Out of 110 million homes with televisions only 9,000 get to decide what stays and what goes? Surely, there has to be a better and more precise way to do this. The addition of families with DVRs should have some impact on shows that have to compete with hit series like CSI and Desperate Housewives. It may tell us that series considered a flop are actually seen by a lot more people than currently believed.
Looks like Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong, the third film to be made of this story, will be the number one film this weekend with an estimated $50 million gross, $66 million since it first opened, nearly $150 million worldwide. By any standard that’s a hit, but it will be compared to Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and last week’s champ, The Chronicles of Narnia, and called a disappointment. Of all Jackson’s films, only LoTR: The Return of the King had a higher opening gross; of course, all three of those films went on to gross more than $300 million in the US alone. I can’t see King Kong doing the same, but I can easily see it grossing $250 million. The same may not happen for Narnia, which fell more than 50% from its opening last week.
What’s interesting about these box office grosses is Brokeback Mountain. In less than 75 theaters — mostly likely on the east and west coasts — and the film has already grossed more than $3 million. Yeah, some of that is surely caused by the "scandal" of the movie’s subject matter, but that can’t be all. When this film goes national it will easily gross more than $100 million, especially if it can take home some Oscars.
Tell me, why is a book on communism reason for the Department of Homeland Security to visit anyone? Why would this book be cause for concern? It’s a book! Are there not more important things for the DHS than this? This is a shining example of why people don’t support the Patriot Act. There is no reason, none, for the DHS to traumatize a student simply for reading a book about communism — none, damn it! The day when our government starts telling us what we can or cannot read is a sad day for this nation. It’s a sad day already just because this happened.
Via Huffington Post.
According to the US Census Bureau, poverty increased for the fourth year in a row to 37 million people; according to the Great American Bake Sale® 13 million American children are at risk for hunger and one in four people standing in line for a soup kitchen is a child; yet, the only thing Christians can get their righteous indignation up for is the fact that stores say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Jesus would be so proud, wouldn’t He? Instead of engaging in these very un-Christian boycotts and protests maybe they should pick up their Bibles.
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor— let them be caught in the schemes they have devised. (Psalms 10:2)
Happy are those
who consider the poor;the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. The
Lord protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies. (Psalms 41:1-2)When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me; clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?" And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:31-40)
Via BuzzMachine.
Both the New York Times and the Washington Post have their panties in a twist over President Bush’s authorization of secret wire tapping on US citizens, but is it too little too late? The Washington Post has been little more than the president’s mouthpiece since September 11, and the NY Times’ reporting on Iraq and WMD has been less than good. Their righteous indignation is insincere at best.