TIME: In the race between a bunch of zombies and three stars who are also directors — Ricky Gervais, Michael Moore and Drew Barrymore — the humans never stood a chance. The horror-comedy Zombieland won the weekend in North American theaters by scaring up $25 million, according to early studio estimates, which is more than the $23.6 million it cost to shoot the thing. 1. Zombieland, $25 million, first weekend 2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, $16.7 million; $82.4 million, third week 3. Toy Story 3-D and Toy Story 2 3-D, $12.5 million, first weekend 4. The Invention of […]
STYLE: Lohan Fashion Line The Toast Of Hatesville
[Photo via the DAILY MAIL] THE ENVELOPE: Lindsay Lohan and Spanish designer Estrella Archs showed off their new hot mess of a Spring 2010 Ungaro collection today in Paris. And the Fashion World’s Mean Girls could simply not stop ragging on how bad it was. MORE DAILY MAIL: But the star admitted that the show has been ‘the hardest thing I’ve ever done’. The thigh-skimming dresses in peach, hot pink and white seemed designed for a Malibu Beach party, while sparkling nipple pasties flashing from underneath loose blazers were a reminder of Lohan’s own occasional wardrobe mishaps. ‘It’s not good […]
AFGHANISTAN: 10 U.S. Soldiers Killed In 2 Days
A U.S. Marine, from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has a close call after Taliban fighters opened fire near Garmser in Helmand Province of Afghanistan May 18, 2008. The Marine was not injured. (REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic) WASHINGTON POST: The attack began in the early morning hours. Taliban-linked militiamen struck from the high ground using rifles, grenades and rockets against the outpost, a cluster of stone buildings set in a small Hindu Kush valley that has been manned by 140 U.S. and Afghan forces. By the end of a day-long siege, eight Americans and two Afghan security officers were dead, marking the […]
TELEVISION: Monty Python’s Circus To Fly Again
NEW YORK TIMES: The show has had a surprisingly durable afterlife in this country, giving rise to second and third generations of fans who watch it on DVD and on YouTube, where it’s so popular it now has its own dedicated channel. Mr. Cleese said recently that in England he is far better known these days as Basil Fawlty, the title character in his post-Python series “Fawlty Towers,” than for his role in “Flying Circus.” But even in American middle schools now, there’s often a smart aleck or two who can do Mr. Cleese’s Silly Walk and know the Dead […]
APOCALYPTO: Q&A With Timothy Wyllie, Formerly Of The Process Church Of The Final Judgement
WIKIPEDIA: The Process, or in full, The Process Church of the Final Judgment, commonly known by non-members as the Process Church, was a religious group that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, founded by the Englishman Robert DeGrimston (originally, Robert Moor) and Mary Ann MacLean. It originally developed as a splinter client cult group from Scientology,[1] so that they were declared “suppressive persons” by L. Ron Hubbard in December 1965. In 1966 the members of the group underwent a social implosion and moved to Xtul on Mexico‘s Yucatan peninsula, where they developed processean theology (which differs from, and is unrelated […]
ASK A HOOTER: Q&A With Guitarist John Lilley
John Lilley learned to play the guitar at nine years old after he saw The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. He initially learned to play jazz and folk music, with his first teacher being folk and bluegrass expert Jerry Ricks. He eventually studied jazz improvisation with Dennis Sandole and then jazz, theory, orchestration, composition and arranging with Calvin Harris. Lilley also participated in visual arts, drawing voraciously while in school and mostly painting as an adult. In his twenties during the mid-1970s, Lilley got involved in the local Philadelphia rock music scene, as the […]
CINEMA: Love Hurts
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (2009, directed by Michael Moore, 120 minutes, U.S.) THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009, directed by Ricky Gervais & Matthew Roberts, 100 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRICTIC Michael Moore has reached the point in his career where critics seem to feel like they can just dismiss him out of hand. Vague accusations of shuffling events in his documentaries dog him, complaints of egotism for appearing before the camera (isn’t the term “personal documentary” in our vocabulary yet?) and other grumbling, most of which seems to boil down to: “I just don’t like him.” But of […]
ARTSY: Anybody Home?
BY AARON STELLA CITYSPACE, a Philadelphia-based real estate company, will open its doors to its first ever series of art shows starting this weekend with rising-star artist Mat Tomezsko with his installation “Those Ghosts.” A real estate company might not be the first business you’d imagine sponsoring an art show. CITYSPACE, however, is different in that it realizes that there is more to real estate than the mere buying and selling of properties; it’s about community development, supporting local businesses, making smart uses of technology, investing in green alternatives, and most importantly, providing someone with the largest possession they’ll ever […]
GET YOUR GUN: Glenn Beck Teabags Cherry Hill
BY GREG ADOMAITIS Love him or hate, there is no denying that Glenn Beck is a rock star right now. Last night he maxed out the Barnes and Nobel in Cherry Hill, drawing a crowd of several hundred, for an hour-long book-signing to promote the release of Arguing With Idiots. Several hundred, awful truthers, teabaggers, conspiracy theorists and concerned citizens came out to meet a voice of their cause. “This doesn’t surprise me…because he knows what he’s talking about,” said Dave Williams from Marlton, gesturing to the 600-person line. Williams came with Beck’s book in hand. So did almost everyone […]
A PRAYER FOR THE CITY: Judge Promises ‘Prompt’ Ruling On Who Will Own The Inquirer And Daily News
[Photo by MICHAEL PENN] REUTERS: A U.S. bankruptcy judge said on Thursday he would rule “promptly” on a key issue that could determine the next owner of Philadelphia’s two daily newspapers. Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stephen Raslavich heard arguments over bidding procedures for putting Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, the publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, up for sale. MORE NEW YORK TIMES: Some of the senior creditors – a group of private equity firms and banks – want to make a “credit bid” for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Daily News, meaning they can claim the roughly $300 […]
SHOCKER: Letterman Foils $2 Million Extortion Plot, Acknowledges Having Sex With Female Staffers
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Talk host David Letterman said Thursday that he was the victim of a $2-million extortion attempt related to his sexual relationships with staffers on CBS’ “The Late Show.” During a taping for tonight’s broadcast, Letterman told viewers that three weeks ago he was approached by a person who claimed to have information about the host’s affairs with female staff members. This person, Letterman said, threatened to expose the relationships unless payment of $2 million was received. The CBS star approached the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which began an investigation that culminated in today’s arrest of the person, whom Letterman […]
TRIBULATION: Kanye West/Lady Gaga Tour Cancelled
REUTERS: A U.S. and Canada tour by Kanye West and Lady Gaga has been canceled with no reason given just weeks after the rap star came under public fire for humiliating country star Taylor Swift at an awards ceremony. Concert promoter Live Nation said in a statement on Thursday that the “Fame Kills” tour, that was due to kick off in Phoenix, Arizona on November 10 and run through January, had been canceled with refunds available at the point of sale. West came under fire after an outburst at the MTV Video Music wards when he grabbed the microphone as […]
AD BUST: If Jimmy Dean And Hitler Had A Baby
AD FREAK: Adolf Hitler and James Dean were both resurrected for ads recently—Hitler for that racy AIDS-awareness campaign from Germany, Dean for a South African insurance spot. But now, thanks to facial-morphing technology, they’ve combined their talents and become a single evil, rebellious pitchman in this ad (also from South Africa) for entertainment retailer CNA Stores. The idea is that CNA stocks a wide selection of products—you can get a book about Hitler and a movie with Dean in one trip. MORE