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24 Oct 2010 12:43

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Culture: “Paranormal Activity 2” no “Blair Witch”-style flash in the pan

  • $41.5
    million     the amount “Paranormal Activity 2” made in its first weekend; the first film, released a year ago, had a “Blair Witch”-style theatrical run
  • $13.3
    million     the amount the unsuccessful “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” made in its first weekend; it made just $26 million in its entire run source
  • » Another thing to point out: The theatrical run of the first “Paranormal Activity” has the distinction of making a huge amount of money in a small number of theaters. In its third weekend, it made $7.6 million in just 160 theaters, scoring an unheard-of $49,379 per-theater average. And they didn’t even need 3D to pull it off, either. They just needed $15,000 and a great gimmick.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Oct 2010 18:06

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Culture: Point to “Pictures of Muslims Wearing Things” in NPR spat

Aziz Ansari: Born Muslim. He wears clothes, but not the kind that raised Juan Williams’ eyebrows. He’s not alone, as the “Pictures of Muslims Wearing Things” Tumblr proves. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Oct 2010 21:44

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Culture: Huckabee: We must end this practice that doesn’t exist

  • demand In the wake of Juan Williams’ firing, Mike Huckabee has called for Congress to stop all federal funding of NPR.
  • reality The federal government doesn’t provide any direct funding to NPR. A worthy cause to fight for, Huck! source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 3 Comments • Permalink

21 Oct 2010 13:50

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Culture: Sex.com sold! Possibly valuable domain name changes hands

  • $13 million, basically the most expensive sex ever source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Oct 2010 10:57

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Culture: Hillary Clinton jumps onto the “It Gets Better” bandwagon

  • Take heart, and have hope, and please remember that your life is valuable, and that you are not alone.  Many people are standing with you and sending you their thoughts, their prayers and their strength.  Count me among them.
  • Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Making her own “It Gets Better” video. She’s the most prominent person to make one of these videos, but by far not the only one. Dan Savage’s movement has gotten a lot of attention in recent weeks (especially in the wake of Joel Burns’ speech). But is it helping? Simon Owens of The Next Web recently asked some of the video creators whether they thought the videos would have helped them. “I think it would have been amazing,” said one video-maker, Khris Brown. “I think it would have made me feel less alone.” Owens’ suggestion at the end of the article is that the videos not only have their own outward benefits, but  work as “a method of confronting and addressing the video-makers’ own demons as well.” That’s exactly why this idea is so effective. It empowers the maker as well as the watcher. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2010 10:47

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Culture: Vatican not familiar with The Simpsons’ recent decline in quality

  • Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it, but it is true: Homer J Simpson is a Catholic.
  • An article in the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano • Making the claim that Homer J. Simpson is a Catholic whether he likes it or not. The article bases its analysis on a 2005 episode of the show where Homer and Bart convert to Catholicism at the suggestion of a priest played by Liam Neeson. Yeah, you read that right. A 2005 episode. Which means that it’s not canon and you don’t need to care about this analysis. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Oct 2010 13:41

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Culture: Idiots rule the world: “Jackass 3D” tops box office, and then some

  • $50
    million     the amount “Jackass 3D” made in its first weekend, topping the box office by a wide margin
  • $20
    million     the amount it cost to make the film, which was helped greatly by 3D ticket sales source
  • » Compared to the series: The latest film in the “Jackass” franchise, which is known for having a really huge opening weekend and falling off fast, is doing pretty good even by those standards. The most successful film in the series, “Jackass: Number Two” has made $72 million, which “Jackass 3D” is bound to top by accident. It might have also helped that the franchise has been relatively dormant for a few years.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 5 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Oct 2010 19:42

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Culture: Joel Burns’ “It Gets Better” moment goes viral for the right reasons

  • This video has gotten over a million views in just three days. The “it gets better” message that Fort Worth council member Joel Burns lets out is one of deep struggle – he went through many of the things that gay teens went through – but one that he came out all the better for. His message? So will you. This feels like a corner-turning moment. The weeks since Dan Savage started the “It Gets Better” campaign have proven pivotal in building understanding for gays – of all ages, young and old. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Oct 2010 14:02

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Culture: Whiny babies Cablevision, News Corp. fight over money in public

  • The question becomes, how long is it going to last and who’s going to blink first?
  • BTIG media analyst Richard Greenfield • Regarding Cablevision’s dropping of local Fox network stations from its lineup in a financial dispute. Who gets hurt when giant media companies fight over stupid crap like money? Sports fans, of course. If this isn’t resolved by Sunday, they could lose a number of football games. If it’s not settled by tonight, they could lose game one of the NLCS – especially problematic because the Philadelphia Phillies are in the series and Cablevision covers mostly Philly and NYC. We know you babies love being right and winning a war over money, but most people don’t like being inconvenienced. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Oct 2010 11:34

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Biz, Culture: Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa trying another brand on for size

  • Say it ain’t so, Old Spice guy! Isaiah Mustafa has taken his ad mascot on the road –and down under – to Australia, where he’s helping launch Windows Phone 7, based on the ad above. But, but, bu… Old Spice needs you, man! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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