Pasadena Chamber of Commerce

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Disney Enterprises and Jerry Bruckheimer

Disney’s “G-Force” is a comedy adventure about a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws.

But that system is far from exact, and this year it has resulted in a number of family films that beat expectations, including “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” “Hotel for Dogs” and “Hannah Montana.”

“G-Force” now has a place on that list. Disney’s effects-laden guinea pig action movie came in a surprising No. 1 for the weekend with a studio-estimated $32.2 million worth of ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada. An overwhelming 75% of moviegoers were families.

It’s guinea pigs, of course kids are going to want to see the movie, even foresaking Harry Potter to do so.

This might be a little scary for some:

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Robert Durell / For The Times

Mike DaSilva of Berkeley ended his software career to make ukuleles. Now the waiting list for his instruments is more than a year long.

Thanks to the Internet, the humble ukulele is pushing its recent popularity well beyond anything that old-time performers Don Ho, Arthur Godfrey or even Tiny Tim could imagine. ¶ From YouTube to manufacturers’ websites, from bulletin boards to iPhone and BlackBerry applications that mimic ukes and teach chords, the Internet has been stoking the craze for nearly two years and unveiling fresh talent. ¶ “The number of new players keeps going up,” said Mike DaSilva of Berkeley, who ditched a 20-year software career to make ukuleles. ¶ Guitar maker C.F. Martin & Co. stopped producing ukes in 1994 because they had become so unpopular, but resumed in 2001 and is selling some of the handmade instruments for as much as $10,000 — even in these tough economic times.

Maybe people just want something that is fun, relaxing, easy to learn and not expensive to get started.

Paul