- When is a win not really a win? When you pile tens of millions of dollars into making and promoting a prequel movie to an extremely successful movie franchise and it has the worst opening of any movie thus far in that franchise’s history, that’s when. Such was the tale of X-Men: First Class, which opened in lackluster fashion over the weekend. The film won the box office earnings race with $56 million, but with a $160 million budget and high expectations from the success of previous ¬X-Men movies, the performance was less than impressive. Also, strong debuts for The Hangover Part 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides the previous two weeks made X-Men’s effort seem even weaker. Speaking of Hangover 2, it finished second in its second weekend by making an additional $32.5 million for a two-week tally of $186.9 million. Kung-Fu Panda 2 kept the sequel/prequel parade going in the third spot, earning $24.3 million to cross the $100 million barrier in the United States with $100.4 million and counting. Pirates snared the fourth spot on the list with a disappointing $18 million in its third weekend. Despite $190.2 million through those first three weeks, the film can't be considered a rousing success at this point. Last among the top five was a film that definitely can be considered a success is Bridesmaids, which also crossed that elusive $100 million benchmark by making $12.2 million in its fourth weekend and has now tallied $107.3 million through four weeks. The remainder of the top 10 was comprised of: Thor (No. 6 with $4.2 million and a cumulative tally of $169 million for five weeks), Fast Five (No. 7 with $3.2 million to bump its overall earnings above $200 million domestically at $202.1 million), Midnight in Paris (No. 8 with $2.9 and a scant $6.9 million in three weeks of work), Jumping the Broom (No. 9 with $865,000 and $35,927,000 for its five weeks of release) and Something Borrowed (hanging on at No. 10 with just $835,000 after a 55 percent decline from the previous weekend and having made just $36.6 million in five weeks). Dropping out of the top 10 from last weekend and for the first time in its eight-week run was Rio, which fell to No. 11………….
- Bounce houses: Fun party additions for kids and rave-goers peaking on X and God know what other drugs or instruments of danger and/or death? Scoff if you will, but then go and as the children inside several inflatable bounce houses that blew away during a local soccer club’s event in Long Island, N.Y. on Saturday how they feel about the topic. A massive gust of wind came blowing through an Oceanside United Soccer Club tournament late Saturday in Long Island and sent three bounce houses flying. Those inside - undoubtedly looking to avoid actually having to suffer through a soccer game and desperate for any excuse not to watch - went along for the ride and 13 of them were injured. Eric Evensen, a Nassau County police officer, responded to the emergency call and summed up the scene. "As children were inside, a heavy gust of wind blew across the field, raising them off the ground and sending them airborne," he said. "Once they hit the ground, they began rolling and struck several people on the ground." One young soccer fan was about to enter a bounce house when a rope from the structure wrapped around her neck and began dragging her. The 13 injured individuals were treated for minor injuries at local hospitals, according to authorities. Evensen speculated that there would likely be no criminal charges filed but left open the possibility that some parents of injured children might pursue civil claims. With graduation parties, fairs, holiday gatherings and other events set to kick into high gear and consume most of the summer, could this day of bounce house terror be a harbinger of bigger problems to come? Maybe, maybe not. Just remember next time you climb into a bounce house that you could be in for much more than a rollicking good time of bouncing around…………
- Did anyone really expect China to own its recent actions in the South China Sea, to admit what its navy is up to and face the consequences? Of course not! When Gen. Liang Guanglie, China’s defense minister, showed up at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a high-profile Asia defense forum in Singapore, he was in no mood to hear any more of the criticism that his country was acting belligerently in the South China Sea. Gen. Liang instead said China was pursuing a “peaceful rise” and nothing more. “You say our actions do not match our words. I certainly do not agree,” Gen Liang replied. His outburst came just days after Vietnam and the Philippines accused China of aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. Liang was adamant that his country was not threatening security in the strategically important and energy-rich disputed waters because “freedom of navigation has never been impeded.” That the general showed up for the event at all was noteworthy. He is the first Chinese defense minister to participate in the forum, which was also attended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and other Asian defense ministers. Gates expressed “increasing concerns” about China’s recent maritime behavior but stopped short of saying Beijing was undermining its “peaceful rise” claim. “I don’t think it has risen to that level yet,” Gates stated. The hundreds of Vietnamese who protested this weekend in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City against perceived Chinese aggression would probably disagree with Gates. So would the Vietnamese government, which recently said Chinese coast guard vessels had sabotaged an oil exploration ship. Similar claims were made by Filipino officials, who claimed last week that China had unloaded construction materials on a reef claimed by the Philippines. Manila voiced concerns that China’s alleged actions could violate a regional agreement to avoid actions that “complicate or escalate disputes.” Ironically, in light of the growing scrutiny on China and its actions on the high seas, Gates was actually less harsh on the communist nation than he was at last year’s forum. Sure, Chinese-American relations have improved somewhat following a year of little significant contact, but does that mean America should take it easy on China? Maybe - if you ask Sen. John McCain, who said Gen. Liang had been “very conciliatory” but more “hardline” over the South China Sea during a previous meeting in China. There is also the issue of China owning a massive chunk of America’s ginormous, ever-growing national debt, so factor that into the mix as well. The most ominous words in the debate thus far came from Gen. Liang, who cryptically warned that China was doing “much more than what the outside world may expect,” without giving detail………….
- Say what you will about NFL über-agent Drew Rosenhaus, but the guy never, ever sells his clients short or speaks of them as anything other than the greatest specimens ever to walk the planet. Even when one of those clients is in the twilight of his career, has just spent the better part of two years in prison for a felony and is about to be released, Rosenhaus can't help but sing his praises. The felon in question is former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, locked up for 20 months for illegally carrying and firing a gun at a Manhattan nightclub. Burress, who caught the game-winning pass in the 2008 Super Bowl, is set to leave the Oneida Correctional Facility in upstate New York on Monday. He will turn 34 in August, an age that is much older for an NFL receiver than it is for the average member of society. Not only does Burress have the stigma of being a convicted felon fresh out of the hole, he also has two years of rust built up and could accrue more oxidation thanks to the ongoing NFL lockout that could jeopardize the resumption of his football career. Burress, through Rosenhaus, has made it clear that his immediate plans are to return to his Florida home to spend time with his wife, son and a daughter born while he was in jail. He clearly hopes to emulate the success of quarterback Michael Vick, who has made a near-miraculous return to the pinnacle of the sport after being released in 2009 from a federal term for dogfighting. Unlike Vick, Burress doesn’t have a plethora of teams lining up to sign him. In spite of that, Rosenhaus insisted via email that Burress “will play in the NFL this year" without providing any actual evidence to support that claim. "Many teams want him. He will be a top free agent. He is healthy and ready to go. He will be signed shortly after the lockout ends," Rosenhaus boasted. The delusion clearly runs deep in the Burress camp. His attorney, Peter M. Frankel, called the past three years of Burress’ life “really a tragic story." Yes, an adult with free will choosing to carry a loaded gun he did not have a license for into a nightclub, store it in the waistband of his sweatpants and accidentally shooting himself in the leg before trying to cover the shooting up by lying about his identity to the doctor who treated him IS tragic. That the shooting happened when his career was reaching its zenith also does not make the story tragic because all of the onus for what has gone wrong remains on the man who carried and discharged the gun. Not knowing or understanding the gun laws in the state in which you are carrying a gun is in no way tragic. Hopefully Burress learned from his 20 months behind bars, but even there he received special treatment, living in protective custody because of his celebrity status. Because of that, he didn't have a cellmate, but did work as a grounds maintenance laborer. He also completed an anger management course and tutored other inmates in reading, writing and math. Yet even in prison, he still struggled with authority. Multiple times, prison officers said he lied to get to use the phone at a time when calls weren't allowed, gave another inmate a pair of sneakers (considered an "unauthorized exchange") and had three dozen cassette tapes and an extra, state-issued pillow in a "filthy" cell strewn with bags of food, dirty clothes, books and mail. But maybe, just maybe, he truly is a changed man and will act accordingly. None of that means anything to teams who wonder if he has anything left to give on the football field, but still…………
- Rats: man’s new best friend and/or medical assistant? Dani More, a Hesperia, Calif. resident who suffers from severe osteoporosis, would say yes. Because of her ailment, Moore needs to take medication regularly in order to prevent severe and debilitating muscle spasms. That’s where her service rat, Hiyo Silver, comes in. Hiyo Silver licks Moore’s face when she is about to have a muscle spasm. Because of past injuries to her spinal nerves, Moore cannot feel the spasms when they initially come on and by the time she could actually realize what was happening, she could seriously injure herself. With the help of her service rat, she is able to avoid injury and take her medication when she needs it. “Since I have osteoporosis, if the spasms get too bad, they can fracture vertebrae, which has happened to me before,” Moore said. To protect herself at all times, Moore keeps Hiyo Silver perched on her shoulders wherever she goes and credits the critter for a much higher quality of life. “Before I got my service rat, I would sometimes spend weeks in bed because the spasms would not let up,” Moore said. “I was so much more limited to where I could go or what I could do.” To accommodate Moore and others like her, the city of Hesperia recently voted to allow all species of service animals in local businesses, meaning Hiyo Silver is not banned from any establishments, provided he behaves himself……...
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