- It’s as formulaic as the film at the center of the story.
Liam Neeson shows up in theaters as the star of an ass-kicking action film and
the money just flows like wine down the gullet of the studio smart enough to
green-light said film. “Taken 3” became the latest chapter in this tale with
the second-highest January opening ever, to the tune of $40.4 million. That
allowed it to rip the top spot and stave off “Selma,” which once again overcame
its lack of CGI-based action magnificence, smoking-hot Hollywood A-listers
sexing it up and fight scenes that look like they came straight out of an
expert martial arts class to finish second for the second weekend in a row.
With $11.2 million, the civil rights drama has accrued $13.5 million
domestically through its first two weeks of release. “Into the Woods” fell one spot to
third place, bringing in another $9.8 million to boost its three-week domestic
tally to $105.2 million and counting. The reigning box office champion, “The
Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” stepped back three spots to fourth
thanks to a 57-percent earnings drop to $9.5 million. Its total haul of $236.5
million is solid, even if it is lower than the studio would like. The success
of “Unbroken” continued into 2015 as Angelina Jolie’s baby took in $8.4 million
and has now surpassed the $100 million mark at $101.6 million and rising. It
was followed closely by “The Imitation Game,” the sixth-place film and owner of
$7.6 million in weekend money. That gives the drama $40.8 million after seven
weeks of mostly limited release. Seventh place was the domain of “Night at the
Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” which still hasn’t lived up to its $127 million
budget but banked $6.7 million for a four-week bank roll of $99.5 million. “Annie”
snagged eighth place and $4.9 million and has now earned $79.4 million in one
month. “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” was next in ninth place thanks to
$4.8 million for the frame and has a two-week total of $22.3 million. “The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1” clung to life in the top 10 in its final
spot with $3.7 million and its domestic money is $329.5 million in two months. “The
Gambler” (No. 13) and “Big Hero 6” (No. 14) both tumbled out from last weekend’s
top 10………
- Yeah, you might wanna look into that. Sri Lanka’s new
government made what has to be deemed a wise call in regards to an alleged
attempt by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to stage a coup to stay in power
when results showed he was losing last week's election, announcing that it will
investigate the claims. Mangala Samaraweera, the spokesman for new President
Maithripala Sirisena, promised that the cabinet would investigate the alleged
coup and given that a) his party is in power and b) a leader attempting to
maintain control through shady and illegal means is generally something you
want to take a closer look at. "People think it was a peaceful transition.
It was anything but,” Samaraweera said. You don’t say, M. That’s odd because leaders
in poor nations in far-flung corners of the world never do anythign sketchy to
keep their iron grip on their country even when it becomes infinitely clear
that the will of the people is for them to go away and never be heard from
again. According to Samaraweera, Rajapaksa stepped down only after the army
chief and the police inspector general refused to go along with him. That too
was a wise move because a coup only works if you have the military and law
enforcement behind you, otherwise you’re just a delusional elected official
trying to remain in control but without the actual muscle to make it happen. The
official speculation is that Rajapaksa planned to deploy the army stop the vote
count when it became clear that he was losing Thursday's election, like the kid
on the playground who realizes he’s about to drop the big kickball game at
recess and angrily rips the ball away and runs home rather than stay and fight.
Rajapaksa stepped down on Friday and if this story it true, his country lost a
truly wonderful leader……….
- Tiger Woods
will make his 2015 debut at an event that could not be more apropos for the
current state of his game. He will make his not-so-triumphant return to the Waste
Management Phoenix Open, a tournament he has not played since 2001. That news
broke on Woods’ website, where he also announced that he will play the
following week at longtime favorite venue Torrey Pines, where he has won eight
times, in the Farmers Insurance Open. "It will be great to return to
Phoenix," Woods said. "The crowds are amazing and always
enthusiastic, and the 16th hole is pretty unique in golf. Torrey is a very
important place to me. My pop took me there when I was younger and I have a lot
of special memories of watching the tour play there when I was growing
up." That’s awesome for Woods, even if he has no chance of winning either
event. He played just nine times in 2014 due to back issues -- including
surgery – and has scarcely been seen since missing the cut at the PGA
Championship in August. His low-key return last month at the Hero World
Challenge saw him tie for last in the 18-player field and with all of that in
play, there was rampant speculation about where Woods might start the new year.
Phoenix, played Jan. 29-Feb. 1, is a wise choice because it attracts some of
the biggest galleries of the year, including a raucous group of more than
15,000 spectators that usually converges on the par-3 16th hole. Oh, and it’s
in the same area as the Super Bowl, which will be played on Feb. 1, the day of
the final round. That way, when Woods inevitably finishes a dozen shots off the
lead and is a non-factor all weekend long, the sporting world will be looking
in a totally different direction………
- Have you ever noticed that the best thieves typically aren't
robbing gas stations and convenience stores? For example, take the tale of New
Hampshire resident Daniel Wilson and use it as proof that Mensa members are not
grabbing a gun or knife and attempting to rip off the Kwikie Mart on the corner
when they fall on hard times. Wilson is suspected of stealing money from a gas
station in Rochester, New Hampshire, then leading police on a swerving,
meandering chase that ended about an hour later after he crashed his car while
driving drunk. The accident happened on Charles Street near Knight Street
around 3 p.m., when Wilson allegedly crossed the double yellow center line and
crashed into a parked car. Hitting a stationary object is a solid sign that a
person has imbibed a beer or six too many and not surprisingly, when this
genius was apprehended he exhibited many of the signs of being liquored up. He
was charged with driving while intoxicated and unauthorized use of a propelled
vehicle less than 60 minutes after police identified him as the suspect who an
hour earlier had stolen money from a safe at a Shell gas station on Washington
Street. The one part of the story for which Wilson deserves some credit is
managing to take the money while the clerk was busy with several other
customers and doing so while drunk. Yes, there is a chance he downed all of the
alcohol in the hour after the theft and before the crash, but odds are he had
plenty in his system when he made the heist. He also has a nice, shiny new
theft charge for his rap sheet, so it was quite a weekend for this lush……….
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