Hollywood Stock Exchange.. and Snails

A while ago my co-workers and I used to play Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX.com).  Hollywood Stock Exchange is basically a game where you can buy and sell virtual shares of celebrities and movies with a currency called the Hollywood Dollar.  The process is pretty much the same as when you’re trading stocks in the stock market.  The only differences are it’s not using real money and we’re trading “virtual stocks” of celebrities and movies. HSX syndicates the data collected from the Exchange as market research to entertainment, consumer product and financial institutions and as original content to radio, television and print media.

Winners and losers were determined based on the portfolio value after the end of the season (3-month long season). The winners were basically the ones that managed to be in 40th percentile, and they get to pick the restaurant for free lunch – which would be sponsored by the losers. Also, every season we would pick one guy to be the Commissioner. His job is to make sure everyone follows the rules and the losers would pay up for free lunch for the winners at the end of the season. Luckily for me, this Season I was the Commissioner.

Anyhoo, we had just wrapped up another season of HSX and I sent out an email to all the players:

Haceem:

HSX Season III is Over..And it’s time for FREE LUNCH!!! Woohooo…! Following are the current positions on HSX:

1. iv05an H$11,075,089.15
2. themovieking H$10,480,712.14
3. Haceem H$5,585,323.29
4. Bradlby H$4,041,893.07
5. paulc79302 H$1,991,765.74
6. EsiteJohn H$1,963,188.77
7. discomoe H$1,732,865.06
8. dolemite43 H$514,382.18
9. ThePsion5 H$466,311.66

So how are we going to do this? The Bottom four get free lunch for the top four and the middle one doesn’t buy nor get free lunch? Just like we did last season? Or maybe you guys have better ideas? John John, do you think you can organize this since…uhm…You’re one of the bottom four?

We can order pizza or something. And for the top four, do you guys have any preference of what kind of pizza that you’d like to have? Pizza Hut? Papa John’s? Dominos?

paulc79302:

All you guys had to do was reset your account to beat me!

—— When you start the season, you’re given 2 million Hollywood Dollars that you use to purchase/trade the stocks. You’re also allowed to reset your account once in the season that will revert your portfolio value to 2 million. People usually do this whenever their funds are depleted because of bad investments, etc ——

discomoe:

What’s a movie?

ThePsion5:

Curse you Toy Story 3! I will not forget this treachery!

iv05an:

Top 4 I think we need to hit these guys up for more than just poorly made pizzas.

Haceem:

Heh…I agree. Unfortunately, it all depends on their budget for our free lunch. What do you think, John John? Can you talk to your bottom four boys about this? Maybe you boys can get together and cook something for us and bring it to work the next day?

themovieking:

I’d settle for escargot, foie gras, and paté – anything less and I’ll start a riot.

paulc79302:

Are vegetarians allowed to eat snails?

Haceem:

I think so…If they’re organic snails.

themovieking:

Only when they’re free

—— And we still didn’t reach the conclusion until the next day… ——

Haceem:

OK fellas,

After lengthy and exhausting discussion with some of the members in Top Four and Bottom Four as well….Finally we have reached agreements for our HSX Free Lunch:

1. Lunch will take place 12:15 tomorrow.

2. For EsiteJohn, dolemite43, ThePsion5, and discomoe – please bring $5 tomorrow. I’ll go upstairs and collect it from you guys.

3. Since paulc79302 is in the middle, he doesn’t have to participate in this. However, he’s welcome to come to HSX Free Lunch and entertain the Top Four (whether telling us some jokes, juggling bowling pins, or doing some David Blaine-street-magic thing, anything…).

4. Since iv05an wants some pineapples in his pizza, but EsiteJohn doesn’t like pineapples and wants some humus instead; and I want some onions, but Bradlby is allergic to onions; while themovieking only wants some cheese pizzas but everyone wants to have toppings on their pizzas; and iv05an can’t handle any veggies on his pizzas…Sigh….So anyways, in order to make everyone happy, I have decided to order the pizza with ground beef and onions (Heh sorry Brad..). Also, I’m getting some cheesy bread for themovieking since he only eats anything with cheese in it.

Thank you

ThePsion5:

Actually, I am horribly, deathly allergic to all ingredients on pizza with the exception of anchovies and orange juice, so if you could please order me an Anchovie-OJ pizza I would appreciate it. Just tell them to use anchovies instead of dough.

Haceem:

Guys,

How about Domino’s Pizza?

I’ve got a coupon here for 2 large 2 topping pizzas & an order of cheesy bread for $20.

EsiteJohn, discomoe, ThePsion5, and dolemite43 – it’ll only cost each of you $5 for this. We can do it either today or tomorrow, it’s up to you guys.

What about the toppings? Any suggestions? I’ll go with mushroom and ground beef.

dolemite43:

Just so you know. I would have won this thing, but HSX never allowed me to reset my account all season long. I tried like 20 times. I emailed them, but they wouldn’t allow me to reset my account.

$5 is fine for Domino’s. Tomorrow or Monday would work better for me. I vote for just cheese and their deep dish pizza if that’s still around.

themovieking:

Are you kidding me? All I get is cheesy bread? No pizza for me? Man…

Haceem:

Ah OK…

2 large pizzas with ground beef and green peppers (and cheesy bread, especially ordered for themovieking!).

dolemite43:

Erik (discomoe) told me he has an important date right after work and that onions would be best left off the pizza.

EsiteJohn:

Yeah, that’s not fair Mr. Commisioner!!! These pizza topping choices are completely ridiculous. I refuse to participate until a PROPER consensus is reached. Who’s with me?!

Viva la revolucion!

discomoe:

What’s a pizza?

iv05an:

What an Erik?

themovieking:

What’s HSX?

iv05an:

No pizza for you

Haceem:

No ‘cheese’ pizza for you..

iv05an:

I think it just easier for everyone if we just order one cheese and one ground beef, or we can go out and ya cheap skates and actually buy us lunch the right way.

themovieking:

I’m in John – fight the power. Why is it that both pizzas have to have the same toppings? Could we not have one with beef, chicken, sausage, anchovies, onions, and jalapenos and have one with just cheese?

dolemite43:

If it’s just two Pizzas… Then I think Ivan (iv05an) should pick one of them and Tavis (themovieking) the other. Since they were the top two. They should be the “deciders.”

I was all for going out to lunch when I was able to actually play the game, but now that I’m in the bottom it should be the meal that was given to me the last two times!

discomoe:

Charlie…I know you still have that “cat litter” desert from Halloween in your freezer. Bring that in and we’ll call it a day.

paulc79302:

Why don’t you guys do halves? So, one will have half ground beef and half extra cheese, and the other will have half onions and half green peppers.

Haceem:

Well the coupon says we can get 2 large with 2 toppings for 20 bucks. Unless if the Bottom Four boys don’t want to use coupon, that’s fine with me. I was just trying to help you boys.

OK let’s do halves then. One pizza will have half ground beef and half green peppers, and the other one plain cheese pizza. And we are still getting some cheesy bread (since the coupon offers it). What do you guys think?

EsiteJohn:

Haceem:

That looks good. How much is it?

EsiteJohn:

I’m not going to do your job for you. Have a little pride in your work.

Jeez…

ThePsion5:

Stroke of genius? I’ll let you decide:

4 pizza eaters / 2 pizzas = 0.5 pizzas/eater

which yields

Can’t you guys just get what you want on each pizza half? (somehow my math is going to be wrong, watch…)

paulc79302:

From this point forward, please remove me from any further replies because I do not care.

dolemite43:

From this point forward, please remove me from any further replies because I do not care.

Thanks,
Charlie

p.s. Just playin’ y’all.. Sounds good.

—— We finally ended up having 2 large pizza (from Pizza Hut; not Domino’s), one was cheese pizza and the other one was chicken supreme pizza (with lots of onions, olives, and green peppers). And no cheesy bread for themovieking. ——