- Aye, lad. Scotland has always been a great place to visit,
but as they weigh a referendum to declare their independence next month, Scots
are hoping that their strong tourism industry will get a major boost from the bestselling
"Outlander" saga. The franchise features a 20th century English woman
and her 18th century Highlander love and it will get a glitzy reboot courtesy
of Starz this month. The series will seek to explore Scotland’s fog-cloaked,
overcast awesomeness while telling the tale of a time-traveling nurse and her
gallant young husband against the backdrop of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. The
impending debut of the show has Scotland bracing itself for what it hopes will
be an influx of tourists seeking not only its world-famous golf courses, but
also its history and romance.
“There's a massive interest in all things Outlander and Scotland,” says
Jenni Steele, film tourism and creative industries manager at VisitScotland.
“We're seeing lots of new people really excited about the TV series.” According
to VisitScotland, "Outlander"-themed trips are up and there are
myriad options for those who want to explore cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Inverness and the Scottish Highlands. One top option is diving into Jacobite
history at locations such as the National Museum of Scotland or the Highlands
Folk Museum. Inverness is the heart of the Highlands and its proximity to the
countryside and historical sites including Culloden Battlefield, the site of
the final, catastrophic battle of the Rising. Fans of “Outlander” will also
want to visit the standing stone circle where Claire hurtled back through time.
Options abound and whiskey and haggis await for those willing to make the
journey………
- Good reviews and loyal fanboys proved to be strong
indicators for “Guardians of the Galaxy” as the sci-fi comedy opened to a
robust $94 million and earned more than the rest of the weekend’s top 10
combined in its debut. Reigning box office champion “Lucy” slid to second
place, adding another $18.3 million to its coffers for a two-week domestic
bankroll of $79.5 million. The new James Brown biopic “Get On Up” snagged $14
million in its opening weekend, a solid first frame for a film not expected to
dominate at the local multiplex. “Hercules” saw its earnings tumble 64 percent
in its second weekend, adding $10.7 million to its domestic total, which now
stands at $52.4 million. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” lost ground and could do no
better than fifth with its $8.7 million effort. In one month of release, “Apes”
has brought in $189.3 million and counting. “Planes: Fire & Rescue” kicked
off the second half of the top 10 in sixth place thanks to a $6.4 million
weekend that took it to the brink of profitability at $47.6 million for three
weeks of release. The most relatively profitable movie of the summer continues
to be “The Purge: Anarchy,” which amassed $5.5 million this weekend and against
a scant $9 million budget, has piled up $63 million in domestic income. “Sex
Tape” is still flailing feebly in its third week of release, managing just $3.5
million and $33.9 million total for its run. Ninth place was the domain of “And
So It Goes” slotted ninth with $3.4 million, narrowly earning the penultimate
top 10 spot while raising its total take to $10.5 million. “A Most Wanted Man”
completed the top 10 with $3.3 million and in two weeks of limited release, it
has made $7 million. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (No. 12) and “Tammy”
(No. 13) both fell out from last weekend’s top 10………
- How do you tell an entire region of people that there isn't
enough water to go around and convince them to follow strict laws on
conservation during a drought? If you’re government officials in Southern
California, you go with a thoroughly ridiculous cartoon character plastered on
digital billboard displays in the hopes that a green animated creature will do
the trick. Specifically, water officials in the region took one look at weather data indicating the
severity of the state’s expanding drought and cooked up a cartoon mascot called
“Lawn Dude” meant to remind residents to restrict their water usage amid strict
new regulations. The billboard went online late last week with a small green
blob who gives voice to the average residential grass lawn. “Don’t hose me
man!” one billboard states, while another informs the bored motorist stuck in
traffic that is turning a 15-minute commute into a two-hour trek, “I only drink
2 days a week.” The public service campaign is led by the nonprofit Southern
California Water Committee amid an ongoing and historic drought. Data released
Thursday showed about 58 percent of California was in “exceptional” drought,
the worst category, a 22-percent increase from just one week ago. The whole
state remains in “severe” drought at a minimum, as it has been since mid-May.
Among the rules the amorphous green blob wants to communicate to the masses is
that Californians must stop the following activities: washing down driveways
and sidewalks; watering of outdoor landscapes that cause excess runoff; using a
hose to wash a motor vehicle unless the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle;
and using potable water in a fountain or decorative water feature unless the
water is recirculated. Violators face potential fines of up to $500 per day. Lawn
Dude is waging his war for water conservation on social media as well, all in
the hopes of averting a state drier than Provo, Utah on a Saturday night……….
- Not everyone is handling Paul George's gruesome leg fracture suffered Friday while playing in a
Team USA Basketball scrimmage with class and grace. George’s own team, the
Indians Pacers, is presenting itself well publicly even though it knows that
its best player is likely out for the season thanks to a meaningless game that
didn’t count for anything, anywhere. In a statement issued Saturday, Pacers
president Larry Bird said: "We still support USA Basketball and believe in
the NBA's goals of exposing our game, our teams and players worldwide. This is
an extremely unfortunate injury that occurred on a highly-visible stage, but
could also have occurred anytime, anywhere." Dallas Mavericks owner Mark
Cuban, who theoretically suffered no harm from George’s leg snapping in half in
Las Vegas, is not being so kind. In light of the injury, Cuban has revived his
calls for the NBA and its players to organize their own quadrennial competition
separate from basketball’s governing body, FIBA. Cuban is a longstanding hater
of international basketball in its current form and has a major beef with NBA
teams allowing their players to play for their national teams while taking on
the bulk of the financial risk in the event of injury. FIBA’s official policy
is that only players themselves can refuse their country's invite to play for
the national team except in the event of a "reasonable medical
concern." The San Antonio Spurs used that clause to prevent Manu Ginobili
from representing Argentina at FIBA's upcoming Basketball World Cup, but Cuban
wants something more substantial. "The [International Olympic Committee]
is playing the NBA. The IOC is an organization that has been rife with
corruption, to the point where a member was accused of trying to fix an Olympic
event in Salt Lake,” Cuban said. "The greatest trick ever played was the
IOC convincing the world that the Olympics were about patriotism and national
pride instead of money. The players and owners should get together and create
our own World Cup of Basketball." One can almost see the dollar signs
dancing over Cuban’s head as he spoke those words……….
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