It turns out that the lunch included at the WB Commissary is actually a near fine-dining experience with nice table cloths, cloth napkins, and formal silverware with first-class service.  The menu and selection were those you would find from a formal restaurant except that this is the place were executives, producers, actors, other higher echelon employees would eat.

To give some perspective, the soup I ordered was $5.00, the salad was $8.00, the Diet Coke was $2.75, and the NY Steak was $24.00.  Remember, this is LUNCH, not dinner!  When I tallied my own bill, I easily had a $40.00 lunch without gratuity.  We were provided with a complimentary dessert (slice of pear pie) which by my estimation would have cost $6.00 on their menu.  Basically, if I had to pay for this entire dining experience with gratuity, this would have been close to a $60.00 lunch tab!

When I thought about the $150.00 ticket I purchased for the 5-hour tour, easily 1/3 of that cost went to the WB Comissary lunch experience.  I told the tour guide that I had expected a cafeteria or a box-lunch experience, not a fine-dining experience.  The food was good but the service was rushed mainly because the tour guide said that we did not pay to sit at lunch for over an hour.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed lunch, I had to agree with him.

He took us to a screening room which had an large-size mixer stretching to what I estimated to be at least 20 ft.  It was a very stylish and elegant room where there were many computer monitors connected to a network of Macintosh PCs.

We eventually went into another studio where a small orchestra could fit in and play music to be recorded.  Supposedly, this room was one that Clint Eastwood favored to record music for his own movies.

We visited a few sound stages.  We visited a huge sound stage where they made “The Perfect Storm” minus the filled tank of water.  We visited a sit-com sound stage similar to what they used when they made “Friends”.  We also visited the set of “Cold Case” where it looks a worn office of a city government building.  Once again, the attention to detail was extraordinary.  The furniture, cabinets, paperwork, books, folders, floor tiles, telephones, etc.

During one of our last stops, we went into the private WB Museum.  Being a fan of the Superman and Batman movies, I had the opportunity to closely inspect the superhero costumes.  The detail on the costumes were amazing.  You see way more in person than you can see on the movie screen.  There were costumes from “300”, Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions, and many other movies.  The 2nd floor was entirely dedicated to the Harry Potter movies.  I have to confess I have never seen a Harry Potter movie, nor have I ever attempted to read a Harry Potter book.  So, the whole Harry Potter thing did not do much for me.

In this review, I clearly cannot cover everything in the tour because I cannot remember every thing.  Even if I did, this is only a review, not a blow-by-blow account of my tour.

Overall, I felt I got tremendous value out of the Warner Brothers VIP Studio Tour (Deluxe version).  It is designed to be an attraction but it is also close to a 1-day educational experience.  I liked the fact there was only 10 of us on the tour and we really got VIP treatment.  It is actually kind of funny.  I thought the 5-hour Deluxe tour is the true VIP experience with a more personalized experience, not the 2-hour version they call the VIP tour where I saw up to 20 people on those tours.

The Warner Brothers VIP Studio Tour like the other movie studio tours are really under-promoted and under-marked in my opinion.  I don’t recommend young children going on most of the movie tours.  I don’t think they would truly appreciate the grandeur and sophistication of the movie-making process.  Because of the prices, I would not bring any children under 15 on most of the movie tours.

Otherwise, I highly recommend this great experience.

Because I am in the publishing industry where I deal with Internet, print, audio and video media, this was an easily justifiable business expense.  Without question I am a movie buff but I was very much there for educational reasons.  I looked at this tour as a one-day seminar of how the “big boys” create these multi-million dollar productions.

This tour begins with a 15-minute retrospective of the origins of Warner Brothers.  There literally were 4 brothers with the last name Warner.  These brothers originally began in the East Coast with their movie theatre business .  And then they decided they might be able to make more money if they were able to also create and produce their own movies to show in their own theatres.  Clearly, that was the beginning of a legacy which has lasted to this day.

The Warner Brothers exterior sets were more extensive and impressive than Sony Pictures.  In fact, the WB lot is so large, we were taken around in a cart by the tour guide.  Our tour guide was clearly passionate about his job and it showed.  However, I did think he was a bit regimented in that it was very difficult to ask questions.  You would think that in this longer tour, there would be ample opportunity to ask questions but that was frequently not the case.  He was clearly in charge of the group and rattled off trivia after trivia as we visited various sets.

One of the most impressive sets I have ever seen is the Chicago set used by the producers of E.R.  E.R. is a long-runnning medical drama.  I am not a big fan but I have seen a few episodes of it.  The exterior sets of E.R. is very impressive for the detail that was put into it.  Although the sets have been around 12+ years, they looked like they had been around for 50 years with considerable wear and tear having that aged, filthy, back-alley look in Chicago.  Even up close, it was difficult to tell that these sets were artificially aged and worn.  The authentic look was simply amazing.

The set also had the back entrance to the E.R. hospital where ambulances roll in patients.  That set was also amazing.  It really looked like a hospital E.R entrance with the wear and tear of one.

Being a fan of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, we had the chance to see the actual sets of where the characters live.  We even see the scars in the street as a result of the explosion in the season finale.

We passed by the exterior sets of Uncle Jesse’s and Boss Hoggs’ home from Dukes of Hazzard.  In the TV show, they were two different buildings in two different locations.  In actuality, they are the same building!  One is filmed from the front, the other from the rear.  Again, move movie magic.

We went through an exterior set of a suburban neighborhood which actually had office workers in each of the houses.  When you are walking in those sets, it really does feel like you are in a suburban neighborhood, not a movie set on a movie lot.

We eventually broke for lunch.  End of Part 1.

Being a big movie fan myself, it was a high priority for me to check out all the movie studio tours.  (I scheduled the Paramount Movie Studio Tour for the morning but goofed up my schedule and arriving too late.)

The Sony Pictures Studios Tour located in Culver City, CA costs $28.00.  You can purchase tickets online in advance (with a $2.00 fee) or simply make reservations.  I did not know I could make reservations until AFTER I had bought tickets online.  Because I also wanted to attend the Warner Brothers VIP Studio Tour, it was a bit of a trick to schedule 3 studio tours within a 2-day period.  Because of limited availability of the Warner Brothers Deluxe Studio Tour (a 5-hour version of the WB VIP Studio Tour), I was forced to reschedule my tickets with Sony Pictures Studio Tour.  Fortunately, the folks at Sony were accommodating.  They were able to simply use my same ticket but schedule it for another day.

The Sony Pictures Studios Tour is a 2-hour walking tour of the old MGM Studios that Sony Pictures bought out.  Underground parking is free in the visitor section of the Sony Pictures office building.  One of the things you learn early in the tour is how MGM sold off so much of their backlots over the years that what they have left is much smaller than how they started.

Even with that, there is still plenty of walking to do.  I recommend some comfortable walking shoes.  They say that no two tours are exactly alike.  They attribute this to the fact that every tour guide has a different style and the daily circumstances are such that the tour is designed to be flexible just in case the tour encounters an actual TV or movie production.  If that happens, the tour obviously work around these important and well-controlled events.

On my tour, sound stages had been set on the upcoming movie “Angels & Demons” which is a prequel to the movie and book of the same name “Da Vinci Code”.  We also passed by Beyonce Knowle’s trailer and the sound stages for her upcoming movie “Obsessed”.

I made my first visit to a Foley studio which is where many sound effects are created.  We also visited the set and green room of “Jeopardy”.  I have to say that Green Room was a bit nasty but the tour guide said it was because a party was thrown a couple of nights earlier and it had not yet been clean.  The Green Room is really a green room.  Apparently, green is supposed to help calm the nerves of people who will eventually go out on stage.

We walked through many interesting exterior sets that had real-life workers within the building!  Apparently, the designers and architects make the insides of the buildings functional but decorate the outside in such a way to create the illusion you are in a different city or locale.

I don’t want to give the entire tour away but those were the highlights.  My tour guide, Tony, is an aspiring screenwriter and seems to enjoy giving movie studio tours as he looks for his big break.

Overall, anyone who loves movies and wants to learn more about the behind-the-scenes of movie-making should check out Sony Pictures Studios Tour.

Can you imagine that? I actually went out of my way to go view MORE commercials! I guess the ads appeal to two sides of me: the techno-geek and the entrepreneurial marketing sides.

I have long listened to both the PC and Mac sides fight for their side. I personally use the PC and Windows XP simply because there are so many more hardware and software options to choose from. Yes, I admit I have had my share of of PC and Windows problems over the years. But, at the end of the day, it is very much in the majority and well supported.

In any case, I don’t have a lot of emotion either way. However, I found it interesting that there were some very negative comments regarding the same commercials I found quite funny and charming. I know the commercials are supposed to be in favor of Macs. Duh, it was made by Apple. And yet, some of the PC-mongers are bent out of shape because they think the commercials are “malicious” and “hateful”. Are you kidding me?

Yes, there are friendly jabs at the PC but I found them to be honest and truthful. What I like about the commercials…. it is consistent, simple, and humorous. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. As a student of marketing, I thought it was genius.

According to Wikipedia, there are 3 dozen versions of the “Mac vs. PC” commercials. Yikes, that is a long series of commercials. I think through YouTube.com, I saw at least 20 of them.

Anyhow, here is a batch of 15 short commercials from YouTube.com. (The videos were deleted from YouTube. You can do a search on “mac vs. pc commercials” to find samples to watch)

Do you agree with me that they are funny and charming commercials? Or do you really think, they are truly “hateful, malicious, and offensive”?

Wes and I were near the NAR Booth in the center of the Expo area.  We were looking around to figure out which direction we wanted to walk next when I noticed a young, attractive woman in a green dress speaking on a small stage.  It took me 2 seconds to recognize this woman as Kendra Todd, Season 3 Winner of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”.  Being a fan of “The Apprentice”, I have to admit I was excited about meeting and chatting with Kendra.

Wes and I walked over to the Lowe’s booth to where she was speaking on stage to a small group of expo attendees.  We had arrived at the last 10-minutes of her presentation so it did not take long for us to get a chance to meet and chat with Kendra.

Interestingly, it did not seem many people recognized Kendra so it was easy for us to approach and speak with her.  I did ask her where her current homebase was (Delray Beach).  I asked her about her current schedule.  She commented how if she had 10 days to herself without travel, it would be wonderful.  I asked about where her future direction lies.  I don’t think I am betraying her confidence when she stated that she wanted to work more with women and wealth-building.  I surmised she wanted to move away from the real estate field from which she is known.

It is my guess Kendra wants to make a bigger impact on the world than working exclusively in the real estate world.  (We share that trait in common.) She has a lot going on right now from what I could tell from her comments but I got the feeling she was having fun.  She admitted to me winning “The Apprentice” opened up a lot of doors for her.  (No big surprise there.)  Kendra did mention she did appreciate the quiet times the few times she gets it.

All in all, meeting and chatting with Kendra Todd was a fun experience.  She was a down to earth young woman.  I found Kendra to be more petite in person than on TV.  She was also gracious enough to stand in a photo with me as you can see.

There are numerous complaints on every infomercial I have seen.  It is really staggering.  It is a good thing I trust my instincts. The problem is so large, there are entire websites dedicated to uncovering infomercial scams and the industry as a whole.

Even the reputable infomercials seem to be a target.  Yikes.

It looks like if I ever get bored, I will have more interesting reading.  The sites that have caught my eye include:

• InfomercialBlog.com
• InfomercialScams.com
• InfomercialRatings.com

They look like good informative reading.

Having seen many education product infomercials over the years, I found most of them sleazy, unrealistic, and simply pandering to what people want to hear.  And most people associated with an infomercial came out the other side with their reputation and credibility somewhat bruised.

In fact, I tried to contact the person who called me and wanted clarification before speaking to the Senior Director.  And if I couldn’t get some clarity or an answer, I certainly wasn’t going to waste their time or my time having a discussion.  I didn’t hear anything, so I simply canceled the call.

Well, I have to give “Incredible Discoveries” credit for persistence.  The Senior Director of New Product Development called me on my cell phone anyway while I was with Wes Weaver, my biz partner, and Nathan, our intern, touring our vacant properties and handling various issues.  And so, I had to politely put him off since I was in no position to concentrate and talk with him at that moment.  I told him I would try to call him back before the day ended.

Around 4:30pm, it was clear my day was not going to end early and would continue into the evening.  However, I wanted to keep my promise so I called the Director back and asked him for a basic overview of what he was interested in and, most importantly, why.

I have to give him credit.  He was not at all the person I had expected.  He was careful in his words and the expectations he was setting with me.  I think he had a hint, my approach is very matter-of-fact and not always talking about sunshine.  I tell both the good side and bad side.  None of the pie-in-the-sky nonsense that is so common in the real estate courses and seminar circuit.

I made a point to politely let him know my biases against most infomercials and many of the real estate education materials I see today.  Surprisingly, he took it well and acknowledged my concerns.

He made a reference that he knew of my involvement with The Investors Roundtable.  He mentioned how I seemed to focus on “independent-minded investors” (which indicates he visited my real estate investing publication website, TurnKeyInvesting.com.  He remembered that I had left Corporate America and wrote a book on it (The Intrepid Way).

I have to admit, he impressed me with those 4 references.  It showed me that he had done some research on me and what I do.  He did enough homework to let me know he was paying attention to details.

In any case, I still have many questions.  However, my questions are moot at this point.  The biggest thing on my mind right now is that infomercials have to cater to the general public.  That generally means a presentation has to be hyped up and dumbed down a bit to cater to the masses.  I tend to believe (from a marketing point of view) when you try to please everyone, you please no one.  With every project I launch, I am careful to think about who I want to target, not simply pop out a generic product that excites no one.

We are supposed to get back together by phone next week.  I have to admit I was not very interested to the point I canceled the first phone appointment.  But now, I am intrigued to find out more what is on their mind.

=====================================

The latest information can be found on The Incredible Discoveries Information Page.

It appears persistence and momentum does pay off.  WRBL News 3 finally paid attention to the Cobra Collection scam story on June 14, 2007.  However, they called it the “Cobra Collection Controversy“.  Boy, is that an understatement.  I liked WTVM’s title much better because it was more bold but also accurate.  In their broadcasts, they titled it a “business scam” and “collection scam”.

I don’t really know how the process of getting a local story on-air at all.  I have managed to stumble my way through the process a few times but it has always been a chaotic process.  But I am happy Janice Park of WRBL finally caught wind of it and decided to move on it.

She said my email sounded like I was angry with them (WRBL).  Actually, I was more frustrated because I didn’t understand why I got a poor response.  I thought there was so much put together and the client accounts of $6 million would be large enough.

I was thinking to myself, does Cobra Collections have have to blow up a building or the client accounts to reach $10 million to make the news?  If it wasn’t going to be a good story, why not? I simply wanted to know.

Anyhow, after scrambling around making calls, I provided Janice Park a list of people who would appear on camera to talk.  Steve Klemetti of Central Print & Signs and Nancy Wilhite of Dr. Jay Brodwyn’s office were both willing to help the cause.  I was grateful and they did a fantastic job.

In my interview with WRBL, I attempted to be concise.  As always, it was interesting to see what they would choose to air.  I looked like hell after standing in the sun sweating while talking to the cameraman.  But we finally came into my air-conditioned private office and knocked out the interview.

The June 14, 6pm airing was nice clocking at nearly 3 minutes, however the 11pm airing was a bit more disappointing.  Nevertheless, it was far more than we were getting before.  You could see my website CobraCollectionScam.com in the news story.

I asked Janice Park to be straight with me after I thanked her.  I said if this piece was done and did not warrant an update, I would not supply her any new information.  I had said the same thing to Zaneta Lowe of WTVM.  Fortunately, both reporters were open to updates.  So, for now, I have a direct line and email to the two reporters if there are any significant developments.

If any of you want to see the WRBL news story, you can see the video on WRBL.com and CobraCollectionScam.com.

Zaneta Lowe has quickly followed up on the heels of her June 1, 2007 story on Janice Ledden and the Cobra Collections story by doing a revisit and expansion of the original story.

In today’s story, Zaneta Lowe interviewed a previous landlord of Cobra Collections.  Additionally, she recapped the previous story while introducing my newest website, CobraCollectionScam.com.  You can view the news clip on that site.

CobraCollectionScam.com continues to grow with the surge of new reports and information coming in.  The stories has helped trigger 3 ex-employees to read the website and come forward.

Zaneta has once again done a great service to the local business community.

Two days ago local TV station WTVM Channel 9 got wind of the brewing Cobra Collections story here in the Columbus GA area.  Zaneta Lowe, reporter for WTVM, paid a visit to Janice Ledden and several “victimized” business customers.  I was one of those unhappy business customers.  I was informed that a fellow business associate, Lisa Mize, of Coldwell Banker Kennon, Parker, Duncan, & Key’s Rental Department, passed my name along as the keeper of the Cobra Collection Agency web page.

Zaneta Lowe left a message for me yesterday morning.  I returned her call around 1pm and she said she was doing a story that would appear at 5pm.  I thought to myself that was very quick but they were committed to doing it.  I informed Zaneta that she needed to be aware of the web page which had more complete information than any one person would know.

Initially, I did not plan to meet with her.  However, seeing as she was going to run the story, I thought I had to accommodate her.  They came over to my home and we sat discussing the situation and story.  While the cameraman was filming, the camera ran out of film which interrupted our flow.  Then, the camera ran low in battery power which caused another interruption.  I bring that up because I provided far more information than what was displayed on the aired story where I stumbled on my words.  I suppose you just never know what will make it on camera and what will be left behind.

In any case, the TV story meant that people are starting to take seriously the Cobra Collections situation I reported months ago.  Surprisingly, Janice Ledden volunteered to talk to Zaneta.  I suppose if she tried to avoid it, it would have made herself look worse.

In any case, the story was covered several times between Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2 on the various newscasts.  I was informed it also made it to the news FOX affiliate (and sister station) WXTX-54 broadcast at 10pm.  A good number of people I know saw the story.  I had no idea so many people watched the news.

The videos have been posted to the Cobra Collection Agency Scam website.