Top Ten Movies June 13 2008: Hulk on top

"There were a lot of naysayers out there when we said we were doing this." "The Hulk smashed those naysayers."Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of domestic distribution
--Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of domestic distribution

Weekend Box Office Leaders: June 13-15, 2008

The latest movie adaptation of Marvel Comic's The Incredible Hulk finished where the comic book character usually end up: on top.

Judged against Spider-Man, Hulk came up short. Judged against Hulk, The Incredible Hulk came up big. The franchise restart, starring Edward Norton, topped the weekend box office with $54.5 million, according to Exhibitor Relations estimates today. While that's about $8 million less than what Ang Lee's Hulk opened with in 2003, the gross is considered a victory for Universal Pictures, which had to overcome, well, Ang Lee's Hulk

The Hulk accounted for about a third of all ticket sales over the weekend.

#2 - Kung Fu Panda $34.3 million

#3 The Happening 30.5 million



#4 Don't Mess with the Zohan 16.4 million

The rest of the Top Ten:

5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $13.5 million
6. Sex and the City, $10.2 million
7. Iron Man, $5.1 million
8. The Strangers, $4.1 million
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $3 million
10. What Happens in Vegas, $1.7 million

The total movie box office receipts for 2008 are almost equal to this same time last year.

by Mondoreb
images: Universal
Sources:
* Incredible Hulk Smashes Past
* Today in Pop Culture

Canadian Survey on Foreigners Reveals Surprise

by RidesAPaleHorse
image: RAPH


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Obama Speech: The Wright Stuff?

We shall see if Obama's speech on March 18 had the desired effect. The results won't be clear for days, at best, but from what I have seen and heard so far, much of the speech itself, plus TV commentary, it was too little, too late.

Gloria Borger expressed the opinion yesterday that for the speech to be effective, Obama had to talk directly to the voters at a real world level and, for a change, not address worshipful devotees, from the stratosphere There was some earthiness in Obama's address, but it was pretty much true to form, poetic and rhapsodic and rhetorical. Personally, I could muster some sympathy, but it was not convincing.

What would be convincing ?

A black political expert featured on Fox TV may provide the best answer. Sorry I can't report his name, but he is very astute and realistic, a "pol" who knows his stuff. He also is a Democrat sympathetic to Obama --and he wasn't convinced, either.

What it would take is for Obama to meet with Rev Wright, behind closed doors , and when the get together was over for Wright to emerge with the message that he , the pastor, regretted his controversial views, had experienced a change of heart, and now seeks to not only undo damages he has caused , but has determined to turn a new leaf and henceforth preach a message that, in effect, reflects the outlook of MLK. And this would need to be done, added a women news anchor, in such a way that it could only be seen as sincere and not cynical opportunism.

What are the chances of this ? For the immediate future, slim to none. Apparently the pastor has been located in Africa, and at the least is nowhere to be found. But even if he could be contacted in the next day or two, he has now been so publicly vilified that in all probability he is in no mood for anything but defensiveness.

Down the road may be another matter. And with the Pennsylvania primary still 5 weeks away, Obama has some time, maybe enough time, to "stop the bleeding." But the more time that elapses, the worse his predicament becomes. His poll numbers have begun to fall and Hillary's lead in Pennsylvania,as of this AM, has increased from 6% to 12%.
Not that we can trust Gallup with our life, and other polls have been less than trustworthy this year, but here is one indication that major damages loom ahead for Obama. Rasmusson is the first tracking poll to show nationwide effects from the "pastorgate" mess, Obama down 5 points in 3 days.

The speech may have the effect to applying a tourniquet to a serious wound, maybe those numbers will stabilize, but clearly the speech was not enough. The best that can be said is that it gave some measure of reassurance to Obama's most ardent supporters who, because of it, still have a "reason for faith." The problem concerns his "soft support, " people who like him and like the idea of voting for him, but who are realists, not "true believers." How large their numbers are in Obama's "camp" I cannot say, but surely a substantial part of the ensemble, and maybe a majority. These are the people who could "peel away" in the days and weeks ahead.

What are the goals of Obama's strategists?

Read the rest of "Obama Speech: The Wright Stuff".

By: Billy Rojas

[Billy Rojas is a former college teacher of the Social Sciences, History, and Comparative Religion , at Phoenix college, Alice Lloyd College, Lower Columbia College, and the City Colleges of Chicago. He was formerly assigned to the US Navy as an instructor with the USS Enterprise. His previous article, "Obama and Culture Shock" appeared at DBKP on March 2 2008.]
image: DBKP file; democratic underground
Source: Obama Speech: The Wright Stuff?
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Ron Paul: Will Stay in Race; Help "Ron Paul Republicans"

Ron Paul News Roundup

Ron Paul "Hotties" Calendar Sold Out
Paul to Stay in Race
The Rise of "Ron Paul Republicans"?



The big news this morning is that Ron Paul has announced that he will stay in the Republican presidential race.

And that the "Hotties 4 Ron Paul" calendars are sold out--and there won't be any more printed.

Also, that more candidates are running under the "Ron Paul Republican" banner--one just announced in Michigan.

Click on Krista to enlarge this month's Featured Ron Paul Hottie

Repeating what he'd insisted: that Ron Paul will stay in the race.

"I will stay in as long as my supporters want me to," the Texas congressman said on American Morning Wednesday. "I was very reluctant to enter the race, didn't think it would last more than a month or two, but to my amazement, we literally got hundreds of thousands of supporters and millions of dollars, and they are still very enthusiastic. And I say as long as the number of volunteers continues to grow, and the money comes in, and there are primaries out there, and they want me to be involved, I am going to stay involved."

Paul won 5 percent of the vote in Wisconsin and 7 percent in Washington State in yesterday's Republican primaries. He said he believes his unlikely run has attracted others of similar political leanings who want to run for Congress.

One such person is Linda Goldthorpe of Michigan. She announced plans to run as a "Ron Paul Republican".

Linda Goldthorpe of Curtis in the Upper Peninsula plans to run in the Republican primary against state Rep. Tom Casperson and conservative Don Hooper, and if she prevails will run as a “Ron Paul Republican” against seven-term Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak.

An outspoken disciple of Ron Paul, Goldthorpe says she has called herself a “pro-life Libertarian” for years.

Libertarians were an important part of the Reagan Republican coalition in the 1980s, but with the election of George Bush and the rise of "compassionate conservatism"--politicalspeak for more big government spending--libertarian concerns of smaller government and less government intrusion seem to have been pushed to the back of the Republican national agenda.

Now, more Americans with Libertarian principles are trying to make the issue of smaller government more important to the national GOP poobahs.

"One of my problems now is that I am being overwhelmed with individuals who want to [run] and I have the responsibility of sorting it out because we are capable of raising funds," he said. "So it is a responsibly that will be a significant one for me to make sure I help the candidates that are true believes and not just the ones who want to be in Congress."

A Ron Paul Republican would most likely be Libertarian in outlook: i.e., adamant about scaling back the power of a U.S. federal government that has reached into almost every facet of individual life in modern-day America.

Paul had previously announced this month that he was scaling back his presidential run to focus on his Texas district and the re-election race he faces there.

Paul is facing a challenge that any Congressman running for President must face: opponents who use the time spent away from the congressional district as a talking point.

Congressional opponents are using Paul's presidential run as an issue: it's being said that Ron Paul is more concerned with running for President than he is his local constituents.

So, Ron Paul is putting more time into meeting and greeting the folks back home in his Texas district. And in helping organize like-minded individuals who are running for office across the country.

Paul, who won 5 percent of the vote in Wisconsin and 7 percent in Washington State, also said he believes his unlikely candidacy has attracted like-minded individuals who want to run for Congress.

Paul also categorically ruled out a third party bid in the future.

As far as attractive women and Ron Paul, there will be no more "Hotties 4 Ron Paul" calendars reprinted.



The website for "Hotties for Ron Paul" says the calendar is sold out.

The site apologizes for everyone coming to the site to get a calendar. The website statement: "The Hotties4RonPaul Calendar has sold out! We apologize to all the Ron Paul supporters out there who came here looking to get a calendar!"

Concerning a reprint of the obviously-popular wall hanging which the site says "rated G, contains no nudity, and is safe for the workplace," the question is answered in the site's FAQ.

You have sold out of calendars, will you be printing more?
No, at this time we are not planning on printing any more calendars.

Iconoclast Republican Ron Paul attracts unconventional support for his presidential campaign, including a 2008 pinup calendar by Hotties for Ron Paul, an independent fund-raiser not affiliated with the campaign. The calendar features 12 scantily clad young women (no nudity). February's "Featured Hottie" is Krista Allee DiPaola, identified as a Detroit special education teacher.

In America, as in the rest of the world, politics and attractive women seem to be a natural combination.

Of course, leave it to an American to figure out a way to make a buck off the two.





images:
* hotties4RonPaul
Sources:
* Goldthorpe, a "Ron Paul Republican" plans to run in primary
* Paul Vows to Press on
* Taking it off for a cause--the Ron Paul cause



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