TMZ Report: You can hug it out now, bitch ... 'cuz the movie version of "Entourage" just got green lit. "Entourage" creator and head writer, Doug Ellin sent a simple message: "It's a go. Love you all." Ellin posted a black and white photo of the cast, showing that they're all Kumbaya. As we reported ... the announcement of an "Entourage" movie was delayed because actors Adrian Grenier and Jerry Ferrara were holding out for a bigger piece of the action. That's all history now ... everybody's back ... cameras will start rolling in January. Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/10/29/entourage-movie-green-lit-a-go-cast/#ixzz2j9VJaK00 Visit Fishwrapper: http://www.fishwrapper.com
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- It looked like a mismatch even before Peyton Manning hooked up for his first touchdown pass to Wes Welker and the rest of the NFL found out just how bad the Jacksonville Jaguars really are.
But now it's official. The Denver Broncos are the biggest favorite ever in an NFL game in this gambling city, a whopping four-touchdown pick Sunday at home against the hapless Jaguars.
Sports books in and around Las Vegas make Manning and the Broncos a 28-point favorite over Jacksonville, unheard of in an industry where half-point swings can be huge and most teams are rated within a few points of each other. But even the big line hasn't stopped people from betting money on the Broncos, even after they didn't cover the spread in Sunday's 51-48 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
"It didn't take people long to jump on the Broncos bandwagon, which is at its capacity now," said Jay Kornegay, who runs the sports book at the LVH hotel. "And we expect that to continue."
Though the city's legal sports books don't keep historical records on such things - and the NFL refuses to even acknowledge that betting lines exist - those in the industry say the lopsided point spread surpasses the 26-point margin for favored Pittsburgh against Tampa Bay in 1976 when the Buccaneers were an expansion franchise and the Steelers got within a game of the Super Bowl.
More recently, the biggest favorite was New England as a 24-point pick over Philadelphia in 2007, the year the Patriots made it through the regular season undefeated.
"You have a team that can't seem to get out of their own way against a team that put up 51 points on
Sunday," said Jimmy Vaccaro, vice president of sports marketing at the South Point hotel. "Everything feeds into this. It's the best versus the worst."
The game is so lopsided that most sports books aren't even putting up money lines on the game, where a bettor can simply pick a team to win or lose. Instead, oddsmakers tried to find a number that would somehow entice betting on the Jaguars even if they are given almost no chance of winning the game outright.
That line turned out to be 28 points, meaning bettors who think Manning and the Broncos won't let off the gas at home against Jacksonville have to give up that many points to get a bet on Denver. Those who like Jacksonville, on the other hand, will start with a four-touchdown edge on their bets.
"You might want to get out the Farmer's Almanac and hope they have 14 feet of snow Saturday night in Denver if you're taking the 28," Vaccaro said. "But it's still the NFL, where anything can happen."
Denver bettors found that out Sunday when the Broncos - who were heavily bet as 7 1/2-point favorites in Dallas - failed to cover the spread for the first time this season. Before that, bettors were cashing in tickets by the handful on the Broncos and on the total score going over what oddsmakers thought it would be.
"Dallas was America's Team but it's definitely Denver now," Vaccaro said. "It's all because of Manning, too. He's revitalized the whole franchise and made them the Super Bowl favorite."
Kornegay said the city's sports books have had a good year so far taking money on the NFL, though the tremendous popularity of the Broncos has cost them some money. He said it was reminiscent of the 2007 season, when bettors kept putting money on the Patriots until oddsmakers got wise and raised the lines so much it was tough for even a dominant team to cover the spread.
RJ Bell, who runs a website that analyzes betting and betting patterns, said casual bettors will continue to back the Broncos no matter what, while the professionals are more about where the numbers actually end up.
"If you say this line is 28 or even 32 points the average bettor just shrugs and figures Peyton Manning will score no matter what," he said.
For those who do like the Jaguars, there is recent historical precedence for betting them. In the 2007 game where New England was favored by 24 over Philadelphia, the Patriots didn't come close to covering the spread in a 31-28 win.
(CBS News) Ron Howard was barely beginning his career when he appeared in "The Andy Griffith Show." All these years later, he's a highly successful director, with a new movie out. Mark Phillips talked with Howard in London:
It's not hard to pick an appropriate location to talk to Ron Howard about his movies.
You could have picked a grand cathedral to talk about "The Da Vinci Code," or a university campus to talk about "A Beautiful Mind," or a space museum for "Apollo 13."
For his latest film, a super-car showroom is the place, because the movie is about the high-octane world of motor racing.
And Howard, perhaps the most successful mainstream movie director of the past few decades, has an admission to make: As with the occult, or mathematics, or space flight, motor racing is not something he knew much about before he made the movie.
Indicating a McLaren, he said, "You know, I appreciate cars enough to recognize sort of what we're looking at, but, you know, I wouldn't invest in a car like this. It'd be in fact a waste of great machinery to have me driving it!" he laughed.
"And I didn't know much about Formula One except that it was cool and sexy and very, very dangerous."
The movie, "Rush," is not just about racing, it's about the gripping, death-defying rivalry between two of its legendary drivers: James Hunt, the life-in-the-fast-lane, pedal-to-the-metal Brit who knew no fear, played by Chris Hemsworth; and Niki Lauda, the cold, calculating Austrian with an overbite, played by another remarkable look-alike, Daniel Bruhl.
"One man is one of the handsomest men in the planet -- true icon, playboy," said Howard. "And who's the opponent who stands in his way above all others? This kind of Austrian, myopic careerist whose nickname is 'The Rat.' Little rat-faced guy. Perfect, perfect!"
The movie may be about car racing, but Formula One -- the brand that's hugely popular in the rest of the world but which has always had difficulty cracking the American market -- serves as a modern, bloody, gladiatorial arena.
The film is set in the 1970s, where a driver's chance of dying over the course of a season approached a staggering one-in-five.
Niki Lauda's fiery crash in the 1976 German Grand Prix, in which he was severely burned and as good as dead -- he had the last rites administered -- is a centerpiece of the movie.
"You wouldn't write this script this way," said Howard. "If it was fiction, you wouldn't have the finale work in such a surprising and an emotional way. Will [the audience] believe that this guy could get back in the car six weeks after that kind of accident?"
A severely-scarred Lauda was, shockingly, back racing just six weeks after the crash. If it wasn't actually true, people wouldn't believe it.
Howard has come up against this problem before -- in outer space. "Apollo 13" told the story of the near-disaster of the explosion on the 1970 moon mission.
"I had a test screening for 'Apollo 13' very early on," he said. And the test audience -- like the general audience afterwards -- loved it."
Except for one guy.
"So I went to that card first, of course," Howard laughed. "A 23-year-old male. How come everybody likes it, this guy doesn't? And I started looking at it and he wasn't giving much detail. Big broad, strokes, just negative comments. Finally I flipped over to the side [where] it said, 'Please give us your thoughts about the ending.' And he said, 'Terrible. More Hollywood BS. They would never survive.' Well, 'course he didn't know it was a true story."
Some have scratched their heads at Ron Howard's own true story.
As Ronnie Howard, he was Opie, the perfect little kid on the '60s "Andy Griffith Show."
As TV hit adolescence, so did Howard, as Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days." TV led to the movies. America's iconic teenager in America's iconic teenager move, 1973's "American Graffiti."
But this son of a show-biz family was never going to be happy as just an actor . . . and opportunity came rolling along.
When the producers wanted him to be in the 1977 "Grand Theft Auto" car chase movie, he said he'd do it if he could direct it.
"It was the deal, yeah," Howard said. "I had to parlay the 'American Graffiti,' 'Happy Days' profile, and in a low budget movie, you know, I was enough of a star to sort of help finance it. And as a trade out, I got to direct it. So I had to leverage my way in there.
"You find you have to leverage your way into a lot of places, and it doesn't quite ever stop," he laughed. "But I just loved it. And I think I felt in a lot of ways it was a more complete reflection of who I am, what I like to do, directing."
It's what he'd wanted to do ever since he saw the 1967 movie, "The Graduate." Dustin Hoffman being seduced by Anne Bancroft's older woman -- a movie that changed a lot of people's lives.
"I started watching 'The Graduate' over and over again," Howard told Phillips, "and I began thinking about the way Mike Nichols shot things, which certainly had nothing to do with the way anything was ever photographed on 'The Andy Griffith Show,' or anything else that I had ever been around."
"What was it about 'The Graduate'?" asked Phillips. "I mean, a lot of people of a certain age, let's say, were very impressed by that movie, not just for the obvious reasons."
"Well, it was at that moment both rebellious and hilarious, and the music was great. It looked and sounded and felt very, very different from everything else."
Coming up toward 60 now and to the 30-movie mark -- and with two Oscars in his pocket -- there's barely a type of film he hasn't done. From the true stories like "Apollo 13," to kids' fairy tales like
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas," to grown-up fairy tales like "The Da Vinci Code," Howard admits not everything he's done has been high-minded.
"There've been a couple movies that I've taken on because I thought, 'Boy, I think there's really an audience for this, and I think I know how to do it, and this'll be great business,' " he laughed.
"Which ones are those?" Phillips asked.
"I probably felt that way about 'The Grinch.' "
Although it did provide an opportunity for that Ron Howard trademark: sneaking his family into his movies: His father, Rance; his daughter, Bryce; his wife, Cheryl.
"It's my only superstition," Howard admitted about his wife's appearances. "Doesn't have to be a big part, but I want her to be in all of the films. And she has been."
And if it works, it works.
"Rush" has been a box office hit in Britain. It will have a tougher run in the NASCAR-dominated U.S., where it opens nationwide this weekend.
"Rush," for Ron Howard, isn't just the name of his latest movie. It's what he gets making them.
"I'm not interested in a lot of long vacations. This is what I do. And I can't think of a better day than getting up with a set of storytelling problems to face and an interesting group of people to face them with."
For more info:
"Rush" (Official movie website)
To watch the trailer for Ron Howard's "Rush" click on the video player below:
Former Steelersdefensive endL.C. Greenwood, a member of the Steeler Curtain defense, died this afternoon. He was 67.
Greenwood, who lived in Point Breeze, had been in the hospital for the past couple of days.
Greenwood played for the Steelers from 1969-81 and earned four Super Bowl rings. He was six-time Pro Bowl selection and registered 73 1/2 sacks during his career, which ranks second in franchise history behind Jason Gildon.
Greenwood's sacks are unofficial because the NFL did not officially begin keeping track of sacks until 1982.
Greenwood teamed up with Hall of Fame defensive linemanJoe Greene, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes to become the dominant defensive front four in the NFL in the early 1970s.
He was often at his best in the biggest games. In the Super Bowl X victory against Dallas, Greenwood sacked Roger Staubach four times.
Greenwood was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and 2006 but was not elected either year. There had been a movement in recent years to get Greenwood into the Hall of Fame via the veteran's committee.
By K.C. BLUMM Former reality TV star turned waiter Jon Gosselin reportedly pulled a gun on a photographer in Pennsylvania on Friday.
According to TMZ, the erstwhile Jon & Kate Plus 8 star got upset when a shutterbug followed him home from his new job waiting tables at the Black Dog restaurant in Beckersville, Pa.
She allegedly trailed him off the main roads and onto a dirt road as he headed to his isolated country cabin (where he has no Internet or TV), and when she whipped out her camera and started taking pics, Gosselin, 36, angrily approached her and allegedly pulled a gun out of the back of his pants.
The photographer claims the father of eight yelled at her for trespassing and then fired off a warning shot. He then followed her until she got back on the main road, she says. Gosselin, meanwhile, acknowledges the incident but insists that he acted well within his rights
"I am licensed to carry a concealed handgun, which I withdrew and used to fire a warning shot away from the paparazza," he tells TMZ.
Gosselin, who split from wife Kate in a contentious 2009 divorce, admitted to Entertainment Tonight Wednesday that he's hit rock bottom "like 20 times" since his divorce, but doesn't regret the way his life has turned out.
"You learn from your mistakes," he said. "That's what builds you to who you are today."
HONG KONG—Super Typhoon Usagi continued to make its way toward Hong Kong and China's southern Guangdong province on Saturday, as it swept toward the South China Sea with strong winds and heavy rain battering parts of Taiwan and the Philippines.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. 0293.HK -0.13% and its Dragonair unit will halt operations in the city starting Sunday evening, the airline said, with plans "to gradually resume services on Monday when weather conditions permit." Hong Kong Airlines and its Hong Kong Express Airways unit likewise canceled Sunday flights scheduled to take off after 6 p.m. Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co., which operates ferries between Hong Kong and mainland China, also announced service suspensions.
The travel disruptions come during a particularly busy time in the region, with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan all on long weekends for the Mid-Autumn Festival, while South Korea marks the Chuseok holiday. China officially returns to work on Sunday, so many mainland visitors to Hong Kong will be returning home Saturday—ahead of most of the flight and ferry cancellations.
At 7 p.m. local time Saturday, the Hong Kong Observatory said Usagi, one of the strongest storms in the region this year, was about 610 kilometers (379 miles) east-southeast of Hong Kong. Earlier it put maximum sustained winds near the center of the storm at 195 kilometers (121 miles) an hour.
The observatory issued the No. 1 (standby) signal for Hong Kong at 10:40 a.m. local time and expected to upgrade the warning to No. 3 (strong wind) Saturday night. It said Usagi will come "rather close" Sunday and Monday and "pose a severe threat to Hong Kong."
But for Saturday, the observatory warning in effect was for very hot weather. Under hazy sunshine, the air calm, it was business as usual in Hong Kong. The stores in Tsim Sha Tsui weren't yet taking storm precautions, and they reported no impact on shopping.
In the Philippines, which on Friday raised the storm warning to the highest level for the first time since 2010, the typhoon made landfall in the country's northern tip early Saturday, causing flooding and landslides in the mountainous provinces and knocking out power in the area. Winds increased to 215 kilometers an hour with gusts of up to 250 kilometers an hour, according to the government's weather agency.
It said that Usagi, also known as Odette in the Philippines, had intensified and was "in the vicinity" of the Batanes group of islands in the Luzon Strait, which separates the northern Philippines from southern Taiwan.
The governor of Batanes, Vicente Cato, said in a radio interview Saturday that power was down, making communications more difficult.
Taiwan issued typhoon warnings and heavy-rain advisories Saturday morning for a number of counties in the southern part of the island and along the east coast. Schools and businesses were closed in a dozen counties and cities, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency. The military has mobilized 23,000 servicemen for disaster relief.
Nearly 2,500 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas and remote mountainous regions as the government deployed military personnel into potential disaster zones, the Associated Press reported. In 13 hours the storm system dumped more than 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain along Taiwan's eastern and southern coasts, with officials warning the total could hit 1,000 millimeters, according to AP. Landslides blocked some mountain highways.
China on Saturday upgraded its storm warning to the highest of its four levels, "red," according to the official Xinhua news agency. Xinhua reported Friday that more than 20,000 fishing boats operating out of Fujian province, which borders Guangdong, had returned to port to seek shelter.
Dragonair had already canceled one flight on Saturday from Taichung, in Taiwan, to Hong Kong. Dragonair and its parent Cathay Pacific warned against nonessential travel on Sunday and Monday. Hong Kong International Airport said it was advising passengers departing the city to check flight information with their airlines or on the airport's website (hongkongairport.com).
D.C. police officer, base security officer among those shot; massive search continues Police say as many as two gunmen may still be at large near the D.C. Navy Yard Monday after a shooting that began in a heavily secured building and left a number of people dead. One other gunman has been killed, Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said at a midday press conference. Initial reports had said that 11 people were shot on base and four had died, but Lanier said that information was preliminary. "There are multiple victims inside deceased," Lanier said.
They are seeking two other people as "possible" gunmen, Lanier said. One was a white male, wearing a khaki military-type uniform and a beret hat. He was armed with a handgun, and was last seen about 8:30 a.m., Lanier said. Lanier also said police were seeking a black man, aged about 50, who was wearing olive drab and was armed with a "long gun," though she did not give any other details about the weapon. President Obama mentioned the shooting in remarks from the White House Monday. "We do know that several people have been shot and some have been killed," he said. "We are facing another mass shooting." Though Lanier stressed that the scene was contined, people near the base are being asked to stay in their homes, and eight D.C. public schools and one private school nearby have been locked down. A large search, including from helicopters, continues. "It's a large piece of land with many buildings," Assistant D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told News4. "It's going to take a while to determine that it is safe."
Tactical teams have entered at least two buildings on the Navy Base to search for the shooter, and News4's Mark Segraves reported that three helicopters were seen tightly circling part of the base earlier. Earlier Monday morning, the one known gunman walked into Building #197 at the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters, 1336 Isaac Hull Ave. in the Southeast section of the District. He shot a security guard in the head, killing him, sources confirmed to News4's Jackie Bensen. The gunman then walked through the building, and seemed to target victims, Bensen reported. Some reports indicate he was armed with an AR-15, a military-style assault weapon. D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department and several other law enforcement agencies responded, Bensen said. During that response, a MPD officer was shot in the leg. That gunman was then shot by a FBI hostage response team, Bensen said. MedStar Washington Hospital Center said the MPD officer was among three victims that had been transported to that hospital. The officer was shot in the legs; one other victim was shot in the shoulder and one was shot in the head and hand. All are alert and speaking at this time, and there is a "very good chance they will survive," said Dr. Janis Orlowski, chief medical officer at the hospital. However, the hospital has been prepared to expect more victims. George Washington University Hospital said they had also received a victim, a man in his 60s who had been shot in the temple. Despite efforts at CPR, he was prounounced dead at the hospital. One victim was evacuated from the roof of a building, reported News4's Tony Tull. A U.S. Park Police helicopter hovering above the scene around 9:50 a.m. lowered a basket to a building and lifted what appeared to be a shooting victim from the roof. The helicopter came back to the scene just after 10 a.m. to retrieve another victim.
But other details were sketchy from the scene, which continued to evolve through the morning. Shots rang out several times, including a volley that Tull reported at about 9:20 a.m. and another volley that News4's Mark Segraves heard at about 11 a.m. Federal and local emergency personnel converged on the scene, and a shelter in place order has been issued for Navy Yard personnel, the Navy said. Obama continues to get frequent briefings about the deadly shooting from senior aides. The White House says Obama directed his team to stay in touch with the Navy, FBI and local officials as the events unfold. The Navy Yard is located in southeast Washington on the Anacostia River. The Navy says 3,000 people work inside the building, including command staff, headquarters directorates and field activities. They coordinate the Naval Sea Systems Command, or NAVSEA, the largest of the Navy's five system commands. Stay with NBCWashington on-air and online for more on this developing story. Copyright Associated Press / NBC4 Washington
