With 12 blank checks, you also get eggroll
With so-called “blank check” companies making a comeback on Wall Street, Colorado regulators have seen a handful of wacky registration filings.
At least one blank check company, Chardan South China Acquisition Corp., listed its financial statements in Chinese.
“We’ve seen some unusual ones,” Jerry Rome, Colorado’s deputy securities commissioner, said.
Chardan plans to acquire a yet-to-be-selected privately held business located in any city or province south of the Yangtze River in China, according to securities filings.
Blank check companies, popular and controversial during the 1980s, raise money from investors without saying precisely how management intends to spend it.
The spirits say paint, plaster and plumb
Denver author Faith Ranoli takes home inspection to a spiritual level with her latest book, “The Mystical Guide to Home Inspection: Thoughts from A Holistic Home Inspector.”
A self-proclaimed “house psychic,” Ranoli helps homeowners discover the soul of their homes. She combines practical advice such as installing smoke detectors with tips on understanding the numerology of your home.
You can even use your car keys as a pendulum to determine the health of your home.
Guess who’s “baaack” on movies’ payroll
Movie muscle man and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently received a tidy sum from the Anschutz Film Group, one of the many arms of Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz’s business empire.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the money was payment for Schwarzenegger’s “Prince Hapi” role in the movie “Around the World in 80 Days,” produced by AFG’s Walden Media and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.
The Times did not say how much Schwarzenegger got for the role. He disclosed that he received a payment from Anschutz Film Group in his 2005 “annual statement of economic interest” required of California’s elected state officials. Schwarzenegger has spent $25.1 million of his own money on various campaigns since 2001, the Times reported.
Tip back a few for a favorite fire crew
It’s been a decade, but the fire still burns strong at Rock Bottom Restaurants Inc.
The Louisville-based chain is preparing to launch its 10th Annual Fire Chief Ale promotion. The company will tap its traditional Fire Chief Ale on March 23. Twenty five cents from each pint sold through April 9 will be donated to local fire departments and related charities.
The promotion, which raised $12,000 in its first year, has generated average donations of $100,000 in each of the last few years and total donations are expected to reach the $1 million mark this year, said Rock Bottom marketing director Marilyn Davenport.
“After 10 years we’ve developed some wonderful relationships with fire departments and firefighters across the country,” Davenport said. “Fire Chief is our flagship promotion and one that our teams truly love.”
Many of the 30 Rock Bottom restaurants nationwide will partner with local fire stations to host additional events like chili cook-offs, bucket truck rides and the ever-popular firefighter bachelor auction. Event schedules will vary by location.
Kitchen Stadium, á la Broomfield
Things are also heating up at the monthly “FlatIron Chef” competitions at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield.
Richard Maxfield, the hotel’s general manager, is such a fan of the popular Food Network show, he decided to start staging his own culinary battles at the hotel’s Meritage restaurant last summer. They were a hit from the first night.
This month’s cook-off, scheduled for Thursday, March 23, will pit reigning champion Hosea Rosenberg, executive chef at the Boulder Jax Fish House, against Corey Buck from John’s Restaurant, also in Boulder. The secret ingredient will remain a secret until that night.
The evening costs $75 per person for a five-course dinner with wine pairings – and the right to vote for the top toque.
Rover’s version of four-star service
The JW Marriott Denver in the posh Cherry Creek North neighborhood is taking canine coddling to a new level.
Upon check-in, all pooches – which the hotel welcomes with their owners free of charge – will receive a biscuit inscribed with their name from nearby Three Dog Bakery, along with a sheepskin bed and stainless steel bowl to use during their stay.
“It’s pet pampering of the highest order,” guarantees hotel general manager Bob Trotter.
Embattled financier cut no slack by mom
Kirk S. Wright, the Atlanta-based hedge fund manager accused of bilking millions from several former or current Denver Broncos, would hardly be considered a “mama’s boy.”
Wright’s older brother, Charles, recently told The Wall Street Journal that their mother, Joyce, is concerned about “the retirement money she invested with (Wright).”
Lawsuits have been filed against Wright, 35, by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and former and current Broncos, including Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis and Rod Smith.
