Blockbuster open house

They may be bankrupt and now owned by Dish Network, but the brick and mortar Blockbuster that survives in South Orange is pulling out all the stops to attract customers. This weekend was a so-called Open House, which on Saturday featured a "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" tournament (won by a local 16-year-old kid) and on Sunday a face painting art student from Seton Hall.  Those gimmicks got people in the door, but their pricing strategy wasn't too smart. Kids' movies -- already discounted to 99 cents, were chopped to 49 cents, so while we got a Catwoman and a Batman out of the deal, all they got out of the Merrill family was $3.04 for two movies, microwave popcorn and a Diet Coke.