Tuesday, 2 January 2018

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Seeing as how Fox & Friends ended 2017 with ridiculous guest appearances by ex-Sheriff David Clarke and ex-White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, the Fox News Channel’s flagship morning program needed to up the ante for 2018. Cue Bishop Ron Allen, a leader of the International Faith Based Coalition and a staunch opponent of drug legalization — especially marijuana. Allen has appeared on FNC numerous times to rail against medical marijuana policies, and with California’s recent legalization of recreational weed use, Fox & Friends figured he would be the perfect guest to ring in the new year.

Citing his previous experiences with drug use, Allen said he would decry marijuana as a “gateway drug” (despite evidence to the contrary) if given the chance to speak to legislators in California and elsewhere:

“I started with marijuana, and I know that people say whatever you’re on doesn’t have an addictive personality. I’m sorry. Marijuana is so elusive, that’s why they’re messing with it. They think that it’s like tobacco or something. I’m not sure, and tobacco is very bad, but I started with marijuana. You start with one joint, and you go to two joints, and you go to five joints, and you go to 10 joints — because after a while, five joints won’t get you high. And when 10 joints won’t get you high, you start lacing it with crack cocaine or PCP.”

In conclusion, Allen declared such mixtures would become the norm “in the state of California and across the nation” (even though California’s legalization doesn’t directly affect other states). He also argued, “Marijuana is absolutely the greatest crossover drug for any other drug to be added to it.” Of course, the bishop’s boisterous commentary excludes years of research into the matter that by no means confirms marijuana is as an extreme a gateway drug as he suggests. Even the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s official website admits, “The majority of people who use marijuana do not go on to use other, ‘harder’ substances.”

(Via Fox News)

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see how I told my boss to take this job and shove it!

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Following Matt Lauer’s abrupt dismissal from Today in late November for sexual misconduct, NBC News faced a tough decision on finding an appropriate replacement on relatively short notice. Willie Geist and Craig Melvin were floated in the rumor mill as candidates, but in the end, executives made a bold decision with the New Year. Hoda Kotb, who hosted a later Today hour with Kathie Lee Gifford, has been promoted to co-anchor of the show’s early hours. In the above clip, Savannah Guthrie introduces her new right-hand woman.

Those in the studio applauded, and Guthrie described this as “the most popular decision that NBC News has ever made.” Indeed, Kotb is a beloved figure, and her presence will be warmly regarded (although perhaps not quite to the degree as an Ann Curry return would have been, yet Curry’s probably no longer interested). And while her co-anchor chemistry with Guthrie remains to be seen, the charismatic Kotb arrives without a whiff of scandal and boosts the Today anchor desk to a double dose of femininity.

In addition, she apparently has “quickly hit the ground running,” according to NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack in a statement. While joining Guthrie on Monday morning, Kotb revealed her enthusiasm. “I am pinching myself,” she said. “I think we should send some medics to Alexandria, Virginia, where my mom has likely fainted after hearing the open of that show.”

Meanwhile, Al Roker is thrilled at the news. Watch his reaction below.

(Via NBC News)

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Monday, 1 January 2018

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Recreational sales of marijuana began in California today, creating the world’s largest marijuana market overnight. As expected since seeing Nevada’s rollout of recreational weed, long lines formed across the most populous state in the Union with many storefronts not opening until Tuesday, January 2nd.

According to the LA Times, annual sales are expected to hit $7 billion by 2020, with at least $1 billion in sales coming in 2018. The LA Times spoke to Will Senn, co-founder of the Urbn Leaf dispensary in Bay Park near San Diego, was astonished by the turnout.

“This is crazy. We hoped for big crowds, and prepared. But we didn’t expect this. We’re at capacity inside, we have 75 people in line, and the line is getting longer. We would get as many as 1,000 people by the end of the day.”

Here’s the first recreational purchase in the state’s history.

Of course, jokes were had. Twitter was full of quips about fast food joints (phrasing) having long queues, and there was no shortage of one-liners about potheads and food that have been used for the last decade or so, but with those jokes came real marketing opportunities for said junk food suppliers. Jack in the Box created a special for $4.20 to mark the historic day:


With 29 states participating in some form of legal marijuana, it’s stunning to think that so many Americans can enjoy and use the plant. BBC’s James Cook pointed out that 1 in 5 US citizens of age can now buy a drug that remains federally classified as a Schedule 1 drug along with heroin, LSD, meth, and peyote. Still, the new law doesn’t mean people can be irresponsible with cannabis. Law enforcement has a set of rules in place for DUIs and passengers imbibing.

Multiple other states are looking at putting recreational marijuana on the ballot in 2018, such as Michigan, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, and Minnesota. All of those states, except Michigan, have decriminalized possession up to certain quantities in the last few years.

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nobody knows I'm unemployed because I've got so much money

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Netflix

It really wouldn’t be a new year without some form of controversial outrage to debate online. The culprit this time seems to be Dave Chappelle and his second Netflix special released on New Year’s Eve. The Bird Revelation opens with Chappelle saying the funniest things to say are mean and his take on the C.K. accusations apparently fall into that category for some. While discussing Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose, and more, the comedian talks about C.K. and his take on the accusations:

“Louis was like the turning point. All these allegations were terrible — I shouldn’t say this — but his allegations were the only ones that made me laugh. When you think about it, he’s jerking off — he’s surprising people. I picture all the comics in comedy reading it like, ‘Word!’ It’s terrible, I’m sorry ladies, you’re right. At the same time, Jesus Christ, they took everything from Louis. It might be disproportionate, I can’t tell.”

But as Entertainment Weekly points out, it is the moments where Chappelle takes aim at the accusers that are causing trouble:

“Show business is just harder than that. Them women sounded like, I hate to say it, they sounded weak…One of these ladies was like, ‘Louis C.K. was masturbating while I was on the phone with him.’ Bitch, you don’t know how to hang up the phone? How the hell are you going to survive in show business if this is an actual obstacle to your dreams? I know Louis is wrong, I’m just saying, I’m held to a higher standard of accountability than these women are.”

While this is certainly not the best comment to make, it seems to be another example of the ongoing debate over what is acceptable from comedy. Chappelle opens his show with a statement essentially saying he is going to be mean and offensive, making outrage seem a little odd. It is also part of a segment that doesn’t hold back on other targets, dropping a few sharp barbs about Harvey Weinstein:

“I’ve got to tell you, Harvey Weinstein is probably the first person that I’ve ever looked at a photograph of and said, ‘Yeah, he rapes,’”

Given the sensitive nature of the current sexual harassment environment, it will be interesting to see the reactions to Chappelle and other comedians as it becomes a part of their acts.

(Via Indiewire / Entertainment Weekly)

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I paid off my student loans early

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Getty Image

2017 may have been the year that many sexual harassers were dragged into the light, but 2018 will be the year that women foster change. After the revelations about Harvey Weinstein and many, many more, the reaction was swift and heated, with many wondering what can be done to clean house and change the culture that allowed this behavior to continue.

To kick off the new year, a group of 300 women in Hollywood announced Time’s Up, an initiative that will put actions behind the inequality and harassment that inspired movements like #MeToo and affect women everywhere. On their website, Time’s Up is defined as a “unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere. From movie sets to farm fields to boardrooms alike, we envision nationwide leadership that reflects the world in which we live.”

According to The New York Times, Time’s Up plan is four-pronged:

— A legal defense fund, backed by $13 million in donations, to help less privileged women — like janitors, nurses and workers at farms, factories, restaurants and hotels — protect themselves from sexual misconduct and the fallout from reporting it.

— Legislation to penalize companies that tolerate persistent harassment, and to discourage the use of nondisclosure agreements to silence victims.

— A drive to reach gender parity at studios and talent agencies that has already begun making headway.

— And a request that women walking the red carpet at the Golden Globes speak out and raise awareness by wearing black.

When it was announced that many would be wearing black to the Golden Globes in protest, there was some criticism that this was a privileged and tone-deaf response. However, it seems like there is significantly more to come, and in ways that will affect women of all walks of life. Time’s Up has some Hollywood heavyweights backing it up, including Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Eva Longoria, Ashley Judd, America Ferrera, Emma Stone, Rashida Jones, Jill Soloway, and more.

(Via The New York Times)

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I always thought things that sounded too good to be true usually aren't told why discovered this!

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Sony

Happy New Year and welcome to 2018! As we move into the new year, let’s take a look at the last week at the box office to see who came out ahead and who came up short over the holidays.

The big winner, not just of the holiday season but of the year, is Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which earned $52 million over the three-day weekend, which was enough to lift it past Beauty and the Beast to take the top spot at the box office for all of 2017 with $533 million (and counting). Double that with international box office, and despite some divisiveness, the film will close out 2017 with more than $1 billion worldwide. Congratulations to Lucasfilm and Rian Johnson, who now hold the 24th highest grossing film of all time and it still has a lot of life left in it.

That said, for the four-day New Year’s weekend, The Last Jedi had some major competition in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. It looks as though The Last Jedi will pull out a victory for the four-day weekend, but just barely: $69 million to $67 million. Regardless, Jumanji put up a huge weekend on top of a huge holiday week and finishes out the year with around $185 million at the box office on only a $90 million production budget. It’s also performing just as well internationally, so it looks like the kind of performance that could easily lead to another sequel if Sony decides to go in that direction.

Meanwhile, for the four-day weekend, Pitch Perfect 3 looks like it will close out the franchise modestly. On a $45 million production budget, the film managed $22 million over the four-day weekend and after a week of decent sales, it’s going to end the year with a little less than $70 million, which is more than the original made over its entire run ($65 million). However, the third film will fall well short of the first sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, which earned $184 million at the box office in 2015.

Fox

The movie that has seen the greatest improvement over the course of the week has been Hugh Jackman’s crowd pleaser, The Greatest Showman. The $14 million opening weekend didn’t impress, but the musical managed to improve on that this weekend with a four-day $20 million haul. It has now crossed the $50 million mark domestically, and worldwide it’s surpassed its $84 million budget. With international grosses, the film has a chance to ultimately eke out a profit, which is great news for Hugh Jackman passion project. Though critics have been dismissive of the film (in large part because of the way it papers over P.T. Barnum’s real-life past), word of mouth has given the movie strong legs.

Another film that actually improved week-to-week is Ferdinand, which leaped back over Coco after falling behind the Pixar feature last weekend. Ferdinand will finish the four-day weekend with $15 million and around $57 million overall. The animated film, which cost $111 million to make, is going to need a lot of help from international audiences to break even. In that regard, it’s doing modestly, racking up $70 million, so far, to bring its worldwide total to $125 million. Meanwhile, Coco continued to perform well over the holidays, adding nearly $9 million over the four-day weekend to bring its domestic total to $181 million. It has nearly doubled that number internationally, however, so the Pixar flick has earned a whopping $550 million worldwide. It deserves every penny.

Meanwhile, in at number seven for the four day weekend is the Winston Churchill biopic, The Darkest Hour, which earned $7 million over the four-day frame despite being in less than 1,000 theaters. It’s earned $20 million, so far, which puts the film — or at least its star, Gary Oldman — in fairly good position to compete during awards season (Oldman already has a Golden Globe nomination). Despite being in 1600 more theaters, Matt Damon’s Downsizing didn’t make much noise over the holiday week. It earned $6 million over the four-day weekend and only $18 million since its wide release on Christmas weekend. The film, which cost $70 million to make, is going to be another disappointment for Damon, who also struck out with Suburbicon and The Great Wall in 2017.

Elsewhere, All The Money in the World, which had a mid-week release, isn’t impressing at the box office. It’s gotten a lot of press for reshooting Kevin Spacey’s scenes with Christopher Plummer, but that hasn’t translated into box-office dollars. It earned around $7 million for the four-day weekend and about $14 million since its limited release. It still has a long way to go if it expects to match or exceed its $40 million price tag.

In at 10th place for the weekend is Guillermo del Toro’s Shape of Water, which earned a very respectable $4.8 million over four days despite screening in 756 theaters. It’s now earned $17 million and it still has some expanding to do nationwide and awards buzz should keep it relevant through much of January.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Owen Wilson and Ed Helms’ Father Figures finished at number 11 with $4.8 million over the holiday frame. It’s not doing well, but the crowded holiday week at least allowed it to approach $15 million since its release on December 22nd. That’s not great for a $25 million film, but had it been released any other time during the year, it probably would have completely disappeared after a unimpressive opening weekend.

We will also note that Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut, Molly’s Game opened in 273 theaters as it is prepping for an awards run. It’s looking at a decent $6 million since its release, which is more than the $2.4 million that Pawn Sacrifice made in its entire run. That’s the last film that Tobey Maguire — a subject of Molly’s Game, as played by Michael Cera — appeared in. I have no idea what happened to Maguire’s career post-Spider-Man, but he’s only made four films in the last decade and only one, The Great Gatsby, was a hit.

Next weekend sees only one new release. Insidious: The Last Key will take the slot on the first weekend of January that is often reserved for low-budget horror films (Underworld: Blood Wars took that spot in 2017, The Forest in 2016, and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death in 2015). If the past three years are any indication, Insidious will open in the $10-$15 million range.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Deadline

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