Mandatory News

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Powerball jackpot climbs to $485 million, draws first-timers

Powerball jackpot climbs to $485 million, draws first-timersSubscribe Now

744

Share This Story!Powerball jackpot climbs to $485 million, draws first-timers

Try Another

Audio CAPTCHA

Image CAPTCHA

Help

{# #}

CancelSend

Sent!Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

The Powerball jackpot is now estimated at $485 million and will likely rise until Wednesday's drawing.

A lottery player fills out a Powerball ticket.(Photo: Nick Oza/ The Republic)

With no winner from Saturday's Powerball, the jackpot is now the third-highest in lottery game's history at $485 million, bringing many new players to convenience stores wanting to try their luck. But a person's odds of hitting the Powerball in Wednesday night's drawing are slightly less than the chances of an asteroid causing global catastrophe this year.

Mike Hicks, an employee at 4 Sons Chevron on 44th Street and Indian School Road, said the influx of customers buying Powerball tickets has been noticeably higher, especially among newer players.

"It's been fun, we see a lot of newbies who come in here and don't know the games, but they have this gleam in their eyes, this hope," Hicks said.

The Powerball allows players to choose five numbers plus a "Powerball" number on each ticket and offers a minimum jackpot of $40 million for the price of a $2 per ticket. The jackpot is awarded only when someone in one of the 44 participating states has a lucky ticket with all six numbers matching. If there is no winner, the jackpot rolls over to the next drawing.

No one has won the jackpot since Nov. 29, allowing the grand total to rise to a projected $485 million. Considering the odds of winning the jackpot with all six matching numbers are 1 in 175,223,510, it's common for jackpots to compound.

Phoenix residents such as Mary Ann Bautista were flocking to buy tickets on Tuesday in hopes of cashing in on the record jackpot despite no regular interest in the lottery.

"I don't normally, but 450 are you kidding me?" Bautista said at the QuikTrip on Seventh Street and Butler Drive.

Nicholas Hanna, owner of Maryland Deli & Liquor near Seventh Street and Maryland Avenue, said his store's weekly sales of Powerball tickets have already drastically increased by just Tuesday, up almost 40 percent from an average week.

Hanna estimated that total weekly sales will be about four or five times their normal level, and will go even higher if there is no winner in tonight's drawing. Hanna then stopped mid-sentence to recommend a Phoenix resident use the "quick pick" option when selecting the numbers on her tickets.

"You don't want to pick your own (numbers), 99.9 percent of winners used the machine," Hanna told Kelsey Wilson.

Wilson said she rarely plays the Powerball, but added, "I do play when it's really big."

Hanna said that while there has been a drastic increase in customers purchasing Powerball tickets at his store, there have not been any long lines.

Andi Fair, a QuikTrip cashier in Phoenix, said her store is expecting today to be its biggest sales day, especially once people get off work and head in to buy last-minute tickets before the 8:59 p.m. drawing.

"We sell a lot of Powerball," Fair said. "When the jackpot's not as high, people still buy them. There's people that come in regularly here."

Dorothy Harper, of Phoenix, said she buys Powerball tickets two or three times a month, but mostly with an interest of getting something extra to pay her bills.

"I'm not trying to get rich," Harper said. "I just want to be comfortable and pay my bills. Set up trust funds for my grandkids."

That type of altruism was common among Powerball players who waited to buy tickets Tuesday, including Jim Kochan, who ran through a list of things he would do for his family and his place in Flagstaff before settling on the familiar theme.

"And do some charitable things," he said.

Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/1DhzHt3

0) { %>

Source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2015/02/11/powerball-jackpot-climbs/23214821/

Source: 'The Interview' Won't Be Released in Asia

James Franco and Seth Rogen's The Interview, which might have been the trigger for the devastating hack on Sony Pictures, will not get a release in Japan, South Korea or other Asian territories, a well-placed source tells The Hollywood Reporter.

The decision not to release the comedy about an assassination plot on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un apparently was made before the late November hack on Sony's computer network.

"It was never going to be released in Japan," says a source at Sony's Tokyo headquarters. "Like some of those R-rated comedies that go down very well in the States, they don't work here and don't get released."

The move might have been planned, but it makes particular sense now, given the drama that has surrounded the U.S. release of the film in the wake of the leak of thousands of pages of confidential studio secrets and North Korea's possible role in the hack. Sony has maintained that its release plan for Asia is still not set, and the studio declined to comment.

Among the documents leaked, internal emails show Sony Corp CEO Kaz Hirai was concerned enough about The Interview to give unprecedented input on individual scenes.

Read more Sony Execs Reportedly Debated Risk of 'The Interview' Before Hack

The emails reveal exchanges between Hirai and Sony's Amy Pascal negotiating about how graphically to depict the Korean dictator's death. Pascal told Rogen in a subsequent email that she had never received a specific request of that nature from Sony's Tokyo headquarters in her more than two decades at the studio.

Sony and the FBI, which is investigating the data breach, have not indicated whether North Korea played a role in the attack. Recent emails from the group claiming to have carried out the hack have demanded the film's release be stopped.

Relations between Japan and North Korea are in an almost constant state of tension. The two countries have been negotiating again recently over Japanese citizens that were abducted by North Korea in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Sony may have been wary about a potential political backlash from a film mocking the North Korean leader and depicting an assassination plot on him.

Read more National Security Expert: Why North Korea Should Be Held Responsible for Sony Hack (Guest Column)

Most of the Japanese media coverage of the hacking has portrayed it as an American problem, despite it occurring at the subsidiary of one of Japan's most storied corporations. Most reports have quoted U.S. news sources and described Sony Pictures as a "major American media company," rather than as a part of Sony Corp.

The Interview will open in the U.S. on Christmas Day and in Australia on Jan. 22 and New Zealand on Jan. 29, the only scheduled releases in the Asia-Pacific region.

Twitter: @GavinJBlair

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/source-interview-wont-be-released-756447

'Fifty Shades of Grey' Elenco, Fecha De Estreno, Tr�iler Y Noticias: �Habr� ...

First Posted: Jan 12, 2015 11:25 AM EST

La pelcula llegar a los cines en el Da de San Valentn el prximo mes. (Photo : http://www.fiftyshadesofgreymovie-intl.com)

La muy esperada pelcula "Fifty Shades of Grey" ha recibido clasificacin R (adolescentes y adultos) debido a "comportamiento inusual y "desnudez grfica.

La Asociacin Cinematogrfica de Estados Unidos (MPPA) ha dado a la pelcula de romance ertico, que ser estrenada en el Da de San Valentn, una clasificacin R citando "fuerte contenido sexual, incluyendo dilogo, un comportamiento inusual y desnudez grfica, y por su lenguaje."

Like Us on Facebook

La clasificacin y las razones dadas eran esperadas teniendo en cuenta la trama y el tema de la mencionada pelcula. La cinta "Fifty Shades of Grey" se basa en la serie de libros escrita por E.L. James. El filme se centra en la estudiante universitaria Anastasia Steele y el apuesto joven empresario Christian Grey a quien conoci cuando ella lo entrevist para un artculo escolar. Ambos se involucran en actos sexuales y en un acuerdo privado que incluye dominacin y sometimiento. Segn el sitio web oficial de la pelcula, el libro es considerado como "una de las series de libros ms grandes y de ms rpidas ventas de la historia." La triloga fue incluso traducida a ms de 50 idiomas en todo el mundo.

Cinema Blend dice que la clasificacin R es una buena noticia, ya que anteriormente se haba especulado que la pelcula podra obtener una calificacin NC-17 (mayores de 17 aos). Las pelculas NC-17 a veces no son mostradas en los cines.

La productora de la pelcula, Dana Brunetti, dijo anteriormente que esperaban una clasificacin R para la pelcula y que ella tambin quiere que se estrene una versin NC-17 de la pelcula.

Esto es lo que dijo exactamente: "Va a ser R, obviamente tiene que ser R. Esto es slo mi opinin y esto no quiere decir que esto va a suceder, pero yo siempre pens que sera genial si lanzamos la versin R y luego lanzamos una versin NC-17 unas semanas ms tarde. As, todo el mundo poda ir y disfrutar de la versin R, y luego si realmente quieren verla de nuevo y ponerse un poco ms serios, entonces tienen la versin NC-17 tambin disponible. Sera genial para el estudio porque tambin tendran doble ganancia en la taquilla ... lo que estamos escuchando de los fans es que lo quieren sucio, lo quieren lo ms cerca posible. Queremos mantenerla a buen nivel, pero tambin queremos darle a los fans lo que quieren."

El papel de Christian Grey es interpretado por Jamie Dornan, mientras que Dakota Johnson retrata el papel de Anastasia. Junto a ellos estn Luke Grimes como Elliot, Victor Rasuk como Jos, Eloise Mumford como Kate, Marcia Gay Harden como la doctora Grace Trevelyan Grey, Rita Ora como Mia, Max Martini como Taylor, Callum Keith Rennie como Ray, Jennifer Ehle como Carla, y Dylan Neal como Bob. La pelcula est dirigida por Sam Taylor-Johnson y producida por Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, y E.L. James. El guin es de Kelly Marcel.

Mira el triler oficial de la pelcula aqu:

Source: http://spanish.latinospost.com/articles/18128/20150112/fifty-shades-of-grey-elenco-fecha-de-estreno-trailer-y-noticias-habra-desnudos-graficos-en-la-pelicula.htm

Jon Stewart shaped cultural attitudes of a generation

Jon Stewart, who helped shape the political and cultural attitudes of a generation with some of the brainiest satire that television has ever seen, announced Tuesday that he will step down from his perch at Comedy Centrals The Daily Show later this year.

Its been an absolute privilege, said Stewart, who struggled with his emotions at times as he made the announcement at the end of his show Tuesday night. Its been the honor of my professional life.

Continue reading below

Hinting at the reason he is leaving, Stewart told the studio audience and the television audience beyond: This show doesnt deserve an even slightly restless host, and neither do you. An audience member cried out: We love you, Jon!

Whenever Stewart departs the show he has hosted since 1999, it will leave a major vacuum. What Walter Cronkite was to an earlier generation an utterly trusted voice Stewart has been to millennials. The key difference, of course, was that Stewart was schooled not in journalism but in comedy, and he was a purveyor, as he often reminded us, of fake news.

Yet the reality is that Stewarts devastatingly witty mock newscast-with-commentary often seemed closer to the truth than the news delivered with straight faces by sonorous network anchors. His stock rose as the medias credibility sank.

Continue reading it below

Jon Stewart to depart The Daily Show later this year

Stewart told an audience at the taping of his show today that he would leave, and Comedy Centrals president confirmed it.

Indeed, in one of those you-cant-make-this-stuff-up coincidences, NBC News announced Tuesday night that anchor Brian Williams has been suspended by the network for six months without pay, after he admitted that his story about being in a helicopter that came under enemy fire in Iraq was false. (In keeping with his neither-fear-nor-favor approach, Stewart had lampooned Williams, who performed winningly during guest stints on The Daily Show, during Monday nights show. Commenting on the media feeding frenzy over Williams, Stewart remarked sardonically: Finally someone is being held to account for misleading America about the Iraq war.)

Stewarts genius and for once that overused word is appropriate lay in the way he turned The Daily Show into must-see-TV by presiding over an ongoing counter-narrative to the official pronouncements of Washington policy makers and to the medias coverage of those pronouncements.

As The Daily Show won nearly two dozen Emmy Awards along the way, Stewart helped raise televisions collective IQ not just with his own razor-sharp satire of elected officials and media figures, but also by playing a direct role in boosting the careers of onetime Daily Show regulars such as Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and Larry Wilmore, all of whom got their own impact-making shows.

Stewart regularly rejected suggestions that he wielded enormous influence, claiming he was just a comedian, but those assertions were never persuasive.

A decade ago, a survey by the Pew Research Center found that more than one-fifth of 18- to 29-year-olds got their presidential campaign news from The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live.

I can attest to that phenomenon firsthand. For the past dozen years, Ive taught at a local university, and in the first class of each semester I ask my students what their primary news sources are. Invariably, several of them reply: Jon Stewart.

During the presidency of George W. Bush, especially during the Iraq war, Stewart emerged as a one-man opposition party, far more vigorous than the Democrats in Congress. At the end of 2004, Entertainment Weekly bypassed the usual movie stars and rock singers to name him Entertainer of the Year. When CNN pulled the plug on its long-running political debate show Crossfire, a top CNN executive said that he agreed wholeheartedly with Stewarts scathing criticism of the show.

While he was a guest on Crossfire, Stewart had told the hosts that their partisan shoutfests were hurting America. It was just one of several memorable Stewart takedowns.

The extent of his influence was underscored when Dan Rather stepped down as anchor of the CBS Evening News and the head of CBS told television critics that he was contemplating a multianchor format that could include a role for Stewart.

For the better part of the last two decades, I have had the incredible honor and privilege of working with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central president Michele Ganeless said in a statement Tuesday night. His comedic brilliance is second to none. Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera. Through his unique voice and vision, The Daily Show has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come.

Stewarts announcement of his upcoming departure comes just two months after Colbert wrapped up The Colbert Report. (Colbert will take over David Lettermans late-night show on CBS later this year, but he will abandon his persona as an arch-conservative blowhard.) They were a one-two punch for the ages. Airing back to back, Stewart and Colbert made us laugh and think about the news, and about the people who deliver it.

Don Aucoin can be reached at aucoin@globe.com.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNFpEOswQXquuVVmjpN2pCqQK2VTaQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=9RnbVMK7AcPs8wG5roHAAw&url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/02/11/jon-stewart-stepping-down-after-shaping-cultural-attitudes-generation/m4NdlXWtJCBuRMqqalprpN/story.html

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Who was Kayla Mueller?

In this May 30, 2013, photo, Kayla Mueller is shown after speaking to a group in Prescott, Ariz. A statement that appeared on a militant website commonly used by the Islamic State group claimed that Mueller was killed in a Jordanian airstrike on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, on the outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the militant group's main stronghold. The IS statement could not be independently verified. (AP Photo/The Daily Courier, Jo. L. Keener ) Related Coverage

(MEDIA GENERAL) I find G*d in the suffering eyes reflected in mine, if that is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you. This is what Kayla Mueller said kept her going, according to her family. The quote was part of a statement released Tuesday by Sen. John McCains (R-Ariz.) office following the confirmation of Muellers death.

On Tuesday, the family of the 26-year-old aid worker confirmed her death. Mueller had been taken hostage by ISIS in August 2013 while leaving a hospital in Syria.

Mueller ended up in Syria after spending years after college working with volunteer and aid organizations throughout her local community and across the globe.

The common thread of Kaylas life has been her quiet leadership and strong desire to serve others, her family previously said in a statement.

We in Prescott had been inspired by Kayla Muellers humanitarian dedication for many years, The Daily Courier (www.dcourier.com) wrote in an editorial on the aid worker published just three days ago.

The newspaper went on to recount an incredible life-changing moment Mueller helped make happen.

We remember how in 2013 she helped reunite a missing 6-year-old boy with his family after their refugee camp in Turkey was bombed, The Daily Courier wrote.

From Prescott, Arizona, Mueller showed signs early on that she was headed toward a life of service. The Daily Courier reports she was recognized in high school with the Presidential Volunteer Award for working with AmeriCorps, Big Brothers Big Sisters and other volunteer groups.

After graduating from Northern Arizona University with a political science degree, Mueller worked in India, Tel Aviv, Israel and Palestine, according to her hometown paper.

In Arizona, she later worked for an HIV/AIDS clinic and volunteered at a womens shelter. Then, she went to France to learn French so that she could go work in Africa, The Daily Courier went on to report.

In December 2012, Mueller traveled to the Turkish-Syrian border to work for Support to Life and Danish Refugee Council aid groups to help Syrian Refugees. Less than one year later, she was taken hostage while leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Syria.

Kayla had been working along the Turkish-Syrian border for months helping the thousands of innocent men, women and children whose lives were torn apart by the humanitarian catastrophe created by Bashar Assad and the Syrian civil war, Sen. McCain said in a statement.

One of the groups she worked with, Support to Life, describes itself as a humanitarian organization created to meet the basic needs and rights of communities affected by disasters.

Another, The Danish Refugee Council, provides support for conflict-affected people such as refugees. They work in 30 countries throughout the world advocating for people in conflict-affected countries and areas of the world.

Muellers parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, said in a statement, Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian. She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice, and peace.

Kayla devoted her young life to helping people in need around the world, to healing the sick and bringing light to some of the darkest and most desperate places on Earth, McCain said in a statement Tuesday. Kaylas remarkable legacy of service will never be forgotten, even by so many who never had the honor of meeting her.

Source: http://kxan.com/2015/02/10/who-was-kayla-mueller/

How did Beck beat out Beyonce?

Story highlights

Beck upsets Beyonce to claim the Grammy for best album of the year
His "Morning Phase" was respected but not a commercial smash
On social media, younger people were even wondering: Who is Beck?

In Sunday night's biggest surprise, Beck's downbeat "Morning Phase" nabbed the Grammy for album of the year -- eclipsing darling-of-the-moment Sam Smith, who collected four Grammys, and pop queen Beyonce, whose latest, self-titled album was a critical and commercial smash.

The announcement, by presenter Prince, seemed to stun the audience and even Beck himself. Kanye West briefly crashed the stage in what appeared to be mock protest but then said Beck "should've given his award to Beyonce." Beck later said he expected Beyonce to win.

On social media, some younger people were even wondering aloud: Um, who is Beck?

Here's why the scruffy singer-songwriter's upset win was so surprising -- and why it wasn't:

Beck's record didn't make a big splash

Released in February 2014, "Morning Phase" got strong reviews but quickly sank off the charts. None of its singles got mainstream radio play. Billboard ranked it as the 60th top-selling album of the year -- behind Mary J. Blige's Christmas album.

While critics praised the record's melancholy beauty, some saw it as a sequel of sorts to his 2002 album "Sea Change" and not a groundbreaking artistic statement.

But all the Grammy love -- "Morning Phase" also won best rock album -- has sparked renewed interest in an artist many may have forgotten. According to Spotify, streams of Beck's music have increased 388% since the Grammys.

He hasn't been a commercial force for two decades

"I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me ..."

Remember that song? No? "Loser" came out in 1994, when Beyonce was 12 years old and Sam Smith was still in diapers. The song hit the top 10 in the U.S. and was followed in 1996 by a popular album, "Odelay," and such modest hits such as "Where It's At."

Grammys 2015: Highs and lows

Critics and alternative-music fans have long admired Beck's talents -- he can play almost any musical instrument -- and his innovative blends of folk, rock, blues, hip-hop and psychedelia. But his cultural relevance seemed to be fading by the late '90s.

"The most complete album of the bunch is 'Morning Phase,' " wrote Bay Area music critic Jim Harrington in making his Grammy predictions before the ceremony, "yet it feels 10 to 15 years too late to hand this trophy to Beck."

Beyonce is a global icon in her prime

The most-nominated woman in Grammy history, Beyonce is much more than a photogenic pop icon with strong pipes and a famous husband. She makes great music.

Released without warning in December 2013, "Beyonce" was a bold, personal statement about love, s*x and the challenges of a monogamous relationship. It was the No. 2 top-selling record of the year and drew widespread critical acclaim for its dark, intimate themes and accompanying videos. On Metacritic, it has a higher aggregrate rating than Beck's record.

The Grammys often reward strong album sales, and most prognosticators thought Queen B was overdue to claim her first album-of-the-year prize. A win by Smith in this category would not have been a surprise, either.

But ... the Grammys have a history of surprises

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, who vote on the Grammys, are an unpredictable bunch.

The academy declines to release a breakdown of its 13,000 voter-eligible members by age, race or gender. But like the group that votes on the Oscars, the Recording Academy is seen by some critics as being old and out of touch with edgier contemporary music, especially when it comes to rap and hip hop.

Grammys 2015: The winners list

In 2005, they snubbed Kanye West's "College Dropout" and Green Day's "American Idiot" and handed album of the year to "Genius Loves Company," a collection of duets between blues legend Ray Charles and other singers. It was a sentimental choice; Charles had died the previous year.

Three years later, they overlooked Kanye again, awarding the top-album prize to aging jazz-pop pioneer Herbie Hancock over West's "Graduation" and Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black."

So in that context, a Grammy for Beck, 44, over Beyonce, 33, and Smith, 22, isn't a total shock.

Why Beck won

So how did Beck win? As Vox's Kelsey McKinney has noted, it's probably because his competition split the vote.

A fan of pop, soul and R&B could have voted for Beyonce or Smith or Pharrell or even Ed Sheeran.

But Beck's was the only rock record (it's more folk-rock, really) in the category, giving him a potential edge among the academy's bloc of voters who grew up on, say, Bob Dylan.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/09/entertainment/beck-grammys-feat/

Rihanna's Pink Puffy Grammys Dress: Internet Creates Hilarious Memes

getty/twitter

Ms. Loofah Rihanna walked on to the Grammys red carpet wearing the most talked about dress of the night a HUGE poofy pink ball gown! Leave it up to the internet to create the most hilarious memes of her dress check out our favs!

Rihanna, 26, made quite the statement on The Grammys red carpet on Feb. 8. The pop-star waltzed in super late wearing the most outrageous pink gown! Some loved her look and some really hated it butone things for sure itsresemblance to a shower loofah was uncanny!

Rihannas Dress At The Grammys The Best Of The Best Memes

An umbrella, Nicki Minajs hair and Ms. Pac-Man the internet had a ball creating the funniestmemes of Rihannas dress! We totallydid notexpect to see her rock this ultra girlyGiambattista Valli gown, which made the jokes even funnier!

HollywoodLifers, which meme is your fav? Let us know in the comments below!

Shira Benozilio

Source: http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/02/09/rihanna-dress-grammys-memes-funny-loofah-pink-gown-pics/