'2 Guns' shoots to No. 1 at weekend box office

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The action-packed "2 Guns" is No. 1 at the weekend box office.

The Universal film starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg pulled the trigger to capture the top spot with $27.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The picture is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Washington as a DEA agent and Wahlberg as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA.

Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said "2 Guns" opened at the studio's expectations and attributed the film's success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.

"It was super casting," she said. "There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film."

Fox's Japan-set superhero flick "The Wolverine" starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the No. 2 spot with $21.7 million in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon's total domestic haul to $95 million. "Wolverine" earned another $38.5 million in 67 international territories.

"The Smurfs 2" launched in the No. 3 position with $18.2 million. While Sony's kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, "Smurfs 2" earned a bright $52.5 million in 43 international markets.

"It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones."

The Warner Bros. haunted house tale "The Conjuring" crossed the $100 million mark at No. 4 domestically after exorcising $13.7 million in its third weekend.

Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival favorite "The Spectacular Now" starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley earned $190,000 in four theaters in its debut weekend, while "The Canyons" made just $16,000 at two theaters, though "Canyons" distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-demand services.

Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the box office, including Sundance winner "Fruitvale Station" with $2.7 million in 1,086 theaters and director Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" with $2 million in 50 theaters.

"Summer is not just about blockbusters," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's also about Woody Allen. It's about specialized films that challenge the audience ? or are just different from the traditional, cookie-cutter, summer-style movie."

Overall ticket sales this weekend were up more than 15 percent over the same weekend last summer, Dergarabedian said.

___

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. "2 Guns,"$27.4 million.

2. "The Wolverine," $21.7 million ($38.5 million international).

3. "The Smurfs 2," $18.2 million ($52.5 million international).

4. "The Conjuring," $13.7 million ($11.6 million international).

5. "Despicable Me 2," $10.4 million ($13.8 million international).

6. "Grown Ups 2," $8.1 million ($2.8 million international).

7. "Turbo," $6.4 million ($6.9 million international).

8. "Red 2," $5.6 million ($9.3 million international).

9. "The Heat," $4.7 million ($6.9 million international).

10. "Pacific Rim," $4.6 million ($53 million international).

___

Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "Pacific Rim," $53 million.

2. "The Smurfs 2," $52.5 million.

3. "The Wolverine," $38.5 million.

4. "Snowpiercer," $18 million.

5. "Despicable Me 2," $13.8 million.

6. "Now You See Me," $13.1 million.

7. "The Conjuring," $11.6 million.

8. "Monsters University," $11.4 million.

9. "The Terror Live," $9.5 million.

10. "Red 2," $9.3 million.

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-guns-shoots-no-1-weekend-box-office-155001837.html

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US Energy Department Announces New Investment to Reduce Fuel Cell Costs

02 Aug 2013

In support of the Obama Administration's all-of-the-above strategy to develop clean, domestic energy sources, the Energy Department today announced a $4.5 million investment in two projects?led by Minnesota-based 3M and the Colorado School of Mines?to lower the cost, improve the durability, and increase the efficiency of next-generation fuel cell systems. This investment is a part of the Energy Department's commitment to maintain American leadership in innovative clean energy technologies, give American businesses more options to cut energy costs, and reduce our reliance on imported oil.

"Fuel cell technologies have an important role to play in diversifying America's transportation sector, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and curbing harmful carbon pollution," said Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson. "By partnering with private industry and universities, we can help advance affordable fuel cell technologies that save consumers money and give drivers more options while creating jobs in this growing global industry."

Over the last decade, the Energy Department has invested in research and development projects to improve the efficiency and lower the costs of fuel cells. This research has helped decrease the amount of platinum used in catalysts by a factor of five and reduced the costs of transportation fuel cells by more than 80% since 2002. Projects such as these have led to more than 400 patents, 65 pre-commercial technologies, and nearly 40 commercial technologies in the market?positioning the nation as a global leader in the emerging fuel cell industry.

Building on these efforts, the projects announced today will continue research and development work aimed at making cost-effective, high-performing fuel cell membranes that can operate under hotter and drier conditions. For example, 3M will receive $3 million to focus on developing innovative fuel cell membranes with improved durability and performance using processes which are easily scalable to commercial size. The Colorado School of Mines will receive $1.5 million to develop advanced hybrid membranes for cutting edge, next-generation fuel cells that are simpler and more affordable and able to operate at higher temperatures.

? ? ?

Source: US Department of Energy

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Industry Directory: US DOE

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Source: http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/news-events/news-archive/2013/august/us-energy-department-announces-new-investment-to-reduce-fuel-cell-costs

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Teresa Palmer: Engaged to Mark Webber!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/08/teresa-palmer-engaged-to-mark-webber/

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Space cadets in Washington for one-way ticket to Mars

Around 40 volunteers from thousands who applied for a one-way ticket to Mars gathered in the US capital Saturday to hear from the man behind plans to colonize the Red Planet.

Bas Lansdorp, a Dutch entrepreneur, plans to establish a permanent base on Mars in a mission he hopes will take off in 2022 if he can find the necessary $6 billion.

Would-be travellers on the mission -- named Mars One -- would never return to Earth.

"There's no return mission," Mars One chief Lansdorp said at George Washington University.

"That sounds very dramatic, but don't forget that in the history of our planet, people have always been going places, saying goodbye to their families for ever, and going there and living there.

"It's just part of what humans do, and I think the next logical step is Mars."

Other space agencies such as NASA have expressed scepticism about the viability of Lansdorp's plan, saying the technology to establish a human colony on Mars does not exist.

Mars One, which is registered as a non-profit organization, says on its website the mission is a decade-long endeavor, with funding intended to come from the global audience of an interactive, televised broadcast of every aspect of the mission.

"We are not quite there," Lansdorp said of the funding requirements, refusing to say how much has been raised but noting that more than 78,000 people have applied to join the mission, becoming astronauts.

In April, Mars-One said that the first four volunteers should land on Mars in 2023 after a seven-month journey. New crews would be sent every two years, according to Lansdorp.

Among those gathered in Washington on Saturday was Christine Rambo, a 38-year-old student librarian from New Jersey, who described Mars as the "next great age of exploration."

"It is like Columbus discovering America," she said. "It is so exciting and such a great achievement, I want to be a part of it."

Source: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Space_cadets_in_Washington_for_one-way_ticket_to_Mars_999.html

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Only woman defendant pleads in FAMU hazing case

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) ? The only woman charged in the hazing death of a Florida A&M drum major will have to spend 100 hours performing community service after pleading no contest on Friday.

Lasherry Codner became the sixth defendant to be sentenced in the case. The others asked for more time to consider plea offers by the prosecutor.

Codner pleaded no contest Friday to third-degree felony hazing for taking part in the ritual in November 2011 that ended with Robert Champion collapsing and dying.

In exchange for her plea, Codner had a second-degree manslaughter charge against her dropped. She was sentenced to four years of probation, must perform the community service, and complete an anti-hazing course.

The 22-year-old drummer also has agreed to be interviewed by investigators and testify for the prosecution in any cases that wind up going to trial.

The Orlando Sentinel reports Codner sobbed as she apologized to Champion's parents, Robert Sr. and Pamela, who listened to the hearing over the phone from Georgia. "On behalf of myself and my entire marching-band family, no one intended on this happening," she said. "This truly changed our lives. We're very, very and deeply sorry that this happened."

A status hearing was also held Friday for the remaining eight defendants in the case. Attorneys for each asked Judge Marc Lubet to push back what he called a "drop dead date" for them to accept or reject plea offers from the prosecutor.

Lubet agreed to set that new date for Oct. 4, but said he doesn't anticipate it would be extended beyond that.

"We need to get these cases resolved for the community's sake, for the defendants' sake, and for the Champions' sake," Lubet said, referencing Champion's parents, who have either attended by phone or in person each previous sentencing of a defendant.

A different judge will handle any cases that go to trial because Lubet has been assigned to a different court division.

The prosecution contends that Champion, who was from Decatur, Ga., collapsed and died after walking down a gauntlet of other band members who beat him with fists and instruments on a bus parked outside an Orlando hotel following a football game.

It led to the departure of the band's longtime director, the abrupt resignation of the university's president, James Ammons, and the suspension last year of the famed marching band. FAMU has since made sweeping changes in an effort to end a culture of hazing.

Prosecutors have brought charges against a total of 15 defendants in Champion's death. Including Codner, six now have accepted plea deals from the state and been sentenced to probation combinations of community service.

Another one, Caleb Jackson, pleaded no contest to manslaughter in April, but has yet to be sentenced.

___

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-08-02-US-FAMU-Hazing/id-527510a08e1e4fb9bf58dfbad6622b43

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Former NC State basketball coach Lowe to appear in court on tax charges

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RALEIGH?Former NC State men's basketball coach Sidney Lowe is expected to make his way back to the courtroom Wednesday on state income tax evasion charges.

Lowe was arrested in February and charged with three counts of willful failure to file a North Carolina tax return from 2009 to 2011, the last three years he coached the Wolfpack.

The charges against Lowe resulted from an investigation by a special agent with the department?s Criminal Investigations Section in Raleigh.

Although it's unclear how much he owes in taxes, reports say at NC State, Lowe was paid a base salary of around $210,000 per year and with bonuses and endorsements. His total compensation could have been has much as $900,000.

After resigning from the head coach position, he went on to become an assistant for the Utah Jazz. Lowe's case was supposed to be heard earlier this spring, was delayed.

Lowe helped lead NC State's basketball team to a national title in 1983 and took on the role as head coach in 2006.

Source: http://triangle.news14.com/content/top_stories/697013/former-nc-state-basketball-coach-lowe-to-appear-in-court-on-tax-charges

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