Even in Bangkok, the boys best the box office. "The Hangover Part II" easily took first place over the holiday weekend. And even though the film appears to be nearly identical to the original installment, I'm sure that I'll be seeing it anyway. You will be too, won't you?

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. “The Hangover Part II,” $105.8 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros)
2. “Kung Fu Panda 2,” $62.2 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
3. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” $50.4 million. (Review by Meszoros)
4. “Bridesmaids,” $21 million. (Review by Christy Lemire)
5. “Thor,” $12 million. (Review by Mark Meszoros)
6. “Fast Five,” $8.2 million. (Review by Meszoros)
7. “Midnight in Paris,” $2.6 million.
8. “Rio,” $2.4 million. (Review by Lemire)
9. “Jumping the Broom,” $2.35 million. (Review by Lemire)
10. “Something Borrowed,” $2.3 million. (Review by Lemire)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Monday, May 23, marked the one-year anniversary of the series finale of the ABC TV show "Lost."

We wrapped up the saga of troubled soul Jack Sheppard, as well as Locke, Hurley, Kate, Sawyer, Jacob, the smoke monster and others with the final episode titled, "The End." When Jack closed his right eye there was a fade to black, which sort of signifies the current state of TV shows, in my opinion.

The characters and show are long gone, but I miss "Lost" tremendously, and no show on TV comes close to filling the void of the crew of Oceanic 815.

My wife and I are rewatching the series and she's having fun since she was an off-and-on viewer. For me, it's great re-living the memories but it's not the same.

"Lost" was the complete package. I wish I could go back.

- Mark Podolski

I'm indifferent toward the latest installment in the "Pirates" franchise, but perhaps I'm in the minority, with $90.1 million worth of tickets sold this weekend in the U.S. (plus the record $256.3 million internationally, giving it a total $346.4 million, the fourth largest global opening).

From The Associated Press:

Propelled largely by the "Pirates" installment and the continuing success of "Bridesmaids," it was the second "up" weekend in a row as compared with box office figures from the same weekend last year. Next weekend, the three-day Memorial Day weekend, also appears bright, with debuts from "The Hangover Part II" from Warner Bros. and "Kung Fu Panda 2" from Paramount.
Combined with the second weekend of "On Stranger Tides," Dergarabedian expects it to be one of the biggest moviegoing Memorial Day weekends ever.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” $90.1 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros)
2. “Bridesmaids,” $21 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
3. “Thor,” $15.5 million. (Review by Mark Meszoros)
4. “Fast Five,” $10.6 million. (Review by Meszoros)
5. “Rio,” $4.7 million. (Review by Lemire)
6. “Priest,” $4.6 million.
7. “Jumping the Broom,” $3.7 million. (Review by Lemire)
8. “Something Borrowed,” $3.4 million. (Review by Lemire)
9. “Water For Elephants,” $2.2 million. (Review by The AP's David Germain)
10. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family,” $990,000.

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

I've always been a fan of newspaper comics.


When I was a kid, I'd always make sure to find the daily paper (I grew up reading The News-Herald) to read the funnies. And my grandmother would save her papers for me so that I could read those when I visited. My dad and I would even read them to each other as I got older, which turned into a fun game on its own.


Now, the Internet has gifted me with a new way to enjoy a childhood favorite. As a kid, I read Garfield. As a twenty-something, I read Garfield Minus Garfield.


As taken from the website:

Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.

It's exactly as it sounds. The person behind the site removes Garfield from the comics. Basically, it's Jon Arbuckle looking crazy. And it's oh-so hilarious.


Some examples:

 

 

I could post several more, but I think you should just go to the site and check them out there. If you didn't think Jon Arbuckle was pathetic before, you sure will now.

--Danielle Capriato
DCapriato@News-Herald.com

This earworm has been bothering me since yesterday, thanks to Danielle Capriato. She found a video of Elton John's duet with Miss Piggy on "The Muppet Show."



I hope I'm not the only one with this in my head now.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Summer's first blockbuster proved to be bigger than summer's first big comedy -- even in the former's second week and the latter's first.

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Thor,” $34.5 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros)
2. “Bridesmaids,” $24.4 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
3. “Fast Five,” $19.5 million. (Review by Meszoros)
4. “Priest,” $14.5 million.
5. “Rio,” $8 million. (Review by Lemire)
6. “Jumping the Broom,” $7.3 million. (Review by Lemire)
7. “Something Borrowed,” $7 million. (Review by Lemire)
8. “Water for Elephants,” $4.1 million. (Review by The AP's David Germain)
9. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family,” $2.2 million.
10. “Soul Surfer,” $1.8 million. (Review by Lemire; "Real 'Soul Surfer' adjusting to having movie made about her" by The AP's Sandy Cohen)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

The final scene of the series "Smallville," as Clark Kent (Tom Welling) becomes Superman.

Awesome stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsJEFeTRBJE

After 10 years, "Smallville" is coming to an end. The series finale is Friday, and finally we get to see Clark Kent (Tom Welling) as Superman.

I have to be honest, the last two seasons have dragged, but getting to the series finale has made it worth it. If the teaser for the finale is an indication, we might even hear composer John Williams' popular Superman theme. Check it out:

If you're not watching "Parks and Recreation", you should be. The reason? Tom Haverford, played by Aziz Ansari. (Well, there are several reasons, but he's my favorite part.)

A couple of weeks ago, Tom Haverford introduced the world to his own names for several food items.

"Zerts are what I call desserts. Tray trays are entrees. I call sandwiches, sammies, sandoozles, or Adam Sandlers."

And he goes on and on.

Tom's big scene begins at 10:03 in the video below:


The Internet responded and gave us TomHaverfoods.com. Once you're on the website, click on the image of Tom to see more Tom-inspired names for the foods you love.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

We're 11 days into life without Michael Scott, and I'm not sure how long the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin will stay in business without the bumbling boss.

Michael's farewell was an episode fit for a series finale. In his last scene, he pulled his microphone off and inaudibly mouthed "That's what she said" before turning his back to the camera and walking away. Yes, I teared up a bit as the World's Best Boss departed (and earlier in the episode, I was having trouble keeping it together as Jim told Michael he had turned out to be an amazing boss).

If you missed Michael's departure, you can click the play button below to watch it:



Michael's replacement Deangelo didn't last long, either. After some missteps and uncomfortable, awkward moments, the new regional manager left Scranton. (Thankfully, the funny Will Ferrell didn't overstay his welcome.) Click the play button below to watch last week's episode:


The description for the next episode:

All-New Thursday, May 12th 9/8c
"Dwight K. Schrute, Acting Manager" (TV-14)
Dwight takes over for Deangelo and immediately begins applying his unique management style to Dunder Mifflin Sabre. Kathy Bates guest stars.

The promo in last week's episode showed some pretty interesting speculative replacements for Michael Scott as the regional manager. And while several of them would be good in the role, I'm still not sure how long the place will last without Michael Scott. The character will have to be strong and funny, but it can't be just another manifestation of Steve Carell's character. I also imagine that it would be difficult for someone such as Jim to replace Michael as head of the office. Then it will turn into a formulaic sitcom of the straight man keeping things together while all the goofy people around him act out. One thing that I've always loved about "The Office" is how all of the characters' personality quirks balance each other out so well, but if such a normal person is the center of it all, the balance will somehow be off. Then again, I don't want to see another Michael Scott in that role.

This is why I am not a television writer. I have no idea what direction would be best for the show.

All I know is that it's going to be pretty difficult to top Michael Scott's exit. The episode was entertaining and funny, yet touching and moving. Michael Scott acted exactly as Michael Scott would.

Has "The Office" jumped the shark? We'll probably find out early next season.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

"Thor" kicked off the summer movie season with an incredibly $66 million debut weekend -- doubling the second-place earner. The weekend's other new releases performed pathetically compared to "Thor," but I suppose that's how a summer blockbuster is supposed to do during opening weekend.

From The Associated Press:

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “Thor,” $66 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros)
2. “Fast Five,” $32.5 million. (Review by Mark Meszoros)
3. “Jumping the Broom,” $13.7 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
4. “Something Borrowed,” $13.2 million. (Review by Lemire)
5. “Rio,” $8.2 million. (Review by Lemire)
6. “Water for Elephants,” $5.6 million. (Review by The AP's David Germain)
7. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family,” $3.9 million.
8. “Prom,” $2.4 million. (Review by Lemire)
9. “Soul Surfer,” $2.1 million. (Review by Lemire; "Real 'Soul Surfer' adjusting to having movie made about her" by The AP's Sandy Cohen)
10. “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil,” $1.9 million. (Review by The AP's Jake Coyle)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

I can't believe "Fast Five" actually got decent reviews and made so much at the weekend box office after watching this video from The Onion:


From The Associated Press:

1. “Fast Five,” $83.6 million. (Review by The News-Herald's Mark Meszoros)
2. “Rio,” $14.4 million. (Review by The AP's Christy Lemire)
3. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family,” $10.1 million.
4. “Water for Elephants,” $9.1 million. (Review by The AP's David Germain)
5. “Prom,” $5 million. (Review by Lemire)
6. “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil,” $4.1 million. (Review by The AP's Jake Coyle)
7. “Soul Surfer,” $3.3 million. (Review by Lemire; "Real 'Soul Surfer' adjusting to having movie made about her" by The AP's Sandy Cohen)
8. “Insidious,” $2.7 million. (Review by Lemire)
9. “Hop,” $2.6 million. (Review by Germain)
10. “Source Code,” $2.5 million. (Review by Lemire)

-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl