What in the world is going on with Randy Travis? Over the past two weeks, the country singer has been arrested on suspicion of naked DUI and also been hospitalized following a late-night fight in a church parking lot. And now a mystery has sprung up regarding the artist’s pickup truck. The vehicle was discovered by police on Saturday in a Texas field near Lebanon Road and Legacy Drive. According to WFAA, which has posted a photo of the truck , it was found totaled, on its side and all smashed up. Law enforcement officials have yet to speak to Travis, but his attorney claims his client was not responsible for the scene. He says the singer hasn’t even been inside that car for months. We’ll update this story as more details come in, but the truck was discovered just one day after Travis was cited for assault outside a Plano church. Hmmm…. [Photo: WENN.com]
Two-time Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul made full use of his final campaign rally on Sunday to take his final shots at an establishment that never quite delivered on promises to include him and his libertarian followers. His rally at the University of Southern Florida’s SunDome drew over 7,000 fans, an event staged in response to a Republican convention that will not include Paul. Mitt Romney ‘s campaign offered him a speaking slot at the national event this week on condition that he provide his remarks to them in advance for their approval. Paul declined. Ron Paul Speech in Tampa He’ll still be honored in a video tribute on Tuesday night, but his convention presence – or lack thereof – was one of the first subjects Paul covered Sunday. “Today I was very excited to get a call from the RNC,” Paul said, before cracking a joke related to the weather-related postponement of Monday events. “They said they changed their mind. They’re going to give me a whole hour and I can say whatever I want – tomorrow night! Just kidding.” Paul directly referenced rules changes that may keep similarly insurgent delegates from succeeding in future elections, seeming stung by disappointment. The RNC “learned how to bend rules, break rules, and now they want to rewrite the rules,” the 77-year-old said. “That’s what we have to stop.” He also nodded to the view, common among Paul supporters, that votes had been miscounted or improperly counted in multiple primary states. “Ultimately numbers do count,” he said. “And numbers do count even when they don’t count all the votes as well. Because we do have the numbers!” Paul may be angry that after years of effort and compromise, insiders are not letting him in. But he’s also now able to speak unfiltered – even by his standards. He took full advantage on Sunday, filling 67 minutes with a laundry list of historical references, bits of his stump speech, and nostalgic philosophizing. The retiring Texas Congressman frequently wandered into territory only he will go, from criticizing Federal Reserve policies to defending WikiLeaks. Leak source Bradley Manning, Paul said, “is in the military so there are probably some debates on exactly how and what to do, but let me tell you.” “Bradley Manning didn’t kill anybody, Bradley Manning hasn’t caused the death of anybody, and what he has exposed, he is the equivalent to Daniel Ellsberg, who told us the truth about Vietnam.” “I’m afraid that if we took a poll across the country and said ‘Should we try Assange for treason?’ that most Americans would say oh yes he’s a bad guy, he’s telling us all these secrets. But guess what, he’s an Australian citizen.” On liberty,” Paul said, “When it returns, once again you’ll be able to drink raw milk. You’ll be able to make a rope out of hemp. You’ll be able to feel secure in your house because the federal government will not be able to spy on you.” On foreign policy: “People say that If people listened to me, Osama bin Laden would still be alive. You know what I say? So would the 3,000 people killed on 9/11!” On the threat of fascism: “I do think we have to worry about fascism, an expansion of what we have which is corporatism.” On his legion of young fans, and mainstreaming his movement: “Wouldn’t you say that if there was a party that said ‘We have an open tent, we want new people to come in, we want to appeal to young people’ – don’t you think they would be begging and pleading that they come into the big tent?” “We will get into the tent, believe me. Because we will become the tent.” With his retirement, becoming the tent is a task that will now fall to Paul’s son Rand, the junior senator from Kentucky, and on a host of younger candidates and members of Congress who count Paul as an influence. “The worst thing we could do is be silent,” Paul said. He left the stage to thunderous applause.
Ol’ good samaritan face a$$… California Woman Emily Leach Gives Away Winning Lotto Ticket To Homeless Man Emily Leach, who won a million-dollar jackpot in California last January, said she is hoping to fight the state lottery’s decision stopping her from collecting a second jackpot of $260,000 — winnings that came from a ticket Leach has famously claimed she accidentally gave away to a stranger in March. A lottery official informed her that “we gave the check to the man” in June, Leach told ABC News. Leach said she has asked a lawyer to explore her options. A California Lottery spokesman confirmed to ABC News that Leach would not receive the $260,000 jackpot, a decision reached after an “extensive investigation” by the California Lottery’s security and law enforcement division. “We feel very confident that the person who claimed the ticket is the rightful owner of the ticket and that is not Emily Leach,” Russ Lopez, the California Lottery’s deputy director of communications, told ABC News. Outside of the pain of losing that kind of gwap, there is another reason why Emily is so thirsty to get her winnings… These days, Leach, 31, is living with her mother in Reno, Nevada after being kicked out of her California home. (She said the landlord evicted her after deciding he could charge a higher rent to new tenants.) “Right now, I’m just trying to hold on to every penny,” she said. Leach said she has to stay thrifty because of her ailing health. She used part of her January winnings to pay off $300,000 in medical bills she ran up after a ruptured spleen and a life-threatening bout with pancreatitis a couple of years earlier. Leach said she still has large bills for medication she must take. It doesn’t help, Leach says, that she doesn’t have a real job anymore. She said she was put on unpaid leave from her job at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System after her first lotto win because coworkers complained that there were threats made against her after her win, and they made for an unsafe work environment. She said she was later informed that she would be terminated at the end of her leave this month. Ultimately, Emily knows it was her own dumb-a$$ fault for giving away such a precious piece of paper: “I will be the first to admit I got flustered. I shouldn’t have been doing so many things at once,” she told “20/20″ in March. “But I was just trying to help the guy.” But the California Lottery’s Lopez said that surveillance footage from the convenience store shows Leach willingly giving a man her ticket. An account of the incident given by the man claiming the ticket, Lopez said, was corroborated by the cashier who sold it. “There was no coercion,” Lopez said. “It was an act of kindness that unfortunately got messy when the numbers were drawn.” Lopez said the man who claimed the prize money has asked not to be identified. You damn skippy he asked “not to be indentified”!! Looks like you’re a$$ed out Emily, in words of the great American writer Tupac Shakur: “It’s a dirty game out here, Keep yo’ eyes on yo’ riches” Image via ABCNews/Emily Leach Source
The Invisible War by director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering is simply shocking. In this doc, which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in January and screened at the recent Provincetown International Film Festival (where it also picked up an audience prize) the filmmaking duo expose a long-brewing scandal in the U.S. military. Sexual assault against both women and men has run rampant throughout the various branches of the military and even up the chain of command. It is, in fact, the chain of command that has, in part, allowed rape and other sexual assault to remain virtually hidden despite its ubiquity. The Invisible War blows the cover off this decades-old (or older) crisis with an emotional and devastating look at the victims of sexual assault and how it can be fixed. Though the film will be released theatrically this weekend, it has already had a major impact. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta screened the film and soon afterward announced some reforms. Though, as Kirby Dick warns in his interview with ML from the recent Provincetown festival, the moves are not enough and the U.S. military still needs to take some cues from its allies in alleviating this scourge. It may be tough to watch, but the film is riveting and the stories of individuals he and Zeiring interview are phenomenal. Dick has screened the film for various groups since Sundance and its subsequent East Coast premiere at Provincetown and, as he explains in his conversation with ML below, audiences have been riveted by what has been uncovered. What led you and your producer Amy Ziering to this topic and ultimately doing a film? Amy and I read an article in by Helen Benedict in Salon and we were astounded by the numbers of people sexually assaulted, and we were equally astounded that nobody had made a feature documentary on this. From a filmmaker point-of-view, that is sort of lucky when that happens. We pretty much decided right then and there that we’d make this film. I remember hearing about the Tailhook scandal in the ’90s when a number of women were assaulted at a U.S. Navy/Marines event in Las Vegas. And despite that, I still thought this was a horrifying yet isolated outrageous incident. I didn’t think it was so pervasive… Yeah, I remember following that situation and the Air Force Academy [situation] and I wondered when I was making this film why I hadn’t done this 15 years ago. It seems so isolated, but then it’s over – but no, it’s systemic. And the military has been very good at conveying that these are isolated. They’ll deny it or then blame the victim or they’ll say it’s been dealt with and it’s in the past. This has been covered up for generations. I would imagine, and I don’t have statistical evidence in this, but I would bet it’s a part of militaries forever and a problem in foreign militaries that have women or even ones that only have men. And that’s one thing we hope that this film will do as it plays around the world, which is to raise the same discussion in those countries as well. Are these people not able to call the police as civilians do or hopefully do? If they’re in the military it’s almost always referred to military authorities. If it happens on base then it automatically is referred to military authorities and if it happens off-base, then yes it is possible to call civilian authorities, but they very often will refer it back to the military. This must’ve been a heart-wrenching experience for both of you filming this doc. My mouth was dropping hearing these stories and I couldn’t help but talk back to the screen. Yeah, it was. Each one of these interviews were equally stunning. Amy did each interview and she did a phenomenal job and she’d be emotionally drained and devastated and be incredibly angry afterward. It was a good combination [for the creation of the film] and I knew we’d get it. The assaults of course were horrifying in and of themselves, but then to see how the institution reacts to these assaults is absolutely incredible. That’s one of the things we hope this film will inspire. Not only the outrage but this sense of responsibility which you’re alluding to that we all have in this country. There’s a sense that there are military families and non-military families and sometimes people without family members in the military think that they’ll simply take care of themselves. We all have responsibility for people in the military. We’re all a part of one society whether we agree with what the military is doing or not. And I’ve seen this happening. One of the things I foresaw was bring together veterans groups and women’s groups. In fact, we’ve set up a coalition to extend the impact of the film together with civil rights groups and sexual assault groups. And what we want to see happen is a push for reform after the film has gone. Did you reach out to any of the people who were accused? We decided not to do that. But what we did try to do is reach out to someone who was convicted. We tried to do that through many defense attorneys. We were interested in getting his perspective. It would be a courageous act for someone to come forward and talk about this, but ultimately we weren’t able to get anyone. Traditionalists may hold all of this up as evidence that women shouldn’t serve in the military or that they shouldn’t serve alongside men in the military and I was curious what your response is to that? Well I think first of all, that’s holding the men in our military with great disrespect. I believe the men in the military are more than capable of taking care of and not assaulting the people who they serve with side by side. And in the second place, these women make amazing soldiers. The women in our film are the people you would want in the military. They are so good at what they do and so idealistic. They’re model soldiers and that’s one of the tragedies. There was this problem with these gay translators being dismissed from the military and that was also a significant loss to the military. How did you get Leon Panetta to see this? Well, it was part of a long campaign immediately after Sundance. This movie was made to change policy. We got this into the hands of high ranking retired officers. We had dozens of screenings for officers’ wives, non profits, other military organizations and corporate leaders to get the discussion going and not only get the military aware of it, but also to get them to react to it. Eventually, it got to the Defense Secretary who saw the film and two days later held a press conference to announce significant policy changes. We later learned from our executive producer Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom – and all three know each other – that Jennifer saw Leon Panetta at the White House Correspondence dinner and Panetta told her he was really moved by the film and decided to hold the press conference in part because of the film. So the campaign was successful to that degree. But there’s a lot more to do. The changes he announced do not fully take investigation outside the chain of command. It still remains within the chain of command and until that happens, there’s still opportunity for great miscarriages of justice. It should be taken out and there should be no opportunity for a conflict of interest. Take it out like it’s done in every other justice system. There are running sexual themes in many of your films including Twist of Faith and Outrage . Is it fair to say you’re drawn to topics related to sexual taboo – or maybe not “taboo” exactly but you get what I’m saying… Maybe not so much taboo, but yes I think there is. On the one hand sexuality is made for the cinema – any sexuality. But I’m also interested in almost all my films about sexuality and its relationship to trauma. Some more than others, but in some ways trauma is playing some sort of role to sexuality. Certainly as a documentary filmmaker I approach this topic similar to a novelist. The sexuality and the traumatic history of a subject makes for great material to work with. I think it’s something I work with – not always – but do work with [consistently].” Has the audience reaction here in Provincetown and at Sundance been what you have expected? Oh yeah, even more so. I also do these small screenings in various places [between the festivals] and people just wouldn’t get up afterward and I’ve never had that. I saw that they were really affected by this. It’s the experience we had when we were doing these interviews. You’re like, ‘this can’t be true.’ But at the same time you just want to reach out to them. Follow Brian Brooks on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Who says celebrity can’t be used for good? Angelina Jolie marked the 20th of June – World Refugee Day 2012 – with a donation of $100,000 for the U.N.’s work in helping Syrian refugees. “Unfortunately, the world is producing displaced people faster than it is producing solutions to displacement. And the solutions are not exclusively humanitarian, they are also political,” the 37-year-old actress said in a statement. “The international community should rededicate itself to preventing conflict, addressing it when it erupts, and solving it more quickly, for that is the only way to create durable solutions for the refugees whose strength inspires us on this World Refugee Day.” Seeing Angelina Jolie as Maleficent is very cool, but seeing her continue to wield her fame and fortune for important causes is an inspiration. Her full message appears below: UNHCR believes even 1 person forced to flee is too many. And it’s true. Every individual refugee matters. Each has their own story. Each has suffered and survived more than I could ever bear. And yet, they rise up to live another day. We risk forgetting the individual when we speak in numbers, but the numbers tell an important story. In the past year 4.3 million people have become displaced. There are still 2.7 million refugees from Afghanistan. 12 million people are stateless. And for the fifth consecutive year the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide exceeded 42 million. Sadly, a person who becomes a refugee is likely to remain one for many years – often stuck in a camp or living precariously in the city of a developing nation. 70 per cent of refugees under UNHCR’s protection have been in this situation for more than five years. Their safety and well-being depend on the continued generosity of those countries who have kept their borders open to refugees, and on the vital efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance wherever and whenever it is necessary. Unfortunately, the world is producing displaced people faster than it is producing solutions to displacement. And the solutions are not exclusively humanitarian – they are also political. The international community should rededicate itself to preventing conflict, addressing it when it erupts, and solving it more quickly, for that is the only way to create durable solutions for the refugees whose strength inspires us on this World Refugee Day . [Photo: WENN.com]
As the singer’s inescapable smash reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, we break down its rise to the top. By James Montgomery Carly Rae Jepsen Photo: It was probably inevitable, but now it’s official: Carly Rae Jepsen’s ubiquitous “Call Me Maybe” is the #1 song in the country, overtaking Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” atop the Billboard Hot 100. It’s been quite a voyage for the Canadian-born Jepsen, one that’s featured cameos by Justin Bieber, unwitting assists from Barack Obama, and more cover versions that we can possible count. Still, there are plenty of other measurable statistics, so here’s a look at the rise of “Call Me Maybe” to the top of the charts, by the numbers. 108 million : Number of views the “Call Me Maybe” video has racked up on YouTube since debuting on March 1, 2012. The clip is currently the most popular music video on the site. 12 million : Number of views the Barack Obama “dub” of the song has garnered on YouTube, making it the most-watched of the innumerable “Call Me” covers. 3.3 million : Number of digital downloads “Call Me Maybe” has sold to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan . 269 : Number of days since September 20, 2011, when “Call Me Maybe” was officially released on iTunes. It is currently the Music Store’s most-downloaded single. .269 : Current batting average of New York Mets second baseman Justin Turner, who has used “Call Me Maybe” as his at-bat music . 193 : Total length, in seconds, of “Call Me Maybe.” Jepsen sings the hook 11 times over the course of the song, or once every 17.5 seconds. 157 : Number of days since Justin Bieber first tweeted about “Call Me Maybe,” posting a video of former “Swag Coach” Ryan Good and “Pretty Little Liars” star Ashley Benson singing along to the tune and officially beginning Jepsen’s Stateside ascent. 118 : Number of days since Bieber’s “Call Me Maybe” video first premiered on YouTube, featuring cameos by Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and Big Time Rush’s Carlos Pena. The clip has been viewed more than 42 million times to date. 16 : Number of weeks since “Call Me Maybe” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at #38 behind Big Sean’s “Dance (Ass).” 13 : Number of countries in which “Call Me Maybe” has reached #1, including Australia, Hungary, Ireland and Jepsen’s native Canada. 11 ” Number of U.S. charts “Call Me Maybe” currently resides on, including Pop Songs, Dance/Club Songs and Adult Contemporary. 8 : Number of weeks Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” held the top spot on the Hot 100, before being dethroned by “Call Me Maybe.” 1 : Number of full-length albums Jepsen has released to date: 2008’s Tug of War remains her sole LP (she also released an EP, Curiosity, in February). Related Artists Carly Rae Jepsen
As the singer’s inescapable smash reaches #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, we break down its rise to the top. By James Montgomery Carly Rae Jepsen Photo: It was probably inevitable, but now it’s official: Carly Rae Jepsen’s ubiquitous “Call Me Maybe” is the #1 song in the country, overtaking Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” atop the Billboard Hot 100. It’s been quite a voyage for the Canadian-born Jepsen, one that’s featured cameos by Justin Bieber, unwitting assists from Barack Obama, and more cover versions that we can possible count. Still, there are plenty of other measurable statistics, so here’s a look at the rise of “Call Me Maybe” to the top of the charts, by the numbers. 108 million : Number of views the “Call Me Maybe” video has racked up on YouTube since debuting on March 1, 2012. The clip is currently the most popular music video on the site. 12 million : Number of views the Barack Obama “dub” of the song has garnered on YouTube, making it the most-watched of the innumerable “Call Me” covers. 3.3 million : Number of digital downloads “Call Me Maybe” has sold to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan . 269 : Number of days since September 20, 2011, when “Call Me Maybe” was officially released on iTunes. It is currently the Music Store’s most-downloaded single. .269 : Current batting average of New York Mets second baseman Justin Turner, who has used “Call Me Maybe” as his at-bat music . 193 : Total length, in seconds, of “Call Me Maybe.” Jepsen sings the hook 11 times over the course of the song, or once every 17.5 seconds. 157 : Number of days since Justin Bieber first tweeted about “Call Me Maybe,” posting a video of former “Swag Coach” Ryan Good and “Pretty Little Liars” star Ashley Benson singing along to the tune and officially beginning Jepsen’s Stateside ascent. 118 : Number of days since Bieber’s “Call Me Maybe” video first premiered on YouTube, featuring cameos by Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale and Big Time Rush’s Carlos Pena. The clip has been viewed more than 42 million times to date. 16 : Number of weeks since “Call Me Maybe” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at #38 behind Big Sean’s “Dance (Ass).” 13 : Number of countries in which “Call Me Maybe” has reached #1, including Australia, Hungary, Ireland and Jepsen’s native Canada. 11 ” Number of U.S. charts “Call Me Maybe” currently resides on, including Pop Songs, Dance/Club Songs and Adult Contemporary. 8 : Number of weeks Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” held the top spot on the Hot 100, before being dethroned by “Call Me Maybe.” 1 : Number of full-length albums Jepsen has released to date: 2008’s Tug of War remains her sole LP (she also released an EP, Curiosity, in February). Related Artists Carly Rae Jepsen
Band’s Saturday-night set was lively and loose, capping a day that also saw spirited sets from Mac Miller and Skrillex. By James Montgomery Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers performs at the 2012 Hangout Music Festival Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images GULF SHORES, Alabama — Having been at this for more than two decades now, the Red Hot Chili Peppers clearly know how to headline a fest: play the hits, thank the crowd, occasionally swat at a beach ball, exit stage right. Maybe work a few well-placed curse words in there too. These things tend to be the same. So it’s a testament to both their versatility and their dedication that the Chili Peppers’ Saturday-night set at the Hangout Festival was anything but by the numbers, as the band jammed long and hard, stretching songs to the breaking point (and beyond), much to the delight of the raucous, sun-baked crowd. Perhaps it was because their headlining slot kicked off just minutes after seasoned jam-meisters the String Cheese Incident finished their two-and-a-half hour set (which, for them, was basically just a warm-up), or maybe they were taking their cues from Friday night’s headliner, Jack White , but from the minute the Peps strode on stage, they were playing fast and loose. Drummer Chad Smith, bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer started things off with a reverb-heavy psych jam that only morphed into “The Monarchy of Roses” when frontman Anthony Kiedis bounded on stage, then kept that momentum rolling into “Can’t Stop,” with the trio trading solos while Kiedis nodded in time to the beat. There were, of course, more straightforward moments too: the Peppers tore through a string of hits, including “Dani California,” “Under The Bridge” and “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” and attacked songs like “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” and their version of “Higher Ground” with impassioned pounding. Flea was his usual non-sequitur self, spouting stuff like “Sweet Home Alabama, mother—-er!” and “Forgive your parents!” into the mic, and Kiedis was, as always, the warrior-shaman showman, posing and preening, always in motion (he and Flea also made the rather interesting decision to wear pants with one leg cut off above the knee). But there was a general, genial looseness throughout their two-hour set, showcasing Smith’s lock-step drumming, Flea’s precision playing and Klinghoffer’s wild, winding fretwork. At several points, they seemed to be making it up as they went along, gleefully turning a few stray notes into lengthy, twisting jams: Klinghoffer would summon a solo from his guitar, while Flea would flail and pound along, Smith and touring percussionist Mauro Refosco kicked off the band’s encore with a twisting back-and-forth exchange, and after blasting through “Give It Away,” the band closed their set with a lengthy, voluminous instrumental. The Peppers have always drawn from funk, and Flea’s dabblings in Jazz have paced them for nearly twenty years now, but on Saturday night, the improvisational nature of both were readily apparent. Rather than do the usual headlining set, the band wanted to just play. It seems to be a recurring theme of the Hangout fest … and it served as a perfect capper on a day that also saw lively and loose sets from the likes of Gogol Bordello, Mac Miller and Skrillex (who, in a bit of inspired scheduling, kicked off opposite Randy Newman). The Red Hot Chili Peppers breathed new life into time-tested favorites — “Suck My Kiss” was pounding and primal, “Californication” soared to new heights, “Soul to Squeeze” was sanguine and sweet — and appeared to have a blast whilst doing so. You can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but, if you bring them to the beach (and scheduled them after a jam band), well, you can certainly make them push things to the limit … with fantastic results. If this whole “world-famous rock band” thing doesn’t work out for RHCP, their Hangout set was proof that they’d make a killing on the jam circuit. Your move, String Cheese. Related Photos Rockin’ Out At The 2012 Hangout Music Festival Related Artists Red Hot Chili Peppers
Critics were surprised by how much they enjoyed Peter Berg’s film, giving credit to its entertainment factor. By Fallon Prinzivalli Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna in “Battleship” Photo: Universal Pictures Many movie fans have been wary as to whether director Peter Berg could successfully pull of “Battleship.” Inspired by a Hasbro board game giving no hint of any type of plot, the sci-fi epic follows the adventures of an international Navy fleet when aliens begin to invade earth. As the two forces go to battle, each must rely on a crafty, cunning strategy in order to conquer their enemy. The all-star, insanely attractive cast includes Taylor Kitsch , Brooklyn Decker , Alexander Skarsg
‘By the time ‘Avengers’ is done kicking box-office butt, it will easily be the #3 film of all time,’ one box-office expert tells MTV News. By Fallon Prinzivalli Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk in “The Avengers” Photo: Marvel “The Avengers” sure did assemble! Marvel’s superhero film is still the reigning champion of movie theaters after it smashed box-office records in its first two weeks. Now, it’s rising to the top of the worldwide charts, recently staking claim to the ninth spot, passing George Lucas’ “Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace.” It’s currently the highest earning film of 2012 domestically, stealing the title from “The Hunger Games,” which opened in March. At present, the Joss Whedon-directed summer flick has raked in more than $1 billion across the globe, and the numbers keep rising. The popularity of the movie is overwhelming, but a few questions still remain. For starters, how high will the film go? Gitesh Pandya , the editor of Box Office Guru , told MTV News, “I see Avengers climbing up to #4 on the all-time worldwide blockbusters list by the end of this weekend. That would put it at roughly $1.2 billion, which is astounding. It should pass the final ‘Harry Potter’ to finish its run as #3 all time, which alone is just incredible.” Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations agrees: “By the time ‘Avengers’ is done kicking box-office butt, it will easily be the #3 film of all time. Only ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic’ will be left untouched, as James Cameron is a superhero unto himself. Both [films] made history by debuting over the holiday season, where popcorn flicks are few and far between. [And] unfortunately for ‘Avengers,’ summer blockbusters invade every weekend, and theaters will soon be flooded with competition.” The competition Bock is referring to is obviously Christopher Nolan’s final Batman installment. “You know what happens when you leave Batman for dead? He gets angry, rises from the dead and pops you right in the kisser,” he said. ” ‘The Avengers’ versus ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has all the trappings of a big-time Hollywood drama. Let’s face it, ‘TDKR’ is probably the most anticipated threequel since ‘Return of the Jedi.’ All bets are off!” Boxoffice.com ‘s Phil Contrino agrees that Nolan’s film could beat out “The Avengers” in the battle for overall domestic earnings, but ultimately won’t top the opening weekend or worldwide sales for two reasons. It just doesn’t have the widespread family appeal that Captain America and Iron Man brought with them, or the 3-D prices to give it a boost. With “Battleship” sailing into theaters this weekend, Pandya expects “Avengers” to drop by around 40 percent. “[That will put it in] the neighborhood of $60 million,” he said. “That’s a great hold for a movie this big.” But as far as Earth’s mightiest heroes becoming the highest — or even second-highest — film of all time globally, Contrino doesn’t believe it will happen. “When you burn so bright for one weekend, the only place to go is down,” he said. Check out everything we’ve got on “Marvel’s The Avengers.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘The Avengers’ Related Photos ‘Avengers’ Assemble At Los Angeles Premiere ‘Avengers’
