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Friday, June 10, 2016

"Warcraft" Sets China Record For Biggest Thursday Ever; Crushes $90M+ In 2 Days

WARCRAFT Movie Trailer (2016)

UPDATE, THURSDAY, 8:42 AM PT: Day two of Warcrafts China invasion came on strong with a current range of $44.5M-$46.5M (292M-305M rmb). That gives the Legendary/Universal fantasy actioner the biggest Thursday box office of all time in the Middle Kingdom, splashing past the record set by The Mermaid (249M rmb) earlier this year. That film went on to become the highest grosser ever in the market at a USD exchange of $527M. Averaging out todays dollar range, the Duncan Jones-helmed Warcraft drops just 1% from Wednesday; if the high-end holds, it grows by 1%. Todays play which saw Warcraft dominate 81% of all turnstile spins gives the feature adaptation of Blizzard Entertainments video game a mainland China total of $90.6M-$92.2M (595M-605M rmb) and counting. The rest of international is at $78M through Wednesday.

The film passed the 500M rmb milestone at 4:46 PM local time this afternoon which is believed also to be a record. Only two other films have ever passed that benchmark in their first two days of release: The Mermaid in February, and Universals own Furious 7 last April. Based on current numbers, this is the first time in history that a film has exceeded 600M rmb in two days. Prior to the Azerothians, the two-day record was held by the F7 crew with 586M rmb.

Warcrafts performance out of the gate is stunning, but not necessarily a huge surprise in this market where advance ticket sales were through the roof. The game has a long history in China where fantasy is big even the local title for World of Warcraft translates to World of Magical Beasts and the move to get it on screens during a key holiday was a prescient play. Its also got a lot of local muscle behind it in the form of Legendary owner Wanda (which also owns 18% of PROC screens) and the films Chinese equity and brand partners. Weekend projections are steadily rising from the mooted high-end of $150M

PREVIOUS, WEDNESDAY 9:16 AM PT: Warcraft blasted out of the gate today in China with $46M(302M rmb) at the box office as of 10 PM local time. The Legendary Pictures/Universal Pictures adaptation of the popular video game franchise set a record for the best first-day box office for a non-weekend release in the Middle Kingdom. The previous title holder was Avengers: Age Of Ultron with $28.3M (185.86 rmb).

The midnight screenings, which began Tuesday, posted $7.6M (49.78M rmb), falling just shy of Furious 7s record which was set last year with $7.9M (52.47M rmb). In Imax, however, the Orcs bit down on a record for midnights with $1.38M (9.03M rmb). Including Imaxmidnights, Warcraft posted $5.33M (35M rmb) for the full opening day, hitting a new milestone for the format. That tops F7s $4.7M (31M rmb) from last April. Overall advance Imaxticket sales also bested all previous comers with $8.2M (53.8M rmb).

Opening estimates on Warcrafts five-day launch, which comes during a holiday period, have been hovering between 800M rmb and 1B rmb which would put the range at $122M-$152M. It now looks more than likely that the citizens of Azeroth blow past the high end of those industry projections kids are off and the Dragon Boat Festival begins tomorrow.

The Duncan Jones-helmed feature also sets a new milestone for the widest release ever in the Middle Kingdom, playing on an unprecedented 67.5% of all screens. The previous record holder for widest release was Universals own F7 last year. It bowed on 62.8% of screens and went on to final at $391M, becoming the biggest Hollywood title ever in China.

Wanda now owns Legendary, and its exhibition circuit has 18% of the 39K Middle Kingdom screens. That relationship clearly is helping here, while others booked Warcraft with gusto in the market which has a long history and love for the games.

Legendarys local release partners are China Film Group and Huaxia. Warcraft has four Chinese equity partners: Tencent, CFG, Huayi and Taihe. Universal is understood to be in for about 25%-30% of the full reported $160M budget and will reap the benefits of all releases as part of the overall pie. After beginning international rollout on May 25, and with strong plays in Russia and Germany, the current estimated overseas cume is $121M.

The film is set for domestic release Friday with projections of about $25M for the weekend. If Warcraft continues its magical ride as expected in China, it kicks off the Legendary/Wanda relationship in a big way. It also potentially sends a signal that films which have great uptake internationally and especially in China may not need rely on North America quite so much.

Source: http://deadline.com/2016/06/warcraft-china-record-opening-box-office-imax-results-1201769124/

Thursday, June 9, 2016

May ratings: WFTV wins, WKMG gains, NBA scores

LeBron Scores a Career-High 61! Watch Every Made Field Goal!

In the May TV ratings for Orlando, WFTV-Channel 9 was the big winner, WKMG-Channel 6 was the main gainer, and the NBA made a major splash in prime time.

Retiring WFTV anchor Bob Opsahl, whose last newscast was 6 p.m. Wednesday, went out a ratings winner. He and Martha Sugalski were the leaders from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in total viewers as well as the 25-to-54 age group for the month.

In news ratings, 25-to-54 is the most important for advertisers. At 6 p.m., WFTV averaged 19,496 viewers in the age group. WKMG drew 13,978, WESH-Channel 2 pulled in 13,015 and WOFL-Channel 35 attracted 5,333. (The Sentinel has a content-sharing agreement with WOFL.)

But WKMG had an encouraging story to tell for the ratings period that ended Wednesday. The CBS affiliate"s 6 p.m. rating for 25-to-54 viewers was up 43 percent from last year while WFTV was off 44 percent, WESH was down 31 percent and WOFL drooped 20 percent. WKMG also grew from 4 to 6 p.m. while other stations were down.

WFTV won the age group in early morning, at noon, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and at 11 p.m. WOFL was the winner at 10 p.m. and offered the most-watched local news from 7 to 9 a.m., when ABC"s "Good Morning America" and NBC"s "Today" were the leaders.

But prime time offered unusual wrinkles in May. WKMG, with CBS favorites like "NCIS" and "The Big Bang Theory," aired the most-watched schedule with all viewers. It was comfortably ahead of WESH with NBC ("The Voice") and WFTV with ABC ("Dancing With the Stars").

Yet the TV industry emphasizes reaching young adults, especially the 18-to-49 age group. For May, TNT ranked first in Central Florida"s young adults, thanks to NBA games. WFTV, bolstered by the Billboard Music Awards and "Modern Family," was second in young adults. It was followed by ESPN (more NBA), WKMG and WESH.

In 11 p.m. news, WFTV was the leader in the 25-to-54 age group but WKMG and WESH reached more viewers in all. With the 25-to-54 age group, WFTV averaged 19,308 viewers to WKMG"s 13,151 WESH"s 12,728 and WOFL"s 5,832. Yet all the stations were down, perhaps because of increased competition from cable.

WKMG is continuing to air a spot that it has the most-seen 11 p.m. news, and that is the case. In total viewers, WKMG averaged 66,487 viewers to WESH"s 62,672 and WFTV"s 58,017.

The most-seen local newscast overall was at 6 p.m., when WFTV averaged 126,034 total viewers. It was well ahead of WKMG"s 66,197, WESH"s 63,417 and WOFL"s 20,705. Greg Warmoth replaces Opsahl from 5 to 6:30 p.m. starting Thursday (today).

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/tv-guy/os-may-ratings-wftv-wins-wkmg-gains-20160526-story.html

Klay Thompson calls Timofey Mozgov "kinda dirty" after setting questionable pick

Postgame Warriors Talk - Klay Thompson 5.28.16

It looks like things might be getting testy between the Warriors and Cavaliers after Cleveland"s Game 3 blowout win Wednesday.

Late in the first quarter of the Cavs" 120-90 win, Cleveland big man Timofey Mozgov set a hard screen on Klay Thompson in the middle of the key. Thompson"s leg collided with Mozgov, sending the Warriors" All-Star guard to the floor.

Thompson stayed down for a few minutes and eventually went back to the locker room to have his leg checked. But Thompson felt this play was more than just an accidental collision.

"It seemed kinda dirty to me," Thompson said after the game. "To stick his knee out too, but you know what, that"s basketball."

Thompson finished with 10 points on 4 of 13 shooting from the field, including only 1 of 7 from deep. The Warriors will need a better effort from him and Steph Curry if they want to stay in control of this series.

Source: http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/golden-state-warriors-klay-thompson-timofey-mozgov-kinda-dirty-questionable-pick-060816

Scott Disick Jokes About Rumors Khloe Kardashian Is Having His Baby: "Fingers Crossed!"

Khloe Kardashian Reveals Family Secrets On Ellen
Scott Disick and Khloe Kardashian Credit: Chris Weeks/Getty Images

Well, that would make the Kardashian-Jenner family tree even more confusing! Scott Disick took to Instagram on Wednesday, June 8, to poke fun at a false tabloid rumor suggesting that Khlo Kardashian is pregnant and that he might be the father.

PHOTOS: Khloe Kardashian"s Body Evolution

The headline read, Khloes Big Announcement: Im Having a Baby! Whos the Daddy? with images of five potential men: Odell Beckham Jr., French Montana, James Harden, Lamar Odom and Disick.

The self-proclaimed Lord, 33, who shares three children with Khlos sister Kourtney, showed he has a great sense of humor about the ridiculous gossip when he posted the cover and captioned it, Got my fingers crossed!

PHOTOS: Kardashian Family Album

While the rest of the men named have been linked to the Strong Looks Better n***d author in the past, the idea that Disick and Khlo have a romantic relationship is pretty far-fetched. As her familys popular reality show,Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and several of its spinoffs have documented, the two have a close friendship but nothing more.

The reality star, 31, was linked to Beckham Jr. over Memorial Day weekend when they were spotted getting cozy at Disicks 33rd birthday bash and Drakes pool party, but a source told Us Weekly Khlo and the NFL star are just friends. Theyre not dating, a source previously told Us. They were just flirting at a party.

Khloe Kardashian"s Style Transformation

Khlo recently filed for divorce for the second time from estranged husband Odom, 36, after originally filing in December 2013. The divorce was never finalized and the KUWTK star withdrew the papers last October after the former basketball player overdosed at a Nevada brothel and was in critical condition. Since calling it quits, she has dated rapper French Montana and NBA star Harden.

Disick split with Kourtney last summer after nearly 10 years together, but they continue to coparent Mason, 6, Penelope, 3, and Reign, 17 months. They reunited earlier this week to take their two oldest kids to see The Little Mermaid in L.A.

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Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/scott-disick-jokes-hes-having-a-baby-with-khloe-kardashian-w209497

Tel Aviv Gears Up for Hourly Car Rental

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Tel Aviv is moving ahead with plans for its own car- sharing service, city officials said this week.

On Monday the city council voted to allocate 100 million shekels ($26 million).

The city is working in partnership with the private hourly car rental service Car2Go, although they have not yet signed a contract.

The plan is to launch the service by the second half of 2017, with 260 small cars.

Car2Go has 200 vehicles in Tel Aviv, scattered around the city. Members pay an annual fee for the smart card that opens the vehicle, in addition to the hourly or daily rate and mileage.

Reservations can be made at any time online, for a vehicle that may be closer to their home than the nearest available street parking. After use, the member returns the car to its parking space.

The municipal fleet would improve upon Car2Gos service by offering around 520 reserved parking spots around the city. In addition, vehicles could be parked in and picked up from any legal onstreet parking space in the city.

The reserved spots are likely to be created at the expense of current parking spaces. City officials said that placing the programs cars in parking lots was a less convenient option for many potential user of the service.

While the price of the service will be set closer to its launch date, the idea is for the rentals cost 30% to 40% less than taking a taxi for the same purpose.

The hope is that many city residents will opt to forgo car ownership in favor of the sharing program.

Initially, it seeks to appeal to residents who get around by taxi. The shared cars can be used for trips outside the city, and in the future the program might be expanded to include more of the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

Car2Go already has an agreement with Tel Aviv suburb Ramat Gan, and it is in negotiations with the northern city of Haifa.

Car2Go, which is part of the Shagrir Group, published details of its operations two weeks ago, ahead of a planned IPO by the Shagrir Group, which owns 61% of the rental company. Car2Go had 8,000 members as of the end of 2015, and its 200 cars were rented some 84,000 times that year, a 8.5% increase versus 2014.

The companys revenues were 15 million shekels, up 11% from 2014, as a result of increased usage.

The company reported an operating loss of 100,000 shekels, down from an operating loss of 3.6 million shekels in the parallel.

Most Car2Go users are between the ages of 24 and 45.

Israels public transportation needs urgent, immediate improvement. We are continuing to work via the means at our disposal to advance the project, which the state should seek to lead on a national level, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said.

Huldai added that he hoped the program would contribute to the reduction of the use of private cars.

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/1.723970

In defense of Chad, the worst "Bachelorette" contestant

Chad from The Bachelorette Gets a Talking To

Like any great work of literature, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette always have a villain. This week, the primary antagonist of JoJo Fletchers season took up that mantle with gusto: Meet Chad, a 28-year-old luxury real estate agent who hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Chad, or at least the version of Chad thats been edited for our TV screens, is a d**k. But the very nature of his dickishness raises fascinating questions about how men should behave.

Chad briefly appeared in the seasons premiere episode, but not so briefly that he couldnt find the time to raise approximately 1,000 red flags. If I wanted her, Ill have her, he said in a confessional interview. Thats the kind of sweet talk you expect to hear from a man with a long, curly mustache whos about to tie a damsel to a railroad track. He reserved his negging A-game for JoJo, pointing out that her confidence makes her special, unlike ~other~ women (yuck!): Normally girls are so worried about themselves, and its obvious to me and everybody else that you dont worry about yourself. Youre good.

On last nights episode, Chad got nearly as much screentime as the Bachelorette herself. He is reality TVs answer to Gaston, a man with a capital M, and a capital A, andwhy not?a capital N for good measure. Stuck at home while JoJo is away on a group date, the other men look on, in amusement and in awe, as Chad does pull-ups on the side of the mansion, his suitcase chained around his waist for an extra challenge.

Chad is not exactly Mr. Congeniality, which is to say that his fellow contestants loathe him. As they write and perform a song in their collective sort-of-girlfriends honor, Chadmunching on a steak while they rehearsechides them for being obsessed with JoJo already, and really, we dont know anything about her. He characterizes himself as a real man, whereas each of the other contestants is a childish boy.

Chads brain is as full of troubling opinions about gender relations as his mouth is full of meat. As he tells Daniel, seemingly the only other contestant who wants anything to do with him, I always warn girls. I always say, Stay away from the nice guys. people think Im an a*****e, but in the end, Im actually nice.

Later, Chad and five other men are whisked away on a second group date to the ESPN studio where SportsNation is taped. Prove your love to me, and the nation, instructs the date card, but our boy man Chad isnt feeling it.

On the date, the men are challenged to spin around on a bat ten times, then stagger over to JoJo and dizzily propose on one knee. The other men dont hold back with their affections (Alex declares that this is the best day of his life, which, okay), but Chad simply asks, Will you marry me?

When JoJo questions why, unlike his competition, he didnt say what he loves about her, Chad does not bend. Starting off a little naggy here, he tells her, to the audible horror of everyone assembled. If Im getting nagged, Im going to say something.

Later, in an ESPN press conference, he defends his position (if not his use of the word naggy) with a surprisingly rational argument:

If youre going to ask me to tell you all the things I love about you, I dont know yet Yall dont know her yet. You cant be in love with her. If you are, thats weird. And whats to stop you from falling in love with the next girl that immediately walks up?

Chad may be an irredeemable douchebag, but that doesnt mean he doesnt have a point. When he insists the other men are fake and sucking up, hes not wrong. That song? Look, that song was corny as all h**l. And most adults who arent characters in a rom-com would agree that there is something distinctly off about professing your love for somebody you literally just met two days ago.

The Bachelorette is only nominally a reality show. Even if the men arent doing so consciously, they are faking it. Theyve been influenced by the well-established dynamics and tropes of the franchise to perform the role of JoJos perfect softboy suitor. And Chad, for his part, is having none of it. His presence in the house is an unmistakably subversive one. When the men who werent chosen for a date this week sit around mopingas is customaryhe swiftly punctures their disappointment: Youve gone your entire life without her. You can chill.

Chads entire purpose on the show seems to be breakingor at least doing pushups againstthe fairytale fourth wall. Even his appetite has this effect: That steak wasnt an isolated incident. The Bachelor is notorious for never showing anyone eating, with gorgeous food routinely going untouched on dates. But Chad isnt here to make friends. Hes here to make snacks. Shot after shot is devoted to Chad loading up plates with deli meats and happily stuffing his face. Its yet another way for the producers to code him as not only crass and boorish, but unwilling to adhere to the unwritten rules of love in the Bachelor mansionjust as he further alienates himself from the other men when he sneaks away to steal some time with JoJo when she first arrives for their cocktail party.

At the end of the night, Chad gets a rose, meaning h**l survive another week. [Hes] honest, upfront, I like that about him, JoJo says, though she acknowledges that he might be too much.

But on The Bachelorette, there is no such thing as too much of a bad thing. Theres no question that Chads brand of aggressive masculinity is toxic, butby virtue of his off-putting radical honestyhe draws the inauthentic, saccharine sensitivity that the rest of the men are selling into sharp relief. This disconnect may be exactly what they find so infuriating about him: He isnt conforming to the nice guys narrative (see: previous Bachelor Ben Higgins) theyve been taught they must buy into in order to win.

Chad is sexist, sure, and hes rude as h**l. But the truth is that every other man in that house is playing a part just as much as he is. A rose is a rose is a rose: Is there really that much of a difference?

Source: http://fusion.net/story/307954/chad-bachelorette-contestant/

Where Clinton and Sanders stand in the delegate count

Donald Trump Delegate Update: Will He Get 1237? 4/5/16

Please check here for the latest delegate count.

Going into Tuesday"s spate of primaries, Hillary Clinton is now just 23 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to clinch the nomination. CBS News estimates that Clinton now has 2,360 total delegates (including superdelegates).

Clinton has picked up 36 delegates from Puerto Rico so far, while Bernie Sanders has so far picked up 20. The remaining delegates will be allocated as more votes are counted.

There are 694 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, and Clinton is expected to hit the magic number then, but she can also reach that number at any time, should more superdelegates swing their support her way.

Bernie Sanders faces a much steeper climb to reach 2,383: to get there, he"d need 97 percent of all the remaining delegates: pledged delegates plus the support of outstanding superdelegates or switches from Clinton.

Clinton is well-positioned to obtain a majority of pledged delegates - this would mean winning 2,026 pledged delegates (more than 50 percent of the 4,051 total pledged delegates). So far, she has 1,812 pledged delegates and needs to win about 30 percent of the pledged delegates in the remaining contests (through June 14th) to get a majority. Clinton has won 54 percent of pledged delegates to date.

Sanders, on the other hand, would need to win 72 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to hit 2,026. He has won about 46 percent of the pledged delegates to date.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/where-clinton-and-sanders-stand-in-the-delegate-count/