• Your one stop for college news and resources!

Brittney Elkins

Bill Murray not on board for Ghostbusters 3

So who are they gonna call?

Bill Murray will not reprise his role as Peter Venkman in a possible Ghostbusters 3.

Internet rumors flew in recent months claiming that Bill Murray sent a shredded copy of the script for Ghostbusters 3 back to writer and star Dan Aykroyd with a note that read, “No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts.”

Dan Aykroyd put the rumors to rest about Bill Murray in a recent interview with Empire Magazine.

“Bill Murray is not capable of such behavior. This is simply something that would not be in his nature. We have a deep, private personal relationship that transcends business. We communicate frequently and his position on the involvement in Ghostbusters 3 has been made clear and I respect that,” Aykroyd said.

Although Bill Murray is out of the project, Aykroyd is committed to making the film the best it can possibly be. Aykroyd indicated that he would like to make Rick Moranis to resume his role as Louis Tully in the film. Moranis has been retired from the business since 1997, but Aykroyd seems hopeful that with the right script Moranis will be on board.

“If we can get the script to Ghostbusters 3 right, then it would definitely have Moranis as a major component. None of us would want to do the movie without having him as a participant,” Aykroyd said.

Bill Murray has not made a formal statement regarding whether or not he would reprise the role of Peter Venkman if the Ghostbusters 3 project ever goes into production. Either way, the long talked about movie has a long way to go before it hits the big screen.

“The script must be perfect,” Ayrkroyd said, “We cannot release a film that is any less than that. We have more work to do.”

Fans of the original films have weighed in all over the internet. Some have begged Bill Murray to reconsider, while others would like to see an entirely new cast. Others still have said that without Bill Murray, they would rather not see the project done at all.

Fat Tuesday is almost here

Mardi Gras celebrations are in full swing

Fat Tuesday is just days away and the celebrations are revving up across the country.

Fat Tuesday, the day that marks the end of Carnival festivities in cities like Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans, is celebrated in predominately Catholic and French regions of the world. But Fat Tuesday’s reputation for partying, indulgence and all-around gluttony make it an international event that brings all types of people out to have a little fun in the otherwise dreary month of February, no matter what their religious beliefs or origins may be.

This year Fat Tuesday occurs on February 21, but the parties begin several days before, and the parade season begins more than a month prior. Although the week leading up to Fat Tuesday is the most popular time for parades and parties, Carnival Season actually begins on January 6th, the day twelve days after Christmas known as Twelfth Night.

In places like New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations halt normal activity and turn the French Quarter into an array of almost nonstop parties and parades.

Mardi Gras celebrations are known for their massive quantities of beads, booze and food, but the name is actually French for Fat (gras) Tuesday (Mardi.) Historically this is the last day to indulge before the fasting period of Lent begins in the Catholic Church. This is the period when something, often a favorite food, is sacrificed until Easter.

New Orleans is famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations, but Mobile, Ala. actually boasts the oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the United States, dating back to the early 1700s, and St. Louis claims to have the second largest Fat Tuesday celebration in the United States next to New Orleans.

St. Louis does not historically have a significant French Catholic population, but their Mardi Gras celebrations sometimes attract hundreds of thousands of tourists.

Fat Tuesday celebrations occur throughout the United States, as well as in other parts of the world, in many forms. Some cities have huge organized Carnival celebrations that last days or weeks, while in others individual businesses, primarily bars and restaurants, host events on Fat Tuesday or the weekend before.

Come February 21, paczki, king cakes, costumes, parades and parties will abound as people from all over the world and from all walks of life and celebrate Fat Tuesday.

Colbert Report suspends taping

Comedy Central cites “unforseen reasons”

Comedy Central’s ‘Colbert Report’ abruptly suspended production for two days.

A repeat episode of ‘Colbert Report’ aired Wednesday instead of an expected live version. Comedy Central has reported that Thursday’s show will be a repeat as well.

Comedy Central has not given a reason for the change in production schedule. The ‘Colbert Report’s’ audience department sent out an email notification to ticketholders, citing “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for cancelling the tapings for February 15 and 16.

The sudden suspension is a first for the ‘Colbert Report’. Stephen Colbert’s mentor, Jon Stewart, has suspended taping of ‘The Daily Show’ twice—once for the birth of his second child, and once for the death of staff member.

So far Comedy Central has not elaborated on the circumstances surrounding the suspension.

Knicks crush Kings for seventh straight win

Linmania heats up at the Garden

The Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings in a landslide win Wednesday night, bringing their winning streak to seven straight victories.

Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin set a career-high in assists for the second day in a row Wednesday, with 13 assists in three quarters. The Knicks’ 100-85 win over the Kings came one night after Lin sank a game-winning three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left against Toronto.

Lin’s recent success has spawned headlines like “Linning Streak,” “Lincredible,” “Just Lin Time,” and “Jeremy Win,” while “Linsanity” appears to be taking over Knicks fans.

After Tuesday night’s last-second win, Knicks fans began to ask what Lin would do next. With 10 points and 13 assists, and no need for a heroic game-winning move by the point guard, Lin joined injured teammate Carmelo Anthony on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.

Carmelo Anthony said that he is anxious to return to the court and join in on the action in the midst of “Linmania.” Anthony said he is getting better, and he is expected to be ready to play either by Friday night’s game against New Orleans, or Sunday’s game against Dallas.

The Heart Attack Grill lives up to its name

Man suffers actual heart attack at the Las Vegas restaurant

The Heart Attack Grill is proud of their reputation for serving food that is bad for your health, boasting slogans like “Taste worth dying for.” So it’s no wonder customers thought they were part of a publicity stunt when a man dining on a “Triple Bypass Burger” began suffering from actual heart attack symptoms earlier this week.

The Heart Attack Grill wheels out—on actual wheel chairs—items like the “Single,” “Double,” “Triple,” and “Quadruple Bypass Burgers,” the latter weighing in at 32 ounces of beef and served up with 20 strips of bacon. The Butterfat Shakes are made with pure cream, and the Flatliner Fries are fried in pure lard.

A sign on the door at the Heart Attack Grill reminds customers that it is a cash only establishment, “Because you might die before the check clears.” If you weigh over 350 pounds, don’t worry about hitting the ATM. You eat for free.

The man, who is recovering in a Las Vegas hospital, began to complain of chest pains while eating his burger. A “nurse”, the name given to waitresses at the Heart Attack Grill, said that the man began sweating and shaking.

The owner of the Heart Attack Grill, Jon Basso, called paramedics immediately. Basso refers to himself as Dr. Jon, and his customers are called “patients,” but the incident was not part of the role-play.

Confused patrons took pictures and video of the man suffering the heart attack, a lot of them commenting that they thought it was all an act.
“Tourists were taking photos of him as if it were some type of stunt,” Basso said. “We would never pull a stunt like that.”

Although Basso said he hopes the man is OK, the Heart Attack Grill has not indicated that they will not be changing their menu any time soon. After all, customers are given fair warning by the sign on the door: “Caution! This establishment is bad for your health.”

Angry Birds and on Facebook

The addictive game launches on the social media platform

The megahit game “Angry Birds” has exploded beyond the realm of mobile devices and has now landed on Facebook.

Rovio, the company that brought us the game where disgruntled birds seek revenge on smug green pigs, announced in January that they would bring the addictive game to Facebook. Today, “Angry Birds” was made available to the 800 million people who use the social media platform.

Most aspects of the game will be familiar to “Angry Birds” addicts, but Rovio has created special features for the Facebook version.  The new version of “Angry Birds” will utilize the social networking aspect of Facebook by allowing users to share their scores with friends. New power-ups exclusive to Facebook will also be available.

Rovio will give anyone who adds the new application between now and Feb.16th 14 free power-ups.

“Angry Birds” has been downloaded more than 700 million times since its release in 2009 and is expected to hit one billion users quickly now that it has been made available on Facebook.

The recent launch of “Angry Birds” on Facebook is only the beginning. Rovio announced that new features will be made available to fans in the upcoming weeks.

According to Peter Vesterbacka, Chief Marketing Officer of Rovio, the company plans to go public this year. Rovio is currently worth $1 billion, due largely to the success of “Angry Birds.” Before the game launched, Rovio had released 50 games.

Dolly Parton moved to tears

The songstress’ reaction to Whitney Houston’s death and Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of her hit song

Dolly Parton said she was brought to tears by Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney Houston during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards ceremony.

Jennifer Hudson sang “I Will Always Love You,” a song originally written and performed by Dolly Parton but made famous by Whitney Houston.

The song helped launch Houston’s movie soundtrack for “The Bodyguard” to one of the top selling albums of all time.

Dolly Parton said in a statement that she will always be grateful for the wonderful performance Whitney Houston did on her song, adding, “I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.’”

Dolly Parton thanked Whitney Houston at the 1994 Grammys for making her song so popular. She joked that when she wrote it she had a heartache, and it was amazing how healing money can be. Now Dolly is remembering her friend in the song they shared.

Dolly Parton originally wrote the song for her partner Porter Wagoner as their business relationship came to an end.

Whitney Houston died Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Beverly Hilton in California.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter trailer released

A slightly different story about the 16th president’s legacy

The trailer for the new movie “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” hit the web yesterday, and the internet is already buzzing with rumors about a sequel.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is adapted from the graphic novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, whom also wrote the screenplay for the film. In “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” the birth of the U.S.’s 16th president coincides with a mass exodus of vampires from Europe to the United States. After losing his grandfather and mother to the vampires, Lincoln leads the nation into the Civil War.

But, this isn’t the same honest Abe and Civil War that you read about it in history books. In the movie, Abraham Lincoln sets out to seek revenge on the vampires as well as those who dare to help them, mainly the slave owners.

The trailer reveals Abraham Lincoln, played by Benjamin Walker, destroying vampires with an artful swing of his axe, an intense battlefield scene and a duel atop a speeding train.

“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and produced by Tim Burton, will be released in 3D June 22.

So, is a sequel already in the works?

Author Grahame-Smith has said that the book leaves the story open for a sequel, and the movie plays like a super-hero origin story. Although a sequel isn’t currently in production, speculation on the internet has already created possible scenarios for a film, in which the former president survives as a vampire.
 

Check out the trailer here.

Free ecards For Valentine's Day

Send your love for less

Valentine’s Day is here once again, and it’s time to exchange candy, cards and gifts with the people you love. But, what do you do when you’re strapped for cash? Whether you want to send something to the love of your life, your best friend,or your mom, sending free ecards is a great way to show you care without breaking the bank.

There are several websites specifically for free ecards. From adorable and hilarious to borderline inappropriate, there is an ecard for everyone in your life.

Someecards.com offers hilarious free ecards. Although some cards may be inappropriate to send to all of your valentines, these one-liners are perfect for a few laughs and the valentine that doesn’t take the holiday too seriously.

BlueMountain.com offers ecards that are more family-friendly; however, only some of their selections are free. These animated cards can be posted to Facebook or sent via email.

For the animal lovers in your life, the World Wildlife Fund is offering nine animal-themed free ecards today. Each one features adorable animals and a short Valentine’s Day message.

JibJab.com, the company who brought us the new Christmas tradition Elf Yourself, offers several free ecards in the form of short videos. The videos allow you to upload a picture of yourself and your valentine. The photos are then attached to characters who dance to songs such as “I Got You Babe,” “Let’s Get Physical,” “The Charleston” and “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe”. You can also opt for a Brazilian Samba or a striptease theme.

If you’re wanting to send more than an ecard, but need a little inspiration this Valentine’s Day, 123Holiday.net features love poems, romantic quotes and holiday-related jokes. You can also read up on the history of the holiday and find gift ideas for both men and women.

Free ecards are a great way to spread the love on Valentine’s Day but make sure you’re not spreading more than that. Computer experts are warning consumers this holiday to avoid sites that give your email address to third-party companies. Avoid spam and possible trojans containing malware or viruses by sending ecards from reputable sites and always be cautious of how much information you give out online.

Enjoy some free ecards, a few laughs and a lot of love today. Happy Valentine’s Day!