4A / NEWS / MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Conceptis SudoKu
By Dave Green
7 5 3 6 9 8
1 8 4
8 1 1 2
6 2 7 5
4 1 6
5 2 4
2 1 9
6 9 8
5 1 7
Answer to previous puzzle
Difficulty Level ★★★★★
1/24
3 1 2 6 8 9 5 7 4
9 6 4 7 1 5 3 2 8
7 5 8 4 3 2 9 6 1
6 7 9 8 2 4 1 5 3
8 4 3 5 6 1 2 9 7
5 2 1 3 9 7 4 8 6
4 8 6 9 5 3 7 1 2
1 3 5 2 7 8 6 4 9
2 9 7 1 4 6 8 3 5
Difficulty Level ★
MONKEYZILLA
Kevin Cook
MOVIES
'No Strings Attached' succeeds at box office thanks to women
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — With football playoffs dominating the pop culture landscape this past weekend, Paramount Pictures' hope with "No Strings Attached" was to get a good number of women out to movie theaters.
It succeeded, as the friends-with-benefits comedy starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher opened to a solid $20.3 million, according to studio estimates, to win the weekend; 70 percent of attendees were women, exit polling showed. It was the only new picture to open nationwide, continuing what has been a slow January at the box office.
"No Strings Attached" is the first mainstream romantic comedy starring Portman, who also executive produced, and marked a healthy start in the genre. It was the highest opening for the actress outside of the "Star Wars" pictures and comic book adaptation "V for Vendetta."
For Kutcher, it was a virtual tie for the best openings of movies he has starred in, alongside the romantic comedies "Guess Who" and "What Happens in Vegas."
The film cost Paramount and its financing partners Spyglass Entertainment and Cold Spring Pictures only about $25 million to produce, meaning it should be a modest success based on its debut.
Future performance will depend more on younger audiences, as those under 25 gave it an average grade of A-minus, according to market research firm CinemaScore. Moviegoers older than 25 gave it a B.
The previous weekend's two new movies had typical drops, indicating that word-of-mouth is neither good enough to make them long-lasting hits nor bad enough to make them sink quickly. Receipts for the Seth Rogen action-comedy "The Green Hornet" declined 46 percent to $18.1 million, bringing its box-office total to a respectable $63.4 million. The Kevin James-Vince Vaughn adult comedy "The Dilemma" dropped 45 percent to $9.7 million for a soft but not terrible $33.4 million total.
"The King's Speech" demonstrated that it continued to be the hot indie drama of the moment as ticket sales didn't decline at all from the previous weekend, repeating at $9.2
million, a sign of extraordinary word-of-mouth. Even accounting for the 137 new theaters the Weinstein Co. added to the run of the historical drama, ticket sales at existing locations were down only 9 percent. Its domestic box-office total is now a strong $58.6 million.
The Mark Wahlberg boxing drama "The Fighter" also had a very strong hold, dropping only 11 percent to $4.5 million and increasing its total domestic box office to $73 million.
Both movies, along with others such as "Black Swan" that are still in theaters, will look for a box office boost next weekend following the announcement of Academy Award nominations on Tuesday.
The unemployment drama "The Company Men," which stars Ben Affleck and Tommy Lee Jones and was directed by veteran television producer John Wells, opened to an unimpressive $767,328 at 106 theaters. It had a one-week run at two theaters in December to qualify for the 2010 Oscars.
MOVIES
Sundance science documentary revives questions on language
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — Among the offerings at this year's Sundance Film Festival is a documentary about a trailblazing chimpanzee named Nim Chimpsky who played a key role in the scientific debate over what it means to be human.
The James Marsh film, "Project Nim," explores the life of the primate _ cheekily named after linguist Noam Chomsky _ that was raised like a human child and taught American Sign Language in the 1970s in an effort to prove that language was not exclusive to
humans.
Four decades later, the questions raised by the experiment are still far from settled.
As an infant, Chimpsky was taken to live with the LaFarge family in New York City. There, among seven human "siblings," he was raised just as a human child, taught to sign, dressed in sweaters, even breastfed from his human foster mother.
"It was really 'Brady Bunch Plus Chimp', with a mess of children coming and going," said Elizabeth Hess, whose book "Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human" served as the foundation for the film.
Other researchers had already reported that a female chimp named Washoe could not only use words in sign language but was structuring her responses too _ a sign that the broad strokes of syntax were emerging in her mind. Terrace wanted to use more rigorous methods to prove that point, and perhaps take it further.
The arrangement was intended to settle a longstanding feud between Chomsky and psychologist B.F. Skinner about whether language was the key factor that separated humans from other animals, Hess said: "Skinner argued that even chimps could acquire language and Chomsky said language was exclusive to humans."
One of Skinner's disciples, a cognitive scientist named Herbert Terrace, decided to prove Chomsky wrong using the linguist's own principles.
After the four-year study, however, Terrace said he found there was little evidence the chimpanzee was engaging in anything approaching language.
HOROSCOPES
10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Today is a 6
There may be bumps along the romance road. Focus on your work, where you'll succeed easily. Things will open up in your love life later.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Today is a 7
GEMINI (May 21-June 21)
Today is a 8
You want it all to be effortless,
but more work is required
than you imagined. Still, you
get where you need to go.
Persistence pays off.
Today is a 7
To get everyone on the same page, reveal your reasoning.
Otherwise, they miss the point. Take extra time to develop deeper understanding.
Then actions flow.
CANCER (June 22-July 22) Today is a 7 At home or away, your thoughts focus on responsibility. Act independently, but don't lose sight of career goals. Make notes to follow up on later.
LEO (July 23-Aug.22)
Today is a 7
today is a 7
Contact a distant resource for new information. Original thinking emerges from the conversation. Partner up with someone to put those ideas into action.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Todav is a 6
You've been saving up for a special treat, and today's the day. You know where to get it, so enjoy the process. Don't worry about what others might think.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today is a 6
Consider your next moves carefully. Put aside the wilder ideas, and follow a steady path. You can go it alone if you want. Gather later to share stories.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Today is a 7
Everyone loves your suggestions for final touches that improve a project. Make any changes in a logical order to preserve work already done.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov.22-Dec.21)
Today in 9
Conversations and communications abound. The news is mixed: some sadness and some joy. Take a walk in nature to think about it a bit and refocus.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Today is a 7
Remain true to personal convictions as you share your desires with others. Logic only goes so far. Express strongly held values, which may be unreasonable.
Today is an 8 - Take creative inspiration from something in your home - something old and full of memories. Tell its story to someone who doesn't know it yet.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Todav is a 8
Consider developing a new habit, independent of what you were taught in the past. Old rules give way to new possibilities. Opportunities arise.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Todav is a 8
ODD NEWS
Prisoner caught updating profile
CHARLESTON, S.C. — South Carolina prison officials say they have seized a cell phone from an inmate who was updating his Facebook page from prison.
Corrections officials told The Post and Courier of Charleston that 22-year-old Quincy Howard is in disciplinary detention and can't make collect calls or have visitors after the contraband mobile phone was taken from his cell earlier this month.
Howard is serving a 30-year sentence for manslaughter.
Associated Press
ACROSS
1 Plead
4 Agriculturists' venues
9 Corn on the —
12 Rage
13 The Little Mermaid
14 "The — Daba Honey-moon"
15 Maryland metropolis
17 Steal from
18 Bobby of hockey fame
19 Wheeled stretcher
21 Royal home
24 Needle case
25 Swiss canton
26 Fashion mono-gram
28 Homes for bees
31 Transmit
33 Scottish cap
35 "—, Nantette"
36 Non-
believer
38 Dallas
basket-
baller, for
short
40 Edge
41 Pc. of
wordplay
43 Ebb
45 Go
against
47 Judge
Lance
48 Cow's
comment
49 Navy
rank
54 Blunder
55 Sun-dried
brick
56 Fresh
57 Born
58 McEntire
and
others
59 Adam's mate
DOWN
1 Clothes protector
2 Historic period
3 Hair goop
4 Without bias
5 Recliner part
6 — de Janeiro
7 Come together
8 Detec- tive
9 Meate- eater
10 Reed instru- ment
11 Infant
Solution time: 24 mins.
Saturday's answer 1-24
16 Young-
ster
20 Destroy
21 Turning
point
22 Vicinity
23 Asian
city-state
27 Felon's
flight
29 Oklahoma
city
30 Not all
32 Soap
actress
Linda
34 Xylophone's
cousin
37 Dale
Earnhardt's
org.
39 Kills bills
42 Crystal-
lined
rock
44 Massa-
chusetts
cape
45 Portent
46 Skin
opening
50 Crowd
51 Individua
52 Gun the
engine
53 Ram's
partner
1-24 CRYPTOQUIP
G R O Q Q O A B H D K Z F O D Y
R D O L F U O Y O U O Q P G Q N Y B F D Z L
K O N B K P B L O L B Q A I G I K O A
G I “ H O U L Z L H O U L O L . ”
Saturday's Cryptoquip: WHEN A BUSY ORTHOPEDIST HAS TO CORRECT MANY ARM BONE PROBLEMS, I RECKON IT'S ULNA DAY'S WORK
Today's Cryptoquip Clue: G equals I
FASHION
Designers hope men will splurge on luxury brands
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILAN — If the production values of the Milan menwear shows are any indication _ an indoor rainstorm at Burberry, John Varvatos' railroad track runway and Ermenegildo Zegna's green-screen "Live-D" presentation _ luxury brands are done hedging their bets and tightening their belts. They are back to selling the sizzle they hope will sell their steak to men who've been on a bread and water diet for the last several seasons.
Below are a few of the highlights from the opening act of the 2011 fashion show circuit.
JIMMY CHOO
The debut of the relaunched men's footwear collection for Jimmy Choo has a little something for everyone and includes many of the signatures found in the women's collection.
"It's basically for the boyfriend of our existing Jimmy Choo customer," a company representative said, "but also (for) someone who appreciates details."
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
Fresh off a yearlong centennial celebration, Ermenegildo Zegna wasted no time letting the world know where it is focusing at the beginning of its second century China.
For the last couple of years, China has been a big part of the brand's expansion efforts. So a fall winter 2011 collection titled "In the Mood for China" doesn't come as much of a surprise.
MIUCCIA PRADA
Sometimes Miucia Prada can be a tough riddle to unravel when it comes to inspiration, but this season's theme was as easy to see as the three-page show invitation printed on see-through plastic; the striated, stacked and meticulously sliced finger sandwiches served to arriving guests; and the double-decker runway framed in wrought iron fencing designed by architect Rem Koolhaas.
We're talking layers here, people. Not the jacket-over-sweater-over-shirt kind of layers — although that was certainly part of it — but layers of personality, mood and time.
4.