“Anchorman 2: The legend Continues” review

Will Ferrell is back on the big screen as newsman Ron Burgundy, almost a decade after he first declared he was "kind of a big deal" and told San Diego to stay classy.

"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" hits theaters on Wednesday, following a promotional blitz that included premieres, Dodge commercials, an exhibit at Washington's Newseum, the temporary renaming of a college's communications school and anchoring a real-life newscast in character.

So, how does the sequel compare to the endlessly-quotable "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"? Critics have weighed in -- and the reviews are mostly positive, calling the film silly but fun. (As Burgundy himself once said, "Don't act like you're not impressed!")

Here's what some of them had to say:

"Making a sequel to a cherished cultural totem is no easy business, but director Adam McKay and his muse Will Ferrell keep things very classy in 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,' a modestly less quotable but generously funny new adventure for scotch-and-mahogany-loving 1970s newsman Ron Burgundy, here catapulted into 1980 and the dawn of the 24-hour news cycle." -- Scott Foundas, Variety.

"It's a frequently amusing, occasionally hilarious, rarely unpleasant grab bag of mild mockery and inspired lunacy, decked out with cameos from beloved comic performers and random celebrities." -- A.O. Scott, The New York Times.

"The movie cleverly spoofs the 24-hour TV news cycle, as well as sexism and racism in the workplace. Not every scene is equally funny, of course, but most of the comic antics generate laughs." -- Claudia Puig, USA Today.

Source: cbsnews

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Ga. Woman has 1 of 2 winning Lottery Tickets

A Georgia woman who bought just one ticket and used family birthdays and lucky No. 7 to choose her numbers was one of two winners of the $636 million Mega Millions jackpot, the second largest in U.S. history.

Lottery officials in Georgia identified the winner as Ira Curry, of Stone Mountain, which is east of Atlanta. Curry will take a lump sum of about $120 million after taxes, Georgia Lottery chief executive Debbie Alford said.

"She has not decided how she'll spend those winnings," Alford said at a news conference that Curry did not attend.

The other winning ticket was sold at a gift shop in San Jose, Calif. The winner there has one year to come forward.

Curry was driving to work Wednesday when an announcer on the radio talked about the Mega Ball being 7. Curry knew that was her Mega Ball number, so she called her daughter to check the ticket.

"Between joyful tears and laughter on the daughter's part, she relayed to her mother that her mother had won the lottery," Alford said.

Alford wouldn't say where Curry worked or how old she was. A person who answered the phone at a listing for Curry said, "We are not interested in any publicity, thank you for calling" and then hung up.

Curry, her husband and other family members came to the lottery headquarters to claim the prize, surprising lottery officials who thought the winner may take some time to get their affairs in order before coming forward.

Alford said the news didn't hit home for Curry until lottery officials told her congratulations.

"She said she was just in a state of disbelief," Alford said.

Source: abcnews

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Bitcoin Collides with Government Concerns

If Bitcoin is a bubble, as its critics contend, it is showing signs of deflating.

A rapid succession of moves by governments around the world has cast doubts on the legitimacy of the virtual currency, and its price fell about 60 percent at one point on Wednesday morning from its high earlier this month. It recovered some as the day went on.

The price volatility is underscoring Bitcoin’s sensitivity to decisions by government officials despite its promised status as the first global currency free of government intervention and oversight. Money, it turns out, is still a government prerogative.

“This tight regulation is really counter to what a lot of folks thought was going to happen,” said Mark T. Williams, a finance professor at Boston University who has been tracking Bitcoin. “Regulation is the future of e-currency, not decentralization as many had hoped.”

The most damaging news for the digital currency has come out of China, where the largest Bitcoin exchange, BTC China, said on Wednesday that it would no longer accept deposits in renminbi, the Chinese currency.

“For reasons we all know, BTC China has had to cease renminbi-account charging functions,” the exchange said in a message on its verified account on Weibo, China’sTwitter-like messaging service. It said that it would continue operating and that existing deposits and renminbi withdrawals would not be affected.

Source: nytimes

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Justin Bieber says He's retiring

Yes, you heard that right: in an interview with Los Angeles radio station Power 106, which aired on the radio this morning, Justin Bieber announces his retirement. When asked about his new album, the singer says “I’m actually, uh, I’m retiring, man… I’m just gonna take some time. I think I’m probably gonna quit music.”

The Internet, unsurprisingly, had strong feelings about this news — mostly feelings that comprised the word “no” with the letter “o” repeated several times.

But, though Bieber’s raspy voice doesn’t quite indicate sarcasm, Beliebers can stand down: TMZ talked to his people and they confirm that he was just kidding.

Of course, this is not the first time a star has dropped the r-word without really intending to turn to a life of leisure. Bieber’s jape does, however, indicate that celebrity retirement has crossed into new territory: enough people have cried wolf on retirement that it’s now an easy (and not actually un-funny) joke to make about the celebrity world. But perhaps Bieber should let the fable teach him a lesson: be careful with your retirement jokes, or people might not notice when you eventually mean it. After all, it’s already the case that not every online response to the joke announcement was one of horror.

Source: time

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Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins gets 29 years in child sex case

A British judge has jailed the former lead singer of rock band Lostprophets for 29 years for a string of sexual offenses, including trying to rape a baby.

Ian Watkins, 36, pleaded guilty last month to 13 charges, which included sexually touching a 1-year-old, encouraging a fan to abuse her child, and making child pornography.

Judge Roger John Royce told Watkins his actions had “plumbed new depths of depravity” and sentenced the singer on Wednesday at Cardiff Crown Court.

Watkins must serve at least two thirds of his 29-year sentence, then spend six more years on strict probation.

Lostprophets — which formed in 1997 and had a chart-topping album in 2006, “Liberation Transmission” — announced it was disbanding after Watkins’ arrest.

Source: foxnews

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Paul Baumer of Bingo Players Dies of Cancer

Bingo Players’ Maarten Hoogstraten announced today on the group’s Facebook page that his DJ partner, Paul Bäumer, lost his battle to cancer yesterday, December 17. A message from the group’s Maarten Hoogstraten thanks fans for their support and confirms the cancellation of gigs and events through the end of 2013.

Best known for their track “Cry (Just A Little),” which was sampled on Flo Rida’s Top 10 hit, “I Cry,” the duo rose out of the Dutch house scene with several underground tracks before cracking the global market with singles like “Cry” and “Rattle.”

Flo Rida’s “I Cry” hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Rap Songs charts in 2012, pushing Bingo Players to greater global prominence as crossover beatmakers with David Guetta-potential.

In 2013, Bingo Players played Ultra Music Festival and Coachella, and became one of the inaugural residents at Las Vegas megaclub Hakkasan. Bäumer announced his diagnosis in July, acknowledging his absence from live appearances but declining to go into depth about his illness.

In spite of this, the duo launched a large-scale headlining tour this fall, replete with an elaborate set designed by the Vita Motus Design Studio (Amon Tobin’s ISAM, Infected Mushroom’s Army of Mushrooms). Bäumer was not on the tour, though as recently as September he was back in the studio. There were indications he would be returning to live performances.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Bäumer’s legacy will be from their peers. In July as his cancer had just been announced, fellow Dutchman Chuckie asked the Tomorrowland crowd to have a seat in honor of Bäumer.

As his partner, Hoogstraten said in his statement to fans, “Paul, we will miss you.”

Source: billboard

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Harvard bomb hoax suspect Eldo Kim released on bond

The Harvard student accused of emailing a bogus bomb threat to dodge a final exam was “under a great deal of pressure,” his attorney said Wednesday after his client was freed on a $100,000 bond.

Eldo Kim, 20, was released to the custody of his sister, who lives in Massachusetts, and an uncle from North Carolina. A federal judge also banned him from stepping foot on the elite Cambridge campus.

The shackled university sophomore cut a silent, somber figure in Boston federal court, wearing a gray T-shirt and Harvard sweatpants. Monday’s desperate stunt forced an evacuation of four buildings as SWAT teams found no explosives at the school.

Federal public defender Ian Gold said Kim was dealing with finals and the third anniversary of his father’s death, which is this month.

“It’s finals time at Harvard,” Gold said. “In one way, we're looking at the post-9/11 equivalent of pulling a fire alarm. Certainly I’m not saying the government response was unjustified, but it’s important to keep in mind we’re dealing with a 20-year-old man who was under a great deal of pressure.”

The feds claim Kim sent hoax emails to school officials describing “shrapnel bombs” planted around the school. The warnings were eventually traced through the university’s wireless network back to Kim, according to an affidavit.

Source: nbcnews

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Funniest show moments of 2013, hero pup saves owner's life

What was your favorite TODAY moment of 2013?

This morning’s year-end montage, featuring some of the funniest show moments of 2013, showed that Matt, Savannah, Natalie, Al, Willie, Carson, Kathie Lee and Hoda know how to enjoy themselves year-round.

The story of a guide dog who saved his owner’s life after he fell onto New York City’s subway tracks is warming TODAY fans’ hearts.

Hundreds expressed concern on TODAY’s Facebook page, asking how to help the man, 61-year-old Cecil Williams, keep his soon-to-retire pup. As the day progressed, strangers kept on stepping up — so much so that Williams held an emotional press conference on Wednesday afternoon to thank people for allowing him to keep his dog.

Source: today

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Happy 50 Birthday , Brad Pitt

As one of the premiere members of Hollywood's A-list, Brad Pitt has graced the cover of many a magazine, from People to GQ to W.

And now, as he celebrates his 50th birthday, he's reached a new milestone: AARP The Magazine.

The organization concocted a special cover in celebration of Pitt's 50th on December 18, welcoming him to their neck of the woods.

"Acclaimed Actor, Producer, Humanitarian and Family man, Mr. Pitt Joins the Club," the cover's headline reads.

But, as is probably the case with his award-winning wine, Pitt's only getting better with age. The star managed to turn around the beleaguered zombie thriller "World War Z" in time for summer blockbuster season, and was rewarded with strong reviews and enough box office success to spawn a sequel.

This fall, he's had another hit with the acclaimed -- and awards season front-runner -- "12 Years A Slave," which he helped produce and also has a small role in.

Off set, Pitt told Esquire magazine earlier this year that he was completely content as he headed toward the big 5-0.

"I have a handful of close friends and I have my family and I haven't known life to be any happier," he said.

"I'm making things. I just haven't known life to be any happier."

Source: cnn

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Minnesota Wild cool down Vancouver Canucks with shootout win

Roberto Luongo was a lot better in Minnesota than he’d been in the past. Still, he wasn’t quite good enough to extend Vancouver’s seven-game winning streak.

Jason Pominville slipped a shot past Luongo’s glove in the third round of a shootout to lift the Wild to a 3-2 victory Tuesday night, the first loss by the Canucks this month.

Luongo made 30 saves, including 14 in the third period and overtime, and stopped Zach Parise to open the shootout. Mikko Koivu, who had two assists for a team-high 20 this season, hit the crossbar with his shot before Pominville scored. Ryan Kesler’s last-chance attempt for Vancouver sailed wide right after Josh Harding stopped shots by Mike Santorelli and Chris Higgins.

“We’ve got to try different people, I guess, because we stink at it,” Canucks coach John Tortorella said.

Source: nationpost 

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Winning Tickets in $636M Mega Millions Jackpot Sold in California

Two tickets -- one in San Jose, Calif., and another in Atlanta, Ga. -- have matched the winning numbers in the $636 million Mega Millions jackpot, state lottery officials said.

The winning ticket in Tuesday's night's drawing in Atlanta was sold at Gateway Newsstand on Lenox Road, state lottery officials confirmed to ABC News. The luck winner in San Jose purchased their ticket from Jenny's Gift Shop on Tully Road, California lottery officials said.

The winning numbers were: 8, 14, 17, 20, 39; Mega Ball: 7. The cash option is estimated at $341 million, before taxes.

The two grand prize winners will share the jackpot, which could grow closer to $645 million, Virginia lottery director Paula Otto told ABC News. The exact size of the jackpot will be available later today once sales figures are compiled.

The $636 million jackpot grew from a modest $12 million prize in October. Twenty-one winless drawings later, it became the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, according to lottery officials. The record jackpot was a $656 million Mega Millions prize in March 2012.

If winning numbers were not selected in Tuesday night's drawing, lottery officials estimated that the jackpot could have hit $1 billion next week.

Source: abcnews

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Devyani Khobragate reveals how she 'broke down' after 'stripping and cavity searches'

India scaled back security outside the U.S. embassy in New Delhi and revoked transit privileges for American diplomats as a row deepened over the arrest and strip-search of a consular official in New York.

The Indian official, Devyani Khobragade, 39, who was arrested on Dec. 12, wrote in an e-mail to colleagues that she was subjected to cavity search during detention.

“I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches, swabbing, in a holdup with common criminals and drug addicts were all being imposed upon me despite my incessant assertions of immunity,” she wrote.

India retaliated by removing concrete barricades outside the consular section of the U.S. embassy in the nation’s capital, cancelling airport passes for U.S. diplomats and freezing import requests, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said in parliament on Wednesday.

Mounting tensions threaten to damage what has otherwise been a decade of collaboration between the world’s two biggest democracies as they deepen trade and defense ties and strengthen cooperation to fight terrorism. During his visit in November 2010, President Barack Obama called the relationship with India, a Cold War ally of the Soviet Union, “one of the defining and indispensable partnerships of the 21st century.”

Source: nationalpost 

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TTC not sure what caused morning train delay at Kipling Station

A Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) train which stopped near Kipling Station Wednesday morning was not caused by a derailment as initially believed, according to spokesperson Danny Nicholson.

Preliminary reports by a TTC official had indicated the train traveling westbound towards Kipling came off its track at 8:55 a.m., but further investigation indicated that was not the case.

Nicholson said approximately 60 passengers were on board and no one was hurt. The TTC says everyone was removed from the train with the help of police and firefighters.

Sherline Tavaya was stuck on the westbound train between Kipling and Islington Stations just after 7:45 a.m.

The train stopped just after leaving Islington station, and didn’t move for close to an hour. Tavaya said there was no information other than a repetitive message about “signal problems.”

The train then started moving slowly, and when it was approximately 50 feet from Kipling station, Tavaya said it jerked to a stop.

“We were stuck there, like the train sort of just jerked on the rails and it was like a huge bump and then we stopped,” she said. “There was nothing being said except the constant same message that there [were] signal problems and that response personnel have been dispatched.”

Source: globalnews

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Short Hills mall might consider security changes after fatal carjacking

As shoppers returned to the Mall at Short Hills today, the manager of the upscale shopping center said mall officials might consider making changes to its security plan in the aftermath of last night's fatal carjacking.

Michael J. McAvinue, the mall's general manager, said stores opened at 8 a.m., as scheduled. The lower levels of the parking garage where shopper Dustin Friedland was shot Sunday night re-opened this afternoon.

Police are searching for two assailants who fled in Friedland's silver Range Rover after shooting the Hoboken attorney in the head as he returned to his car with his wife around 9:10 p.m. The car was found today behind a vacant house in Newark, near Route 78.

McAvinue declined to comment on the shooting, which he said remains an active police investigation.

"Our number one priority is the safety of our customers and our store employees, and we are doing everything we can to cooperate with police," McAvinue said.

When asked about mall security, McAvinue said the shopping center officials would consider reviewing procedures in response to the shooting.

"We have a very good security program in place. Would we be willing to review that? Absolutely," he said.

The Mall at Short Hills uses an outside contractor, International Protection Corporation, to provide security for the inside and outside of the mall, McAvinue said.

International Protection Corporation, based in Illinois, is a large firm that provides security to malls and shopping centers around the country.

Source: nj

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Email triggers evacuations, canceled exams at Harvard

The bomb scare at Harvard University today was triggered by an e-mail warning that explosives had been planted in four buildings at the heart of the storied campus, according to a law enforcement official.

At 2:44 p.m., the university announced that the Science Center, the last of the four buildings, had been deemed safe. Law enforcement officials had already combed through and cleared Thayer Hall, a freshman dorm, and Sever and Emerson halls, two buildings that contain lecture halls.

Thayer, Emerson, and Sever are all located inside the ancient Harvard Yard section of the campus. The Science Center stands just outside the Yard.

According to the school’s academic calendar, final exams are scheduled for this week for undergraduates.

College officials said they were working to identify and reschedule exams that were disrupted by evacuations of the buildings. Officials also planned to make an announcement about the impact on afternoon exams as soon as possible, a university spokesman said in an e-mail.

President Obama was briefed this morning about the events taking place at his alma mater, a White House official said. Obama attended Harvard Law School, which has its own campus near the Science Center and the Yard.

“We continue to encourage the public to follow directions from the local officials. The White House will remain in touch with our federal, state, and local partners and the president will continue to receive briefings as needed,” the official said.

Source: bostonglobe

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Bengals grades against the Pittsburgh Steelers

Quarterback: Despite a few passes being off-target, Andy Dalton didn't turn the football over and he played as well as someone without a serviceable offensive line or reliable receivers could play. After completing only two of his first ten passes, Dalton would go on to complete 23 of his next 34 with two touchdowns. Dalton ended up going 25 for 44 with 230 yards passing and two scores.

Grade: B-

Running Back: Granted the Bengals were facing a 21-point deficit with over a minute remaining in the first quarter, but when the Bengals actually ran, it just wasn't there. Blocking is a huge reason and BenJarvus Green-Ellis is clearly dealing with lingering flu-like issues and only ran the ball four times. Giovani Bernard scored a touchdown, but only averaged 2.5 yards/rush.

Grade: C-

Wide Receivers: Not impressed. Most of what A.J. Green earned on Sunday was the result of curl routes. Perhaps a few of the throws were off-target but Green wasn't applying the description of being someone that makes difficult receptions. And he's even dropping some of the easier throws. Marvin Jones played well with five receptions, 48 yards receiving and a fourth quarter touchdown.

Grade: C-

Tight Ends: Maybe it's Jay Gruden. But I can't possibly be more disappointed in how the Bengals have applied their tight ends recently. Jermaine Gresham wasn't very effective against the Steelers, even losing a fumble during a long third down conversion that he fought honorably for. Tyler Eifert hasn't had the targets we had hoped for. Both combined for six receptions for 56 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Source: cincyjungle

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