NEWSMAKERS
NEWSMAKERS
‘Furious 7’ speeds ahead of competition
LOS ANGELES
Even in its debut weekend, Kevin James’s “Paul Blart” sequel couldn’t outpace “Furious 7.”
The reigning box office champion might have slowed from its blockbuster debut, but “Furious 7” maintained first place for the third weekend in a row with an estimated $29.1 million, according to box office tracker Rentrak on Sunday.
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” came in a close second with an estimated $24 million.
Meanwhile, the low-budget, social media themed thriller “Unfriended” took third place with $16 million — sixteen times its production budget.
Rounding out the top five were holdovers “Home” and “The Longest Ride,” with $10.3 million and $6.9 million, respectively.
Actor known for ‘Good Times’ role dies
NEW BEDFORD, MASS.
Actor Alton “Ben” Powers, known for his role in the 1970s CBS television series “Good Times,” has died at age 64.
Powers died April 6 in New Bedford, Mass., according to the Auclair Funeral Home, which is handling arrangements. Details were not released.
Powers played football player Keith Anderson, the husband of Thelma Evans, played by Bern Nadette Stanis, in “Good Times.” The show was a Norman Lear hit about a black family in inner-city Chicago.
Director reveals plot for ‘Star Wars’ film
ANAHEIM, CALIF.
The Jedis are all but extinct, the Old Republic is in turmoil and the threat of the Death Star is looming in “Rogue One,” fans learned at Star Wars Celebration on Sunday.
Director Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla”) debuted a tantalizing concept reel to preview the mysterious film, which is part of a series of films exploring other stories outside of the core “Star Wars” saga.
Set between the third and the fourth movies in the “Star Wars” saga, the film will follow a band of resistance fighters who unite to steal the Death Star plans and “bring a new hope,” referring to the subtitle of the original “Star Wars.”
Felicity Jones, who recently garnered an Oscar nomination for her role in “The Theory of Everything” is the only confirmed cast member for the film, which will shoot in London this summer for a Dec. 16, 2016 release. Jones will play a rebel soldier, the director said.
Brown: Bobbi Kristina ‘is awake, watching me’
ATLANTA
Bobby Brown told concertgoers Saturday that his daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown is awake nearly threeSFlbmonths after she was found unresponsive in a tub at her Georgia home Jan. 31.
In a video, Brown tells the crowd in a concert at the Verizon Theatre in Dallas, Texas, that “Bobbi is awake,” adding that “she is watching me.” Bobbi Kristina is the only daughter of Brown and the late Whitney Houston.
Associated Press