See that logo for "meet" below? I think that just may be my favorite TDI graphic. I might have to do more "meet" biographies, just to post that graphic more...
Meet... Samuel Alito
File Under: Biography
Here at TDI, we've done biographical for John Roberts, Harriet Miers, and Ben Bernanke. And now TDI is going to do it again for Samuel Alito. That's enough times to name it a "feature"... Say hello to "Meet", a biographical profile feature that looks at the person, not the politics (as much as applicable). Samuel Alito, as you may have heard by now, is President Bush's new nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's seat. It's a very powerful position, and his decisions could affect laws that will impact us all. So, let's meet... Samuel Alito.
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr., was born on April 1, 1950 in Trenton, N.J. - Got his AB at Princeton in 1972, and his JD at Yale in 1975. He served as an editor on the Yale Law Journal. - Has a wife, Martha-Ann. They have a son in college, and a daughter in high school. - Alito's father, Samuel Alito Sr., was the director of New Jersey's Office of Legislative Services from 1952 until 1984. Alito Jr.'s sister, Rosemary, is a top employment lawyer in New Jersey.- From 1977 until 1980, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the appellate division, where he argued cases before the Third Circuit court. - Had a job as the assistant to the U.S. solicitor general from 1981 until 1985. He argued 12 cases on behalf of the federal government in the U.S. Supreme Court, among countless other federal cases. - Alito served two years as a deputy assistant to the U.S. attorney general from 1985 until 1987. He provided constitutional advice for the Executive Branch. - After being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Alito became a U.S. attorney for the district of New Jersey from 1987 until 1989. He is best known for
prosecuting white collar and environmental crimes, drug trafficking, organized crime, and violations of civil rights. - Became Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in 1990 after being appointed by President George H.W. Bush, and continues to serve on the bench today. He was then also confirmed unanimously before the U.S. Senate. Before becoming a judge, he clerked for Judge Leonard Garth, who is now his colleague on the bench.
- Was a member of the advisory board of the New Jersey Federal Bar Association. He also served on the New Jersey State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Federalist Society.- Has the nickname "Scalito", for being ideologically similar to Justice Antonin Scalia.
- If confirmed to the bench, it would be the first time the U.S. Supreme Court has a majority of Roman Catholics. Ironically, Alito was nominated on Protestant Reformation Day, the anniversary of when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Catholic Church.
- Is described as very smart, a bit shy, but an excellent public speaker, and even funny. Does not "wear his politics on his sleeve."
- He is a frequent dissenter on the liberal Third Circuit court, and is described as very conservative. But his tone is described as "probing but always polite".
- Is described by U.S. News and World Report as "family oriented".
So far, immediate reaction to his nomination has been mostly positive. Of course, the real source for knowledge on where he'll stand on issues and how he'll rule will come in the confirmation hearings, which senators promise they can hold before the Christmas recess. And now you've met... Samuel Alito.
The Northern Lights
File Under: Photography
In November of 2004, West Michigan was treated to a rare display of the Northern Lights. Upon seeing the lights for myself, I traveled over to a public ballfield, away from some city lights, to snap some photo's, using time-elapse photography. Now, since it's time-elapse, it looks like it's about sunrise, but in reality, it was more along the lines of midnight. None the less, it was quite the show, and it was fun to photograph. Here is one photo that best captures the "color explosion" in the sky.
TDI Original Saw'ed!
File Under: Movie Earnings
TDI now presents our weekly feature, Box Office Results. Before you read the projected numbers in the Monday paper, read then here at TDI first! For the weekend of October 28-30, sequel's ruled the box office. Coming in at number one on this Halloween weekend was the horror flick Saw II, with over $30 million. At number two was the second installment in the Antonia Banderas Zorro sega, earning over $16 million. Last weeks' number one film, Doom, fell all the way to seventh place. Hanging on at number 10 is Jodie Foster's Flightplan, a film that your author will now have to wait for a DVD release to see. (Though he said that about The Interpreter, but still has to see it) And now... The Box Office results.1. Saw II, $30,500,000
2. The Legend of Zorro, $16,500,000
3. Prime, $6,395,000
4. Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, $6,300,000
5. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, $4,400,000
6. The Weather Man, $4,225,000
7. Doom, $4,061,000
8. North Country, $3,650,000
9. The Fog, $3,300,000
10. Flightplan, $2,600,000
Total Intake: $81,931,000
First week $: $57,620,000
Blue letters indicated that this is the film's first weekend at cinema's.
File Under: Pod casting
Recently, I had the priviledge of sitting down to chat with Eva Lemmon, a TDI contributor and affiliate. (which, for those paying attention to my secret project, should note what I just said) After an unfortunate miscoummunication about when we were meeting, and after Eva took the wrong exit to our meeting place, I was able to record a new podcast. I must apologize for sounding very "NPR-ish"... I'm still finding by podcasting voice. Click here to listen to the latest podcast.Note: No Saturday updates. Maybe some after 10 pm. MAYBE. In the meantime, keep checking out the advisories issued by the National Hurricane Center to find out the latest on Tropical Storm Beta. Sometime Saturday, it could very well become a Hurricane.
Indicted'ed!
File Under: Developing Stories
"Scooter" Libby, one of Vice-President Richard Cheney's top aides has been indicted by a grand jury in the CIA leak case. Late this weekend, expect a nice, encapsulated recap of this case. What happened so far, what will happen next, and what does it mean? All of that, plus more, later this weekend.
Terror Plot: Thwarted
File Under: International News
Police in Copenhagen, Denmark have arrested four Danish Muslims on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist group planning a suicide attack in Europe. All the suspects are male, and between 16 to 20 years in age. The suspects are ordered held in jail while the police investigate the allegations. Officials didn't go into much detail, but did say this: "It seems the plan was going into a closing phase." The suspects were not identified to the public.Police say they raided the suspects homes in the Copenhagen area, seizing computers, CD's, cell phones, and books with radical Muslim literature. Some 25 people were briefly detained, but only these 4 suspects were ultimately arrested. Media reports link the Copenhagen investigation to a inquery in the Balkans, where arrest were made this month and large quantities of explosives were found. Three people were arrested in Bosnia, in relation to that case.
Get Ready!
File Under: Hurricane Watch
Yes, yes, Harriet Miers withdrew her resignation. It's a happy day, and an unfortunate day, and that's all TDI is planning on stating about that. However, there's something even more remarkable happening, and it's outside the US... Tropical Storm Beta. And unlike Alpha, this storm is STRENGTHENING. It's expected to be a Hurricane by Friday. If it becomes a hurricane, the 2005 hurricane season will officially be the most active season on record, period. We've had busy seasons before, but this is a landmark hurricane season. TDI will keep an eye on Beta, and bring you the highlights as warrented.
***SPOILERS!*** World Series 2005
File Under: Sports News
Wow... How rare is this? Sports news in the institute. The Chicago White Sox have won the World Series, 1-0 in the game Wednesday night, in a 4-0 series sweep.
Fifteen Minutes
File Under: TDI NewsWire
Welcome to Fifteen Minutes, TDI's premiere entertainment NewsWire. We bring you the latest from the movie and TV industries, with a little music and celebrity thrown in for good measure. It's not stupid entertainment news... It's the type of news you LIKE to hear! It's never dull, always fascinating, and it's worth giving these people their Fifteen Minutes in the limelight. Without further ado, here is our signature entertainment NewsWire!
FOX wants to destroy all humans. The FOX Broadcasting Co. has acquired the rights to turn THQ's best-selling sci-fi video game "Destory All Humans!" into a computer-animated comedy. This will be the first time a video game will be used as the basis for a primetime network TV show. The game is set in the 1950's, as a alien who has landed on Earth and is intent on destroying it. The game is billed as a spoof of Hollywood B-movies. Since it launched in June, the game has shipped more than 1 million units worldwide.
Everybody has their own reality TV show. So why shouldn't the Muppets? ABC has ordered a script and five episode outlines for "America's Next Muppet," a half-mock reality competition program in which viewers can help choose the newest member of the Muppet family. The Muppets first got their start on a national level on Sesame Street in 1969, and then branched off into The Muppet Show, which aired from 1976-1981, and have had more than 4 full-length feature movies. I'm hoping that Sam the Eagle and the two old hecklers are the judges for this show.
Getting their 15 today is Warner Brothers, who announced that they have reorganized it's home video and digital distribution efforts into one unit. The Warer Bros. Home Entertaint Group, leg by Kevin Tsujihara, will also encompass games, wireless, Internet strategy and anti-piracy efforts. WB is also forming Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, a unit to concetrate on video-on-demand and wireless distribution of entertainment. So basically, they have one unit for movies, one for TV, and one for everything else. Glad we have that cleared up.
(Finally, a story where I can have a picture of people!) The so-called "mega-churches" do have all the fun... They get to screen movies! About 3,200 churches across the United States and Canada saw Left Behind: World at War, a straight-to-video sequal to Left Behind. The distributor is projecting about 1.8 million people attended the screenings. They're hoping that this type of screening will help promote the DVD sales of the movie. One distributor said: "Instead of bringing Christians to the theaters, we brought the theaters to the Christians."
The rapper DMX (known on his tax forms as Earl Simmons) faces 60 days in prison after pleading guilty to violating the conditions of his release following a car crash last year at JFK Intl. Airport. DMX is scheduled to be sentanced November 17. He was also taking Valium when he smashed his car into a gate at the airport. He also told a parking lot attendant that he was a federal agent! He was sentanced to conditional discharge, meaning further violations within a year could land him in jail. Well, since then, eh's been cited twice for traffic violations including, one of which clocked him going 104 mph. Expect jailhouse rap albums from him sometime early next year.
Editorial: President Mac, how could you fire her? Tuesday night's Commander in Chief, President Mac fired her Attorney General (played by Leslie Hope), after the Attorney General and the creepy Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland) congratulated her on allowing torture of a terror suspect (unbeknownst to Mac). What was great about this episode was that Leslie Hope stared in season 1 of 24 as the wife of Jack Bauer, played by Keifer Sutherland, Donald's son. And Bauer's character is known for torturing terror suspects! But, bloody hell, she fired her! (as if she didn't need to hire enough new people already!) Here's hoping the former Attorney General can join Templeton's staff.
The Rolling Stones needs some quick cash, apparently, and will release an album full of rare tracks next months at Starbucks and retail shops. "Rarities 1971-2003" will be released on November 22 everywhere. In the past, Starbucks has had some deals with artist to have the album as an "exclusive", at least, for a few weeks. The new album also has live versions of some of their songs, plus dance remixes of songs like "Miss You" and "Harlem Shuffle". The album cover is shown to your left.
Is it irony? Tonya Harding called 911 after getting into a tussle with a man she describes as her boyfriend. The boyfriend was charged with assult and pleaded not guilty in court on Monday. Harding was found with a small cut over her right eye and an abrasion on her left cheek. The boyfriend says that Harding threw him down and bit his finger when eh said that she had too much to drink. Initially, Harding had told authorities that she was attacked by two masked men who came to her home and assulted her. Of course, Harding is best known for helping to get Nancy Kerrigan clubbed with a baton in 1994, and was thus banned from ice skating. Harding is now a boxer.
Hey! How'd they get in twice? Warner Bros. has announced that they're planning on releasing the sequel to Batman Begins (the Christian Bale one) on June 20, 2008. There's a rumor out there that the actor who signed on to play Harvey Dent (Two-Face) in the sequel has signed on for two pictures, and that they may film 2 movies simultaneously (a la Matrix 2 & 3). The Joker is a confirmed villian for the next flick. Batman is about a superhero who spends his downtime brooding in a luxurious mansion, so he's a character we can all relate to.
That's going to have to do it for this NewsWire. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to TDI throughout the week for more news, features, and other updates!
TDI: Bringing the web to YOUR fingertips
International Update, 10/25
File Under: International NewsWire
Welcome to the International Update, a NewsWire service of The Delta Institute. The purpose International News is to inform, but should be taken as a suppliment only, and not as a authoratative source of world news. Instead, we choose one story from each of the major regions of the world, and bring that story to YOU. The stories we pick may not be the "top stories", but equally interesting or provocative.Please welcome the new addition to International Update, In Focus. It is an additional story, usually from a different region each time. It's interesting, "watercooler-appropriate", and probably doesn't get the "headline treatment". But it's a story TDI thinks you'll be interested in hearing about none the less.
Fawzi al-Odah is a detainee at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He went on a hunger strike, but the Americans put in a feeding tube to keep him alive. He is now threatening to seek court interjection, to remove his feeding tube so he can be allowed to die. His lawyer says it is "out of desperation" over his imprisonment without charges. However, the lawyers want al-Odah to get the approval of his family and doctors. However, al-Odah's family does not want the feeding tube removed. There are a total of 26 detainees participating in the hunger strike. Almost all are being force-fed through nasal tubes. The U.S. military says that it considers hunger strikes a form of suicide and will take whatever steps are necessary to prevent any detainee deaths at the prison.
The government of Nigeria announced that it had requested help from the United States to help determine what happened to the Bellview Airlines Boeing 737-200, which went down late Saturday, killing all 117 people onboard. The Aviation Minister isn't ruling out foul play, but added: "For now, we just believe it's an accident." There were signs of disintegration found on the plane. The control tower lost contact with the plane five minutes after takeoff. The pilots issued a distress call before the plane disappeared from the radar. One unverified witness account said that the plane may have exploded before falling to the ground.
Taliban-led militants killed six civilians in a botched ambush attempt on a U.S. troop convoy south of Kabul, Afghanistan. The militants fired rockets, but missed the convoy, killing civilians instead. One of the civilians killed was a child. To the east, attackers gunned down two police officers. Elsewhere in Kabul, a cache of bombs was found in a Kabul junkyard. Afghan officials believe the militatns were planning to use the bombs against international peacekeepers in Kabul. In the past six months, Taliban-led militants have stepped up violence, killing more than 1,400 people.
Nearly 60 whales died in a mass stranding on a remote beach in southern Australia. Officials struggled to save about 10 survivors. There were two groups of long finned pilot whales that beached themselves near Marion Bay in southern Tasmania, according to a park spokeswoman. When officials and volunteers arrived, the majority of the 67 beached whales had already died. Long finned pilot whales are medium-sized whales, reaching up to about 20 feet in length. A group of 70 long finned pilot whales beached themselves in the same location in 1998. Only 10 survived.
In a meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said that "apocalyptic language" will not help resolve a trade fight over Canadian lumber, but offered no promise that the U.S. will repay billions in tariffs that Canada claims were collected improperly. When asked if she came to Ottawa with a check for the disputed $3.5 billion, Rice said, "I don't travel with that kind of money." Canada's Prime Minsiter Paul Martin says that he is willing to negotiate a lumber agreement with the U.S. if the government gives Canada the $3.5 billion they claim they're owed.
The head of Italy's military secret services, Nicolo Pollari, will be questioned by a parliamentary commission next week over allegations that his organization gave the U.S. and Britain the disputed "uranium yellowcake" documents, suggesting that Saddam Hussein had been seeking uranium in Africa. The Italian government has repeatedly denied reports that they had passed on documents about the Niger affair. The documents were later deemed unreliable by both Britian and the United States.
An unnamed source is telling the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that Mohammed Sidique Khan, the alleged ringleader of the 7/7 bombings, was tracked by intelligence services last year. The report says that he was secretly filmed and recorded speaking to a British-based terror suspect. The investigation suggested that he was in contact with activist from al-Qaeda. The activist was not named, "for legal reasons". Khan was one of the 4 homicide bombers who rocked London with the simultaneous terrorist attacks in three subways and one double-decker bus. Police have declined to comment on the BBC report.
A Roman Catholic priest was found shot to death in his car with his hands cuffed in Tijuana, Mexico, in what police said appeared to be an organized-crime killing. Tijuana's Bishop, Rafael Romo, is calling on city residents to unite against those fueling the drug and crime-fueled violence along Mexico's border. Priest Luis Velasquez, 51, was found in his car, which was near a shopping mall parking lot. He was in the service for more than 20 years, and an expert in church law. The method in which the killing was carried out suggest "at first sight", according to officials, that he was murdered by organized crime gangs.
You've probably heard by now that the U.S. military death toll has reached 2,000 in Iraq. Americans aren't the only one's who die in this war, though. In the past six months alone, at least 3,870 enemies were killed, according to an Associate Press count. A military officials says that the figure for the entire war could be 30,000 Iraqis. Other officials suspect a larger number. However, civilians make up more than 2/3'rds of the Iraqis killed. An estimated 1,000 civilians have died in the 30 months of the Iraqi war.
Israel and Jordan marked the 11th anniversary of their historic peace accord today, with Israel hailing Jordan as its "strategic partner" in Middle-East peacemaking. In the 1994 accord, Israel said that Jordan is as an "important element in efforts to attain peice with neighboring states". Jordan continues to come under pressure for making this accord, making many Arab enemies who are spiteful of the "Zionist enemy". Jordan became the second Arab state after Egypt to sign a peace treaty with Israel. Jordan views the accord with Israel as an "irreversible strategic choice". This past month, Jordan's King Abdullah II met with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Repair crews are hard at work to restore power to 6 million people across Florida, reopen airports, and to replace countless windows blown out of high-rises during Hurricane Wilma. It may take weeks for Miama, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach to return to normal. Damage estimates are ranging up to $10 billion. Peices of roofs, trees, signs, awnings, fences, and billboards are all scattered across the landscape. Some of the wort damage is in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, where Wilma was the strongest Hurricane to hit since 1950. Most buildings were build before the new building codes set in place by Hurricane Andrew.Ignoring the newspapers and choosing our own headlines, this is the Delta Institute with the International Update for October 25, 2005.
TDI: Bringing the web to your fingertips.
Coming Soon...
File Under: TDI Update
If all goes well, tonight you can expect another Fifteen Minutes, and possibly another International Update.In rather exciting news... In Iraq, 78.59% of the votes in the recent election were FOR ratification of the constitution, and only 21.41% against. More updates tonights. I would qualify 78.59% as a landslide victory, and it's certianly a great step against the terrorist and insurgents. Plus, how great is it for a people who, after decades of being terrorized by Saddam, adopt a constitution in just a few years? It's incredible, and truely remarkable.
Breaking News
File Under: Death of a US Legend
According to the office of US Rep. John Conyers says that Rosa Parks has passed away at the age of 92. She is most famous for her refusal on December 1, 1955, when she refused a bus driver's order to move for white people who were boarding the bus. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for disorderly conduct. The Montgomery Bus Boycott ensued, which helped other protest against segregation, and played a crucial role in the civil rights struggle.
The Delta Podcast
File Under: Original Audio
It's been a while, but the Delta Podcast is back! This time, I'm rejoined by Pete of Petey's Pro-Action Pics, and by John W. Sikma. The recorder shut off prematurely at the end, but it's pretty much all we recordered. We address an ugly JWS rumor, and even have a musical number. Click here to listen to the latest podcast.
Who is Ben Bernanke?
File Under: TDI In-Depth
President Bush has named Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. But who is he? TDI now takes a look at his biography, his life, to bring you a look at the person, not the policies.
- Bernanke is currently chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisors.- Taught Economics at Princeton University for 17 years.
- Is a "macroeconomist" with an interest in monetary policy and macroeconomic history.
- Director of the Monetary Economics Program of the National Bureau of Economic Research
- Editor of the American Economic Review.
- Was born on December 13, 1954, in Augusta, Georgia. Has a wife, Anna, and two children.
- Has a B.A. in economics, 1975, from Harvard University. Also has a Ph.D in economics, 1979, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- Was a member from 2002 to 2005 of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
- Told US News and World Report that he missed alot of classes in his first fall at MIT because he was obsessed with the Boston-Cincinnati World Series. The Red Sox lost, and has brought him sorrow ever since.
- Also described in that article as a "meditative man", and a libertarian republican.
- Won the state spelling bee in the sixth grade. He lost the national championship by adding one too many "i"s to the word "edelweiss".
- Is said to talk simply and plainly, and not "in tongues", as Greenspan is often criticized for doing.
- On wearing suits: "My proposal that Fed governors should signal their commitment to public service by wearing Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts have so far gone unheeded."
- Has been predicted to suceed Greenspan for many years by economic publications. Upon news of Bernanke being named for the post, the stock market's rallied and went up.
*NEW!* International Update
File Under: NewsWire
TDI has decided to try something new. Now, as much as TDI would love to be the one-stop shop for all your news, we can't do that. And we've stated before that we're a news suppliment. Well, in the interest of being an even better suppliment, we're launching a new NewsWire, tenativly called Inerational Update. We'll take one story from the different regions across the globe. You'll have The U.S.A., Canada, Africa, Australia (sometimes), Antartica, Asia, Europe, Mexico, and the Middle-East.The stories picked for International Update may not *necessarily* be THE big item in the news, though there will certianly be plenty of that. But we'll also look for stories that TDI thinks you might be interested in. So let me know what you liked and didn't like in the inagural edition of this NewsWire. Well, enough said... Time for the news!
A Boeing 737 crashed in Nigeria shortly after takeoff late Saturday night. Officials expect no survivors among the 117 people onboard. The plane has taken off from Lagos, and reportedly crashed about 120 miles north of the city. There is no immediate word on what caused the crash, though officials don't think that it's terrorism. There was lightning in the vicinity at that time. Most onboard were thought to be Nigerians. One American was onboard. This was Nigeria's worst air disaster since May 2002, when 154 died in the city of Kano after a plane plowed into a neighborhood just after takeoff.
Nepal's government has banned all FM radio stations operating from Kathmandu from airing news-oriented programs and backed the order with the threat of punishment. Any news that causes "hate or disrespect" towards Nepal's royal family is prohibited. King Gyanedra has recently imposed very strict controls over the country's media. There are several groups filing against the new laws, saying it contradicts the spirit of the 1990 constitution. A hearing on this case is expected to begin on Monday.
The province of Ontario will extend daylight savings time by four weeks in 2007, thus synchronizing clocks with the United States. Starting in 2007, Daylight Savings Time will start on the second Sunday in March, and end on the first Sunday in November. Currently, it runs from the beginning of April 'till the end of October. Ontario is the first province to finalize the time change, but Canadian officials hope other provinces will soon embrace the time change.
Pope Benedict XVI named five new saints on Sunday at a Mass, thus closing a 3-week meeting of the world's bishops. The Pope also announced that the church had reaffirmed it's position that preists bust remain celibant. Two of those canonized Sunday were from the Ukraine, two others were Poles, and one Chilean. Benedict also sent out a greeting to the Roman Catholics under persecution in China. He is seeking to re-establish diplomatic ties with China, to bring the estimated 12 million Chinese Catholics under the wing of the Vatican.
Cancun is left in rubble after Hurricane Wilma battered the popular vacation resort over the weekend. 3 people died in Mexico because of the Hurricane; 1 died from being hit by a falling tree, the other two from injuries they got when a gas tank exploded. This brings Wilma's death toll up to 16. Downtown Cancun was littered with glass, tree trunks and curs up to their roofs in floodwaters. Some coastal highways are blocked, due to three feet of floodwater. There is destruction everywhere. Wilma, now a category 2, will take a quick swipe at Cuba before hitting Florida early Monday morning.
Israel has dropped its campaign to ban Hamas from Palestinian parliamentary elections, a senior Israeli official is telling the AP. They still strongly oppose it, but won't take steps to stop it. This is the first time Hamas is running candadites for parliament. Hamas has done very well in other local elections, and is becoming a key opponet of the Fatah party. Also, the Palestinian Prime Minister says that a program is underway to disarm the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, and to bring its gunment into the security services. 
Sen. Chuck Schumer says that Harriet Miers does not currently have the votes in the senate to be confirmed for the U.S. Supreme Court. "I think, if you were to hold the vote today, she would not get a majority, either in the Judiciary Committee or on the floor. . . I think there is maybe one or two on the Judicary Committee who have said they'd support her as of right now." However, Sen. Arlen Specter said that most senators are waiting for the hearings before making up their minds. And Sen. John Cornyn said that "to prejudge the nominee before she's even had a chance to participate in the hearing just strikes me as unfair." Republican senators say that they are not seeing any signs that Miers nomination will be pulled by the White House.That's the world news in brief for Sunday, October 23rd, 2005. Stay tuned for even more daily news and features.
The Intake of Modern Movies
File Under: Movie Earnings
Here are the earnings for theatrical movie releases for the weekend of October 21 - 23, 2005. The movie adaption of video-game legend Doom took the top spot with over $15 million. Dreamer, starring Dakota Fanning, won the second place spot with over $9 million. It has been a slow couple of weeks at the Box Office, as people take a breather between the summer season, and the holiday rush. (click here for TDI's November movie preview) Dispite heavy online promotion, the Kiera Knightly flick Domino flopped, coming in at 11th place with $2,375,000 million. It played in 2,223 theaters. (Dreamer played in 216 fewer theaters)1. Doom, $15,382,000 (budget: $60 million)
2. Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, $9,300,000
3. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, $8,700,000
4. The Fog, $7,300,000
5. North Country, $6,470,000
6. Elizabethtown, $5,725,000
7. Flightplan, $4,712,000
8. In Her Shoes, $3,900,000
9. A History of Violence, $2,700,000
10. Two for the Money, $2,404,000
Total Intake: $66,593,000
The Chronicles of Narnia
File Under: New Trailer Notice
The Ocean's Devils
File Under: Hurricane Update
It is now at category three, and stalling. Hurricane Wilma is continuing to drench Mexico, and blowing top winds of 115 mph. Thankfully, right now, there is no word of any deaths in Mexico related to Wilma. However, it is blamed for 13 deaths in Haiti and Jamaica. At least one shelter in downtown Cancun had to evacuate 1,000 people overnight, due to a severen threat of the ceiling collapsing. The eye of Wilma came ashore overnight near Playa de Carmen, in a sparsely populated area, occupied mainly by luxury resorts. Wilma will continue to pummel the Yucatan all day Saturday before getting back into the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters expect it to curl around and sprint towards Florida, where it may make landfall Monday. Floridians have already begun to leave the Keys, and parts of mainland Florida. Traffic jams already backed up highways, and there were scattered gas shortages reported across the west coast. About 65,000 are said to have evacuated in Quintana Roo state before the hurricane hit Mexico. About 20,000 tourist are trapped in Mexico, sleeping on floors of ballrooms, schools, or wherever they can find a stable roof over their head. 10-12,000 of the tourist are estimated to be in Cancun itself.
Parts of Wilma have already begun to hit Cuba, where more than three feet of rain is expected. A reported 500,000 Cubans were evacuated ahead of time. There are waves of up to 21 feet reported in Cuba.
2005 Fall TV Season Update
File Under: TV News
Here is an update on the new fall TV season. So far, most new programs have stuck, and there are few stories of extreme failure.Picked Up for an Entire Season
ABC
Commander in Chief
Invasion
CBS
How I Met Your Mother
The Ghost Whisperer
Criminal Minds
NBC
My Name is Earl
Surface
FOX
Bones
Prison Break
The War at Home
UPN
Everybody Hates Chris
WB
Supernatural
Expected to Get a Full Season Order
Reunion, FOX
Threshold, CBS
Out of Practice, CBS
Cancelled
Just Legal, WB
Head Cases, FOX
Inconcievable, CBS
Sex, Love & Secrets, UPN
In Limbo
E-Ring, NBCKitchen Confidential, FOX
Killer Instinct, FOX
And I'm sure there are a few that I missed, namely on the WB and UPN. So far, it's mostly good for the networks. CBS remains the undisputed ratings champion, with ABC in a close second. NBC lags in third, then FOX, then WB, then UPN.
TDI Movie Preview
File Under: Special Features
Well, here's a new feature TDI is going to try to stay on top of... It's a month-by-month movie preview. We preview all the movies that TDI thinks is worth mentioning, and/or thinks will be a major hit at the box office. This is not a list of what movies I'm going to go see. Rather, it is a general preview of what will be playing in movie theaters in the upcoming month. And I'm not including every single movie... Just ones with serious potential to be the top movies of the week. (IMHO)November, 2005
Jarhead - Based on the book written by Anthony Swofford, this movie follows a young enlistee, from boot camp all the way to Operation Desert Storm. The official movie description says that "Swoff(ord) and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see or fully fathom." But can the fact that it's dealing with a Iraq war in modern settings win over Americans to go see it? It's also rated R, and features a Kayne "Bush hates blacks" West song in the trailers. Looking up political buzz for this movie, liberals say it's pro-military, and conservatives say it's anti-military. Can we ever agree on something? I mean, it's only one movie! The war biopic, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, and Chris Cooper, opens November 4.
Chicken Little - In Disney's first solo computer generated (CGI) Cartoon, Chicken Little is trying to restore his repuation after his infamous "The Sky is Falling!" incident. And it goes pretty well.... until a real peice of the sky falls! Chicken Little, along with his ragtag team of buddies, try to figure out how to save the town from whatever might be next. But will Chicken Little have to alert the entire town, at the risk of potentially damaging his restored reptutation? You'll find out on November 4. This film stars the voices of Zach Braff, Steve Zahn, and John Cusack. (trailer)
Get Rich or Die Tryin' - Remember when Eminem released his movie, 8 Mile? Same deal, only this time, it's today's rap mogul, 50 Cent (known on his tax forms as Curtis Jackson). This movie is 50 Cent's "semi autobiography", with him acting out a character who went through "similar" events in his own life. In the film, an orphaned street kid "makes his mark" in the drug trade, but "finally dares" to leave the violence of his former life behind. So what do you do when you leave the drug trade? You become a rapper! And make a movie about it. This film, starring 50 Cent, Joy Bryant, and Viola Davis, opens on November 9. (movie site)
Zathura - Two brothers discover an odd box in a park, which they dismiss as "just some dumb old game." Later, they open it up, and I *guess* discover two games inside. One of them is Jumanji, and the other is a spaced-theme game called Zathura. This new game has an outer-space theme and a colored path leading to the purple planet, Zathura. Like Jumanji, this new flick features new dangers whenever the dice is rolled. And, judging by the trailer, this film also features the common annoying child actors. This flick, which stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, and Tim Robbins, opens November 11.
Pride & Prejudice - Oddly enough, I had to sort through search results for a "Pride and Prejudice" movie. Apparently, they made one before? Anyway, for those who aren't familiar with the plot of the Jane Austin novel, an opinionated young woman and an arrogant aristrocrat overcome their personal obstacles, and society's, to fall in love. They get married. Oh, don't get mad about spoilers! It's a Jane Austin novel. They have HAPPY endings! (so I gather) This new version stars Keira Knightly, Matthew MacFayden, Judi Dench, and Donald Sutherland. It opens in select cities on November 11. (trailer)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Now in his fourth year at Hogwarts, the young wizard Harry faces his greatest challenges yet. In the latest film, Harry is mysteriously selected to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, a very deadly - yet noble - tournament against all the other best young wizards from across Europe. As if that weren't stressful enough, it looks like Lord Voldemort just might be returning from the dead. As the pr release says, "Harry is playing not just for the Cup, but for his life." Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. It opens on November 18. (trailer)
Walk the Line - He wrote about 8,000,000,000 songs. And became a music legend in the process. His name was Johnny Cash, and he was "a voice of rebellion that changed the face of rock and roll." By becoming country? Then it's switching genres. Anyways... As he went from picking cotton, to serving in the Air Force, to becoming a music legend, his personal life was turned upside-down by one woman: June Carter. This movie chronicles the events of the man who became an American music icon. The Ray for 2005 stars Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, and Robert Patrick. Walk the Line opens November 18. (trailer)
Rent - It's a broadway musical! It's a Tony-Award winning musical! Now it's a major motion picture! The general plot is that, to quote the pr release, "a group of young East Villagers in New York City cope with such harsh urban realities as AIDS, homelessness and paying the rent." And how do they cope? By singing and dancing all around New York City, that's how! Interestingly enough, most of the original broadway cast was able to reuinite for the movie adaption. And on a personal note, I'd never heard any of the music before. So when I saw the teaser trailer , I was completely confused. I thought it was one of those public service spots! The musical, starring Taye Diggs, Rosario Dawson, and Idina Menzel, opens November 23. (trailer)Looking into the crystal ball, you better see the movies you want to see opening weekend, because December is jammed-packed with good-looking movies. Though from the list above, I can safely say that there are two that interest me. I'd just have to find time to see them!
And, of course, TDI will track the progress of each movie, via our weekly Box Office Results feature.
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