Author: Chris Richardson

Apparently, the creative team behind Anchorman are big on celebrating anniversaries, because a year ago–to the day–Funny or Die debuted the first Anchorman: The Legend Continues teaser trailer, and while the newest teaser trailer was released a few days ago, the fact that today is the one-year anniversary for the first teaser might help explain why the new teaser is currently trending. If you recall last year’s teaser, you’ll recognize the newest one is done in almost the exact same manner, but that doesn’t stop it from being funny and effective. I mean, are you really going to see the Anchorman movies because of their compelling plot? Of course not.

The joy comes from the actors and the way they play their characters. The fact that they work for a news program helps bring our heroes together is almost incidental. Seeing them together, weaving their tapestry of silliness is where this title always shines, and the trailer does a fantastic job of accentuating the positives.

All while reminding us to stay classy, which, considering today’s social media climate, is probably really good advice.

A quick look at the December 2013 release’s IMDB page reveals, well, just about everyone in Hollywood has a part in it. Here’s a sample of a few of the cameos you’ll see this Christmas:

Harrison Ford
Jim Carrey
Kanye West
Sacha Baron Cohen
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler
Luke Wilson
Vince Vaughn

From the looks of that, it sounds like joyous chaos in the form of Anchorman: The Legend Continues is coming for us this winter.

While the Moore, Oklahoma tornado is dominating the news cycle–rightfully so–it’s easy to forget about the weather damage that occurred on Sunday in Wichita, Kansas. While the devastation pales in comparison, the fact is, when a “massive” tornado hits, it’s hard to forget. To help illustrate the chaos nature can cause when it decides to unleash the power of its storms, the video leading this post shows the weather anchor, J.D. Rudd, of KSN, in the process of updating his viewers. Unfortunately, the storm was close enough to the station, and it forced those inside to head for the tornado shelter, including the aforementioned Rudd, who, again, was live on-air at the time.

During the video, you can here someone off-camera yell, ““It appears that it is time for all of us to get to shelter. Get to shelter right now! Everybody, let’s go!” The result was reminiscent of an apocalyptic movie that shows an abandoned television broadcast, all in an effort to drive the desolation home. The difference is, this was actually real.

Over at his Twitter, Rudd has received a great many well-wishing tweets and folks acknowledging the fine job they did under such pressure. Rudd also pointed out an extended version of the lead video.

It appears a clip from our coverage Sunday has gone viral, as they say. Here is a longer version that was sent to me: youtube.com/watch?v=4sOyn2…

— JD Rudd (@jdrudd) May 20, 2013

Because of the destruction in Oklahoma and the Midwest in general, it’s pretty clear Rudd has been incredibly busy trying to keep his viewers informed and hopefully, safe. The ordeal has, understandably, worn on Rudd:

After the last few days, I am going to go home & just disconnect from things for a while. Got a feeling more bad wx will hit OK/AR tomorrow.

— JD Rudd (@jdrudd) May 21, 2013

Let’s hope the weatherman is wrong in here. It’s safe to say those folks deserve a break.

If you’ve attained a notable level of fame in the entertainment industry, and are a known commodity, it is becoming more and more commonplace to try and make an incredible splash when debuting a new product. If done correctly, the buzz can ensure the star remains relevant as the new stuff comes out. One such showman who has no problem getting people’s attention is hip-hop producer/artist mogul Kanye West. In order to get the interest meters ticking, the artist decided to introduce the new single from his upcoming new album in an unique way:

By broadcasting the video on the side of buildings. Kanye’s Twitter reveals the details:

NEW SONG AND VISUAL FROM MY NEW ALBUM BEING PROJECTED TONIGHT ACROSS THE GLOBE ON 66 BUILDINGS, LOCATIONS @ KANYEWEST.COM

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) May 18, 2013

Incidentally, that also serves as the first tweet for that particular account. Apparently those other first ones have already been deleted. Anyway, if you want a reminder of what Kanye’s previous Twitter existence was like, you can start here. As indicated, the video was shown on the side of 66 buildings in the following cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney, Paris, London and Berlin. The song, and this is coming from someone who isn’t a Kanye fanboy, is better than I expected it to be, that much is certain.

The language, if you happen to be working this weekend, is NSFW, but you probably already knew that:

A US Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing at the Newark, New Jersey airport early Saturday morning, around 1 a.m. EST, according to multiple reports. The aircraft would not lower its landing gear during its approach to the airfield, forcing the pilot to circle the airport in an attempt to reverse the problem. When this did not work, the pilot was forced to make a belly landing, which, according to ABC New York, was on one of the airport’s long parallel runways.

The aircraft in question, a Dash 8-100, had 31 passengers on board, none of which were harmed during the emergency landing. Here’s an example, courtesy of Wikimedia, of what the plane looks like:

Over at YouTube, ABCNews posted their segment, which included some eyewitness video of the landing in question:

From where I’m sitting, it looks like the pilot needs a bigger seat, what for his huge brass cojones, and all. For those of you whose imaginations aren’t quite vivid enough, here’s a clearer example of what this morning’s belly landing resembled:

That, of course, is not from the US Airways landing.

Further indicating the pilot’s impressive skill in executing such a landing without jostling the passengers to the point of injury, there’s this nugget from Yahoo news report, “Sparks flew upon landing, but the pilot managed to keep the airplane on the runway and the wings level.” From my limited point of view, it sounds like this pilot might be ready for the Top Gun competition. They’ve already got a cool pilot call sign going for them, and yes, I am talking about “Sparky.”

Whatever the case, I hope US Airways gives the pilot a commendation. And a promotion.

Lead image courtesy

As the actors who comprise The Hangover’s Wolfpack hit the press circuit in preparation for next week’s release of The Hangover Part III, there are sure to be some interesting stories and anecdotes from the group that is Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and of course, Zach Galifianakis. One such story was told by the host of Between the Ferns to the host of Conan, and it concerned why the bearded funnyman stopped fooling around with alcohol. While Galifianakis’ “rock bottom” story doesn’t go as low as some have before him, if it’s true, getting spit in the face can’t feel very redeeming, especially if it was your own drunk actions that caused the situation to escalate.

The timing of his confession, because of how he told the story, I’m sure, fits with the tone of the high-anticipated release of the trilogy’s third and final chapter. If the conditions of the interview were different, this could have been a much more dramatic explanation of why Galifianakis cut down on his libation intake. Now, it should be noted that my use of “cut down” as opposed to “stopped.” In the beginning of the video, Zach says he stopped drinking, but after his story, Conan confirms “you decided to cut back,” to which Galifianakis responds, “yeah, cut back.”

With that in mind, it’s up to you to decide whether he completely quit drinking or just slowed down. In other news, how does the idea of a vodka with sausage cocktail strike you?

There’s a tradition at a Milwaukee tavern/two-lane bowling alley called the Holler House where first-time female patrons remove their bra, sign it, and hang them from the rafters, which sounds like something I would support wholeheartedly. Apparently, others do too, because according to Marcy Skowronski, the 87-year-old owner of the establishment, the tradition has been going on from decades. The Holler House is famous enough to have its own Wikipedia page, and according to it, the bar’s bra collection exceeds 1000 pairs.

There’s even a quaint documentary-style video showing off some of the collection:

Anyway, this fun tradition was temporarily impeded by a killjoy of a city inspector, who deemed the rainbow of padded breast support adorning the Holler House’s rafters was, indeed, a fire hazard and ordered the decorations to be removed. Naturally, the reaction to such an unhappy decision was swift. After getting rebuffed by her local city hall, owner Skowronski changed tactics:

so Skowronski did what any woman having trouble over bras would do– she called in more support. Alderman Bob Donovan heard Skowronski’s plea, strapped in for a fight, and called the media. Then under an increasing inferno of scrutiny, DNS decided that burning bras are a subject best left in the 1960′s. Donovan repeated to us what DNS told him over the phone: “we looked into this, and we’re going to rescind the order.”

Skowronski was thrilled to hear the news, and started planning a bra re-hanging party.

So what started out as a potential downer will, in all likelihood, end up as a business boon for the establishment, thanks the owner’s wise decision to plan an event around the bras and their reintroduction to the Holler House’s rafters.

Lead image courtesy

So, remember the other day when I asked you what you would do if you won the $360 million jackpot? Well, apparently you guys didn’t wish hard enough because no one won, meaning all that money spent on (losing) tickets goes into the jackpot pile, giving us a new total of $550 million (with a $350 million cash option). With that, the famous O’Jays chorus comes to mind:

“Money, money, money, money. Money!!!”

The jackpot is getting so much attention that, according to ABC News, folks in foreign countries tried to get in on the fun:

When pots reach record levels, say lottery officials, phone calls start coming in from all around the world to Powerball’s Iowa headquarters. “We start getting inquiries from Canada and Europe from people wanting to know if they can buy a ticket,” Neubauer told ABC News. “They ask if they can FedEx us the money.”

The answer is: “Sorry, no. You have to buy a ticket in a member state from a licensed retail location.”

That means, for our Canadian friends, if you live near one of the border states– anyone will do, as they are all Powerball participants–you can drop down and hit up anyone of the convenient stores you arrive at. As for our European friends who want a shot at all that glory, well, the next drawing isn’t until Saturday, which means you have time to buy a plane ticket and try your luck.

Just be sure to bring cash, because you can’t buy these tickets with credit/debit cards.

The artist/NFL wid receiver previously known as Chad Ochocinco is a wanted man in the County of Broward, which is probably best known for being the area Fort Lauderdale resides in. The news comes thanks to a TMZ.com exclusive, and apparently, the warrant stems from the mess that was his marriage to Evelyn Lozada, and the domestic violence conviction that came with it. Apparently, Johnson failed to appear in front of his probation officer, and the warrant was issued on May 7 of this year.

While Johnson has yet to undergo the process that is due to him, if he is found to be in violation of his sentence, he could find himself behind bars. Of course, we’re still a little ways off from that happening, but the wheels are certainly turning, and the ball is now in the previous Cincinnati Bengal’s court. Speaking of which, his Twitter account gives us a clue as to his current whereabouts:

Chilly in Pasadena

— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) May 16, 2013

The news of the warrant represents simply another chapter in what has become the meteoric fall of once-really-good NFL wide receiver. Yes, Chad’s mouth wrote much bigger checks than perhaps his ability should have allowed, but he was, for a time, a top-tier NFL wide receiver, something the following video demonstrates (if you’re not a rap fan, you may want to turn the volume down).

Sadly, that seems like a long time ago.

It is being reported that NASCAR legend Dick Trickle has died due to wounds suffered by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The news comes from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina, which is where the former racer resided. Darkening the tone even further, it appears as if Trickle called the emergency responders before turning his gun on himself. WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina reveals:

The incident occurred at 12:02 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Highway 150 East in Boger City. The Lincoln County Communications Center received a call apparently from the victim that “there would be a dead body and it would be his.”

Attempts to return the call went unheeded. The following commercial is, more than likely, how most were introduced to the driver with the unique:

Trickle was 71 years old.

Although it may have been the first big release of the Summer Movie Season–no offense to Michael Bay and his Pain & Gain offering–Marvel’s Iron Man 3 has thrown down an impressive arc reactor-powered gauntlet down for the other summer tentpole titles to look up to as their respective release dates approach. While some may be almost dubious to Marvel’s first follow-up to the incredibly successful The Avengers–if the movie was honest, it would’ve been called The Adventures of Tony Stark Without the Iron Man Armor, but I digress–that has not stopped moviegoers from throwing down their hard-earned cash to see Robert Downey, Jr once again shine in what is now his fourth turn in the Iron Man suit.

So much so, in fact, that according to Variety, the third installment in the Iron Man series is expected to break the $1 billion mark sometime this week. It should be noted, however, that this total is a worldwide mark, and not just in the United States. That being said, Iron Man 3 is already number 16 on the all time worldwide box office list regarding box office earnings, as pointed out by Box Office Mojo. For what it’s worth, The Tony Stark Movie has earned almost $300 million in United States.

When you consider how much more is involved to push a movie close the billion dollar level, it just goes to show that, even though Iron Man 3 featured very little of, well, Iron Man in it, the movie is still very much a global-level hit. For me, the question is, is this because the audience loved the movie that much, or did the afterglow of The Avengers mean such a value for the first Marvel Studios movie to follow the second-highest grossing movie ever was pretty much guaranteed, especially when it features Robert Downey, Jr?

Will Smith and his son Jaden were in Miami to draw attention to their attempt to capitalize on the apocalyptic movie craze watch LeBron and his Miami Heat dispatch the Chicago Bulls. While Smith is famous for, among other things, a song dedicated to the city of Miami, the Fresh Prince of Hollywood was wearing a grey Philadelphia 76ers hat. Smith’s haberdashery choices were rendered moot, however, once sideline analyst/best dressed person on the planet Craig Sager decided he wanted to photobomb Smith and his son, all while the TNT cameras looked on. The result, as you see in the lead image, is pretty tremendous, if, for nothing else, Sager’s incredible suit.

Here’s a better look at what Sager was wearing below, courtesy of Twitter user extraordinaire, CJZero:

As you might expect, there’s also a gif format said Sager photobomb, because that’s the way of things when it comes to modern sports reporting:

It would be wrong of me not to mention the Tumblr dedicated to Sager’s fantastic fashion sense. This means if the above suit got your juices flowing, there’s plenty more where that came from. And just because you asked for it, here’s Smith’s “Miami” song, which is fitting when you consider that the Heat did, in fact, finish off their series against a game but injury-plagued Chicago Bulls:

Get those lucky numbers ready, folks, because anyone who can buy a lottery ticket in the United States has a shot at the recently-updated Powerball jackpot, and it’s a big one. According to reports, lottery officials estimate the new total to be around the $360 million. The cash option for the third largest Powerball jackpot is almost $230 million, which would result in a pretty nice payday for the winner(s), regardless of the taxation commitments. As you’re probably aware, the odds of winning the lottery are incredibly long, something that’s perfectly illustrated by an infographic posted over at PopSci.com.

To put it simply, you have a much better chance of getting dealt a true Royal Flush than you do winning the lottery (1 in 649,740 versus 1 in 135-175 million). That being said, if you want a shot at the big money, you have to throw your hat into the ring. Furthermore, a 1 in 200 million chance is better than having a zero percent shot at the jackpot.

The next drawing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21st, meaning you have some time to run out and get your Powerball tickets. If you don’t win, don’t fret. Be happy knowing you contributed to the next Powerball jackpot and go on about your day. Of course, if you win, all bets are off. You’ll probably singing the following song a great deal:

But what else would you do? Donate it all? Spend it frivolously? Disappear from society to live on some huge estate in a foreign country? Or would you try to live the same kind of life you have now?

Whenever McDonald’s un-retires its McRib sandwich, it’s an event. People react quite favorably to the boneless pork slab that gets lathered in barbecue sauce. So much so, in fact, McDonald’s has done a good job capitalizing on the sandwich’s popularity and they play it up a great deal with their associated marketing pushes, as you can clearly see:

Apparently, after years of letting McDonald’s bask in the glow that is the American population’s desire for pork sandwich bliss, a contender has decided to step up and grab some of that spotlight for themselves. At least, that’s plan according Burger King, and the reports of the upcoming release of what’s being called the “McRib buster,” aka, the BK Rib Sandwich. While the official release has yet to be broadcast, information about Burger King’s upcoming summer menu, which will feature the McRib contender, have been hitting the `tubes:

Burger King on Thursday will unveil its 2013 summer menu plans, highlighted by a new, limited-time BK Rib Sandwich, which is boneless like McRib — has a tangy sauce and comes with sweet bread and butter pickles. It will be sold nationally beginning May 21.

BK’s other summer roll-outs include a return of Memphis Pulled Pork sandwiches, a line of Carolina BBQ sandwiches and sweet potato fries. It also will introduce a new BBQ Chicken Salad and line of Oreo-infused desserts. All of the products, including the rib sandwich, will be available only though the summer.

An image of the upcoming delicacy:

As the description of the BK Rib Sandwich reveals–”has a tangy sauce and comes with sweet bread and butter pickles”–if you can’t beat the McRib, why not copy it? Whatever the case, I just hope the upcoming marketing push for BK’s summer menu/McRib contender features Darius “Hootie” Rucker:

So what happens when Justin Bieber’s ex-girlfriend shows up in Miami wearing a bikini shortly after the release of her new single? Well, once the pictures hit the web, the reaction is swift. Just ask Selena Gomez, who, after her publicity-friendly appearance in revealing swimwear, is currently trending upward. Combine that with the fact that her new single is burning up the iTunes charts, Gomez is doing just fine without her Twitter-dominating ex-beau.

Of course, that’s probably not the reason you clicked this particular story, and so, here are a couple pictures to give you an idea of what the high life looks like:

PopSugar has an extended slideshow, if that’s your thing. As for her “Life without Justin” success, Selena’s “Come and Get It” YouTube video has close to 20 million views:

As for her upcoming album, while she may be single, Gomez makes sure to keep invoking the Bieber name, which is probably a smart marketing move, all things considered. Having some of his popularity vicariously transport over to a career that also targets the “tween” demographic is, if nothing else, shrewd business:

And though she may not be putting energy into dating, songwriting is a totally different story. She admits to penning a track on her new album just for Bieber, which she calls “personal” and adds “I’m sure he’ll love it, too.”

With the impatient wait for the return of the NFL enters its “Dog Days” stage, especially now that the draft has come and gone, the NFL-ravenous public circles like hungry sharks waiting for the next tidbit of news about their favorite team or player. One such team that’s well known in relation to moving the dial is the Philadelphia Eagles. Granted, much of the attention focuses on the fact that Michael Vick plays quarterback for the franchise, thanks in large part to his well documented past. Add in a new head coach like Chip Kelly, previously of the multi-uniformed Oregon Ducks, to the mix, and what you have is a nice recipe for catching the public’s eye.

And so, whenever news of Vick racing one of his teammates hits the modern media circuit, it’s going to get traction. This is helped by the fact that Michael Vick was known to have otherworldly-like speed. Because of the beating Vick has been taking, however, thanks to getting absolutely buried by various defenses in recent seasons, there were looming doubts about whether or not Vick possessed his impressive physical gifts. This belief is, apparently, what led Eagles running back LeSean McCoy to challenge his quarterback to a 40-yard dash footrace. While the race itself apparently happened almost two weeks ago–Vick won–the topic is still up for discussion, at least to the player who crossed the finish line after Vick.

As the various local Philadelphia sports writers follow the Eagles during the off-season workouts, McCoy was asked about the race, to which he replied, “he jumped off. He started early.” Considering the all-access era of news we live in, there is, of course, video of McCoy’s response, courtesy of CSNPhilly.com.

While the story here is indeed frivolous and fluffy, the fact that it has become a talking point only further indicates the incredible popularity of NFL. With all due respect to Allen Iverson, we’re not even talking about practice here. We’re talking about a footrace. Furthermore, the story is getting some traction as well. With that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine Roger Goodell sitting behind his desk made of money, laughing to himself while his interns tell him such a story is actually a topical subject. The laugh comes from the (daily) confirmation that, yes, the National Football League does, in fact, rule the roost when it comes to capturing the attention of sports fans.

With all of that in mind, while the fact that Vick still has his speed may provide a sense of satisfaction for Eagles fans, if they want him to start more than 10 games next season, they better hope the offensive line protection improves. In those 10 starts during last season, Vick was sacked 28 times, clearly indicating his speed wasn’t enough.