'Captain America: Civil War' Opens with $181.8 Million; Global Total Climbs Over $675M
Captain America: Civil War scorched the weekend box office, bringing in the fifth largest opening weekend of all-time. The massive debut contributed to Disney bringing in over $200 million this weekend as the studio became the fastest to cross the $1 billion mark in domestic earnings in just 128 days, decimating the 165 day record set by Universal just last year. And while Disney was setting records, the weekend also saw a stellar comeback for Open Road's Mother's Day as it took advantage of its holiday namesake.
With an estimated $181.79 million opening weekend, Civil War not only scored the fifth largest opening of all-time, it is the third largest opening for a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In fact, compared to the other standalone franchises in the MCU, the Captain America franchise continues to show the greatest film-over-film growth as Civil War's opening is a 91.3% increase over the opening for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Also note, Disney under-estimated the opening weekend for Avengers: Age of Ultron last year by $3.6 million and some rival studios suggest Civil War may have brought in as much as $186 million this weekend.
Of course, heading into the weekend, expectations were undoubtedly high as Civil War looked as if it may be able to become only the fourth film to top $200 million in its first three days. The film's reported, $250 million budget is on par with the budget for Avengers: Age of Ultron and, given the film's sheer size and scope, Civil War plays much more like an Avengers film than your typical Marvel, standalone character feature. Added to that, Civil War saw great reviews heading into the weekend (91% on RottenTomatoes), record Fandango pre-sales for a superhero film, more premium ticket options and 3-D theaters than Ultron and the premiere of two new superheroes. Yet, don't for a second think of the film's opening as a disappointment.
Civil War scored an "A" CinemaScore, and solid holds over its first three days in release suggest a stellar domestic run is in the offing. Should it play out on par with the likes of The Winter Soldier it will likely pass $300 million domestically by next Sunday (if not sooner) and could surpass $450 million overall depending on how it holds on once X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 20.
Globally the film's total is now up to $678 million after launching internationally last weekend and bringing in an estimated $220 million from overseas markets this weekend. In fact, with $496.6 million internationally after just two weeks, it has already surpassed the lifetime international cumes of Captain America ($194M), Iron Man ($267M), Thor ($268M), Iron Man 2 ($312M), Ant-Man ($339M), Thor: The Dark World ($438M), Guardians of the Galaxy ($440M) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($455M).
#RHOA: Toya Wright & Reginae Hit Up Kim Zolciak’s Birthday Bash
Reality star Toya Wright and her daughter Reginae Carter are bringing the mother-daughter slayage at two separate events.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann had a birthday bash and the surprise launch of her new skin care line Kashmere. Toya and Reginae, both styling in all black ensembles, were all smiles as they posed it up with the birthday girl and her daughter Brielle during the festivities.
Kim is determined to keep her checks rolling in isn't she?
Fun times.
IN NON EMPIRE NEWS: Lee Daniels Leaves Richard Pryor Biopic
Lee Daniels has thrown up the deuces and will no longer direct the upcoming Richard Pryor biopic, according to Deadline.
The co-creator and showrunner for the hit series, ‘Empire’, has left The Weinstein Company and will no longer direct the film that will star comedian Mike Epps.
Reportedly his departure is not because of behind the scenes drama, but because of scheduling conflicts.
No further changes have been made to the biopic cast, with Epps playing Pryor, co-starring with Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Hudson.
#NEWMUSIC: Mario – ‘I Need More’
Mario steps back on the music scene, unloading a new song entitled “I Need More.” The R&B crooner hits the club, and the money he’s throwing from his table has the models choosing – but in the end he desires more.
“I found myself having to face my own darkness in order to step into the next phase of my purpose,” Mario explained while talking his upcoming album, Paradise Cove. “It inspired certain sounds and textures that you wouldn’t get from a label-produced Mario album.
He continued: “We were able to create a concept, lyrically and sonically, that expresses exactly what I was feeling: the void. Even in the midst of manifesting our wildest desires and material gains, it still ain’t enough. You need more: truth, love, happiness, freedom.”
Check out Mario’s new tune HERE!
Good to see him back!
New Hip Hop: 50 Cent feat. Chris Brown – ‘No Romeo No Juliet’
Fresh off their remix to “I’m the Man,” 50 Cent and Chris Brown are back at it with “No Romeo No Juliet,” which they previewed in the video that dropped earlier today.
“There’s no Juliet for no Romeo with no dough,” they sing on the hook. “She report to pimpin’, now back to trickin’…We pimpin’, ni**a.”
Fif and Breezy trade bars on this one. While Chris brags that 50 is his OG, and that he’s a pimp, the G-Unit general comes back with rhymes about interracial dating and having “it made” like the classic Special Ed song.
Listen to Breezy and 50 reunite HERE
The string-filled collaboration is expected to appear on Fiddy’s upcoming Kanan Reloaded, a follow-up to December’s The Kanan Tape.
Pat McCrory Sues The Obama Administration Over HB2 The Bathroom Bill!
Facing a federal government about to crack down, Gov. Pat McCrory is suing to stop them, arguing there’s no such thing as federal protections for transgender people.
“We’re taking the Obama admin to court,” wrote McCrory on Twitter today. “They're bypassing Congress, attempting to rewrite law & policies for the whole country, not just NC.”
The governor is asking for the court to clarify federal law because it disagrees with how the Justice Department has interpreted it, specifically regarding the state's controversial anti-LGBT law known as House Bill 2. In addition to rescinding all LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances statewide, HB 2 bars transgender people from using restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identity, if those facilities are located in government buildings or public spaces. The sweeping law must be enforced at state schools, including at all campuses of the University of North Carolina, which has struggled with how to enforce the policy.
McCrory faced a deadline today from the Justice Department, which told North Carolina that its new discrimination law violates Title IX protections against discrimination based on gender — and that, they said, includes transgender people. If the law, passed in a 24-hour special session on March 23, wasn’t made null today then the state faced loss of potentially billions in federal dollars tied to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“Access to sex-segregated restrooms and other workplace facilities consistent with gender identity is a term, condition or privilege of employment,” the DOJ wrote in its letter informing McCrory that HB 2 violates federal law. “Denying such access to transgender individuals, whose gender identity is different from the gender assigned at birth, while affording it to similarly situated non-transgender employees, violates Title VII.”
That's the key interpretation that McCrory rejects, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit blasts the United States, in particular the federal Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Loretta Lynch, “for their radical reinterpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which would prevent plaintiffs from protecting the bodily privacy rights of state employees while accommodating the needs of transgendered state employees.”
Mischaracterizing the law as a “common sense privacy policy,” the complaint admits that House Bill 2 does not grant citizens access to public restrooms based on their gender identity. The suit continues:
“The Department [of Justice] contends that North Carolina’s common sense privacy policy constitutes a pattern or practice of discriminating against transgender employees in the terms and conditions of their employment because it does not give employees an unfettered right to use the bathroom or changing facility of their choice based on gender identity. The Department’s position is a baseless and blatant overreach.”
North Carolina’s complaint contends that there is no legal precedent affirming that transgender individuals are protected by federal employment law, but relies upon cases decided up to 16 years ago, notably failing to mention the numerous pro-trans equality rulings handed down in federal courts under the Obama administration.
The recent Gavin Grimm case out of Virginia certainly won’t help North Carolina’s governor make his argument that existing federal law doesn’t protect transgender people from discrimination. The Fourth Circuit, which also has jurisdiction over North Carolina, already ruled that Grimm, a high school student, can’t be ordered to use a special bathroom because it would be discriminatory under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
McCrory is facing a tough reelection fight against his own attorney general, Roy Cooper, who has refused to defend HB 2 in court. Plus, McCrory has faced national backlash over the law, even from his party’s presumptive nominee for president, Donald Trump, who said there was nothing wrong with the way things had worked before McCrory’s ban went into place.
And it’s true, there’s not a single case of a transgender person acting as a child predator in any bathroom in the country — a myth being put forward by Republicans to get these so-called bathroom bills passed.
In an interview with Fox News over the weekend, McCrory himself admitted that there has never been a reported instance of a sexual predator exploiting trans-inclusive protections to assault people in a restroom.
“They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a women’s locker room, restroom or shower facility,” said McCrory in a statement announcing the lawsuit, once again dismissing transgender women as real.
Numerous businesses have also protested the law, which includes a ban on anti-discrimination ordinances anywhere in the state from including sexual orientation or gender identity as protected classes.
Stay Tuned!
Denzel And Pauletta Washington Raise $17M For African-American Museum
If you had a party at your house, how much money do you think you could raise? Maybe a few hundred dollars? Well, if you’re Pauletta and Denzel Washington, you can do better than that. The couple held an event at their Los Angeles home and raised over $17 million for the Smithsonian African-American Museum, scheduled to open in Washington, D.C. this fall.
The Saturday night event raised more than $17 million and included the announcement of a hefty pledge of $10 million dollars from television titan Shonda Rhimes, who could not attend the fundraiser.
“There is such a historical significance to this project,’’ said Denzel Washington, who is currently directing Viola Davis in the film adaption of August Wilson’s play ‘Fences.’ “It means so much for our community, our country and to future generations.’’
The lavish evening welcomed big names like Quincy Jones, Magic Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson and featured a performance by R&B singer Goapele Mohlabane who serenaded guests throughout the night. Dinner for the evening included braised short ribs, sea bass and cauliflower steaks.
Pauletta Washington, a noted Broadway performer and accomplished pianist opened the evening with a vocal invocation of the Lord’s Prayer near the home’s Olympian sized pool.
“In this climate where so much money is being raised for the Presidency and The White House, it is incredible to have the support we received,’’ said Pauletta Washington. “It’s good knowing that even with so much going on, people are committed to making sure that this museum is successful.’’
Washington recounted a family trip to Israel with Denzel and their four children a few years ago where they visited a Holocaust museum; she noted the chilling impact the experience had on the entire Washington family.
“There was one room in the Holocaust museum that featured the clothes, shoes and other items of the children murdered there and it was very disturbing,’’ she recalled. “I asked my kids about it after we left and I could tell it haunted them too. But it also made them think about their own history and they asked me where was there a place that told our (African-American) story. That hit me because I didn’t know at the time this museum was in the making.’’
Washington added that she learned of plans for the National African-American Museum months later and knew that she and Denzel would need to be involved.
Notable names who have contributed over a $1 million dollars to the project include George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson and Oprah Winfrey, who as the largest individual donor to date has donated more than $21 million dollars to the site that will feature Harriett Tubman’s hymnal, Nat Turner’s bible, Emmett Till’s original coffin as well as Louis Armstrong’s trumpet. The museum will feature a 355 seat theatre named after Winfrey, their largest contributor to date. Shonda Rhimes will also have a gallery in her name.
Oh? Is The Formation World Tour in Trouble?
Earlier this week Live Nation announced they were adding seven new shows to Beyonce's Formation World Tour schedule due to popular demand [click here if you missed that].
Meanwhile industry insiders are whispering about the surprising number of tickets that have gone unsold....
According to The Sydney Morning Herald
She's the undisputed queen of pop with her album Lemonade at number one on the Billboard 200, but Beyonce's latest string of concerts are far from selling out.
Entire stadium sections on the Grammy winner's Formation World Tour have gone unsold, including at several shows in the coming fortnight.
In Seattle and Minneapolis, the stadium's back tier sections remain largely empty, while in San Francisco, entire rows of floor seats are unsold. It's a similar story in Pittsburgh where some rear stalls are less than 50 per cent full.
That said, "Queen B" still sells. The Formation World Tour made $US100 million ($134 million) in its first week of sales, according to Billboard, with shows only in New York and Los Angeles selling out in minutes.
Ferguson Swears in First Black Police Chief Delrish Moss
Veteran Miami police officer Delrish Moss was sworn in today as the first black police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, telling the crowd, "let's get to work."
Moss is replacing Tom Jackson, who resigned last year after a Justice Department report cited racial bias in Ferguson's criminal justice system.
After he was sworn in, Moss said it's the department's task to bring "nobility" back to police work.
To the city's police officers, he said: "If you work hard, if you stay honest and committed, if you maintain respect for the community and do your job well, we will get along just fine."
He also thanked the city's elected officials for "having faith in me" and the people of Ferguson for "giving me this opportunity."
The new leadership comes in the wake of protests and riots that overtook the city in the summer of 2014 after Michael Brown, an 18-year-old unarmed black teen, was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer. A St. Louis County grand jury and the Department of Justice declined to indict the officer.
As Moss takes on this new role, he said he hopes to diversify the police department. "The department now has very few females in sworn positions," he recently told the New York Times. "There’s, I think, a total of 54 police officers, and I think three or four African-Americans."
Moss said he also aims to increase the positive interactions between police and youth -- he told the New York Times that Ferguson has seen "an uptick in crimes committed by younger people."
"I want to start a mentoring program," he told the New York Times. "I want to start a Police Athletic League. I have been talking to the Do the Right Thing director here in Miami about Do the Right Thing [a youth program] coming to Ferguson. We’re going to do stuff like staff walks, so the staff gets out there and knocks on doors and talks to business owners and residents."
In Miami, Moss was not only a police officer -- he grew up there. As a child, his friend was killed by police. And as a teenager, he experienced a police search with no explanation. He also witnessed rioting in 1980 after white police officers fatally beat a black motorcyclist, according to the Associated Press. In 1984 he was hired as a Miami officer.
Moss told the AP he wanted to "give my community the police service I thought we deserved, and treat people much better than I had been treated."
"That's what fuels my love for law enforcement," Moss said. Moss' service as an officer is diverse -- he's worked in homicide and as a public information officer. He was promoted to the position of major in 2011.
Miami Police Chief Rodolfo Llanes told the AP, "He took an opportunity to improve things for his own community, not just for his personal benefit but to improve the community where he grew up in."
"That kind of skill set is not taught in a police academy, that's something you bring with you," Llanes said.
Congrats to him!
OOOPS! Afrika Bambaataa Dismissed from Universal Zulu Nation Leadership
Afrika Bambaataa has been removed as the leader of the Universal Zulu Nation amid allegations that he’s been molesting boys throughout the duration of his career.
The organization made the announcement that it is “under new leadership” on its official website.
While the Nation doesn’t explicitly name Afrika in the statement, it is clear that everyone who has been accused in either molesting or covering up accusations have been dismissed.
The Universal Zulu Nation’s full statement dismissing Afrika Bambaataa is below:
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERNDate: 6th May 2016
Universal Zulu Nation Official Statement: International and Regional US UZN Leaders, Universal Zulu Nation
The Universal Zulu Nation wishes to announce that it is currently under new leadership by the International and Regional U.S. Zulu Leaders. This will involve a significant restructure and will feature an in-depth re-assessment of how the organization will function to better serve our communities. As part of this restructure ALL accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation have been removed and have stepped down from their current positions.
Over the coming months there will be significant changes to the organization in terms of roles, structure and establishing the policies any organization of our size should have in place. There shall also be a new move to work towards providing support for victims of abuse, rape and molestation and working more closely on other social issues existing in communities such as drug addiction, alcoholism and mental health.
We are saddened by current events. Not only because of the trial by social media of which we have been subjected to as an organization, but because until now the previous leaders and founders have been ineffective at being able to respond in a way which our members and associates deserve of us. Especially when our good work spreading the Zulu message has empowered communities worldwide. We would like to offer our sincere apologies for this.
As an organization we are in a very difficult position because we are being asked to condemn one of our founders based on testimony through social media alone. We cannot do this. We also cannot dismiss the comments of parties asserting they have been harmed. We have a duty to search for truth. We also need to be mindful that if these allegations are true that victims discussing this in a public forum has not come easily. We the Universal Zulu Nation wish to extend great sympathy to anyone affected by such issues. We know that respect and compassion need to be at the forefront of how we deal with such topics in the future, this has been a lesson in learning for us.
The public is asking for justice and we would welcome constructive suggestions on how that could be effectuated properly. At the moment it is unclear on how best to proceed, we would like to know how the claimants would like to take the matters further towards some form of resolution where the truth can be established. We can not legally speak on behalf of the parties in question in regard to the current allegations. Individuals must speak up for themselves & advice from their legal teams should be sought.
Our restructure is a positive step towards organizational change for our worldwide family of members and the great community programs they continually run which spread the message of Peace, Love, Unity and Having Fun.
To communicate with us during this time of transition please email us at info@universalzulunation.global
Peace
International and Regional US Zulu Leaders
Universal Zulu Nation
WOW!!!!
Khloe Kardashian Slams Caitlyn Jenner ‘Was Never Fully Honest About Her Transitioning’
The May 8 episode of ‘KUWTK’ was jam-packed with so much drama and it turns out Khloe Kardashian is still feuding with Caitlyn Jenner and they haven’t spoken in weeks!
Khloe Kardashian, 31, and Caitlyn Jenner, 66, are still fighting! Cait is still super upset with Khloe for her Howard Stern interview where she said that Caitlyn hid her transition from the family and that they had to find out about it during an E! production meeting!
Khloe and Caitlyn haven’t seen each other since their explosive fight over her interview. But they come face to face at Kanye West’s MSG fashion show in NYC. But before Khloe runs into Cait, she’s asked if she and Caitlyn are better and she doesn’t mince her words: “I haven’t spoken to her after she said you little piece of sh*t — I think we need a girls dinner need to have a little hug.”
Khloe continued saying, “When you say you’re sorry it’s a sign of strength, not weakness. Caitlyn is upset over my Howard Stern interview .. and all I said was the truth .. was that Caitlyn was never fully honest about her transitioning. End of story.” She ended it off saying, “I have so much going on in my life, I don’t need to deal with this.”
If you forgot, the season premiere is when it all started. Khloe called Kris Jenner, 60, and told her about her fight with Kris and said: “I said, ‘You slaughtered my mother, and you have the nerve to say, ‘What happened to family sticking together?’ I said, ‘You jumped that ship as soon as you did Diane Sawyer, and you attacked my mom!’” Khloe also told Kris that Caitlyn told her to, “Shut up and get a life,” to which she responded, “You get a f—king life.”
“She can tell me to f—k off all she wants,” Khloe tells her mom who is clearly upset by the entire situation. “I don’t have a relationship with her. I’m done.”
Is Pastor Jamal Bryant Facing New Baby Scandal?
The Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant readily admits her marriage to mega church pastor Jamal Bryant ended after he cheated on her.
Is Pastor Bryant facing another huge scandal...?
Could be……….A woman named Latoya Odom claims Jamal Bryant is the father of her 9-month-old son and that he's abandoned them both.
Latoya tells Obnoxious Blog that she met Pastor Bryant after being hired as a massage therapist for a church conference in Wilmington, DE by by Bishop Greg Davis.
Latoya admits happy endings, and sometimes more, were a required part of her job and that's how she met Pastor Bryant.
Latoya says she and Pastor Bryant remained close after the conference, lost touch for a while, but then rekindled things a few years ago.
Latoya alleges their relationship turned sour after she became pregnant.
Latoya claims Pastor Bryant begged her to get an abortion and offered to pay her a large sum of money if she agreed. She did not and their son John Karston Bryant was born July 2015.
Latoya provides DNA testing results to back up her claims below
LAWD HAM MERSEE!
The Cuban Locals Refuse to Sign KUWTK Release Forms
When E! airs the episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians featuring the family trip to Cuba next season expect to see a lot of blurred out faces floating around the side lines...
From Page Six
“They love the culture, but they don’t like the technology,” says a source. “They’ve had an issue every two seconds about not having internet. They complained they couldn’t get on Snapchat. They’re frustrated and they can’t wait to leave.”
“They weren’t culturally prepared for Cuba,” says the source. We’re told their show’s had issues getting locals to sign release forms, because nobody knows who they are.
“They don’t have reality TV in Cuba — the Kardashians aren’t a big deal,” our spy smirked. “They are like, ‘Who are you, why are you filming?’ ”
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet! Derek the Quarterback!
Meet Derek and he wants to play some football. So you know what to do get in formation and GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN any images posted on this blog. All images are found online or submitted.
You’re Welcome!
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘Undies Out’
At least those old man panties are clean!
HAVE A GREAT DAY ALL!
EFREM
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