- What would happen if a person was able to use 100 percent
of their brain? Assuming they were an über-sexy, deep-voiced movie star in a
high-price blockbuster, their new film could earn $44 million and top the
weekend box office in its first week of release. That was the fate of Scarlett
Johansson and her new movie “Lucy,” which debuted in first place and beat out
fellow newcomer “Hercules” for the top spot. Dwayne Johnson’s Greek
mythology-based flick didn’t exactly open with a bang, banking $29 million
domestically against the looming specter of a $100 million budget. Reigning box
office champ “Dawn
of the Planet of the Apes” slipped to third place, adding $16.4 million in its
third weekend to push past the tipping point for profitability with $172.1
million in domestic earnings. “The Purge: Anarchy” likewise fell two spots,
finishing fourth with $9.9 million in its second weekend for a running tally of
$51.2 million. “Planes: Fire & Rescue” animated its way to $9.3 million for
the frame and in two underwhelming weeks of work, it has churned out $35.1
million. “Sex Tape” has been similarly disappointing and managed a mere $5.9
million in its second week of release, good enough for a two-week bank roll of
$26.8 million. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” slotted seventh with a $4.6
million effort and the latest Michael Bay blockbuster has amassed a total of
$236.4 million in domestic earnings so far. Newcomer “And So It Goes” was
eighth, making a modest $4.6 million in its debut. “Tammy” tumbled three spots
to ninth place, adding $3.4 million in its fourth weekend for an overall take
of $78.1 million. “A Most Wanted Man” completed the top 10 with a $2.7 million
debut. “22 Jump Street” (No. 11), “How to Train Your Dragon 2” (No. 12) and “Maleficent”
(No. 13) all fell out from last weekend’s top 10………
- Spider-Man has had enough….or at least some kook in a
cheap Spider-Man suit reached his break point over the weekend. A panhandler
dressed as the web-slinging superhero repeatedly punched a police officer in
the face during a violent Times Square tussle Saturday afternoon, according to
the New York Police Department. Such a confrontation may have simply been a
matter of time in a tourist-clogged area of Manhattan where dozens of
costume-wearing losers routinely squeeze naïve tourists for $10 to pose for a
photo that isn't worth 50 cents. It was a routine day in the square until
Spider-Man, a.k.a. Junior Bishop, stopped shaking down visitors and started
getting belligerent. “Fives, tens, or twenties only,” he allegedly demanded.
Right, because handling singles is soooo beneath a superhero imitator. When the
superhero imposter started to get too loud and confrontational, an officer
noticed the commotion and approached to calm things down. He asked about the
outlandish photo prices and demanded that Spider-Man show some form of
identification. “F*ck you! This is none of your business,” Spider-Man shouted
back. At that point, it was on and the faux hero ripped off his mask. The
officer figured out where the situation was heading and moved to arrest the
spandex-clad ranter. Spider-Man then went berserk, throwing at least two roundhouse punches at
the officer and knocking off his hat. A crowd of fellow mascots, including
Elmo, Batman and a side-by-side Mickey and Minnie Mouse, looked on in horror as
a female officer joined the scene and helped subdue the raging hero while
tourists did exactly what tourists do in such spots: take pictures and video
with their smartphones………
- Michael Bradley seems to have gotten a bit of an edge from the limited
success the U.S. men’s national team has in the World Cup this summer. Bradley
was a starter for the U.S. as it advanced out of the group stage of the Cup for
the second time in a row – a first in its history – and upon returning to his
regular gig in Major League Soccer, he is copping a bit of an attitude when it
comes to the league’s officiating. Bradley, who plays for Toronto FC, lit up
MLS and its referees Saturday night after Toronto FC's 2-1 loss to Sporting
Kansas City, although he did couch his comments by insisting he wasn’t using
poor officiating as an excuse for losing. It's by no means an excuse, it was
the same for both teams, but the referee was absolutely awful," Bradley
said. "The people at the MLS office in New York, when they talk about
wanting to improve the league, the first thing that needs to be improved is the
refereeing, bottom line. That shouldn't come across as sour grapes because
that's just the reality. And it was bad for both teams and I'm sure they're
sitting in their locker room saying the same thing to themselves, but they've
got three points with them and that certainly makes it a little easier to
swallow." The bulk of Bradley’s rage was directed at referee Ted Unkel,
who issued eight yellow cards, including five to Toronto. In retrospect,
Bradley would have looked more credible if Kansas City hadn't played the final
15 minutes down a man after captain and Bradley’s USMNT teammate Matt Besler
got a second yellow card. Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen didn’t help calm
tensions, suggesting that one missed call was so bad that “an under-12 ref can
pick that one.” Stay classy, Toronto FC……….
- Would-be illegal border crashers, time to find a new
source for your forged passports and resident cards for entry into the United
States. Spanish police have punched a hole in the supply chain for those aiming
for a black market-based entry into the U.S. by breaking up a gang suspected of
selling bogus passports, arresting 14 of its members. Although the 14
individuals were arrested over the weekend in Tenerife and Madrid, the gang was
allegedly comprised largely of Cuban nationals. This well-oiled outfit was
allegedly composed of Cuban and Spanish nationals who charged between 1,000 and
1,500 euros ($1,340-$2,010) per forged document. The front for their operation
was a travel agency used to attract potential customers, especially from among
the Cuban community based in the Canary Island of Tenerife. Officers arrested
11 Cubans and three Spaniards after a lengthy investigation that began when
agents learned of the existence of an organization based in Tenerife but that
operated throughout the country and was dedicated to the falsification of
official documents. Months of detailed investigation led them to center on
Tenerife, an island located far enough from mainland Spain to give the operators
of the forging ring a sense of security and allowing them to operate with
relative impunity. Odds are that this bust will merely remove one shady
business from the landscape and open up opportunities for others to fill its
place, but it is still nice to see law enforcement giving it the ol’ college
try………..
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