It would be so easy to write this Last Vegas trailer off with just a dismissive “oh it’s The Hangover with old dudes” and yes, it is, but look at who those old dudes are. Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline (who has the ability to take what should be standard fare and make it so much better), Robert De Niro, and Michael Douglas… all in one movie together. Check out the Last Vegas official trailer below! Last Vegas Official Trailer Of course it looks like a run of the mill group comedy in Vegas, once again, but I have hope. If Britney Spears can do Vegas , then certainly so can this talented group of actors.
Paul Bhattacharjee, a British actor best known for roles in Casino Royale and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , was found dead this week after a multiple-day disappearance. He was 53 years old. The actor was last spotted departing the Royal Court theatre in London on July 10. His body was allegedly discovered – at Splash Point cliffs in East Sussex – on July 12, but the corpse was not officially identified as Bhattacharjee until yesterday. According to the BBC, police do not suspect foul play. Bhattacharjee’s last known communication was a text to his girlfriend the day he went missing, while his son told The Evening Standard that his father vanishing was “completely out of character.” After news of his death became public, actress Parminder Nagra Tweeted : “Very sad to hear the news about Paul Bhattacharjee. My thoughts are with his loved ones.” THG echoes those sentiments.
A Michigan Burger King franchise apparently feels that when it comes to its slogan “Have It Your Way,” the way four-year-olds want it is really baked. A family found a marijuana pipe in their four-year-old’s kid’s meal box, according to reports. Instead of a Jungle Book toy, they got a glass bowl. Tight. The boy’s grandpa went to the Dundee, Mich., restaurant to pick up his burger, then discovered that fries weren’t the only item it came with on the side. Dundee Police Chief David Uhl said the pipe was full, too: “He handed the kid’s meal that he had gotten at Burger King to his 4-year-old grandson and when they opened it up they found a loaded marijuana pipe.” The boy’s parents were “on top of it,” he said, and removed the piece, which a 23-year-old employee hid in the meal box earlier while he was at work. It was then inadvertently filled with food and given to the young customer, and the employee was charged with drug and paraphernalia possession. This gets stranger still. After making the discovery, grandfather noted a “suspicious” car in the parking lot and wrote down the license plate number. The kids in the car, 18 and 20, turned out to be friends of the BK employee who attempted to warn him when cops were called in to handle the matter. They were arrested and charged with drug possession as well. Burger King said in a statement: “This Burger King restaurant is owned and operated by a franchisee who enforces a zero-tolerance drug policy.” “The franchise management team is cooperating fully with [police]. BK and the franchisee extend a sincere apology to the guests involved in this incident.” Silver lining for BK? They’re far from alone in this regard: A Wendy’s employee was seen guzzling Frosty from the machine . A Taco employee was photographed licking shells . Golden Corral stores meat by the dumpster . Taylor Chapman went on a racist rant against Dunkin Donuts employees after not receiving … check that, DD actually handled that one well.
Detroit is bankrupt. As in out of money. The major American city’s well-documented financial problems have apparently worsened beyond anyone’s expectations. Once emblematic of industrial clout, Detroit became the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy today, its finances ravaged by years of decline. The bankruptcy filing, which had been feared for months, leaves Detroit’s future on an uncertain course, to say the least, in the years ahead. Officials say that laying off municipal employees, selling off assets, raising fees and scaling back basic services are all possibilities going forward. They felt this was their only way to move forward at all, however. “Only one feasible path offers a way out,” Gov. Rick Snyder said. Kevyn Orr, a bankruptcy expert hired by the state to stop Detroit’s fiscal free-fall, filed under Chapter 9, the bankruptcy system for cities and counties. Orr said Detroit would continue paying its bills and employees. The city’s woes have piled up for generations. In the 1950s, its population grew to 1.8 million people, many lured by plentiful, well-paying auto jobs. But like many cities, Detroit declined along with the industry, and as developers starting building suburbs. Today, the population hovers around 700,000. Orr was unable to persuade creditors, unions and pension boards to take pennies on the dollar to help with the city’s massive financial restructuring. Orr said he “bent over backward” to work with creditors, rejecting criticism that he was too rigid. “Anybody who takes that position just hasn’t been listening.” While its outcome is uncertain, the bankruptcy could last through summer or fall 2014, which coincides with the end of Orr’s 18-month appointment. Snyder determined earlier this year that Detroit was in a financial emergency comprising a “never-ending cycle” without a plan for improvement. “The citizens need and deserve a clear road out,” he said. “The city’s creditors and public servants, deserve to know what promises the city can and will keep.” “The only way to do those things is to radically restructure the city and allow it to reinvent itself without the burden of impossible obligations.” No matter what, at least they’re not simply giving up … Family Guy Clip: Detroit Gives Up
Rolling Stone’s Dzhokhar Tsarnaev cover story has inspired an ever-growing list of boycotts among retail outlets, including now by 7-Eleven stores. The chain is joining the outrage at Rolling Stone , which put Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover with a piece on his life leading up to the Boston bombing. A rep for 7-Eleven, Inc. says that it “will not sell the August 1 issue of the Rolling Stone magazine” inside any of its 1,700 company-operated stores. There are another 5,900 franchised stores, and the rep says they’ll also urge those franchise owners to pull the issue spotlighting the alleged terrorist. CVS, Walgreens, and Stop & Shop have also boycotted the issue. What do you think of the controversial Rolling Stone cover? Why not? He’s topical and interesting … What a disgrace. View Poll »
Stephen “Stippo” Rakes, a possible witness in the murder trial of alleged crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger, has been found dead, reports indicate. The body of Rakes, 59, showed “no obvious signs of trauma” and an autopsy is being done to determine the cause of death, officials said. The corpse was found yesterday at 1:30 p.m., police said. Rakes had been eager to testify that Bulger threatened his family at gunpoint and forced him to turn his liquor store into a front for the Winter Hill Gang. But earlier this week, prosecutors informed Rakes he would not be called to testify, a decision that left him “despondent,” a source close to his family said. The judge overseeing the Whitey Bulger trial hunkered down with lawyers in a confidential conference at the courthouse today where the trial is being held. Bulger, 84, alleged to be a notorious and murderous crime boss and federal informant, is standing trial after being found on the lam in California in 2011. Rakes was to testify that Bulger and Stephen Flemmi threatened his daughter at gunpoint, and took over his South Boston liquor store for Bulger’s headquarters. However, Bulger sidekick Kevin Weeks testified last week that Rakes’ contention that Bulger’s gang put a gun to his daughter’s head was bogus. News of his death investigation came on the same day that Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi was slated to take the stand against Bulger as well. The two men ran the Winter Hill Gang for decades while also working as informants for the FBI, according to prosecutors and courtroom testimony. Police told the Rakes family the death appeared to be a suicide. However, a source close to the Rakes family told ABC News early Thursday that “he had no phone, no wallet, and police are still looking for his car.” The body was positively identified as Rakes this morning. Rakes’ longtime friend Steve Davis, whose sister Debbie was allegedly murdered by Bulger, had met him for breakfast daily before court. Davis said he last saw Rakes Tuesday in court but then couldn’t reach him all night Tuesday and yesterday he did not meet him in the courthouse. “Stippo would not kill himself. Absolutely not,” Davis told ABC News. “He was looking forward to taking the stand. He told me over and over he had a big bombshell to drop. “He had everything to live for and was looking forward to his day in court.” Davis – who lost his sister, brother and father to homicide, and whose daughter was killed in a drunk driver accident – was devastated by the news. “It doesn’t make sense,” Davis said.
Mary-Louise Parker has nearly had it with the blogosphere. The former Weeds star – who will next be seen in Red 2 and R.I.P.D . – told News Corp Australia that she’s “really not into” acting anymore due to the endless stream of hatred on the Internet. “The world has gotten too mean for me, it’s just too b—-y,” Parker said . “All the websites and all the blogging and all the people giving their opinion and their hatred … it’s all so mean-spirited, it’s all so critical.” Parker isn’t sure what inspires these users, but she can theorize. “It’s sport for people,” she said. “It’s fun to get on at night and unleash their own self-loathing by attacking someone else who they think has a happier life – or something.” The actress (who looks REALLY good naked ) said she tries to stay away from the comments or to brush them off, but it’s difficult. “You have no idea until it happens to you. It doesn’t feel nice,” she said. “I stay away from it as best I can because I’m too thin-skinned, but still it finds you.” And if Parker does drop out of the business? What might she do? “I would write still. I write for Esquire and writing makes me happy. I would take care of my kids and my goats. That’s about it. Bake. Throw my Internet in the lake.”
Production on ABC’s Castle currently being delayed due to a dispute with star Nathan Fillion, but it’s not that the actor is holding out for more money. He just wants a four-day work week. The actor did not show up for work Friday as he continues to push for this production change, though he was back on set Tuesday, reports say. It’s unclear how long production will be affected or whether he is also expected to take this Friday off, but this has been a point of contention for awhile. While ABC and producers want to keep Fillion happy, they are reluctant to shift to a four-day work week, given that he is in almost every scene. He hasn’t taken the feud public, however, Tweeting about Castle Season 6 guest star Lisa Edelstein and posting a photo of show crew members. Castle is still set to return Monday, September 23 … we hope.
Marina Lopez, a Queens mom believed to be bipolar, snatched her seven-month-old child during a visit in an NYC foster-care agency Tuesday. An Amber Alert was issued after she somehow managed to walk out of the agency on 7th Ave. near W. 125th St. in Harlem with little Mario Danner. An NYPD update Wednesday morning said that the suspect may be driving a tan 1995 Lexis ES300 with the New York license plate #GEX1377. Lopez lost custody of Mario more than three months ago after she was caught brawling in front of the baby, sources close to the case confirm. Administration for Children’s Services officials said they are working with police to find Lopez, who is described as 5’7″ and 130 lbs., with brown hair. She was last seen wearing a pink t-shirt and floral shorts. Mario is described as 20 inches tall and 25 lbs., wearing a gray t-shirt and black shorts. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 866-NYS-AMBER.
Shailene Woodley of The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Divergent fame is showing fans a new side of herself in the new issue of Interview . A self-proclaimed environmentalist with a high regard for herbalism, the actress discusses her lifestyle with Emma Stone, while posing provocatively: “I was on a quest to find out what healthy really meant … so I started researching indigenous people and what their lifestyles were like,” she reveals. “I was fascinated by the fact that they could still run in their eighties and still had amazing muscular and nervous systems,” Woodley, 21, adds. “Whereas in America now, by the time we get to our 30s, it’s really hard for us to lose weight and maintain a healthy body and composition.” Woodley’s appreciation for organic recipes and living an indigenous lifestyle began at 15, when shooting The Descendants alongside George Clooney: “It was at the very beginning of my young adult life, and I think just being connected to nature in that way really reminded me of what life is about.” Now, she continues to live a clean lifestyle while shooting Divergent in Chicago, but still finds the need to make slight adjustments to fit city living. “I’ve never where I have to be careful about walking around naked because the business office next door will be able to see me at 7 a.m.,” she says. “But I still have my crock pot of chaga mushroom tea brewing all the time.” Fortunately for those neighbors, they can just pick up the new Interview . Although Woodley was cut from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , she doesn’t sway from revealing specifics about herself with interviewer Stone. “I dream so many dreams!” she says. “I’ve actually found some herbs that will induce lucid dreaming or will help with other types of dreaming.” The actress reassures Stone that the herbs are “not mushrooms!” She’s been acting since age five, but feels she’s just begun. “I want to do a role that I’ve never done before,” she says. “I’ve never been a really funny girl, so I think I would like to do a quirky dark comedy.”
