THE WALKING DEAD Season 7 Episode 2 PREVIEW (2016) amc Series Oct. 24, 2016 7:35 a.m. ET
AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. AMC 0.94 % said it expects revenue in the September quarter to come in below Wall Street expectations, though it anticipates profit growing more than expected.
The company expects revenue between $777.0 million and $780.0 million compared with $688.8 million in the prior-year third quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected $785.7 million.
AMC has been trying to finalize a deal with U.S. theater chain Carmike Cinemas Inc. CKEC 0.15 % since March. The companies in July agreed to a sweetened deal valued at more than $800 million. Carmike shareholders are expected to vote on the transaction at a meeting on Nov. 15.
The move comes after AMC, controlled by Chinas Dalian Wanda Group Co., said it would acquire Europes largest cinema chain, Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group, for 500 million ($650 million) as it pushes to become the worlds largest movie-theater company.
AMC also said Monday it expects third-quarter profit in a range of 29 cents to 32 cents compared with 12 cents a year ago. Analysts expected 27 cents a share.
The company expects to report complete results on Nov. 7.
Shares were inactive premarket.
Write to Joshua Jamerson at joshua.jamerson@wsj.com
Melvin Gordon Muscles His Way In for a TD! | Chargers vs. Falcons | NFL Getty Images
The Chargers have moved the ball early in Sundays game at Atlanta, and they may come to regret not having more points to show for it.
Philip Rivers is 8-of-11 passing for 130 yards, and Melvin Gordon has a touchdown run. But a Rivers pass was tipped and intercepted late in the first quarter, and the Chargers stalled deep in Falcons territory on their next possession.
A 40-yard field goal by Chargers kicker Josh Lambo made it 10-6 early in the second quarter. The Falcons answered with a touchdown drive capped by a Matt Ryan pass to Jacob Tamme to make it 13-10.
Chargers wide receiver Tyrell Williams has three catches for 75 yards.
Lady Gaga - Perfect Illusion Photo Lady Gagas new album careens from one aesthetic to another, but for all the flaws, it has several strong moments. Credit Collier Schorr
For almost a decade, Lady Gaga has been assiduously arguing the case that the external is the internal, that performance is authentic, that flamboyance is ideology. Her career has been predicated on demolishing conventional ideas about what it might mean to play a character with Gaga, it was never play, always work, and always true.
Though she was focused on the transformative powers of packaging, that some sort of recalibration would come was always likely Lady Gaga was always simply too focused a singer to be strictly defined by her presentation. At old concerts, when she would sit behind a piano, belting out songs, her future life as a troubadour a Billy Joel, or even an Elton John seemed almost etched in stone.
That means that her new album, the stripped-down Joanne, isnt daring or radical its logical, a rejoinder to her past and also to the candy-striped pop that surrounds her.
But while Joanne is elemental, nothing about it is bare. Instead, its confused, full of songs that feel like concepts in search of a home, small theater pieces extruded from other imaginary productions and collected in one miscellany bin. Its nave in its use of roots music and rock as signifiers of something true as if the excess of years past wasnt, somehow, its own form of sincerity.
Most frustrating, it careens from high-intensity to low, from one aesthetic to another, with lyrics that begin at trite and move somewhere quite dimmer. Perfect Illusion, the chaotic first single, is a mlange of shouts her singing is grand and unselfconscious, and not at all bad, but the result sounds like a demo in which you can hear the seams that have not yet been smoothed over. A-Yo, with its exuberant horns, tart handclaps and noodle-limp guitars, sounds like a Britney Spears parody or a song drawn from one of those live musicals that have been littering network television since the demise of Glee.
Photo The cover of Joanne.
Lyrics that the Lady Gaga of old might have delivered with slyness say, Sinners Prayer, or the political march of Come to Mama feel unappealingly dogmatic here.
Even the best parts of Joanne and for all this albums flaws, it has several strong moments dont tell a coherent story. Lady Gaga is, now as ever, an impressive if not especially nuanced singer. Often on this album, she sings with a stern, terse vibrato that codes seriousness from a distance but feels more like a simulacrum of feeling than the real thing.
Even if that is purposeful, it feels misapplied on an album that pretends to transparency, from an artist for whom the idea of performance is never far away. The title track features whats presented as the least-performed singing listen to how she flattens out the vowel sounds, as a sort of gesture of accessibility but it is too unsteady to lean on.
Lady Gaga has arrived unadorned before; over the last couple of years, it has become something of a default mode: her collaboration with Tony Bennett on the album Cheek to Cheek, which won the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album last year, or her Sound of Music tribute at the Oscars the same year. These performances were ostentatious in a different way n**e makeup, but makeup nonetheless.
These moves, and Joanne, too, serve as an overcorrection to the garish eccentricity of Artpop, her last album, which flopped. Except garish eccentricity is one of Lady Gagas comfort zones, and that albums lack of success had more to do with overemphasizing the nonmusical aspects of Gagas character than her lack of fluency with music.
So, on Joanne, she goes on a fishing expedition for inspiration. No pop album in recent memory has featured such a wide array of collaborations that strip those collaborators of their particular charms. Mark Ronson appears throughout this album, as a songwriter and producer, but theres precious little of his reliable funk. Dancin in Circles, a songwriting collaboration with Beck, sounds like a No Doubt demo. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age plays guitar on a handful of songs, but none with anything close to his usual ferocity. The Florence Welch duet Hey Girl sounds like Motown, but Ms. Welchs singing isnt nearly as brazen as it ordinarily is (though it easily outclasses Lady Gagas).
The only guest who holds her own here is the songwriter Hillary Lindsey, one of the most effective Nashville writers of the 2000s, and a master of the deeply felt king-size ballad. On Million Reasons (Lord show me the way/to cut through all this worn out leather), she tethers Gaga to something like a country ballad but cant keep her there for long.
Even when Lady Gaga was at her pop peak, she wasnt quite at its center she was a loud outsider summiting pop music by force of will and shock of glam. As a result, her music can seem like an old memory, not a recent one. And pop moves quickly: Note her recent tiff with the club-pop dopes in the Chainsmokers, who said in an interview that they didnt enjoy Perfect Illusion. She responded, coolly, on Twitter, in what felt like a mother dismissing an impudent child.
Which is fair: The Chainsmokers dont see dance music as avant-garde theater or sociopolitical provocation. They see it as quick-stepping pop, which, though its fuzzy in the rearview, is also part of Lady Gagas legacy. That they were allergic to Perfect Illusion makes sense. But instead of taking offense and tossing off a tweet, she should maybe give them a call.
By Lamar Jackson"s standards, Saturday"s 54-13 rout of NC State was a letdown. The sophomore quarterback only managed four touchdowns on the afternoon, though he did sit out most of the fourth quarter. Before Saturday, Jackson was averaging five scores a game tied for the most in history.
After Saturday"s performance, where Jackson outgained NC State 431 yards to 250, the sophomore has 34 touchdowns on the year a Louisville record.
Add it to the long list ofhistorically impressive achievements Jackson has accumulated through the first eight weeks of the season.
Consider these stats:
Before Week 8, the sophomore from Boynton Beach, Florida, averaged more points by himself than 61 other FBS teams.
Jackson is the first player in the history of the ACC with 15 rushing and 15 passing touchdowns in the same season and he still has at least five games left.
Daniel Wilco
Editor"s note: It took one drive for Lamar Jackson to make the above graphic outdated. Jackson scored early on a 36-yard touchdown run and added a 74-yard touchdown pass later in the first quarter. He finished the first half with 340 total yards, three passing TDs and a rushing score. Get completeLouisville vs. North Carolina State stats here.
Facing an upset-minded North Carolina State squad that nearly stunned No. 3 Clemson last weekend, No. 7 Louisville jumped all over the Wolfpack early and never let up to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. The Cardinals, whose 44-0 halftime lead was their fourth-largest in school history, have won two straight since falling to Clemson.
Player of the game
Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 76 yards and a score, bringing his nation-leading and school-record total touchdown count to 34. The Heisman hopeful has a passing and rushing touchdown in 10 consecutive games.
Key stats
Louisville improved to 4-1 all-time against North Carolina State.
The Cardinals have won eight straight home games and improved to 35-4 at home in seven seasons under Bobby Petrino.
Louisville outgained North Carolina State 244 to minus-1 yards after one quarter and finished with a 553-250 edge.
This was the fifth 50-point outing of the year for the Cardinals, which leads the nation.
Wolfpack running back Matthew Dayes, who entered the game averaging 111.5 rushing yards per game, was held to 15 yards on six carries.
Cardinals tight end Cole Hikutini caught six passes for a career-high 118 yards and a touchdown.
Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley was intercepted twice and now has four interceptions over the last two games after not throwing one over the first five outings.
Louisville running back Jeremy Smith carried the ball 14 times for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Key play
Jacksons first passing score came on a 74-yard pass to wide receiver Jaylen Smith with 5:33 remaining in the first quarter. It was the longest touchdown pass of Jacksons career and gave the Cardinals a 17-0 lead.
Up next
North Carolina State vs. Boston College (10/29)
Louisville vs. Virginia (10/29)
Giants vs. Cowboys (Week 1) | Game Highlights | NFL
The Rams havent faced the Giants since December 2014, but theyll see a few familiar faces Sunday in London.
New York signed cornerback Janoris Jenkins this offseason, rewarding him with a five-year contract worth up to $62.5 million after he spent the first four years of his career with the Rams in St. Louis. He has seven passes defensed to go along with two interceptions, and Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday that the former second-round pick is playing as well as any corner in the league.
That the Giants successfully pried Jenkins away from the Rams who exercised their franchise tag on Trumaine Johnson also delayed the arrival of another cornerback.
Coty Sensabaugh arrived in Los Angeles this offseason on three-year contract worth up to $15 million, and was drawn to the Rams in part because of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, whom he had played for in Tennessee.
In doing so, Sensabaugh had spurned the Giants, the first team to contact him in free agency. Part of the reason? Jenkins presence.
But his stint in Southern California lasted a month into the regular season. The Rams benched Sensabaugh in the middle of his second game, deactivated him for his fourth, and cut him shortly thereafter. That freed him up to join the Giants, who signed him last Tuesday.
Ironically, I ended up being here, he told local reporters recently.
WHOS COACHING THE GIANTS?
Even two Super Bowl rings only buy you so much time.
The Giants forced out Tom Coughlin this past offseason, ending a tenure that produced two championships over 12 years. Despite those thrilling peaks including an upset of the then-undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII that span featured just six winning seasons, and ended with back-to-back 6-10 records.
His successor is Ben McAdoo, 39, who is getting his first shot as a head coach. Promoted after two years as the Giants offensive coordinator, McAdoo provides schematic consistency for quarterback Eli Manning, who is coming off the best statistical season of his 13-year career.
BY THE NUMBERS
35 TD passes thrown by Manning in 2015, tied for second in the NFL
8 TD passes thrown by Manning this season, tied for 12th in the NFL
420.3 Yards per game allowed by the Giants defense in 2015, most in the league
363.7 Yards per game allowed by the Giants defense this season, 14th-most in the league
114 Millions of dollars the Giants guaranteed to four free-agent signings on defense
1 Sacks by Olivier Vernon, who signed a five-year contract worth up to $85 million
PLAYER TO WATCH
Barring a surprise recovery, the Rams will be without top cornerback Trumaine Johnson for the second week in a row.
Thats particularly worrisome given their looming matchup against Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the two-time Pro Bowler who broke out of a slow-ish start to the season with 222 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. But Beckham might not be the Rams only concern. New York could try to pick on cornerback Troy Hill rather than E.J. Gaines a tactic that could mean big numbers for Sterling Shepard or Victor Cruz.
Drafted 40th overall out of Oklahoma, Shepard is the most targeted rookie receiver in the NFL, and has turned his 26 catches into 302 yards and two scores.
In last weeks 31-28 loss to Detroit, the Rams gave up just 10 receiving yards to Marvin Jones who entered the game as the leagues leading receiver but allowed 165 to Golden Tate.
WHAT DID HE SAY?
Im sure therell be some naps.
Manning, on the Giants changing their body clocks before flying to London on Thursday.
GOP Strategist Tim Miller: "The Presidential Race Is Over"
Success is not synonymous with happiness, particularly in the world of Hollywood. Yesterday the internet broke when it was revealed that Deadpool director Tim Miller has left his role in the highly anticipated sequel. Considering how acclaimed and record breaking the first movie was, you"d think Miller would do anything to retain this position in Deadpool 2, but it appears that he and star/producer Ryan Reynolds had some serious creative differences. The details of this exchange were a mystery, but now we may have some clues as to the specific "differences" which caused Tim Miller to leave the project before he really started.
According to the good folks at The Wrap, there were a pair of major issues that caused contention between Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds. While it was an "amicable" split, the creative differences were too much for Miller to bare.
The first of these issues was apparently the tone and style of Deadpool 2. Tim Miller reportedly wanted the sequel that was more stylistic and unique than its predecessor. Miller owns his own visual affects studio, so he clearly has an eye for interesting visuals, and would know how to use them in order to make Deadpool 2 exciting. But Ryan Reynolds apparently wanted to stick to his guns (pun intended) and focus on the raunchy comedy that helped make the first movie so exciting. While I can see the positive in both Reynolds and Millers" visions, the studio allegedly sided with the star, causing a bit of frustration for Miller.
In addition to creative differences, Ryan Reynolds and Miller apparently disagreed on a bit of casting. Since Deadpool"s post credits scene announced that a sequel will feature futuristic X-Man Cable, fans have been debating which actor would be best in the role. We previously reported that Friday Night Lights and Bloodline actor Kyle Chandler was circling the role- which reportedly was a source for drama behind the scenes. Tim Miller was all for this casting, but Ryan Reynolds was not too keen. Perhaps he wanted an actor who looks closer to the source material... or Keira Knightley (she has range). Once again, the studio took Reynolds" side, which may just have been the final straw that caused Tim Miller to depart the project.
News of Tim Miller"s decision to leave Deadpool 2 was truly shocking, and a little too reminiscent of the film"s early struggles. Deadpool suffered in development h**l for many years, until the test footage for the first movie was leaked online. But now that Miller is no longer directing, will Deadpool 2 end up having more struggles down the road?
Overall, whoever directs Deadpool 2 has some very big shoes to fill. Expectations for the sequel are sky high, and fans will likely freak out if Deadpool 2 fails to capture the magic of the original.
We"ll keep you updated on all things Deadpool as news becomes public.
