- New movies dominated the box office this weekend and none
soared higher than Matt Damon’s post-apocalyptic flick “Elysium,” which didn’t
post big numbers but did enough to score first place with $30.4 million. After
excessive and annoying overpromotion, the “See Jennifer Aniston as a stripper”
comedy “We’re the Millers” ranked second with $26.5 million in its debut,
besting the animated efforts of “Planes,” which claimed third place after
recording $22.6 million in domestic earnings in its first weekend in theaters. The
fourth new film at the top of the list was “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,”
which doubled as the most disappointing of the four. With $14.6 million in
domestic earnings and a $90 million budget, Percy Jackson is in a large hole
after one weekend. Reigning box office champion “2 Guns” dropped four spots to
fifth and made $11.1 million in its second weekend for a cumulative total of
$48.5 million. “The Smurfs 2” slid to sixth with $9.5 million and it too has
been underwhelming thus far, banking $46.6 million against a $105 million
budget. Another film taking a big fall was “The Wolverine,” which tumbled five
spots and finished seventh with $8 million for a three-week haul of $111.9
million. Eighth place belonged to “The Conjuring,” a horror movie that has
churned out $120.7 million after a $6.7 million weekend that elevated its
domestic total to six times its modest budget. Ninth place went to “Despicable
Me 2,” with $5.8 million to add to its coffers and $338.3 million after six
weeks in theaters. “Grown Ups 2” completed the top 10 with $3.7 million and
through five weeks, it has hauled in $123.8 million. “Turbo” (No. 12), “Red 2”
(No. 14), “The Heat” (No. 15) and “Pacific Rim” (No. 16) all dropped out from
last weekend’s top 10……..
- Pakistani television is an intensely competitive place. Pulling
solid ratings and staying on the air is a cutthroat endeavor and it’s why the
hybrid stylings of televangelist/game show host Aamir Liaquat Hussain make so much sense.
Hussain is the biggest name on Pakistani television and he is a
near-ubiquitous presence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when his
popular "Aman Ramadan" program is broadcast for 14 hours a day, every
day. The holy month ended Thursday and Hussain capped it off with a spectacular
stunt in which he drew huge ratings by handing out babies abandoned in garbage
heaps to childless couples live on-air in prime time. His critics blast him as
a shameless entertainer with questionable Islamic credentials, but handing out
babies like they were new front-loading dishwashers to contest winners kicked
the outrage up a notch. Haters suggested his actions had nothing to do with God
and everything to do with ratings and oddly enough, they’re completely correct.
Even though Hussain has denied the charges repeatedly, that’s what he is
supposed to do. "It's not a prize, it's not a game show, it's real
charity," Hussain said. "Giving away is the wrong word. We actually
hand over children to needy parents." Emergency response organizations
attempt to address the issue of so-called garbage babies, but Hussain has
raised the profile of the subject even if he is doing it for largely
self-serving reasons. The Chhipa Welfare Association worked with Hussain on the
project and Ramzan Chhipa, who runs the organizations, explained why. "We
find eight to ten bodies a month in the garbage, mostly girls," Chhipa
said. "This is the reason we are going on the show, to give the
awareness, to give the information to the public." Chhipa added that his
organization carefully vets all potential adoptive parents and only gives
babies to the most deserving. Placing this child giveaway bonanza alongside
discussions with Islamic scholars and audience participation quizzes may make
for an odd mix, but it’s all in the name of fame and ratings……….
- In one of the saddest space-related developments since
ground control had communication issues with Major Tom, more than
100,000 people have applied for a one-way trip to Mars that will (allegedly)
take place one decade from now. These poor saps are hoping to be chosen to
spend the rest of their lives on uncharted territory as part of the Mars One
project. Project leaders hope to colonize the red planet beginning in 2022, but
have yet to provide details beyond how much money they’re bilking from the
idiots dumb enough to apply for something that may never happen. Those who have
applied can't possibly know if there will be enough funding for the project or
whether humans can really survive on Mars, but so far some 30,000 Americans
have signed up. Mars One has posted some of the candidates on its website and
CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp explained that many more potential space nuts
are in the application process. "There is also a very large number of
people who are still working on their profile, so either they have decided not
to pay the application fee, or they are still making their video or they're
still filling out the questionnaire or their resume. So the people that you can
see online are only the ones that have finished and who have set their profiles
as public," Lansdorp said. Anyone over the age of 18 can apply and the fee
is $38 for Americans and $15 for Mexicans. Mars One sets the fee based on the
gross domestic product per capita of each nation. "We wanted it to be high
enough for people to have to really think about it and low enough for anyone to
be able to afford it," Lansdorp added. The first mission to Mars will cost
$6 billion, Lansdorp said, and he hopes it will be funded by sponsors and media
that will pay for broadcasting rights of shows and movies documenting the
endeavor. Forty astro-nuts will be selected later this year and four of them --
two men and two women -- are set to leave for Mars in September 2022, landing
in April 2023. Those four will undergo eight-year training process in a
secluded location, where they will learn how to repair habitat structures, grow
vegetables in confined spaces and address "both routine and serious
medical issues such as dental upkeep, muscle tears and bone fractures."
Once they’re done, they will ready to be shot into space, never to return………
- What a welcome back present the New York Yankees gave
embattled third basemen and career-long steroid cheater Alex Rodriguez as he
returned to the team last week. Rodriguez, recovering from offseason hip
surgery and facing a 211-game suspension for repeated violations of Major
League Baseball’s drug policy, came back to the Yankees on Monday and by the
time Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers began, he had been hand-delivered a letter written by Yankees
general manager Brian Cashman that notified him of a fine assessed by the team
that could cost him more than $150,000. He can continue playing while he
appeals his 211-game suspension by commissioner Bud Selig, he doesn’t
have quite as much leeway after his own team reprimanded him for his recent actions surrounding his rehab
assignment. Among Rodriguez’s indiscretions are seeking a second medical
opinion without giving the Yankees prior notice and failing to show up at the
ballpark for a rehab assignment on July 12 after meeting with MLB officials to
discuss the evidence against him in baseball's investigation of the now-closed
Biogenesis clinic suspected of being a source of illegal PEDs. Rodriguez will
be fined just as Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli was after accepting MLB's
50-game suspension for his involvement with Biogenesis. “The club contemplates
discipline for your most recent violation of the Collective Bargaining
Agreement," the letter reads, according to sources close to the
situation. No specific punishment is laid out in the letter, but $153,005 is
equivalent to one day's pay [based on 183 days] under Rodriguez's contract,
which calls for him to earn $28 million for 2013. And A-Rod has said multiple
times since returning that he doesn’t believe the Yankees and MLB truly want
him around……..
- The healing process is complete….really. San Diego Mayor
Bob Filner may still be facing a growing tide of sexual harassment allegations,
but he has faced his demons and conquered them all after two who weeks of intensive
behavior therapy. It may seem like two weeks is not nearly enough time for a
creepy, perverted 70-year-old man who gropes subordinates and forces unwanted
kisses on them before asking them to come to work sans underwear to change his
ways, Filner clearly believes it’s all good and will now begin outpatient
treatment, according to his lawyer. Attorney James Payne issued a statement
explaining that Filner began treatment on July 29, a week earlier than the
mayor previously told reporters he would start and completed that phase of
treatment Saturday. For that reason, the mayor also left treatment a week
earlier than Filner said he would. With his bogus rehab stint behind him, the
mayor will now take some personal time away from the spotlight and according to
Payne, will not be available for comment. Taking time away doesn’t mean the
torrent of women stepping forward to accuse him of misconduct will take any
kind of break. Eleven women have now accused Filner of sexual harassment while
he was mayor or a congressman and the latest addition to the list as Michelle
Tyler, a nurse who said Tuesday that Filner rubbed her arm in his office and
asked for dinner dates in June in exchange for his helping a brain-injured Iraq
War veteran. She also claimed Filner told her he wanted to kiss her. Since the
mayor admitted last month that "I need help" and said "I'm
clearly doing something wrong," his chief of staff has resigned and fellow
Democrats have called for Filner to step down, but he has boldly insisted that he
believes he will be vindicated when all the facts come out……..
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