- Maybe this money could be headed to a more deserving source, but it’s not at all surprising that Lost producer ABC Studios has entered into contract renegotiations with the show’s two biggest stars, Matthew Fox (Jack) and Evangeline Lilly (Kate). Right now, both actors earn about $150,000 per episode, but with the phenomenal ending to last season and the show’s still-growing popularity, you can see where Fox and Lilly might think they deserve a raise. I contend that the writers for the show are the ones who deserve a bump in pay, given the masterpiece of TV they crafted for the Season 4 finale, in which an entire freaking island (fictionally) disappeared right in the middle of the ocean. The studio tried to do the Fox/Lilly negotiations quietly, but as often happens in these situations, word of the talks about bigger paychecks leaked out and reps for some of the other cast members asked the studio to open their own renegotiations. According to industry sources, most of the other series regulars earn about $80,000-$90,000 per episode. If the cast of any show on TV right now deserves raises, it’s the Lost island dwellers, so stay tuned to see how this turns out….
- USC vs. USC. The epic battle for one of college athletics’ most famous acronyms is getting heated, mostly because the University of South Carolina appears to be run by a bunch of delusional idiots who have the misguided belief that anyone outside of their campus and fan base associates them with those three letters. Ask any college sports fan, even casual ones, who they link with the USC moniker and the response will almost immediately be the University of Southern California. The Trojans have won 11 national championships in football, produced seven Heisman trophy winners and are perennially at the top of the college football polls. South Carolina, on the other hand, can't even win their division in the Southeastern Conference, let alone a national title. Despite hiring the OBC (Ol’ Ball Coach) Steve Spurrier several years ago to breathe life into their perpetually good-but-not-great program, the Gamecocks have won a grand total of zero division, conference or national championships. Yet there they are, trying to drop lawsuits in Southern Cal to take back the USC label and “SC” logo featuring an interlocked, block version of the two letters. South Carolina people have taken to calling Southern Cal “imposters” and insisting that because their school was founded 80 years earlier, they have rights to the name and logo. The main problem, other than them sucking, is that Southern Cal trademarked the “SC” logo long before South Carolina got around to doing so. An administrative tribunal sitting in judgment of the case ruled in favor of Southern Cal, which settles the matter legally but isn't going to keep South Carolina administrators and fans from b*tching and complaining. Win something - anything - and then come and bump your gums, South Carolina….
- Scratch one possible solution to beating high gas prices off your list. The city of Ciudad Acuna is sick and tired of American drivers making the short jaunt across the border and filling up extra gas cans, barrels and even tanks with government-subsidized Mexican fuel. The city sits just across the border from the town of Del Rio, Texas, making it an easy target for people looking to stock up on cheap fuel illegally. Law enforcement officials in Ciudad Acuna fired back by fining four U.S. residents trying to score cheap Mexican fuel and impounding their vehicles until they pay up. Ironic, isn't it? Mexicans getting pissed at Americans for coming across the border and thieving things that belong to them? Maybe if we limit the practice to those who have lost their jobs to illegal immigrants and need to cheaper diesel to survive, how does that sound Mexico? How long until Ciudad Acuna is erecting a ginormous border wall to keep out illegal fuel seekers from the U.S.? Wait, that’s our thing? Oh…..
- Stoner comedy done well is great cinema, but even a funny new comedy like Pineapple Express proved to be no match for Gotham’s hero, the one and only Batman. Despite a strong start from Pineapple on Friday, The Dark Knight remained at the top of the movie heap for a fourth straight weekend. While the Seth Rogen-fueled Express brought in $7.9 million Friday, it slipped on Saturday and Sunday and ended the weekend with a total of $22.4 million. All told, it has earned $40.4 million since its Wednesday opening. The Dark Knight's had its most modest weekend yet, raking in only $26 million weekend for a domestic total of $441.5 million. That allowed Dark Knight to pass Shrek 2 to become the third highest grossing domestic flick of all time, behind Star Wars and Titanic. Following on the weekend box office earning list were The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ($16.1 million), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 ($10.8 million over the weekend, $19.7 million since Wednesday) and Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's Step Brothers ($8.9 million). Aside from Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, that means there were four pretty good films in the top five, which is a rarity during summer blockbuster season or at any time of year, actually…..
- Depending which side of the issue you’re on, a 6.9-mile stretch of Manhattan roads became either a summer oasis/giant block party or your biggest freaking nightmare for six hours Saturday. As part of an experiment called Summer Streets, the city of New York turned the stretch of road between the Brooklyn Bridge and East 72nd Street into a car-free zone. The idea is to create a place for runners, bikers and loungers to enjoy a playground-like atmosphere in the heart of a normally bustling city scene. Cities all over the world have been trying out the concept and seeking to create a livable, ecologically friendly urban environment in the process. The area carved out in Manhattan also had links to Central Park and other open spaces, so it seems like a good idea that should get another run soon. The event saw a great turnout and it was almost worth it all just for the image of a calm, traffic free chunk of Manhattan on a weekend, even for six hours. Of course, if you’re one of the insane motorists who was trying to traverse the crowded city streets during those six hours, the words coming to your mind (and out of your mouth) probably weren’t positive and more than likely were four-letter bombs….it’s all a matter of perspective, though…..
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