Beam me up, Yoda: Obama won't do 'Jedi mind meld'

WASHINGTON (AP) ? He's not a dictator and won't entertain the idea of a "Jedi mind meld" with opponents. There's no "secret formula or special sauce" he can slip foes to make them see things his way. And not to worry, he says, the situation may look dire but won't be an "apocalypse."

So who was the guy in a suit who showed up Friday in the White House briefing room, mixing metaphors and references to "Star Wars" and "Star Trek"?

"I am not a dictator. I'm the president," Barack Obama declared as he rejected the idea of using burly Secret Service agents to keep lawmakers from leaving until everyone agreed on a budget. He answered reporters' questions shortly after an inconclusive, 52-minute meeting with the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate.

"So ultimately, if Mitch McConnell or John Boehner say, 'We need to go to catch a plane,' I can't have Secret Service block the doorway. Right?"

Even if he did bar his office ? the oval one ? Obama said he wouldn't do a "Jedi mind mild" with Congress' top two Republicans to persuade them "to do what's right."

Yoda-quoting nerds, Beltway insiders and even Hollywood heroes were instantly abuzz. The presidential mishmash of sci-fi references went viral, turning off geeks who had considered Obama to be one of them with a slip of the tongue that was almost as bad as confusing Klingons and Ewoks, or even Democrats and Republicans.

Jedis are from "Star Wars," while mind-melds happened on "Star Trek."

Mister Spock of "Star Trek" weighed in.

"Only a Vulcan mind meld would be effective on this Congress. LLAP," Leonard Nimoy emailed after The Associated Press sought his reaction. Nimoy signed off with the abbreviation for his "Live long and prosper."

As for the situation that led Obama to the briefing room in the first place, he could have quoted Bobby McFerrin and just said: "Don't worry, Be happy."

Instead, the president went with: "This is not going to be a apocalypse."

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AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein and Associated Press Writer Caleb Jones in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/beam-yoda-obama-wont-jedi-mind-meld-195306106--politics.html

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Sony to release "Annie" on Christmas Day 2014

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Sony will release "Annie," a new movie based on the iconic play, on Christmas Day of 2014, the studio announced on Wednesday.

Quvenzhane Wallis, fresh off an Oscar nomination for her performance in "Beasts of the Southern Wild," will star as young orphan who wins the heart of everyone around her. Willow Smith, the daughter of "Annie" producers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, had been set to play that role, but opted out of the project.

Smith's Overbrook Entertainment is producing the film with Jay-Z's Marcy Media, while Will Gluck, who made "Easy A" and "Friends with Benefits" for Sony's ScreenGems imprint, will direct.

The story of "Annie" stems from Harold Gray's comic strip "Little Orphan Annie," which first appeared in 1927. Thomas Meehan, Martin Charnin ad Charles Strouse then adapted that into a Tony-winning Broadway show, featuring now legendary songs like "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life." Jay-Z rapped his own version of the latter.

There have been various Broadway revivals, including a production now up on Broadway, as well as film adaptations. Will Smith announced his plans for a new spin on the tale in 2011.

Though still almost two years away, the holiday schedule for 2014 is starting to fill up with sequels and spin-offs. "Night at the Museum 3," "Minions," an offshoot of the "Despicable Me" franchise, and the next "Avatar" are all tentatively slated for December of that year. Also set to open is "Tomorrowland," Disney's top secret project from "The Incredibles" director Brad Bird and "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof.

Almost all of those movies, two distributed by Fox, one by Universal, one by Disney and now one by Sony, will target a young audience.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sony-release-annie-christmas-day-2014-203355517.html

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