Tag Archives: United

‘The Host’ Contest: Channel Your Inner Parasite & Win A Nifty Prize Pack

It’s the first day of spring and a perfect time to celebrate young love of the parasitic alien variety. And how do we do that? By giving away a prize pack for Open Road’s adaptation of Twilight creator  Stephenie Meyer’s novel, The Host ,  to one budding poet out there who can capture the spirit of the movie in an original haiku.  First, some inspiration: one winner will receive the following bag o’ swag: 1. The Host T-Shirt 2. The Host Buttons 3. Signed Poster 4. A copy of Meyer’s novel 5. Movie Companion with Behind-The-Scene Photos If that’s enough to turn your brown eyes an eerie shade of blue, all you need to do is reside in the United States and submit an original haiku ( using the 5-7-5 format ) inspired by the plot of The Host or an actual parasite.  I’m crossing my fingers that we get at least one entry involving bedbugs. Deadline is 6 p.m. Pacific Time on March 28 .  A winner will be chosen on March 29, when The Hos t opens in theaters. In the event that you’re going to completely wing it for this contest, some background follows.  Good luck. The official synopsis: What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? “The Host” is the next epic love story from the creator of the “Twilight Saga,” worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer.  When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder ( Saoirse Ronan ) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about — Jared ( Max Irons ), Ian ( Jake Abel ), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb ( William Hurt) , proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world. The trailer: Follow Frank DiGiacomo on  Twitter. Follow Movieline on  Twitter.   

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‘The Host’ Contest: Channel Your Inner Parasite & Win A Nifty Prize Pack

T-Pain on Future: “I Don’t Think He Knows How to Use Auto-Tune”

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The original hip hop king of Auto-Tune T-Pain (Roger Troutman was the originator) offered his opinion of Future during a recent interview with Hartford, Connecticut’s…

T-Pain on Future: “I Don’t Think He Knows How to Use Auto-Tune”

#OurMoments: Condoleezza Rice Becomes First Black U.S. Secretary Of State

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Condoleezza Rice, to date, is one of the most powerful and unique women in the history of United States politics. However, her many victories didn’t…

#OurMoments: Condoleezza Rice Becomes First Black U.S. Secretary Of State

Anonymous Hacks Bank Execs’ Info; "Operation Last Resort" Anchored By Aaron Swartz Tragedy

Anonymous and its “Operation Last Resort” appear to have conducted another strike, publishing login and private info of more than 4,000 U.S. bank executives. The effort is believed to be anchored by the death of Aaron Swartz . A spreadsheet has been published allegedly containing login information and credentials, IP addresses, and contact information of bank executives. If true, it could be that the infamous hacker collaborative has released banker information that could be connected to Federal Reserve computers. The website used in this attack belongs to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC). The page extension URL is titled, “oops-we-did-it-again.” The spreadsheet document contains usernames, names of individuals and their titles at U.S. banks, and hashed passwords (not passwords in plain text). It was placed on a .gov website and Pastebin, and publicized via various Anonymous accounts on social media. A Reddit member called the numbers and commented: “OK, I called a few of them. What must be so problematic for the Federal Reserve is not the information so much as this file was stolen from their computers at all.” “The ramifications of that kind of loss of control is severe.” Banks listed on the document claim credentials from management at community banks, community credit unions, and more, across the United States. So what’s the impetus behind this new leak? Anonymous stated in its first Operation Last Resort defacement last Friday that it had infiltrated multiple federal websites over a period of time. The significance of Monday, February 4 may be that it is deadline for Attorney General Eric Holder to answer specific questions regarding the Aaron Swartz prosecution. The Reddit co-founder’s prosecution – and suicide, which many believe was brought upon by the fact that he was wanted on federal charges  – enraged Anonymous. The group called the event “a line that has been crossed” and suggested retaliation for what they believe was the overzealous prosecution and bullying of Swartz.

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Anonymous Hacks Bank Execs’ Info; "Operation Last Resort" Anchored By Aaron Swartz Tragedy

Sandy Hook Chorus, Jennifer Hudson Sing "America the Beautiful" [VIDEO]

Jennifer Hudson took to the Superdome field in New Orleans this evening, belting out “America the Beautiful” prior to Super Bowl XLVII. But the Oscar winner didn’t do it alone. She was joined by students from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Watch the moving tribute to our great country below now, as Hudson and and those affected by December’s horrific tragedy honor the United States: Jennifer Hudson and Sandy Hook Chorus – “America the Beautiful”

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Sandy Hook Chorus, Jennifer Hudson Sing "America the Beautiful" [VIDEO]

Ed Koch Dies; Former Mayor of New York Was 88

Ed Koch, the feisty former Mayor of New York City who served three terms in City Hall, passed away early this morning. He was 88. Spokesman George Arzt confirmed the sad news and said a funeral will take place Monday at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. Koch left office in 1990 after helping save the city from fiscal ruin. He was known for his bold, straightforward responses to nearly every question, including why he ended up as a life-long bachelor: “My answer to questions on this subject is simply, ‘F— off.’ There have to be some private matters left.” An outspoken supporter of gay rights and known for his strong Jewish faith, Koch worked as a political pundit; movie/food critic; and even as a judge on The People’s Court after he retired. He also played himself on Saturday Night Live and in films such as The First Wives Club . But health problems also plagued Koch for many years. He was hospitalized twice in 2012, first for anemia in September and then for a respiratory infection in December. He returned on two occasions last month with fluid buildup in his lungs. Seven years ago, on his own tombstone, Koch wrote an epitaph that reads: “He was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith. He fiercely defended the City of New York, and he fiercely loved its people. Above all, he loved his country, the United States of America, in whose armed forces he served in World War II.”

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Ed Koch Dies; Former Mayor of New York Was 88

Studios Fork Over Big Cash For Super Bowl XLVII

The Super Bowl’s notoriously pricey ad spots already cost a chunk of change well into the seven figures last year and it’s set to head well northward for 30 seconds of airtime this Sunday. But that has not scared away movie studios from snapping up commercial time on Super Bowl XLVII. Studios will air ads for upcoming blockbusters including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 3 , J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness , Johnny Depp’s The Lone Ranger , James Franco and Michelle Williams’ Oz The Great And Powerful and Vin Diesel’s The Fast and the Furious 6 . Brad Pitt’s World War Z is slated for a pre-game spot. Disney’s The Lone Ranger , with a July release, is the pic with the longest wait-time before its theatrical release. Last year, 30 seconds on the sky high rated sports event cost $3.5 million, but that has jumped to a cool $4 million for a half-minute in the match-up between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. Among the non-studio ads set to air Sunday are spots from Chrysler, Tide, Best Buy, Coke and the new BlackBerry 10, according to Deadline. [ Sources: Huffington Post , Deadline ]

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Studios Fork Over Big Cash For Super Bowl XLVII

Oscar-Nominated ‘Gatekeepers’ Director Warns American Jews Cherish Israel ‘Too Much’

The director of Oscar-nominated documentary The Gatekeepers says he believes American Jews hold Israel on too high of a pedestal – something he believes could prove detrimental to the crisis-torn Middle Eastern country. Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh told The Huff Post that the Jewish community in the United States view Israel as a “safe haven” nearly seven decades after the Holocaust and that American Jews are willing to support Israel despite the potential of becoming what he called an Apartheid state. Moreh’s acclaimed non-fiction feature spotlights six retired directors of Israel’s domestic spy agency, Shin Bet, exposing the organization’s targeted killings behind the Jewish state’s ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories. The film has caused waves in both the Israel and the U.S. about the spy agency’s tactics. “There is something that I felt while I am here in America, that most of the majority of the Jewish population here are cherishing Israel,” Moreh told the Huff Post, adding that that strict adherence has lead many in the U.S. to the “wrong conclusion that they have to support Israel no matter what.” He said that orthodoxy is in fact, “damaging to the state of Israel.” “They don’t understand that we are going towards an Apartheid country,” said Moreh. “By not criticizing it, by accepting everything Israel does politically and especially towards the conflict, they are damaging their own goal, to protect the state of Israel as a safe haven for them.” Sony Pictures Classics opens The Gatekeepers in the U.S. beginning Friday, February 1st. [ Source: Huffington Post ]

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Oscar-Nominated ‘Gatekeepers’ Director Warns American Jews Cherish Israel ‘Too Much’

First World Problems: Fans Cry ‘Fowl’ Over Chicken Wing Shortage Just Days Before This Year’s Super Bowl

NOT THE CHICKEN!!!!!! Chicken Wing Shortage Strikes Days Before Super Bowl With less than two weeks to go before the big game , football fans may find it a bit harder to find their favorite Super Bowl snack. Via Fox News reports: The National Chicken Council released a report that said the demand for wings this year is at “an all-time high” due to decreased wing production caused by the high cost of corn and feed prices. Wings are currently the highest priced portion of a chicken and cost $2.11 a pound in the Northeast, up 12 percent from last year. The organization has lowered the estimated number of wings to be consumed during Super Bowl weekend to 1.23 billion wing segments, 12.3 million less than last year. hat’s about 1 percent, says the council. “Chicken companies produced about 1 percent fewer birds last year, due in large part to record high corn and feed prices,” Bill Roenigk, chief economist and market analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based National Chicken Council said in a release. “Corn makes up more than two-thirds of chicken feed and corn prices hit an all-time high in 2012, due to two reasons: last summer’s drought and pressure from a federal government requirement that mandates 40 percent of our corn crop be turned into fuel in the form of ethanol. Simply put, less corn equals higher feed costs, which means fewer birds produced.” To give you a picture of just how many wings fan will chow down on, The National Chicken Council says if those 1.23 billion chicken wing segments were laid end to end, they would stretch between the San Francisco 49ers Candlestick Park and the Baltimore Ravens M&T Bank Stadium 27 times. The chicken! NOT THE CHICKEN WANGS?!? WHAT IS WE GON’ DO?? So, yeah, through your sobbing, you better order your wings now. Because soon, those delicious spicy snacks will be used as American currency, and vast stretches of the United States will be ruled by chicken totin’ warlords. Protect the chicken! Only one man can do something about this chicken wing shortage…

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First World Problems: Fans Cry ‘Fowl’ Over Chicken Wing Shortage Just Days Before This Year’s Super Bowl

First World Problems: Fans Cry ‘Fowl’ Over Chicken Wing Shortage Just Days Before This Year’s Super Bowl

NOT THE CHICKEN!!!!!! Chicken Wing Shortage Strikes Days Before Super Bowl With less than two weeks to go before the big game , football fans may find it a bit harder to find their favorite Super Bowl snack. Via Fox News reports: The National Chicken Council released a report that said the demand for wings this year is at “an all-time high” due to decreased wing production caused by the high cost of corn and feed prices. Wings are currently the highest priced portion of a chicken and cost $2.11 a pound in the Northeast, up 12 percent from last year. The organization has lowered the estimated number of wings to be consumed during Super Bowl weekend to 1.23 billion wing segments, 12.3 million less than last year. hat’s about 1 percent, says the council. “Chicken companies produced about 1 percent fewer birds last year, due in large part to record high corn and feed prices,” Bill Roenigk, chief economist and market analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based National Chicken Council said in a release. “Corn makes up more than two-thirds of chicken feed and corn prices hit an all-time high in 2012, due to two reasons: last summer’s drought and pressure from a federal government requirement that mandates 40 percent of our corn crop be turned into fuel in the form of ethanol. Simply put, less corn equals higher feed costs, which means fewer birds produced.” To give you a picture of just how many wings fan will chow down on, The National Chicken Council says if those 1.23 billion chicken wing segments were laid end to end, they would stretch between the San Francisco 49ers Candlestick Park and the Baltimore Ravens M&T Bank Stadium 27 times. The chicken! NOT THE CHICKEN WANGS?!? WHAT IS WE GON’ DO?? So, yeah, through your sobbing, you better order your wings now. Because soon, those delicious spicy snacks will be used as American currency, and vast stretches of the United States will be ruled by chicken totin’ warlords. Protect the chicken! Only one man can do something about this chicken wing shortage…

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First World Problems: Fans Cry ‘Fowl’ Over Chicken Wing Shortage Just Days Before This Year’s Super Bowl