Speaking of Starbucks

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Hanks sure likes his triple venti latte.

The actor is attached to star in "How Starbucks Saved My Life," about an advertising executive who loses his job and family and has to work at the coffee chain to pay the bills. He befriends the young manager and learns about life and love.

Gus Van Sant is in negotiations to direct the Universal project. Hanks will also serve as a producer.

The project is based on a fiction book proposal by Michael Gates Gill, a former ad exec who co-wrote the nonfiction book "Fired Up! The Dramatic Truth of What It Really Takes to Move from Fearful Employee to Successful, Fired Up Entrepreneur."

Hanks next stars in "The Da Vinci Code," which opens May 19. Van Sant is attached to direct "The Time Traveler's Wife" at New Line. His credits include 2005's "Last Days."

Starbucks Coffee Giveaway!

Starbucks will host its first-ever National Coffee Break, inviting customers in for a complimentary cup of freshly brewed coffee, on March 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. In more than 7,500 stores, partners (employees) will pour tall (12-ounce) cups of coffee for surprised customers and delighted commuters.

See the press release on Businesswire.

Black & Decker Home Cafe

I've become a Pod Person!

Recently at Bed Bath & Beyond, I spotted a Home Cafe pod coffee maker on the clearance shelf for $30. These things usually go for around $60-70, so I snapped it up.

The Home Cafe has had mixed reviews on the pod coffee websites. The popular brands are Philips Senseo, Tassimo, Keurig. But with this bargain price, I thought I'd take a chance.

So far so good. The coffee is not bad, but not great either. The biggest bonus is being able to have several hot cups of fresh coffee instead of one fresh cup and many burnt cups from a drip maker.

Target had a sale on pods (2 packs of 16-pods for $7), so I picked up two French Roasts, two Vanillas and two Cappucinos. The Cappucino is more like the flavored coffee powder you find next to the hot chocolate mixes. The French Roast is decent. I'll try other brand pods after I run out of this batch.

You can select 7oz, 9oz or 14oz sizes. The water reservoir is about 34oz, so depending on what size drinks you make you'll have to refill it more or less frequently.

The construction feels a bit flimsy. It's all plastic. But for $30 I'm not complaining!

There are several other brand machines under the Home Cafe name. Check out the website: http://www.homecafe.com

Here's a GREAT place to learn about pod coffee making. Single Serve Coffee has reviews, discussions even tutorials on how to get the most out of your pod machine.
http://www.singleservecoffee.com/