- Who’s down to direct a Harry Potter spin-off project? “Gravity” director Alfonso Cuarón just might be, as he has been linked to the
big screen adaptation of the Potter spin-off “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.” The film is going to
happen no matter who is at the helm, as last week, Warner Bros. confirmed a
release date of Nov. 18, 2016. The story is based on a 54-page book written by
author J.K. Rowling in 2001 and while the tome hasn’t received the traditional
fanfare of projects in the franchise, the fact that Rowling has stopped writing
books in the series means that desperate studios are grasping for straws and
seeking anything possible to squeeze a few last drops of financial benefit from
the franchise. Thus, even though no director or actual cast members have been confirmed, speculation on who will
be a part of the project are buzzing. The film is expected to focus on
fictional "magizoologist" author Newton Scamander and unlike the
traditional European settings of previous Potter films, the story will
reportedly be set in New York 70 years before the title began at Hogwarts. Oh,
and this obvious cash grab will allegedly be the first in a trilogy. Cuarón
directed “Harry Potter and The
Prisoner Of Azkaban” in 2004, so he is a familiar face in this
particular world. Additonally, David Heyman – who served as producer on all
eight of the Harry Potter films
– is expected to serve in the same capacity for “Fantastic Beasts.” "Although
it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so
happy for 17 years, Fantastic Beasts
And Where To Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension
of the wizarding world,” Rowling previously said of the film. “The laws and
customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read
the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt's story will start in New
York, 70 years before Harry's gets underway." In other words, put it out
and dork-tastic fans of the series will pay to see it…….
- It would appear that Venezuela is not inching closer to
government tranquility. If the foreign ministers of Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador are
fleeing Caracas after a two-day visit because they failed miserably in attempts
to persuade opponents of President Nicolas Maduro to return to talks aimed at
easing the country's political crisis, odds are that the standoff won’t be
resolved any time soon. Worse still, this was a South American effort to end a
standoff in talks between Venezuela's government and opposition and not an
effort by world powers – such as the good ol’ United States of America to
interject itself into the world’s business – so the fact that it stalled out is
terrible news. As they exited Venezuela without actually accomplishing
anything, the retreating diplomats issued a statement in which they urged both
sides to reflect on the next steps and decide on the date for another meeting
in the near future. A written reprimand seems unlikely to sway opposition
leaders, who pulled out of month-old talks last week to protest mass arrests at
anti-government protests. Their reasonable demands include actual, tangible progress
on their proposals, including an amnesty for jailed activists and a
non-partisan commission to investigate the 42 deaths tied to anti-government
protests that began in February. Ramon Guillermo Aveledo, executive secretary
of the Democratic Unity alliance, denounced the government’s promises to move
forward on these issues are insufficient to convince the opposition the resume negotiations.
For his part, the oppressive dictator masquerading as a president known as
Maduro accused the opposition of being obstructionist. El Dictator also claimed
the end of the negotiations goes against the wishes of millions of Venezuelans
and benefits the country's foreign enemies. Way to pander to jingoism, ass
hat………
- The creepy animatronic puppets are still there, but
something even more disturbing will soon be at a Chuck E. Cheese's near you. That’s right, the
Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is coming to a place where germ-infested
ball pits and chintzy toys purchased with tickets won playing Skee-Ball games
reign. The family-friendly restaurant and playground founded by gaming icon
Nolan Bushnell has announced plans to test a "Chuck E. Cheese's Virtual
Ticket Blaster Experience" using the virtual reality headset in select
markets. Dallas is up first, followed by guinea pigs in San Diego and Orlando. "Kids
today have unprecedented access to game consoles and tablets," said Roger
Cardinale, president of Chuck E. Cheese's owner CEC Entertainment. "Our
challenge is to deliver an experience not available at home, and there is no
doubt virtual reality does just that. Oculus Rift technology is the next
frontier in the gaming industry, and we're thrilled to be able to say it's part
of the Chuck E. Cheese's lineup." The project will include a six-week
trial run in the three test markets in which snotty-nosed, bacteria-covered
children will be able to use the Oculus Rift headset to try out the
"Virtual Ticket Blaster." The boring, normal version of Ticket
Blaster is a game where kids stand in a chamber and must grab tickets as they
fly by. By adding in Oculus Rift, these kids will be able to look even dorkier
by doing all of this in virtual reality. Give credit for this technological
creation to y Dallas-based effects studio Reel FX. "We believe that
virtual reality eventually will be as popular as our handheld devices,"
Reel FX founder Dale Carman said. "It's a game-changer, and we're
investing incredible time and talent into developing content for the Oculus
Rift." Whatever you say, Dale…….
- With money to spare and a burning desire to live in a
random city in Virginia both being hot commodities for so many Americans, it is
clearly no more than a matter of time before a sprawling estate in James City County is
snatched up by a deep-pocketed person in need of a new abode. Carter’s Grove
has been a fixture in eastern Virginia for centuries, but as of today it is on
the market for anyone with millions of dollars to spare. Back in the day, early
Native Americans periodically lived on the land from 6500 B.C. to 1600 A.D.
Eventually, a group of kind English settlers came in and took that land away,
creating a small settlement called Wolstenholme Towne. The land went to ,
Robert “King” Carter in 1723 for agricultural sue, but it wasn’t until 1755
that the main house was completed by Carter’s grandson, Carter Burwell. The
property changed hands a stunning 12 times from 1838 to 1928, during which time
the condition of both the home and the plantation deteriorated. Plantations
were undergoing a rough period for much of that era on account of the whole
Civil War thingy and the forced end of slavery and the land swapped hands again
when owner Mollie McCrea died in 1954. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
became custodian of the property when the Rockefeller family’s Sealantic
Charitable Trust obtained it in 1964 and it came to belong to the Colonial
Williamsburg Foundation five years later. The current owner, Carter’s Grove,
LLC, purchased the land in 2007 but declared bankruptcy in 2011. Anyone
interested in 401 acres of land,
with 8,000 feet of frontage on the James River, and a home with nine bedrooms
at a reasonable price of $14.95
million should act quickly because this offer will clearly not last long………
- Wait another year, fans of an expanded NFL playoff system.
The Shield will not be expanding the smallest postseason field in American
professional sports just yet after the league’s owners tabled discussions about beefed-up playoff model until the
fall. Discussions at the league’s spring meetings on expanding from 12 playoff
teams to 14 reportedly yielded enough support to pass the measure, but there
wasn’t enough momentum to actually bring the issue to a vote. In all fairness
to the old, rich white dudes who comprise the league’s group of 32 owners, they
never indicated a vote would take place at the meeting. Most elected to lay low
as they hammered out other details, such as revenues, format and even workers'
compensation concerns raised by the NFLPA in reaction to legislation in
Louisiana. Any additional group debate on a bigger playoff pool will take place
at the NFL's fall meetings Oct. 7-8 in Detroit. In order to make any official
change, 24 of the 32 owners would have to vote in favor of it. Giants
owner John Mara reiterated his opposition to the plan – also opposed publicly
by many players – but admitted that the plan is likely to be adopted
regardless. "My guess is that if it happens, it will be for 2015, but
that's not set in stone,'' Mara said. "I've always been against it. I just
like it the way it is right now.'' The NFL does have the smallest percentage of
its teams in the postseason of any of the four major American professional
sports leagues and last expanded the playoffs in 1990, adding a sixth qualifier
in each conference. Steelers owner Art Rooney indicated a willingness to debate
the idea further in the future. "I think it's worth some discussion,''
Rooney said. "I'm not opposed to it. It just depends on what all goes into
the package with it: the schedule, the seeding arrangements, all those kinds of
things.” As always, the final decision will be driven not by what fans or
players want, but what will make owners the most money……….
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