The Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch Passes Away at Age 47

The Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch passes away at age 47

Adam Yauch, who was best known as The Beastie Boys rapper MCA, passed away earlier today at the age of 47, after a three-year battle with cancer. Here is part of the statement released by his publicist today.

"It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam "MCA" Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old."

In the early 1980s, Adam Yauch formed The Beastie Boys with Mike D (a.k.a. Michael Diamond) and Adam Horovitz (a.k.a. Adrock), one of the most influential rap groups in music history. The group sold over 40 million records worldwide, and their debut LP, "License to Ill," was the first rap album ever to crack the Billboard 200. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.

He also had a passion for filmmaking, directing most of the group's music videos under the alias "Nathanial Hornblower". He founded the film distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories in 2008, and shepherded critically-acclaimed indies such as The Messenger, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Wendy and Lucy, Meek's Cutoff, Bellflower, and We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Adam Yauch is survived by his wife and daughter.

The Hulk

The Hulk to Get Stand-Alone Reboot in 2015

Mark Ruffalo's The Hulk will get a stand-alone reboot in 2015

Marvel's The Avengers is already making waves at the box office, taking in an impressive $18.7 million from midnight screenings. Mark Ruffalo is the new addition to Marvel's superhero lineup, portraying The Incredible Hulk, and it seems the studio already has plans for a new Hulk reboot in 2015.

Paul Gitter, Marvel's president of consumer products, recently revealed that plans are in place for a stand-alone merchandising line to be unveiled next year, which will be, "presumably supported by another big budget franchise movie in 2015."

The Hulk has a unique cinematic history over the past decade. Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk didn't exactly set the world on fire at the box office, which lead toLouis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk reboot in 2008. Even though The Incredible Hulk fared much better, both critically and financially, than Hulk, Marvel still replaced Edward Norton withMark Ruffalo in Marvel's The Avengers.

Don't be surprised to hear more about this project in the near future, once the box office receipts for Marvel's The Avengers start to roll in.

Marvel's The Avengers was released May 4th, 2012 and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans,Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg. The film is directed by Joss Whedon.

Marvel's The Avengers

Marvel's The Avengers Takes 2nd Biggest Opening with $80.5 Million

Marvel's The Avengers is on its way to biggest weekend opening of all time

Marvel's The Avengers has earned the second biggest opening day and Friday opening with $80.5 million, including $18.7 from its Midnight release. Though it is the 8th biggest midnight release of all time, it does hold the distinction of being the biggest superhero midnight debut ever, pulling in more than Iron Man, Iron Man 2,Thor, and Captain America: The First Avengercombined.

Walt Disney Pictures is reporting that the film is on its way to a $175 million domestic weekend total. That would make it the biggest weekend opener of all time, stepping in front of previous record holder Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, which earned $169 million last year. That franchise finale still holds the biggest Friday opening with $91 million.

So far, Marvel's The Avengers has raked in an impressive $334.3 million overseas, bringing its cumulative total to $575 million through Sunday. Not only is Joss Whedon's superhero ensemble about to break the weekend box office record, it has also received an A+ from American audiences on CinemaScore.

We'll have the final weekend tally for you later tomorrow.

Marvel's The Avengers was released May 4th, 2012 and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans,Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg. The film is directed by Joss Whedon.