Elated Postal Workers Win $1 Million Lottery Jackpot

These postal workers are going into the new year with some great fortune. Literally. 

A group U.S. Postal Service employees from St. Louis, Missouri, belong to a weekly lottery pool at their office and recently, their tradition has paid off. The eight workers claimed their winnings from a Missouri Lottery $1 million Powerball Match 5 last week, according to a press release. 

Postal worker Steven West, who has had the responsibility of buying the pool's lottery tickets for the past few months, said that the group almost ended up with a different fate. 

“I actually was not going to go to that QuikTrip. I got up that morning, and I was going to go and play right near my home. I passed right by it,” West said.

West didn't check the various lottery tickets he had bought until the next morning, the release noted. When he saw that the numbers on one of the tickets had matched the winning picks, he called a coworker who also checked the numbers, confirming their win. 

“I said, ‘We just won 1 million dollars,’ and he went crazy and his wife was hollering at him,” West told ABC News.

Before this recent lotto success, the group's largest win, West estimates, was $12. 

The postal workers weren't the only ones who got some extra money this holiday season. The QuikTrip store that sold the winning ticket received $1,000 as well.

Since the big news broke, life hasn't changed much for the group. According to ABC News, they've all continued working. 

Each of the group members will end up with about $125,000 before taxes and plan to spend their winnings on expenses like paying off bills and buying property, the release noted. 

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George Lucas Slams 'Force Awakens,' Calls Disney 'White Slavers'

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - While Disney has to be pleased with the way its $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm is turning out, thanks to the galactic success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the man who created the "Star Wars" universe doesn't feel the same way.

In an interview with Charlie Rose, George Lucas spoke about everything from his and Disney's branching vision to the deal itself. Lucas, who has always been protective of his series and even refers to them as his "kids," hasn't been looking back well on the deal with Disney (via Collider).

"I sold them to the white slavers that takes these things, and...," Lucas said before laughing and deciding it better not to finish.

The father of "Star Wars" also opened up about why he and Disney were split on their decisions for the franchise's future.

"They looked at the stories, and they said, 'We want to make something for the fans,'" Lucas said. "They decided they didn't want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing. ... They weren't that keen to have me involved anyway -- but if I get in there, I'm just going to cause trouble, because they're not going to do what I want them to do. And I don't have the control to do that anymore, and all I would do is muck everything up," he said. "And so I said, 'OK, I will go my way, and I'll let them go their way.'"

Lucas described "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the film that resulted from Disney's vision, as "a retro movie."

"I don’t like that,” he said. “Every movie, I work very hard to make them completely different, with different planets, with different spaceships, make it new.”

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has been a massive success in the two weeks it has been out, becoming the ninth-highest box office performer ever with $1.23 billion in global box office receipts.

The last three "Star Wars" movies produced under Lucas' tenure were also commercial successes, but they were largely panned by critics. By contrast, "The Force Awakens" has garnered glowing reviews -- the best in the series since Lucas' original in 1979 -- and even serious Oscar buzz. 

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New Mixtape: Mila J – ‘Covergirl’

Mila J wraps up 2015 with one more mixtape. Less than two months after dropping The Waiting Game, the R&B siren returns with Covergirl. The eight-song collection features covers of ’90s classics and today’s hits including Sade’s “Sweetest Taboo,” TLC’s “Waterfalls,” The Weeknd’s “Tell Your Friends,” and Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” mixed with J. Cole’s “No Role Modelz.”

“I wanted to end the year with giving people out there more music,” said Mila. “This is for everyone to listen to. I want to end 2015 with a bang!!!!! My tour and album is coming in 2016. Happy New Year!!”

Stream her easy, breezy, beautiful mixtape below.

Mila has also shot a video for “Get No Betta” off Timbaland’s mixtape King Stays King. Watch the video teaser below.

Get no Betta video #ComingSoonBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

Cozz - My Side

Cozz shares "My Side," off upcoming "Nothin Personal" mixtape.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/cozz-my-side-new-song.1967867.html

James Worthy Got Too Hyped For His Own Good After The Lakers Won

The terrible Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night in what was Kobe Bryant's final game at the TD Garden in Boston.

It was a rare night for celebration for a team that is now 6-27 on the season. Kobe got some cheers from the Boston crowd. The young kids played well. For a moment, all was not horribly depressing in Lakers town. 

But the best part by far was James Worthy, the Lakers legend and analyst who used some, um, perhaps overly enthusiastic wording after the game.

Get that ass, Lakers. James, you're the best. 

 

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'The Walking Dead' Mid-Season Trailer Promises Bloody Chaos For Glenn And Maggie

A bunch of your favorite shows are in hibernation this January, while "Downton Abbey" and "The Bachelor" return to the air.

Among those on hiatus is "The Walking Dead," but the AMC groundhog has seen its shadow, releasing a 30-second teaser that reminds us it will be so long until we find out why Rick is going rogue with a hatchet, Glenn is wielding a gun inside the walls of Alexandria, Maggie appears to be in extreme anguish and big bad (still invisible) wolf Negan is taking over.

Watch the new teaser below. In truth, the wait isn't that painful, as the mid-season premiere airs Feb. 14.

 

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-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

'The Walking Dead' Mid-Season Trailer Promises Bloody Chaos For Glenn And Maggie

A bunch of your favorite shows are in hibernation this January, while "Downton Abbey" and "The Bachelor" return to the air.

Among those on hiatus is "The Walking Dead," but the AMC groundhog has seen its shadow, releasing a 30-second teaser that reminds us it will be so long until we find out why Rick is going rogue with a hatchet, Glenn is wielding a gun inside the walls of Alexandria, Maggie appears to be in extreme anguish and big bad (still invisible) wolf Negan is taking over.

Watch the new teaser below. In truth, the wait isn't that painful, as the mid-season premiere airs Feb. 14.

 

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.