- The definition of a big-budget summer blockbuster
delivered the sort of weekend most films would envy…and yet, there’s a long way
to go. “Transformers:
Age of Extinction” opened huge, banking $100 million in its debut, but must
turn in more solid weekends to earn back its $210 million budget. That number
was enough to keep reigning box office runner-up “22 Jump Street” in second
place with a relatively paltry
$15.4 million. In three weeks, “Jump” has somehow amassed $139.8 million
in domestic earnings despite not actually being a good movie. “How to Train
Your Dragon 2” slotted third for the second weekend in a row with $13.1 million
and is now well past the $100 million mark at $121.8 million and counting. “Think
Like a Man Too” took a massive hit in its second weekend, declining 64 percent
to $10.4 million for the frame and finishing fourth. In two weeks, the
overrated comedy has amassed $48.1 domestically. “Maleficent” claimed fifth
place with $8.2 million in its fifth weekend, allowing it to cross the $200
million mark at $201.8 million and rising. Sixth place went to Clint Eastwood’s
“Jersey Boys,” recipient of $7.6 million in earnings and a modest start that
has seen it accrue just $27.3 million in two weeks of release. The futuristic
thriller “Edge of Tomorrow” was next in seventh place, adding $5.2 million to
its bank roll to boost its total take to $84.1 million through four weeks. “The
Fault in Our Stars” continued to be a resounding success, adding $4.8 million
in its fourth weekend to place eighth and pile on the profits at $109.5 million
against a scant $12 million budget. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” snagged ninth
place with a $3.3 million weekend and has a total of $223.4 million in six
weeks of work. “Chef” hung onto the last spot in the top 10 in limited release
with $1.6 million, giving the indie favorite $19.4 million domestically. “Godzilla”
(No. 11) was the lone film to drop out from last weekend’s top 10……….
- What is Atlantic City if not a city built on the
backs – and ignorance – of people who come there with a foolproof strategy for
beating the house and winning big at their casino of choice? So why is a
casino-based town that began this year with 12 casinos facing the prospect of
losing a quarter of its gaming portfolio by Labor Day? Sure, there is a
longstanding theory about "casino saturation" in the northeastern
United States, but can there really be too many places for degenerate gamblers
to piss away their life savings? Apparently so. The Atlantic Club is already
gone, taken down by two rivals. Next on the chopping block are Revel, which has
announced that it will soon close if a buyer can't be found, and Caesars
Entertainment, which says there are too many casinos in New Jersey and plans to
shit off the lights at one of its four casinos in the city, the Showboat, on
Aug. 31. Mayor Don Guardian isn't doing a great job of living up to its name
and insists that although Atlantic City is struggling, the city is merely
undergoing a painful-yet-necessary makeover from being a gambling resort to a
multi-faceted destination. "Although it is sad today, it's part of the
transition that Atlantic City needs to have," Guardian said. "There
is pain as we go through this transition, but it's critical for Atlantic City
to realize we are no longer the monopoly of gaming on the East Coast. If you
build more and more casinos and don't increase the amount of people coming to
them, you're sharing that wealth. We're just going through a very difficult
time." Casino revenue has declined nearly 50 percent since 2006, dipping
to $2.86 billion last year. Competition from rival establishments in
Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland aren't helping matters either. Simply put,
there are too many places to ruin lives with gambling habits and poor decisions……….
- Setting oneself on fire is a two-edged sword. Yes, you
will garner attention, but at the same time, YOU’RE SETTING YOURSELF ON FIRE. That
tends to leave a mark, a mark that lasts a lot longer than whatever political
point you’re trying to prove with the gesture. That message may have been a
good pre-game speech for a man who set himself on fire in the centre of Tokyo on
Sunday, apparently in protest against prime minister Shinzo Abe’s plans to
loosen rules on how Japan’s military can be deployed. This unidentified devotee
carried out his self-immolation in full view of shoppers in the busy district
of Shinjuku and will almost certainly have no effect on Abe’s party’s impending
deal with its coalition partner, the Buddhist-affiliated party Komeito, to
approve a proposal that would allow Japan to play a more assertive role in
international security. The proposal, known as “collective self-defense,” would
give Japan the ability to join allies in battle even in the absence of a direct
threat to its own territory. Trying to convince a nation to support using its
armed forces in conflicts where there is no direct threat to its borders is a
Herculean task, but Abe has argued that the move is needed amid conflicts in
the South China Sea that have pitted China against Vietnam and the Philippines.
Polls have indicated that more than half of Japanese people are opposed to the
move, but the real margin to make it happen is a two-thirds approval from both
houses of parliament and then a national referendum. Opponents of the plan
contend the prime minister is attempting to single-handedly force-feed them a
fundamental shift in Japan’s military posture, one that has been maintained
more or less unaltered since the second world war. Prior to the self-torching
at a train station, there were several days of demonstrations outside Abe’s
residence. The self-immolator reportedly sat cross-legged on the girders of a
pedestrian footbridge near the south exit of Shinjuku station, and spoke for
about an hour through a megaphone against Abe’s plans before going human torch
when firefighters began to scale the bridge……..
- Give retired
mixed martial artist Chael Sonnen credit. Sonnen, who announced his retirement
earlier this month after a previous failed drug test was announced ahead of a
scheduled bout against Vitor Belfort at UFC 175 on July 5 in Las Vegas, goes
all-in when he cheats. He initially tested positive for a banned substance that
he said was in his body because he took it as part of he and his wife’s efforts
to have a child. As it turns out, that wasn’t the only illegal substance in
Sonnen’s body at the time of his drug test. The Nevada State Athletic
Commission has confirmed that Sonnen tested positive for not one, not two, not
three, but four banned substances during his Memorial Day weekend test.
Coursing through the fighter’s veins were human growth hormone, erythropoietin
(EPO), anastrozole and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). NSAC chairman
Francisco Aguilar confirmed the test results and Sonnen wasn’t about to deny
them. "Yes, the Commission is aware of other prescribed medications I was
taking and I will not challenge their allegations. I will cooperate with the
Commission and look forward to having a dialogue about how fighters who
transition off [testosterone replacement therapy] can avoid violating any
rules," Sonnen said. Despite Sonnen’s admission to taking hCG, which is
typically used to kick-start testosterone production in the body, it’s much
tougher to explain the presence of HGH, which is often used to build muscle for
athletic performance, and EPO, which causes bone marrow to produce more red
blood cells and can increase stamina and endurance. Rather than own up to any
possible punishment, Sonnen announced his retirement from MMA the day after the
test results were made public. On June 17, the NSAC temporarily suspended
Sonnen's license to fight in the state of Nevada and despite his leaving the sport,
the commission most likely will take disciplinary action against Sonnen at a
meeting July 23. By then, he will (allegedly) be well into his preparations for
a no-gi jiu-jitsu match against Andre Galvao on Aug. 9 at Metamoris 4 in Los
Angeles…….
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