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In a historic move to boost air connectivity between Myanmar and India, Myanmar’s private carrier Air KBZ started its chartered flight service between Mandalay and Imphal on Saturday.
The inaugural flight which departed from Mandalay landed at the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport at around 11:30 am. The maiden flight was welcomed with the traditional water cannon salute.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Education Th Radheshyam said that launch of such a chartered flight service would enhance air connectivity with neighboring countries, especially Myanmar. The chartered flight will be operational thrice a week.
The Minister further maintained that the State government is persuading the Ministry of Civil Aviation for granting a regular Imphal-Mandalay flight service.
Radheshyam informed that the first Air KBZ flight carried around 72 passengers from Myanmar and the return flight will depart from Imphal with 48 passengers including 5 officials.
He also appealed to the people to support such noble initiative from the Government of Manipur


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Hunters voice their opinions at deer management meeting in Alexandria
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has asked the public to take part in forming a statewide deer management plan, and hunters in Alexandria cooperated on Thursday night.
Almost 60 people gathered at the Broadway Ballroom to discuss what they would like to see from a management plan that the DNR, with the help of a 20-member advisory committee comprised of 13 organization representatives and seven at-large members, hopes to have completed by the end of this year. It was the third of 12 scheduled public meetings around the state, and had the largest turnout thus far after stops in Thief River Falls and Bemidji, according to the department’s big game program leader Adam Murkowski.
“I think the overriding theme that I’ve gotten from these meetings is folks have been very receptive to how we’ve been holding the meetings,” Murkowski said. “We tried to stress to folks that these would be a little different than anything they’ve done deer related and interactions they’ve had with the DNR in the past.”
Participants were broken into smaller groups to discuss their ideas centered around seven broader topics:
Deer population management, monitoring and research.
Communication, information dissemination, engagement and accountability.
Hunter and non-hunter satisfaction.
Impacts of deer on other resources.
Funding for deer management.
One representative from each small group then got up in front of the room to present the key ideas that they discussed.
“The open communication was awesome, I thought,” Alexandria’s Mark Nohre, Region 7 Director of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, said. “This was one of the greatest things I’ve seen in a long time as far as the public and the DNR getting together.”THE NEED TO COMMUNICATE
The discussion was cordial for the most part and ran the gamut from how to deal with chronic wasting disease concerns to ways to create diverse habitats on public land. Some suggested the DNR manage deer as an economic commodity and look to other states on what they are doing to make deer hunting appealing to out-of-state residents.
Some in attendance got more heated when the topics of transparency on how money is spent in the department and how the organization gets its data were brought up.
“People spend a lot of money on deer hunting,” said Mike Van Beck, a hunter from New Munich in an interview after the meeting. “Where’s that money going? Is it used for deer or other things? At least for me personally, I think there’s a lot of corruptness in publicly run, whether it’s government or DNR, so accountability (is needed) on how they’re spending people’s money. Transparency. ‘We made this decision because of this information and this is why we made it.’ ”
Many hunters at the meeting made it clear that they want a bigger voice in deer management. Murkowski says he hears that often.
“My experiences talking with hunters suggests that they are all very eager to contribute to the betterment of the resource,” Murkowski said. “This is terrific as without this dedication we won’t be able to enhance the resource for future generations. Finding constructive ways for them to contribute is a challenge in the sense that I wish we could put them all to work, but finding ways and doing so has obvious hurdles to overcome.”
The final deer management plan will come after information is collected from not just hunters, but a wide range of stakeholders.
“Hopefully people will understand that,” Henning’s Pat Morstad said. “It’s a plan that’s going to be coming together for everyone. There’s going to be non-hunters in the components of that.”
Morstad is a member of the deer advisory committee and the state chapter president of the Quality Deer Management Association. What he wants from these public meetings and through the forming of the management plan is that the hunter’s voice be heard in the process.
“The association has been pushing the DNR to get a deer plan put into place because of the fact that we didn’t feel like we were being heard,” Morstad said. “Sound management. Science is where it all comes into play and get the DNR to communicate their end of everything. Miscommunication is not a good thing.”GETTING ACCURATE NUMBERS
Concern over the accuracy of the deer numbers and where the DNR gets that data was a popular topic on Thursday night.
“One of the things that we’re going to be pushing for is making sure we have accurate data collected on a regular basis in many different facets,” Morstad said. “Then to try to be able to manage to those numbers. Right now, they’re able to do flyovers in areas once every 15 years. How do you get accurate numbers from that?”
Many participants at the meeting said hunters should play a more active role in helping the DNR gather those numbers. Some wanted to be involved in more surveys. Others pointed to cell phone technology as a way to use hunters who want to report what they’re seeing in the woods.
“Not everyone is going to be for it, but you could certainly certify say 20 people in each permit area,” Van Beck said. “I guarantee there would be an abundance of people willing to give that data. Maybe go to a couple hour class of, ‘Here’s the information we need.’ I think it would be simple. With technology now days, there’s a lot they could do with getting data from the actual people in the field.”BETTER AGE STRUCTURE
The age structure of the deer population was brought up by almost every small group that presented their discussions to the room.
Many in attendance want to see more mature deer, specifically bucks. Nohre says it’s a topic that still tends to split hunters.
“A lot of guys want to see bigger bucks and more bucks, and a lot of people just want to put a deer in the freezer,” Nohre said. “We’d have to get together, look at the numbers, and here we go back to registration and hunter input, and figure out how to manage the herd so that there is more and bigger male deer to harvest.”
Van Beck said in his case, it’s more than just wanting bigger bucks. It’s about balancing the herd. He hunts near the Belgrade area in central Minnesota where he’s only allowed to take one deer. He figures the doe-to-buck ratio where he hunts is almost 10-to-1 in favor of does.
Statewide, DNR harvest numbers for 2015 show that of the 114,062 adult deer taken by firearms, 83,088 of those were bucks (72.8 percent).
“Even if it was 50 percent every year, when you start with a low number of bucks in the herd it’s just a compounding problem,” Van Beck said. “Unless they change party hunting or move the firearms season back or lottery tags for bucks – there’s no way to fix that problem unless you do take some action.”TYING THINGS TOGETHER
The public meetings across the state are part of gathering input the DNR and the deer advisory committee will use in forming the deer management plan.
“My end goal is we take all this input and kind of do what we did tonight and brain storm what are those big overriding issues facing the future of deer and deer hunting?” Murkowski said. “Not just what you’re going to see next fall or the fall after, but 20, 30 years down the road. That’s ensuring we have adequate habitat but also that we have healthy deer. Whether you like or dislike anything, we need healthy deer. If we don’t leave those for future generations then our hunting heritage is in serious jeopardy.”
Hunters and non-hunters alike can continue to voice their opinions through March 5 by sending an email to DeerPlan.DNR@state.mn.us, by mailing a letter with attention to Adam Murkowski at 500 Lafayette Rd, St. Paul, MN 55155 or by filling out a questionnaire at www.mndnr.gov/DeerPlan.

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Cumberland County Swimming Pools Tennessee > USA
Recommended Pool Stonehenge Rd. , Fairfield Glade , TN , USA (Postal Code: 38558). Swimmers like you reported 25 yards x 25 feet, 3 lanes, 3.5 feet - 5 feet depth, Indoors. Unfortunately we do not have the email address of this Swimming Pool, but we can provide you with the phone number.
Swimming is actually a sport for all ages. It assists young people to tone their muscles and grow healthy and strong. For the elderly, there's no much better way to physical exercise than finding a Cumberland County Swimming Pool to escape from day-to-day routine. Swimia.com demands your feedback on Aquagym in Cumberland County to ensure all the info about swimming in Cumberland County is valid. Thanks to some new pools submitted by swimmers like you, Swimia.com is increasing in the daily number of stored pools. Please don't hesitate to contact us should you come across any Cumberland County Swimming Pool with inaccurate or incomplete information.
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Enjoy the best indoor pools in Cumberland County and don't worry about the weather. These facilities are open all seasons and you can enjoy a swim at the same temperature every day of the year.
One of the advantages of outdoor swimming in Cumberland County is the possibility to sunbathe during the summer season. Taking it with extra care, sunbathing is healthy since introduces Vitamin D into the body, so the best option seems to be switching between indoor and outdoor pools depending on the season.
If you're tired of having eyes and irritated skin, finding a saltwater pool in Cumberland County can be the solution. You should know that the level of salt from these pools is well below the level of salt from sea water, specifically they are talking about a tenth or less.
There are several reasons why you should choose a heated swimming pool in Cumberland County. The most important one relies on the importance of keeping the body temperature stable. If the water is too cold, your body will try to warm it up and you will lose strength to swim properly.
There are many alternative treatments to chlorination, with great advantages that ensure better water quality in the pool. One possibility is the mineralizer, which purifies water naturally and significantly decreases the chemicals used and maintenance time. Try Chlorine Free spools in Cumberland County.
Cumberland County Primary Cities
- Crab OrchardWhereas Crab Orchard is one of the six most populous cities in Cumberland County with nearly 752 residents, you shouldn't miss that one if you're going to Cumberland County.
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- Fairfield GladeHolding an estimated population of 6.989, Fairfield Glade is one of the most important cities in Cumberland County. Check all the Swimming Pool in Fairfield Glade and its surrounding area.
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View all Cumberland County Primary Cities
Recommended Pools (Cumberland County)
Stonehenge Rd. , Fairfield Glade , TN , USA (Postal Code: 38558). Swimmers like you reported 25 yards x 25 feet, 3 lanes, 3.5 feet - 5 feet depth, Indoors. Unfortunately we do not have the email address of this Pool, but we can provide you with the phone number.

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Sugarless in the Kitchen – A 14-Day Commitment to Better Health
There No Better Time Than The Present!
Join us on January 17th as we start a 14-day journey into wellness by removing all added sugars from our diet. Yes, we want you to become Sugarless in the Kitchen!
This is a 14-day Online Program of Clean Wholesome Nutritious Meals.
As we struggle with lockdowns and various restrictions, this may be your chance to spend more time in the kitchen creating delicious, nutritious meals for you and your loved ones.
Let’s eliminate all the refined sugar, refined carbs, processed or junk foods, and alcohol and replace it with nutrient-dense plant-based real foods. Our menus include vegetarians options. All recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free. We have revamped our popular program, included new recipes and kept some old favourites. Our menu plans include good amounts of daily fibre, fat and protein, for optimum health and digestion. We have included lots of immune-boosting foods as well! Many meals can be prepared in advance and we make maximum use of leftovers.
Want to know why eliminating added sugar is a good thing? Read Helen’s personal story.
Included in the program:
- 14-day simple to follow meal plan with vegetarian options
- Delicious easy-to-prepare sugarless recipes
- Shopping list
- Daily motivational emails, including tips and research-backed information
- A private Facebook group to connect with like-minded health-conscious people
- NEW – instructional videos and live Zooms to connect and guide you along the way
And, ongoing support from your two favourite Registered Holistic Nutritionists (Lyne & Helen) to help you stay on track!
ZOOM INFO SESSION
Want to know more about the effects of sugar on your health? Then join our info session on Monday, January 11th at 7pm. Click here to register.
When: From Sunday January 17th to Sunday January 31st
Fee: $19.95 (+ tax)

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It has been by all accounts a rough summer for Hollywood and theater owners in particular. The box office is down and the responsibility for that has to lie with the filmmakers; to wit, the product hasn’t really been as exciting as previous summers. Sure there have been some exceptions – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was one of the pleasant surprises, while Guardians of the Galaxy got off to a record start in August and shortly before this was published became the year’s number one hit. People flocked to see the sub-mediocre Transformers; Age of Extinction in droves, particularly overseas where record crowds pushed the movie over the billion dollar mark at the box office. With no Pixar film in the theaters this summer, the family audience stayed away from theaters for the most part this summer – even a fairly good quality How to Train Your Dragon 2 made disappointing numbers considering the lack of competition. For the most part, movies underperformed and reviews were pretty dismal for such non-blockbusters as Blended and Planes: Fire and Rescue. Even films that were blockbusters – like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Maleficent – didn’t get the kind of numbers the studios were expecting.
With Guardians and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles giving the box office a needed boost going into the football season which traditionally is fairly weak for the box office right up until the Holidays, we can look forward to a few guaranteed hits – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 for example looks to continue the hot streak of this young adult hit series. The Hobbit trilogy from Peter Jackson concludes with The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar will make Thanksgiving box office bells ring. Given all the publicity that the musical Annie has been getting from Columbia, I wouldn’t be surprised if this also made big bank.
We can look forward to some Oscar contenders as well, with early word touting Foxcatcher with Steve Carell generating Oscar buzz for the first time in his career in a dramatic role. Tim Burton’s Big Eyes will bring some attention for Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams and probably for Burton himself, while the World War II epic Fury with its ensemble cast may get Brad Pitt some face time with the Academy.
But all is not serious at the multiplex this season. Seth Rogen and James Franco re-team in The Interview, St. Vincent stars an irascible Bill Murray. Horrible Bosses 2 is bound to bring some belly laughs and Hot Tub Time Machine 2 will take us back to the future while Dumb and Dumber To reunites Jeff Daniels and Jim Carey. The sequels don’t stop there however as Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Dolphin Tale 2,The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies brings old favorites back to the screen for another go-round.
Families who might have been disappointed with the offerings this past summer will have more than a few reasons to head back to the multiplex, with Paddington, The Boxtrolls, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, Book of Life, Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, The Penguins of Madagascar, Dolphin Tale 2, Big Hero 6 and Annie all beckoning kids to drag their parents to the theaters. Those who prefer a little horror in their motion picture diet will have a cornucopia of selections, from Annabelle (a spinoff from The Conjuring), Ouija, Demonic, Jessabelle, Dracula Untold, The Canal, The Pyramid, Horns and Tusk all there looking to scare our socks off. There will also be plenty of action with The Equalizer, Kill the Messenger, A Walk Among Tombstones and Fury giving action junkies their fix.
Music fans will also have reasons to brave the chilly weather and hit the theaters as Annie, Into the Woods, One Chance and Beyond the Lights which will all hopefully have audiences tapping their toes. Indie film fans will also have some excuses to patronize their local art houses with such acclaimed fare as Foxcatcher, Escobar: Paradise Lost, Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Wild, One Chance, Birdman, Tusk, Leviathan, The Zero Theorem, Laggies, Frontera and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby all lining up for the film buff dollar. Science Fiction is always a presence at the end of the year and this year is no exception with such futuristic goodies as Interstellar, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The Maze Runner, The Congress, The Zero Theorem and The Scribbler on tap. Those who like their movies on an epic scale can look forward to The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Finally, you can always find plenty of drama in the fall and holiday lineup and with Nightcrawlers, Gone Girl, The Judge, Rosewater and Big Eyes audiences will get their share of serious.
The stars always come out in the fall and 2014 is no exception as you’ll get to do some star-gazing with the late Robin Williams (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Merry Friggen’ Christmas), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1), Amy Adams (Big Eyes), Ed Harris (Frontera), Morgan Freeman (Dolphin Tale 2), Reese Witherspoon (Wild, The Good Lie), Billy Bob Thornton (The Judge), Bill Hader (The Skeleton Twins), Jason Bateman (This Is Where I Leave You, Horrible Bosses 2), Liam Neeson (A Walk Among Tombstones), Daniel Radcliffe (Horns), Christoph Waltz (The Zero Theorem, Big Eyes), Denzel Washington (The Equalizer), Ben Affleck (Gone Girl), Simon Pegg (Hector and the Search for Happiness), Steve Carell (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Foxcatcher), Seth Rogen (The Interview), Robert Downey Jr., (The Judge), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawlers), Bill Murray (St. Vincent), Jeremy Renner (Kill the Messenger), Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar), Jim Carrey (Dumb and Dumber To), Brad Pitt (Fury), Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1), Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses 2), Jamie Foxx (Annie), Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies), James Franco (The Interview),Keira Knightley (Laggies), Kirsten Wiig (The Skeleton Twins), Robert Duvall (The Judge), Michael Caine (Interstellar), Cameron Diaz (Annie) and Christian Bale (Exodus: Gods and Kings). There will also be plenty of talent behind the camera with Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, Alexandre Aja, Christopher Nolan, Tim Burton, Kevin Smith, Terry Gilliam, Rob Marshall and David Fincher all directing films this season.
This of course is just a start as there will be additions (and deletions) from what you see here before all is said and done. Most of the fairly high-profile films though are pretty much set in stone barring disaster. So does this whet your appetite for what’s going on this fall? Hope so. If you want more, be sure and check out our monthly feature Four-Warned for a listing of everything opening both in limited and wide release that month and our weekly preview for what’s coming to the Central Florida multiplexes that week. Otherwise, let’s stop all this blather and get into the good stuff!
Generally September is a month that serves as a segue from the summer blockbusters to the autumn harvest of Oscar contenders. While it is a month that usually has lower profile movies and films the studio has little faith in, there are often some gems among the debris. Hoping to make some box office hay while the sun still shines will be a reboot of an ’80s TV show, an adaptation of a beloved young adult novel, a sequel to an inspirational family hit and the latest from the stop-motion animation studio Laika.
RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2014
STARRING: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Robert Wahlberg, Johnny Messner
STORY: A man with a set of particular skills is trying to put his past behind him and live a quiet life working in a Home Depot-like store. When he meets a young girl who is being abused at the hands of the Russian mobsters who control her, he cannot stand by and do nothing. Russian mafia, look out – the Equalizer is on your tail!
PROSPECTS: A very different take on the 80s TV classic with Edward Woodward in the title role. Washington is more of an ass kicker. He has been more selective about what movies he makes than a lot of other stars, so certainly his fans will be eager to see this.
OBSTACLES: Theatrical attendance tends to be pretty lackluster in September with the start of the football season, school returning to session and the fall TV premieres all happening.
FACTOID: Leo guest starred in an Equalizer telefilm back in 1985.
GRADUATED WITH HONORS
A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES
RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2014
STARRING: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Boyd Holbrook, Sebastian Roche, Stephanie Andujar, Whitney Able, Mark Consuelos
STORY: An unlicensed private eye who is ex-NYPD reluctantly takes on a job from a heroin trafficker whose wife was kidnapped and murdered. He soon learns that this isn’t the first time the perpetrators have committed this crime nor will it be the last – and they are aware of his presence in the game.
PROSPECTS: Neeson has become one of the most reliable action stars of the past ten years. This has a suitably creepy vibe to it. Neeson’s films tend to perform well in off months.
OBSTACLES: His last movie was a bit disappointing commercially and critically.
FACTOID: Neeson’s character in this movie is actually taken from a series of 17 novels by author Lawrence Block of which this is the tenth; the character also appeared in the movie 8 Million Ways to Die played by Jeff Bridges.
THE MAZE RUNNER
RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2014
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
STARRING: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Ami Ameen, Will Poulter, Patricia Clarkson, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper
STORY: A young man wakes up in a mysterious maze with no memories of who he is or where he’s from. The only escape is to become a runner and try to find a way out of the maze which nobody has ever done. However when a young girl arrives who seems to have her memories and knows who the young man is, everything changes.
PROSPECTS: One of the most iconic and beloved young adult novels finally makes it to the big screen.
OBSTACLES: A cast of mostly unknown young actors. Not a good deal of hunk factor to bring the teenage girls.
FACTOID: Catherine Hardwicke was originally set to direct this.
RELEASE DATE: September 26, 2014
STARRING THE VOICES OF: Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Isaac Hempstead-Wright
STORY: A group of mischievous subterranean creatures have raised a human child as their own are threatened by the villainous Archibald Snatcher who vows to rid the world of the Boxtrolls. The human ventures above ground and finds a spirited young girl as an ally and together they put together an audacious plan to save the boy’s family.
PROSPECTS: Laika has been responsible for some of the quirkiest and most beloved animations of recent years.
OBSTACLES: The Laika films have tended to appeal more to adults than to kids.
FACTOID: Based on the novel Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow.
THE SKELETON TWINS
RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2014
STUDIO: Roadside Attractions
STARRING: Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Ty Burrell, Luke Wilson, Boyd Holbrook, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Joanna Gleason, Ian Hyland, Jennifer Lafleur
STORY: A pair of estranged twins whose lives have turned out not just disappointing but a downright disaster are unexpectedly forced into a reunion. They are forced to confront their own mistakes and failures and discover that repairing their relationship might well be the key to turning their lives around.
PROSPECTS: Has everything in the formula for indie circuit success; a terrific cast with a few well-known names, a truly funny trailer and a distributor that has gotten behind the movie after showing success with recent releases.
OBSTACLES: Since Bridesmaids Wiig really hasn’t shown she can carry a movie and Hader, while being a terrific support guy, is an unknown quantity when in a leading role.
FACTOID: Anna Farris was originally cast in the lead role, but an unusually long development period forced her to drop out of the project, eventually to be replaced by Wiig.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014
Opening in limited release, FRONTERA (Magnolia) examines the fallout when a rancher’s wife is killed while riding in her own ranch property and the most likely suspect is a Mexican national crossing into this country illegally.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2014
In THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY (Weinstein) a once-happy couple struggles to maintain their relationship in the wake of a tragedy as they discover that the people they once loved are literally strangers to one another now. DOLPHIN TALE 2 (Warner Brothers) returns to the inspirational story of Winter, the dolphin in a Florida aquarium whose tail fluke was replaced by an artificial device to allow her to continue swimming and her new friend Hope, rescued by the same aquarium in 2010. NO GOOD DEED (Screen Gems) stars Idris Elba as an escaped convict who gains entry into the home of housewife Taraji P. Henson by pretending he’s the victim of a car accident and proceeds to terrorize the woman and her children who must fight back against the intruder. In SEARCH PARTY (Universal) a new groom is taken hostage and ends up wearing nothing but a pair of gold leggings in the Mexican desert while his best friends bumble around trying to find him.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS (Relativity) stars Simon Pegg as a psychiatrist whose advice isn’t really making his patients any happier; he determines to go out and experience life and find out what it is that truly makes people happy. PRIDE (CBS) is based on the true story of a mining strike in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain which inspires a group of London gay and lesbian activists to raise money for the striking workers who are initially leery of taking money from the group but as they eventually learn to find common ground they discover that strength comes from standing strong together. THE SCRIBBLER (XLRator) which opens in limited release is a sci-fi tale about a disturbed young woman who uses an experimental treatment to eliminate her multiple personalities one at a time, but begins to worry that one of the personalities to be eliminated might be her true one THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU (Warner Brothers) has an all-star cast and is about a dysfunctional family that has dispersed all over the country only to be brought back together under one roof for a week to fulfill the dying wish of their father. In TUSK (A24), a journalist falls into the story of a lifetime as he interviews a reputed explorer with a penchant for walruses and a dark, disturbing secret. Kevin Smith directs this quirky horror tale. THE ZERO THEOREM (Amplify) is visionary director Terry Gilliam’s latest and stars Christoph Waltz as an eccentric agoraphobic computer genius working on a project delegated to him by an equally mysterious Matt Damon in an effort to find a meaning of life – or lack thereof. The movie got a special screening at the Enzian earlier this year; you can read my review of it here.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2014
JACK AND THE CUCKOO CLOCK HEART (Dada) is a whimsical animated feature for adults and set in a wondrous world of fantastic inventions and unforgettable characters. While it is listed as a wide release, it is possible this might end up getting a limited release instead.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
On the other hand, THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY (Magnolia) most definitely is opening in limited release and stars Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst as an American couple traveling in Greece in the early ’60s who encounter Oscar Isaac as a Greek-speaking American tour guide who scams tourists on the side. He becomes infatuated with the wife and when the couple invite him to dinner, it turns out neither the couple nor the tour guide are exactly what they seem to be.
HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR
A look back at how last year’s previewed movies did at the box office. The budgets and box office numbers are courtesy of Box Office Mojo. My verdicts are based on the typical studio formula that for a movie to break even it must make twice its production budget; any movie that achieves that will be labeled as profitable. I define hit movies as those that make three times the production budget and blockbusters as anything that makes $200 million in domestic box office or more, or made five times the production budget with a minimum of $100 million in domestic box office. The first four movies listed are the four main previewed items; I’ve also chosen a selection of other major releases that made the preview issue as well.
RIDDICK (Universal) Budget: $38 Million. Domestic Gross: $42.0M Total: $98.3M Verdict: Made Money.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (Columbia) Budget: $78M. Domestic Gross: $119.8M Total: $274.3M Verdict: Hit.
RUSH (Universal) Budget: $38M. Domestic Gross: $27.0M Total: $90.3M Verdict: Made Money.
DON JON (Relativity) Budget: $6M. Domestic Gross: $24.5M Total: $30.5M Verdict: Big Hit.
INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 (FilmDistrict) Budget: $5M. Domestic Gross: $83.6M Total: $161.9M Verdict: Blockbuster.
THE FAMILY (Relativity) Budget: $30M. Domestic Gross: $36.9M Total: $78.4M Verdict: Made Money.
PRISONERS (Warner Brothers) Budget: $46M. Domestic Gross: $61.0M Total: $122.1M Verdict: Made Money.
BAGGAGE CLAIM (Fox Searchlight) Budget: $8.5M. Domestic Gross: $21.6M Total: $22.5M Verdict: Made Money.
WINNIE MANDELA (Image) Budget: N/A. Domestic Gross: $80,634. Total: $80,634. Verdict: Likely Flop.
METALLICA: THROUGH THE NEVER (Picturehouse) Budget: $18M. Domestic Gross: $3.4M Total: $8.0 Verdict: Flop.
As autumn leaves swirl in the streets and Halloween decorations begin to appear everywhere, there will be plenty of scares coming our way this month with a board game that opens a portal for something truly evil, a spinoff from a smash hit horror film from recent years, a new take on a classic horror icon and an animated feature set in the land of the dead. For those not looking to be scared, there’s a quirky comedy with an SNL legend, mysteries involving an estranged father and son and a husband who may or may not have murdered his missing wife, the reboot of a hit Christian book series and a bestselling children’s book getting the Disney treatment.
RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2014
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
STARRING: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Missi Pyle, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, Sela Ward
STORY: On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, a man reports his wife missing. His portrayal of a perfect marriage begins to crumble under intense police scrutiny and his bizarre behavior and outright lies make him suspect number one.
PROSPECTS: October has been Affleck’s month as of late, with such films as Runner Runner, The Town and Argo released during that month of the year. While he didn’t direct this effort, he is certainly front and center here.
OBSTACLES: Affleck tends to do better in movies he directs himself. However, this time he finds himself under the tutelage of David Fincher, so that might well give him a leg up. However, the subject matter is something of a downer.
FACTOID: Although the movie is set in North Carolina, it was actually filmed in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
GRADUATED WITH HONORS
RELEASE DATE: October 24, 2014
STARRING: Olivia Cooke, Ana Coto, Darren Kagasoff, Bianca A. Santos, Douglas Smith, Matthew Settle, Vivis Colombetti, Robyn Lively, Lin Shaye, Bill Watterson
STORY: A group of young people start messing around with a Ouija board, but this one happens to be not just any Ouija board and the place that they do the messing not just any place.
PROSPECTS: Ouija boards are a large part of our supernatural culture and while they have played a part in horror movies over the years, there have been surprisingly few dedicated to them.
OBSTACLES: The trailer didn’t particularly stand out, and with a fairly unknown cast and crew behind the camera this may have to come out of left field to be successful.
FACTOID: Hasbro’s film division has been working on a Ouija board film for more than five years.
RELEASE DATE: October 10, 2014
STUDIO: Warner Brothers
STARRING: Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton, Balthazar Getty, Dax Shepard, Denis O’Hare, David Krumholtz
STORY: A high-powered big city defense lawyer returns to his rural Indiana home on the occasion for his mother’s funeral and encounters his estranged father, a respected judge. When the father is accused of murder, the son becomes his attorney in a case that looks indefensible.
PROSPECTS: Downey and Duvall are two of the most respected actors in the business. With a fine supporting cast, this could be an early Oscar contender.
OBSTACLES: Nothing indicates in the trailer or through internet buzz that this is being considered as anything more than studio fall filler.
FACTOID: Farmiga beat out Elizabeth Banks for the female lead.
RELEASE DATE: October 17, 2014
STUDIO: Fox Searchlight
STARRING: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Amy Ryan, Andrea Riseborough, Naomi Watts, Lindsay Duncan
STORY: An actor famous for portraying an iconic super hero in a movie franchise attempts to mount a Broadway play in order to rescue his career and help him restore his humility when his out-of-control ego threatens to derail everything.
PROSPECTS: Big Internet buzz on this one. Word of mouth says this Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-directed effort could be a sleeper hit.
OBSTACLES: Inarritu is better known for directing ensemble dramas rather than comedies. Keaton hasn’t really carried a hit movie in decades.
FACTOID: Although there is a Hanna-Barbera character of the same name, the Birdman character of this movie has no relation to the cartoon character.
OCTOBER 3, 2014
ANNABELLE (New Line) is a spinoff from the horror hit from last year, The Conjuring and follows the demonic doll Annabelle’s history as she wreaks havoc in the lives of her owners, a nice kickoff to the Halloween season. THE GOOD LIE (Warner Brothers) stars Reese Witherspoon in a story based on true events in which orphans of the Sudan’s brutal civil war find asylum in the United States and how a courageous social worker fought an American bureaucracy frozen by the events of 9/11 to reunite them with their sister. This opens in limited release. In THE HERO OF COLOR CITY (Magnolia) a box of heroic crayons must save Color City from a monster accidentally released from a child’s drawing. This is an animated feature and while it is currently listed for wide release, I would bet money that it will wind up being a platform limited release when all is said and done. LEFT BEHIND (Stoney Lake) reboots the Christian rapture book series with Nicolas Cage in the lead role. THE LIBERATOR (Cohen Media Group), opening in limited release, stars Edgar Ramirez in the title role in this biopic of Simon Bolivar, one of the most revered and beloved figures in South America, who liberated thousands from the colonial powers of the 19th century.
OCTOBER 10, 2014
In ADDICTED (Lionsgate) a married woman with a dream life embarks on a dangerous affair with a hunky young artist, a path which may be too tempting for her to resist. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY (Disney) stars Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner in this comedy about a family having the kind of day that makes all other bad days look idyllic in comparison. KILL THE MESSENGER (Focus) is opening in platform limited release, with Jeremy Renner starring as Gary Webb, the San Jose Mercury News reporter whose investigation of the link between crack cocaine smuggling, the CIA and arms for Nicaraguan rebels would win him a Pulitzer but cost him far more. ONE CHANCE (Weinstein) is the much-delayed biopic of Paul Potts, the unlikely operatic winner of the hit Britain’s Got Talent and the overwhelming odds he overcame to do it.
OCTOBER 17, 2014
THE BEST OF ME (Relativity) is the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation and follows a couple who were once high school sweethearts but whose relationship fell apart. 20 years later, they are reunited at a funeral for a friend and the old sparks are rekindled, but also present are the forces that tore them apart the first time around. THE BOOK OF LIFE (20th Century Fox) is a colorful and unique animated feature produced by Guillermo del Toro set in Mexico as well as in the World of the Dead. Two men battle for the heart of a beautiful young woman but one must overcome immense odds to win that sacred heart. DRACULA UNTOLD (Universal) is a new take on the legend of Vlad Tepes, also known as Dracula as he must sacrifice everything to protect his family and his country – and the cost of that sacrifice may be much more than he bargained for. FURY (Columbia) stars Brad Pitt and is set in the waning days of World War II as a tank crew battles to survive the furious last days of the war. NIGHTCRAWLER (Open Road) is the tale of a driven, ambitious young man who enters the breakneck world of L.A. crime journalism. Jake Gyllenhaal stars.
OCTOBER 24, 2014
JOHN WICK (Lionsgate) stars Keanu Reeves in a story about a retired hit man who is forced back into the game by a sadistic young thug who wants to take him down. It’s one of those “be careful what you ask for” tales. Opening in limited release is the Sundance hit LAGGIES (A24) with Keira Knightley as a 20-something who is having trouble growing up, hiding out in the home of a 16-year-old friend and her world-weary single dad. ST. VINCENT (Weinstein) is the latest tour de force for Bill Murray as an irascible old man and unrepentant reprobate who decides to earn some extra cash for his gambling and drinking habits by babysitting a neighbor’s kid. This leads to an unexpected friendship. STONEHEARST ASYLUM (Millennium) opens in limited release and is a British horror film about a medical school grad who is assigned to a mental institution and eventually falls for one of his colleagues, but a change in staffing may bring about unspeakable terror for them both.
OCTOBER 31, 2014
HORNS (Radius) stars Daniel Radcliffe in an unusual horror film directed by Spanish master Alexandre Aja about a man accused of raping and murdering his girlfriend and who starts to grow horns on his head that have the power to force people to confess their darkest secrets and give in to their deepest desires, and decides to use his new-found power to find and exact revenge upon the real killer.
HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (Columbia) Budget: $55M. Domestic Gross: $107.1M Total: $218.8M Verdict: Big Hit.
GRAVITY (Warner Brothers) Budget: $100M. Domestic Gross: $274.1M Total: $716.4M Verdict: Blockbuster.
ESCAPE PLAN (Summit) Budget: $50M. Domestic Gross: $25.1M Total: $137.3M Verdict: Made Money.
THE FIFTH ESTATE (Touchstone) Budget: $28M. Domestic Gross: $3.3M Total: $8.6M Verdict: Flop.
BAD GRANDPA (Paramount) Budget: $15M. Domestic Gross: $102.0M Total: $151.8 Verdict: Blockbuster.
12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight) Budget: $20M. Domestic Gross: $56.7M Total: $187.7 Verdict: Big Hit.
RUNNER RUNNER (20th Century Fox) Budget: $30M. Domestic Gross: $19.3M Total: $62.7M Verdict: Broke Even.
MACHETE KILLS (Open Road) Budget: $20M. Domestic Gross: $8.0M Total: $15.0M Verdict: Lost Money.
THE COUNSELOR (20th Century Fox) Budget: $25M. Domestic Gross: $16.9M Total: $71.0M Verdict: Made Money.
ROMEO AND JULIET (Relativity) Budget: $24M. Domestic Gross: $1.1M Total: $1.1M Verdict: Flop.
As the weather grows colder, the multiplex starts heating up as new blockbusters arrive along with early contenders for Oscar gold. This year we can count on a new sci-fi spectacle from Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, the first animated feature of a Marvel comic, sequels to a megahit young adult science fiction franchise and an over-the-top workplace comedy, a spin-off from a hit animated franchise and the reunion of one of the dumbest comic duos ever.
RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2014
STARRING: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Ellen Burstyn, John Lithgow, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, Topher Grace
STORY: The Earth is dying, unable to support the human race or any other race for that matter. In desperation, we look to the stars and build a craft that might take us there. Time is of the essence and the toll that is taken on the astronauts and those who love them will be terrible indeed.
PROSPECTS: Christopher Nolan once again goes the sci-fi route and with Inception under his belt, this one is more of a traditional science fiction film with starships and alien worlds. With the super hot McConaughey headlining, this is a sure winner.
OBSTACLES: There has been a glut of science fiction on both the big screen and the small; the public might be more in the mood of a Guardians of the Galaxy-type movie which this is not. With the exception of Blade Runner most cerebral science fiction has failed to do well at the box office.
FACTOID: Steven Spielberg was originally intended to direct this and while he was attached he hired Jonathan Nolan to write a draft of the script. When Spielberg moved on to other projects, Nolan suggested this project to his brother Christopher.
GRADUATED WITH HONORS
THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2014
STUDIO: DreamWorks Animation
STARRING THE VOICES OF: Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Peter Stormare, John Malkovich, Werner Herzog
STORY: The penguins, perhaps the most accomplished spies the world never heard of, join forces with a spy agency the world has never heard of to stop Dr. Octavius Brine, a megalomaniacal would-be world dictator the world has never heard of.
PROSPECTS: Like the Minions of the Despicable Me films, the penguins have been the best thing about this animated film franchise. They get their own movie and hopefully, will run – or waddle – with it.
OBSTACLES: This has not exactly been the year of the family film. The Penguins also have their own TV show so the thought of shelling out hard-earned cash to go see them in a theater might not be so attractive for parents.
FACTOID: The filmmakers wanted Robert Stack to voice Skipper but he passed away before filming began.
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1
RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2014
STARRING: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore
STORY: Katniss is forced to flee to District 13 after her triumph in Catching Fire. From there she becomes the face of the rebellion as she fights to save Peeta, the ones she loves and the innocent of Panem from the ruthless President Snow.
PROSPECTS: Another slam dunk. This is one of the most successful film franchises of this decade and doesn’t look to slow down any with one more film left after this.
OBSTACLES: Can’t really see any.
FACTOID: Hoffman passed away with one week left of shooting for both of the Mockingjay films. Rather than recast the role, his part was finished with some rewriting as well as digital special effects.
BIG HERO 6
RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2014
STARRING THE VOICES OF: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, T.J. Miller, Genesis Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell
STORY: A young robotics genius in the high-tech city of San Fransokyo in the future discovers a criminal plot to take over the city. With his faithful but mostly harmless robot companion Baymax, he leads a team of reluctant crimefighters on a mission to save the city.
PROSPECTS: The first animated Marvel feature from Disney. Given that it is opening in the same successful weekend slot as Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, there’s a good chance that this will be the big animated feature winner this year in terms of box office.
OBSTACLES: Marvel and Disney can be disparate audiences.
FACTOID: While based on a Marvel property, this doesn’t take place inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
RELEASE DATE: November 14, 2014
STUDIO: Sony Classics
STARRING: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall, Tara Subkoff
STORY: The true story of Olympic wrestling hopeful Mark Schultz, his brother Dave and Mark’s benefactor John Du Pont who founded a wrestling facility dedicated to preparing athletes for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but led instead to tragedy.
PROSPECTS: Carell is getting huge Oscar buzz in what is said to be the performance of his career. Director Bennett Miller has been involved with two Oscar nominated films previously; Capote and Moneyball.
OBSTACLES: Olympic wrestling is much less popular than the professional sort practiced by the WWE and fans of the latter might not take well to the wrestling style of the former.
FACTOID: The actual Foxcatcher Farm where the training facility was located was sold off after the events of this film; a private school and a development of multi-million dollar homes stand there now.
NOVEMBER 7, 2014
JESSABELLE (Lionsgate) is a Southern Gothic horror flick opening in limited release in which a young woman returns to her decaying Louisiana home to recuperate from a horrific car accident, only to discover that the horror awaiting her back home is far more deadly. MERRY FRIGGIN’ CHRISTMAS (Phase Four), opening in limited release, is one of Robin Williams’ final films. He plays a kooky dad whose estranged son finally relents and agrees to spend Christmas with his old man. However when the son discovers he left all of the Christmas gifts at home, Dad, son and younger brother take off on an epic road trip. OPEN WINDOWS (Cinedigm) is an unusual thriller from acclaimed director Nacho Vigalondo in which a superfan wins a date with his favorite actress. When she balks at actually going on the date, her sleazy manager instead gives the fan the option of access to hidden camera feeds originating from her home. This puts her – and him – in unexpected danger. Opens in limited release. Also opening in limited release. ROSEWATER (Open Road) is based on the true story of journalist Maziar Bahari who was captured by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard while there working for the BBC and held and tortured. Comedian/political commentator Jon Stewart directed. THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (Focus) stars Eddie Redmayne as the brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking as he copes with a devastating illness to become one of the most honored living scientists. While it is listed in limited release, expect that this will be fairly widely available.
NOVEMBER 14, 2014
BEYOND THE LIGHTS (Relativity) is kind of a new take on The Guardian as a global pop superstar falls for a cop and aspiring politician who works her security detail. Despite attempts to keep the two separated, true love lives on in the end, yadda yadda yadda. DUMB AND DUMBER TO (Universal) reunites Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels as the most brain-dead comedy team ever as they and the Farrelly brothers, once one of the hottest comedy directors on the planet, take a spin down the comeback trail.
NOVEMBER 21, 2014
Opening in limited release, EXTRATERRESTRIAL (IFC) comes from director Colin Minihan, one half of the Vicious Brothers who directed Grave Encounters. Here, friends taking a break at a remote mountain cabin witness the crash of an alien spacecraft, which signals the beginning of a fight for survival. THE IMITATION GAME (Weinstein) is the story of prickly mathematician Alan Turing who broke the Enigma code in World War II but was later persecuted for his homosexuality. Benedict Cumberbatch stars. VHS: VIRAL (Magnolia) is the latest in the horror anthology series, with top young directors in the genre filming a series of short videos related to a group of teens’ obsessive pursuit of Internet fame. Like the first two movies in the series, this will be released in limited markets.
NOVEMBER 26, 2014
HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (New Line) reunites Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as three put-upon employees who decide to start their own business. Hoodwinked by a slick investor, they come up with a hare-brained scheme to kidnap his son and ransom control of the company back to themselves.
HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR
ENDER’S GAME (Summit) Budget: $110M. Domestic Gross: $61.7Total: $125.5M Verdict: Lost Money.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD (Disney/Marvel) Budget: $170M. Domestic Gross: $206.4M Total: $644.8M. Verdict: Big Hit.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (Lionsgate) Budget: $130M. Domestic Gross: $424.7M Total: $864.6M Verdict: Blockbuster.
FROZEN (Disney) Budget: $150M. Domestic Gross: $400.7M Total: $1.3B. Verdict: Blockbuster.
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Paramount) Budget: $100M. Domestic Gross: $116.9M Total: $392.0M Verdict: Big Hit.
OLDBOY (FilmDistrict) Budget: $30M. Domestic Gross: $2.2M Total: $4.9M Verdict: Flop.
THE DELIVERY MAN (Touchstone) Budget: $26M. Domestic Gross: $30.7M. Total: $51.2M Verdict: Broke Even.
THE BOOK THIEF (20th Century Fox) Budget: $19M. Domestic Gross: $21.5M Total: $76.6M Verdict: Big Hit.
ABOUT TIME (Universal) Budget: $12M Domestic Gross: $15.3M Total: $87.1M Verdict: Big Hit.
HOMEFRONT (Open Road) Budget: $22M Domestic Gross: $20.2M Total: $43.1M Verdict: Broke Even.
THE DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus) Budget: $5M Domestic Gross: $27.3M Total: $55.2M Verdict: Big Hit.
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM (Weinstein) Budget: $35M. Domestic Gross: $8.3M Total: $27.3M Verdict: Lost Money.
BLACK NATIVITY (Fox Searchlight) Budget: $17.5M Domestic Gross: $7.0M Total: $7.5M Verdict: Flop.
LAST VEGAS (CBS) Budget: $28M Domestic Gross: $63.9M Total: $134.4M Verdict: Big Hit.
THE BEST MAN’S HOLIDAY (Universal) Budget: $17M Domestic Gross: $70.5M Total: $71.6M Verdict: Big Hit.
FREE BIRDS (Relativity) Budget: $55M Domestic Gross: $55.8M Total: $110.4M Verdict: Broke Even.
The last month of the year tends to send the box office out with a bang as big budget blockbusters vie with Oscar contenders for screens. This year we’ll be taking our last trip to Middle Earth, watch Ridley Scott get Biblical, see new re-imaginings of two hit musicals, watch a beloved children’s book character come to life and see the life story of a genuine American hero that you may never have heard of until now.
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2014
STUDIO: New Line/MGM
STARRING: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm
STORY: The Dwarves having reclaimed Erebor, Smaug wreaks havoc on Lake-town while an Orc army makes its stealthy way to Lonely Mountain. Human, Elf and Dwarf armies must unite to face the darkness or perish separately forever.
PROSPECTS: This being the last visit to Middle Earth possibly ever (although director Peter Jackson has reportedly been mulling over The Silmarillion as a future project) should get the fans out in droves. The last installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was also the biggest hit.
OBSTACLES: The Hobbit trilogy has disappointed both at the box office and in the hearts of the Middle Earth faithful.
FACTOID: Although Cate Blanchett appears in all three films, she was only on set for eight days of the more than 266 days of shooting (not including the additional shoots in the summer of 2013).
GRADUATED WITH HONORS
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB
RELEASE DATE: December 19, 2014
STUDIO: 20th Century Fox
STARRING: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Rebel Wilson, Ben Kingsley, Dan Stevens, Rami Malek, Dick van Dyke
STORY: The magical…um, serving tray or whatever it is, has been brought to London to the British National Museum along with some other artifacts from the New York Museum of Natural History. However the…um, bedpan or whatever it is no longer functions correctly and it will be up to Larry the Security Guard to find a way to restore it before all his friends are lost forever.
PROSPECTS: The first two films did monster box office despite lukewarm reviews. This one will be one of the great Robin Williams’ final film roles which is certainly going to bring people out in droves.
OBSTACLES: This hasn’t exactly been the kind of franchise that people have fallen in love with despite the box office numbers. Weak word of mouth could really hurt it.
FACTOID: Not only is this Williams’ final major studio film, it is also the last film for the late Mickey Rooney who has a cameo.
RELEASE DATE: December 19, 2014
STARRING: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Quvenzhané Wells, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannevale, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, David Zayas, Mike Birbiglia
STORY: A cheerfully optimistic foster kid with an obscenely positive attitude enters the life of a New York City mayoral candidate (and billionaire) and becomes something of a good luck charm for him. While he uses her to further his pursuits, he may not realize that she is changing him in ways he never expected.
PROSPECTS: This has been a perennial Broadway musical favorite, and has already been a big hit on the big screen. Columbia has been pushing the movie very hard.
OBSTACLES: Purists might object to some of the changes in this movie version from the original musical and the source comic strip.
FACTOID: Producer Will Smith originally envisioned this as a starring role for his daughter Willow (talk about a stage dad!) but by the time production was ready to get underway, she had grown too old to play Annie and Wells, fresh off her success in Beasts of the Southern Wild got the job instead.
RELEASE DATE: December 25, 2014
STARRING: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Terence Stamp, Jon Polito, Andrew Airlie
STORY: Walter Keane was one of the most successful painters of the late 50s and early 60s but he hid a staggering secret; the paintings were actually done by his wife Margaret and he was taking credit for her work.
PROSPECTS: A really fascinating story that few people know anything about. Could be a big awards contender come Oscar time.
OBSTACLES: Tim Burton is not exactly box office gold as directors go. Weinstein hasn’t really promoted this at all to date and this may end up being moved to another date next year.
FACTOID: The second biographical film that Burton has directed, the first being Ed Wood.
INTO THE WOODS
RELEASE DATE: December 25, 2014
STARRING: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Johnny Depp, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, Lucy Punch
STORY: A story uniting the characters of Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a baker and his wife, desperate to have a baby, are cursed by a witch and find themselves entwined in the tales of Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel.
PROSPECTS: One of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved musicals which has inexplicably never made it to the big screen until now.
OBSTACLES: Will face heavy competition from Annie.
FACTOID: Sondheim wrote two original songs for the production, both of which were cut from the final film.
RELEASE DATE: December 5, 2014 (limited)
STUDIO: Fox Searchlight
STARRING: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Gaby Hoffman, Michael Huisman, W. Earl Brown, Kevin Rankin, Keene McRae
STORY: After her marriage disintegrates and she embarks on a decade of reckless and destructive behavior, Cheryl Strayed decides to walk the thousand mile Pacific Crest trail on her own despite having no experience with hiking.
PROSPECTS: This true story looks like a legitimate Oscar possibility for Witherspoon who has become one of those actresses who seems to have an Oscar-worthy performance every year.
OBSTACLES: Limited release and a very inwardly-focused narrative may not exactly lead to box office bonanza, although the same studio had big success with 12 Years a Slave last year.
FACTOID: The screenplay was written by noted British novelist Nick Hornby.
DECEMBER 5, 2014
THE PYRAMID (20th Century Fox) is a horror film in which modern day explorers discover a new pyramid buried in the sands of Egypt and then discover up close and personally the realities of an Egyptian curse.
DECEMBER 12, 2014
DEMONIC (Dimension) is about the investigation of a massacre in an abandoned house in which five college students were brutally murdered; one of the survivors explains that they were paranormal investigators whose ghost hunting woke up something truly terrifying. EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (20th Century Fox) is the retelling of the legend of Moses and Ramses from director Ridley Scott, with Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton in the respective roles. INHERENT VICE (Warner Brothers) features an all-star cast in a Paul Thomas Anderson film of a Thomas Pynchon novel set in the swinging ’60s.
DECEMBER 19, 2014
Opening in limited release, MR. TURNER (Sony Classics) stars Timothy Spall as British painter J.M.W. Turner, an eccentric who lived a colorful life and produced paintings that still divide the art world between acclaim and vilification.
DECEMBER 25, 2014
AMERICAN SNIPER (Warner Brothers), which opens in limited release and then expands to wide release on January 16, is the latest from director Clint Eastwood and tells the story of legendary Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who has recorded more confirmed sniper kills than any U.S. military man in history. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 (Paramount/MGM) returns most of the cast of the first film (sans John Cusack) who this time go back to the future to keep one of them from premature death. THE INTERVIEW (Columbia) received some controversy when North Korea threatened to go to war with the United States if this was to be released. It stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as a dimwitted talk show host and his producer who nab an interview with Kim Jong Un and are recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. It just makes one wonder; why would anyone go to war over Seth Rogen? PADDINGTON (Weinstein) is a live action/animated hybrid of the beloved children’s book character Paddington Bear and the second trailer for it looks like it may well be the best family film of the year. SELMA (Paramount), opening in limited release but expanding to a wide release on January 9, is the account of the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama which sparked outrage at the tactics that the Alabama state troopers and locals used to stop the march and eventually led President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965. UNBROKEN (Universal) is the incredible but true story of Louis Zamperini, an American Olympian who during World War II survived a plane crash in the Pacific and 47 harrowing days in a raft at sea, only to be picked up by a Japanese warship and face internment in a harsh Japanese prisoner of war camp.
DECEMBER 31, 2014
LEVIATHAN (Sony Classics) opens in limited release and is a Russian film about a land dispute in a remote Russian village that ripples through the family and community involved and exposes the corruption in the Russian judicial system. This was one of the most acclaimed movies to come out of Sundance this year.
HOW THEY DID LAST YEAR
ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES (Paramount) Budget: $50M. Domestic Gross: $125.2M Total: $173.7M Verdict: Hit.
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (New Line) Budget: $225M. Domestic Gross: $258.4M Total: $958.4M Verdict: Big Hit.
JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (Paramount) Budget: $60M. Domestic Gross: $50.6M Total: $135.5M Verdict: Broke Even.
SAVING MR. BANKS (Disney) Budget: $35M. Domestic Gross: $83.3M Total: $112.5M Verdict: Hit.
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (CBS) Budget: $11M. Domestic Gross: $13.2M Total: $32.9M Verdict: Hit.
THE MONUMENTS MEN (Columbia) Budget: $70M. Domestic Gross: $78.0M Total: $155.0M Verdict: Made Money.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (20th Century Fox) Budget: $90M. Domestic Gross: $58.2M Total: $188.1 Verdict: Broke Even.
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (20th Century Fox) Budget: $80M. Domestic Gross: $36.1M Total: $126.6M Verdict: Lost Money.
OUT OF THE FURNACE (Relativity) Budget: $22M. Domestic Gross: $11.3M Total: $14.1M Verdict: Flop.
47 RONIN (Universal) Budget: $175M. Domestic Gross: $38.4M Total: $151.0M Verdict: Flop.
GRUDGE MATCH (Warner Brothers) Budget: $40M. Domestic Gross: $29.8M Total: $44.9M Verdict: Lost Money.
TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA CHRISTMAS (Lionsgate) Budget: $25M. Domestic Gross: $52.5M Total: $52.5M Verdict: Broke Even.
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (Weinstein) Budget: $25M. Domestic Gross: $37.7M Total: $74.2M Verdict: Hit.
So there you have it, the last preview of the year and hopefully we’ll go out with a bang with some box office hits and some great movies that will keep the Oscar buzz going into the new year. As always; release dates are always subject to change, especially the farther out you go so be sure and check your local listings before heading out to your local multiplex.
There is a lot to look forward to next year which has studio accountants quivering with excitement – and film buffs and fanboys as well. A crowded schedule of movies that are already on a lot of people’s radars include the return of Star Wars to theaters, the new Avengers movie as well as the beginning of Marvel’s third cinematic phase, new installments in the Jurassic Park, Mad Max, Terminator, Fast and Furious, Divergent and The Hunger Games franchises, adaptations of Assassin’s Creed and The Jungle Book as well as a return of Pixar with Inside Out as well as the lovable Minions from Despicable Me getting their own movie – and a lot more. There are those who are whispering that 2015 may well be the greatest year in movies in decades and we’ll talk about all of it in the 2015 preview coming at the end of December. Until then, thanks for reading our Fall/Holiday preview edition and we’ll see you at the movies.

domain: artistic


text:
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domain: literature


text:
Pink Floyd host opens new online store
Ian Emes, the artist responsible for much of Pink Floyd’s live visual imagery, as well as having worked with Mike Oldfield, Roger Waters and Wings, has opened a new online store selling clothing, accessories, prints and other materials featuring his famous images. .
Emes, British director, artist, animator, innovator of cinematographic techniques, began a long collaboration with Pink Floyd in 1972 with the short film mingle – One of these daysthe first-ever synchronized rendition of Pink Floyd’s music, which you can watch below.
Emes is then in charge of animating Jthe dark side of the mooncreating the famous Weather sequence (Emes clocks) projected onto a circular screen. Emes was then commissioned to create sequences for Talk to me, On the run and us and them. Emes also created a feature-length rendition of Floyd’s 2014 album The endless river.
Roger Waters then asked Emes to create footage for the 1990s The Wall – Living in Berlinand was also featured on Waters’ epic screenings on huge screens during his sold-out Us And Them World Tour.
Emes has also created album covers, concept art and storyboards, directed nine feature films, television series and hundreds of commercials with Ridley Scott Associates, winning numerous awards including three BAFTAS and an Oscar nomination.
Check out Ian’s shop here.


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Author(s): Clery D, Torgerson P, Mulcahy G
Abstract Share this page
Abstract Eight adult cows, with an existing chronic Fasciola hepatica infection, were experimentally infected with 1300 metacercariae of F. hepatica, given as trickle infections, over two separate 10-day periods. Two fluke-naive heifers were similarly treated. Analysis of parasite-specific immunoglobulin isotypes IgM, IgG1, IgG2 and IgA showed IgG1 to be the dominant isotype in both chronically infected and previously naive animals. Lymphocyte proliferation assays demonstrated (a) an association between lymphocyte response and mature fluke burden in the chronically infected cattle and (b) no association between lymphocyte response and mature or immature fluke burden in naive heifers. There was no production of gamma-interferon (IFN gamma) by lymphocytes responding to adult fluke antigen. At post-mortem examination the burden of immature flukes in chronically infected and previously naive heifers was similar. This suggests that chronically infected animals may be tolerant to a moderate superinfection and that the prevailing immune mechanism in operation may be a non-protective response generated by the Th2 lymphocyte subset.
This article was published in Vet Parasitol
and referenced in Journal of Clinical & Cellular Immunology

domain: medical


Bunching custom fields aim to rearrange the related custom fields into one group. For instance, one group of contact information contains related custom fields such as name, phone number, address and email. Grouping may make the custom fields look better and more logical when they display. In addition, it brings some other benefits of organizing data afterward.
If you regularly work with many different projects in website development, especially the projects have the similar custom fields, this post will be useful for you. This guide will bring you an easy way to copy meta boxes and custom fields from one site to others with our Meta Box Builder.
Is it inconvenient when your emails of password reset or email address confirmations cannot go to your users because it went to their Spam folder? How to ensure that your users can see it without open Spam folder? Have you ever heard about transactional email services? It is the excellent solution for these cases. Let’s dig in and find out which service is the best.
There is one more nice week with our great upgrade of extensions. We’ve tried to make the plugin more and more powerful and flexible to use, so follow up our updates to get full of Meta Box’s power. Now, let’s see what we did last week!
In the first post of this series, we knew about the application of custom fields which allows users to add arbitrary information into posts. But what do you do after that? In the recent post, you also learned how to add custom fields programmatically and display them in your theme. But you’ll see a shortcoming if there is no classification and searching. This post will guide you on how to get posts by custom fields and we’ll create an interesting application: advanced search.
The default custom fields functionality in WordPress is to help end-users customize their websites fast and easily. But, it is limited to only text fields and thus, is not enough in most cases. In this post, we will learn how to take control of custom fields by creating our own new field types.
Custom Fields is an important and useful feature in WordPress and bring us a very high customization ability. So, let’s find out the basics, relevant techniques, and excellent applications of Custom Fields in this series.
Today, we have made a particular decision to change some terms & conditions in our Policy. Hope that all our friends will be clearer and feel the fair with this new one.


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The latest developer attempting to revive Garden Grove’s ‘rusty skeleton’ wants to convert the nine-story, rusted steel structure on Garden Grove Boulevard into 400 units of affordable senior housing, the largest affordable housing project in the city’s history.
The proposal would include an “inter-generational” partnership with the Boys & Girls Club where seniors would mentor, volunteer and interact with youth from the Boys & Girls Club, said developer Alexis Gevorgian, a managing member of the firm AMG & Associates.
“Studies show seniors live longer when they are associated with youth,” said Gevorgian.
The project would build on the existing steel frame, and includes 25,503 square feet of community rooms and recreational space and 12,938 square feet of retail on the first floor. It requires 310 parking stalls.
This latest proposal for the Galleria project, which is requesting an increase in density from the original 66 luxury condominiums planned for the site, will be right across the street from the city’s largest mixed-use development, the Brookhurst Triangle project. That development includes 674 units of mid- to high-end apartments, 272,000 square feet of open space and 65,000 square feet of commercial space.
The original plans for the Garden Grove Galleria project stalled in 2009 when the bank financing the project refused to pay the developer’s construction costs, citing a decline in the property’s value during the economic downturn.
Since then the building’s steel skeleton has sat unused and undeveloped, irritating residents and prompting calls from some city council members to act on a 2013 order to demolish it.
Efforts to revive the site have been mired in lawsuits over the original project and both the bank, Cathay Bank, and property owner, the Emlen W. Hoag Foundation, have tried for several years to find a new developer to take over the project and avoid a demolition order.
Then in August 2016, Cathay Bank sold its interests in the property to AMG & Associates, ending the legal battle and allowing the project to move forward.
Gevorgian estimates the project will appear before the city’s Planning Commission in the next 45 days. And there’s urgency, he said, because a federal tax credit the project is relying on will expire in February. The company will need to secure all entitlements to the property before then.
If the project is approved by the Planning Commission and City Council, Gevorgian hopes the company will be able to break ground within six months.
The additional 400 units would make a modest dent in the city’s long waiting list for affordable housing and rental assistance.
There are roughly 15,000 people on the city’s waiting list for Section 8 federal housing assistance, according to Deputy City Manager Maria Stipe. The list receives between 100 and 200 new applicants a year, and in the first nine months of 2017, just 17 people were given housing assistance, said Stipe.
In August, the city celebrated the grand opening of Wesley Village, a multigenerational housing project by Jamboree Housing, which includes a senior living and adult day care facility as well as a Head Start preschool center. The 47-unit development, which sits on property owned by the Garden Grove United Methodist Church, includes 31 family units and 16 units for senior citizens.
Contact Thy Vo at firstname.lastname@example.org or 415-484-9286. Follow her on twitter @thyanhvo.
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Lalitya Munshaw is the “Songdew Pick” of the week on www.songdew.com – India’s most innovative platform for artists and listeners that provides innovative tools for artists to spread and promote their music.
Lalitya Munshaw a versatile singer and a performer class apart Born to connoisseur parents with strong musical beliefs embedded deep into her family Lalitya Munshaw grew up to become a artist with a clear inclination towards music. Lalitya is now a consistent performing artist on the Indian as well as International circuit with critically acclaimed performances. Blessed with a serene and melodious voice, she has developed her own expressive style.
Lalitya Munshaw was felicitated by GCCI 2011- Gujarat Chamber of Commerce by Saurabhbhai Patel for her outstanding contribution as an young entrepreneur in the field of Music. Lalitya also Received the prestigious Pandit Omkarnath Thakur Trophy for classical music and the best singer award for four consecutive years by the Akhil Hind Mahila Parishad.
To check out his songs and videos and to know more about Lalitya Munshaw log on to http://www.songdew.com/LalityaMunshaw
Songdew picks up a new rising artist every week be promoted as the “Songdew Pick of the week” on the website. The artists are selected on the basis of their newly released music on Songdew that is innovative, aspiring and is being applauded by the listeners of Songdew. Lalitya Munshaw is the latest addition in the series of such rising stars.
Songdew is a growing rage amongst new and established singers, songwriters, producers Djs and composers who are using Songdew as a platform to collaborate with other artists , share their music with their fans and listeners, promote their music using cutting edge tools and also distributing it directly to their fans and listeners. Within a short span of time there are 3000+ artists who are using the service to spread and promote their music.
For more information, log on to www.songdew.com or write to us at:email@example.com


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Fine Dining in Mammoth
Tastefully elegant, deliciously prepared, that is what you will find
in our wide variety of fine dining restaurants at Mammoth Mountain.
Wild game is very popular, as is the "California" presentation of classic
dishes such as Seared Ahi Tuna, Rack of Lamb, Vegetarian Strudel, or local caught fresh trout.
The Restaurant at Convict Lake is a classic hideaway just outside of Mammoth Lakes and is a stand
out with its gourmet cuisine served in their old log cabin style restaurant. You'll find duck, wild game along with traditional items prepared to make you salivate. Petra's Wine Bar features an amazing
collection of wines by the glass and magically paired gourmet dishes that change nightly. They get fresh fish, game and match it with seasonal vegetables and amazing hand crafted desserts.
Mammoth Lakes Dining Guide
Our Mammoth Lakes restaurant that offer Fine Dining are famous for using a lot of local flair to give the food a mountain taste without sacrificing quality such as the rack of lamb with rosemary spears and blackberry coulis found at Lakefront Restaurant. You might saddle up to an long time local favorite, venison, prepared with the secrets from the rancher at Skadi's.
Be sure to make reservations and say that "City Concierge" recommend you so you get yourself a table otherwise you will be eating at 5:00 PM or 10:00PM especially on busy weekends. Or call us and we might be able to help 866-864-6444.
Be sure to check out our other recommendations in our Mammoth Lakes Dining Guide - American Food
- Fine Dining
- International Flavors
- Pubs and Clubs
- Breakfast and Lunch
- Coffee Houses
- Sweet Shops
- Take Out
and online menus
for more selections.


We’ve spoken at length in previous articles about how you can leverage social media to establish yourself as an expert and connect with existing and potential clients. When it comes to video content, longer videos were the more prevalent form of content used in online marketing and on social media. Think long informational videos, interviews and more.
Over time, however, this has changed, and today short-form video content, with its minimal time commitment and clever editing, has become an increasingly popular form of online content. This is true to such an extent that many social media platforms, even those that used to focus on other forms of online content, have added short-form video features to keep up with trends.
In this article we’re going to look at what short form video is, provide an overview of how online video changed over time, and offer some information on how to optimize your use of short-form video to grow your immigration law firm’s brand.
Typically, videos are classified as “short-form” when they are a minute long or shorter. Short-form video started to pick up popularity in the early 2000s with the once-popular but now defunct Vine, which started the short-form video trend on social media. One of the main reasons this format became so popular was because the short length required creators to push the boundaries of creativity to synthesize their messaging into a very short amount of time while still being engaging, informative, etc.
Although Vine is no longer here, short-form video has not only survived, but has also thrived. From Snapchat and TikTok, both of which started as a short-form social video apps (although the maximum time for videos on the platform has recently increased to 10 minutes), to Instagram Reels, Facebook Watch and even to YouTube Shorts, which was introduced in 2021, short form video is dominating social media today.
But just because short-form video is trending in society at large, does that mean that you as an immigration attorney should start creating TikTok videos? Well, in short, we think the answer may be yes, and here’s why.
Here are some reasons you should consider incorporating short-form video into your immigration law firm marketing strategy.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that the brevity of these videos implies you have to sacrifice on quality or value. While short-form videos are meant to be straightforward, with clever editing they can still be engaging and informative. Indeed, the goal is to give your audience one piece of information or actionable advice that they can take with them and then entice them to either reach out to you or engage with other content you might have that may be longer or more detailed. Think of it as an entry point to you and your knowledge, not the whole thing.
The appeal of short-form content lies in its relatability: it should feel like you’re just sharing something interesting with a friend. A good place to start for short-form videos could be by providing concise answers to frequent questions. You can provide short answers to topics you’ve explained in longer videos, provide quick updates on immigration law or policy changes, or provide a lawyer’s perspective on current events. To increase engagement, ask your audience for their opinions in the comments and remind them to share the video with someone else who may find it helpful.
Short-form videos can also be a way to build a more relatable side to your professional social media presence, letting your audience see a bit more of your personality, maybe even some of your personal story if it’s part of your “why” when it comes to practicing immigration law.
One of the hardest parts of building an audience online is figuring out what content will connect with them. Since a short-form video can, in theory, take just minutes to create, if something doesn’t work out (e.g. doesn’t get any engagement), you can always delete it and try a new idea without much loss of time, and with a rapid feedback loop of what works and what doesn’t.
If you’re still not convinced, here is something else to consider: given the popularity of short-form video as a marketing strategy across all industries at the moment, not giving it a try is potentially a missed opportunity to grow your firm and reach a new audience. YouTube Shorts is not even the most popular of these short-form video formats present on social media, but in its first month, it reported billions of views. There’s a reason why short-form video is increasingly becoming a go-to digital marketing strategy across industries and on all the various platforms where it’s available.
Before you reject the idea of doing something “just because it’s trendy,” remember that the goal of using social media to share your knowledge about immigration law is to get yourself in front of people who may benefit from your knowledge and experience and, hopefully, convert some of them into clients. Most likely, the online platform of your choice already has a short-form video integration: Instagram has Reels, YouTube has Shorts, and TikTok and Snapchat are made for short-form videos from the start.
As more lawyers across industries catch up on social media marketing in general, keeping up with trends such as video marketing is the best way to stay ahead of the curve and keep your law firm relevant. Given the rising popularity of short-form video and the relatively low cost of getting started, it’s worth a try.
Social media marketing allows you to continue growing your immigration law firm and show your ability to connect with people as technology changes and societal trends change with it. As you grow and support more clients along their immigration journey, you’ll need a case management system equally as adaptable.
From a full library of immigration forms to client questionnaires in multiple languages to an industry-leading set of API integrations, Docketwise helps you stay up to date on all your cases, communicate easily with your clients, and otherwise build and manage your firm.


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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is known for his iconic charisma and delivery both in the wrestling ring and on the big screen. And according to a new survey by Adobe, fans also want him to be the voice of their smart speakers.
A new survey published in the Adobe Analytics June 2019 Voice Report showed that of the people polled, nearly a third wanted celebrities to be the voice to their speaker devices (think Amazon Echo or Google Home). Of those potential celebrities, Johnson won the poll with a whopping 47 percent of the vote, beating out other major Hollywood stars like Will Smith, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey.
Back in April Google introduced a new feature in its Google Home devices that allows it to use the voice of music icon John Legend. So if Johnson decided to lend his voice to a smart speaker device, he'd be in good company.
Johnson is booked to appear at the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Monday night to receive this year's Generation Award, which honors actors who have turned themselves into household names in the entertainment industry with their various performances.
"Johnson is an icon on both film and TV who has become one of the most beloved actors of our generation," Amy Doyle, General Manager, MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo said in a press release. "Throughout his career, Johnson has proven to be the ultimate badass - an action star with a flair for comedy, one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time and a true family man. He continues to captivate his audience worldwide and we are thrilled to celebrate him with the Generation Award."
In 2018 alone Johnson starred in Rampage, Skyscraper and the HBO series Ballers while also producing the wrestling family comedy Fighting With My Family. Some of his upcoming projects include the upcoming Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, a sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jungle Cruise, Red Notice, The King and San Andreas 2.
On the subject of Hobbs & Shaw, MTV asked Johnson on Monday about the rumor that Keanu Reeves might appear in the upcoming film.
"I love Keanu," Johnson said. "You know Keanu, obviously he's having this just awesome time in his career. We talked about it, we talked, 'Hey dude, just somewhere down the line, let's do something for sure.' But as if now, in Hobbs & Shaw, not Keanu."

domain: entertainment


text:
Hen Harrier numbers drop over 25% in Special Protected Areas
Hen Harrier populations in several of the designated Special Protected Areas (SPAs) have declined 26.6% since 2005, the results of the the 2015 National Survey of Hen Harriers show.
John Lusby, Survey Coordinator with BirdWatch Ireland said that the fact that the SPA network holds 44% of known pairs in the country, which is a significant proportion of the population, shows just how important these areas are in the national context.
“The current survey results confirm that populations within parts of the SPA network are declining and without intervention through appropriate management further declines at certain sites are anticipated.”
As a requirement under the EU Birds Directive in 2007, Ireland designated six sites as SPAs based on their national importance for breeding Hen Harriers.
Birdwatch Ireland has said that management of this SPA network requires that Hen Harrier populations are maintained and enhanced while also being compatible with stakeholder requirements.
The survey suggests that the decline of Hen Harriers may be linked with declines in availability of their preferred habitat, changes in habitat quality and associated effects on food availability.
Furthermore, it found that it is likely that land-use changes over the past 50 years, which may have resulted in an increasingly fragmented and/or unsuitable landscape for upland breeding birds, may be impacting on the Hen Harrier.
Due to the increase in survey effort in 2015, Birdwatch Ireland has said that the most accurate assessment of national population trends can be calculated through a comparison of Hen Harrier numbers in specific survey squares which were covered across the various national surveys.
These results indicate a decline of 16.4% in the national Hen Harrier population since 2010 (based on assessment of Hen Harrier numbers recorded within 139 10km squares surveyed in both 2010 and 2015) and 9.7% declines since 2005 (based on 110 10km squares covered in 2015 and 2005).
A comparison of the survey area (78 10km squares) which was covered in all four national surveys (since 1998) indicates that the population has fallen from 110-155 pairs during the first national survey in 1998 – 2000, compared with 95-130 pairs in 2015, which is an overall decline of approximately one third (-33.5%) over this 15 year period.
Dr. Allan Mee, Survey Coordinator with the Irish Raptor Study Group, said that there was a wide range of different pressures recorded in the national survey both within and outside SPAs, and many of these warrant further investigation.
“Pressures such as forest maturation, clear-felling, wind energy production, agricultural intensification, uncontrolled burning and degradation of important open habitats such as heather moorland, turf cutting, and recreational disturbance were all recorded by observers during the study.
“It is important to understand why some harrier populations may be declining and thus a comprehensive and scientifically robust action plan is needed to maintain or enhance existing Hen Harrier populations into the future.”

domain: biology


CHARLOTTE, NC (Mark Price/The Charlotte Observer) - Providence High students have a legitimate claim to being social media music stars, after racking up more than 26,000 views of a music video on YouTube and Facebook.
More than 300 people have posted YouTube comments on the video, the bulk of them written in Russian. Why isn't exactly clear.
The video, called "CANZ 7.0," features Providence High students doing a parody of rapper Waka Flocka's song "No Hands," and it's part of a push to publicize a good cause: The Carolinas Student Hunger Drive. The effort is part of a national drive that promotes volunteerism and recruits high school students to help feed the hungry.
In the nearly 5-minute video, students are seen rapping about various types of canned goods, with guests appearances by school staff and the Charlotte skyline.
It was posted Feb. 27 on YouTube and there are hundreds of comments on the video, many of which appear to be from students in Russia. Some say they connected to the video through the Polina Sladkova lifestyle channel on YouTube, which caters to Russians. The video has 19,000 views on YouTube and nearly 7,000 on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Facebook.
"In love with these people. I can't stop watching this video," posted Fjxjfh Tjrhdh on YouTube.
"Guys, you are so cool. With love from Russia," posted ?Alexandra Primorskaya on YouTube.
"I do not know what you are singing about, but it sounds like cool," wrote ??????.
The rappers are students Kelly Berenfield, Ethan Scheper, Aniketh Dumpala, Elliott Schultz and Bryce Desai, most of whom were also involved in directing, editing the producing the video.
This is not the first time the school has done a video for the hunger drive, but it is apparently the most viewed.


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I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. - Audre Lorde, "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action"
It's when we take a standard from a very localized historical place, a racial formation, a white racial formation, and we say, "That is what is good writing. That is what is clear. That is what is logical," and so, therefore, we grade based on that, that's where I have problems… - Asao B. Inoue, "Unlearning White Language Supremacy"
Citation is also a deeply political act. Who we cite matters because citation reproduces the inequalities in our disciplines or scholarship, as well as the larger world. Our citations can affirm colonial structures or citations can function as a powerful corrective; they can counter inequality rather than maintain it. - Kelly Baker, "Citation Matters"
Examples of citations and references in online spaces:
Excerpt of text with embedded links from a New Yorker magazine article
Sample from abolition website listing podcasts, articles, and videos with simple text and embedded links.
Boxes of various images that link to additional resources and social media posts from yəwak collective.
Set of boxes with links to resources from LinkTree.