newsmakers

newsmakers

‘Ride Along’ arrives in top spot at box office

LOS ANGELES

“Ride Along” sped past box-office records.

The Universal buddy cop comedy featuring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube debuted with a hefty $48.6 million, marking the biggest debut for a film released in January. “Ride Along” rolled past the record set by the $48.1 million opening of the monster movie “Cloverfield” in 2008.

In second place, Universal’s Navy SEAL drama “Lone Survivor” — starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster — earned $25.9 million in its fourth weekend.

Open Road Films’ animated film “The Nut Job,” featuring the voices of Will Arnett and Brendan Fraser, opened in third place with $25.7 million.

Eddie George tears up the turf on reality show

PASADENA, Calif.

Eddie George was too busy charging through defenses as an NFL running back to stop and inspect the stadium turf. Now retired, he’s turning a critical eye to home building and design as a judge on a new reality-television show.

George joins designer Nate Berkus and interior decorator Monica Pedersen on “American Dream Builders” debuting March 23 on NBC.

For George, the show is a chance to make use of his college degree, having majored in landscape architecture at Ohio State University, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1995. He jokes that he had no one to discuss his passion with during his nine-year career playing for the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys.

“This opportunity presented itself for me not only to show the talents of a landscape architect, but also to be creative,” he said.

After graduating, George opened The Edge Group, a planning and architecture firm with offices in Columbus and Nashville, Tenn. He later earned an MBA from Northwestern University.

Berkus said he had never heard of George before the show because he’s not a football fan. Berkus sometimes climbed on the shoulders of George, who is 6-foot-3, to better inspect crown molding in homes they judged.

Associated Press