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The 'Expendables 3' Bombs Opening Weekend

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sylvester stallone expendables 3

"The Expendables 3" had a very poor opening weekend. 

The latest installment featuring a variety of large name action stars ranging from Jason Statham to Sylvester Stallone made a weak $16.2 million opening weekend coming in fourth behind the rebooted "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" ($28.4 million) and "Guardians of the Galaxy" ($24.7 million).

"Expendables" also came in behind newcomer "Let's Be Cops," starring "New Girls" duo Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. The Fox comedy made $17 million.

The movie was expected to make between $23 and $25 million this weekend.

While "Expendables 3" received poor reviews and leaked online three weeks ahead of its film release, since the series' debut in 2010 each installment has had a smaller opening weekend and has made less domestically at theaters.

TitleOpening WeekendDomestic GrossWorldwideEstimated Budget
"The Expendables"$34.8 million$103.1 million$274.5 million$80 million
"The Expendables 2"$28.6 million$85 million$305.4 million$100 million
"The Expendables 3"$16.2 million  n/a

SEE ALSO: Here's why Jackie Chan turned down the "Expendables" sequels

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The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now

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Obama returnsWelcome back from the weekend! It's chilly in London but it's all sunshine in New York. And now, here's what people will be chatting about on Monday. 

1. Riots in Ferguson, Missouri, have reached a new level of violence after police imposed a curfew. The chaos began five nights ago after an officer shot and killed an unarmed teenager. The results of a preliminary autopsy report released by The New York Times shows that 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot at least six times.

2. Iraqi Kurdish fighters with the help of U.S. forces made a big push Sunday night to take back Mosul dam from IS militants. Barack Obama said he supports strikes on the country's largest dam as a measure to ensure the Iraqi government can continue to provide "critical services" to civilians. 

3. Ten tourists swam more than six hours to a nearby island after their boat sank off Indonesia. Others made it to safety on a lifeboat. Two of the 25 passengers are still missing. 

4. Thirty-five people, including young children, were found inside a shipping container that landed at a dockyard in England. The stowaways were Sikhs from Afghanistan, police said. An investigation is underway after one man died. 

5. There is exactly one month to go until Scotland votes in the independence referendum. On that day, voters in Scotland over the age of 16 will answer one "yes" or "no" question: Should Scotland be an independent country?

6. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with Ukrainian, Russian, and French officials in Berlin on Sunday to discuss bringing an end to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The foreign minister said the talks were difficult but some progress had been made, the BBC reports. 

7. U.S. banks are thinking about moving their business to Ireland if the U.K. leaves the European Union. The Financial Times reports: "Ireland’s attractions for US banks include its low corporate tax rate, English speaking population, English-style legal system and eurozone membership."

8. "The Ice Bucket Challenge" has raised more than $13 million for ALS since July 29, The New York Times reports. In the challenge, a person dumps a bucket of ice water on their head, posts the video to Facebook or Instagram, and then challenges three others to do the same. Bill Gates did it and you should too. 

9. China said Monday that Mercedes-Benz was found guilty of price manipulation, Xinhua news agency reports, according to Reuters. The carmaker was being investigated for using its "leading position to control the prices of its spare parts, repair and maintenance services," an anti-trust regulator told Xinhua.

10. President Barack Obama cut his vacation to Martha's Vineyard short and returned to Washington early Monday to discuss the situations in Iraq and Ferguson, Missouri. "Part of the decision to head back to Washington appears aimed at countering criticism that Obama is spending two weeks on a resort island in the midst of so many foreign and domestic crises," the Associated Press said. 

And finally...

According to new research published Sunday, a drug tested on five men and seven women showed promising results for reversing the effects of baldness associated with the autoimmune disease alopecia

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The New 'Harry Potter' Theme Park Is So Well Hidden In Universal, It's Someone's Job To Tell People Where To Go

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walking inside wizarding world of harry potter diagon alley

This past July, Universal Studios opened an expansion to its Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park with a new attraction called Diagon Alley.

We recently visited the park and unless you know where it's located (or have a park map), it could be slightly difficult to find. Universal must think so too, because an employee stands outside of the area at all times shouting and pointing to the attraction's entrance.

At least that was our experience during our 3-day stay at the parks.

Here's where the entrance to Diagon Alley is. Can you spot it?diagon alley

It's right in there. diagon alley location harry potter world

This may sound like a problem, but it's not. The park entrance does a great way of staying true to the books, making fans very happy.

In the novels, one way into Diagon Alley is by tapping a specific brick in order to unveil a hidden alleyway.  

In the same vein, Universal’s Diagon Alley is hidden behind a giant brick wall in its London section of the park.

If you're a fan of the series you're blown away by the immense detail that went into recreating the scene. If you're a mere muggle (non-magical folk) who isn’t familiar with the world of Potter then you’ll probably wonder why Universal went to the trouble of hiding its biggest money maker in the park. 

Here's what it feels like walking into the new park area:

diagon alley entrance harry potter worlddiagon alley brick wall wizarding world of harry potterdiagon alley hole in wall wizarding world of harry potterdiagon alley opening wizarding world of harry potter

Here's a quick GIF of what it's like to walk into Diagon Alley.

diagon alley harry potter theme park entrance 

According to NPR, the first Harry Potter park, Hogsmeade, helped increase attendance by 30% and more than doubled visitors after it was added in 2010. 

NPR reports Diagon Alley cost Universal around $400 million, according to analyst estimates. 

It appears well worth the investment. The area is the most popular attraction (other than a new Simpsons' ride close by) in the parks. Both are so crowded it's often difficult to walk down the streets.

SEE ALSO: I bought a $47 interactive Harry Potter wand and it was totally worth it

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Here's The Dirty Little Secret IMAX Doesn't Want You To Know

The 33 Most Expensive Movie Props Ever Sold

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We know the most expensive movies ever made, but do you know which props were sold for the largest amount?

A study by eBay Entertainment Memorabilia gathered the most expensive movie props used in films in a new infographic.

Costumes and cars make up most of the memorabilia, ranging from Dorothy's ruby red slippers in "The Wizard of Oz" to the DeLorean from "Back to the Future."

The most expensive prop? According to the study, that's the white dress Marilyn Monroe wore in "The Seven Year Itch," which sold for a reported $4.6 million.

Take a look at all of the pricey props below:Movie Props 

SEE ALSO: Most expensive movies ever made

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The One Thing 'The Giver' Author Lois Lowry Urged Filmmakers To Edit

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Lois Lowry The Giver

Those who went out to see "The Giver" this weekend in theaters may have noticed a few major changes from author Lois Lowry's best-selling novel.

Two decades after the film rights were first optioned, the $25 million movie pulled in a paltry $12.7 million at this weekend's box office — likely in part because we've already seen similar young adult book-to-movie adaptations.

But Lowry says the long-awaited movie is more the result of the filmmakers. She told The New York Times Magazine's Jessica Gross about her involvement with bringing the popular book to the big screen:

The film rights were optioned probably 18 years ago, so this has been a very, very long process. My entire involvement is as an interloper, an onlooker, an opinion giver. I don’t have any contractual involvement, so they could have gone ahead and made it without consulting me at all, but they’ve been gracious about involving me.

But the 77-year-old author did have one crucial note for filmmakers:

I remember seeing the costume designs for the female lead, Fiona (Odeya Rush) — in the book she’s 12, and in the movie she’s 16. I advised them that some of the costumes were too sexy. And so the hem was dropped a little bit. I asked them: 'Please don’t turn this into a teenage romance.'

Main character Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is also aged in the film. In the book, Jonas is just 12 years old, but the character is age 16 in the movie  an alteration that co-star Jeff Bridges wasn't initially comfortable with.

"When I heard that they were going to cast older people, I had to really decide, ‘Bon voyage’ and go our separate ways, or engage,” Bridges has said. “And I decided to do that (stay), even though I knew it wasn’t going to match my particular vision. I’m so glad that I did get on board."

In the end, only three kisses are exchanged throughout the entire film and there is much less violence than in other young adult adaptations like "The Hunger Games" or "Divergent."the giver brenton thwaites

Instead, "The Giver" tells the story of Jonas, who is chosen to learn from an elderly man (Jeff Bridges) about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world outside of his seemingly utopian society.the giver jeff bridges

Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgard play Jonas' mother and father.

katie holmes alexander skarsgard the giverThe film also stars Meryl Streep as "Chief Elder." Lowry was so impressed with the actress' performance that she said: "[Meryl] turns it into a complex character. I think they did a terrific job adding that level in. I wish I could go back and rewrite the book and expand that role."jeff bridges meryl streep the giver

SEE ALSO: The 'Expendables 3' Bombs Opening Weekend

MORE: Harvey Weinstein Forced 'The Giver' Movie To Change The Book's Ending

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Here's Chris Christie Showing Off His 'Rambunctious Gyrating' Dance Moves With Jamie Foxx

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has demonstrated yet again that he can bust a move.

At a Saturday night event in the Hamptons, the potential 2016 presidential candidate got involved in an "energetic dance" with actor Jamie Foxx, the New York Post reported Sunday night.

After performances by Gladys Knight, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting and Pharrell Williams, Foxx reportedly called out to Christie in the audience, "I know you’ve got a dance in you, Chris Christie."

The resulting performance — which the Post described as "rambunctious gyrating" — was captured on video:

Here's a GIF of one of Christie's moves:

chris christie gif

This was not the first time Christie has displayed his dancing skills, however. In June, Christie showed off a number of moves when he appeared on the "Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon:

christie gif

 

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Bob Iger Nominated Chris Pratt For The Ice Bucket Challenge, And His Response Was Great

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When the CEO of Disney asks you to dump a bucket of ice water on your head, you do it.

So when Bob Iger was nominated for the ALS challenge by Apple CEO Tim Cook, he, in turn, nominated three major characters from Disney properties: Peter Quill (Marvel’s "Guardians of the Galaxy"), Tony Stark (aka "Iron Man"), and Olivia Pope (ABC’s "Scandal").

Watch Iger, wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, take the challenge below:

In response, Chris Pratt, who plays Peter Quill in "Guardians of the Galaxy," had one of the better ice bucket challenge videos we have seen.

While initially trying to get out of the challenge by chugging blue ice vodka and a Smirnoff Ice drink, Pratt's actress-wife, Anna Faris, changes the game on him.

chris pratt als ice bucket challenge

Pratt went on to challenge co-stars from "Everwood," "Parks and Recreation," and "Guardians of the Galaxy." Watch the full, funny video below:

 

"Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. also accepted Iger's challenge from the comfort of some glorious looking vacation destination  or maybe just his backyard.

RDJ went on to nominate Vincent D'Onofrio and "my old pal Thor, that's you Chris Hemsworth."

Kerry Washington, who plays Olivia Pope on ABC's "Scandal," made an Instagram video after "my boss, Bob Iger, challenged me," before going on to nominate Jimmy Kimmel.

Bill GatesMark Zuckerberg,  Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, and a slew of celebrities are among the many other high profile people who have dumped buckets of water on their heads to raise money and awareness for ALS.

SEE ALSO: Why Your Facebook Friends Are Pouring Buckets Of Ice Water Over Their Heads

MORE: Here's How Chris Pratt Got Ripped For Marvel's 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'

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Why 'The Giver' Was Too Late To The Young Adult Movie Franchise Party

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the giver jeff bridgesIf "The Giver" had opened in the 1990s as originally intended, before the young adult dystopia boom, it could have been huge. The film opened just north of $12.7 million this weekend, which is chump change compared to other movies in the genre. 

Unfortunately for The Weinstein Company, the film's distributor, we live in a post-"Hunger Games" world where the market is incredibly overstuffed with dystopian young adult projects. While somesucceed, othersflounder, and even though 'The Giver' may have been the novel that inspired the entire genre, its formula has been sucked dry by all the competition and the film is no longer as culturally relevant as a result.

the giver brenton thwaites

The blockbuster "The Hunger Games" series likely would not have existed without Lois Lowry's "The Giver," and according to the film's producer, "The Giver" film itself would never have made it to the screen if it weren't for the success of "The Hunger Games."

This seemingly mutual relationship is actually more one-sided than it appears — since "The Hunger Games" was released first, it not only stole "The Giver's" proverbial thunder, but also its shot at financial success. 

Rebecca Ford at The Hollywood Reporter reported on the film's tumultous path from page to screen and points out a number of fascinating details, like the fact that adapting the novel has been a passion project of Jeff Bridge's for nearly two decades.

Jeff Bridges Meryl Streep The Giver

Bridges originally wished to direct his father in a "Giver" adaptation, but the project slipped through the cracks time and time again, and he eventually lost the rights. In 2009, 

Bridges got the rights back (after more failed attempts to set up the film at different production companies) and, after the success of "The Hunger Games," Harvey Weinstein expressed interest in adapting the seemingly unadaptable novel. This time Jeff Bridges would play the role originally intended for his father.

Since the film was made on an estimated $25-$30 million budget, it shouldn't have any problem breaking even at the domestic box office. In that sense, "The Giver" is signifcantly smaller scale than most dystopian science-fiction, yet it's certainly trying to be just as ambitious. While it will certainly recoup its budget and most likely turn a (relatively small) profit,  the film will get nowhere near the exposure that it should for being an adaptation of the be-all, end-all dystopian YA novel that essentially started the trend. 

In Hollywood, timing can be everything. While bloggers argue over whether the tension in Ferguson this week will affect the box office results for "Let's Be Cops" (early estimates show that the answer to this quandry is "no"), in the case of "The Giver," it's just simply too late in the game for the film to thrive. The next installment of "The Hunger Games" trilogy-plus-one is on the horizon, as is the sequel to this year's slightly disappointing but still profitable "Divergent."

No matter how great the film may be (reviews are fairly mixed), there is simply no room for "The Giver" in this crowded and over-saturated demo to make a real impact.  

SEE ALSO: The One Thing 'The Giver' Author Lois Lowry Urged Filmmakers To Edit

MORE: Author Lois Lowry: Harvey Weinstein Changed The Ending To 'The Giver' Movie

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Every 10 Minutes A Fire-Breathing Dragon Startles Crowds In The New 'Harry Potter' Theme Park

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diagon alley harry potter

The first thing you see when entering Diagon Alley, the new addition to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios, is a giant statue of a white dragon looming down from atop a lopsided bank at the end of the alleyway.

Fans of the series and books will recognize it as the Ukrainian Ironbelly which Harry, Hermione, and Ron rode to freedom after breaking into a vault at Gringotts bank in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

What bystanders didn't expect was that the dragon actually came to life every 10 minutes, growling and rumbling before spewing fire.

The event took bystanders in the alley by surprise and startled many.

While recently at the parks, we took shots and video of the dragon from multiple angles as he roared to life.

It was an awesome display.

Here he is from the front:

dragon diagon alley

Here he is from the side later in the evening:

dragon close up diagon alleydragon side breathing fire wizarding world of harry potterdiagon alley dragon fire night

Attractions Magazine filmed footage of the dragon being assembled in several pieces which were brought in via a crane in late May.dragon diagon alley constructiondragon wing diagon alleydiagon alley dragon construction

IBISWorld analyst Andy Brennan estimated the new section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter cost Universal $400 million.

SEE ALSO: The new "Harry Potter" theme park is so well hidden in Universal, it's someone's job to tell people where to go

AND: I bought a $47 interactive "Harry Potter" wand and it was totally worth it

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5 Reasons 'Let's Be Cops' Isn't Worth Your Money

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"Let's Be Cops" may already be profitable less than a week after its debut, but that doesn't mean it's worth your time.

The film, about two struggling pals who dress as police officers for a costume party and get caught up in real life crime, has been universally panned by critics. But as a fan of Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. on Fox's "New Girl," I had to check it out for myself. Unfortunately, the critics were right.

Here are five reasons why you should stay far away from "Let's Be Cops." 

1. The details are utterly implausible. 

Let's Be copsThere's not one sequence in "Let's Be Cops" that seems believable. From the opening sequence, nothing we see on-screen registers as taking place in the real world, and crucial plot details are conveniently presented without any real attempt of an explanation.

Ryan (Jake Johnson) and Justin's (Damon Wayans Jr.) trivial abuses of power eventually lead to real cases, but don't bother scratching your head over the logistics of how two non-cops can show up to a crime scene and exit swiftly prior to the real ones ever showing up.  Once real police officers start believing their schtick, all chances of believability are completely out the window. 

2. We've seen this plot countless times. Lets Be Cops

The actual "plot" of the film is painfully familiar. The seeds are sowed in the opening sequence as Ryan and Justin get into an altercation with some intimidating looking thugs. Every buddy cop movie has its villains, and this time the "insert-intimidating-gangsters-here" that our fake cops happen to upset are Russian mobsters.

As an audience, we know it's only a matter of time before these baddies rear their heads again, and the script offers a total of zero surprises as it goes through the motions. Anybody whose ever seen any other movie in the genre can accurately predict every single beat of the story, which makes it a real chore to sit through.

3. There are so many wasted opportunites. 

Lets Be Cops

The real kicker is that "Let's Be Cops" is one of those dumb ideas that could be great. A buddy-cop movie where the two buddies aren't actually cops is a funny logline, but the script is so weak that no matter how hard Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. try, it's always an uphill battle.

Many cameos by talented comedians are also let-downs, with amazingly funny people like Natasha Leggero and Keegan-Michael Key relegated to unfunny caricatures. The biggest letdown has to be Rob Riggle as the legitimate police officer who just can't get enough of Ryan and Justin's wacky tactics. Riggle usually shines in bit roles like this (both "Jump Street" films, "The Other Guys") but here he is given nothing to work with.

4. If the film keeps making money, it could spawn bad sequels.Lets Be Cops

It's always troubling when inferior releases do so well at the box office, as Hollywood likes to follow trends. It wouldn't be shocking if a "Let's Be Cops" sequel gets announced later this week, as the film only cost $17 million and has already grossed $26 million domestically thus far. At the very least, we will certainly see more of Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. on the silver screen. 

5. It's just not that funny. Lets Be Cops

When it comes down to it, all I expect from a comedy is laughter. If I laugh more than I groan, I consider that film a success. During the film's grueling 104 minutes, I laughed a total of three times, and two of those scenes were in the trailers.

The filmmakers seem to have mistaken useless banter for jokes, as almost every scene begins with Ryan and Justin disagreeing about what miraculously stupid thing they'll do next and ends with them doing the exact thing they just spent five minutes bickering about. If you're going to make a film this brazenly silly, at least have the audacity to go all-out, and no, that doesn't mean using your R-rating to show us an obese man's scrotum. In the right hands, "Let's Be Cops" could have been a hilarious satire that skewered the genre, but instead we're left with a hollow shell of what could have been.

SEE ALSO: ‘Let's Be Cops’ Opens With Strong $5.2 Million at Box Office

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'Wolf Of Wall Street' Jordan Belfort Is Writing A TV Show About The Excess Of Wall Streeters

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Jordan BelfortJordan Belfort  the real life stockbroker and scam artist who inspired "The Wolf of Wall Street" — is teaming up with "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner and Australian billionaire James Packer to produce and write a “Mad Men”-style TV show about the excess of Wall Street in the 1980s.

Basically, "The Wolf of Wall Street" the TV show.

“The idea was to come up with a show about that period with really interesting characters, and so my manager pitched the idea to Brett Ratner, who fell in love with it,” Belfort explained to the Weekend Australian in a new interview.

Brett Ratner

Packer says of the future series: "I respect Jordan for his perseverance. Like many others, he is a man that made a lot of mistakes but he isn't hiding. Jordan worked hard to build his new career and this adventure is an important part of his journey."

Belfort, who will co-write the series, will produce the show alongside Ratner, Packer, and Wall Street financier Steven Mnuchin’s production company, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, reports PageSix.

In September, Ratner's RatPac-Dune closed a $450 million financing deal with Warner Bros. to fund up to 75 upcoming films. "Gravity” was the first title covered by the new, four-year partnership  which pocketed the company a cool $40 million.

"The Wolf Of Wall Street" has raked in over $392 million since it's Christmas Day release last year. Belfort was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Oscar-nominated Martin Scorsese film.

Belfort spent 22 months in prison after defrauding more than 1,500 investors during his career as a stockbroker in the 1980s. He was ordered to pay $110.4 million in restitution to victims of Stratton Oakmont. He hasn’t finished paying them back yet, but has said that he would be able to finish doing so thanks to his $100 million speaking tour

As a stockbroker, he made about $50 million per year.

In December, Belfort was pitching an uplifting reality show to various networks, in which he would "step in to help others who, like him, have hit rock bottom but still hold out some hope for redemption," according to The Hollywood Reporter. No word yet on whether the show has been picked up.

SEE ALSO: We Saw 'Wolf Of Wall Street' With A Bunch Of Wall Street Dudes And It Was Disturbing

MORE: NYC Entrepreneur Slams 'Wolf Of Wall Street' Scene In Which He Introduced Jordan Belfort To His Future Wife

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Taylor Swift Announces First-Ever Pop Album, Debuts New Music Video

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During a much-hyped Yahoo live-stream, Taylor Swift just announced that she’s releasing her first official pop album.

Swift, who has done more country-pop music in the past, will drop her new album, titled "1989" (the year in which she was born), on October 27th.

“I woke up not wanting but needing to make a new style of music,” said the 24-year-old singer, adding that it's her “favorite album I’ve ever made.”

Here's the Polaroid picture cover of the album:Taylor Swift album cover 1989

Listen to the first single "Shake It Off" below:

Taylor rocks quite a few different looks throughout the video:

Taylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor SwiftTaylor Swift

 

SEE ALSO: IGGY AZALEA: Meet The 24-Year-Old Aussie Rapper Who Is Taking Over The Summer

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The Incredible Story Of How Chris Pratt Got His Big Break While Living In A Scooby Doo Van In Maui

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chris pratt scooby doo van

Chris Pratt can expertly rap every single Eminem lyric off the singer's 2001 "Chronic" album.

The talent, Pratt has said, is due to the fact that the actor "listened to that and smoked weed every day" while living "in a van in Maui" after college. 

He explains to The Independent:

"Aged 17, he left college after one semester and worked selling coupons before he "retired" aged 19. By which he means that he took up his best friend's offer to buy him a one-way ticket to Maui, Hawaii. "It's a pretty awesome place to be homeless," he says, remembering his days sleeping in a van or in a tent on the beach. "It would be different if I lived on the streets of Chicago and ate garbage from a dumpster. We just drank and smoked weed and worked minimal hours, 15-20 hours per week, just enough to cover gas, food and fishing supplies. You know, it was charming time."

It was during this time that Pratt waited tables at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, where one day he had a conversation with actress Rae Dawn Chong that ended up changing the course of his life.

''I was like, 'You're in the movies, right? I always wanted to be in the movies,''' he recalled to EW. ''She said, 'You're cute. Do you act?' I was like, f--- it, 'Goddamn right I act! Put me in a movie!'''

Chong ended up casting Pratt in her directorial debut, "Cursed Part III," prompting him to leave Maui and his "living in a van" days behind.

''The moment she told me she was bringing me to LA, I knew,'' he said. ''I was like, 'This is what I'm going to do with the rest of my life.'''

After all the press the van has been getting lately, Pratt dug up a photo to prove its existence to fans:

SEE ALSO: Watch Chris Pratt Do An Incredible Job Rapping An Eminem Song

AND: Here's How Chris Pratt Got Ripped For Marvel's 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'

MORE: Bob Iger Nominated Chris Pratt For The Ice Bucket Challenge, And His Response Was Great

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The 10 Highest-Grossing Summer Movies Of 2014

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guardians of the galaxy gamora star lord

The summer 2014 box office may be down nearly 20%; however, it still managed to bring one billion dollar movie and two of the highest box-office openings August has ever seen ("Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles").

As the summer winds down, we've compiled the biggest movies of the season, breaking each film down by both its international and domestic revenues. Unsurprisingly, all but two films on the list have made more money overseas. 

A few take aways:

  • Comedies were bigger at home than overseas.
  • Fox dominated the summer with three very different sequels: superhero film "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," and comedy "22 Jump Street."
  • Paramount was the only studio to have a movie hit $1 billion this year.
  • Universal Pictures doesn't break the top 10. It's highest-grossing movie of the year so far has been comedy "Neighbors" ($264.7 million worldwide).

highest grossing movies 2014

SEE ALSO: Photos of Lee Pace's awesome transformation into the "Guardians of the Galaxy" villain

AND: You can now watch the best scene from "Guardians of the Galaxy" online

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Sony Has A New Feature Coming For The PS4 That Will Bury The Xbox One (SNE)

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sony e3 press ps4Amid all the exciting announcements coming out of last week’s Gamescom trade show in Cologne, Germany, Sony announced a handful of new features coming in its 2.0 firmware for PlayStation 4.

And while firmware is rarely anything to get excited about, this particular update is different — because it will effectively help Sony put distance between itself and Microsoft’s Xbox One.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 has outsold the console competition for seven straight months now, with PS4 sales roughly double that of Xbox One sales worldwide, according to Metro. But with this new update, the PS4 is about to become a much more powerful and user-friendly gaming platform.

The big reason? “Share Play,” which was promised when Sony announced the PS4 at E3, is a feature that allows you to play with any of your PlayStation Network friends over the internet — even if you don’t own the game. (It's free to register a PSN account.)

This particular feature uses just a single copy of your game that is run locally on one system, and then you or others can invite your friends to play that game with you by streaming it to their consoles. So if you own a racing game that your friends don't have, you can still play your game with them online (think an HBO Go password, but more social).

But there’s more: 

“For example, if there is part of a game that you can’t quite finish, you can invite a friend to take over your controls,” Sony says on its blog. “Like handing over the controller to a friend on your couch, your screen will be shared as your friend gets through the part of the game that has been giving you trouble.”

No Man's SpeciesShare Play sounds extremely promising as a potential game changer for this generation of consoles. Still, Sony says it will limit "Share Play" sessions to one hour each, and lag may unfortunately affect how enjoyable this user feature is. We’ll have to see how well the functionality works in practice.

Why would Sony allow people to play games without paying for them? It's a way to get people hooked on the system, which should boost hardware and software sales overall.

Other useful additions are inside that 2.0 firmware, including — finally — YouTube support. Before this update, PS4 users could only record and share their gameplay clips to Facebook or an external hard drive. But for all of those gamers looking to make money off their video-gaming achievements or follies, Sony is baking YouTube right into the PS4’s OS to make recording and sharing drop-dead simple.

The Xbox One has one particular advantage over the PlayStation 4, which is its ability to instantly return to where you left off in your game when you wake the console from sleep mode. Sony has actually promised this capability for the PS4, but it is not here yet — still, Sony says it “will have more to announce in the coming months” with regards to this fall’s big 2.0 firmware rollout, so there is still hope for this game suspension feature reaching the PS4.

Though both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have plenty of first- and third-party games coming to their respective systems this fall, this year’s console wars might come down to how well these consoles can play with other platforms and ecosystems. A game-sharing online multiplayer mode and added support for YouTube will certainly help Sony’s next-gen console, which is getting ready to celebrate its one-year anniversary in just a few short months.

NOW WATCH: The Dirty Little Secret IMAX Doesn't Want You To Know

SEE ALSO: Don't Watch This Footage From The Next 'Silent Hill' Game Before You Go To Sleep

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Mara Wilson Openly Grieves Robin Williams' Death: 'We're All His Kids, Too'

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Known for her roles in "Matilda" and as Susan in "Miracle On 34th Street," and, maybe most notably over the last week, Robin Williams' 5-year-old daughter Natalie in "Mrs. Doubtfire," Mara Wilson took to her blog yesterday to openly grieve the death of her co-star and friend who died on August 11 after committing suicide.

Mara Wilson

Wilson, now 27, remained far from social media since learning of Williams' death last week, but wrote a wonderful and quite lengthy tribute on her blog, describing him in the way his fans have come to know him: hilarious, kind, versatile in talent. 

Mara Wilson

The post is chock-full of memories and anecdotes about Wilson's relationship with Williams, like the time she ran into him in Washington Square Park — she, a student, while he was filming a movie — but she also described a Williams the public may not have seen:

Robin was so on so much of the time that I was surprised to hear my mother describe him as “shy.” “When he talks to you,” she told her friends, “he’ll be looking down at his shoes the whole time.” I figured he must have been different with grown-ups. I wouldn’t see that side of him myself until a few years later, when I was invited to be part of a table read of What Dreams May Come. He came alive in the reading, and had us all laughing at lunch, but my strongest impression came when we saw each other for the first time that day. Robin crossed to me from across the room, got down to my level, and whispered “Hi, how are you?” He asked how my family was doing, how school was, never raising his voice and only sometimes making eye contact. He seemed so vulnerable. “So this is what Mom meant,” I thought. It was as if I was seeing him for the first time. He was a person now.

Wilson writes her regret of scoffing at the idea of a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire:

I had thought maybe the next time I saw Robin I would explain myself to him, let him know that I had loved working with him but didn’t feel like we could do it again, and that being in major studio films again meant a level of scrutiny I didn’t think I could deal with. I wanted to apologize and know he understood. It hurts to know I can’t.

You can read Wilson's full blog post here. She ends her tribute with a memory — one of the best lines she had in Mrs. Doubtfire.

1408455247 mara wilson in mrs doubtfire gif were his goddamn kids too 

SEE ALSO: Robin Williams' 'Mrs. Doubtfire' co-star tweets about losing her friend

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New 'Homeland' Trailer Hints At Series' Return To Glory Days

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homeland season 4.JPGAfter a few teasers in July, the first trailer for “Homeland” season 4 is here, and it looks like we’ll finally see a return to the series we were first introduced to in 2011. 

If you haven’t been happy with the Showtime drama the past few seasons (it began dabbling in the romantics and side stories), the new one should be a huge revitalization to the series as it focuses on Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) out in the field in charge of Istanbul’s CIA unit. 

At this year’s TCAs (Television Critics Association), producer Alex Gansa confirmed season four will be a big change from the past, focusing on the "public and private costs of keeping America safe." 

The changes come at a time when the show has lost its position as an award’s show darling. 

While both Mandy Patinkin and Danes received Emmy nominations for season 3, it’s the first time since the series’ launch the show itself hasn’t received an a nod for its writing. It’s also the first time it will be left out of the best drama race.  

To kick off the new season, “Homeland” will return with two episodes October 5 at 9 p.m. on Showtime.

SEE ALSO: Photos from the new season of "Homeland"

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'Odd Future' Rapper Calls Out Taylor Swift For Her New Video: 'It's Offensive And Harmful'

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Taylor Swift

Queen of teens Taylor Swift announced a new album Monday — "1989" — and released the video for the record's first single, a poppy tune called "Shake It Off."

The video, which shows Swift imitating various dance moves (like twerking) from an eclectic variety of musical genres (like hip-hop), was immediately called out by Odd Future rapper Earl Sweatshirt, saying that the video was "inherently offensive and harmful."

He continues:

He makes a valid point. Take a look at some shots from the video, like Swift crawling under a bunch of twerking women.

Taylor

Or this:

Taylor2

Swift, with her gold hoops and sub-par (and likely, purposefully so) dance moves, just croons "haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate."

You can watch the full video here:

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A New App Will Help You Photoshop Yourself Into Celebrities' Selfies

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Shane Walker and his team of cofounders.

Who doesn't wish they could have been a part of that famous Ellen selfie from last year's Oscars? 

Now you can make that dream a reality, thanks to a new app called Doublie, which launched Tuesday.

Doublie makes it super easy to photoshop yourself into selfies with celebrities. Once you download the app, you can choose from a gallery of celebrity photos and then insert yourself into the pic so you can share it on social media and (hopefully) get tons of likes and comments.

Doublie creator Shane Walker, a Standford grad, just sold his last startup SocialWeekend to Adknowledge in April. For his next venture, he decided to tap into the selfie craze.

"People want to put people and things in their photos, they want to put pop culture in their photos," Walker told Business Insider. "It’s a way for them to connect to greater events and it’s hilarious. Whenever I use Doublie I get more likes and comments. We’re hoping to be the biggest, baddest platform for this type of activity."

Here's a solid doublie with Queen Bey:

Doublie

But don't worry, the app isn't limited to just celebrity selfies. You can also find different overlays like Hammer pants or Grumpy cat to make a picture more exciting.

For instance, Walker decided to add the Mike Tyson tattoo to his face in this picture:

Doublie

And then he got creative with Jared Leto:

Doublie

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