‘The Shawshank Redemption’ At 20: How It Went From Bomb To Beloved

When it premiered on September 23, 1994, “The Shawshank Redemption” barely registered at the box office. The prison drama opened at No. 9, below the odious sex comedy “Exit to Eden” and just above Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” already in its fifth week. Though nominated for seven Academy Awards, the film failed to connect with audiences and vanished from theaters with little fanfare. And then, slowly but surely, its fortunes began to change. On its 20th anniversary, here’s how “The Shawshank Redemption” beat the odds and became a beloved classic.

Stephen King

Prior to 1982, most readers thought of King as an author who wrote only horror, but the publication of “Different Seasons” changed all that. A critically acclaimed bestseller, this beautifully crafted collection of four dramatic novellas introduced King to an even broader audience. The book’s first story, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” remains one of his most deeply humane and hopeful works of fiction.

Kris Jenner Officially Files For Divorce From Bruce Jenner

 

Family patriarch Kris Jenner dispatched her lawyer to Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday to file for divorce from estranged husband Bruce Jenner.

The petition comes nearly a year after they announced their separation.

"We are living separately and we are much happier this way," they said in a joint statement last October. "But we will always have much love and respect for each other. Even though we are separated, we will always remain best friends and, as always, our family will remain our number one priority."

According to the filing, obtained by sources, Kris cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce. She requests joint custody of their 17-year-old daughter, Kylie. (Their other daughter, Kendall, is 18.) Kris also seeks to retain her jewelry and all assets from the date of separation, listed as June 1, 2013. 

Bruce, 64, and Kris, 58, tied the knot in 1991, bringing together a big brood that included Kris's kids Kim, Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob, and Bruce's kids Brody, Brandon, Casey, and Burt.

Apple Cofounder Steve Wozniak Cracked Up When He Saw This $7 iPhone 'Alternative'

Got $7? Then you, too, can own the "ultimate iRonic gift": iCups.

iCups is "the apex of high fashion and high technology. No screen, no buttons, no apps. Just simple, pure communication," its maker says.

This iCups is not to be confused with the "iCups Technician," which is what Apple calls its in-house baristas who make coffee concoctions for Apple staffers.

This iCups is the brainchild of comic Mike Mukhametshin, creator of ADA Sports, a competition for animators on YouTube where people vote for the funniest cartoon.

Mila Kunis Looks Ready To Pop While Out With Ashton Kutcher

Mila Kunis showed off her growing baby bump while out and about with fiance Ashton Kutcher in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The "Ted" star looked ready to pop, as her tummy stole the spotlight in her stripped T-shirt, sweater and ripped jeans. Ashton looked casual as well, wearing a football jersey and a matching hat.

The couple grabbed some Starbucks before taking their pups to the park, and later sat down for lunch at a nearby cafe.

Kenan Thompson Leaving 'Saturday Night Live' After This Season

"Saturday Night Live" is about to lose it's most seasoned performer ... Kenan Thompson will be leaving the show after this season.

Sources connected to SNL say... Thompson -- the most tenured African-American cast member in the show's history -- planned to leave last season, but decided to stay after head honcho Lorne Michaels asked him to stay on ... citing the show's massive turnover this season.

We're told Kenan has no hard feelings and is leaving on great terms. Sources say he's in talks for a new show and plans on moving to L.A. (with his wife and brand new baby) when the season ends.

Kim Kardashian And Kanye West Quietly List Their Bel-Air Mansion For $11 Million

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have quietly listed their half-renovated Bel Air mansion for $11 million. They scooped up the pad shortly before daughter Nori's birth last June, but they never actually moved in due to the ongoing construction. The pair are now residing in their $20 million Hidden Hills home that they bought last month.

The abode was riddled with problems so potential buyers might want to think twice! Apparently there were issues with the electricity, water and heating in the house and workers had to to completely rewire the place.

The lovebirds had reportedly spent over $750,000 on four gold-plated toilets, nearly $1 million on Electrolux appliances, and they even ordered a Swarovski-encrusted fridge and freezer! The Daily Mail reported that Kimye spent over $1 million on six special edition luxury beds that are "covered in the same decadent gold silk used to create iconic Hermes ties, equating to some 1,600 miles of thread in total." A source previously told The Sun, "They expect the interior to cost twice as much as the property. They’re spending more than a million on a security system alone." The new owner better hope it comes furnished!

The home includes a hair and makeup salon, a bowling alley, both indoor and outdoor pools, a basketball court, a movie theater and a custom gym.

Box Office: 'The Maze Runner' Easily Leads With $32.5 Million

20th Century Fox's The Maze Runner opened to a pleasing $32.5 million at the North American box office, more than doubling the $13.1 million debut of Liam Neeson's R-rated action offering A Walk Among the Tombstones.

Shawn Levy's new adult dramedy This Is Where I Leave You followed at No. 3 with $11.9 million.

Overseas, Maze Runner continued to impress, taking in another $37.6 million from its first 50 countries for a worldwide total of $81.5 million.

Idris Elba Provides Additional Proof That Nicolas Cage Might Actually Be A Vampire

Here we have an Idris Elba story about Nicolas Cage and Dracula's castle that basically proves that he is 100% definitely a vampire (or, at least, is exactly as eccentric as the Internet would like to believe). In Elba's own words, as told in his Reddit AMA:

Yeah - Nicolas Cage came back one day on set, and he came down to set and he looked a little bit tired, a little bit - kind of like he'd ben up all night. So I was like "hey Nic man, how you doing man" and he said "i'm alright' and I said "You seem a little spoked out" and he said "Yeah man, I went up to Dracula's castle...the ruins up in the mountains, and I stayed the night" and i said "What?! Why|?" and he said "I just had to channel the energy, and it was pretty spooky up there." We were shooting in Romania, Transylvania, and he just went up there to spend the night, as you do.

And then he walked away.

True story.