Adam Sandler’s ‘Hotel Transylvania 2′ has best September opening ever

Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Dennis (Asher Blinkoff) in Columbia/Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania 2.” (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation)
 
WELCOME TO the “Hotel Transylvania.” To spin the grizzled Eagles tune: You can check it out any time you like — and it’s a franchise we can’t seem to leave.

The sequel broke the record of the original film as “Hotel Transylvania 2″ had the biggest September opening ever over the weekend, grossing $47.5 million at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. That tops the $42.5 million haul for “Hotel Transylvania” in 2012, when the animated franchise’s leading voice, Adam Sandler, hadn’t yet weathered a dismal box-office run of washouts and audience rejections.

The weekend win is also welcome news for Sony, which — speaking of washouts — had endured such 2015 disappointments as Cameron Crowe’s “Aloha” and Sandler’s summer “Pixels.”

While “Hotel Transylvania 2″ has scored only a 43 on Metacritic, director Genndy Tartakovsky’s Halloween-season hit knows its audience, rating a crowd-sourced A-minus on CinemaScore — the same grade as its predecessor.

That bodes especially well for a third Transylvanian outing to be greenlit before the second film even finishes raking in the millions. The 2012 original grossed nearly $360 million worldwide.

“Hotel Transylvania 2″ features a wealth of Sandler’s fellow “Saturday Night Live” alumni, including co-writer/executive producer Robert Smigel and the voices of Andy Samberg, David Spade, Molly Shannon and Jon Lovitz, as well as Sandler regular Kevin James.

In a strong box-office weekend, Nancy Meyers’s “The Intern” ($18.2 million) was second, followed by last week’s champ, “Maze Runner: The Scorch Chronicles” ($14 million), the IMAX-friendly “Everest” ($13.1 million) and “Black Mass” ($11.5 million.)

FUN WITH NUMBERS

* Pixar’s “Inside Out” has now grossed $353.5 million domestically, passing “Furious 7″ ($351 million) to become the third-biggest film of the year in the North American market.

* Meanwhile, Universal’s “Furious 7″ ($1.511 billion) is gaining fast on “The Avengers” ($1.519 billion), gunning to unseat the 2012 Disney film and become the fourth-biggest film ever in global box office. In the No. 6 slot is the sequel, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” ($1.4 billion).

* Another smash sequel from Universal, “Minions” ($1.119 billion), is now the 12th-biggest film ever in global box office (not adjusted for inflation), and is poised to pass both “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” to move into the top 10.

* The top six films this year — and 10 of the top 12 — are from just two companies: Disney and Universal.

Cr  :  Michael Cavna - The Washington Post

Martin Winterkorn resigns as Volkswagen CEO

Martin Winterkorn, the embattled chief executive of Volkswagen, has announced that he is to resign following the scandal surrounding the emissions of its diesel cars.
In a statement issued by the company Winterkorn said he was "shocked by the events of the past few days."


"Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group."

A successor will determined at Friday's supervisory board meeting. However, rumors earlier suggested he might be replaced by Porsche President and CEO Matthias Muller, Audi chief Rupert Stadler and VW brand head Herbert Diess, although Volkswagen has denied this.


More people can be expected to follow Winterkorn out of the carmaker due to the scandal, a senior VW source who wished to remain anonymous due the sensitivity of the situation, told CNBC.


The world's second-largest carmaker is being engulfed by an emissions scandal which has wiped nearly 26 billion euros ($29 billion) off its market value this week. In this kind of situation, with 11 million cars potentially affected, jobs are put in jeopardy and even once-mighty companies can be permanently damaged.


The speed at which VW moved to clean the slate—five days—stands in marked contrast to the sometimes protracted recalls of other automakers.Toyota, for example, took several years over its recalls.


Volkswagen is said to have been caught cheating on U.S. air pollution tests. VW installed sophisticated software known as "defeat devices" in the electronic control module of diesel vehicles issued between 2008 and 2015.

Getty Images

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn.

 

 

Winterkorn has become the public face of the scandal, with allegations that he ignored warning signs about the emissions in 2014. In a video on the carmaker's website Tuesday, he admitted, "I do not have all the answers to the questions but we are working hard to find out exactly what happened."
 

  In stepping down Wednesday, Winterkorn said he was "not aware of any wrongdoing on my part" but had accepted the "responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group."

What's unclear is whether Winterkorn knew about the installation of the defeat devices that allowed the cars to pass official environmental tests. Investors may find it unforgivable if he condoned or ordered their use—but it could be just as problematic if he did not know the devices were installed, as this would suggest a lack of oversight.


The embattled CEO seemed to have clinched a two-year contract extension earlier this year after a leadership battle with longstanding Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who all but publicly criticized the Winterkorn's performance. But Winterkorn won over shareholder support and the showdown saw Piech resign in April.

Winterkorn spent eight years at the helm of Volkswagen, but started his auto career in 1981 at Audi, serving on the board for quality assurance after an engineering stint with Bosch. He joined Volkswagen in the early 1990s in a similar quality-monitoring role, before working in product management, technical development and research roles.

"I have always been driven by my desire to serve this company, especially our customers and employees. Volkswagen has been, is and will always be my life," Winterkorn said Wednesday.

"The process of clarification and transparency must continue. This is the only way to win back trust. I am convinced that the Volkswagen Group and its team will overcome this grave crisis."
After the scandal erupted, shares tanked 18 percent Monday and nearly 20 percent Tuesday. However on Wednesday they pared some losses to trade around 6 percent higher.

Volkswagen has faced other challenges under the CEO's watch, with the most recent sales numbers showing a 1.5 percent drop in vehicle deliveries in the first eight months of 2015 compared to a year earlier and a 5.4 percent year-on-year fall in August alone.

 

  It seems Winterkorn's departure could help provide a clean slate not only for Volkswagen, but for Winterkorn himself, an executive headhunter told CNBC.

Jason Hanold, manager partner of Hanold Associates, which has hired senior leaders for Rolls-Royce, Bridgestone and Harley Davidson, said Winterkorn has a chance to wield his expertise outside the auto sector.


"Private equity and advisory firms would be an exceptional avenue, as his operational and industry knowledge is distinctive, even though his followership will clearly suffer," Hanold said.

As for the future of diesel vehicles, the German auto industry association chief told Reuters that the Volkswagen scandal shouldn't be used as an excuse to question their future.

Cr  :  CNBC

BERLIN: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned on Wednesday, taking responsibility for the German carmaker’s rigging of U.S. emissions tests in the biggest scandal in its 78-year history. “Volkswagen needs a fresh start - also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation,” Winterkorn said in a statement. He said he was shocked by events of the past few days, above all that misconduct on such a massive scale was possible at the company. A five-member executive committee had grilled Winterkorn, 68, since morning at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company was under huge pressure to take decisive action, with its shares down more than 30 percent in value since the crisis broke, and the bad news still coming. German prosecutors said on Wednesday they were conducting a preliminary investigation into the manipulation of vehicle emission test results at Volkswagen, while French Energy Minister Segolene Royal said her country would be “extremely severe” if its investigation into the firm found any wrongdoing. U.S. authorities are planning criminal investigations after discovering that Volkswagen programmed computers in its cars to detect when they were being tested and alter the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had urged Volkswagen to move “as quickly as possible” to restore confidence in a company held up for generations as a paragon of German engineering prowess. SHOCKWAVES The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday Volkswagen could face penalties of up to $18 billion for cheating emissions tests on some of its diesel cars. The story has sent shockwaves through the car market, with dealers in the United States reporting people holding back from buying diesel cars and “#dieselgate” trending on Twitter. Diesel engines account for less than 3 percent of new cars sold in the United States but around half of cars in Europe, where governments have encouraged their use to meet fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas targets. Their biggest selling point is their fuel economy and low carbon emissions compared to standard gasoline engines. But they also emit far more nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas blamed for health problems. The suggestion that their emissions in real world conditions are worse than reported in tests could harm the whole sector and alter the future of the car industry worldwide. “The Volkswagen issue is another blackeye for the diesel engine overall,” Mike Jackson, the chief executive of the AutoNation, the largest U.S. car retailer, told CNBC, adding the “brand position” of Volkswagen was at risk in the U.S. market. Volkswagen said on Tuesday it was setting aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to help cover the costs of the crisis. Analysts doubt that will be enough, with the company disclosing that 11 million of its cars were fitted with Type EA 189 engines that had shown a “noticeable deviation” in emission levels between testing and road use. The U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal probe, a source familiar with the matter said. New York and other state attorneys general are also forming a group to investigate. “INVESTOR’S NIGHTMARE“ Environmentalists have long complained that carmakers game the testing regime to exaggerate the fuel-efficiency and emissions readings of their vehicles. European politicians on Wednesday voted to speed up rules to tighten compliance with pollution limits on cars. European car association ACEA said that so far there was “no evidence that this is an industry-wide issue.” But Societe Generale analysts said that while the uncertainty prevailed, the whole autos sector was likely to be “dead money” for a while. -Reuters

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/volkswagen-boss-quits-over-diesel-scandal

BERLIN: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned on Wednesday, taking responsibility for the German carmaker’s rigging of U.S. emissions tests in the biggest scandal in its 78-year history. “Volkswagen needs a fresh start - also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation,” Winterkorn said in a statement. He said he was shocked by events of the past few days, above all that misconduct on such a massive scale was possible at the company. A five-member executive committee had grilled Winterkorn, 68, since morning at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company was under huge pressure to take decisive action, with its shares down more than 30 percent in value since the crisis broke, and the bad news still coming. German prosecutors said on Wednesday they were conducting a preliminary investigation into the manipulation of vehicle emission test results at Volkswagen, while French Energy Minister Segolene Royal said her country would be “extremely severe” if its investigation into the firm found any wrongdoing. U.S. authorities are planning criminal investigations after discovering that Volkswagen programmed computers in its cars to detect when they were being tested and alter the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had urged Volkswagen to move “as quickly as possible” to restore confidence in a company held up for generations as a paragon of German engineering prowess. SHOCKWAVES The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday Volkswagen could face penalties of up to $18 billion for cheating emissions tests on some of its diesel cars. The story has sent shockwaves through the car market, with dealers in the United States reporting people holding back from buying diesel cars and “#dieselgate” trending on Twitter. Diesel engines account for less than 3 percent of new cars sold in the United States but around half of cars in Europe, where governments have encouraged their use to meet fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas targets. Their biggest selling point is their fuel economy and low carbon emissions compared to standard gasoline engines. But they also emit far more nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas blamed for health problems. The suggestion that their emissions in real world conditions are worse than reported in tests could harm the whole sector and alter the future of the car industry worldwide. “The Volkswagen issue is another blackeye for the diesel engine overall,” Mike Jackson, the chief executive of the AutoNation, the largest U.S. car retailer, told CNBC, adding the “brand position” of Volkswagen was at risk in the U.S. market. Volkswagen said on Tuesday it was setting aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to help cover the costs of the crisis. Analysts doubt that will be enough, with the company disclosing that 11 million of its cars were fitted with Type EA 189 engines that had shown a “noticeable deviation” in emission levels between testing and road use. The U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal probe, a source familiar with the matter said. New York and other state attorneys general are also forming a group to investigate. “INVESTOR’S NIGHTMARE“ Environmentalists have long complained that carmakers game the testing regime to exaggerate the fuel-efficiency and emissions readings of their vehicles. European politicians on Wednesday voted to speed up rules to tighten compliance with pollution limits on cars. European car association ACEA said that so far there was “no evidence that this is an industry-wide issue.” But Societe Generale analysts said that while the uncertainty prevailed, the whole autos sector was likely to be “dead money” for a while. -Reuters

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/volkswagen-boss-quits-over-diesel-scandal

BERLIN: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned on Wednesday, taking responsibility for the German carmaker’s rigging of U.S. emissions tests in the biggest scandal in its 78-year history. “Volkswagen needs a fresh start - also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation,” Winterkorn said in a statement. He said he was shocked by events of the past few days, above all that misconduct on such a massive scale was possible at the company. A five-member executive committee had grilled Winterkorn, 68, since morning at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company was under huge pressure to take decisive action, with its shares down more than 30 percent in value since the crisis broke, and the bad news still coming. German prosecutors said on Wednesday they were conducting a preliminary investigation into the manipulation of vehicle emission test results at Volkswagen, while French Energy Minister Segolene Royal said her country would be “extremely severe” if its investigation into the firm found any wrongdoing. U.S. authorities are planning criminal investigations after discovering that Volkswagen programmed computers in its cars to detect when they were being tested and alter the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel had urged Volkswagen to move “as quickly as possible” to restore confidence in a company held up for generations as a paragon of German engineering prowess. SHOCKWAVES The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday Volkswagen could face penalties of up to $18 billion for cheating emissions tests on some of its diesel cars. The story has sent shockwaves through the car market, with dealers in the United States reporting people holding back from buying diesel cars and “#dieselgate” trending on Twitter. Diesel engines account for less than 3 percent of new cars sold in the United States but around half of cars in Europe, where governments have encouraged their use to meet fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas targets. Their biggest selling point is their fuel economy and low carbon emissions compared to standard gasoline engines. But they also emit far more nitrogen dioxide, a toxic gas blamed for health problems. The suggestion that their emissions in real world conditions are worse than reported in tests could harm the whole sector and alter the future of the car industry worldwide. “The Volkswagen issue is another blackeye for the diesel engine overall,” Mike Jackson, the chief executive of the AutoNation, the largest U.S. car retailer, told CNBC, adding the “brand position” of Volkswagen was at risk in the U.S. market. Volkswagen said on Tuesday it was setting aside 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) to help cover the costs of the crisis. Analysts doubt that will be enough, with the company disclosing that 11 million of its cars were fitted with Type EA 189 engines that had shown a “noticeable deviation” in emission levels between testing and road use. The U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal probe, a source familiar with the matter said. New York and other state attorneys general are also forming a group to investigate. “INVESTOR’S NIGHTMARE“ Environmentalists have long complained that carmakers game the testing regime to exaggerate the fuel-efficiency and emissions readings of their vehicles. European politicians on Wednesday voted to speed up rules to tighten compliance with pollution limits on cars. European car association ACEA said that so far there was “no evidence that this is an industry-wide issue.” But Societe Generale analysts said that while the uncertainty prevailed, the whole autos sector was likely to be “dead money” for a while. -Reuters

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/volkswagen-boss-quits-over-diesel-scandal

Volkswagen’s Chief in the Vortex of the Storm

Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen’s chief executive, facing shareholders in Hanover, Germany, in May. He now faces scrutiny over VW’s admission that it faked emissions testing. Credit Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

Striding past a car show model, Martin Winterkorn, trailed by aides, examined a Hyundai i30.

He poked the hatchback with a measuring device he had in his pocket, then squeezed his stocky frame into the driver’s seat. He ran a finger along the interior plastic, then fiddled with the adjustable steering wheel.

“It doesn’t clank,” Mr. Winterkorn said to a member of his entourage, with a note of annoyance in his voice. “BMW can’t do it. We can’t do it. They can.”

The scene from the Frankfurt auto show in 2011, captured on a YouTube video that has gone viral, has become famous as an illustration of the Volkswagen chief executive’s attention to detail and his insistence on technical excellence.

It was a display of the determination that helped Mr. Winterkorn, 68, lead Volkswagen past Toyota in the number of cars sold this year, making it the world’s largest carmaker — at least for now.

But now Mr. Winterkorn’s detail mania could become a liability, as he faces mounting scrutiny over the revelation that millions of diesel models contained software designed to evade emissions regulations.

Photo

Mr. Winterkorn, 68, led Volkswagen past Toyota in the number of cars sold this year, making it the world’s largest automaker. Credit Christian Charisius/Reuters

The widening scandal has become a threat to the empire that Mr. Winterkorn helped build with his onetime mentor, Ferdinand Piëch. Though it still manufactures the kind of practical cars for the masses that made Volkswagen famous, the company today also makes Porsche and Lamborghini sports cars, Bentley luxury cars and over-the-top Bugatti sports cars that sell for more than $1 million.

Until the deception became public on Friday, Mr. Winterkorn’s future with Volkswagen had seemed more or less secure after he emerged the victor of a bitter power struggle this year that ended with the ouster of Mr. Piëch, the company’s longtime chairman, who was sometimes described as Mr. Winterkorn’s stepfather.

Mr. Piëch, a member of the powerful Porsche family that owns a significant stake in Volkswagen, began pressing for Mr. Winterkorn’s ouster in March — ostensibly because he was unhappy with the company’s failure to expand its market share in the United States.

But Mr. Piëch’s campaign to remove Mr. Winterkorn failed to win the support of other key Volkswagen shareholders, including a cousin, Wolfgang Porsche, as well as the German state of Lower Saxony, which owns a 20 percent stake. In April, Mr. Piëch — a grandson of the creator of the VW Beetle — stepped down.

With Mr. Piëch’s influence diminished, Mr. Winterkorn pushed ahead with a strategy of improving profit margins at Volkswagen, which continues to struggle to make inroads in the United States and whose growth has stalled in emerging markets like Brazil, China and Russia. The plan includes the discontinuation of unprofitable VW models and the slashing of 5 billion euros, or about $5.5 billion, in operating costs by the end of 2017.

Just two weeks ago, a steering committee of the board had voted unanimously to extend Mr. Winterkorn’s mandate, which was due to finish in 2016, until the end of 2018.

Volkswagen’s traditional culture of highly centralized decision-making could make it difficult for Mr. Winterkorn to deflect suspicions that he and other senior managers at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, were unaware of the software manipulations at the heart of the scandal, experts say.

“This wasn’t a small engineering decision that slipped by management,” said Jo-Ellen Pozner, an assistant professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. “It seems to me like something had to be approved by at least a division head.”

With an annual salary of more than €16 million, Mr. Winterkorn is Germany’s highest-paid chief executive. Since taking the helm in 2007 — before the software began appearing in the 2009 model year diesel cars — he has enjoyed the support of Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the automaker’s powerful workers’ council. But on Tuesday, it was not clear whether Mr. Winterkorn, whom colleagues refer to by the nickname Wiko, would be able to count on their continued support.

“If it emerges that Winterkorn was involved in the issue, then he would step down on his own,” Bernd Osterloh, a Volkswagen board member and labor leader who has until now been an ally of Mr. Winterkorn, told reporters in Frankfurt on Tuesday. “We can’t afford such reputational damage.”

Mr. Winterkorn has nurtured a passion for cars since his childhood in Leonberg, in southwestern Germany, home to a Porsche test site where he used to watch the German sports car maker’s autos whiz by on a track near his home.

Mr. Winterkorn, who was born in 1947, studied metallurgy and physics at the University of Stuttgart, later earning a doctorate in metal physics.

Mr. Winterkorn began his working life at Bosch, the German engineering and electronics group, and in 1981 entered the automobile industry as a quality controller at Audi, one of the Volkswagen group’s stable of 12 brands.

For 30 years, he worked successfully alongside Mr. Piëch, once describing their relationship as a partnership where Mr. Piëch was responsible for conceiving new ideas while Mr. Winterkorn was in charge of transforming them into roadworthy vehicle designs.

Yet despite decades of working together, the two men never became close friends, always maintaining a professional distance and addressing one another using the formal German word for you, “Sie.”

All the while, Mr. Winterkorn has determinedly raised his public profile, appearing at industry events like the annual Detroit auto show and giving bold proclamations at lavish corporate presentations.

At the show in 2013, he captivated a large contingent of journalists at an invitation-only event scheduled the night before press previews at the show.

“VW won’t cut back,” he said. “We will stay in the fast lane,” he added, referring to the company’s growth plans in America. “VW grows with the challenges. And we continue to do so, even when times are tough.”

One executive within VW, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Mr. Winterkorn as extremely meticulous about technology and how the company’s cars were marketed to the public.

The executive said that employees waited nervously for Mr. Winterkorn’s ceremonial tour of the company’s auto show exhibits.

Always accompanied by teams of support personnel, he was known for closely examining every car on display, from the type of wheels to the interior color combinations.

“It was like the general had arrived to inspect the troops,” the executive said.

Mr. Winterkorn, a Porsche family outsider, has managed to maintain his position by carefully navigating the often-complex machinations of various factions that have jousted for control of the group.

In 2005, Porsche set out on a cunning plan to conquer the much larger Volkswagen. But that plan required borrowing billions of euros — a move that enlarged its debt load two years later, just as global capital markets froze up when the global financial crisis hit.

Financially weakened, Porsche was forced to accept integration into Volkswagen in 2008, further consolidating Mr. Winterkorn’s power. Volkswagen ultimately assumed full ownership of the Porsche brand in 2012.

Now made vulnerable by the scandal, it remains unclear whether Mr. Winterkorn can count on the continued support of past allies, who include Stephan Weil, the prime minister of Lower Saxony who told reporters on Tuesday that he did not wish to “prejudge future discussions” about Mr. Winterkorn’s future at Volkswagen or discuss any “possible consequences.”

Cr  :   NICOLA CLARK and MELISSA EDDY / New York Times

Google accidentally invents new way to close Chrome browsers

THERE'S NOTHING MORE alluring than a big red button that says "Do Not Touch", and this one is a doozy.

If you type, "http://a/%%30%30" into Google Chrome, it will bork your browser rather spectacularly. We can see you reaching to launch Chrome now. Stop it. Really, you don't want to try it.

We did. It crashes your browser and anything connected to Chrome such as Hangouts.
Essentially, the bug is caused by adding a NULL character to a web address. It shouldn't work, but it does.

A bug report in Chromium with the audacious title "GURL re-canonicalization unescapes a second time, can invalidate previously-valid URL", submitted by Andris Atteka, appears to show the fault as being present in Chrome 45 and still crashing in current Canary builds.

Google has said that it is "working on a fix" but there seems to be some debate in the community as to what a fix looks like.

You'll notice we've not hyperlinked to the offending string either because even hovering a mouse over the characters will trigger the effect.

It's a mild inconvenience, essentially. There's no security risk, there's no permanent damage. But with web browsers being such a central part of the computing experience, a weakness like this is bound to raise questions as to what else can go wrong.

Chrome, as one of the biggest browsers on the planet, has to be seen to be stable, and so Google will want to ensure that this "feature" is fixed as soon as possible.

With it being non-security related, Atteka won't get the bug bounty that Google offers, just the satisfaction of knowing that there's millions of Chrome user who are slightly less inconvenienced as a result of his efforts.

Chrome news has been thin on the ground lately as Google's focus remains on the release of Marshmallow, set to be unveiled along with some new handsets on September 29th. µ

Cr  :   Chris Merriman / The Inquirer

Nick Jonas and Kendall Jenner reportedly dating

Nick Jonas. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Plenti)

Singer Nick Jonas is reportedly dating Kim Kardashian’s model sister Kendall Jenner following matchmaking efforts from his brother Joe Jonas and his new girlfriend Gigi Hadid.

Nick split from Olivia Culpo, his girlfriend of two years, in June, and he recently revealed he was open to the idea of embarking on a new romance with Jenner.

Kendall Jenner. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)

Now it seems the two have taken their relationship to the next level since his comments last month.

A source tells Us Weekly magazine, “They had a flirty chemistry from the start.
“Nick was single and looking to date and there was an obvious attraction. He absolutely thinks she’s hot.”

Cr : Seattlepi

Singers Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale to divorce

 
Singer Gwen Stefani (R) and musician Gavin Rossdale arrive on the red carpet for the screening of the film ''The Tree of Life'' in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 16, 2011. 

Singer Gwen Stefani has filed for divorce from rockstar husband Gavin Rossdale after 13 years of marriage, several news reports said on Monday.

In her divorce petition, Stefani, 45, cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of the couple's three children, 9-year-old Kingston, 6-year-old Zuma and 1-year-old Apollo, celebrity websites TMZ and People.com said.

Rossdale, 49, filed his response at the same time and also asked for joint custody, TMZ reported.

Neither Stefani nor Rossdale's attorneys immediately responded to emails seeking comment.

The couple has been together for about two decades, meeting when Stefani's band No Doubt toured with Rossdale's band Bush in 1995, People.com reported. They dated for six years before they wed in 2002.

"While the two of us have come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage, we remain partners in parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our three sons in a happy and healthy environment," the couple told the website in a statement.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Cr  :  Reuter

Notebook: Bills line coach Kromer suspended for 6 games

 

The Bills suspended offensive line coach Aaron Kromer without pay for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The suspension was announced by Bills president Russ Brandon on Sunday night.
The disciplinary action comes two days after prosecutors in Florida dropped a battery charge against Kromer for allegedly punching a boy in the face for using his beach chairs last month. The Bills placed Kromer on paid leave July 14, two days after he was arrested.
Kromer will rejoin the team at training camp. His suspension will begin Sept. 7, in the week leading up to the Bills’ regular-season opener against Indianapolis.

The suspension will run through Buffalo’s game against Cincinnati on Oct. 18.

Incognito to be starter

From being labeled an NFL bully to Bills starter: guard Richie Incognito took a big step in his return to football following a 15-month hiatus that put his career in jeopardy.
Three days into training camp, coach Rex Ryan named Incognito the team’s starting left guard. Ryan made the announcement Sunday, when he included Incognito along with center Eric Wood and left tackle Cordy Glenn as three offensive linemen he sees as starters.

‘‘He looks about as good as any of them,” Ryan said.

That’s a significant step for Incognito, the eighth-year player who signed a one-year contract with Buffalo in February. He had been out of football since midway through the 2013 season, when he was suspended for being a central figure in a bullying scandal that led to offensive lineman Jonathan Martin leaving the Dolphins.

An NFL investigation determined Incognito and two other Dolphins offensive linemen harassed Martin, who played for San Francisco last season. Incognito went unsigned last season despite being reinstated by the NFL.

‘‘It was a long road back,’’ Incognito said, when informed of Ryan’s comments. ‘‘It was dark times. And it was something at times I didn’t think was going to happen. But I've been blessed with an opportunity.’’

Incognito thanked Ryan, general manager Doug Whaley, his teammates and new Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula for giving him the opportunity to play. Incognito met personally with the Pegulas before the Bills extended him a contract offer.

‘‘A lot of people laid their neck out on the line for me,’’ he said. ‘‘And I just wanted to prove them right.’’

Ryan credited Incognito for taking advantage of his second chance, and praised him for reporting to camp in ‘‘great shape.’’

‘‘He’s everything we thought he'd be,’’ Ryan said, noting Incognito was among the team’s top players in conditioning tests held on Thursday, a day before camp opened in suburban Rochester. ‘‘I think he’s probably along further than I even thought he'd be as far as coming back in shape. It’s like he never missed any time.’’

The Bills are retooling their offensive line, which was one of the team’s weak spots last season. Rookie third-round pick John Miller and Cyril Richardson are competing to start at right guard. Second-year players Seantrel Henderson and Cyrus Kouandjio are competing to start at right tackle.

Though regarded as one of the NFL’s dirtiest players before his suspension, Incognito was a reliable contributor on the field. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2012, and started all 102 games he appeared in since being selected in the third round of the 2005 draft by St. Louis.

This is Incognito’s second stint with the Bills. He played in three games for Buffalo in 2009, when the Bills claimed him after he was waived by the Rams.

Wilkerson tweaks hamstring

The Jets hope they aren’t without Muhammad Wilkerson for too long.

The star defensive end left practice Sunday with a tweaked hamstring, an injury coach Todd Bowles didn’t believe is serious.

Wilkerson, a key playmaker in Bowles’s defense, walked off the field at training camp about halfway through practice and headed straight to the locker room. He didn’t appear to be walking with a limp.

‘‘They took him inside just to stretch him out,’’ Bowles said after practice.

The players have their first day off from practice Monday, giving Wilkerson a chance to rest the hamstring and perhaps be back on the field in some capacity Tuesday.

‘‘I didn’t think it was serious,’’ Bowles said. ‘‘If it loosens up, he should be OK. Shouldn’t be out long.’’

Wilkerson reported for camp despite being unhappy with his contract, which is in the last year of his rookie deal. Wilkerson is looking for a long-term extension.

Wide receiver DeVier Posey didn’t practice with what Bowles said was also a hamstring issue.

Rookie wide receiver Devin Smith was released from the hospital after staying two nights as a precaution, and watched practice from the side in a T-shirt and shorts. He’s out 4-6 weeks with broken ribs and a partially punctured lung, suffered while making a leaping catch in practice Friday.

‘‘I talked to him and he’s doing a lot better than he was,’’ Bowles said of Smith. ‘‘We'll just go day by day.’’

Albert showing progress

Pro Bowl left tackle Branden Albert of the Dolphins is showing progress in his return from major knee surgery.

Albert had surgery on his right knee late last season. On Sunday, he participated in limited outdoor drills for the first time in camp. He wore a brace and moved with a limp. He wore full pads after previously taking part only in warmups and walkthroughs.

Safety Louis Delmas, also recovering from knee surgery, was held out after practicing the first three days. Receiver Kenny Stills was limited because of his calf.

Reese supports Pierre-Paul

Addressing reporters for the first time since Giants camp opened last week, general manager Jerry Reese supported Jason Pierre-Paul, the defensive end who is absent from camp because of a fireworks accident.
“This is a traumatic situation — it was an accident,” Reese said of the Fourth of July mishap that resulted in the amputation of Pierre-Paul’s right index finger. "Plenty of people have opinions about it. My heart goes out to him. For a young man to have a traumatic event like that in his life is life-changing for him. I hope for the best, and hopefully he’s healing mentally and physically and that he can be back to himself as soon as possible.”

“Other than that, I’m not going to say anything.”

Pierre-Paul is not under contract but remains on the team’s roster because he was designated the Giants’ franchise player in March. Pierre-Paul has not signed his franchise player contract so he is not obligated to attend camp. In the meantime, he is not getting paid.

Reese also avoided the subject of Eli Manning’s long-term contract negotiations, which are continuing. Manning’s current contract expires after this season.

Of Manning, Reese only said: “He’s under contract.”

GM comfortable with Galette

General manager Scot McCloughan says a ‘‘thorough, thorough, thorough’’ vetting of Junior Galette left the Redskins ‘‘very comfortable bringing him on board,’’ despite off-field problems that led the Saints to cut the outside linebacker.
‘‘He has to walk the line, and he knows that,’’ McCloughan said. ‘‘If he doesn't, then he’s gone.’’ McCloughan’s first news conference of training camp came two days after Galette signed a one-year, $745,000 contract. He was released by the Saints last Monday.
Galette was arrested in January after an alleged domestic dispute. Charges were dropped, but the episode remains under review by the NFL, which is also reviewing a video that shows a man resembling Galette in a fight on a beach.

‘‘I did not like the video at all, and as a matter of fact, when I saw the video, it was scary. That’s why I wanted to meet with him face-to-face,’’ McCloughan said. ‘‘That’s why I had to sit down with him and ask him what happened. I got the real story, and I'm fine with that.’’

McCloughan would not explain what he meant by ‘‘the real story.’’

He said the Redskins spoke to more than 20 people around the league, including players, about Galette, beginning their inquiry as soon as word emerged that New Orleans was prepared to let the player go.

‘‘I did too much research, to tell you the truth,’’ McCloughan said with a chuckle. ‘‘I got tired of it.’’

McCloughan said team president Bruce Allen and coach Jay Gruden were involved in the decision to offer Galette a contract, but the GM noted: ‘‘When it’s all said and done, it’s on my shoulders. I felt really, really strong about it.’’

‘‘This guy,’’ McCloughan said, ‘‘we feel very comfortable bringing him on board. Very comfortable.’’

The Redskins also contacted the NFL about its investigation of Galette, and McCloughan said he knows ‘‘there’s still a chance’’ the league will suspend the player.

‘‘But we were definitely more willing to take a chance with that,’’ McCloughan said, ‘‘knowing that he’s going to be a Redskin and knowing he’s going to give us a lot of games.’’

A day before signing Galette, McCloughan, Allen and Gruden met with the player.

‘‘I can tell you, when he left my room, the guy was crying, the guy was sweating,’’ said McCloughan, who more than once during his 15-minute session with reporters pleaded to be asked a ‘‘football question.’’

‘‘We've all made mistakes or something. I don’t want the repeat offenders. I don’t want the guy that I know is not going to be a good guy and be in our locker room. I think we have a very good defensive staff,’’ McCloughan said, pounding his right fist on his left palm. ‘‘We have a very good defensive meeting room, where you can bring a guy in and say, ‘We understand you did this and this. OK. Boom. You do it again, you’re going to be gone.’ ’’

Boykin clarifies comments

Cornerback Brandon Boykin, traded from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh on Saturday, became the third former Eagles player or coach to make racial accusations against coach Chip Kelly. Boykin told Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia that Kelly is “uncomfortable around grown men of our culture.” He clarified later, telling reporters at Steelers camp that Kelly isn’t racist.
Kelly said he was surprised and bothered by Boykin’s comments. ‘When he left here last night, he shook my hand and gave me a hug,’’ Kelly said. ‘‘I like Brandon. I just don’t know. I really don’t know.’’

Boykin played three seasons for the Eagles and had six interceptions in 2013. He played nickel cornerback in the secondary and was hoping to get a chance to start. Kelly and defensive coaches prefer taller cornerbacks on the outside. Boykin is listed at 5 feet 10 inches.

‘‘When talking to him last night, I think he was stunned,’’ Kelly said. ‘‘He was disappointed. I think he really liked it here. Very close with his teammates.’’

Tra Thomas, a former coaching assistant, and McCoy also made racial assertions against Kelly on their way out of Philadelphia.

‘‘Talk to DeMeco [Ryans], talk to the other guys here. I think those are the guys you should talk to,’’ Kelly said.

Ryans said he has no problem with Kelly.

‘‘That’s one man’s opinion,’’ Ryans said of Boykin. ‘‘Me and a lot of other guys don’t feel the same way.’’

Malcolm Jenkins defended Kelly with stronger backing.

‘‘It’s not that he doesn’t understand the culture, it’s that no one man is bigger than the team,’’ Jenkins said. ‘‘Chip likes uniformity and I don’t have a problem with that.’’

The Eagles got a conditional fifth-round pick in 2016 from Pittsburgh for Boykin. Kelly said it becomes a fourth-round pick if Boykin plays 60 percent of the snaps.

WR Bryant in camp scuffle

Dez Bryant kept going after Dallas cornerback Tyler Patmon in a heated training camp skirmish that didn’t end until quarterback Tony Romo finally stepped in and calmed his star receiver.
Bryant, who has a history of sideline antics that include screaming at coaches and teammates, threw something at Patmon and later appeared to take a swing at him after the two tangled during a play in 11-on-11 work late in the practice in Oxnard, Calif.
The incident started when Patmon jarred Bryant’s helmet loose during a play and Bryant responded by yanking off Patmon’s helmet. Patmon threw a punch and backed away, and Bryant came back with a wild left hook before teammates separated them.

The Cowboys posted video of the exchange on their website.

Tight end Jason Witten was among those who couldn’t get Bryant to walk away. Romo eventually came over and got Bryant to move, while Patmon stood with players and other team personnel nearby.

Patmon is an undrafted second-year player still fighting for a roster spot a year after making the team with a strong camp and preseason.

He played in 11 games and both of Dallas’s playoff games.

Both players went to Oklahoma State.

‘‘Oh, man, it’s just brothers,’’ Patmon said. ‘‘Brothers fight. That happens sometimes. We go at it. After that we squash it and it’s over.’’

Bryant, the biggest star in this camp because he recently signed a five-year, $70 million contract that ended his threat not to show up, said he and Patmon exchanged words for several plays before the skirmish that had several teammates trying to separate them.

When practice ended a few minutes later, coach Jason Garrett spoke briefly to Bryant, who then walked over to Patmon and hugged him while fans nearby cheered after earlier yelling at Bryant to calm down.

‘‘I got a little bit overheated,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘At the end of the day, that’s something that you really need for a team, on a team. I'm just trying to win ballgames.’’

Mincey ends brief holdout

Cowboys defensive end Jeremy Mincey didn’t stay away from training camp long in his effort to get a contract extension.

The team’s sack leader from 2014 ended a brief holdout and was expected to practice Sunday after missing the first three days of camp, including the first padded practice. Mincey showed up Saturday night.

Dallas coach Jason Garrett declined to discuss details of a meeting with Mincey earlier Sunday, but the eighth-year player wants an extension after recording six sacks in the regular season and two more in the playoffs.

The Cowboys made room on the 90-man camp roster by waiving linebacker Justin Jackson a day after he tore a knee ligament. Mincey was activated from the reserve/did not report list.

‘‘It’s good to have him here,’’ Garrett said. ‘‘It was a good conversation. He has to pass a physical and we'll ease him into practice. But we’re excited to have him here at training camp.’’

The 31-year-old Mincey is set to earn $1.5 million in the final year of a two-year contract. He faced a $30,000 fine for each day missed. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said on the eve of camp that the team wouldn’t negotiate with Mincey before he reported.

Mincey came to Dallas after spending the last few weeks of the 2013 season and playing in the Super Bowl with Denver. But he ended up with the Broncos only after Jacksonville decided to get rid of Mincey in the middle of a four-year, $20 million contract. He was forced to miss a game at Houston in 2013 after being late for a team meeting.

‘‘There’s a business part to the NFL that we deal with on a daily basis and there’s a football part,’’ Garrett said when asked if Mincey had damaged his status as a team leader.

‘‘Jeremy Mincey has done a nice job for us since he’s been with us. He, like everyone else, you have to establish yourself and define yourself every day for what you do.’’

Wagner, Seahawks agree

On the heels of signing quarterback Russell Wilson to a contract extension, the Seahawks have locked up All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. The Seahawks and Wagner finalized a four-year contract extension Saturday night, making sure Seattle keeps Wagner beyond the 2015 season when his rookie contract was set to expire. Team owner Paul Allen confirmed the agreement on Twitter. NFL.com reported the deal is worth $43 million . . . According to ESPN, Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant underwent a minor procedure Sunday to remove an elbow infection . . . The Panthers waived injured wide receiver Stephen Hill after he suffered a torn right ACL on Saturday in practice.

As expected, the Colts put 2013 NFL sacks leader Robert Mathis and former starting guard Donald Thomas on the PUP list. Both are recovering from season-ending injuries.

Both can be activated any time before the regular season. Mathis missed the first four games last season for violating the league policy on performance-enhancing substances, and the final 12 after tearing his left Achilles’ tendon in a private workout during the suspension. Thomas missed all of last season after tearing his right quadriceps during training camp — the same injury that kept him out of all but two games in 2013.

Cr  :  Boston Globe