with it, the March to Box Office Madness 2010 game.

It was a tight race all the way down to the wire, but our winner, with 65 points (out of a possible 76) is Justin G., who topped the "record" for total points (I say "record" because this is only the second year of the game) of 64 points by last year's winner, Wayne (of Reel Whore). (Wayne ended this year tied for 14th with 49 points.) Bringing up the rear, with an impossible 10 points, was Clarabela, who obviously will need a partner next year (sorry, I had to call you out - it takes talent to score that low in this game!).

As it happens, I got 2nd place with 62 points, but since I was one of the prize-givers for 2nd place (see below), I'm going to defer. The prize I was scheduled to give to the 2nd place winner will be added to the 1st place booty; likewise, I'll ask Wayne to transfer his 2nd place offering to the 3rd place player, Neil A, who tallied 60 points. I will be in touch with all prize winners and offerers in the next few days to co-ordinate efforts.

First place:
* From Rachel of Rachel's Reel Reviews, a $25 gift certificate to a large movie theater chain (one in the area of the winner),

* From Joshua of The Discordic Adventures of Fnord, a set of five DVDs, including A Nightmare on Elm Street (Limited Special), My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and Revolver.

Second Place:
* From me, the standard DVD of your choosing (up to $19.99) from Amazon, (going to the first place winner)

* From Wayne, a set of two DVDs, Transformers and Spider-Man 3. As Wayne stated, "Both of those should be appropriate since they are summer box office breakers." (going to the third place winner)

Third Place:
* From This Guy of This Guy Over Here, "If I finish my eBook by then, I'll be happy to throw that in the pool of prizes... value will be $4.99 haha... but that's a big IF,"

* From me, a brand new t-shirt of insignificant value.

To view the final bracket in PDF form, click here (or if you wish to save, do a "Save Target As"): http://blogcabins.webs.com/march2madnessmaster2010final.pdf

Here are the complete and final standings; if you think I've made an error, be sure to let me know within three (3) days of this post. Due to the possibility of an error, prizes will not be sent until such time has passed. Click here to read all about the game.

Finally - THANKS FOR PLAYING! I look forward to doing it again next year.

NAME	TOTAL
Justin G.	65
Dylan	62
Neil A.	60
T.L. bugg	57
Joshua R.	57
Lindsay S.	55
Fitz	53
Keith	52
This Guy Over Here	51
Luke T.	51
Ruben	51
JacksSmirkingRevenge	50
Dodge This!	50
Nick	49
Wayne	49
Jess	48
Andy H.	47
Matt N.	47
John B.	47
Alex S.	47
Scott K.	46
Sebastian G.	44
Mike M.	43
Daniel	43
BD79	41
Travis M.	40
Linda S.	40
Jason S.	38
R.D. P.	37
Rachel	37
Scot N.	37
Joaquin	35
Kid Vegas	34
Vancetastic	33
Aiden R.	32
Andrew K.	32
Michaël P.	30
Clarabela	10

All box office data from Box Office Mojo.

PLUG: Japan Cinema

Hey folks, it is contest time here at Japan Cinema and we are giving away a copy of Ghost in the Shell 2.0 on Blu-Ray disc. All you have to do in order to enter the contest is to head on over to our contest section and fill out the form telling us why you like Japan Cinema! One winner will be picked at random.

*Contest runs from July 12 – August 12, 2010. U.S. Residents only.

**If you @JapanCinema on Twitter and share the contest with your twitter followers, this also counts as an entry and will double your chances of winning.

Good luck to all who enter!

Contest page link: http://japancinema.net/contest/



Got a Press Release, something to Plug, or a Screener available for review (or some combination of the three)? Ok, don't get all crazy about it. Just click here and give me the details (what, when, where, and a link, for starters) - I'll handle the rest.

March to Box Office Madness 2010 scoring update (through 7/18)

Though the March to Box Office Madness game technically won't end until late September, I'm going to be periodically posting updates to the standings.

We're at about the halfway point, as 16 matchups (of varying worth) have been decided. The next two weeks, with Salt and Dinner for Schmucks, will put an end to a few more matchups.

Currently, there are 26 available points (there will be a total of 76 possible by the time the game ends). If you think I've made an error, be sure to let me know. We have 38 total players. Click here to read all about the game and/or to see the full bracket.

NAME	TOTAL
Lindsay S.	26
Fitz	24
This Guy Over Here	24
Luke T.	23
Scott K.	23
Sebastian G.	23
Daniel	22
Dylan	22
Justin G.	22
Nick	22
Ruben	22
JacksSmirkingRevenge	22
Andy H.	21
Dodge This!	21
Wayward Jam	21
Jess	21
Mike M.	21
BD79	20
John B.	20
Matt N.	20
Rachel	20
Travis M.	20
Aiden R.	19
Alex S.	19
Jason S.	19
Keith	19
Neil A.	19
Joaquin	18
R.D. P.	18
T.L. bugg	18
Andrew K.	17
Joshua R.	17
Scot N.	17
Kid Vegas	15
Linda S.	13
Vancetastic	12
Michaël P.	11
Clarabela	4

All box office data from Box Office Mojo.

March to Box Office Madness 2010 scoring update (through 6/27)

Though the March to Box Office Madness game technically won't end until late September, I'm going to be periodically posting updates to the standings. It's been a couple months since the game started, so I figured now was a good time.

Though others could be called as decided, only five "matchups" have been outright, no doubt, for sure decided. Those five are (points per win in parenthesees): Toy Story 3 vs. Why Did I Get Married Too? (1), Shrek Forever After vs. Date Night (1), The A-Team vs. MacGruber (1), The Karate Kid vs. Nightmare on Elm Street (1) and Shrek Forever After vs. The A-Team (2).

As such, there are 6 available points (there will be a total of 76 possible by the time the game ends). If you think I've made an error, be sure to let me know. We have 38 total players. Click here to read all about the game and/or to see the full bracket.

NAME	TOTAL
Andrew K.	6
Andy H.	6
Dylan	6
Jess	6
Joaquin	6
Linda S.	6
Lindsay S.	6
Luke T.	6
Matt N.	6
Nick	6
Scott K.	6
Sebastian G.	6
JacksSmirkingRevenge	6
Vancetastic	6
Alex S.	5
BD79	5
Daniel	5
Dodge This!	5
Fitz	5
J. Wayne H.	5
Jason S.	5
Justin G.	5
Keith	5
Kid Vegas	5
Mike M.	5
Rachel	5
Ruben	5
Scot N.	5
This Guy Over Here	5
Aiden R.	4
John B.	4
Michaël P.	4
Neil A.	4
Travis M.	4
Clarabela	3
T.L. bugg	3
Joshua R.	2
R.D. P.	2

All box office data from Box Office Mojo.

PRESS RELEASE/GIVEAWAY: Ultimate Movie Buff

[Editor's note: see bottom for giveaway details]

Super Monko Studio releases ‘Ultimate Movie Buff’: the iPhone app dedicated to cinemaholic people.

In collaboration with ITN, Super Monko Studio has released Ultimate Movie Buff iPhone app on 12th of May, in time for the Cannes Film Festival. By adding videos and images from ITN, Super Monko Studio has added a new dimension to their popular movie quiz, “Movie Buff” app.

London, UK- May 12, 2010- Super Monko Studio today announced the launch of its much awaited ‘Ultimate Movie Buff’ iPhone app. This is a new app following their original Movie Buff quiz app. The ‘Ultimate Movie Buff’ app offers players a fun way to challenge their movie knowledge.

The new quiz includes over 4,800 movie related questions, in fifteen categories, from Director, Actor to Film locations and Synopsis. The new content is complimented with images and red carpet videos from ITN and all new artwork and animation.

The iPhone app aims to entertain its players and encourages social interactions by use of Facebook and Twitter posts. Even cinema experts will find difficult to answer all the questions in time.


“Ultimate Movie Buff is a fun casual game that playfully tests players to their limit. Whether you are a fan of Tom Cruise or Almodovar, the app has it covered”, said Mia Bennett, co-founder of Super Monko Studio. “We have been amazed with some of the high scores of the previous app and can’t wait to discover the new Global Movie Buffs”.

For additional information on Ultimate Movie Buff app or Super Monko Studio, contact them on press@supermonko.com or visit http://www.supermonko.com/. Screenshots and the app can be downloaded from http://apps.supermonko.com/downloads/ultimate-movie-buff and http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ultimate-movie-buff/id370547045?mt=8

[Editor's note, cont'd.: the makers of Ultimate Movie Buff were nice enough to give me a few promo codes, one for me to check out the app myself, and some more to use as giveaways. I can tell you that it's a fun app - a good way to keep your status as a trivia nerd fresh. The only real downside I noticed was that it was a bit too easy, at least early on. To keep playing, time and accuracy play a factor; take too long and/or get too many questions wrong, and your timer runs out. I never had that happen; every time my game ended, it was because I ended it.

Anyway, I'll be doling out promo codes over the next few days/weeks at random. I might mention something here on the main site, or it might be via the Facebook Fan Page, or it might be over at the Forums (so much to keep up with!). Think of them as Easter Eggs. This first one is intended for someone who has yet to vote for the LAMMYs - the first person that goes to vote, then sends me an email with a subject of "Ultimate Movie Buff" wins! (I have a current list of who has voted as of this moment, so don't try to trick me.) This first giveaway offer has expired.

Stay tuned for more chances to win.]

Got a Press Release, something to Plug, or a Screener available for review (or some combination of the three)? Ok, don't get all crazy about it. Just click here and give me the details (what, when, where, and a link, for starters) - I'll handle the rest.

March to Box Office Madness update

The game is underway! This year, we have 38 players, up slightly from the 34 we had last year, but the prizes - vastly improved! Last year, Wayne of Reel Whore took home a DVD of his choosing from Amazon as well as a t-shirt. This year, the prize pool is deep, and will shake out as such:

First place:
* From Rachel of Rachel's Reel Reviews, a $25 gift certificate to a large movie theater chain (one in the area of the winner),

* From Joshua of The Discordic Adventures of Fnord, a set of five DVDs, including A Nightmare on Elm Street (Limited Special), My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and Revolver.

Second Place:
* From me, the standard DVD of your choosing (up to $19.99) from Amazon,

* From Wayne, a set of two DVDs, Transformers and Spider-Man 3. As Wayne stated, "Both of those should be appropriate since they are summer box office breakers."

Third Place:
* From This Guy of This Guy Over Here, "If I finish my eBook by then, I'll be happy to throw that in the pool of prizes... value will be $4.99 haha... but that's a big IF,"

* From me, a brand new t-shirt of insignificant value.

Here's a list of all of the players in this year's contest; for kicks, I've thrown in their picks for the tournament champion:

Player	Top Film Pick
Mike M.	Eclipse
Jess	Iron Man 2
T.L. bugg	Toy Story 3
Aiden R.	Eclipse
Scott K.	Eclipse
Joshua R.	Toy Story 3
This Guy Over Here	Iron Man 2
Luke T.	Iron Man 2
Fitz	Iron Man 2
Justin G.	Toy Story 3
JacksSmirkingRevenge	Iron Man 2
Michaël P.	Iron Man 2
Travis M.	Eclipse
Sebastian G.	Iron Man 2
Keith	Toy Story 3
Ruben	Iron Man 2
Daniel	Iron Man 2
Nick	Iron Man 2
Jason S.	Eclipse
Clarabela	Iron Man 2
Andy H.	Toy Story 3
Neil A.	Toy Story 3
R.D. P.	Eclipse
Dylan	Toy Story 3
Kid Vegas	Iron Man 2
Linda S.	Iron Man 2
Matt N.	Iron Man 2
Vancetastic	Shrek Forever After
Andrew K.	Eclipse
John B.	Iron Man 2
Alex S.	Iron Man 2
Rachel	Inception
Joaquin	Iron Man 2
Scot N.	Iron Man 2
Lindsay S.	Iron Man 2
Dodge This!	Iron Man 2
Wayne H. - 2009 Champ	Iron Man 2
BD79	Eclipse

Those champ picks break out as such:
Iron Man 2 - 21
Eclipse - 8
Toy Story 3 - 7
Inception - 1
Shrek Forever After - 1

Finally, I posted this earlier, but just in case, so you know that I'm no cheater, here's my bracket.

Good luck to all, and extra special thanks to all those contributing to the prize pool! Makes it a lot more fun with a larger pool and more winners. Updates to the scoring will be posted periodically over the next few months.


P.S. - Bonus PLUG: If you just can't get enough bracketology, Orrin of The Sophomore Critic has created a movie-themed bracket tournament of his own about the best films of 2009, which can be found here.

Last chance to March to Box Office Madness!

You must get your entry in to me by Thursday night 11:59 PM (Pacific) to be eligible. Good luck! Click the banner above for the full rundown of rules and to get your entry form. More details, including the expanded prize pool, coming soon. In the meantime, so you know that I'm no cheater, here's my bracket.

March to Box Office Madness 2010!

It's back!

Due to circumstances beyond my control, there's a limited window of opportinuty to get in on the game - today is March 23 and all entries must be submitted to be no later than midnight, April 2. The good news is that it shouldn't take but a few minutes for you to complete the entire process.

If you're a fan of sports at all, or have ever worked in an office, there's a good to great chance that you're aware of the phenomenon that strikes America this time of year. That's right - it's March Madness, the 64 (er, 65) team college basketball tournament that drains efficiency from thousands of companies as workers kill their time filling out their brackets and subsequently trying to sneak in actually watching the games of the first few rounds of the tournament. It's one big semi-gambling semi-orgy - and everyone semi-loves it.

The idea:
With the NCAA tournament in full force, and with my joint film and sports appreciation, I got the idea to run a box office game the same way that the tournament is run. 32 films, one box office champion, many shining moments.

So, what you'll do is click on the link provided below, download your bracket, fill it by picking the movie for each matchup that you think will have the higher box office total, and send it to me by April 2.

The rules:
1. For each matchup, select which film will have the higher box office. Continue through the bracket until a champion has been crowned.
2. Scoring per round will be 1-2-4-8-12, for a possible total of 76 points (see table in workbook).
3. For the tie-breaker, enter your predicted top 5 films (box office) from the ones listed. One point for will be rewarded for each correct film, and an additional point for proper placement, for a potential 10 points. In the case of a tie, if one person's tie-breaker portion is not filled out, the other will win.
4. Brackets MUST be turned in (sent to blogcabins@yahoo.com) no later than April 2.
5. Box office data will be counted from April 2 - September 20, 2010.
6. One entry per person.

The prizes:
Still slightly up in the air, but most likely the same kind of deal as done in year's past (a t-shirt and a DVD of your choosing from Amazon.com valued at up to $19.99). However, this year, I was hoping to get the community involved in the prize-giving (to paraphrase Forrest Gump, I am not...a rich...man), so if there's something you can offer to the prize pool, please let me know. Hopefully, we can get a nice booty going. We had 34 players last year, so just a few items will make it that much more worth it.

The link to your bracket (if having troubles - right click, Save Target As):

http://blogcabins.webs.com/March%20to%20Box%20Office%20Madness2010.xls

* Please enter your picks using the same titles I have entered in the master bracket, even if they aren't technically accurate; slight changes are made for formatting issues, and having the names match makes the scoring go that much quicker. Please don't re-format the file in any way if possible. Enter your names and picks and go! *

The banner:
Finally, what fun would this be if it's just a few people? This game is open to EVERYONE. I want this to be BIG! I've made the banner that you see in the sidebar, and I'd love it if you'd put it on your site as well (if possible). Let's do this right! With any luck, everyone will be doing it next year.










The code:
<a href="http://largeassmovieblogs.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-to-box-office-madness-2010.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Large Association of Movie Blogs" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/dyjafi/marchboxbanner200.jpg"/></a>

Good luck, and be sure to get me your brackets by April 2! Any questions, comments, suggestions, or prize offerings, email me at blogcabins@yahoo.com.

March to Box Office Madness final results

Though I had originally stated that March to Box Office Madness wouldn't technically end until late September, I look at the yearly box office totals and I'm declaring it safe to call the competition. There's enough separation between the contending films, and not enough time for any film to pass another, what with most of them in "minor earnings" positions with most of them having been released 8-12 weeks ago.

So, from a total of 32 films we are down to one summer box office champion (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with a hair over $400,000,000 in box office receipts), and from 34 players in this little game, we are down to one champion. Congratulations to Wayward Jam (aka Wayne) of Reel Whore on his winning bracket (as it so happens, Wayne came in 2nd in last year's Summer of LAMB box office contest - he clearly has a future in box office prognostication!). From a possible 76 points, Wayne racked up 64, enough to win the competition by a single point over his closest competitor, Keith of Kano's Kogitation. For his win, Wayne has won a Blog Smog t-shirt provided by Dentyne as well as the DVD of his choosing from Amazon (up to $19.99).

To view the final bracket in PDF form, click here (or if you wish to save, do a "Save Target As"): http://www.freewebs.com/blogcabins/march2madnessmaster2.pdf

Here are the complete and final standings; if you think I've made an error, be sure to let me know within three (3) days of this post. Due to the possibility of an error, prizes will not be sent until such time has passed. Click here to read all about the game.

Finally - THANKS FOR PLAYING! I look forward to doing it again next year.

NAME	TOTAL
Wayne	64
Keith	63
Linda S.	58
BD79	57
Jess	56
Anders	55
Shane C.	54
Rachel	51
Rik F.	48
Dylan	47
Alex D.	46
Daniel G.	46
Scott M.	45
Nick	44
TC K.	43
Ross	42
Friend Mouse	42
T.L. Bugg	40
Wendymoon	40
Clara M.	38
Jim B.	36
dreamrot	36
Chaka	35
Ivan S.	33
Josh L.	32
Nayana A.	32
Joseph D.	31
James H.	31
Mikey F.	31
Derek	28
Piper	23
Jason S.	22
Stephanie	22
Rick B.	19

All box office data from Box Office Mojo.

March to Box Office Madness scoring update (through 7/19)

Though the March to Box Office Madness game technically won't end until late September, I'm going to be periodically posting updates to the standings. It's been some time since the game started, so I figured now was a good time.

We're far enough along that a general shape is starting to show up in the brackets, with one region complete. However, we still have a long way to go, as evidenced by some of the other regions, where as few as one matchup has been decided. To view the current bracket in PDF form, click here (or if you wish to save, do a "Save Target As"): http://www.freewebs.com/blogcabins/march2madnessmaster.pdf

To date, there are 20 available points (there will be a total of 76 possible by the time the game ends). Out of 34 players, we have but one perfect bracket thus far. Here's the complete standings; if you think I've made an error, be sure to let me know. Click here to read all about the game.

NAME	TOTAL
Ross W.	20
Dylan	19
T.L. Bugg	18
Alex D.	17
Wayne	16
Ivan S.	16
Rik F.	14
dreamrot	13
clara m.	13
Wendymoon	13
Daniel G.	13
BD79	12
Nick	12
Jim B.	12
Linda S.	12
Rachel	12
Jess	12
Mikey Filmmaker	12
Anders	11
Josh L.	10
Keith	10
Scott M.	10
James H.	10
Nayana A.	10
Chaka	10
Jason S.	9
Derek	9
TC K.	9
Friend Mouse	9
Shane C.	9
Rick B.	8
Stephanie	8
Joseph D.	7
Piper	7

All box office data from Box Office Mojo.

LAMB Shorts.

Alrighty! The other day, Fletch mentioned a little somethin' somethin' that we've come up with over at the LAMB Forums (inspired by somebody else entirely). Now it's time to announce it.

It's summer time, so we thought the LAMBs should put on some shorts. Short films, that is. The LAMB is having a Short Films Contest! So let's just get straight into the rules, shall we?

Rules & Restrictions:

1) Any current LAMB is eligible for this contest.

2) To make it easier and more flexible on everybody involved, everybody can write their own script so that everybody doesn't have to go by the same exact thing (it'll help see everybody's vast imaginations, as well).

3) The named entrant does not have to write, direct, or even star in his/her own film, but will at least have to act as producer given the nature of the contest (though, really, which one of us doesn't want to at least direct our own film?). You can get anybody to do any of it for you (including writing, for those *cough*Fletch*cough* who don't want to write their own movie).

4) Important: At least part of the movie's story must revolve around a divorcing or splitting couple fighting over what DVDs/BluRays go to whom. As long as that's a part of what makes the plot go 'round, it's all good.

5) The movie can be anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes, opening/closing credits excluded (so it can be 20 minutes... if you have 5 minutes of credits on top of a 15 minute movie. However, this does not include credits that are interjected with your opening/closing scene... so no being tricky there).

6) This is nothing professional, so don't feel overwhelmed or obliged to go out and buy professional equipment or use non-protected things (specific music, brands, etc.). You can use copyrighted material. We don't care. As long as the film itself is original.

7) If you do pay for anything, including cast or crew fees, the LAMB will not reimburse you. This is just for fun, so--again--don't feel you must go out of your way.

8) The movie can be any genre--drama, romance, comedy, thriller, horror, etc. However you see the story--as long as it includes the aforementioned stipulation (get it? Because it was number 4?... fine then)--go for it.

9) For contest purposes, the completed film is due by August 31, 2009.

10) It would be lovely if you could email me (nicholasjobe@gmail.com) to let me know if you think you might participate. Though just because you tell me you'll participate doesn't mean you have to. It would just be nice to know how many to potentially expect come August 31. And when ready to turn in the film, you can upload it to YouTube (or some other free video sharing place) and send a link to me at said email address.

Prizes:

Once all entries are received, multiple polls will be set up. LAMBs will be able to view all entries via YouTube (or some other free video sharing place) and vote on their favorites in a few different categories (think of it like the Oscars... or LAMMYs, but not as detailed). The winner will receive some kind of prize... depending on the turnout for the contest. It could be anything from a special button (like for the LAMMYs) or, if there is a big enough turnout, there could be something bigger (at least for the "Best Short" winner). We'll know as it gets closer to August 31.

Anywho... let's start filmmaking! Can't wait to see what we get.

March to Box Office Madness scoring update (through 5/17/09)

Though the March to Box Office Madness game technically won't end until late September, I'm going to be periodically posting updates to the standings. It's been a couple months since the game started, so I figured now was a good time.

Though others could be called as decided, only four "matchups" have been outright, no doubt, for sure decided. Those four are (points per win in parenthesees): Angels & Demons vs. Observe and Report (1), Wolverine vs. 17 Again (1), State of Play vs. Dragonball: Evolution (1), and Wolverine vs. State of Play (2).

As such, there are 5 available points (there will be a total of 76 possible by the time the game ends). If you think I've made an error, be sure to let me know. We have 34 total players. Click here to read all about the game and/or to see the full bracket.

NAME	TOTAL
Anders	5
BD79	5
clara m.	5
Daniel G.	5
dreamrot	5
Dylan	5
Friend Mouse	5
Jess	5
Josh L.	5
Rachel	5
Rik F.	5
Ross W.	5
Wayne	5
Alex D.	4
Chaka	4
Jason S.	4
Jim B.	4
Linda S.	4
Mikey F.	4
Nick	4
Rick Bman	4
T.L Bugg	4
TC K.	4
Ivan S.	3
Wendymoon	3
James H.	2
Nayana A.	2
Scott M.	2
Shane C.	2
Stephanie	2
Derek	1
Joseph D.	1
Keith	1
Piper	1

All box office data from Box Office Mojo.

March to Box Office Madness!

If you're a fan of sports at all, or have ever worked in an office, there's a good to great chance that you're aware of the phenomenon that strikes America this time of year. That's right - it's March Madness, the 64 (er, 65) team college basketball tournament that drains efficiency from thousands of companies as workers kill their time filling out their brackets and subsequently trying to sneak in actually watching the games of the first few rounds of the tournament. It's one big semi-gambling semi-orgy - and everyone semi-loves it.

The idea:
Readers and longtime members of the LAMB will recall that, last year, we had a summer box office prediction game entitled the "Summer of LAMB." It was nothing fancy - just a number of people guessing what the top 10 movies would be, in order. However, with the NCAA tournament right around the corner, and with my joint film and sports appreciation, I got the idea to run a box office game the same way that the tournament is run. 32 films, one box office champion, many shining moments.

So, what you'll do is click on the link provided below, download your bracket, fill it by picking the movie for each matchup that you think will have the higher box office total, and send it to me by April 2.

The rules:

1. For each matchup, select which film will have the higher box office. Continue through the bracket until a champion has been crowned.
2. Scoring per round will be 1-2-4-8-12, for a possible total of 76 points (see table in workbook).
3. For the tie-breaker, enter your predicted top 5 films (box office) from the ones listed. One point for will be rewarded for each correct film, and an additional point for proper placement, for a potential 10 points.  In the case of a tie, if one person's tie-breaker portion is not filled out, the other will win.
4. Brackets MUST be turned in (sent to blogcabins@yahoo.com) no later than April 2.
5. Box office data will be counted from April 3 - September 27, 2009.
6. One entry per person.

The prizes:

TBD. I just thought of this and put it together in the last couple days, so the exact prizes are not know at this point. But there will be prizes!  Some ideas already in the mix are a custom-made t-shirt, DVDs, and possibly cash.  Since the brackets aren't officially due until April 2, and the won't officially end until almost six months later, I think we're okay with this.  Hopefully, though, everything will be figured out come April 2.

The link to your bracket (if having troubles - right click, Save Target As):

http://www.freewebs.com/blogcabins/March%20to%20Box%20Office%20Madness.xls

Finally, what fun would this be if it's just a few people?  I want this to be BIG!  I've made the banner that you see in the sidebar, and I'd love it if you'd put it on your site as well (if possible).  Let's do this right!  With any luck, everyone will be doing it next year.

The banner:










The code:

<a href="http://largeassmovieblogs.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-to-box-office-madness.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Large Association of Movie Blogs" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/dyjafi/marchboxbanner200.jpg"/></a>


Good luck, and be sure to get me your brackets by April 2! Any questions, comments, suggestions, or prize offerings (sponsorships???), email me at blogcabins@yahoo.com.

Hey you!

See that new banner off to your left? Wondering what March Madness has to do with the LAMB?

You're not? Well, why not - you should be!

Anyway, if you are, you can find out right now - a whole 2-3 days before most anyone else! All you gots to do is become a member of the LAMB Forums. I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but the LAMB has its very own message board. Of course you do - many of you were members of version 1; well, the LAMB Forums had to up and move, and they want you.

You know what else? It's the shiznit. Really, three people have told me exactly that, though it's possible that one or two of them were just sneezing. The LAMB Forums are the place to go to post your LAMBScores, find out in advance about upcoming LAMB events (and give suggestions for new ones and/or to make the existing ones better), and talk about anything from LOST to books to general blogging tips to your favorite sexual position. Ok, that last one isn't discussed, but I knew it would get your attention.

So what are you waiting for - join us (heck, signing up is even simpler than it was before):

http://thelambforums.proboards83.com/index.cgi

The 2009 LAMB Oscars Pool Complete Results

Overall player performance (name, site, score):
1. Mikey Filmmaker - Spaghetti Sauce and Sweet Peas - 21
2. Noonan - - 20
3. Jonathan W. - - 20
4. Nick P. - Fataculture (http://fataculture.wordpress.com) - 20
5. Indalecio D. - - 20
6. Todd B. - - 20
7. David T. - - 20
8. argento2665 - - 19
9. Adam F. - Counting Down the Hours - 19
10. Joseph B. - www.blacksheepreviews.com - 19
11. gordon p. - - 19
12. Daniel - Getafilm - http://getafilm.blogspot.com - 19
13. Nina T. - - 19
14. Annemarie T. - - 19
15. Samantha H - - 19
16. T.S. - Screen Savour - 18
17. Forman - - 18
18. Danny P. - - 18
19. J.D. - Valley Dreamin' - 18
20. Eternality T. - Eternality@Filmnomenon INC - 17
21. Travis E. - - 17
22. Jess - - 17
23. Anil U. - The Long Takehttp://www.long-take.com - 17
24. Pat - Doodad Kind of Town - 17
25. Philip C. - Phil on Film - www.philonfilm.blogspot.com - 16
26. Movie Viewing Girl - http://moviewings.blogspot.com/ - 16
27. Nick - Random Ramblings of a Demented Doorknob. - 16
28. J.D. - Radiator Heaven (http://rheaven.blogspot.com/) - 16
29. Dobre C. - - 16
30. Nayana A. - The Center Seat - 16
31. Paul R. - Careful With That Blog, Eugene - 15
32. Gastón J. - - 15
33. Blake - http://www.bitchinfilmreviews.com - 15
34. Rector - natsukashi.wordpress.com - 15
35. Marc H. - Deep Dish (http://marcharshbarger.blogspot.com/) - 15
36. Alex K. - Film Forager (http://filmforager.blogspot.com) - 15
37. Bulsara - - 14
38. Rachel - www.rachelsreelreviews.com - 14
39. Dean T. - filmicability with Dean Treadway - 14
40. Leonardo D. - - 14
41. Jason P. - www.jasonthewebsite.com - 14
42. Mrs Fletch - - 14
43. Ivy Fuld - http://cheerfuld.blogspot.com - 14
44. TheMovieNess - http://www.themovieness.com - 13
45. juan - - 13
46. Stephanie - The Flick Chick - 13
47. eugene d. - http://newstimescommunity.com/blogs/chainsaw/ - 13
48. Linda S. - Is This Seat Taken? - 13
49. Srikanth - http://theseventhart.info - 13
50. Ed H. - http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com - 13
51. Mom Fletch - - 13
52. Anders W. - Cut Print Review - 12
53. TC K. - http://popcornnroses.com - 12
54. Clara M. - www.justchickflicks.com - 12
55. patrik b. - - 12
56. Care - bkclubcare.wordpress.com - 12
57. Travis Hopson - Punch Drunk Critics - 11
58. http://cinexcellence.com - Cinexcellence - 11
59. Dylan (Fletch) - Blog Cabins - 11
60. Thomas P. - www.pluckyoutoo.com - 10
61. O.K. - sophomorecritic.blogspot.com - 10
62. Soto - Invasion of the B Movies - 10
63. J. Wayne H. - http://www.reelwhore.com - 10
64. T.L. B. - www.thelightningbugslair.com - 9
65. Bianca H. - - 9
66. Fitz - Lair of the Green Knight (http://writer.fitzhome.com) - 8

Overall category performance (category, winner, percent correct):
Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire - 94%
Best Actor - Sean Penn, Milk - 41%
Best Actress - Kate Winslet, The Reader - 86%
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight - 98%
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona - 67%
Best Animated Feature Film - Wall*E - 98%
Best Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 77%
Best Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire - 62%
Best Costume Design - The Duchess - 76%
Best Director - Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire - 89%
Best Documentary Feature - Man on Wire - 89%
Best Documentary Short Subject - Smile Pinki - 15%
Best Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire - 65%
Best Foreign Language Film - Departures - 3%
Best Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 83%
Best Original Score - Slumdog Millionaire - 85%
Best Original Song - "Jai Ho" - Slumdog Millionaire - 53%
Best Animated Short Film - La Maison en Petits Cubes - 12%
Best Live Action Short Film - Spielzeugland (Toyland) - 35%
Best Sound Editing - The Dark Knight - 48%
Best Sound Mixing - Slumdog Millionaire - 17%
Best Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 79%
Best Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire - 79%
Best Original Screenplay - Milk - 58%

The envelope please...

You know how they say possession is 9/10 of the law? Well, I'm in possession of the prizes for the LAMB Oscars Pool, so guess what - I win them!


Just kidding - what I meant to say was this: You know how they say possession is 9/10 of the law? Well, apparently proximity is 9/10 of winning Oscars Pools.


He probably already knows he won, but Mikey Filmmaker of Spaghetti Sauce and Sweet Peas, the only LAMB (that I know of) that lives within walking distance of the Kodak Theater, is the winner of the LAMB's 2009 Oscars Pool!


Mikey won it all by getting an awesome 21/24 categories correct, only missing Best Documentary Short Subject and the two Sound categories. Mikey was also the last person to enter the Pool.


After him, it was a six-way tie for second, between Noonan, Jonathan W., Nick P., Indalecio D., Todd B., and David T. Last year's winner, Sean R., did not participate.


I will be in contact with Mikey shortly to work out the details for his prizes. Thanks to all for playing.


By the way, I finished 59th out of 66 with a whopping 11 correct, and I also lost the annual Fletch Family Oscar Pool for the first time in god-knows-how-long to Mrs. Fletch by a score of 17-15. Not my year for psychic abilities, I guess.


The complete results will be posted later.

LAMB Oscars Pool....time = running out

Click the banner above for the details and linky. Free to enter! Win a DVD from Amazon! Win the mystery Fletch Booby prize! Use exclaimation points! Tell your friends!

The LAMB's 2009 Oscar Pool has begun!

Fame, fortune, and other things that start with "f" await you...all you have to do is be the winner of the 2nd Annual LAMB Oscar Pool!

Even better - the top scorer will win FABULOUS PRIZES from around the world. Well, that or a movie of your choice from Amazon (up to $19.99), as well as a movie of your choice from the Fletch Booby Prize list. On top of all that, I'm opening up the contest to non-LAMBs as well; that's right, anyone can enter - so spread the word!

To play, simply make your picks for who you think will win and who you want to win. The winner of the FABULOUS PRIZE will be the top scorer for the think portion, obviously. The deadline to sumbit your entries will be Saturday, February 21st. - I don't have control over an exact time and am not sure what time Mister Poll will shut it down, so just be sure to have it completed before that day. One entry per person. If there are two entries with the same name, I will accept the first entry (though Mister Poll appears to lock them down by IP). I will coordinate the prize winning via email, so enter a valid email below or perish. If I could think of more legal-type mumbo jumbo, I would put it here; suffice it so say, that nothing is guaranteed and all decisions by me are final.

Sumbit your picks here: http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/420632

Good luck!

Summer of LAMB scoring system

Just a quick note to let those playing in the Summer of LAMB know that the scoring system has been determined.

* One point will be awarded for correctly identifying a movie that finishes in the top 10.

* An additional point will be awarded for placing a film in the correct position within the top 10 (i.e. if you picked Indiana Jones to finish first and it does, you would now have two total points).

* An additional point will be earned for choosing a final box office gross that is +/- 10% of the actual final gross.

This will make for 30 possible points, with the winner having the most points. Since there was no prize awarded for Best Blog at the LAMMYS, the prize here - a DVD of your choice - will come from that pool (the list of available choices can be found here).

After I've posted all the individual entries, I will create and post a spreadsheet that summarizes all of the entries, should you wish to score at home. Additionally, I'm sure I'll post updates as summer rolls along.

Thanks for playing!

LAMB Report #2

Thanks for tuning in to The LAMB Broadcasting Corporation - the LBC (not to be confused with any Snoop Dogg organization of the same name).

This week on LBC News, a special report on the trafficking of internet traffic, an expose on torture porn in the San Fernando Valley, and Andy Rooney chimes in with six things that made him angry in the last three minutes (spoiler alert: one of them is an umbrella). But first, these bulletins:

* The LAMB Oscar Pool. Win FABULOUS PRIZES! Think you're a Negrodamus for the new millenia? Try your hand at the LAMB Oscar Pool. Even better - the top scorer will win FABULOUS PRIZES from around the world. Well, that or a movie of your choice from Amazon (up to $19.99, not including tax/shipping). On top of all that, I'm opening up the contest to non-LAMBs as well; that's right, anyone can enter! Feel free to send along the info to friends and family - the more the merrier, right? (Though I will do a special post dedicated to the LAMBs choices.)

To play, simply go here (http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/324566) and make your picks for who you think will win and who you want to win. The winner of the fabulous prize will be the top scorer for the think portion. The deadline to sumbit your entries will be Saturday, February 23rd. - I don't have control over an exact time and am not sure what time Mister Poll will shut it down, so just be sure to have it completed before that day. One entry per person. If there are two entries with the same name, I will accept the first entry (though Mister Poll appears to lock them down by IP). I will coordinate the prize winning via email, so enter a valid email below or perish. If I could think of more legal-type mumbo jumbo, I would put it here; suffice it so say, that nothing is guaranteed and all decisions by me are final.

* The LAMB Forum. If you're a LAMB, but not yet a member (or are a member, but aren't active), it's time to join and particpate over at the LAMB forum. There you will find not only general movie/tv/music/etc talk, but hear about and contribute to the happenings here at the LAMB before they happen. Also, discuss and see traffic for the LAMB and/or your own sites and get/give advice on blogging in general. Thanks go to Jed from the Movie-Fanatic for putting the forum on the back end of his site.

* LAMB entries. I'm glad to see that the IMDb exposure has garnered us quite a few more new LAMBs. We currently have 37, and I still have a few more pending (I like to space them out so no one gets lost in the mix, and also so I don't go long without posting something new). LAMBs by month look like this:

October: 1 (Blog Cabins)
November: 12
December: 9
January: 9
February (to date, including ones not yet posted): 8

I most like the 8 in February, considering the month is not yet half over. Who will be the milestone 50th LAMB? Or 100th?

* Final note: to let all this news settle in, there will be no LAMB Devours the Oscars post for Monday. It will return Tuesday.