Archive for November 17th, 2008
‘Quantum of Solace’ Banks Bond $67 Million Opening Weekend
After setting a new box office record for its opening weekend in the UK, the latest James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’ earned a more than respectable $67 million during its opening weekend in North America.
Although reviews have been mixed, with some hailing it as the best film in the spy flick’s history and others saying ‘Quantum’ is more Bourne than Bond, the 007 franchise is a blockbuster franchise that is as popular as ever.
Did you see the film on opening weekend? How did it compare with Casino Royale or the pre-Craig era Bond movies?
“Quantum of Solace,” with Daniel Craig returning as James Bond, easily made for the best opening weekend for the spy franchise, earning more than $67 million at the box office. The series’ first direct sequel opened with nearly $30 million more than its predecessor, 2006’s “Casino Royale.”
Tags: California | Culture | hollywood | United States | UK | BOND | James Bond | Box Office | bourne | 007 | quantum of solace | bond opening weekend
Miley Cyrus Is Not Dead
Everybody stay cool, Miley Cyrus is not dead. And neither is Hannah Montana.
The internet rumour mill is an effective means of disseminating mistruths and, this time, there was no reason to believe that Miley Cyrus had been killed by a drunk driver.
The “Hannah Montana” star, who is alive and well, was the victim of an Internet hoax over the weekend when someone hacked into her YouTube account and posted a video alleging she’d been killed by a drunken driver.
The video, which has been taken down, had a fake message from Cyrus pal Mandy Jiroux, who swiftly denied the rumor in a posting on her official MySpace page.
Tags: Culture | hollywood | Nashville | Celebrity | United States | YouTube | Miley Cyrus | Hannah Montana | miley cyrus not dead | miley cyrus killed | miley cyrus drunk driver | mandy jiroux | myspace rumor miley cyrus
Stars Speak Out Against Proposition 8
Nationwide protests took place across the United States on the weekend, against the passage of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California.
Along with the thousands of demonstrators, celebrities are also speaking out against the ban.
Comedian Wanda Sykes, who is married to a woman, has been a vocal opponent of Proposition 8.
Seems Ellen DeGeneres isn’t the only funny lady with a wife. Comedian Wanda Sykes is also married to a woman.
Sykes spoke out this weekend at a rally in Las Vegas protesting the passage of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California.
“We took a huge leap forward [in electing Barack Obama] and then got dragged about 12 steps back. … Our community was attacked,” Sykes told the cheering crowd.
“The New Adventures of Old Christine” star told the audience that she married her wife on Oct. 25. But she admits she doesn’t talk about her sexual orientation often in public. However, the recent passage of Proposition 8 has made her so angry that she has decided to be more vocal.
“If we had equal rights, we shouldn’t have to be standing out here demanding something that we automatically should have as citizens of this country,” Sykes said. “… I said, ‘You know what, now I gotta get in your face.’ And that’s what we all have to do now. They pissed off the wrong group of people! They have galvanized our community.”
In addition, stars including Christina Aguilera, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, Ellen DeGeneres, and Velvet Revolver’s Slash have also spoken up in solidarity and support of same sex marriage rights:
While Christina Aguilera called the passing of Prop 8 “discrimination,” Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz told NME News, “I also look forward to the chance to continue supporting civil rights and speaking out against the passing of Proposition 8 and others like it (I’m looking at you, Arizona and Florida) whenever and wherever I can.”
“I do feel hopeful,” Ellen DeGeneres told afterellen.com. “I feel excited…but certainly that was an emotional day for me the next day [after the election] and trying to do a show when I felt that sad inside but I kind of bounced back. I feel good now.”
The talk show host hopes today’s protests will “be done peacefully and in the right way.” Meanwhile Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash and his wife Perla Hudson posted a video asking fans to “say no to hate and yes to equality” by joining today’s protests.
Tags: California | Culture | hollywood | Gay Marriage | Celebrity | Same Sex Marriage | United States | Slash | Aguilera | Proposition 8 | gay marriage ban | prop 8 protests | Pete Wentz | wanda sykes married | wanda sykes
Rumours Confirm Angelina Jolie is Pregnant Again
All it takes is one snippet of one celebrity interview, paired with publication in one celebrity magazine, and then the aforementioned celebrity is officially pregnant/alive/dead/in rehab/out of rehab/married/cheating/engaged/single/retiring/having plastic surgery/too fat/too thin/on meds/off meds/drunk/dating/DUI/arrested.
This time round the rumour goes like this: Angelina Jolie, who recently gave birth to twins, is apparently pregnant again — having mentioned to In Touch magazine that she has considered having more children…at some point.
According to In Touch, “friends say” Angelina Jolie is pregnant again. And because Jolie told In Touch “we are going to have more kids,” they took that to mean she’s with child now. How do these ridiculous celebrity rumors get started?
Tags: Culture | Entertainment | hollywood | Celebrity | United States | Angelina Jolie | Brad Pitt | Brangelina | angelina jolie pregnant | celebrity pregnany
Top 10 Most Hated Cliché Phrases
BBC’s Magazine has posted a funny list of its readers’ most hated cliché phrases.
To be honest and fair, going forward, this is basically something that, at the end of the day, we’re likely to touch base about again.
Let’s face it, the fact of the matter is that literally all of us succumb to the use of these stock phrases — even when bringing our A game and giving 110%.
What are your most hated clichés — and how do you avoid them?
According to an online survey, cliches like “at the end of the day”, “24/7″ and “literally” are among the most reviled. Here are 20 more that particularly irk Magazine readers.
1. My vote for most irritating cliche has to be “basically”. I even manage to irritate myself by using it, although I do try not to.
AS, Salford, England
2. A few minutes ago I said “basically” was the most irritating cliche. I’ve changed my mind: “To be fair” is the most awful thing anybody can ever say, particularly since it is invariably followed by a biased and utterly unfair comment.
Ian, Sheffield
3. My most hated expression has to be “to be honest”. What does it mean? Are you normally dishonest then? To my shame you might even catch me saying it.
John Airey, Peterborough
4. It has to be “going forward”, used by business people/politicians, as in: “Going forward, we need to do…X.” Since time is irreversible, it’s totally unnecessary. No one experiences life “going backward”.
Alex Brodie, London
5. As far as irritating cliches go, the phrase “the fact of the matter is” must top the list. The fact of the matter is, that it rarely is the actual fact of the matter. It is usually just the speaker’s own opinion.
C Starkey, London
6. Overused cliches I dislike are “let’s face it” and “let’s be honest”.
Clive, Nottingham
7. The worse cliche I hear is “touch base”. If anyone knows where that came from please let me know so I can go back in a time machine and stop it from ever being said. I have a feeling it was a 1980s invention.
Hazel, Notts
8. I was looking at your well-worn phrases and although “at the end of the day” is a bad one, I absolutely detest anyone saying “110%” or “150%” or any other variant. It is 100% and nothing more. You can’t get more than a whole. I’m glad I got that off my chest…
Par, Dundee
9. My old boss used to tell us that everything was “in the pipeline”. One disgruntled staff member commented that this pipeline seemed to be a very long and very clogged-up sewer.
Al, Wellington NZ
10. The phrase I hate is “the reason being”. Particularly when used by people who are trying to sound educated. They invariably show off their lack of education with the next phrase.
Alex Knob, UK
Tags: Culture | UK | cliche | Phrases | cliches | hated cliches
