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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
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For your Saturday entertainment …
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Two blowouts, one night
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Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
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Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
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Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
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OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
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Headed For Disaster
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Will Health Care Reform Pass?
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Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
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TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Monday, Jul 07, 2008
Hard Cash for Hancock. The Fourth of July weekend has long been a lucky charm for Will Smith, who has had movies like Independence Day and Men in Black open big around the holiday. But his newest movie, Hancock, gave him the best reason yet to set off fireworks.According to Box Office Mojo, the action comedy took in $66 million for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, topping the weekend box-office rankings with the best opening grosses for a Smith movie other than I Am Legend.
Counting in shows leading into the weekend, Hancock has already made more than $107 million in North America. It took in another $78 million overseas, where Smith is also a huge star.
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So That's Really Good, Right? Deadline Hollywood Daily's sources say that more Hancocks are possible (and the movie left open the possibility of sequels and spinoffs). Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly's EW.com said the numbers were the best ever for a movie with Charlize Theron or for director Peter Berg.
But Rich still said the numbers were disappointing for a Smith vehicle. ''Hancock is almost certain not to become the $300 mil blockbuster many assumed it would be,'' he said. ''It won't catch Iron Man and Indy 4 (now running almost neck-and-neck north of $305 mil) in the long run.''
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On the Other Hand . . . Rich said many movies performed below expectations, so maybe it just wasn't a good time for people to go out. WALL-E, second in the weekend standings, declined more than hoped from its first weekend, Rich said, and third-place Wanted slipped even more. Get Smart was fourth and Kung Fu Panda, fifth.
''Another big disappointment occurred at No. 8,'' Rich said. ''Kit Kittredge: An American Girl completely flamed out with a paltry $3.6 mil, despite oodles of advance buzz . . . and presumed excitement from young girls. Why? I can't really say: Far be it from me to figure out what women want at any age.''
(Hey, Joshua Rich said that, not me.)
Deadline Hollywood Daily theorized that Kittredge just picked the wrong weekend to open. It had a better shot when it was scheduled to open before WALL-E; by waiting until after, it went against an established family film.
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Changing Weather. NBC Universal and two other companies have made a deal to buy the Weather Channel and its various properties from Landmark Communications, which launched the information service in 1982.
Reuters said the price was close to $3.5 billion. Never underestimate the value of Local On the 8's.
According to the announcement, NBC Universal — parent company to the NBC TV network and a host of cable stations, along with the Universal movie and TV studio — will manage the Weather Channel.
The deal should be completed by the end of 2008. Then NBC, which has retooled just about every other cable channel it's bought, will be free to air shows like Storm's Eye for the Straight Guy, America's Got Cold Fronts and Forecaster Galactica.
NBC Universal, along with investment firms Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group, began exclusive negotiations to acquire the Weather Channel in June. Landmark began looking for buyers for all its properties, which include newspapers and TV stations, in January.
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Wedding Bells. Andrew Firestone, great-grandson of tire mogul Harvey Firestone, married model Ivana Bozilovic on Saturday in California, reports Usmagazine.com.
Firestone, who co-owns a winery in Cali, spent a major part of his love life in public. He starred on The Bachelor in 2003, making a match with Jen Schefft, formerly of Mentor.
But they broke up before the year was over; Firestone began dating Bozilovic a couple of years ago. Schefft went on to star in The Bachelorette (where she rejected both of the final two men) in 2005 and wrote a book called Better Single Than Sorry in 2007.
Firestone has a different mantra. According to Usmagazine.com, after the couple kissed, the processional included a rendition of Livin' on a Prayer.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Hard Cash for Hancock. The Fourth of July weekend has long been a lucky charm for Will Smith, who has had movies like Independence Day and Men in Black open big around the holiday. But his newest movie, Hancock, gave him the best reason yet to set off fireworks.According to Box Office Mojo, the action comedy took in $66 million for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, topping the weekend box-office rankings with the best opening grosses for a Smith movie other than I Am Legend.
Get the full article here.
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