Our Cameras Are Academy Award Winners!

If you saw or heard about this year's Academy Award-winning documentary, "The Cove," you probably know the filmmakers used state-of-the-art camera equipment to expose the secret dolphin slaughter that takes place annually in a secluded cove in Taiji, Japan. In a unique twist of fate, we just learned that our San Diego video production company OWNS some of that equipment! Here's how it happened: about a year ago, we bought two Sony XDHD camera packages from a mysterious Colorado production company after a series of e-mail exchanges and phone calls. Without saying exactly what they had been shooting, a company rep explained that they needed to sell the gear to help fund post-production on their "marine life film." Colorado? Marine life? Whatever. But the equipment was in excellent condition -- so we arranged for shipment and put it to good use over the last year. Recently, when we finally got around to watching "The Cove," something clicked. The Sony camera shown in several scenes looked awfully familiar, as did a tripod. We also recognized the names of director Louie Psihoyos and unit production manager Joseph Chisholm from those mysterious e-mails and phone calls a year earlier. A follow-up e-mail to Psihoyos confirmed what we suspected -- and we're proud to say that we own some of the same camera equipment that brought the filmmakers an Academy Award for best documentary feature. We're also proud that our purchase helped the filmmakers finish their courageous and important project!

Sun, Surf, Sand -- and Stars!

Hollywood hits the beach in our latest San Diego video production! That's Owen Wilson and George Lopez sitting down for an interview on the sand with your favorite San Diego producer and her trusty San Diego HD video crew. (Don't you love that menacing bodyguard in the background keeping an eye on us?) The stars were in town to unleash their new live-action family comedy, "Marmaduke," opening June 4. Owen is the voice of the famous comic-strip Great Dane and George is his cool cat buddy, Carlos. The day included everything from an adorable surfing dog contest to a red-carpet premiere and screening right on the beach. All you channel surfers can check it out from the comfort of your sofas this week on "Entertainment Tonight" -- no SPF needed!

Crewed-Up & Credentialed For Comic-Con!

No matter what kind of chaos they'll unleash at Comic-Con July 22-25, we'll be ready! This is our 10th year handling San Diego video production at Comic-Con for "Entertainment Tonight," Disney, Fox, Sony and others. We've seen the event grow from a small comic book gathering to a pop culture phenomenon that draws A-list stars and more than 125,000 fans. Last year alone, we covered the star-studded previews of "Avatar," "Iron Man 2," "Alice in Wonderland," "Twilight: New Moon," "Tron," "Sherlock Holmes," ABC's "Flashforward" and more. The four-day event is already SOLD OUT, so to stay ahead of the chaos, our San Diego video crews and producers are credentialed two months early. So bring it on, Comic-Con!

Here Comes The Sunscreen!

Our latest San Diego video production is all about saving your skin! Armed with hats, sunglasses and SPF 60, your favorite San Diego producer and San Diego video crew spent two days putting high-tech swimwear to the test in the California sun. On one of those days, my poor crew was forced to shoot a gorgeous blonde model in her 20s sunbathing in a "tan-through" bikini -- the type that promises to leave no lines. Imagine their grueling workday as they had to constantly focus in on her taking down her straps of her top to check for tan lines! It all balanced out, though. We spent the other day documenting the effectiveness of a new children's swimsuit that has a tiny UV alert button that turns red when the sun is strong. That meant hours patiently following pint-sized perpetual motion machines commonly known as "preschoolers" -- lots of fun but exhausting! You can see the results on the Human Lab segment of the "Rachael Ray" show airing Monday, May 10.