1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - $108.9 million ($200.0 million)
2. The Proposal - $18.5 million ($69.1 million)
3. The Hangover - $17.0 million ($183.0 million)
4. Up - $13.0 million ($250.2 million)
5. My Sister's Keeper - $12.4 million ($12.4 million)
6. Year One - $6.0 million ($32.5 million)
7. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - $5.4 million ($53.4 million)
8. Star Trek - $3.7 million ($246.3 million)
9. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - $3.6 million ($163.3 million)
10. Away We Go - $1.7 million ($4.0 million)
(Gross for weekend of June 26-28. Figure in parentheses is total gross to date. Source: www.boxofficemojo.com.)
You may want to take your last breath of smoke-filled air before you enter the vicinity of a N.C. hospital from now on. As of July 6 state hospitals will be officially tobacco free. This new rule applies to hospital sidewalks & parking lots as well. And FYI, you might as well catch on quick before Charlotte starts running these commercials:
Five people, places, and things we really ain't digging today.
Drake and Lil' Wayne, who want to (gasp) every little girl in the world. (Video)
Parenthood: MJ was not the father.
Parenthood Part 2: John Edwards is the father.
Poor Ruth Madoff she's living off of only $2.5 million. (tear)
Tasers & Charlotte. (And the fact that they do not mix)
On July 4 at 4 p.m., Joseph-Beth Booksellers will feature artist/bookseller Nathan Spoon's artwork throughout the store (see select paintings below, in order: 1. "Woman on a Red Blanket"; 2. "Cup & Saucer"; 3. "Forgotten Onion"; 4. "Moonlight Boat"). Wine and appetizers will also be available.
No comprendo ingles... and that works for Bank of America. Poor BofA, they just can't get anything right anymore.
The former workers said they were going public to lay out what they saw as a little-known side of BofA's business model: encouraging working-class customers to sign up for high-interest-rate credit and cash advance services and structuring an array of check and debit card services to maximize overdraft fees and other charges.The campaign will be launched publicly this week, with workers scheduled to tell their stories in news conference calls and meetings with members of Congress. The union is seeking to pressure the bank and to build support for legislation now stalled in the Senate that would make it easier for union members to organize.
Charlotte native Sasie Sealy is among the 10 semifinalists in the Netflix FIND Your Voice competition presented by Netflix and Film Independent (FIND). Over 2,000 aspiring moviemakers submitted two-to-three-minute video shorts, with FIND selecting these 10 remaining candidates for the grand prize: a $150,000 production grant for a full-length feature, film equipment, distribution through the Netflix Web site, and advice during production from industry insiders.
The five finalists will be selected by the public; go here to watch the shorts and cast your vote (voting is open now through July 5). Sealy's film is a fantasy thriller titled SARAHN_12. On the site's Leaderboard, which tracks viewer votes, her short is presently in seventh place.
The winning film will be chosen from the remaining quintet by a panel of judges (including Oscar nominee Josh Brolin) and will premiere at the 2010 LA Film Festival.
Remember Bubbles? Before Michael Jackson had kids, he had a chimp. Fortunately, it wasn't forced to live with Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother. Unfortunately for MJ's kids, it's off to grandma's house they go.
Guess that's not so bad, though -- right? I mean, her kids turned out, um, yeah ... it's bad.
Though, Michael loved Katherine. She was reportedly one of the few people he stayed in touch with in the large Jackson family.
Just keep Joe away from the kiddos, will you, Katherine? He might try to sell them on Craigslist or something.
With all the discussion surrounding the shocking death of Michael Jackson, people have wondered whatever happened to his beloved chimpanzee Bubbles. It turns out, the chimp is alive and well and monkeying around in a Florida primate sanctuary, PEOPLE has learned.
The 26-year old chimp, who lived with Jackson in the late 1980s, has spent the past four years at the Center For Great Apes, home to forty-two chimpanzees and orangutans.
"He's a very sweet and nice chimp, he really is," says sanctuary director Patti Ragan.
Michael singing to his Momma:
Are you ready for a former professional comedian as U.S. Senator? You may as well be, because the Minnesota Supreme Court has confirmed that Al Franken was the winner of the election in that state. You remember? There was an election w-a-a-a-y back in November? Franken's move to the Senate will give the Democrats 60 seats in that venerable body, although it's not as big an advantage as you'd think, if recent tiffs between liberals and centrists in the party are any indication. Franken will be among the most liberal senators, and by far the funniest (unless you really start thinking about Larry Craig again, but that's another type of funny).
Vibe, one of the top hip-hop and R&B magazines since 1993, is shutting down. The company will provide a statement later on in the day. I would imagine that money, as well as the state of the music industry, have something to do with this. Nevertheless, it was a powerhouse while it lasted.
Championship caliber chiseler Bernie Madoff was rightfully sentenced to 150 years, i.e., the rest of his life, in prison yesterday for gypping many people out of their savings through the the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. The way I see it, thats one down -- one of several crooks-in-suits who should be headed to jail. My guess, though, is that few of the other weasels will ever be arrested. Im not talking about the 10 other people who allegedly helped Madoff in his massive fraud, and who are set to be prosecuted next. The crooks Im referring to are the heads of lending institutions who brought the American economy to its knees and ruined lives while gambling our collective future on ill-considered ticking time-bomb loans for way-overpriced houses high-risk loans which were then bundled and used as collateral for even higher-risk investments. As bad as Bernie Madoffs crimes were, they pale before the damage done by these shysters. Its encouraging that Angelo Mozilo, head honcho of scandal-ridden Countrywide Mortgage (which was subsequently bought by Bank of America), has been arrested, but heres my question: Why havent the rest of the leading lights of the mortgage scams and derivatives schemes been hauled off to jail? Its good that Madoff was caught and prosecuted, but there are bigger criminals who committed less personal crimes, perhaps, but, still, massive financial crimes against the nation itself who, apparently, will remain free.