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Workers remove a poster-banner for "The Interview" from a billboard in Hollywood on Thursday.(Photo: Michael Thurston, AFP/Getty Images)
North Korea is calling the shots in Hollywood
Hollywood isn't just washing its hands of The Interview. It's washing its hands of North Korea. In the wake of Sony pulling the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy about an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, New Regency is nixing Steve Carell's movie Pyongyang, which was to be set in North Korea. The film was supposed to start shooting in March in Serbia. The move comes as the U.S. weighs a range of options for dealing with North Korea's hacking attacks against Sony Pictures, which prompted five big movie chains to decide not to show the film and eventually led to Sony's decision to pull it from all platforms. The chains reacted to a message posted by hackers on Tuesday that threatened a "9/11"-style attack on theaters that screened the film.
Before Sony made the decision not to release 'The Interview' movie in theaters, Seth Rogen and James Franco talked to USA TODAY about the controversy surrounding the comedy. Video shot by Todd Plitt for USA TODAY. VPC
Amazon Prime just upped its delivery game (no, not with drones)
Things you can do in an hour: watch an episode of Homeland; jog around the block (hey, some of us are slow); or maybe take a glorious bubble bath. Things you can do in an hour, as of today: Have the first two seasons of Homeland, a pair of jogging shoes and a bottle of glorious bubble bath delivered to your door. Amazon Prime Now is the latest delivery option from mega-retailer Amazon, which features an app that lets customers order specific goods, then have them delivered to their location in hours. Two-hour delivery is free, but customers can spend an extra $7.99 to have orders delivered in an hour. It rolled out in parts of Manhattan today, and there are plans to expand the service next year. An Amazon Prime subscription is required to use the app on iOS or Android devices. We're wondering if the Amazon delivery guy is the new pizza delivery guy ... and if so, do we have to tip him?
14 Boston Marathon bombing victims see Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
In the Boston Marathon bombings, three people died, 260 were injured and millions of Americans were emotionally wounded as a horrific terror attack gripped the nation. The suspect in the case, 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, showed his face today for the first time since a 2013 hearing. The proceedings are in federal court, so there are no photographs or video. Here's what those in the courtroom, including 14 victims of the attacks, saw in the final hearing before Tsarnaev's Jan. 5 trial is scheduled to begin: He had a scruffy beard and a mopped head of wavy, uncombed hair. He wore a black sweater and open-necked collared shirt. His physical appearance was in stark contrast to his last hearing, at which he still bore visible wounds from his shootout with police. Tsarnaev is charged in a 30-count indictment that alleges he conspired with his older brother, Tamerlan, who died following the shootout, to build and detonate two pressure-cooker bombs. He has pleaded not guilty. He faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted.
In this courtroom sketch, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is depicted sitting in federal court in Boston Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, for a final hearing before his trial begins in January. Tsarnaev is charged with the April 2013 attack that killed three people and injured more than 260. He could face the death penalty if convicted.(Photo: Jane Flavell Collins, AP)
Where you have the best chances of finding a white Christmas
It may be the only time of the year where we wish for a storm. Nothing gets us into the holiday spirit more than snow (we'll even settle for flurries). If you're dreaming of a white Christmas, head north. Much of the upper Midwest, Ohio Valley, Rockies and portions of New England will have an inch or more of snow on the ground Christmas Day. A powerhouse storm on Christmas Eve is set to deliver heavy snow and wind to the Upper Midwest, including Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis. If you're spending the holidays on the East Coast, forget about a white Christmas — the storm will bring a driving, windswept rain. Hopefully you'll have better luck in your stocking.
The USA's fascination with a white Christmas dates back to 1942. when Bing Crosby first crooned the wistful song in the film Holiday Inn..(Photo: USA TODAY)
Driver learns her fate after duckling rescue left two dead
She stopped to herd ducklings to safety, and as a result, two people died. Today she learned she won't serve a life sentence. It's an incredibly sad story all around: Emma Czornobaj stopped her car in the left lane of a Montreal area highway in 2010 to herd ducklings to safety. While she was stopped, a motorcycle crashed into the rear of her car, killing the driver and his teen daughter. Earlier this year, a Canadian jury found Czornobaj guilty of two counts of criminal negligence causing death, which could have earned her a life sentence. She was also convicted of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle leading to death. She was sentenced today to 90 days in jail, no driving for 10 years and 240 hours of community service. She's going to serve out her jail time on weekends. The case has stirred emotions in Canada. Thousands of people signed a petition on the website Change.org asking for leniency for Czornobaj, but the family of the victims has said she hasn't shown them compassion. The story was among our most-read this year.
Emma Czornobaj is pictured at the Montreal Courthouse in Montreal on June 3.(Photo: Graham Hughes, AP)
Extra Bites
Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.
People form a human chain in Bangalore, India, condemning the attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan. Nearly 140 people, the vast majority children, were killed at the school in a Taliban attack.(Photo: Jagadeesh Nv, European Pressphoto Agency)
He's 5. He has brain cancer. And thieves broke into his apartment and stole his Christmas presents.
Thieves broke into the home of a 5-year-old brain cancer patient and stole the electronics he liked the most--his game console and television. VPC
When a cow says "moo," this is what they really mean.
First, she chastised her sons during a live C-SPAN broadcast. Then Mama Woodhouse joined Twitter.
A mom in North Carolina was sick of her adult sons fighting, so she called them up to scold them...on live TV. Dallas and Brad Woodhouse were on C-SPAN battling from very different ends of the political spectrum. VPC
The world's biggest cruise line is going to advertise during the nation's biggest football game.
Would you pay $150 million to look like Kim Kardashian? This guy did.
If you're retired or nearing retirement, here are five ways to make the most of 2015.
Crystal ball: 10 cars that won't survive 2015.
It's the end of an era. Tonight, we say goodbye to Colbert.
Short on time? Listen to today's news:
Today in Christmas: Watch Santa get knocked out by a curious bear.
Stories you're clicking on today:
Putin blasts West in state of nation address
Michigan wants to make Jim Harbaugh rich but that isn't enough
Dog owner's will: Let him die with me
Add YOXMAS on the YO app for a daily Christmas treat, as excitement builds leading up to Dec. 25. For a daily bit of afternoon fluff, add DISTRACTME on the YO app. We promise you'll have fun.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Ann Oldenburg, Gregory Korte, Kevin Johnson, Bryan Alexander, Andrea Mandell, Elizabeth Weise, Melanie Eversley, Brett Molina, Marisol Bello, USA TODAY; G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Special to USA TODAY
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