AP Sports SummaryBrief at 5:13 p.m. ESTThe hardest movie ticket to get this weekend was for a film audiences have been able to watch at home for years: Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar.” The science fiction epic starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway earned $4.5 million from only 166 screens in the U.S. and Canada. Its 70mm IMAX film presentations sold out in minutes, leaving theaters scrambling to add more and people paying up to $300 on the re-sale market. Those 10 film screens alone had a staggering $70,000 per theater average, one of the highest of the year and usually the bragging rights of acclaimed arthouse movies playing on only four screens. Ten years after “Interstellar” was given a film release as a special exception at time when its studio, Paramount, was committing to a digital future, film is not only back but driving audiences to theaters. “I was just so gratified by the response,” Nolan said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press. “It’s really thrilling when people respond to your work at any point. But 10 years later, to have new audiences coming and experiencing it in the way that we’d originally intended it on the big IMAX screens and in particular on those IMAX film prints? It’s really rewarding to see that it continues to have a life.” How Nolan fought for film and the re-release “Interstellar” had been a labor of love, with Nolan fighting against the tides of a changing industry to use film, certain of its value. Like McConaughey’s Cooper, an astronaut clinging to skills that were all but obsolete in his dust bowl reality, “Interstellar” was made by a celluloid-loving filmmaker when the format was least valued. “Celluloid film was very threatened. Digital was taking over everything,” Nolan said. “We put an enormous amount of work and effort into the IMAX 70mm film format release at the time feeling like we didn’t know how much longer we’d be able to do that.” During its time, “Interstellar” was received warmly and an unambiguous success, but it also had its detractors. Its five Oscar nominations and win were all for crafts. And yet in the decade since, “Interstellar” has become beloved, a true classic. Nolan observed that it was the film that people kept wanting to talk about, telling him what it meant to them and asking if it was ever going to be re-released. Those grand emotions and sentimental themes of love, family and exploration that were a liability with some are now its most cherished qualities. “A lot of these people were younger people who, it was clear to me, had seen the film in the home and hadn’t had the chance to see it on the big screen,” Nolan said. While there have been “Interstellar” rereleases internationally, in China and at the Science Museum in London, Nolan saw an opportunity and spoke to IMAX and Paramount, now under a new regime, about a proper North American re-release for its 10th anniversary. The prints, Nolan said, hadn’t aged a day. IMAX hardly needed convincing: They’ve had the anniversary date circled on the calendar. For years, “Interstellar” was by far the biggest request on their social channels. “We saw this coming from the beginning,” IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said. “It reminded us in a small way of the frenzy around ‘Oppenheimer.’ But the result is far beyond our expectations.” “Interstellar” is now the ninth highest-grossing IMAX release of all time and is closing in on eight (currently occupied by “The Last Jedi.”) The company is currently exploring options for re-releases in different territories. What should Hollywood learn from the weekend? The “Oppenheimer” effect was real in redeeming film’s value for the business. IMAX screens accounted for some 20% of the nearly $1 billion this year’s Oscar best picture winner made globally (it ranks at No. 5 for IMAX). While filmmakers have long cherished film stock, “Oppenheimer” had studios, distributors and theaters taking note of the demand. Earlier this year the film showings of “Dune: Part Two” were sold out for four weeks. And there’s more to come: Ryan Coogler’s new film “Sinners,” opening in March 2025, was shot with IMAX cameras. The “Interstellar” release was fairly “low key” when it came to promotion, but it also didn’t need much — fans made sure of that. Before IMAX had even announced that tickets were on sale, some noticed that AMC had made them available. News spread on socials and overnight every 70mm IMAX showing at the Lincoln Square location in New York had sold out. It wasn’t just the “primetime” slots either: The 1 AM showtimes were at capacity too. After the weekend’s turnout surpassed expectations, they added more 70mm IMAX screenings through the week which also filled up quickly. While Nolan is in some ways an anomaly, as the rare filmmaker whose name alone can draw crowds for original fare, there are lessons to be learned from the weekend. “It just shows our industry once again that audiences truly understand the difference between a communal, big screen theatrical experience that they crave even on films that they’ve had the opportunities to see in the home,” Nolan said. “That theatrical experience that we all know and love is so powerful and so exciting. It’s a very clear demonstration of it, especially coming amidst all the great successes right now, “Wicked,””Gladiator II,””Moana 2.” “Audiences are coming out in droves for that experience that we all love so much.” Dreaming big for the future and appreciating the past Before the weekend, Nolan was able to see the film again on the big screen for the first time since the original release, accompanied by his Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. “Interstellar” was their first collaboration and Hoytema’s introduction to IMAX cameras (where he proved that they could be handheld if you tried hard enough). “It was really, really fun,” Nolan said. He also approved the new 4K UHD “Interstellar” set that’s now available. Since “Oppenheimer’s” big night at the Oscars and Nolan’s best director win, there’s been much speculation about his next film with near daily rumors circulating about casting and genre, none of which have been officially confirmed. It’s not something he’s speaking publicly about yet. One thing he will say, however, is that he’s in the throes of intensive testing for a new film technology with IMAX to use in the next production. “They have an incredible engineering staff, really brilliant minds doing extraordinary work,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see innovation in the celluloid film arena still happening and happening at the highest level possible.” And he’s still making time to go to the movies. Over the weekend, Nolan went to see “Wicked” at a theater in Burbank where he also peeked into one of the IMAX presentations of his film. “It was pretty magical to see a full house on that film,” he said. “It was a very special thing to see, 10 years later.”
In June, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District staff learned of a problem : The sewer interceptor pipe running through EagleVail had an irregular flow pattern. While there were only minor impacts to service at the time — one customer’s wastewater was not draining properly — an investigation of the pipe revealed a greater issue. Tree roots in several places infiltrated the vitrified clay pipe that made up the sewer interceptor. An interceptor, also called a trunk line, is a larger type of pipe that absorbs the flow from smaller pipes as it moves down the system. This particular trunk line is essential because it carries wastewater between Vail and Avon. The pipe was partially filled with roots in some places, leaving significantly less space for wastewater to flow. While the issue was non-emergent — many days, wastewater only fills a third of the pipe — it remained top of mind for district staff. The monthlong repair, which cleared out the roots and installed a cured-in-place pipe to keep them from returning, wrapped up last month. From Oct. 22 through Nov. 20, district staff supervised a specialized contractor-led repair using a cured-in-place pipe liner, essentially a custom-made sleeve that hardens in place once it is inserted into the pipe, creating one long pipe surface and reinforcing the existing pipe’s walls. Brad Zachman, the district’s director of operations, Niko Nemcanin, the district’s field operations manager, and Micah Schuette, the project manager, presented the construction progress to the district board on Dec. 5. When Eagle County’s upper valley was starting to fill out in the 1960s and 1970s, the district installed a sewer system to serve its new residents. That system was primarily made out of clay pipe. As clay pipe ages, water sometimes escapes from the joints where individual pipes are connected, and tree roots will trace their way to the source. Over time, roots can create significant impediments within the pipe as they grow, fed by the nutrients flowing through the pipe. “When you have the trees planted on top of our pipes and our easements, it can lead to this type of intrusion,” Schuette said. It is in the district’s rules and regulations that trees — along with any other landscaping or structures — should not be planted or built within district easements. The sewer interceptor in EagleVail runs from West Vail to Avon, carrying wastewater between the district’s Vail Wastewater Treatment Facility to the Avon Wastewater Treatment Facility. The pipe operates all day, every day, and is the main transporter of that area’s wastewater. The four sections that needed to be repaired totaled 1,260 linear feet long, making it the biggest pipe-lining project the district had ever taken on, Nemcanin said. The process of fixing the pipe required multiple steps. First, the pipe had to be bypassed, moving its contents into an alternative pipe without disrupting service. The sewer interceptor then had to be cleaned of tree roots and rocks with specialized tools. Finally, the liner was installed. Residents of EagleVail and Avon may be familiar with the bypass, a 3,000-foot-long pipe that ran aboveground on the south shoulder of U.S. Highway 6 from east of the Post Boulevard roundabout to Stonebridge Drive. The liner, which is 9 millimeters thick, was custom-made to fit the pipe. The pipe was measured several times before the liner was made. “One of the risks of the CIPP is if you haven’t thoroughly characterized the inside of the pipe and they show up with this impregnated folded liner and it’s the wrong size, or you run into a situation where the pipe is damaged ... you eat the cost of that liner because it can’t be used” in another pipe, Zachman said. The liner arrived looking like a heavy, deflated bag, Schuette said. The liner was inserted into the pipe and was then molded to the pipe with heat. During transit, the liner was kept cold with ice. “As soon as it heats up, then it starts to cure,” Schuette said. To mold the pipe in place, steam was passed through the pipe. A small wire running through the bottom of the pipe measured the temperature, as the liner had to reach 150 degrees for around an hour to properly harden in place. While there are no joints in the cured-in-place pipe, an “important disadvantage” of the liner is that when sections of the liner need to be cut out where the sewer interceptor connects to other pipes or manholes, those can become “a pathway for roots,” Zachman said. To combat this, special inserts will be added to block out the roots in those places. In the end, the pilot project cost $516,000. Schuette called this “a pretty good price” compared to an open trench repair, which would have required excavating and potentially replacing the whole pipe and the roadway above it, a much longer, more disruptive and costlier project. While the EagleVail repair was a big undertaking, the four sections made up only a quarter mile of the roughly 18 miles of clay pipe in the district’s system. Any section of pipe that is made of clay will need to be investigated for similar root infiltration. Though not all 18 miles of pipe are interceptor, most pipe installed between Vail and Avon is likely clay. If the pipe were to be installed today, district staff would use a new PVC technology that is flexible, will not crack lengthwise, and, most importantly, has gaskets that prevent trees from gaining access to the interior, Nemcanin said. The district is already beginning talks with contractors about the next phase of the project. In addition to the repairs in EagleVail, the contractors investigated three segments of pipe upstream and downstream of the repaired sections and did not find major intrusions, Nemcanin said. Notably, these un-infiltrated sections did not have large trees on or around them. The section of pipe from Avon to Edwards is made of PVC pipe and thus less susceptible to the root infiltration issue, so the investigation for other damaged sections of pipe will head east from EagleVail. The presence of trees on the aerial map of the area will help identify priority areas for investigation. As other infiltrated sections of pipe are identified, the results of the contractor’s inspection will determine whether a full replacement is needed, or a cured-in-place liner will suffice.The modern Audi brand was born in the mid-'60s as a division of Volkswagen, although it nearly didn't turn out that way. Evolving from the struggling Auto Union , the brand became a success against the odds, thanks to the ingenuity of its cars. Those cars were at times developed in secret, and with limited funding, but their success proved instrumental in turning the brand into the major industry player it is today. There are lots of ways to define what success means in the automotive world — it can mean strong sales figures, a positive critical reception, a dedicated fanbase, or being influential on later models. Often, it's a mix of all of them. Each of the 10 models we're highlighting here have proved to be particularly important in Audi's history, with most also boasting high sales figures and critical praise to complement that historical importance. That combination makes them arguably among the most successful Audi models to date. The Q7 was Audi's first production SUV, launching in 2005 amid what was then still an emerging market for luxury road-oriented SUVs. Audi was relatively late to the party among German manufacturers — the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz M-Class, and Porsche Cayenne all beat it to market by several years — but the Q7 proved successful nonetheless. Much like its rivals, the Q7's appeal centered around its road manners, interior space, and luxurious materials, a formula that still remains unchanged today. The latest iteration of the Audi Q7 was unveiled for the 2025 model year, boasting upgrades to both its infotainment tech and its powertrains. Alongside the Q7, a sportier SQ7 variant is also available with around 500 hp on tap. It might not be the biggest selling SUV in Audi's lineup by volume, but the Q7 continues to play a key role alongside the Q8 as the joint flagship model in the brand's SUV range. Its expanded lineup of smaller SUVs offer a more affordable alternative into Audi ownership, but they may never have been developed had the original Q7 not proved such a success for the brand. As well as being arguably one of Audi's best looking cars ever , the R8 was also one its most ambitious. The brand's first true supercar shared both its platform and powertrain with the Lambroghini Gallardo at launch, becoming Audi's halo model and something of an experiment for the brand. Audi had plenty of racing history — in fact, the R8's name was taken from the brand's record-breaking Le Mans prototype — but had never channeled that expertise into a road car quite like this before. The resulting car was a success in several ways, with its competition variant being highly successful on track and the road variant proving that Audi could produce a supercar to hang with the big guns. The German automaker didn't rest on its laurels either, continually tweaking the R8 over its time on sale with new and improved versions of both its coupe and spyder models . However, its sales were never as strong as Audi bosses had hoped for, and the R8 was criticized by some for being left behind by its rapidly evolving rivals, despite Audi's periodic upgrades. Perhaps not the most successful supercar of its era then, but definitely a big success in terms of elevating the image of the Audi brand and giving its scores of sedan and SUV buyers a highly desirable — if largely unattainable — halo product to aspire to. Forming the backbone of Audi's lineup during its decades on sale, the Audi 80 got an unexpected boost later in its production run when Britain's Princess Diana bought one. At the time, the intense press coverage of her life gave Audi a huge amount of free publicity, and sales skyrocketed. However, the 80 deserves more than to be remembered as simply the Princess' car of choice. The B-Series 80 was first launched in 1972 and won widespread praise for its handling and efficiency. It was more compact than other sedans at the time, but didn't compromise on power or technology. Buyers snapped up more than a million examples in just six years, and continued to keep demand high over the car's four generations. Audi originally intended production to take place solely at its Ingolstadt factory, but with so many buyers placing orders, two VW plants were also roped in to keep wait lists from overflowing. Eventually, the 80 nameplate was retired and replaced with the equally successful A4. Audi's small sports car was both a critical and sales success at its launch, with the first generation car selling over 178,000 units between 1998 and 2006. The TT managed to establish itself as a thoroughly fashionable car, and thus became popular with image-conscious buyers looking for a sporty daily driver. It wasn't quite as hardcore as other rivals from the era, and so its appeal among traditional enthusiasts was more limited. This was, after all, a sports car with an engine and platform borrowed from the humble Volkswagen Golf. However, those enthusiasts would be better served by the hotter versions Audi would release later in the TT's lifespan, including the TTS and TT RS. Both variants were launched during the car's second generation, which remained in production until 2014. The final generation of the car was retired in 2023 amid slowing sales, with the hype of the original long gone. Its spark might have fizzled out a little toward the end, but the TT's early years secured its spot among the brand's most successful cars to date. Launched only two years after the Q7, the Q5 has proven to be Audi's best selling SUV model, with around 1.6 million examples sold over its first eight years on sale. It was essentially conceived as an SUV version of the A4, and shared the latter's platform and powertrains. Much like the Q7, on-road performance was given first priority — Audi knew all too well that the closest that the vast majority of its buyers would get to off-roading was clipping the curb on the way out of a mall parking lot. The latest iteration of the Q5 retains the same basic formula, and it still shares its platform with Audi's family sedan (although, confusingly, that sedan is now referred to as the A5 rather than the A4). It is now in its third generation, with many of the biggest changes arriving in the form of new infotainment and safety tech. It remains a strong seller, particularly in Europe and in its home market of Germany, despite the increased competition in the segment. With the new generation now in dealerships, there's no reason to think that the latest version will be any less successful than its predecessors. When the Audi A3 debuted in 1996, there wasn't anything else quite like it on the market. Taking the premium interior and driving dynamics best associated with the brand's sedans and combining it with the bones of the popular VW Golf, the A3 was the first player in what's now known as the premium hatchback segment. Mercedes-Benz would try a similar formula — with slightly less success — with the A-Class a few years later, while BMW offered the 3 Series Compact and later the 1 Series. None of its German rivals have managed to eclipse the popularity of this Audi model, which had sold more than five million units by 2020. It remains a hit across Europe, particularly in the U.K., where it ranks in the top 10 best selling models overall according to 2024 sales data. The hatchback continues to be related to the Golf, but like the brand's other models, it has undergone a series of styling, powertrain, and technology changes throughout the generations to keep it competitive against its ever-changing rivals. The original model to wear the iconic Quattro badge was introduced in 1980, and would remain in production until 1991. This wasn't originally Audi's intention — the plan was to produce just 400 examples to ensure that Audi could homologate the car for racing, but with buyers snapping up that original allotment, the brand decided to make a few more. And then, a few more after that. It kept churning them out until eventually 11,452 examples had been produced. As well as being a legendary road car in its own right, the Quattro is arguably the most iconic rally car of all time . The car popularized the use of all-wheel drive and took several major titles including both the manufacturers' and drivers' WRC crown in 1984. It proved successful in hill climb racing too, winning at Pikes Peak in 1987. Today, the Quattro system remains a key part of the brand's appeal, and can be found across its lineup. According to Audi, almost half of its entire inventory sold in 2019 featured the Quattro system. A resounding success then, and one that might never have been were it not for the achievements of the '80s classic. Although later models would wear the 100 badge, the original generation has remained the most critical in ensuring the brand's future success. It was first launched in 1968, having been developed in secret by Audi's chief engineer. At the time, Audi was still in turmoil — a few years earlier, its predecessor Auto Union had been bought by Volkswagen, mainly for its factories and production staff. Volkswagen didn't intend on allowing Auto Union to develop its own cars, but its chief engineer did just that regardless. Eventually, the secret was unveiled, but the resulting car impressed VW bosses enough that they allowed production to go ahead. It was christened the 100 and immediately caught the attention of both the press and public at launch. In a twist of irony, the Audi proved so popular that its main factory couldn't keep up with demand, and Volkswagen ended up enlisting two of its own factories to assist with production. A grand total of 827,474 examples of the first generation 100 would eventually be produced, with its popularity paving the way for future Audi models to be developed. First launched in 1994, the Audi A4 had the tough task of living up to the success of its predecessor, the 80. It did so with aplomb, offering an improved ride, revised powertrains, and extra interior space. Keeping its German rivals at bay — namely those from BMW and Mercedes-Benz — was no easy task. Their ever-changing nature meant that the A4 also continuously evolved, with the B5 giving way to the B6 in 2001 and the B7 arriving in 2004. The B8 was launched for 2008, and then it took until 2015 for the B9 to hit dealerships. Across each one, Audi continuously tweaked the A4's design, although never radically so. It simply didn't need to, as it continued to be the brand's best selling sedan year upon year. However, the impending integration of electrified models into the brand's main A-Series lineup necessitates that A4 undertakes its biggest change yet. At least, its biggest change in naming terms. The A4 nameplate will be used for an electric car from 2025, while the gas-powered A4 will become the A5. There is, of course, already an Audi A5 in the lineup, which is a two-door variant of the A4. The new 2025 models will be merged, marking the end of the traditional gas-powered A4 model, even if the nameplate lives on in a different form. While it boasts the shortest production run of any of the successful models here, there's no denying the impact that the RS2 Avant had on Audi's history. It was the first car to wear the RS badge, and was developed in conjunction with Porsche. Notably, it also borrows some of its parts from Porsche's parts bin. Its success paved the way for the RS range of today, despite it being one of the models Audi never offered in America . Audi had initially planned a run of 2,200 examples of the RS2 Avant, but after seeing the original allocation get quickly snapped up by enthusiasts, the brand expanded production by a further 700 units. It was only ever intended to be a niche vehicle — a kind of experiment by Audi execs to see how well a fast wagon would perform in dealerships — but its success spawned the RS4 Avant and RS6 Avant, alongside other RS-badged models to expand on the original car's go-fast philosophy.
Summers scores 22 off the bench, Indiana State downs St. Louis Pharmacy 101-53 TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Reserve Jahni Summers led Indiana State past St. Louis Pharmacy on Saturday with 22 points in a 101-53 win. Canadian Press Dec 21, 2024 1:24 PM Dec 21, 2024 1:50 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Reserve Jahni Summers led Indiana State past St. Louis Pharmacy on Saturday with 22 points in a 101-53 win. Summers went 8 of 11 from the field (6 for 9 from 3-point range) for the Sycamores (8-4, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference). Markus Harding finished 6 of 7 from the field to add 13 points. Samage Teel shot 5 of 8 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 12 points. The Eutectics were led in scoring by Ahian Barnett, who finished with 12 points. St. Louis Pharmacy also got 10 points from Moctar Keita. Bryant Odunayo also put up 10 points. Indiana State took the lead with 19:49 left in the first half and never looked back. Summers led their team in scoring with 14 points in the first half to help put them up 56-19 at the break. Indiana State pulled away with a 13-3 run in the second half to extend a 39-point lead to 49 points. Indiana State visits Ohio State in its next matchup on December 29. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Science News Amazon and Starbucks workers are on strike. Trump might have something to do with it Dec 21, 2024 12:44 PM Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died Dec 21, 2024 11:36 AM No farm, no problem: Young farmers get their start in the industry in other ways Dec 21, 2024 3:00 AMIsrael agrees ceasefire deal with Hezbollah as air strikes shake BeirutUK car production fell by almost a third in November: SMMT
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