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Hello, it is the Fourth of July 2020. "Independence Day" or "Another Day In The Dictatorship Of Covid-19" There was a bicentennial in 1976 and Bob Hope entertained us for that occasion along with lots of stars..... No Meaningful Republican Party Opposition To DC 19, Instead Distraction With Cultural Warfare.... Burning The Muzzles (Masks) In Boise No tea to throw in the harbor this time around like 200 years ago but how about a mask burning to protest the chains we are in. The protest yesterday Friday over the mask order of the mayor in Boise Idaho...... Newsdump Update: Two...

I think that the latest cinematic box-office fiasco, “The Lone Ranger,” epitomizes the economic and employment recovery: big stars and zads of temporary help. Johnny Depp got his usual staggering paycheck for “The Lone Ranger.” Despite Depp’s popularity at the international box office, The Lone Ranger turned in a soft performance as it began rolling out overseas, grossing $29.4 million from 24 markets for a worldwide opening total of $78.3 million. Westerns have always been a tough sell with foreign audiences. THE LONE RANGER Particularly when the film’s star wears a dead crow on his head for the entire film....

SUNDAY UPDATE: Universal's "Despicable Me 2" nearly triples the dismal $48.9 million earned by the Johnny Depp Western, posting a dazzling five-day North American debut of $142.1 million. Failing to fire off a silver bullet, Disney's The Lone Ranger posted a grim five-day debut of $48.9 million, far from enough to make up for the high cost of the Johnny Depp-Armie Hammer Western. Lone Ranger -- costing at least $250 million to produce -- marks the summer's third major disappointment after Will Smith tentpole After Earth and Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum's White House Down -- both Sony pics --...

Johnny Depp's gamble on reviving "The Lone Ranger" as a blockbuster action spectacle appears to be going down in flames. The latest collaboration with Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski opened to a weak $9.6 million on Wednesday. The July 4 holiday is traditionally soft for movie going but things should heat back up through the weekend, at which point "Lone Ranger" will be looking to regain ground if it hopes to recoup a budget estimated to be as high as $250 million.

The Lone Ranger is no match for a group of nattering yellow creatures known to film fans as "Minions." The western reboot, a P.C. affair driven by the creative team behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, is losing the box office battle to a kiddie sequel. And it's not even close. Despicable Me 2, starring the voice of Steve Carell and those adorable Minions, is off to a blazing start with an estimated $35 million haul today alone. The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer, is expected to bring in $15 million, by comparison. The Ranger reboot...

While Wall Street updated its forecasts for the expected write-down on the movie, Disney stock rose, and Credit Suisse's Michael Senno highlighted the conglomerate's "strong setup for the long term." Wall Street analysts on Monday updated their predictions for the size of an expected write-down for Disney box-office flop The Lone Ranger and discussed the entertainment conglomerate's broader stock outlook.

You’ve got to hand it to Walt Disney Pictures. They took what was basically an extinct genre – the pirate movie – and spun the multi-billion dollar “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise out of it. Take that, “Cutthroat Island”! The House of Mouse is hoping to continue that lucrative trend of genre resurrection with “Pirates” director Gore Verbinski’s latest offering “The Lone Ranger,” a theme park-like Western grab bag starring Armie Hammer as the titular hero and -- you guessed it -- Johnny Depp as his Native American partner Tonto.

UPDATED: Universal's 3D animated event pic grosses $4.7 million, compared to $2 million for Disney's big-budget action-adventure. Universal's Despicable Me 2 left The Lone Ranger in the dust on Tuesday night as both films opened at the North American box office on the eve of the long July 4th holiday stretch. The 3D animated event pic grossed a stellar $4.7 million from 2,563 theaters, while Disney's big-gamble Western -- headlining Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer -- took in $2 million.

<p>After years of delays, the big-screen version of the popular Fifties show started filming last month.</p> <p>And producer Jerry Bruckheimer gave fans a sneak peek at what to expect with the first photo of Armie Hammer as the Ranger and Johnny Depp as his sidekick Tonto.</p>

Maybe they'll call it "Tonto's Revenge"? Actor Johnny Depp, who is developing the movie version of “The Lone Ranger” with his “Pirates of the Caribbean” director Gore Verbinski, wants someone other than the guy wearing a white hat calling the shots. "I remember watching it as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: 'Why is the f***ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?'" Depp told Entertainment Weekly about the durable black & white Western TV series that ran in reruns well through the 70s. "I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was...

There are some things that we retain as memories that immediately bring fond thoughts of the past. The incredible voice of Fred Foy in the Lone Ranger radio and television series certainly qualifies! For everyone interested in truly inspiring classic voice work, here is the script he made famous. Hi-Yo, Silver! A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi-Yo Silver”… The Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early West. Return with us...

Fred Foy, the radio announcer best-known for calling out "Hi-Yo, Silver!" in his passionate lead-in to "The Lone Ranger" radio program, died Wednesday at his home in Woburn, Mass., of natural causes. He was 89. His daughter, Nancy Foy, said her father began his career as an actor before landing the job as the announcer on "The Lone Ranger" show in 1948. ..

The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep. Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, 'Kemo Sabe, look towards sky, what you see? The Lone Ranger replies, 'I see millions of stars. What that tell you?' asked Tonto. The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says, 'Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three...

I attended a screener of the Lone Ranger movie last night, the director Gore Verbinski dropped by and introduced the opening of the film. In summary (and without spoilers): The Lone Ranger character starts out as weak and naive and ends the movie as a weak and naive but now following Tonto. I struggle to remember if any of the white male characters were portrayed as anything other than evil, racist, greedy, inept, or religious zealots. Even the military is not spared; the cavalry captain is portrayed as Hollywood’s stereotypical ”General Custer” type replete with Van Dyke beard and long...

Johnny Depp has been made an honorary member of a tribe in New Mexico, where he is playing a Native American in the film adaptation of "The Lone Ranger." Comanche Nation tribal member LaDonna Harris said Tuesday that the tribal chairman presented Depp with a proclamation at her Albuquerque home on May 16. She says the Comanche adoption tradition means she now considers Depp her son.

In a stunning development, Disney has shut down production on The Lone Ranger, the Gore Verbinski-directed period Western that was to star Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the title character. Jerry Bruckheimer is the producer and the script is by Justin Haythe. I'm told this all just happened, and Disney pulled the plug because of the budget. I've heard the filmmakers were trying to reduce the film's cost from $250 million (some even say $275 million) down to $232 million. The Lone Ranger was scheduled to be released December 21, 2012, smack up against The Hobbit: An...

How can anyone be a bystander while someone is stabbed? By Mark Steyn (Filed: 13/09/2003) On September 11, 2001, the first individual to be named among the dead was the wife of the US Solicitor-General, Barbara Olson, whom I'd sat next to at dinner a couple of months earlier. On September 11, 2003, I woke to the news of the death of the Swedish foreign minister, Anna Lindh, whom I also sat next to a couple of months ago, at a conference. I can't claim anything other than the most casual acquaintance with either lady, but even an accidental proximity...

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