NEWSMAKERS | Cosby tells grads to help tornado victims

NEWSMAKERS

Cosby tells grads to help tornado victims

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.

Comedian Bill Cosby encouraged graduates of Birmingham’s Miles College to help rebuild the tornado-ravaged communities in Alabama.

Cosby told the graduates Saturday to look for ways to help the survivors of the April 27 storms that killed more than 200 people across the state. He said the graduates need to “work it, rebuild it.”

He told the 207-member graduating class: “This is Alabama. This is you.”

‘Thor’ hammers the competition

LOS ANGELES

“Thor” kicked off the summer movie season by smashing the competition at the box office with a $66 million opening weekend. The 3-D action picture from Paramount, based on the Marvel comic, was by far the No. 1 movie, according to Sunday studio estimates.

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth stars as the arrogant god of thunder who’s sent down to Earth as punishment. It was directed by Kenneth Branagh, best known for making films based on Shakespeare plays such as epic “Hamlet,” and featured a supporting cast that included Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard.

In second place was a holdover from last week, the car-racing sequel “Fast Five” from Universal Pictures. It made $32.5 million for a total of nearly $140 million in just 10 days.

Associated Press