January 2, 2016
Welcome to Daily Skinny! Let’s see what this wacky Saturday has for us!
News came down today that none other than JET LI has been cast in the new xXx movie starring Vin Diesel. I enjoyed both entries in the series, but am a fan of fellow WoWer Diesel. This does remind me of Jet Li being brought on as the baddie in Lethal Weapon 4. Let’s hope this turns out better.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens continues to rack up ALL THE MONIES at the Box office this week. It posted 34.4 Million on New Year’s Day, pushing it past Jurassic World to become the top box office draw of 2015. It’s total of 686M puts it ahead of Titanic. Another 80M (possible by next weekend) and TFA will unseat Avatar as the highest grossing Domestic release. I did my part with a 4th screening today in Reading, MA, at one of the 8 best screens on Earth. Laser Projected 3D IMAX. Incredible. Going to see it in regular IMAX tomorrow.
Top Box Office 1/1/16 USD
- The Force Awakens – $34,460,000
- Daddy’s Home – $11,476,000
- The Hateful 8 – $6,429,000
- Sisters – $4,770,000
- Alvin and the Chipmunks:The Road Chip – $4,375,000
Word has filtered out that financially hobbled MLG (Major League Gaming) has been sold to Activision Blizzard, producers of World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and makers of all the money Star Wars leaves on the table. This is a big move by the company which may have major repercussions in a sport where League of legends is near the top, and Blizzard has its own version, Heart of the Storm, trying to unseat it. With Overwatch, Blizzard’s new shooter, releasing soon, this could also be seen as a move to make that the dominant game in the genre. Blizz, man…blizz.
George RR Martin let us all down today, announcing that “Winds of Winter”, the 6th book in The Song of Ice and Fire will not be released prior to April 2016, the date Game of Thrones returns and spoils his series. To long time fans of the series, this causes no small amount of sadness. In regards to the future of the series: we, like Jon Snow, know nothing…
Out Now: Mineshaft #32! The best underground comic magazine around. Do you like Crumb? Then you need to get it.
http://www.mineshaftmagazine.com/
Jason Wingreen passed away at the age of 95. He was fairly prolific on television and stage, appearing in many of the top shows form the 50’s through the 80’s, such as Star Trek: TOS, The Untouchables, Dobie Gillis, The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, and notably as the bartender on Archie Bunker’s Place. He was the narrator of many things, including Disney’s World of Color.
He only has 5 listed film credits, all good ones. A minor role in 1969’s Marlowe, based on Chandler’s novels. The sherrif in the Dunwich Horror, based on Lovecraft, Oh God!, the George Burns vehicle, and Airplane!, the legendary 1980 Comedy. I, however, will always remember him for the other film he made in 1980, providing some voice work…
Yes, Wingreen was the voice of Boba Fett, before being unceremoniously re-dubbed by Temuera Morrisson in 2004.
“He’s no good to me dead”
Perhaps this is a strange choice of words for an article about his passing, but he will be remembered for them, fondly.
The Skinny from the Fatty 