Sorry, Spike: “Django Unchained” is now Quentin Tarantino’s highest-grossing movie

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Maybe Spike Lee helped “Django Unchained” more than he hurt it.Despite Lee’s plea that audiences stay away from Quentin Tarantino’s violent slave-revenge film for being “disrespectful to my ancestors,” “Django” has become Tarantino’s highest grossing movie ever at the domestic box office, the Weinstein Company announced Thursday.It has taken in nearly $ 129 million since...

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Chinese, U.S. data push shares to 20-month high

LONDON (Reuters) – World shares hit a 20-month high on Friday as encouraging data from the United States and China boosted prospects for the global economy, while the yen hit new lows ahead of next week’s Bank of Japan meeting.China’s economy grew at a slightly faster-than-expected 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, the latest sign it is pulling out of a post-global financial crisis slowdown...

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4 tips from a serial home remodeler

Any restaurant reviewer worth his sea salt needs talented taste buds. A travel writer should enjoy elite status with her favorite airline. And a home-improvement columnist ought to know firsthand the upheaval, expense, and ultimate joy of revamping his house.So I’m proud to say that, over the past eight years, my wife and I have replaced a roof and a patio; finished a basement; and remodeled a bathroom,...

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Stock futures dip as Intel offsets China data; earnings in focus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were slightly lower on Friday after a disappointing earnings outlook from Intel offset news of better-than-expected economic growth in China. Shares of Intel Corp slumped 4.9 percent at $21.57 in premarket trading after the tech company forecast quarterly revenue that missed expectations. A sharp increase in capital spending plans for the year...

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Armstrong admits doping: 'I'm a flawed character'

CHICAGO (AP) — He did it. He finally admitted it. Lance Armstrong doped.He was light on the details and didn't name names. He mused that he might not have been caught if not for his comeback in 2009. And he was certain his "fate was sealed" when longtime friend, training partner and trusted lieutenant George Hincapie, who was along for the ride on all seven of Armstrong's Tour de France wins from...

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Did Scientology ad cross line?

The Church of Scientology is also at fault for thinking the advertorial would survive The Atlantic readers' scrutiny, Ian Schafer says.STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe Atlantic published and pulled a sponsored Scientology "story"Ian Schafer: On several levels, the ad was a mistakeHe says the content was heavy-handed and comments were being moderatedSchafer: Experimenting to raise revenue makes sense, but standards...

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Sniping, then singing as ‘American Idol’ returns

LOS ANGELES (AP) — There was no hair-pulling between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj on the season debut of “American Idol,” although some viewers may have been reduced to it.The pop divas exchanged insults worthy of middle schoolers, fellow freshman judge Keith Urban looked trapped between them, and there was a whiff of make-believe Wednesday about the show’s touted feud.“We can have accessories. I...

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Futures signal mixed Wall Street open

LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. stock futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 rising 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.2 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures falling 0.1 percent.Airlines scrambled on Thursday to rearrange flights as Europe, Japan and India joined the United States in grounding Boeing Co‘s 787 Dreamliner passenger jets while battery-related...

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Stock futures edge up as earnings, data awaited

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures edged up on Thursday, helped by better-than-expected results from online marketplace eBay , ahead of a busy day of corporate earnings and economic data. Among several financial companies due to release results, Bank of America reported its fourth-quarter profit fell from a year ago as it took more charges to clean up mortgage-related problems...

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Manti Te'o girlfriend's death apparently a hoax

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Not long before Notre Dame played Michigan State last fall, word spread that Fighting Irish linebacker Manti Te'o had lost his grandmother and girlfriend within hours of each other.Te'o never missed a practice and made a season-high 12 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery in a 20-3 victory against the Spartans. His inspired play became a stirring story line for...

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