Good news, horror fans! As announced last months, Dimension Films and Miramax are making a sequel of sorts to "Amityville Horror" -- not the 2005 remake, but the original film.
"Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes" will be a story told by "found footage" from the events after the original film.
Jason Blum, producer of "Paranormal Activity," recently spoke to Shock Til You Drop about the upcoming project, which is currently in production for a January 27, 2012 release date. "Dan [Farrands] and Casey [La Scala] came to me and said they wanted to do a found footage version of Amityville and they had the rights to do it," Blum says.
"I knew Bob [Weinstein] had the rights to do it. I said, lets take it to Bob and not fight him but join him - I worked for Bob and Harvey for five years - and we pitched it to Bob, and he threw it into production. We're making our movie and releasing in January."
Blum feels that the new film will reinvent the great horror franchise and give it an updated appeal for a new generation of viewers. The story centers around an ambitious news intern who seeks to expose the truth about the legendary haunted house. Her team of journalists, clergymen and paranormal researchers may accidentally uncover something that should have stayed hidden.
"I think genre audiences are getting more and more sophisticated at sniffing things out that are done more for commercial reasons than going to movies that are made by people who want to do different things in the genre and love it," Blum says. " Audiences are more savvy about that now, they are gravitating to more stuff that's pure."
source:http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/06/amityville-horror-sequel-the-lost-tapes-from-the-people-who-brought-you-paranormal-activity.html
Showing posts with label info. Show all posts
Showing posts with label info. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sister Wives: Is Now REALLY a Good Time to Add Another Baby Into the Family?
Another baby for Sister Wives
They would want to make sure they had a home, all the other siblings were situated and they weren’t on the lam from the law. But not Kody Brown and his Sister Wives family.
Right after they had to escape from being arrested in Utah for being a polygamist family and moving to Nevada (where they won’t be busted for their plural marriage), the older kids showed their obvious disdain for being uprooted, and after they all squeezed into a vacation rental (all 21 of them), it was announced that Robyn is pregnant. Now? Really?But the Brown’s aren’t like most. They have a different calling. Being old school Mormon with polygamist leaning they believe that “Ambitious Mormon men must beget many children with as many wives as possible, for “their glory (in heaven) is in proportion to the number of their wives and children” (Snowden 141)” So it isn’t an issue of being practical but rather following their ‘calling.’
Do you think they should have waited just for the sake of the family as a whole?
source : http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/2011/06/05/sister-wives-is-now-really-a-good-time-to-add-another-baby-into-the-family/
At E3, Sony, Nintendo to move to win gamers back
As consumers flock to video games on new platforms, Sony and Nintendo will debut gaming hardware this week aimed at winning them back.
Today, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Sony will show off its next-generation handheld device, code-named NGP. Then on Tuesday, Nintendo is widely expected to unveil the successor to its best-selling Wii console.
The question is whether those devices will resonate with consumers, who have shifted their gaming to two hot areas in technology: phones and Facebook.
The rise of devices running on Apple and Google's operating systems has driven many to play games on their smart phones and tablets. Meanwhile, San Francisco's Zynga has built a gaming empire on top of Facebook, leading a wave of companies that are building games for social networks.
And given the promise of games someday being delivered wirelessly to televisions, observers question how long consoles built primarily for gaming will survive.
"The general view, particularly in the mainstream investor community, is that the console generation is dead and not likely to come back," said Eric Kress, an analyst with Bay Street Research.
But Kress said that in his view, the best way to experience high quality content is still a dedicated console. He noted that the devices now serve a range of functions beyond gaming, making them a central part of many living rooms.
At E3, which is expected to draw up to 45,000 people over three days, the big gaming companies will get a shot at proving naysayers wrong.
Little is known about the console, which is expected to ship in 2012. The device is rumored to output video in high definition, a feature that has been long supported on Microsoft and Sony consoles, and to have a controller that includes a touch screen.
Nintendo, which declined to comment on its E3 plans, faces much higher expectations this time around than it did when unveiling the Wii in 2005.
At that time, Nintendo was coming off the relative failure of the GameCube, its worst-selling console. Since its release in 2006, the Wii has sold more than 86 million units and reintroduced Nintendo to mainstream audiences.
"Before, Nintendo had no expectations to exceed other than 'don't die,' " said Ricardo Torres, who tracks the industry as editor in chief of Gamespot.com. "This time it's like, well, you have the most successful piece of home hardware you've ever produced. You've broken all kinds of records. Now what's your second act?"
Historically, the company has attracted fewer third-party developers than Microsoft and Sony, in part due to the perception that Nintendo reserves most of its marketing support for the titles it produces in-house. And Nintendo has also been slower to embrace online collaboration and other Internet services than its rivals, raising questions about whether the new console will feel relevant in an era of ubiquitous Internet connections.
But most still expect the company to make an impressive showing this week.
"Nintendo has the most to prove," Kress said. "But they're also the most likely to win among hardware manufacturers, as they have the most impressive lineup of software and hardware at the show."
But executives say a large market remains for a handheld device that does things a phone can't. The NGP's predecessor, the PlayStation Portable, has sold 68 million units worldwide since its introduction six years ago, according to industry tracker VGChartz.com.
Scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year, the NGP will feature innovative controls, including front and rear touch screens, that executives say no phone can match.
"When you look at what NGP can bring to the market, it's much different than what exists in mobile or on other handheld devices," said John Koller, director of hardware marketing for Sony.
The company is also hedging its bets. This year it announced PlayStation Suite, a forthcoming software framework that will allow PlayStation games to be played on devices running Google's Android operating system.
Given the convergence of gaming and smart phones, Gamespot's Torres said the NGP and 3DS - Nintendo's new handheld, which went on sale in March - may be the last devices of their kind.
"Given the way consumer electronic devices are moving, a single-use device is quickly becoming not a good idea," he said.
That's why the NGP is expected to perform a range of functions beyond gaming: streaming music, playing videos, and interacting with games on the Playstation 3 console.
Kress said titles Sony has promised to introduce at launch, which include an installment of its best-selling "Uncharted" franchise, delivered great visuals in demos. But the audience for handheld devices like the NGP is shrinking, he said.
While video game giants worry about where their customers are going, publishers may have less to be concerned about: The profusion of gaming platforms means better business opportunities.
Laurent Detoc, North American president of Ubisoft, is developing games for nearly every current platform. The company, whose U.S. headquarters are in San Francisco, is best known for console titles like "Assassin's Creed." But it also plans to bring its popular "Ghost Recon" series to Facebook.
Wherever customers are willing to pay for games, Detoc said, Ubisoft will be there.
"We'll go with what the consumers want," he said.
Today, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Sony will show off its next-generation handheld device, code-named NGP. Then on Tuesday, Nintendo is widely expected to unveil the successor to its best-selling Wii console.
The question is whether those devices will resonate with consumers, who have shifted their gaming to two hot areas in technology: phones and Facebook.
The rise of devices running on Apple and Google's operating systems has driven many to play games on their smart phones and tablets. Meanwhile, San Francisco's Zynga has built a gaming empire on top of Facebook, leading a wave of companies that are building games for social networks.
And given the promise of games someday being delivered wirelessly to televisions, observers question how long consoles built primarily for gaming will survive.
"The general view, particularly in the mainstream investor community, is that the console generation is dead and not likely to come back," said Eric Kress, an analyst with Bay Street Research.
But Kress said that in his view, the best way to experience high quality content is still a dedicated console. He noted that the devices now serve a range of functions beyond gaming, making them a central part of many living rooms.
At E3, which is expected to draw up to 45,000 people over three days, the big gaming companies will get a shot at proving naysayers wrong.
Wii successor
Last month, Nintendo confirmed it would demonstrate its successor to the Wii, codenamed Project Café, at E3.Little is known about the console, which is expected to ship in 2012. The device is rumored to output video in high definition, a feature that has been long supported on Microsoft and Sony consoles, and to have a controller that includes a touch screen.
Nintendo, which declined to comment on its E3 plans, faces much higher expectations this time around than it did when unveiling the Wii in 2005.
At that time, Nintendo was coming off the relative failure of the GameCube, its worst-selling console. Since its release in 2006, the Wii has sold more than 86 million units and reintroduced Nintendo to mainstream audiences.
"Before, Nintendo had no expectations to exceed other than 'don't die,' " said Ricardo Torres, who tracks the industry as editor in chief of Gamespot.com. "This time it's like, well, you have the most successful piece of home hardware you've ever produced. You've broken all kinds of records. Now what's your second act?"
Historically, the company has attracted fewer third-party developers than Microsoft and Sony, in part due to the perception that Nintendo reserves most of its marketing support for the titles it produces in-house. And Nintendo has also been slower to embrace online collaboration and other Internet services than its rivals, raising questions about whether the new console will feel relevant in an era of ubiquitous Internet connections.
But most still expect the company to make an impressive showing this week.
"Nintendo has the most to prove," Kress said. "But they're also the most likely to win among hardware manufacturers, as they have the most impressive lineup of software and hardware at the show."
Sony's challenge
For Sony, the challenge is to persuade gamers to purchase a device whose core functions are rapidly becoming integrated into phones.But executives say a large market remains for a handheld device that does things a phone can't. The NGP's predecessor, the PlayStation Portable, has sold 68 million units worldwide since its introduction six years ago, according to industry tracker VGChartz.com.
Scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year, the NGP will feature innovative controls, including front and rear touch screens, that executives say no phone can match.
"When you look at what NGP can bring to the market, it's much different than what exists in mobile or on other handheld devices," said John Koller, director of hardware marketing for Sony.
The company is also hedging its bets. This year it announced PlayStation Suite, a forthcoming software framework that will allow PlayStation games to be played on devices running Google's Android operating system.
Given the convergence of gaming and smart phones, Gamespot's Torres said the NGP and 3DS - Nintendo's new handheld, which went on sale in March - may be the last devices of their kind.
"Given the way consumer electronic devices are moving, a single-use device is quickly becoming not a good idea," he said.
That's why the NGP is expected to perform a range of functions beyond gaming: streaming music, playing videos, and interacting with games on the Playstation 3 console.
Kress said titles Sony has promised to introduce at launch, which include an installment of its best-selling "Uncharted" franchise, delivered great visuals in demos. But the audience for handheld devices like the NGP is shrinking, he said.
While video game giants worry about where their customers are going, publishers may have less to be concerned about: The profusion of gaming platforms means better business opportunities.
Laurent Detoc, North American president of Ubisoft, is developing games for nearly every current platform. The company, whose U.S. headquarters are in San Francisco, is best known for console titles like "Assassin's Creed." But it also plans to bring its popular "Ghost Recon" series to Facebook.
Wherever customers are willing to pay for games, Detoc said, Ubisoft will be there.
"We'll go with what the consumers want," he said.
Bachelorette Blog: Ashley Dishes on Her 'Best First Date' Ever
Craig Sjodin/ABC
And the kissing begins!
Right off the bat, I wanted to see how well the guys could handle themselves in a city of temptation, so I took them to Las Vegas! There is an energy about that city that like no other place in the world. I knew the guys wouldn't expect to leave the mansion so quickly, and I looked forward to surprising them with this trip.
To this day, I will still say that my date with William was the best first date I have ever been on. At first glance, he is a handsome, charming, funny guy, but on the other hand, he has a lot of depth to him and has been through a lot. Our date was just that – a mixture of fun and depth. On top of that, he actually was about to go through with the marriage – on the first date! – so I knew he was a keeper. The best moment of the night for me was being able to relate to William's story about his father, and then celebrating that connection with the Bellagio fountains going off. What a magical moment!
Performing with the Jabbawockeez was one of my favorite moments throughout this entire season, but probably not for the reason you would think. First, these dancers are not only incredibly talented, but they were the nicest people I've ever met. I will certainly be back to watch their show and support them. Going into this date, I was not sure how the guys were going to react to dancing on stage. At first, they didn't seem entirely into the idea. But after we started working with the Jabbawockeez on the actual performance, the guys took on a whole different attitude about dancing. To see the guys after the performance feel such accomplishment and adrenaline was so exciting. I was happy to share that moment with them. On top of that, they looked like they were a part of the actual Jabbawockeez. Great job, guys!
I love the idea of the coin toss and how it led to my first date with Mickey and my first kiss with JP. I was suspecting that JP walked into the cocktail party with a double-sided coin. Regardless, I knew that whichever way the coin landed, I would be happy with the outcome because both of these men are exceptional.
In closing, I want to say that I learn so much about these men from watching the episodes – the good, the bad and the ugly. The most important thing I told myself from the start was that I would always be open with the way I feel, even if there was the potential to be hurt. I said that I wouldn't want to look back with regrets. Even as I cringe through some of the things that Bentley said throughout filming, I wouldn't change the way I was, because in that moment it was the way I felt. Everyone is responsible for their own honesty and accountability – and if he wasn't willing to give me at least that, he is in the wrong. No regrets!
source : http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20498822,00.html
2011 College Baseball Tournament Bracket: Toughest, Easiest Regionals And Salivating Super Regional
With the NCAA announcing the brackets for the college baseball postseason all of the talk turns to who will get to Omaha for the College World Series. Besides picking the obvious favorites much of picking who will make it to the College World Series is based on their road there. With that in mind, who has the toughest Regional? Who has the easiest one and what is the most intriguing possible Super Regional match-up?
Easiest Regional- Austin
This is a no-brainer. Texas is a deserving national seed and it is tough to argue with a number seven national seed avoiding a few of the top number two seeds like Arkansas, but they were gifted as easy a Regional as you will find.
It starts with the number two seed in the Regional, Texas St., who has no business being the two seed in any Regional. The Bobcats went 40-21 this season, a record to be proud of, but keep in mind who they beat to get to 40 wins. Absolutely no one. Texas St. went just 1-9 against the RPI top 50 this season so when they got their chance to prove that they can play with the best, they failed and then some. They also lost eight games to teams with a RPI over 100. There is very little to suggest that the Bobcats should be a number two seed, but Texas will take it.
The number three and four seeds in the Regional aren't going to put the fear of god in the Longhorns either. Kent St. was given a generous three seed and while the Flashes, under head coach Scott Stricklin, do more with less than most teams in the country, they are short on the talent they need to beat any of the top teams. Rounding things up ni Austin is Princeton, who won the Ivy league, but went just 23-22 this season.
If any team can be written into the Super Regionals before a single game is played, it is Texas. The Longhorns will wait until the second game of the Regional to throw their ace and National Pitcher of the Year candidate, Taylor Jungmann, where he will dominate and overmatched Texas St. or Kent St. team. It's easy sailing for the Longhorns.
Toughest Regional- Clemson
The toughest Regionals are usually have a team that has plenty of talent and underachieved for most of the season before picking it up late. The Clemson Regional has two such teams. With Connecticut and Coastal Carolina slotting in as the number two and three seed at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the hometown Tigers were done no favors. The positive is that unlike in past years the toughest Regional wasn't one with a national seed in it and instead a non-national seed is forced to really earn their way to a Super Regional, but it's still one tough haul.
Starting at the top is a good Clemson team that went 41-18 and finished the season well, winning seven of their final 10. Led by one of the country's top hitters, Brad Miller, the Tigers may not be a national seed, but could very well return to Omaha for their second consecutive College World Series.
Few teams have a player on their team any better than Connecticut's George Springer. One of the most athletic players in the country and a projected first round pick in June's MLB Draft, the Huskies have more than enough talent to make a title run. Coastal Carolina can also make a title run. They had a disappointing season, but still have the talent that made them a ranked team in the preseason.
What is most intriguing in the Clemson Regional will be the opening game between the Huskies and Chanticleers and one heck of a pitching match-up. For UConn, they will turn to Matt Barnes, who some believe can be drafted as high as the top 10 overall in the MLB Draft. He'll go up against Coastal Carolina's Anthony Meo, who could also go in the first round of the MLB Draft. Two potential first round picks, one game, and that's just to start things off.
Most Intriguing Possible Super Regional Match-up
This one isn't even close and during the Regionals most of the country will be rooting for Virginia and UCLA just to set up a Super Regional match-up between the two. The Cavaliers are the number one national seed and one of the clear favorites to win the national title. UCLA was a preseason top three team that struggled early, but came on late to win the Pac-10 and will look to go one step further than a year ago, when they were College World Series runners up.
What makes this possible match-up so intriguing is the big names. For Virginia is is Danny Hultzen. A projected top five pick in the MLB Draft, Hultzen's long-term future is as a pitcher. A left-hander who can throw in the low 90's with two good breaking pitches, all of which he can spot in any count will do that for you. For now though, he adds hitting to his pitching and he does so pretty well. Hultzen hit over .300 for the Cavaliers this season, giving them an ace and big bat all in one.
For the Bruins, all the star power is at the top of their rotation and it is real star power. UCLA has the nation's best one-two punch with a pair of projected top 10 picks in the MLB Draft. One is the possible number one overall pick, Gerrit Cole, who has a fastball that reached 100 mph seven times in his last start of the season, even doing so as late as the eighth inning. Two is Trevor Bauer, who is a National Pitcher of the Year candidate and has thrown eight consecutive complete games entering the postseason.
If Virginia and UCLA both win their Regionals, they'll play each other for a spot in Omaga. Scouts will flock to the games, it will be thrilling television and the only ones who won't find it exciting are those without a soul
source : http://www.sbnation.com/2011/5/30/2197534/college-baseball-regional-postseason-texas
Easiest Regional- Austin
This is a no-brainer. Texas is a deserving national seed and it is tough to argue with a number seven national seed avoiding a few of the top number two seeds like Arkansas, but they were gifted as easy a Regional as you will find.
It starts with the number two seed in the Regional, Texas St., who has no business being the two seed in any Regional. The Bobcats went 40-21 this season, a record to be proud of, but keep in mind who they beat to get to 40 wins. Absolutely no one. Texas St. went just 1-9 against the RPI top 50 this season so when they got their chance to prove that they can play with the best, they failed and then some. They also lost eight games to teams with a RPI over 100. There is very little to suggest that the Bobcats should be a number two seed, but Texas will take it.
The number three and four seeds in the Regional aren't going to put the fear of god in the Longhorns either. Kent St. was given a generous three seed and while the Flashes, under head coach Scott Stricklin, do more with less than most teams in the country, they are short on the talent they need to beat any of the top teams. Rounding things up ni Austin is Princeton, who won the Ivy league, but went just 23-22 this season.
If any team can be written into the Super Regionals before a single game is played, it is Texas. The Longhorns will wait until the second game of the Regional to throw their ace and National Pitcher of the Year candidate, Taylor Jungmann, where he will dominate and overmatched Texas St. or Kent St. team. It's easy sailing for the Longhorns.
Toughest Regional- Clemson
The toughest Regionals are usually have a team that has plenty of talent and underachieved for most of the season before picking it up late. The Clemson Regional has two such teams. With Connecticut and Coastal Carolina slotting in as the number two and three seed at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, the hometown Tigers were done no favors. The positive is that unlike in past years the toughest Regional wasn't one with a national seed in it and instead a non-national seed is forced to really earn their way to a Super Regional, but it's still one tough haul.
Starting at the top is a good Clemson team that went 41-18 and finished the season well, winning seven of their final 10. Led by one of the country's top hitters, Brad Miller, the Tigers may not be a national seed, but could very well return to Omaha for their second consecutive College World Series.
Few teams have a player on their team any better than Connecticut's George Springer. One of the most athletic players in the country and a projected first round pick in June's MLB Draft, the Huskies have more than enough talent to make a title run. Coastal Carolina can also make a title run. They had a disappointing season, but still have the talent that made them a ranked team in the preseason.
What is most intriguing in the Clemson Regional will be the opening game between the Huskies and Chanticleers and one heck of a pitching match-up. For UConn, they will turn to Matt Barnes, who some believe can be drafted as high as the top 10 overall in the MLB Draft. He'll go up against Coastal Carolina's Anthony Meo, who could also go in the first round of the MLB Draft. Two potential first round picks, one game, and that's just to start things off.
Most Intriguing Possible Super Regional Match-up
This one isn't even close and during the Regionals most of the country will be rooting for Virginia and UCLA just to set up a Super Regional match-up between the two. The Cavaliers are the number one national seed and one of the clear favorites to win the national title. UCLA was a preseason top three team that struggled early, but came on late to win the Pac-10 and will look to go one step further than a year ago, when they were College World Series runners up.
What makes this possible match-up so intriguing is the big names. For Virginia is is Danny Hultzen. A projected top five pick in the MLB Draft, Hultzen's long-term future is as a pitcher. A left-hander who can throw in the low 90's with two good breaking pitches, all of which he can spot in any count will do that for you. For now though, he adds hitting to his pitching and he does so pretty well. Hultzen hit over .300 for the Cavaliers this season, giving them an ace and big bat all in one.
For the Bruins, all the star power is at the top of their rotation and it is real star power. UCLA has the nation's best one-two punch with a pair of projected top 10 picks in the MLB Draft. One is the possible number one overall pick, Gerrit Cole, who has a fastball that reached 100 mph seven times in his last start of the season, even doing so as late as the eighth inning. Two is Trevor Bauer, who is a National Pitcher of the Year candidate and has thrown eight consecutive complete games entering the postseason.
If Virginia and UCLA both win their Regionals, they'll play each other for a spot in Omaga. Scouts will flock to the games, it will be thrilling television and the only ones who won't find it exciting are those without a soul
source : http://www.sbnation.com/2011/5/30/2197534/college-baseball-regional-postseason-texas
Justin Timberlake And Ashley Olsen: Friends With Benefits?
Justin Timberlake‘s rep may say he’s “not romantically involved with anyone,” but ain’t nobody said anything about romance. The gossip world’s been buzzing since Timberlake and Ashley Olsen caught a play a week ago, and a source for People‘s source—while admitting “they were hanging out as a group”—is happy to add fuel to the fire. “I’m not sure if Ashley is serious with Justin or not,” says the insider. “They aren’t dating but they have hooked up recently.” Hiyo! Do you mean “hook up” as in “swapped numbers to discuss a potential fashion line collaboration” or “hook up” as in “Justin gave Ashley a sneak preview of scenes from his upcoming summer comedy, Friends With Benefits“? Because there’s a huuuuge difference.
Considering Timberlake would rather sing praises of exes like Jessica Biel and Britney Spears than compile a running list of the famous ladies he’s brought sexy back to since reclaiming bachelorhood, it’s possible this dalliance with Ashley will fall into the “maybe they did, maybe they didn’t” vortex along those alleged escapades Olivia Wilde and Olivia Munn. But that gabby People source isn’t so sure. “Ashley is a relationship person, much more than [her sister, Mary-Kate], so we’ll see.” Um, no offense to Ashley, but her commitment to this potential relationship isn’t what we’re questioning.
[Photos: Getty Images]
source : http://www.thefablife.com/2011-06-03/justin-timberlake-and-ashley-olsen-friends-with-benefits/
Hip-hop festival draws a sell-out crowd to the Meadowlands
EAST RUTHERFORD – Attending Summer Jam, the annual hip hop music festival, was Kelly Espino’s dream.
The 20-year-old from Moonachie is an avid listener to New York radio station Hot 97, which has sponsored the concert for the past eight years. She has listened to the station’s DJs hype the show for all those years, but she could never afford it.
“So, I got a job – I’m a waitress, whatever — and I bought floor seats in the ninth row,” Espino said outside of New Meadowlands Stadium Sunday. “I didn’t even know the line-up when I bought them, I didn’t care.”
The floor seats were about $175 each.
Among the entertainers were Lil Wayne, Drake, Birdman, Young Money, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Lloyd Banks, Dipset, Wiz Khalifa, and Waka Flocka.
“When I was getting ready to go, I started crying,” Espino said. “I know it’s just a concert, but I have wanted to go for so long.”
The show was sold out with about 50,000 expected to attend.
A police presence permeated the crowd.
A state police helicopter made low circles around the stadium. State police in plain clothes walked through the parking lots of people cooking, drinking alcohol and smoking. The parties started hours before the stadium doors opened at 5:30 p.m.
But the police presence wasn’t higher than usual for an event of Summer Jam’s size, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman. As of 9 p.m. there were no major police emergencies, Jones said.
For Brad M. Korn, 22, of Woodcliff Lake, Summer Jam represents a different kind of dream. The Jewish man is an aspiring hip hop artist, who raps about life in affluent New Jersey suburbs. He’s unsigned.
“I love hip hop and the whole culture of hip hop,” Korn said. “It really motivates me and influences me to take the right directions in life.”
Korn admires the hip hop artists and their work ethic. Korn called those on stage at Summer Jam the best of the best.
Kelly Prentham, 19, of Glen Rock, professed her own dreams, however unreal.
“Lil Wayne is going to propose to me tonight on stage,” Prentham said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Actually, she was at the concert with a group of high school friends.
“We just finished our first year of college,” said Ilana Gazda, 19, of Glen Rock. “We only get to see each other during winter break and summer, so it’s great that we could come together for this.”
source : http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/Hip_hop_festival_draws_a_sold-out_crowd_to_the_Meadowlands.html
The 20-year-old from Moonachie is an avid listener to New York radio station Hot 97, which has sponsored the concert for the past eight years. She has listened to the station’s DJs hype the show for all those years, but she could never afford it.
“So, I got a job – I’m a waitress, whatever — and I bought floor seats in the ninth row,” Espino said outside of New Meadowlands Stadium Sunday. “I didn’t even know the line-up when I bought them, I didn’t care.”
The floor seats were about $175 each.
Among the entertainers were Lil Wayne, Drake, Birdman, Young Money, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Fabolous, Lloyd Banks, Dipset, Wiz Khalifa, and Waka Flocka.
“When I was getting ready to go, I started crying,” Espino said. “I know it’s just a concert, but I have wanted to go for so long.”
The show was sold out with about 50,000 expected to attend.
A police presence permeated the crowd.
A state police helicopter made low circles around the stadium. State police in plain clothes walked through the parking lots of people cooking, drinking alcohol and smoking. The parties started hours before the stadium doors opened at 5:30 p.m.
But the police presence wasn’t higher than usual for an event of Summer Jam’s size, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman. As of 9 p.m. there were no major police emergencies, Jones said.
For Brad M. Korn, 22, of Woodcliff Lake, Summer Jam represents a different kind of dream. The Jewish man is an aspiring hip hop artist, who raps about life in affluent New Jersey suburbs. He’s unsigned.
“I love hip hop and the whole culture of hip hop,” Korn said. “It really motivates me and influences me to take the right directions in life.”
Korn admires the hip hop artists and their work ethic. Korn called those on stage at Summer Jam the best of the best.
Kelly Prentham, 19, of Glen Rock, professed her own dreams, however unreal.
“Lil Wayne is going to propose to me tonight on stage,” Prentham said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Actually, she was at the concert with a group of high school friends.
“We just finished our first year of college,” said Ilana Gazda, 19, of Glen Rock. “We only get to see each other during winter break and summer, so it’s great that we could come together for this.”
source : http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/Hip_hop_festival_draws_a_sold-out_crowd_to_the_Meadowlands.html
I Love You Man
I Love You, Man is a 2009 American comedy film originally titled Let's be Friends and the written by Larry Levin before John Hamburg rewrote and directed the film. Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones the film focuses on Peter's (Rudd) lack of male friends and the bond that forms between him and Sydney (Segel).
The film was released theatrically in North America on March 20, 2009, to mostly positive reviews and took second spot in the box office during its opening week. The film was released on home video on August 11, 2009.
Cast
* Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven
* Jason Segel as Sydney Fife
* Rashida Jones as Zooey Rice
* Jaime Pressly as Denise McLean
* Sarah Burns as Hailey
* Andy Samberg as Robbie Klaven
* J. K. Simmons as Oswald Klaven
* Jane Curtin as Joyce Klaven
* Jon Favreau as Barry McLean
* Lou Ferrigno as Himself
* Rob Huebel as Tevin Downey
* Aziz Ansari as Eugene
* Nick Kroll as Larry
* Mather Zickel as Gil
* Thomas Lennon as Doug Evans
* Murray Gershenz as Mel
* Joe Lo Truglio as Lonnie
* Josh Cooke as Alan
* Jay Chandrasekhar as Party Guest
* David Krumholtz as Sydney's Buddy
* Larry Wilmore as Minister
* Brennan Reynolds as Shirt
* Carla Gallo as Zooey's friend
* Rush as themselves
* OK Go as The Wedding Band "Tastes Like Chicken"
* Matthew Thurmon as Carter
Release
I Love You, Man received largely positive reviews that mostly centered on the chemistry between Rudd and Segel, as well as the supporting performances.
The film review website Rotten Tomatoes gave it an overall approval rating of 83%, with selected critics giving it an 86% approval rating. Metacritic gave it a critic average score of 70. Giving the film 3 out of 4 stars, Peter Travers with Rolling Stone said that despite the formulaic plot, "It's the variations that Rudd and Segel spin on this theme that make the movie hugely enjoyable." He also praised the supporting cast. Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A, and said that "Paul Rudd gives a startlingly funny and original performance." USA Today gave the film a glowing review, stating "the movie works because everything hinges on the camaraderie and undeniable chemistry between Rudd and Segel." More conservatively, People magazine said the movie "sails along on goodwill and blush-worthy bawdiness," but concluded that "like instant chocolate pudding, it goes down easy — even if it isn't especially good for you."
The film was not without its critics, however. Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor was not impressed with the film, and after noting that the character Sydney seemed to be written for Owen Wilson, Rainer remarked, "Maybe Wilson was busy. Lucky him." The Colorado Daily described the relationship between the male leads as a "watered-down false bromance", noting that the pace of their relationship seemed "rushed", and that Peter was looking out for his wife rather than his best friend.
In its U.S. opening weekend, the film made $17,810,270 in 2,711 theaters, ranking number 2 at the box office. The film grossed $71,440,011 domestically and $20,196,975 internationally making $91,636,986 worldwide. I Love You, Man was able to stay in the box office top 10 for 5 weeks. This places it at number 27 of films released in 2009.
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 11, 2009 in the US and August 24, 2009 in Europe and as of November 2009 generated more than $22 million in DVD sales. I Love You, Man was ranked number 2 in sales during its opening week and declined from there. The DVD extras contains an hour and a half of content including a full performance of "Limelight."
Awards
The film has been nominated for Best Kiss for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards for the smooch between Thomas Lennon's character Doug and Rudd's Peter, but lost to Twilight. It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Film - Wide Release" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards, even though the movie does not contain any homosexual content.
source : http://hotarmisticenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-love-you-man.html
The film was released theatrically in North America on March 20, 2009, to mostly positive reviews and took second spot in the box office during its opening week. The film was released on home video on August 11, 2009.
Cast
* Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven
* Jason Segel as Sydney Fife
* Rashida Jones as Zooey Rice
* Jaime Pressly as Denise McLean
* Sarah Burns as Hailey
* Andy Samberg as Robbie Klaven
* J. K. Simmons as Oswald Klaven
* Jane Curtin as Joyce Klaven
* Jon Favreau as Barry McLean
* Lou Ferrigno as Himself
* Rob Huebel as Tevin Downey
* Aziz Ansari as Eugene
* Nick Kroll as Larry
* Mather Zickel as Gil
* Thomas Lennon as Doug Evans
* Murray Gershenz as Mel
* Joe Lo Truglio as Lonnie
* Josh Cooke as Alan
* Jay Chandrasekhar as Party Guest
* David Krumholtz as Sydney's Buddy
* Larry Wilmore as Minister
* Brennan Reynolds as Shirt
* Carla Gallo as Zooey's friend
* Rush as themselves
* OK Go as The Wedding Band "Tastes Like Chicken"
* Matthew Thurmon as Carter
Release
I Love You, Man received largely positive reviews that mostly centered on the chemistry between Rudd and Segel, as well as the supporting performances.
The film review website Rotten Tomatoes gave it an overall approval rating of 83%, with selected critics giving it an 86% approval rating. Metacritic gave it a critic average score of 70. Giving the film 3 out of 4 stars, Peter Travers with Rolling Stone said that despite the formulaic plot, "It's the variations that Rudd and Segel spin on this theme that make the movie hugely enjoyable." He also praised the supporting cast. Entertainment Weekly gave the film an A, and said that "Paul Rudd gives a startlingly funny and original performance." USA Today gave the film a glowing review, stating "the movie works because everything hinges on the camaraderie and undeniable chemistry between Rudd and Segel." More conservatively, People magazine said the movie "sails along on goodwill and blush-worthy bawdiness," but concluded that "like instant chocolate pudding, it goes down easy — even if it isn't especially good for you."
The film was not without its critics, however. Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor was not impressed with the film, and after noting that the character Sydney seemed to be written for Owen Wilson, Rainer remarked, "Maybe Wilson was busy. Lucky him." The Colorado Daily described the relationship between the male leads as a "watered-down false bromance", noting that the pace of their relationship seemed "rushed", and that Peter was looking out for his wife rather than his best friend.
In its U.S. opening weekend, the film made $17,810,270 in 2,711 theaters, ranking number 2 at the box office. The film grossed $71,440,011 domestically and $20,196,975 internationally making $91,636,986 worldwide. I Love You, Man was able to stay in the box office top 10 for 5 weeks. This places it at number 27 of films released in 2009.
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 11, 2009 in the US and August 24, 2009 in Europe and as of November 2009 generated more than $22 million in DVD sales. I Love You, Man was ranked number 2 in sales during its opening week and declined from there. The DVD extras contains an hour and a half of content including a full performance of "Limelight."
Awards
The film has been nominated for Best Kiss for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards for the smooch between Thomas Lennon's character Doug and Rudd's Peter, but lost to Twilight. It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Film - Wide Release" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards, even though the movie does not contain any homosexual content.
source : http://hotarmisticenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-love-you-man.html
SMA: 'NCOs, the glue that holds the Army together'
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 9, 2009) - The noncommissioned officer is the glue that has held the Army together over the last eight years, said the Army's senior enlisted advisor.
During a presentation at the Pentagon yesterday, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston discussed the contributions of the NCO to the Army mission and why the service has named 2009 the year of the NCO.
"This is an opportunity for us to showcase the contributions of the NCO corps," he said. "It's those noncommissioned officers out there every day who are not only winning the fight on the global war on terror, they're also the ones who directly influence their piece of the Army by being the first line supervisor for two or three Soldiers who they are responsible for. They're the ones who create command climate and train the Soldiers in their occupational specialties."
Preston told the audience of Soldiers and Army civilians that being an NCO was all about teaching from experience and that the two basic responsibilities of the NCO come from the NCO creed.
"It's accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of the Soldier," Preston said.
"One of the principal ways an NCO looks after the welfare of his Soldiers is through training -- it's about being a subject matter expert. We want our young Soldiers to study, to train and be the best Soldiers they can be, because as they move up into positions of increased responsibility they will be responsible for teaching from a position of experience. It's the experience that allows our NCOs to be trainers."
During the year of the NCO, the Army will work toward enhancing education, fitness, leadership development and pride in service by implementing programs and policies that support growth of the NCO corps, the sergeant major said. Additionally, the Army wants to recognize the leadership, professionalism, commitment and courage of the NCO through outreach events that are being planned throughout the Army.
With respect to education during the year of the NCO, the sergeant major said there were three pillars of learning for all Soldiers in the Army.
The first pillar of learning is institutional learning -- in the school house. The second pillar is that of operational experience -- the kind of learning that can only be learned in the field and by doing, Preston said.
"The third pillar is largely an untapped resource: self-development and self-study," Preston said. "One of the big initiatives coming out of this is the Army Career Tracker where we can begin to provide more guided and structured self-development initiatives. There are a lot of things out there we want our NCOs to be, know and do to take them to a whole new level."
The Career Tracker will identify a Soldier's path and their career track, mapping out specifically what they need to do to advance through the Army's ranks.
Preston said as Soldiers continue to develop and grow with their education, by the time they reach sergeant they've become very articulate, very smart and great spokespersons.
source : http://www.army.mil/article/15680/sma-ncos-the-glue-that-holds-the-army-together/
During a presentation at the Pentagon yesterday, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston discussed the contributions of the NCO to the Army mission and why the service has named 2009 the year of the NCO.
"This is an opportunity for us to showcase the contributions of the NCO corps," he said. "It's those noncommissioned officers out there every day who are not only winning the fight on the global war on terror, they're also the ones who directly influence their piece of the Army by being the first line supervisor for two or three Soldiers who they are responsible for. They're the ones who create command climate and train the Soldiers in their occupational specialties."
Preston told the audience of Soldiers and Army civilians that being an NCO was all about teaching from experience and that the two basic responsibilities of the NCO come from the NCO creed.
"It's accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of the Soldier," Preston said.
"One of the principal ways an NCO looks after the welfare of his Soldiers is through training -- it's about being a subject matter expert. We want our young Soldiers to study, to train and be the best Soldiers they can be, because as they move up into positions of increased responsibility they will be responsible for teaching from a position of experience. It's the experience that allows our NCOs to be trainers."
During the year of the NCO, the Army will work toward enhancing education, fitness, leadership development and pride in service by implementing programs and policies that support growth of the NCO corps, the sergeant major said. Additionally, the Army wants to recognize the leadership, professionalism, commitment and courage of the NCO through outreach events that are being planned throughout the Army.
With respect to education during the year of the NCO, the sergeant major said there were three pillars of learning for all Soldiers in the Army.
The first pillar of learning is institutional learning -- in the school house. The second pillar is that of operational experience -- the kind of learning that can only be learned in the field and by doing, Preston said.
"The third pillar is largely an untapped resource: self-development and self-study," Preston said. "One of the big initiatives coming out of this is the Army Career Tracker where we can begin to provide more guided and structured self-development initiatives. There are a lot of things out there we want our NCOs to be, know and do to take them to a whole new level."
The Career Tracker will identify a Soldier's path and their career track, mapping out specifically what they need to do to advance through the Army's ranks.
Preston said as Soldiers continue to develop and grow with their education, by the time they reach sergeant they've become very articulate, very smart and great spokespersons.
source : http://www.army.mil/article/15680/sma-ncos-the-glue-that-holds-the-army-together/
Saturday, June 4, 2011
TV Highlights: ‘Whale Wars’ premiere; ‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’
“Whale Wars: Road to the Showdown” (Animal Planet at 8) looks back at the show’s first three seasons, and all the adventures of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Season 4 kicks off at 9 p.m., as the Sea Shepherds leave on a campaign with a new vessel.
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Vince’s ego is a bit out of control on “Friday Night Lights” (NBC at 8), and Coach Taylor is concerned he’s alienating his teammates; in other news, Tami frets about the home life of one of her students, and Becky makes the decision to enter a beauty pageant.
The final two singers on “CMT’s Next Superstar” (CMT at 8) head to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to belt out three songs each — one song of their choice, another from the judges and the last one from the record label — before the audience votes for the winner.
Jules winds up getting in the middle of a hostage situation when she arrives at a restaurant for a date on “Flashpoint” (CBS at 8). When the SRU team members show up, they discover that the gunman thinks the restaurant’s owner is a terrorist.
After being pulled off the air for several weeks, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”(ABC at 9) returns to the schedule with some bad news for the chef, his healthy menu and his group of teen culinary students: The food they cook can’t be served on the high school campus.
Cody and Dave make the “castaway” scenario a reality on “Dual Survival” (Discovery at 9), exploring how a person could survive stranded on a South Pacific island. And just to see what would happen, Dave decides to go barefoot for the challenge.
“Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss” (TLC at 9, 9:30) finds one bride obsessed with finding the perfect Cinderella dress for her Disney-theme wedding and another woman who, at nearly 6 feet tall and on the plus-size side, has a serious wedding dress-shopping phobia.
The roundtable on “Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO at 10) includes educator Melissa Harris-Perry, talk-show host Larry King and former representative Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.); interview guests are Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and writer-producer Adam McKay.
source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tv-highlights-whale-wars-premiere-jamie-olivers-food-revolution/2011/06/01/AGkMGcHH_story.html
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Vince’s ego is a bit out of control on “Friday Night Lights” (NBC at 8), and Coach Taylor is concerned he’s alienating his teammates; in other news, Tami frets about the home life of one of her students, and Becky makes the decision to enter a beauty pageant.
The final two singers on “CMT’s Next Superstar” (CMT at 8) head to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to belt out three songs each — one song of their choice, another from the judges and the last one from the record label — before the audience votes for the winner.
Jules winds up getting in the middle of a hostage situation when she arrives at a restaurant for a date on “Flashpoint” (CBS at 8). When the SRU team members show up, they discover that the gunman thinks the restaurant’s owner is a terrorist.
After being pulled off the air for several weeks, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”(ABC at 9) returns to the schedule with some bad news for the chef, his healthy menu and his group of teen culinary students: The food they cook can’t be served on the high school campus.
Cody and Dave make the “castaway” scenario a reality on “Dual Survival” (Discovery at 9), exploring how a person could survive stranded on a South Pacific island. And just to see what would happen, Dave decides to go barefoot for the challenge.
“Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss” (TLC at 9, 9:30) finds one bride obsessed with finding the perfect Cinderella dress for her Disney-theme wedding and another woman who, at nearly 6 feet tall and on the plus-size side, has a serious wedding dress-shopping phobia.
The roundtable on “Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO at 10) includes educator Melissa Harris-Perry, talk-show host Larry King and former representative Rick Lazio (R-N.Y.); interview guests are Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and writer-producer Adam McKay.
source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/tv-highlights-whale-wars-premiere-jamie-olivers-food-revolution/2011/06/01/AGkMGcHH_story.html
James Arness dies at 88; TV's Marshal Dillon on landmark 'Gunsmoke' series
LOS ANGELES — James Arness, the towering actor best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon, the commanding symbol of frontier justice on the landmark TV Western series "Gunsmoke," died Friday. He was 88.
Mr. Arness died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, family spokeswoman Ginny Fazer said.
"Gunsmoke" debuted on CBS on Sept. 10, 1955, and, with the start of "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" on ABC four days earlier, a new era in television horse operas was launched: the adult Western.
But whereas "Wyatt Earp," starring Hugh O'Brian, ended its run in 1961, "Gunsmoke" ran until 1975, far outdistancing its many competitors and becoming one of the longest-running prime-time series in network TV history.
In the process, Mr. Arness became one of television's most enduring stars, returning as Dillon in a handful of "Gunsmoke" TV movies in the late '80s and early '90s.
At 6-foot-7, Mr. Arness was a bigger-than-life actor who filled the boots of the mythic Dodge City lawman in the series, which earned praise for breaking TV Western-genre conventions with its strong dramatic stories and psychologically complex characters.
"Matt," Mr. Arness once said, "is very human and has all the failings and drives common to anyone who is trying to do a difficult job the best he knows how."
"Gunsmoke" had been a groundbreaking hit radio show, with William Conrad providing the authoritative voice of Dillon, for three years when CBS began looking for an actor to star in the TV version.
At the time, Mr. Arness, a Minnesota native and World War II Army combat veteran, had amassed a string of film credits, including playing the alien monster in the 1951 science-fiction classic, "The Thing From Another World." He also co-starred in the 1954 sci-fi thriller, "Them!"
Then under contract to John Wayne's production company, Mr. Arness also had appeared in four pictures starring Wayne: "Big Jim McLain," "Island in the Sky," "Hondo" and "The Sea Chase."
Fearful that starring in a television series would damage his fledgling movie career, Mr. Arness only reluctantly agreed to test for the part of Dillon.
When CBS offered him the part, he hesitated, but Wayne urged him to take the role.
Mr. Arness became a welcome visitor in the homes of millions of viewers — as did the show's supporting cast members: Dennis Weaver as Dillon's stiff-legged deputy, Chester Goode; his replacement, Ken Curtis, as Deputy Festus Haggen; Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, the proprietress of the Long Branch Saloon; and Milburn Stone as the weathered and wise Doc Adams.
Of Norwegian descent, Mr. Arness was born James Aurness in Minneapolis on May 26, 1923. His brother, future actor Peter Graves, was born three years later.
After an honorable discharge from the Army, Mr. Arness used the GI Bill to join the acting program where he was discovered by an agent.
That led to his being introduced to producer Dore Schary. The result: His 1947 screen debut playing a small part as one of Loretta Young's three Scandinavian brothers in "The Farmer's Daughter." Small roles followed.
On the "Gunsmoke" set, Mr. Arness was known for his sense of humor. He enjoyed practical jokes.
Off the set, he was known to avoid the Hollywood scene, preferring the company of stagehands and fellow pilots. A surfer since he arrived in California, he learned to fly in the late '60s so he could easily get to remote surf breaks in Baja. Mr. Arness, who also skied and sailed, flew his own plane to "Gunsmoke" locations; his buzzing of the sets became legendary.
Despite his desire for privacy, a rocky domestic life landed him in the news more than once.
He met future wife Virginia Chapman while both were studying at Southern California's Pasadena Playhouse. They wed in 1948 and had two children, Jenny and Rolf. Chapman's son from her first marriage, Craig, was adopted by Mr. Arness.
The marriage foundered and in 1963 Mr. Arness sought a divorce and custody of the three children, which he was granted.
The emotionally troubled Virginia Arness attempted suicide twice, in 1959 and in 1960. In 1975, Jenny Arness died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose. Two years later, an overdose police deemed accidental killed her mother.
Mr. Arness is survived by his wife, Janet; two sons, Rolf and Jimmy; and six grandchildren. His brother, actor Peter Graves, died in March 2010. Craig Aurness, a photographer, died in 2004.
Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.
source : http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2015228964_arnessobit04.html
Mr. Arness died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, family spokeswoman Ginny Fazer said.
"Gunsmoke" debuted on CBS on Sept. 10, 1955, and, with the start of "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" on ABC four days earlier, a new era in television horse operas was launched: the adult Western.
But whereas "Wyatt Earp," starring Hugh O'Brian, ended its run in 1961, "Gunsmoke" ran until 1975, far outdistancing its many competitors and becoming one of the longest-running prime-time series in network TV history.
In the process, Mr. Arness became one of television's most enduring stars, returning as Dillon in a handful of "Gunsmoke" TV movies in the late '80s and early '90s.
At 6-foot-7, Mr. Arness was a bigger-than-life actor who filled the boots of the mythic Dodge City lawman in the series, which earned praise for breaking TV Western-genre conventions with its strong dramatic stories and psychologically complex characters.
"Matt," Mr. Arness once said, "is very human and has all the failings and drives common to anyone who is trying to do a difficult job the best he knows how."
"Gunsmoke" had been a groundbreaking hit radio show, with William Conrad providing the authoritative voice of Dillon, for three years when CBS began looking for an actor to star in the TV version.
At the time, Mr. Arness, a Minnesota native and World War II Army combat veteran, had amassed a string of film credits, including playing the alien monster in the 1951 science-fiction classic, "The Thing From Another World." He also co-starred in the 1954 sci-fi thriller, "Them!"
Then under contract to John Wayne's production company, Mr. Arness also had appeared in four pictures starring Wayne: "Big Jim McLain," "Island in the Sky," "Hondo" and "The Sea Chase."
Fearful that starring in a television series would damage his fledgling movie career, Mr. Arness only reluctantly agreed to test for the part of Dillon.
When CBS offered him the part, he hesitated, but Wayne urged him to take the role.
Mr. Arness became a welcome visitor in the homes of millions of viewers — as did the show's supporting cast members: Dennis Weaver as Dillon's stiff-legged deputy, Chester Goode; his replacement, Ken Curtis, as Deputy Festus Haggen; Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell, the proprietress of the Long Branch Saloon; and Milburn Stone as the weathered and wise Doc Adams.
Of Norwegian descent, Mr. Arness was born James Aurness in Minneapolis on May 26, 1923. His brother, future actor Peter Graves, was born three years later.
After an honorable discharge from the Army, Mr. Arness used the GI Bill to join the acting program where he was discovered by an agent.
That led to his being introduced to producer Dore Schary. The result: His 1947 screen debut playing a small part as one of Loretta Young's three Scandinavian brothers in "The Farmer's Daughter." Small roles followed.
On the "Gunsmoke" set, Mr. Arness was known for his sense of humor. He enjoyed practical jokes.
Off the set, he was known to avoid the Hollywood scene, preferring the company of stagehands and fellow pilots. A surfer since he arrived in California, he learned to fly in the late '60s so he could easily get to remote surf breaks in Baja. Mr. Arness, who also skied and sailed, flew his own plane to "Gunsmoke" locations; his buzzing of the sets became legendary.
Despite his desire for privacy, a rocky domestic life landed him in the news more than once.
He met future wife Virginia Chapman while both were studying at Southern California's Pasadena Playhouse. They wed in 1948 and had two children, Jenny and Rolf. Chapman's son from her first marriage, Craig, was adopted by Mr. Arness.
The marriage foundered and in 1963 Mr. Arness sought a divorce and custody of the three children, which he was granted.
The emotionally troubled Virginia Arness attempted suicide twice, in 1959 and in 1960. In 1975, Jenny Arness died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose. Two years later, an overdose police deemed accidental killed her mother.
Mr. Arness is survived by his wife, Janet; two sons, Rolf and Jimmy; and six grandchildren. His brother, actor Peter Graves, died in March 2010. Craig Aurness, a photographer, died in 2004.
Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.
source : http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2015228964_arnessobit04.html
Philadelphia woman sues Dunkin’ Donuts, claims sugar in her coffee triggered diabetic reaction
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia woman is suing Dunkin’ Donuts, saying a worker mistakenly put sugar in her coffee, which ultimately caused her to go into diabetic shock.
Danielle Jordan’s lawsuit claims she asked for artificial sweetener to be added to her coffee during a June 2009 visit. Jordan claims she downed the drink and experienced dizziness, light-headedness and ended up making an emergency trip to the hospital.
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A legal liaison for the Canton, Mass.-based doughnut chain told the Philadelphia Daily News she couldn’t comment on the case. But she says employees only provide customers with the order they ask for.
Jordan’s lawyer, Kenneth Rodgers, says his client couldn’t tell from the taste of the coffee that she got sugar instead of her preferred artificial sweetener. He says she didn’t finish the drink before she fell ill.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
___
Information from: Philadelphia Daily News, http://www.philly.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/philadelphia-woman-sues-dunkin-donuts-claims-sugar-in-her-coffee-triggered-diabetic-reaction/2011/06/03/AG9EX3HH_story.html
Danielle Jordan’s lawsuit claims she asked for artificial sweetener to be added to her coffee during a June 2009 visit. Jordan claims she downed the drink and experienced dizziness, light-headedness and ended up making an emergency trip to the hospital.
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A legal liaison for the Canton, Mass.-based doughnut chain told the Philadelphia Daily News she couldn’t comment on the case. But she says employees only provide customers with the order they ask for.
Jordan’s lawyer, Kenneth Rodgers, says his client couldn’t tell from the taste of the coffee that she got sugar instead of her preferred artificial sweetener. He says she didn’t finish the drink before she fell ill.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
___
Information from: Philadelphia Daily News, http://www.philly.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/philadelphia-woman-sues-dunkin-donuts-claims-sugar-in-her-coffee-triggered-diabetic-reaction/2011/06/03/AG9EX3HH_story.html
Thursday, June 2, 2011
WyoTech Announces Partnership with Orange County Choppers
SANTA ANA, CA - May 24, 2011 – (Motor Spoprts Newswire) – WyoTech has announced a partnership with Orange County Choppers (OCC), the custom motorcycle shop founded by Paul Teutul Sr. As part of the agreement, WyoTech students will help construct an OCC custom-built, WyoTech-branded motorcycle under the guidance of OCC’s Teutul. In addition, WyoTech, “The Official Technical School of OCC” has also arranged for students to intern at the world-renowned bike building facility in Upstate New York.
The students will be involved in every stage of the build, from design and creation to fabrication and assembly. Students will be selected from all WyoTech campuses, including the Daytona and Fremont campuses where motorcycle mechanic training is offered. The bike will be revealed in an episode of American Chopper, airing this fall on the Discovery Channel.
“WyoTech is proud to be associated with Orange County Choppers,” said Steve Whitson, regional vice president at WyoTech. “As the premiere custom motorcycle design shop, OCC has a long history of excellence in workmanship – a trait we strive to instill in our students.”
“The partnership makes perfect sense. We chose WyoTech because they are the best of the best and their students are the most highly trained in the industry,” said Paul Teutul, Sr. founder and CEO of OCC. “I can’t wait to kick this project off and see the creativity that the students bring to this unique build.”
For more information on Orange County Choppers, visit www.orangecountychoppers.com.
About WyoTechWyoTech is a division of Corinthian Colleges, Inc., one of the largest post-secondary education companies in North America. With six campuses located throughout the United States, WyoTech offers degree and diploma programs in the fields of automotive, diesel, collision refinishing, motorcycle, marine technology, as well as skilled trades. In addition, WyoTech offers advanced training programs in applied service management; advanced diesel; light duty diesel; advanced automotive diagnostics; street rod and custom fabrication; motorsports chassis fabrication; high performance power trains; and trim and upholstery technology. For more information about WyoTech, go to www.wyotech.edu.
source : http://motorsportsnewswire.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/wyotech-announces-partnership-with-orange-county-choppers-0525116/
'X-Men: First Class' Star Calls Prequel 'Metaphor' For Real Life Lucas Till tells MTV News why the flick stands out in a summer stacked with superheroes.
During our recent sit-downs with the cast of "X-Men: First Class" — a prequel and the fourth film in the "X-Men" franchise — the talk focused not so much on how the latest installment differs from the first three, but rather what separates "First Class" from all the other superhero-style movies opening this summer.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender pointed to the film's universal theme of struggling to fit in, for instance. For their co-star Lucas Till, what makes "First Class" stand out is how fans connect to the unique characters, whereas the competition often relies more on fun to pull in moviegoers.
"I feel like the question I wished you would have asked me is, 'How awesome does this summer look?' Because you've got completely different things," Till said when we asked what separates his flick from the rest of the pack. "With 'Captain America,' you've got a 1940s pulp-movie feel, and I feel like that's going to be its own separate thing; fun and entertaining. And then you've got 'Thor,' which is, like, a cool 'He-Man' episode, which I was thoroughly surprised with. Then you've got 'Green Lantern,' which I thought was going to be stupid, but kind of looks like a cool cartoon.
"This one," Till continued, returning to "First Class," "There's so many metaphors to real life and there's actual character development. I feel like you care about the characters, then there's an ensemble cast, which they're trying to do with 'Justice League' and 'Avengers.'
Till suddenly spouting so many comic-book films both surprised and impressed his "First Class" co-star Rose Byrne. "You're like a lexicon for superhero movies," she said with awe. "You really are, you have an intelligent perspective and context for them; I don't."
At which point their co-star Zoë Kravitz joked that Byrne now had the hots for Till.
"What are you doing later?" Byrne joked to Till.
Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Will wizards, vampires or dream thieves steal the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Find out June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT that night for the "America's Best Dance Crew" finale and Movie Awards pre-show, loaded with live action from the red carpet, exclusive movie clips and a special edition of "After Hours." To get into the magical movie mood, it's Sneak Peek Week — five days of exclusives and interviews with the casts of "Fright Night," "Horrible Bosses" and more. Check out everything there is to know about Sneak Peek Week, the Movie Awards and the pre-show at MovieAwards.MTV.com!
source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664955/x-men-first-class-lucas-till.jhtml
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender pointed to the film's universal theme of struggling to fit in, for instance. For their co-star Lucas Till, what makes "First Class" stand out is how fans connect to the unique characters, whereas the competition often relies more on fun to pull in moviegoers.
"I feel like the question I wished you would have asked me is, 'How awesome does this summer look?' Because you've got completely different things," Till said when we asked what separates his flick from the rest of the pack. "With 'Captain America,' you've got a 1940s pulp-movie feel, and I feel like that's going to be its own separate thing; fun and entertaining. And then you've got 'Thor,' which is, like, a cool 'He-Man' episode, which I was thoroughly surprised with. Then you've got 'Green Lantern,' which I thought was going to be stupid, but kind of looks like a cool cartoon.
"This one," Till continued, returning to "First Class," "There's so many metaphors to real life and there's actual character development. I feel like you care about the characters, then there's an ensemble cast, which they're trying to do with 'Justice League' and 'Avengers.'
Till suddenly spouting so many comic-book films both surprised and impressed his "First Class" co-star Rose Byrne. "You're like a lexicon for superhero movies," she said with awe. "You really are, you have an intelligent perspective and context for them; I don't."
At which point their co-star Zoë Kravitz joked that Byrne now had the hots for Till.
"What are you doing later?" Byrne joked to Till.
Check out everything we've got on "X-Men: First Class."
For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com.
Will wizards, vampires or dream thieves steal the 2011 MTV Movie Awards? Find out June 5, when the 20th annual show airs live at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Tune in at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT that night for the "America's Best Dance Crew" finale and Movie Awards pre-show, loaded with live action from the red carpet, exclusive movie clips and a special edition of "After Hours." To get into the magical movie mood, it's Sneak Peek Week — five days of exclusives and interviews with the casts of "Fright Night," "Horrible Bosses" and more. Check out everything there is to know about Sneak Peek Week, the Movie Awards and the pre-show at MovieAwards.MTV.com!
source : http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664955/x-men-first-class-lucas-till.jhtml
True Grit vocabulary
Not long after the Coen brothers’ True Grit arrived in theaters, CollegeHumor rolled out a minute-long video that phonetically subtitled some of Jeff Bridges’s lines. The joke was inevitable; as the drawling, often drunk marshal Rooster Cogburn, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination, Bridges speaks a dialect that’s almost, but not quite, entirely unlike English.
Then again, True Grit’s dialogue, much of it drawn from Charles Portis’s 1968 novel, is a language all its own, a combination of vintage slang, frontier terms and the odd bit of Latin that can seem opaque even with accurate closed captioning. Here’s a short vocabulary guide to accompany the film’s release on VOD, DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday 7.
jakes A term for an outhouse that dates back to Shakespeare—though jakes don’t carry with them any guarantee of privacy from relentless teenage would-be employers.Rooster: The jakes is occupied. And will be for some time.
source : http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/movies-on-demand/14785535/true-grit-vocabulary
sand Gumption, nerve. In the still somewhat Wild West, a certain abrasive quality (see also: grit) can work to one’s benefit.Col. G. Stonehill (Dakin Matthews): I admire your sand, but I believe you will find that I am not liable for such claims.
king bolt A vertical bolt intended to connect a wagon’s tongue to its front axle, though it can also serve as a makeshift weapon that may or may not merit responding with deadly force.Rooster: Clete was selling ardent spirits to the Cherokee. He come at me with a king bolt.
corn nubbin An underdeveloped ear of corn, far smaller than a Colt Dragoon.Rooster: Why, you’re no bigger than a corn nubbin, what’re you doing with a pistol like that?
brushpopper A scrubland cowboy, which doesn’t sound like such a bad thing unless what you prefer to be called is a Texas Ranger. Rooster: That will be the biggest mistake you ever made, you Texas brushpopper.
shaggies Buffalo, which by 1880, when the story is set, had been commercially hunted almost to extinction.Rooster: Well sir, the big shaggies is about all gone. It is a damned shame.
sofky A Creek stew made of hominy that apparently works just as well for an outlaw’s breakfast as his supper, and can be shared among friends or unexpected visitors.Moon (Domhnall Gleeson): Sofky always cooks up bigger than you think.
malum in se An act that is wrong by nature, as opposed to merely against the law. The term, as Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) helpfully points out, is Latin.LaBoeuf (Matt Damon): You could argue that the shooting of the dog was merely an instance of malum prohibitum, but the shooting of a senator is indubitably an instance of malum in se.
dogfall An even match or a draw.Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper): Do you think one on four is a dogfall?
night hoss No one seems to know the nature of the ailment that finally claims the aged Cogburn, possibly not even the man himself, who we’re told described it with a term that suggests a horse riding after dark. Given his lifestyle, his girth and his incredible rapport with the bottle, one imagines there were quite a few issues with his health.Cole Younger (Don Pirl): Reuben had a complaint, what he referred to as “night hoss,” and I believe the warm weather was too much for him.
Then again, True Grit’s dialogue, much of it drawn from Charles Portis’s 1968 novel, is a language all its own, a combination of vintage slang, frontier terms and the odd bit of Latin that can seem opaque even with accurate closed captioning. Here’s a short vocabulary guide to accompany the film’s release on VOD, DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday 7.
jakes A term for an outhouse that dates back to Shakespeare—though jakes don’t carry with them any guarantee of privacy from relentless teenage would-be employers.Rooster: The jakes is occupied. And will be for some time.
source : http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/movies-on-demand/14785535/true-grit-vocabulary
sand Gumption, nerve. In the still somewhat Wild West, a certain abrasive quality (see also: grit) can work to one’s benefit.Col. G. Stonehill (Dakin Matthews): I admire your sand, but I believe you will find that I am not liable for such claims.
king bolt A vertical bolt intended to connect a wagon’s tongue to its front axle, though it can also serve as a makeshift weapon that may or may not merit responding with deadly force.Rooster: Clete was selling ardent spirits to the Cherokee. He come at me with a king bolt.
corn nubbin An underdeveloped ear of corn, far smaller than a Colt Dragoon.Rooster: Why, you’re no bigger than a corn nubbin, what’re you doing with a pistol like that?
brushpopper A scrubland cowboy, which doesn’t sound like such a bad thing unless what you prefer to be called is a Texas Ranger. Rooster: That will be the biggest mistake you ever made, you Texas brushpopper.
shaggies Buffalo, which by 1880, when the story is set, had been commercially hunted almost to extinction.Rooster: Well sir, the big shaggies is about all gone. It is a damned shame.
sofky A Creek stew made of hominy that apparently works just as well for an outlaw’s breakfast as his supper, and can be shared among friends or unexpected visitors.Moon (Domhnall Gleeson): Sofky always cooks up bigger than you think.
malum in se An act that is wrong by nature, as opposed to merely against the law. The term, as Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) helpfully points out, is Latin.LaBoeuf (Matt Damon): You could argue that the shooting of the dog was merely an instance of malum prohibitum, but the shooting of a senator is indubitably an instance of malum in se.
dogfall An even match or a draw.Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper): Do you think one on four is a dogfall?
night hoss No one seems to know the nature of the ailment that finally claims the aged Cogburn, possibly not even the man himself, who we’re told described it with a term that suggests a horse riding after dark. Given his lifestyle, his girth and his incredible rapport with the bottle, one imagines there were quite a few issues with his health.Cole Younger (Don Pirl): Reuben had a complaint, what he referred to as “night hoss,” and I believe the warm weather was too much for him.
'Twilight' news wrap: readying for the MTV Movie Awards
There are quite a few items of Twilight news to share today, so to keep it short and sweet, here's a wrap-up of the latest.
For starters, MTV has been readying for this Sunday's Movie Awards event in Los Angeles, and to celebrate the Twilight Saga's major involvement with the day, they've released several videos. The first (see here) is of Jackson Rathbone ("Jasper Hale") asking fans to make sure to submit their last-minute votes for the Saga, since this year's competition is mighty heavy. The second (see here) is of MTV Movie Awards host Jason Sudeikis explaining to Jason Bateman and a few others just what The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, or the Twilight series at large, is about. In a third (see here) several celebrities were asked to weigh in on their thoughts as to whether Twilight or Harry Potter will be the big thing for this year's event, and, finally (see here), Rathbone and Elizabeth Reaser ("Esme Cullen") stepped up to discuss who should win the "Best Kiss" (Eclipse was nominated twice in this category, for Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner).
MTV also spoke with Elizabeth Reaser (see video here) more about the details of shooting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1's wedding sequence. According to her, it was very emotional for several of the castmembers involved, and it really affected her, it seems, when she saw Billy Burke ("Charlie Swan") walking Kristen Stewart down the aisle.
In other news, Melissa Rosenberg (screenwriter) participated in that YouTube Distinguished Speaker series mentioned before, and you can watch the full video here. She's always a great speaker on these subjects.
Meanwhile, Jackson Rathbone has scored himself another gig, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in Live at the Foxes Den, in which he will play a disgruntled lawyer (who sings!) who changes his own course after coming across a few new people at a cocktail bar. Production on the project, THR reports, began this week.
For starters, MTV has been readying for this Sunday's Movie Awards event in Los Angeles, and to celebrate the Twilight Saga's major involvement with the day, they've released several videos. The first (see here) is of Jackson Rathbone ("Jasper Hale") asking fans to make sure to submit their last-minute votes for the Saga, since this year's competition is mighty heavy. The second (see here) is of MTV Movie Awards host Jason Sudeikis explaining to Jason Bateman and a few others just what The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, or the Twilight series at large, is about. In a third (see here) several celebrities were asked to weigh in on their thoughts as to whether Twilight or Harry Potter will be the big thing for this year's event, and, finally (see here), Rathbone and Elizabeth Reaser ("Esme Cullen") stepped up to discuss who should win the "Best Kiss" (Eclipse was nominated twice in this category, for Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner).
MTV also spoke with Elizabeth Reaser (see video here) more about the details of shooting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1's wedding sequence. According to her, it was very emotional for several of the castmembers involved, and it really affected her, it seems, when she saw Billy Burke ("Charlie Swan") walking Kristen Stewart down the aisle.
In other news, Melissa Rosenberg (screenwriter) participated in that YouTube Distinguished Speaker series mentioned before, and you can watch the full video here. She's always a great speaker on these subjects.
Meanwhile, Jackson Rathbone has scored himself another gig, according to The Hollywood Reporter, in Live at the Foxes Den, in which he will play a disgruntled lawyer (who sings!) who changes his own course after coming across a few new people at a cocktail bar. Production on the project, THR reports, began this week.
Qualcomm confirms Windows 8 on ARM
By Bill Ray • Get more from this author
Posted in Mobile, 2nd June 2011 09:49 GMT
Qualcomm is working with Microsoft to get Windows 8 working on its ARM-based processors.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon range of chips is already powering a huge number of Android smartphones and tablets, but it seems that tablets running Microsoft Windows 8 will also be Snapdragon powered - finally breaking the long-standing relationship between Intel chips and Windows software.
The Snapdragon is a nice chip: a licensed ARM core surrounded by graphics, communications, cache and all the other bits needed to run a mobile computer. The MSM8960, which is shipping next month, has a pair of cores and a load of systems to reduce power consumption. That is, apparently, the one that will appear in the first Windows 8 tablets.
That processor also has an LTE radio (and 3G) built in, for tablet manufacturers selling into markets with 4G networks.
We've seen Windows running on ARM hardware before, the BBC is hosting a nice video demonstration from January, and the companies involved are only talking about tablets and mobile computing. But that's small consolation for Intel, which used to be the undisputed best buddy when it came to Windows. ®
source : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/02/qualcomm_windows/
Posted in Mobile, 2nd June 2011 09:49 GMT
Qualcomm is working with Microsoft to get Windows 8 working on its ARM-based processors.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon range of chips is already powering a huge number of Android smartphones and tablets, but it seems that tablets running Microsoft Windows 8 will also be Snapdragon powered - finally breaking the long-standing relationship between Intel chips and Windows software.
The Snapdragon is a nice chip: a licensed ARM core surrounded by graphics, communications, cache and all the other bits needed to run a mobile computer. The MSM8960, which is shipping next month, has a pair of cores and a load of systems to reduce power consumption. That is, apparently, the one that will appear in the first Windows 8 tablets.
That processor also has an LTE radio (and 3G) built in, for tablet manufacturers selling into markets with 4G networks.
We've seen Windows running on ARM hardware before, the BBC is hosting a nice video demonstration from January, and the companies involved are only talking about tablets and mobile computing. But that's small consolation for Intel, which used to be the undisputed best buddy when it came to Windows. ®
source : http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/02/qualcomm_windows/
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Live Updates: NBA Finals game one
It's finals time in the NBA. Keep up with the action from game one with tvnz.co.nz's live updates.
End of game Heat 92 - Mav 84
The Heat have taken game one of the NBA finals. It was the big three that did it for them in the end. They combined for 65 points to stay undefeated at home these playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 27 for Dallas but ultimately it wasn't enough against the incredible scoring of the Heat.
LeBron and Wade finished with a flourish as Dwayne threw the pass for James to throw down.
James top scored for Miami with 24 points and 9 rebounds, Wade had 22 points with 10 boards and Bosh had 19 with 9 rebounds.
Game two is also in Miami at the same time on Friday (NZT).
Q4 10:52 Heat 89 - Mav 79
Wade makes a massive play to almost put the game beyond doubt. He makes the rebound before putting an on point pass to Bosh who throws it down. Dallas use their final time out.
Q4 10:48 Heat 87 - Mav 79
Bad foul on Terry gives the Heat an eight point lead.
Q4 10:24 Heat 85 - Mav 79
Nowitzki takes it to the bucket and gets fouled. He's automatic from the line and adds the free throws with no worries. He'll need some big plays here with just over a minute and a half remaining.
Q4 10:00 Heat 85 - Mav 75
The big three are on fire down the stretch. Massive play from LeBron as he's fouled but still makes the massive jam. Dallas need to make stops now.
Q4 08:54 Heat 82 - Mav 73
Dwayne Wade is heating up down the stretch. After coming up with a big block on Shawn Marion to get the ball back, Wade's nailed a three-pointer to get the biggest lead of the night.
Q4 08:16 Heat 79 - Mav 73
Questionable foul on Nowitzki. He looked to have got the ball cleanly from Bosh but the referee saw it differently. That's Dirk's fourth foul.
Q4 08:00 Heat 77 - Mav 73
A Couple of big plays at each end. Wade hits a mid-range jumper to give Miami their biggest lead of the night. But Marion answers back with a three-point play.
Q4 07:25 Heat 75 - Mav 70
Scrappy period for both sides as neither can get a shot to go. LeBron's just been handed his fourth personal foul which could be a worry. Chandler can only make one of the free throws however. Erik Spoelstra calls timeout for Miami.
Q4 05:24 Heat 74 - Mav 69
Timeout Dallas as Udonis Haslem extends the Heat lead to five and will go to the line for one more. Dallas will need some of their stars to step up in the next few minutes to stay in the game.
Q4 04:00 Heat 72 - Mav 69
Dwayne Wade's found his range a bit more in the second half as he makes another mid-range jumper. Stevenson answers right back for the Mavericks with a three from the corner.
Q4 02:30 Heat 68 - Mav 66
Dirk's starting to get the better of this defence as he catches the ball and drives for a left-handed lay-up. He has 21 points.
Q4 01:19 Heat 68 - Mav 64
Brendan Haywood splits a pair of free throws for the Mavericks. He was the worst free throw shooter in the league in the regular season with 36%, he will be pleased with 50% so far tonight!
End of third quarter Heat 65 - Mav 61
Wow! LeBron lands his fourth three of the night at the buzzer. He was defended well but hit the fade-away regardless. Who says he's not clutch? He has 19 points tonight.
Q3 11:44 Heat 62 - Mav 61
Nowitzki takes his points tally to 17 after he's fouled. Some complaints from the Heat but it was a blatant foul.
Q3 11:00 Heat 60 - Mav 59
LeBron James lights up with a go-ahead three heading into the end of the quarter. Dallas call another timeout.
Q3 9:00 Heat 55 - Mav 57
The Mavericks' Peja Stojakovic is struggling from behind the arc, normally an excellent three-point shooter he's 0 for three tonight. Udonis Haslem has just been called for a travel to give Dallas the ball and they call a timeout.
Q3 6:30 Heat 53 - Mav 57
Looks like Shawn Marion's been taking shooting classes from Nowitzki as he lands a fade away jumper. He has 13 points tonight.
Q3 4:30 Heat 48 - Mav 53
Free throws are starting to be something of a worry for the Heat, they've missed six already for 57% accuracy, meanwhile Dallas are at 80% from the line.
Q3 3:00 Heat 47 - Mav 51
Dwayne Wade's come to life to stop the run with back to back baskets. He's fouled on the second but can't make the free throw.
Q3 2:00 Heat 43 - Mav 51
Great start to the quarter for Dallas. They go on a 7-0 run to start the half and grab their largest lead of the game so far. Miami point guard Mike Bibby just missed his fourth three pointer of the game, he has no points and two assists to show for his 9 minutes on court tonight. Heat call time-out.
End of first half Heat 43 - Mav 44
The Heat get the ball up the court and give Mike Miller an open look at a three but he can't make it count. An exciting first half where defence has been key, Miami are shooting at 38% while the Mavericks are at 37%. Interestingly both teams are shooting at a higher three-point percentage with 6 from 14 attempts for 43%.
Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki lead their respective teams with 13 points a piece. Jason Terry's contributed 12 off the bench for Dallas, while LeBron has 7.
Q2 11:55 Heat 43 - Mav 44
The benches are stepping up here with Terry (Dallas) and Chalmers (Miami) trading threes before half-time. Miami have the last possession of the half.
Q2 10:48 Heat 38 - Mav 41
Jason Kidd's showed his class as a passing point guard throwing up the alley-oop for Chandler who is fouled and gets the three point play.
Q2 09:30 Heat 35 - Mav 36
Nowitzki's starting to heat up. He landed his first three and then followed it up with tough fade-away jumper.
Q2 08:43 Heat 35 - Mav 31
Bosh takes a seat after picking up his second foul for a loose ball call. He's had a productive first half with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Dallas call time-out.
Q2 07:30 Heat 30 - Mav 29
The Heat are doing a good job of defending Nowitzki so far. Using the double team they've restricted him to 1 from 5 shooting and only sent him to the charity stripe twice.
Q2 06:30 Heat 27 - Mav 26
The back and forth nature of this second quarter continues as LeBron makes a nice lay up for the seventh lead change of the quarter. He has 10 points. Miami call time out.
Q2 03:30 Heat 22 - Mav 24
Barea's done what he's done so well already in these playoffs and made a good drive to the basket for an easy lay-up. Previously Chalmers missed a free throw for Miami, their third miss from the line.
Q2 02:30 Heat 21 - Mav 22
Nowitzki goes back to the line and predictably makes both his free throws. LeBron's sat down for his first rest of the night.
Q2 01:30 Heat 18 - Mav 20
Great start to the quarter for Bosh as he throws down a tip-in off a LeBron miss. Terry fires right back with the Mavericks' fourth three. JJ Barea's checked in for Dallas, he's been explosive so far in these playoffs.
End of first quarter Heat 16 - Mav 17
Nice play by Jason Terry to end the quarter as he's hit hard by LeBron to go to the line. After trailing for the entire quarter the Mavericks have their first lead and LeBron already has two personal fouls. James leads all scoreers with 8 and Terry leads the Mavs with 6.
Q1 11:00 Heat 16 - Mav 15
Dirk Nowitzki's about to check back into the game. The Mavericks have already made three three-pointers at 50 percent accuracy.
Q1 10:00 Heat 16 - Mav 12
Dwayne Wade's just missed a pair of free throws. However LeBron's made up for it draining his first three-pointer of the night to put the Heat up by four and forcing Dallas to call a time-out.
Q1 08:30 Heat 13 - Mav 11
Veteran Jason Kidd's brought the Mavs back within two with back-to-back threes. Dallas showed their trademark ball movement around the perimeter to give Kidd the open looks.
Q1 06:30 Heat 11 - Mav 5
LeBron's come to the party now. Turning defence into offence to draw a foul on Nowitzki for a three point play. James has 5 points, only he and Bosh have scored for the Heat so far.
Q1 06:00 Heat 8 - Mav 5
It's been a good start for the least talked about member of the Big Three Chris Bosh. He has 6 points and 2 rebounds already.
Q1 04:30 Heat 6 - Mav 5
A scrappy period of play there with both sides turning the ball over. It ends when a foul is called on LeBron and Chandler splits the free throws.
Q1 02:00 Heat 4 - Mav 4
The Heat have Joel Anthony marking up Nowitzki. Dirk's just drawn a foul from him and nailed the two free-throws as easy as you like.
Q1 01:30 Heat 4 - Mav 2
And the finals are under way. It's the Heat that have made the faster start with LeBron landing his first jumper of the match. However Nowitzki fired back for Dallas. The Heat are yet to lose at home in the playoffs.
12:58pm
In a rematch of the 2006 Finals, Miami's "Big Three" come up against the veteran-laden Dallas Mavericks led by the almost unguardable Dirk Nowitzki.
The Heat won the last series this sides met in 4-2 after the Mavericks had led 2-0 early in the series, however that was before LeBron James combined with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to form one of the most powerful combinations in the game.
Game one is in Miami and the sides will use the following starting line ups.
Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Deshawn Stevenson
Miami: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Joel Anthony, Mike Bibby, Dwayne Wade
source : http://tvnz.co.nz/basketball-news/live-updates-nba-finals-game-one-4202390
End of game Heat 92 - Mav 84
The Heat have taken game one of the NBA finals. It was the big three that did it for them in the end. They combined for 65 points to stay undefeated at home these playoffs. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 27 for Dallas but ultimately it wasn't enough against the incredible scoring of the Heat.
LeBron and Wade finished with a flourish as Dwayne threw the pass for James to throw down.
James top scored for Miami with 24 points and 9 rebounds, Wade had 22 points with 10 boards and Bosh had 19 with 9 rebounds.
Game two is also in Miami at the same time on Friday (NZT).
Q4 10:52 Heat 89 - Mav 79
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Q4 10:48 Heat 87 - Mav 79
Bad foul on Terry gives the Heat an eight point lead.
Q4 10:24 Heat 85 - Mav 79
Nowitzki takes it to the bucket and gets fouled. He's automatic from the line and adds the free throws with no worries. He'll need some big plays here with just over a minute and a half remaining.
Q4 10:00 Heat 85 - Mav 75
The big three are on fire down the stretch. Massive play from LeBron as he's fouled but still makes the massive jam. Dallas need to make stops now.
Q4 08:54 Heat 82 - Mav 73
Dwayne Wade is heating up down the stretch. After coming up with a big block on Shawn Marion to get the ball back, Wade's nailed a three-pointer to get the biggest lead of the night.
Q4 08:16 Heat 79 - Mav 73
Questionable foul on Nowitzki. He looked to have got the ball cleanly from Bosh but the referee saw it differently. That's Dirk's fourth foul.
Q4 08:00 Heat 77 - Mav 73
A Couple of big plays at each end. Wade hits a mid-range jumper to give Miami their biggest lead of the night. But Marion answers back with a three-point play.
Q4 07:25 Heat 75 - Mav 70
Scrappy period for both sides as neither can get a shot to go. LeBron's just been handed his fourth personal foul which could be a worry. Chandler can only make one of the free throws however. Erik Spoelstra calls timeout for Miami.
Q4 05:24 Heat 74 - Mav 69
Timeout Dallas as Udonis Haslem extends the Heat lead to five and will go to the line for one more. Dallas will need some of their stars to step up in the next few minutes to stay in the game.
Q4 04:00 Heat 72 - Mav 69
Dwayne Wade's found his range a bit more in the second half as he makes another mid-range jumper. Stevenson answers right back for the Mavericks with a three from the corner.
Q4 02:30 Heat 68 - Mav 66
Dirk's starting to get the better of this defence as he catches the ball and drives for a left-handed lay-up. He has 21 points.
Q4 01:19 Heat 68 - Mav 64
Brendan Haywood splits a pair of free throws for the Mavericks. He was the worst free throw shooter in the league in the regular season with 36%, he will be pleased with 50% so far tonight!
End of third quarter Heat 65 - Mav 61
Wow! LeBron lands his fourth three of the night at the buzzer. He was defended well but hit the fade-away regardless. Who says he's not clutch? He has 19 points tonight.
Q3 11:44 Heat 62 - Mav 61
Nowitzki takes his points tally to 17 after he's fouled. Some complaints from the Heat but it was a blatant foul.
Q3 11:00 Heat 60 - Mav 59
LeBron James lights up with a go-ahead three heading into the end of the quarter. Dallas call another timeout.
Q3 9:00 Heat 55 - Mav 57
The Mavericks' Peja Stojakovic is struggling from behind the arc, normally an excellent three-point shooter he's 0 for three tonight. Udonis Haslem has just been called for a travel to give Dallas the ball and they call a timeout.
Q3 6:30 Heat 53 - Mav 57
Looks like Shawn Marion's been taking shooting classes from Nowitzki as he lands a fade away jumper. He has 13 points tonight.
Q3 4:30 Heat 48 - Mav 53
Free throws are starting to be something of a worry for the Heat, they've missed six already for 57% accuracy, meanwhile Dallas are at 80% from the line.
Q3 3:00 Heat 47 - Mav 51
Dwayne Wade's come to life to stop the run with back to back baskets. He's fouled on the second but can't make the free throw.
Q3 2:00 Heat 43 - Mav 51
Great start to the quarter for Dallas. They go on a 7-0 run to start the half and grab their largest lead of the game so far. Miami point guard Mike Bibby just missed his fourth three pointer of the game, he has no points and two assists to show for his 9 minutes on court tonight. Heat call time-out.
End of first half Heat 43 - Mav 44
The Heat get the ball up the court and give Mike Miller an open look at a three but he can't make it count. An exciting first half where defence has been key, Miami are shooting at 38% while the Mavericks are at 37%. Interestingly both teams are shooting at a higher three-point percentage with 6 from 14 attempts for 43%.
Chris Bosh and Dirk Nowitzki lead their respective teams with 13 points a piece. Jason Terry's contributed 12 off the bench for Dallas, while LeBron has 7.
Q2 11:55 Heat 43 - Mav 44
The benches are stepping up here with Terry (Dallas) and Chalmers (Miami) trading threes before half-time. Miami have the last possession of the half.
Q2 10:48 Heat 38 - Mav 41
Jason Kidd's showed his class as a passing point guard throwing up the alley-oop for Chandler who is fouled and gets the three point play.
Q2 09:30 Heat 35 - Mav 36
Nowitzki's starting to heat up. He landed his first three and then followed it up with tough fade-away jumper.
Q2 08:43 Heat 35 - Mav 31
Bosh takes a seat after picking up his second foul for a loose ball call. He's had a productive first half with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Dallas call time-out.
Q2 07:30 Heat 30 - Mav 29
The Heat are doing a good job of defending Nowitzki so far. Using the double team they've restricted him to 1 from 5 shooting and only sent him to the charity stripe twice.
Q2 06:30 Heat 27 - Mav 26
The back and forth nature of this second quarter continues as LeBron makes a nice lay up for the seventh lead change of the quarter. He has 10 points. Miami call time out.
Q2 03:30 Heat 22 - Mav 24
Barea's done what he's done so well already in these playoffs and made a good drive to the basket for an easy lay-up. Previously Chalmers missed a free throw for Miami, their third miss from the line.
Q2 02:30 Heat 21 - Mav 22
Nowitzki goes back to the line and predictably makes both his free throws. LeBron's sat down for his first rest of the night.
Q2 01:30 Heat 18 - Mav 20
Great start to the quarter for Bosh as he throws down a tip-in off a LeBron miss. Terry fires right back with the Mavericks' fourth three. JJ Barea's checked in for Dallas, he's been explosive so far in these playoffs.
End of first quarter Heat 16 - Mav 17
Nice play by Jason Terry to end the quarter as he's hit hard by LeBron to go to the line. After trailing for the entire quarter the Mavericks have their first lead and LeBron already has two personal fouls. James leads all scoreers with 8 and Terry leads the Mavs with 6.
Q1 11:00 Heat 16 - Mav 15
Dirk Nowitzki's about to check back into the game. The Mavericks have already made three three-pointers at 50 percent accuracy.
Q1 10:00 Heat 16 - Mav 12
Dwayne Wade's just missed a pair of free throws. However LeBron's made up for it draining his first three-pointer of the night to put the Heat up by four and forcing Dallas to call a time-out.
Q1 08:30 Heat 13 - Mav 11
Veteran Jason Kidd's brought the Mavs back within two with back-to-back threes. Dallas showed their trademark ball movement around the perimeter to give Kidd the open looks.
Q1 06:30 Heat 11 - Mav 5
LeBron's come to the party now. Turning defence into offence to draw a foul on Nowitzki for a three point play. James has 5 points, only he and Bosh have scored for the Heat so far.
Q1 06:00 Heat 8 - Mav 5
It's been a good start for the least talked about member of the Big Three Chris Bosh. He has 6 points and 2 rebounds already.
Q1 04:30 Heat 6 - Mav 5
A scrappy period of play there with both sides turning the ball over. It ends when a foul is called on LeBron and Chandler splits the free throws.
Q1 02:00 Heat 4 - Mav 4
The Heat have Joel Anthony marking up Nowitzki. Dirk's just drawn a foul from him and nailed the two free-throws as easy as you like.
Q1 01:30 Heat 4 - Mav 2
And the finals are under way. It's the Heat that have made the faster start with LeBron landing his first jumper of the match. However Nowitzki fired back for Dallas. The Heat are yet to lose at home in the playoffs.
12:58pm
In a rematch of the 2006 Finals, Miami's "Big Three" come up against the veteran-laden Dallas Mavericks led by the almost unguardable Dirk Nowitzki.
The Heat won the last series this sides met in 4-2 after the Mavericks had led 2-0 early in the series, however that was before LeBron James combined with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to form one of the most powerful combinations in the game.
Game one is in Miami and the sides will use the following starting line ups.
Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Deshawn Stevenson
Miami: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Joel Anthony, Mike Bibby, Dwayne Wade
source : http://tvnz.co.nz/basketball-news/live-updates-nba-finals-game-one-4202390
Monopoly lost: Atlantic City's rise and fall
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Four years ago, some Atlantic City casino customers were shelling out $1,000 for a brownie sprinkled with edible gold dust in a Baccarat crystal they could take home.
Nowadays, some wait until 11 p.m. to eat so they can get a steak dinner for $2.99.
At the beginning of 2007, Atlantic City's 11 casinos were at the top of a wave of prosperity. Starting with the 1978 opening of Resorts, the nation's first casino outside Nevada, Atlantic City for years was the only place to play slots, cards, dice or roulette in the eastern half of the United States. The cash kept pouring in, the busloads of visitors kept coming and the revenue charts went one way: straight up.
And then, they didn't. Now, battered by competition from casinos all around it, Atlantic City is in a fight for its very survival.
The resort is furiously trying to remake itself into a vacation destination that happens to have gambling, but with no guarantee it has a winning hand even as other threats loom, including the possible expansion of casinos to north Jersey racetracks and a growing push for online gambling.
Intoxicated by years of success, Atlantic City missed numerous opportunities to diversify its offerings, widen its customer base and fend off competition that clearly was on its way even 20 years ago.
"The atmosphere was a total irrational exuberance; it truly was," said Robert Griffin, CEO of Trump Entertainment Resorts, who worked at Trump properties here in the 1980s and 1990s. "There was a feeling that there was no end to the good times and that the money would never end."
Then, disaster struck the nation's second-largest gambling market. A perfect storm of competition right on its doorstep in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware, coupled with the recession, pummeled Atlantic City worse than any other casino market. In four years, a billion and a half dollars vanished, along with thousands of jobs and tourists. Pennsylvania, with its 10 casinos, is poised to knock Atlantic City into third place at some point next year.
How did things go so wrong so fast?
---
Cars streamed into Atlantic City on May 26, 1978, and people lined the Boardwalk for blocks, waiting to get inside Resorts on the first day it was legal to gamble there.
People bought tickets for buffets they had no intention of eating, just to sneak inside the casino earlier than the rest. Men relieved themselves into plastic coin cups to avoid losing their spot at the tables by going to restrooms. And cash - more than anyone had ever seen and more than management could imagine - flooded into the counting room, to the point that it took nearly an entire day to count it.
"It was euphoria," said Steve Norton, who was Resorts' executive vice president when it opened and now runs a casino consulting firm in Indiana. "I mean, it was an unbelievable time."
One after another in the 1980s, casinos kept coming. Revenues reached a high point of $5.2 billion in 2006.
And then the Pocono Downs harness racing track in Luzerne County, Pa., added slot machines and opened them to the public on Nov. 14, 2006. Suddenly, people in the heart of one of Atlantic City's key feeder markets could drive 10 or 20 minutes to play the slots instead of making a three-hour round trip to Atlantic City. In less than four years, there would be 10 casinos in Pennsylvania, all of which now offer table games, too.
They took in nearly $2.5 billion last year, approaching Atlantic City's $3.6 billion. So far this year, they are running neck-and-neck: $996 million for Pennsylvania, and $1.1 billion for Atlantic City.
"If you didn't anticipate this competition coming, you were asleep at the wheel," said Israel Posner, executive director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute of Gaming at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
David Schwartz, director of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Center for Gaming Research, said Atlantic City can be successful again, "but it's going to require a reinvention."
"Basically, the city needs to stop looking backward and start looking ahead," he said.
A look back reveals many missteps and lost opportunities. The most obvious: a failure to reinvent the resort as a place to go for more than gambling. Atlantic City belatedly jumped on the bandwagon, adding non-gambling amenities over the past eight years like celebrity restaurants, spas, shopping and top-name entertainment. The Borgata even built a stand-alone luxury hotel called the Water Club, and Harrah's indoor pool has become a cash cow, doubling as one of the city's hottest nightspots.
But back then, anything customers couldn't bet on was seen as a waste of money.
"Nobody wanted to build anything other than casinos," Norton said. "The property values shot up so high, it didn't make sense to build anything else."
There's plenty of blame to go around. Casino owners focused only on their own properties instead of the market as a whole, a habit that Atlantic City is only recently shaking off. Competing against each other instead of Las Vegas was the city's playbook for decades.
Now, the casinos are banding together for joint marketing efforts, and will chip in to help sponsor the biggest names in entertainment, rather than letting one casino pay the whole cost of a Britney Spears or Lady Gaga show, or a rodeo. And three casinos are even thinking of jointly funding a new convention or trade show center in Atlantic City to draw badly needed midweek business.
New Jersey also erred by failing to approve legalized sports betting in 1991 when it was given the chance to do so ahead of a nationwide ban, gambling experts say. A state senator sued the federal government in 2009 to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, but the suit was dismissed by a federal judge last month.
---
When Griffin, the Trump CEO, lays his head on the pillow at night, he worries that New Jersey will one day succumb to political pressure from lawmakers in the more populous northern part of the state to expand casino gambling to the Meadowlands racetrack, 10 minutes from New York City. Analysts expect it would instantly become a $1 billion market. State law now allows casino gambling only in Atlantic City.
"That would devastate us," he said. "This would become a two-casino town; it wouldn't even take five years. That's what keeps me up at night."
Maddie Downey, a bartender at the Showboat, has her own worries. The single mom has already lost one casino job when the Sands closed in 2006, and worries that gas prices will stay near $4 a gallon, keeping people away from Atlantic City.
"I'm just glad to have this job," she said. "I just hope it doesn't get any worse, and I hope the price of gas comes down."
When the Indian-run Foxwoods casino opened in Connecticut in 1992, it was the closest casino to Atlantic City - and a sure sign that more were to come. Mohegan Sun, another tribal casino, opened in Connecticut four years later. The resort responded by allowing its casinos to stay open 24 hours a day; they formerly had to close for a few hours in the wee hours of the morning. It also introduced new games like poker, keno and racing simulcasts.
But the money kept coming in, and the two Connecticut casinos didn't prove to be a major problem for Atlantic City, which sat on its cards. No new casinos opened until the Borgata in 2003, which would usher in a new era of grand dreams - very few of which would ever come true.
The Borgata touched off a casino arms race, with companies from across the country vying to build the next mega-resort here. At the start of 2008, there were plans for as many as four new casinos; MGM Mirage unveiled a $5 billion, three-tower casino project that would have been the largest ever built here.
Pinnacle Entertainment blew up the Sands to make way for its own $2 billion casino resort, modeled on a beach house. Before setting off the explosives that would bring it down, then-CEO Dan Lee spoke of the importance of keeping the market fresh, new and exciting. The challenge, he said, is "to compete in this new world, or be the next implosion."
Yet by the end of 2008, Pinnacle and MGM's projects imploded on their own, and Revel, the first of the new projects to actually put shovels in the ground, was limping along. It would run out of money in 2009 and halt construction on the interior. Morgan Stanley, its major financer, walked away from the project, deciding it was better to take a nearly $1 billion bath on the deal than to stay in Atlantic City.
After scouring the globe for financing, including asking the Chinese government, Revel CEO Kevin DeSanctis finally secured new financing in February 2011 that allowed the project to resume, with some state tax incentives.
"Every market got hit, but nobody faced the amount of new competition coming online as much as Atlantic City did," said Larry Mullin, who was president of the Borgata at the time and now runs an Australian casino company. "We were just exposed. Nothing was going to stop the convenience customer from trying a product that was closer to them. I just don't think there was any silver, magic bullet. It was a very tough situation."
---
Torn between demands from the New Jersey casino and horse racing industries, New Jersey's incoming governor, Republican Chris Christie, sided in 2010 with the casinos, which provided more tax revenue to the state's coffers. He refused to allow slot machines at the racetracks - something the racing industry has long wanted to keep pace with its competitors in other states.
New Jersey staged a quasi-takeover of Atlantic City's casino and tourist zones; Christie called it "a partnership." But the new tourism zone is run by the state and takes charge of many functions Atlantic City's often dysfunctional municipal government had long struggled with, including safety, cleanliness and economic development. (At one point just a few years ago, four of the previous eight mayors of Atlantic City had been arrested on corruption charges.)
The $30 million in annual payments that the casinos had to pony up to the horse racing industry, in return for keeping slots out of the tracks, will now be used to market Atlantic City nationally. The state rewrote many of its famously strict regulations for casinos, removing, among other things, minimum staffing requirements. They even allowed casinos to keep some jackpots that had built up on progressive slot machine games that they decide to cancel.
State-mandated economic redevelopment funds collected from each casino will now be used solely for projects within Atlantic City; before, the money was spread around the state.
The help cannot come too soon. Casinos are selling at fire-sale prices. Within the past year, The Tropicana, Resorts and Trump Marina have all sold for about 10 cents on the dollar from their values of just a few years ago. The Atlantic City Hilton stopped paying its mortgage in 2009 and is looking for a buyer. The casinos have shed nearly 15,000 jobs since 1997, with more layoffs to come.
The extra marketing money is crucial to Atlantic City's future, said Frank Fantini, a Delaware casino consultant and publisher.
"If it can create that same, "I gotta go party!' atmosphere that Las Vegas has, it ought to be able to work," he said.
Griffin, the Trump CEO and Casino Association president, said Atlantic City should bottom out at around $3.5 billion, then slowly start to grow again.
"There's a lot of pain coming, but I strongly believe that in 2012 you're going to see us coming back," he said. "I definitely think better days are ahead for Atlantic City."
Could that be a new marketing slogan for Atlantic City? Most of America seems to know that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Yet how many people can correctly cite Atlantic City's tourism slogan, "Always Turned On"? The resort is thinking of a new slogan.
The effort has been going on for three years.
source : http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/05/31/20110531atlantic-city-rise-and-fall.html
Nowadays, some wait until 11 p.m. to eat so they can get a steak dinner for $2.99.
At the beginning of 2007, Atlantic City's 11 casinos were at the top of a wave of prosperity. Starting with the 1978 opening of Resorts, the nation's first casino outside Nevada, Atlantic City for years was the only place to play slots, cards, dice or roulette in the eastern half of the United States. The cash kept pouring in, the busloads of visitors kept coming and the revenue charts went one way: straight up.
And then, they didn't. Now, battered by competition from casinos all around it, Atlantic City is in a fight for its very survival.
The resort is furiously trying to remake itself into a vacation destination that happens to have gambling, but with no guarantee it has a winning hand even as other threats loom, including the possible expansion of casinos to north Jersey racetracks and a growing push for online gambling.
Intoxicated by years of success, Atlantic City missed numerous opportunities to diversify its offerings, widen its customer base and fend off competition that clearly was on its way even 20 years ago.
"The atmosphere was a total irrational exuberance; it truly was," said Robert Griffin, CEO of Trump Entertainment Resorts, who worked at Trump properties here in the 1980s and 1990s. "There was a feeling that there was no end to the good times and that the money would never end."
Then, disaster struck the nation's second-largest gambling market. A perfect storm of competition right on its doorstep in Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware, coupled with the recession, pummeled Atlantic City worse than any other casino market. In four years, a billion and a half dollars vanished, along with thousands of jobs and tourists. Pennsylvania, with its 10 casinos, is poised to knock Atlantic City into third place at some point next year.
How did things go so wrong so fast?
---
Cars streamed into Atlantic City on May 26, 1978, and people lined the Boardwalk for blocks, waiting to get inside Resorts on the first day it was legal to gamble there.
People bought tickets for buffets they had no intention of eating, just to sneak inside the casino earlier than the rest. Men relieved themselves into plastic coin cups to avoid losing their spot at the tables by going to restrooms. And cash - more than anyone had ever seen and more than management could imagine - flooded into the counting room, to the point that it took nearly an entire day to count it.
"It was euphoria," said Steve Norton, who was Resorts' executive vice president when it opened and now runs a casino consulting firm in Indiana. "I mean, it was an unbelievable time."
One after another in the 1980s, casinos kept coming. Revenues reached a high point of $5.2 billion in 2006.
And then the Pocono Downs harness racing track in Luzerne County, Pa., added slot machines and opened them to the public on Nov. 14, 2006. Suddenly, people in the heart of one of Atlantic City's key feeder markets could drive 10 or 20 minutes to play the slots instead of making a three-hour round trip to Atlantic City. In less than four years, there would be 10 casinos in Pennsylvania, all of which now offer table games, too.
They took in nearly $2.5 billion last year, approaching Atlantic City's $3.6 billion. So far this year, they are running neck-and-neck: $996 million for Pennsylvania, and $1.1 billion for Atlantic City.
"If you didn't anticipate this competition coming, you were asleep at the wheel," said Israel Posner, executive director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute of Gaming at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
David Schwartz, director of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Center for Gaming Research, said Atlantic City can be successful again, "but it's going to require a reinvention."
"Basically, the city needs to stop looking backward and start looking ahead," he said.
A look back reveals many missteps and lost opportunities. The most obvious: a failure to reinvent the resort as a place to go for more than gambling. Atlantic City belatedly jumped on the bandwagon, adding non-gambling amenities over the past eight years like celebrity restaurants, spas, shopping and top-name entertainment. The Borgata even built a stand-alone luxury hotel called the Water Club, and Harrah's indoor pool has become a cash cow, doubling as one of the city's hottest nightspots.
But back then, anything customers couldn't bet on was seen as a waste of money.
"Nobody wanted to build anything other than casinos," Norton said. "The property values shot up so high, it didn't make sense to build anything else."
There's plenty of blame to go around. Casino owners focused only on their own properties instead of the market as a whole, a habit that Atlantic City is only recently shaking off. Competing against each other instead of Las Vegas was the city's playbook for decades.
Now, the casinos are banding together for joint marketing efforts, and will chip in to help sponsor the biggest names in entertainment, rather than letting one casino pay the whole cost of a Britney Spears or Lady Gaga show, or a rodeo. And three casinos are even thinking of jointly funding a new convention or trade show center in Atlantic City to draw badly needed midweek business.
New Jersey also erred by failing to approve legalized sports betting in 1991 when it was given the chance to do so ahead of a nationwide ban, gambling experts say. A state senator sued the federal government in 2009 to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, but the suit was dismissed by a federal judge last month.
---
When Griffin, the Trump CEO, lays his head on the pillow at night, he worries that New Jersey will one day succumb to political pressure from lawmakers in the more populous northern part of the state to expand casino gambling to the Meadowlands racetrack, 10 minutes from New York City. Analysts expect it would instantly become a $1 billion market. State law now allows casino gambling only in Atlantic City.
"That would devastate us," he said. "This would become a two-casino town; it wouldn't even take five years. That's what keeps me up at night."
Maddie Downey, a bartender at the Showboat, has her own worries. The single mom has already lost one casino job when the Sands closed in 2006, and worries that gas prices will stay near $4 a gallon, keeping people away from Atlantic City.
"I'm just glad to have this job," she said. "I just hope it doesn't get any worse, and I hope the price of gas comes down."
When the Indian-run Foxwoods casino opened in Connecticut in 1992, it was the closest casino to Atlantic City - and a sure sign that more were to come. Mohegan Sun, another tribal casino, opened in Connecticut four years later. The resort responded by allowing its casinos to stay open 24 hours a day; they formerly had to close for a few hours in the wee hours of the morning. It also introduced new games like poker, keno and racing simulcasts.
But the money kept coming in, and the two Connecticut casinos didn't prove to be a major problem for Atlantic City, which sat on its cards. No new casinos opened until the Borgata in 2003, which would usher in a new era of grand dreams - very few of which would ever come true.
The Borgata touched off a casino arms race, with companies from across the country vying to build the next mega-resort here. At the start of 2008, there were plans for as many as four new casinos; MGM Mirage unveiled a $5 billion, three-tower casino project that would have been the largest ever built here.
Pinnacle Entertainment blew up the Sands to make way for its own $2 billion casino resort, modeled on a beach house. Before setting off the explosives that would bring it down, then-CEO Dan Lee spoke of the importance of keeping the market fresh, new and exciting. The challenge, he said, is "to compete in this new world, or be the next implosion."
Yet by the end of 2008, Pinnacle and MGM's projects imploded on their own, and Revel, the first of the new projects to actually put shovels in the ground, was limping along. It would run out of money in 2009 and halt construction on the interior. Morgan Stanley, its major financer, walked away from the project, deciding it was better to take a nearly $1 billion bath on the deal than to stay in Atlantic City.
After scouring the globe for financing, including asking the Chinese government, Revel CEO Kevin DeSanctis finally secured new financing in February 2011 that allowed the project to resume, with some state tax incentives.
"Every market got hit, but nobody faced the amount of new competition coming online as much as Atlantic City did," said Larry Mullin, who was president of the Borgata at the time and now runs an Australian casino company. "We were just exposed. Nothing was going to stop the convenience customer from trying a product that was closer to them. I just don't think there was any silver, magic bullet. It was a very tough situation."
---
Torn between demands from the New Jersey casino and horse racing industries, New Jersey's incoming governor, Republican Chris Christie, sided in 2010 with the casinos, which provided more tax revenue to the state's coffers. He refused to allow slot machines at the racetracks - something the racing industry has long wanted to keep pace with its competitors in other states.
New Jersey staged a quasi-takeover of Atlantic City's casino and tourist zones; Christie called it "a partnership." But the new tourism zone is run by the state and takes charge of many functions Atlantic City's often dysfunctional municipal government had long struggled with, including safety, cleanliness and economic development. (At one point just a few years ago, four of the previous eight mayors of Atlantic City had been arrested on corruption charges.)
The $30 million in annual payments that the casinos had to pony up to the horse racing industry, in return for keeping slots out of the tracks, will now be used to market Atlantic City nationally. The state rewrote many of its famously strict regulations for casinos, removing, among other things, minimum staffing requirements. They even allowed casinos to keep some jackpots that had built up on progressive slot machine games that they decide to cancel.
State-mandated economic redevelopment funds collected from each casino will now be used solely for projects within Atlantic City; before, the money was spread around the state.
The help cannot come too soon. Casinos are selling at fire-sale prices. Within the past year, The Tropicana, Resorts and Trump Marina have all sold for about 10 cents on the dollar from their values of just a few years ago. The Atlantic City Hilton stopped paying its mortgage in 2009 and is looking for a buyer. The casinos have shed nearly 15,000 jobs since 1997, with more layoffs to come.
The extra marketing money is crucial to Atlantic City's future, said Frank Fantini, a Delaware casino consultant and publisher.
"If it can create that same, "I gotta go party!' atmosphere that Las Vegas has, it ought to be able to work," he said.
Griffin, the Trump CEO and Casino Association president, said Atlantic City should bottom out at around $3.5 billion, then slowly start to grow again.
"There's a lot of pain coming, but I strongly believe that in 2012 you're going to see us coming back," he said. "I definitely think better days are ahead for Atlantic City."
Could that be a new marketing slogan for Atlantic City? Most of America seems to know that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Yet how many people can correctly cite Atlantic City's tourism slogan, "Always Turned On"? The resort is thinking of a new slogan.
The effort has been going on for three years.
source : http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2011/05/31/20110531atlantic-city-rise-and-fall.html
Will Smith hundred puts Durham in command against Warwickshire
Few county batsmen have had cause to be grateful to the long-serving Warwickshire groundsman Steve Rouse this season but Will Smith was delighted to acknowledge Rouse's contribution to a day he will never forget. Smith, the unassuming right-hander who captained Durham to their second consecutive Championship in 2009 only to be ousted last May four games into the title defence, capitalised on a blameless pitch and some indisciplined home bowling to reach an unbeaten 153, his first century for 20 months.
Wickets had tumbled in each of the last two championship matches here and Warwickshire had been docked eight of the points gained from their victory over Worcestershire because the pitch was so capricious.
"A few of us were thinking: 'Christ, it's not going to be easy at Edgbaston," said Smith, who felt under extra pressure in his battle to re-establish himself in the ranks with the first-choice opener Mark Stoneman close to a return from the broken hand that created a vacancy at the top of Durham's order. "But this is a good pitch, and I've enjoyed batting on it. Batsmen are always judged on hundreds – and I was the only one of our top six who hasn't scored one this season."
He endured a nervous tea interval on 99, risking only an apple, but the first ball he received in the evening session from Rikki Clarke was short outside the off stump, allowing him to punch a simple single and then to punch the air exuberantly.
"Obviously things haven't gone my way in the last 18 months," he later said with understatement and a grin. "There were times when I wondered about my future in the game but I spent the winter thinking how much I enjoy it and that I had too much of a good opportunity to let it go lightly. I love playing for Durham and I want to do so for many years, so I've got to try everything for that to happen."
When Michael Di Venuto and Gordon Muchall failed to cash in, Durham were in danger of squandering Phil Mustard's correct call at the toss, with Clarke and Naqaash Tahir each earning a reward for accurate opening spells. Ben Stokes played enough handsome strokes to underline his promise before flicking Boyd Rankin lazily to midwicket just after lunch but that was the last success of the day for a Warwickshire attack lacking penetration or control.
Instead Dale Benkenstein, who preceded Smith as captain and remains a highly influential dressing-room figure, contributed a typically unspectacular 90 to an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 221, a new record for any Durham wicket against Warwickshire. Mike Denness, the former England captain who was sent in case of any further pitch problems, had a wasted journey.
source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/may/24/durham-warwickshire-county-championship
Wickets had tumbled in each of the last two championship matches here and Warwickshire had been docked eight of the points gained from their victory over Worcestershire because the pitch was so capricious.
"A few of us were thinking: 'Christ, it's not going to be easy at Edgbaston," said Smith, who felt under extra pressure in his battle to re-establish himself in the ranks with the first-choice opener Mark Stoneman close to a return from the broken hand that created a vacancy at the top of Durham's order. "But this is a good pitch, and I've enjoyed batting on it. Batsmen are always judged on hundreds – and I was the only one of our top six who hasn't scored one this season."
He endured a nervous tea interval on 99, risking only an apple, but the first ball he received in the evening session from Rikki Clarke was short outside the off stump, allowing him to punch a simple single and then to punch the air exuberantly.
"Obviously things haven't gone my way in the last 18 months," he later said with understatement and a grin. "There were times when I wondered about my future in the game but I spent the winter thinking how much I enjoy it and that I had too much of a good opportunity to let it go lightly. I love playing for Durham and I want to do so for many years, so I've got to try everything for that to happen."
When Michael Di Venuto and Gordon Muchall failed to cash in, Durham were in danger of squandering Phil Mustard's correct call at the toss, with Clarke and Naqaash Tahir each earning a reward for accurate opening spells. Ben Stokes played enough handsome strokes to underline his promise before flicking Boyd Rankin lazily to midwicket just after lunch but that was the last success of the day for a Warwickshire attack lacking penetration or control.
Instead Dale Benkenstein, who preceded Smith as captain and remains a highly influential dressing-room figure, contributed a typically unspectacular 90 to an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 221, a new record for any Durham wicket against Warwickshire. Mike Denness, the former England captain who was sent in case of any further pitch problems, had a wasted journey.
source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/may/24/durham-warwickshire-county-championship
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