WATCH: 'Divergent' fans get sneak peek of 'Insurgent' sequel

LOS ANGELES The first film adaptation of Veronica Roths Divergent novels was one of the most popular new Hollywood franchises of 2014, grossing more than $150 million at the domestic box office.

Now, fans can close out the year with a look at the much-anticipated sequel, Insurgent, which is due out March 2015.

Shailene Woodley reprises the role of Tris, a teen living in a dystopian future where people are divided into categories based on character attributes. Tris and her fellow divergents, who dont fit into any of the categories, continue their struggle to survive as Jeanine Matthews (played by Kate Winslet) hunts them down.

A trailer released this week shows a greater emphasis on action scenes this go-around. Fans of the trilogy might also notice that Tris has a pixie cut in this installment, even though the characters hair is not that short in the book.

Woodley says director Robert Schwentke granted her request to keep her naturally short hair which she cut for her role in another young adult novel adaptation, The Fault in Our Stars instead of wearing a wig.

I think wigs always look wiggy, especially in an action movie, Woodley told Buzzfeed.

Source: http://kdvr.com/2014/12/13/watch-divergent-fans-get-sneak-peek-of-insurgent-sequel/

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'American Sniper' breaks Christmas record in limited release

Dave McNary Posted: Saturday, December 27, 2014, 11:55 AM

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - "American Sniper" and "Selma" -- the last awards contenders to open this year -- have launched impressively in their Christmas Day debuts.

Warner Bros.' "Sniper," starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, was particularly stellar with $240,212 at four venues -- breaking the all-time record for a limited release under 10 screens on Christmas Day.

It played in Dallas, Los Angeles and New York.

Clint Eastwood directed the R-rated "American Sniper" from a script by Jason Hall, based on Chris Kyle's autobiography about his tour of duty in Iraq and his struggles as a father and husband.

Warner Bros. will expand "American Sniper" into a nationwide release on Jan. 16 -- the day after Oscar nominations are announced.

Paramount's "Selma" also scored solidly with $322,000 at 19 locations in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. That's nearly $17,000 per venue.

The $20 million film chronicles the 1965 civil rights campaign and has been nominated for four Golden Globes. It will expand into a nationwide release on Jan. 9.

Directed by Ava DuVernay, "Selma" stars David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. and Tom Wilkinson as President Johnson. Also starring are Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey.

Producers are Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Winfrey.

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/entertainment/movies/American-Sniper-breaks-Christmas-record-in-limited-release.html

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Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, Omega Ruby soundtracks now on iTunes

If you found an iTunes gift card stuffed in your stocking this week, feel free to think of it as a real-world Master Ball from the Pokemon series. Why? Because you can use it to capture Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre (or at least their theme songs) thanks to the recent release of the Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire soundtracks.

There are 160 songs waiting to be captured by your iPod/computer hard drive, all for $9.99. We gave the games four and a half stars in our review, writing that, "Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire do little to overhaul the major pillars of a series that's long relied on the same set of classic ideas, but they don't have to. The core mechanics of Pokemon remain immensely addictive, and Game Freak's latest coat of polish only enhances an already captivating adventure."

[Image: The Pokemon Company/Nintendo]

Source: http://www.joystiq.com/2014/12/27/pokemon-alpha-sapphire-omega-ruby-soundtracks-now-on-itunes/

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PSN status and Xbox Live status: Playstation network down, Live is up mostly

PSN status & Xbox Live status update today: Playstation network going down repeatedly

Update: Sony said that things are getting back to normal, finally. The company that has been witnessing one hack after the other tweeted on its support line that PS3, PS4 and Vita network services are gradually coming back online, thank you for your patience. Nonetheless these words didnt seem to be very reassuring for many of its harassed users who were unable to play games and get connected to their friends. But some experts said that the few remaining glitches may be due to the ongoing maintenance work. The company went on to accept that there were still some people around who were facing sign-in issues on PS3 and PS4. It said that its officials and support staff are working round the clock to restore complete service.

Gamers across the world have been hit really, really hard as Xbox live and Sony Playstation networks didnt work and they felt harassed throughout the day. On day one after the alleged hack of the two networks by very accomplished hackers, the users of the two networks had failed to access them and the same happened on day 2 too.

Cyber attack was so severe that it disrupted the complete functioning of Xbox live and Sony Playstation. Though now Sony and Microsoft claim that their networks are back completely, users continue to complain about the very erratic functioning of the respective networks.

The hacking was allegedly the handiwork of very professional looking hackers who call them Lizard Squad. It is being said that the hacking of the two most popular networks among the gaming enthusiasts could have affected more than 160 million gamers hailing from every corner of the world. this caused revenue loss to the tune of millions and millions of dollars to the two companies.There was a sort of welcome interventions by none other than Kim Dotcom, the burly internet entrepreneur came up with an offer to the hackers to give them free lifetime use of his file storage service. Hackers resorted to distributed denial of service ,DDOS, to leave the two networks almost inaccessible for their genuine users.

So a large number of people who had the game on their own computers, but as gaming is often played with online authentications, the ones with genuine copies couldnt play their games.

The two networks are used together by around 155 million users. Sonys PlayStation Network (PSN) is used by as many as 110 million people while Xbox Live is used by another 46 million people.

In the meantime there is good news for gamers. In latest update Microsofts Xbox is running a status page saying Xbox Lives core services are back online and functioning normally, though there are reports that the network is still is having issues with Purchase and Content Usage, watching live TV. Meanwhile site monitor DownDirector.com is saying that there are many complaints of the site going down dramatically.

On the other hand Sony PlayStation Network is still to become normally accessible. A Twitter update says that they are heading back into no ETA territory as that network remains paralyzed by an apparent DDoS attack beginning on Christmas morning. This is giving harrowing time to gaming enthusiasts across the world.

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Source: http://nvonews.com/psn-status-xbox-live-status-playstation-network-live-mostly/

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'Exodus: Gods and Kings' Banned in Egypt Over 'Historical Inaccuracies'

December 26, 2014|3:20 pm

(Photo: Distant Drummer)

The film, "Exodus: G*d and Kings," opened in theaters across the United States on December 12, 2014.

Free Sign Up CP Newsletter! Related 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' Beats Out 'Hunger Games' at Weekend Box Office Earnings 'Exodus' Tops Box Office But Christian Consumer Group Gives Film 2.5 Stars for Minimizing G*d's Role 'I Wouldn't Pay to See It;' New Moses Movie Exodus Slammed for Poor Acting, Writing and Crocodile Plague 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' Stuns Visually, Plagues Moviegoers With Disengaged Actors

Ridley Scott's latest film "Exodus: Gods and Kings" starring Christian Bale has been banned in Egypt after censors deemed the film historically inaccurate.

The blockbuster was set to premiere in both Egypt and Morocco on Friday, according to several reports. The Egyptian censorship board said that "Exodus," which is based on the biblical book of Exodus, was historically inaccurate since it depicts Jews building the Pyramids, according to theBBC. Moreover, the Hollywood film portrays an earthquake, not a miracle, causing the Red Sea to part.

"It contains historical fallacies," Egyptian censorship board head Abdul Sattar Fathy said in a statement, according to Egypt's news portal, Mobtada.Fathy also cited the film's depiction of Moses that was similar to a general in an army as opposed to the biblical prophet who is highly revered in the Abrahamic religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

In Morocco, officials had given "Exodus" a premiere date, but as of Friday, theater managers told Medias24 that the film was now banned from being screened.

"Exodus: Gods and Kings" stars Bale as Moses who leads Hebrews to freedom after centuries of enslavement in Egypt. The film, which had a budget of $140 million, showcases each of the 10 plagues, plus more, that rain down upon Egypt as a warning from G*d to release the Hebrews. The film also includes the burning bush and the aforementioned parting of the Red Sea.

The Moroccan and Egyptian bans are the most recent controversy surrounding Scott's film. Before its Dec. 9 premiere worldwide, thousands of petitioners agreed to boycott "Exodus," and the director was accused of racist casting after hiring Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul and Sigourney Weaver in each major role. Scott dismissed the "whitewashing" criticism, though.

"I say, 'Get a life,'" the director told The Associated Pressin reference to his critics, before adding that he assembled "the best possible cast on a budget of this scale."

Despite the controversy, "Exodus" earned $24.1 million in its first week.

Source: http://www.christianpost.com/news/exodus-gods-and-kings-banned-in-egypt-over-historical-inaccuracies-131713/

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Snow stays away for rest of the year, top five month for least amount of snow ...

Snow stays away for rest of the year, top five month for least amount of snowpossible

(Dec. 26, 2014) December could shape up to be one of the least snowiest on record here in Indianapolis. As of today the city has only recorded a tenth of an inch of snow. This places December 2014 in a tie for third when it comes to least amounts of snow. The least snow ever recorded in December was all the way back in 1889 when they recorded no snow whatsoever for the month. In 1940 and 1931 we recorded just trace amounts of snow for the month. Indianapolis has had two other years where only a tenth of an inch of snow was recorded in December (1941 and 1896).

Heading into this week it looked like we would have two solid chances for snow including the system on Christmas Eve that brought snow to places north and west of Indianapolis. The second system now appears to have dried up as next week looks dry behind a weekend system that will bring just rain to the area. There will still be a chance for some flurries as we head into Monday and Tuesday of next week, but likely wont see any accumulation from that.

Today

After a high of 41 on Christmas we will be warmer than that today. Some communities will even hit 50 degrees. I think Indianapolis hits the upper 40s today with highs tracking warmer on Saturday even with a rising rain chance.

The first part of today will be clear with clouds rolling in from the west as we head into the afternoon. By 7 p.m. we should be dealing with mostly cloudy to overcast skies. Winds today will be out of the SSW at 7 12 mph.

This weekend

Saturday will start off dry but rain chances will begin to go up as we head into the afternoon. At this time it appears a half inch could fall from Saturday afternoon to very early on Sunday morning.

The rain will be along and ahead of a cold front with temperatures much colder on Sunday. Saturday highs will likely hit the mid-50s ahead of the rain. Clouds will keep temperatures up Saturday night into Sunday.

Sundays highs may be reached just after midnight but model data continues to show the high reached in the afternoon. Either way I think we see a Sunday high of around 40 degrees. Rain will come to an end early but it does not appear clouds will be clear. In fact we are expecting to see overcast skies from Monday morning through Wednesday.

Source: http://fox59.com/2014/12/26/snow-stays-away-for-rest-of-the-year-top-five-month-for-least-amount-of-snow-possible/

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LeBron James Return To Miami Helps NBA Ratings Rebound On ABC, Boosts ...

LeBron James first game back in Miami since re-joining Cleveland highlighted NBAs Christmas Day coverage, airing in ABCs late-afternoon window once reserved for the L.A. Lakers and its starKobe Bryant. Further indicatinghow Lakers fortunes have fallen lately, for the first time ever, the onceratings juggernaut team was dropped from the ABC Christmas Day lineup and didnt even make it on ESPN.

The Heat-Cavaliers face-off, won by Miami 101-91, drew a 5.5 overnight rating, up 12% from last years game between the Heat and L.A. Lakers. In Miami, the matchuplogged a massive 17.2 rating, making it the highest-rated NBA regular-season game ever in the market.

In the early ABC window, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 114-106, in a rematch of the 2014 Western Conference Finals. The broadcast delivered a 4.0 rating, up +8%percent from Oklahoma Citys lopsided victory over the Knicks in 2013. Last year, both games on ABC tumbled year-to-year (-18% and -37%) as two of the leagues biggest stars, New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony and the Lakers Kobe Bryant, were sidelined with injuries. The average for the doubleheader yesterday was a 4.8.

In an unusual setup thus year, ABC and ESPN covered three of the five NBA Christmas Day games instead of all five as the two networks normally do. The lone game on ESPN yesterday wasWashington Wizards 102-91 victory over the New York Knicks at noon ET, which delivered a 2.1 overnight rating, down -9% from the corresponding game between the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets last year. InWashington D.C., the matchup posted a 3.6, the second-highest rated Wizards regular-season game on ESPN ever in the market.

Powered by ABCs gains, ABCs and ESPNs Christmas Day tripleheader combined averaged a 4.0 overnight rating, up +8% from the comparable three windows in 2013.Vs. the five-game average last year, the tripleheader was up +29%.

As usual, the NBA coverage on ABC gave the networks primetime Christmas lineup a boost. The network dominated last night with a 1.8 average adults 18-49 rating forthe animated Dr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmasspecial (1.9, a five-year high) and the featureDr. Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas(1.8 ). They were up +58% and +38%, respectively, from last year when the two aired on Christmas Eve.

Source: http://deadline.com/2014/12/nba-ratings-christmas-day-lebron-james-grinch-1201336545/

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