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Ballers is not based on a true story, but it uses real-life athletes and personnel to legitimize its projection as a series based on reality. The characters in Ballers share similarities to real NFL players' stories, drawing inspiration from their lives and experiences. HBO was able to use real NFL team names and logos in Ballers without needing written consent from the NFL, as long as it didn't defame the league.

HBO's Ballers depicts a fictionalized yet realistic representation of the lives of professional NFL athletes, agents, and front-office management. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars as a former professional football player that becomes a prominent financial manager for athletes working mostly with active NFL players. Ballers features a number of real-life professional athletes that contribute to the notion that the popular series is based on a true story. Major athletes ranging from NBA star Steph Curry, former NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman,...

NFL fans are mourning the death of a Charger. Shane Olivea, a former lineman for the San Diego Chargers, passed away March 2 at the age of 40. The Chargers confirmed the death on March 3. The cause of death is not yet known. The team remembered the offensive tackle's contributions to their 2006 season in a statement, saying, "In 2006, Olivea was an integral piece of an offensive line that helped Hall of Fame running back Ladainian Tomlinson break the NFL's single-season touchdown record." Fans shared their condolences on social media. Bobby Carpenter, former NFL linebacker for teams like the Dallas Cowboys, tweeted on March 3, "Woke to the sobering news that...

“The Nun” had a divine opening weekend atop the North American box office.

Warner Bros. dominated for the fifth weekend in a row as the latest installment in the “Conjuring” series launched with $53.5 million in 3,876 locations. That easily marks the best debut in the series, crushing 2013’s “The Conjuring,” which previously held the record with $41.8 million. It’s also the second-best September debut behind Warner Bros.’ “It.” Overseas, “The Nun” generated a mighty $77.5 million for a global start of $131 million.

Corin Hardy’s horror flick — starring Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga — broke a number of franchise records this weekend. It had the largest Thursday showing out of the five movies ($5.4 million), as well as the biggest opening day ($22.3 million). Imax screens accounted for $4.5 million of “The Nun’s” debut.

The first four movies in Warner Bros.’ “Conjuring” franchise — “The Conjuring,” “Annabelle,” “The Conjuring 2,” and “Annabelle: Creation” — have generated over $1.1 billion globally.

“The Nun” is heading for a franchise-best $44 million opening weekend at 3,876 North American locations, early estimates showed on Friday.

Jennifer Garner’s action-thriller “Peppermint” is performing in line with expectations and will probably wind up the weekend with $12 million at 2,980 sites for Stx and Lakeshore. It’s battling for second place with Warner Bros.’ fourth frame of “Crazy Rich Asians.”

“The Nun,” the fifth installment in Warner Bros.’ successful “The Conjuring” horror series, had been pegged to dominate the domestic box office with forecasts in the $36 million to $45 million range. “The Conjuring” had the best North American opening with $41.9 million in 2013 on its way to a $137 million domestic total.

“The Nun” is a spinoff of “The Conjuring 2.” Set in Romania in 1952, it stars Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga as a Catholic priest and a novice who are sent by the Vatican to investigate the mysterious suicide of a nun.

“The Nun” has conjured up a franchise-best $5.4 million on Thursday night.

Jennifer Garner’s “Peppermint,” meanwhile, made a moderate $800,000 at 2,340 locations.

“The Nun,” the fifth installment in Warner Bros.’ “The Conjuring” horror franchise, is pegged to dominate the domestic box office with forecasts in the $36 million to $45 million range when it debuts at 3,876 theaters.

It’s by far the best preview number for the five movies in the “Conjuring” franchise — “The Conjuring,” “Annabelle,” “The Conjuring 2,” and “Annabelle: Creation” — which has generated more than $1.1 billion globally. “Annabelle: Creation” took in $4 million in previews last year on its way to a $35 million U.S. opening weekend.

“The Nun” is a spinoff of “The Conjuring 2.” It’s set in Romania in 1952 and stars Demian Bichir and Taissa Farmiga as a Catholic priest and a novice who are sent to the Vatican to investigate the mysterious suicide of a nun. Gary Dauberman,...

As the summer movie season officially came to a close, a pair of darker titles are hoping to terrorize the domestic box office this weekend.

Estimates show “The Nun,” the fifth installment in “The Conjuring” series, launching with $36 million to $45 million when it debuts in over 2,850 locations. Some tracking suggests that’s too modest, and the film could make well over $50 million during its opening weekend. That would be a monstrously good start considering the low price tag typically attached to horror flicks. Buzz already seems strong as “The Nun” is currently outpacing all previous “Conjuring” movies combined in Fandango’s presales, the ticketing service reported on Wednesday. According to Fandango, it is also dominating previous horror hits “Get Out” and “A Quiet Place” in advanced sales at the same point in those film’s sales cycles.

If “The Nun” is able to reach the higher end of projections, it...

Ladainian Tomlinson says it's not even a debate in his mind -- if he's Todd Bowles, Teddy Bridgewater is the starting Qb on opening day for the NY Jets.  Darnold -- the #3 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- has been solid in the pre-season ... showing real potential, despite his inexperience.  On the other hand, Teddy Bridgewater has been a Stud after coming back from one of the worst knee injuries in the history of the league.

Ladainian Tomlinson has Zero sympathy for Broncos players who got wack haircuts this week ... 'cause back when he was a rookie -- he was hazed to the tune of a near $20,000 dinner check!! We got the legendary Charger out at Lax when he told us the Denver hazing story doesn't even compare to what he went through as a first-year player in 2001. "The late Junior Seau and the veterans hazed me by taking me to...

Antonio Gates is getting some career advice from his friend and former teammate Ladainian Tomlinson -- hang it up.  After 15 seasons with the Chargers, the team has cut ties with the 37-year-old tight end -- and he still hasn't been picked up by another squad.  So, when we saw Lt -- who played 7 seasons with Gates in San Diego -- we asked if he thinks it's time for #85 to ride off into the sunset.  "I...

Ladainian Tomlinson says Saquon Barkley is basically L.T. 2.0 -- but tells TMZ Sports that ain't enough for him to go #1 in the NFL draft. We asked Ladainian about all the Saquon comparisons people have been making when we got the Chargers legend at Lax ... and he couldn't agree more. "He’s a little bit bigger than I am -- but they’re awesome comparisons," L.T. said. "The lateral movement, quickness, the power, he...

When Beyoncé gives you advice, you take it!

And that’s exactly what rapper and Broadway performer Todrick Hall did when he got to work with Queen Bey while choreographing the music video for her song “Blow” off her 2014 Beyoncé album.

“She basically told me, ‘Don’t scroll down. Think about everything that you post before you post it but once you post it, don’t apologize for the things that you’ve done,’ and I think that’s really important,” Hall, 32, tells People exclusively. “Before, I was very impulsive. If I was upset or emotional I would post something...

[[tmz:video id="0_odjwbemo"]] Ladainian Tomlinson loves him some Odell Beckham -- loves -- but tells fantasy football owners he's got some real concerns about the Wr after that scary-looking injury Monday night.  Lt was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood when we asked for his 3 Must-haves on his Ff team.  After busting out 3 top names who weren't NY Giants, the Hall of Famer explained why the ankle injury is raising some red flags.  For the record, Beckham was optimistic...

[[tmz:video id="0_q82ca5i8"]] Chad Johnson is Furious that his good friend Terrell Owens didn't make the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... saying "It's a bunch of political bulls***" and T.O. should already have a gold jacket. The 2017 class was revealed over the weekend -- including Ladainian Tomlinson, Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner and Jason Taylor -- leaving a lot of fans pissed about T.O. not making the cut. Johnson is clearly part of that group ... but says...

[[tmz:video id="0_lxtuzhs3"]] Terrell Owens is getting a Lot of praise from fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee Ladainian Tomlinson ... who says the former NFL superstar is one of the top 5 WRs in NFL history. TMZ Sports spoke with L.T. ... who says T.O.'s off-field antics kept him from getting the gold jacket last year, but says if voters focused on his on-field accomplishments, he's a shoo-in for the Hall. Check out the clip ... L.

Ladainian Tomlinson, the NFL Network analyst and former star running back, will make his feature-film acting debut in a movie based on the country song "Bless the Broken Road," which was first recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and more recently was a hit for Rascal Flatts.

In the film, titled God Bless the Broken Road, Tomlinson plays a pastor trying to help a distressed mom, played by Lindsay Pulsipher, and a disabled war veteran, played by Arthur Cartwright. Jordin Sparks, Kim Delaney, Robin Givens and Madeline Carroll also star.

The song's lyrics tell of a person finding love...

[[tmz:video id="0_1gs5077q"]] Two sensational rookies ... but only one can be NFL Rookie of the Year -- and according to Ladainian Tomlinson, it's Ezekiel Elliott all the way.  We spoke with the NFL legend about the insane season both Zeke and Dak Prescott are having -- and while Tomlinson is extremely impressed with both guys ... he makes the case for Ee. He also thinks Elliott has a real shot at 2,000 yards this season (no pressure!) ... and gives Major...

[[tmz:video id="0_n1g2amof"]] NFL great Ladainian Tomlinson -- who lives in the Dallas area -- says the assassination of police officers and the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile should serve as a wake-up call to superstar athletes.  TMZ Sports got Lt's reaction to the violence that erupted in his home state, and he was deeply concerned about the future for his son. As for solutions to the issues -- he talked about why more athletes don't...

[[tmz:video id="0_fzfb7obl"]] Ladainian Tomlinson says he was Pissed when he got stuck with a $32,000 dinner tab as a rookie back in 2001 ... especially when people ordered Lobsters To Go!! Lt joined the guys on "TMZ Sports" on FS1 (tonight at 9:30 Pm Pt) and confirmed what his ex-teammate Marcellus Wiley said ... that he got hit with one of the Highest rookie dinner bills of all time!  You gotta watch the clip ... Lt says he was so mad, he...

[[tmz:video id="0_w32nv4tq"]] It's a good thing Ladainian Tomlinson signed a $6 Million signing bonus in 2001 ... 'cause the guy got stuck with a $32,000 rookie dinner tab that season ... so says one of his former teammates.  We spoke with Marcellus Wiley -- who was on the Chargers when Lt was taken as the #5 overall pick in 2001 -- and he tells us he remembers the actual rookie dinner bill ... right down to the penny.  Rookie dinner hazing is back in the...

[[tmz:video id="0_e9yxlpf3"]] Ladainian Tomlinson's career has totally gone to the dogs since he retired from the NFL ... 'cause the future Hall of Famer says he's now a first ballot pup groomer. Lt was leaving Lax when we asked about his newfound commitment to canines ... a "pet resort" he opened up in San Diego towards the tail end of his playing career. Tomlinson proceeded to talk Lassies and Fidos like they were x's and o's ... saying his...

Former NFL star Ladainian Tomlinson says RG3 is totally done in Washington ... but not in the NFL ... telling TMZ Sports the Redskins need to cut bait with the embattled Qb  ... so he can rise again with a different squad. Lt was at Lax when we asked the future Hall of Famer about a plethora of NFL topics ... including RG3's dismal situation in D.C. -- where the former golden boy has been demoted to clipboard holder.

If you've got a spare $3.5 million laying around ... You Gotta Buy Ladainian Tomlinson'S Mansion ... it's for sale -- and it's unbelievable. The 13-acre property sits on two lots in an ultra-private community just outside of San Diego ... complete with 10,000 square feet of living space. But here's where it gets crazy ... the 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom mansion includes ... -- A resort style pool with a Rope Bridge and waterfalls-- private basketball court-- private golf area with sand...

Ladainian Tomlinson could have a future in the WWE ... 'cause the NFL legend tells TMZ Sports he would absolutely be down to get in the ring ... but there's one catch. Lt was out at Mastro's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills the other day when we asked how he felt about his former San Diego Chargers teammate Shawne Merriman trying to hammer out a deal to join the McMahon family business. "He reminds me of a young Rock,...

Sean Giambrone could well succeed Frankie Muniz, Fred Savage and other fondly remembered child stars in his role as video-camera-toting Adam on ABC's new, fact-inspired '80s sitcom "The Goldbergs," which premieres Tuesday (Sept. 24).

The 14-year-old is standing in for series creator Adam F. Goldberg on camera, and his adult self (voiced by Patton Oswalt) narrates the show. Comparisons to "The Wonder Years" are likely inevitable, but Giambrone's infectious enthusiasm helps "The Goldbergs" stand on its own.

He's one of Zap2it's Ones to Watch for the 2013-14 season ... and he may be young, but as he tells us, he has definite ideas about what he likes.

What's the current home-screen picture on your phone?A picture of Woody from "Toy Story" relaxing.

What are your can't-miss TV shows?"Suits," "The Americans" and "Spongebob SquarePants."

What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?"Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver.

San Diego Chargers legend Ladainian Tomlinson will Never return to the NFL -- despite reports of a lucrative offer from his old team -- telling TMZ, retired life is just too good to give up.Lt was out in L.A. Monday when we asked about the Chargers reportedly offering Tomlinson a new contract this spring ... after he retired last year.Tomlinson told us ... life after the game is so amazing, there's no way he'd...

More than a week after his May 2 death, NFL legend Junior Seau was laid to rest in his native Oceanside, Ca. 

Prior to the burial, members of Seau's family, friends, and former teammates including Ladainian Tomlinson and Marcellus Wiley attended his funeral at Calvary Chapel before escorting his body to Eternal Hills cemetery in Oceanside. A private viewing of Seau was held on Thursday.

Related: Stars React to Junior Seau's Death

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of fans gathered at Qualcomm Stadium for a public memorial service.

Earlier this month, Celebrities, fellow athletes and fans are mourned the loss of the NFL great. "Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now," read the official website of the San Diego Chargers." We ask everyone to stop what they're doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family." The team is currently displaying a photo of the late linebacker on their main page in...

 

Yesterday I brought you the music videos of David Fincher and today I bring you his commercials. With a strong visual eye and an occasionally dark, yet playful, sense of humor, Fincher has directed commercials for companies such as Nike, Budweiser, Heineken, Coca-Cola, Apple, Motorola, Adidas, Colt 45, Levi's, At&T and Hp and in those commercials he's featured stars such as Brad Pitt, a very young Angelina Jolie, the late Dennis Hopper, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Claire Forlani, Billy Dee Williams as well as sports stars such as Charles Barkley, Michael Vick, Terrell Owens, Adrian Peterson, Ladainian Tomlinson, Troy Polamalu, Shawne Merriman and Steven Jackson. Over the next four pages I have gathered a collection of 23 of Fincher's commercials for you to preview and I'm sure you'll recognize many and yet will have never realized they were directed by the man behind Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac and his latest effort,...

Times Square hosts relaxing event to promote USA Network’s new psychotherapy drama with activities to confront and maintain your stress!

USA Network hosted a very special event to help promote their upcoming drama, Necessary Roughness. To coincide with the show’s premiere, airing tonight at 10/9c on USA Network, street-goers and passers-by were treated to numerous recreational activities that included sumo wrestling, a silent disco, and a free massage! The event was culminated with a special appearance by New York Jets running back Ladainian Tomlinson!

Necessary Roughness stars Callie Thorne as Dr. Dani Santino, a Long Island psychotherapist, who successfully turns a bad-boy professional football player, played by Mehcad Brooks, into an accomplished athlete. From there, she becomes the most sought after therapist for athletes, entertainers, politicians, and other high-profile clients who are in a crisis. However, her newly found success begins to tamper her personal life as a...

I am a huge Madden fan. I love playing those games each year. One of the things that goes with playing the games each year is the coincidental Madden Curse associated with the newest version of the game. TheWrap reports that EA sports wants to produce a film comedy based on the idea of the curse. The story will follow a former Madden video game champion who is forced out of retirement just as he finds himself on the corner of the game’s cover — and subject to the curse. Seems a lot like the Brett Farve story to me.

Every year it seems that the player who gets honored with marketing themselves during the release of the game ends up having bad seasons that year, whether it be an injury that plagues them, bad performance, or worse, a complete utter downfall of their career.

Examples of the curse are guys like Daunte Culpepper,...

Have you ever heard of the Madden curse? If not, apparently it's a jinx that effects NFL players who appear on the cover of EA's popular video game Madden NFL. PLayers that have been on the cover of the game have suffered injuries or poor performance.

It's being reported that there is a movie that will be based around this infamous curse. It will be a sports comedy that will follow a former Madden video game champion who is forced out of retirement just as he finds himself on the corner of the game's cover, which means that he's subject to the curse.

Do you believe that this curse could be real? If not you might want to check this out! Here's a great little rundown of the history of the Madden curse from The Wrap:

NFL legend John Madden appeared on the cover of all the Madden games until...

Each and every year, the Madden NFL series is one of the top selling video games. The highly realistic football simulator has been been a console staple for the better part of two decades and is the closest a gamer can get to actually being on the gridiron, both as a player or a coach. Over the decades though, while gamers took control of their favorite NFL teams virtually, the actual players on the cover of the game were getting injured in reality. This strange phenomenon became known as the Madden Curse and while it hasn't taken its toll on Madden NFL 2011 cover boy quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints (above), it still has an impressive, and eerie, track record. Several athletes have acknowledged the curse and now the company behind the Madden NFL series, Electronic Arts, are doing more than acknowledging it. They're hoping to profit from it.

The 2010 Edition of SportsCenter .My Wish. series debuts July 18 at 10 a.m. Et on Espn. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2010, the Make-a-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Five children.s wishes will feature athletes Dale Earnhardt Jr., Albert Pujols, Ladainian Tomlinson, Travis Pastrana and the Oakland Raiders. The 2010 edition of SportsCenter.s .My Wish. series in collaboration with the Make-a-Wish Foundation® will debut Sunday, July 18 during the 10 a.m. Et edition of SportsCenter, Espn.s flagship news and information program. The series will continue Monday . Thursday featuring a new wish each day during the 6 p.m. Et edition of the...

The above shot was taken from "Madden NFL 11" and features Ladainian Tomlinson in his brand new digs as one of the New York Jets. While his 2009 stats weren't exactly all-star level, he's certainly looking spry in the game.

Ian Cummings, the Creative Director of the game, posted the shot on his TwitPic account, with the following caption:

"L. Tomlinson leans and cuts like a true pro as a Jet in Madden NFL 11"

Still waiting to play "Madden NFL 11" for the first time, but I know for sure that it involves football in some way.

Say hi to your wife. Hit that hole. Wave to your mom. You don't like that call. These are all dance moves --or "dance" moves -- from San Diego Charger Ladainian Tomlinson and we can now thank mother goddess Eywa for the sensational "Lt Slide Electric Glide." This morning seems to have greeted us with bad songs, but this one is at least intentionally bad. With '80s video effects that even Mgmt would be proud of, plus absurdist lyricism ("ha ha ha ha") and funny-looking "fans" busting a move with the famed running back, this rivals the Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle"...

Back in October of 2008, we posted "Fate", a Nike commercial that David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en) directed which told the life-long journey of pro football players Ladainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu as their destinies collide in an NFL football game, set to a remix of Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (if you haven't seen it, trust me, click the link). Before Fincher ventured off to direct the Facebook movie The Socail Network, he filmed another Nike spot -- not as great as his last effort, but worth watching none the less. The new spot is titled "Nike Pro Combat: Trail of Destruction (Alter Ego)". Watch it after the jump. Based on a concept by Wieden & Kennedy, the portland-based advertising agency behind some of Nike's best campaigns (including Bo Knows, Spike Lee's Mars Blackmon Air Jordan ads, Charles Barkley's...

David Fincher (Fight Club, Benjamin Button, Zodiac) is constantly hired by Nike to direct their commercials. We have already seen one called "Fate," which follows the lives of the San Diego Chargers' running back Ladainian Tomlinson and the Pittsburgh Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu from their young age all the way till their collision in the NFL. Today, we have a new Nike ad that Fincher put together. It is entitled "Alter Ego" and is meant to promote the company's Pro Combat innovative padding system. The commercial features Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and starting last Thursday, will run through several weeks on major networks and cable channels including Espn, ABC, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, MTV and Bet. Commercial: If you cannot see the player, click here.

• What does a top Hollywood filmmaker do between shoots? He picks up an extra paycheck from working on commercial work from Nike. The week-long Cannes Lions honors the best in advertising work, today is reserved for television commercial work (Film Awards) and out of the batch of short list nominees we find this week's eye candy and Silver award winning: David Fincher's Fate.  Anonymous Content hired Fincher for Nike's television ad with a story-line on how a pair of kids go through a real life obstacle course to get to play in the big leagues. A great storyboard and benefiting from many indoor and outdoor locales, Fincher merges a beautiful mix of slow motion visuals with a fluid musical score. The synopsis is: The lifelong journeys of pro football players Ladainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu are chronicled as their destinies collide in an NFL football game.          ...

...

Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere pointed out Nike's latest Nike Football "Leave Nothing" commercial, this year directed by David Fincher and shot by Emmanuel Lubezki (Ali, The New World, Children of Men). The spaghetti western motiff is pretty cool and it got me thinking back to last year's equally cool (if not cooler) commercial shot by Michael Mann with his frequent Dp partner Dante Spinotti (Heat, The Insider, Public Enemies). Now I leave it up to you, which one do you like better? I know there is an opinion out there because I know there are a lot of Mann and Fincher fans in the RopeofSilicon audience. Then again, perhaps it is a matter of whether you favor Shawne Merriman and Steven Jackson over Ladainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu. Let your voice be heard. Nike "Leave Nothing" Commercial (2007) Directed by Michael Mann; Shot by Dante Spinotti Nike "Leave Nothing" Commercial...