Box Office Sets Easter Record
The top 12 films took in an estimated $114.4 million, a record for the Easter weekend, topping the previous record of $91.5 million set during 2000 when the holiday fell on April 23. Today's (Monday) Hollywood Reporter observed that the $660.8 million earned at the box office during March represented a 45-percent increase on March of last year. Although some of that increase could be attributed to higher box office prices, the Reporter noted that actual admissions were also up -- 39 percent over last year.
Berry Hits Revlon Chief For A Raise
On the very night of her Oscar win, Halle Berry attempted to exploit her success by hitting up Revlon owner Ron Perelman for a raise, the New York Post's "Page Six" column reported today (Monday). Oscar firmly in hand, Berry reportedly said to Perelman after he congratulated her at a post-Oscar party, "Of course, now you'll have to pay me more." According to the newspaper column, "Perelman turned purple with rage and stalked off."
Porn Movie Producer Sues Lucas
The producers of the animated porn flick Starballz have sued George Lucas for $140 million after Lucas accused them of marketing the movie to kids. Media Market Group maintains that the sex parody is intended only for adults and that Lucas's accusation damaged the company. In January, Lucas unsuccessfully attempted to block MMG from distributing the film, saying that Starballz exploited Lucas's intellectual property, presented it in an offensive manner, and directed it at children. In a court filing, MMG observed that it "has never directed pornography to children" and noted that the cover states "Adult Only" in three places.
Phil Donahue May Return
Veteran talk show host Phil Donahue is leading a list that includes Bill Maher, Sam Donaldson and Dennis Miller to take over the primetime anchor spot on MSNBC, the New York Daily News reported today (Monday), citing no sources. NBC is reportedly concerned about the continued erosion of the MSNBC cable audience despite the fact that the channel has the resources of NBC News behind it.
Famed U.K. Comedy Writer Took Dead At 73
Barry Took, one of Britain's leading comedy writers and performers, died Sunday in London at the age of 73. He was credited with inspiring the Monty Python comedy series (and bringing its cast members together) and injecting NBC's Laugh-In series with his own brand of offbeat humor when he wrote for the show in the late '60s.
Panic-See-Ya
Movie patrons for Sony/Columbia's Panic Room were as numerous as Easter eggs over the weekend as the film set a record for the holiday with a $30.1-million gross. The animated film Ice Age remained frozen in second place with $18.1 million, to bring its three-week total well past the $100-million mark. Disney's G-rated baseball flick The Rookie scored strongly with $16 million, to finish third, while New Line's Blade II, with a weekend gross of $16 million, lost 60 percent of its audience in its second week. Two Oscar winners got big boosts. Halle Berry's Monster's Ball saw ticket sales increase 30 percent as it nabbed $2.1 million in its 14th week, while best-film winner A Beautiful Mind remained in the top ten with $3.9 million after 15 weeks.
The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Panic Room, Sony, $30,056,751, (New); 2. Ice Age, 20th Century Fox, $18,135,449, 3 Wks. ($116,862,514); 3. The Rookie, Disney, $16,021,684, (New); 4. Blade II, New Line, $13,021,698, 2 Wks. ($54,921,131); 5. Clockstoppers, Paramount, $10,108,333, (New); 6. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Universal, $6,163,305, 2 Wks. ($24,294,365 -- Reissue) ($420,190,415 -- Total); 7. Death to Smoochy, Warner Bros., $4,266,463, (New); 8. A Beautiful Mind, Universal, $3,884,455, 15 Wks. ($160,844,681); 9. We Were Soldiers, Paramount, $3,723,298, 5 Wks. ($67,601,100); 10. Showtime, Warner Bros., $3,532,984, 3 Wks. ($33,300,131).
Rings Rings In $300 Million
Although it won only four relatively minor awards, The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring, earned enough at the box office -- $2.3 million -- to push its total gross past $300 million. It is the first film of the year to reach that milestone. Analysts suggested that the film was probably helped by the release of a new trailer for The Two Towers, the second part of the Rings trilogy (due to be released on Dec. 18) that played in the same theaters screening Pt. 1.
Actor Byrne: Australian Film Industry? What's That?
In an interview with an Australian newspaper, Irish actor Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, End of Days, Stigmata) has scoffed at the suggestion that Australia has its own film industry. Byrne, currently in Queensland filming Ghost Ship, with Ron Eldard and Julianna Margulies, told today's (Tuesday) Sydney Morning Herald, "People who talk about an Australian film industry are deluded. ... In order to say you have a film industry you must have an infrastructure which supports a home-grown industry, and I just don't think that's possible with the way American films have a stranglehold on the distribution systems." In fact, Byrne suggested, Hollywood has effectively co-opted home-grown film companies. Despite the construction of huge production facilities, Byrne said, the danger is that Australia is becoming "a cheap studio for Hollywood. And if they found somewhere else where there was similar light and conditions they would be there."
April Fool's Joke Backfires On Star Trek: TNG Actor
After several Internet fansites on Monday published word that Star Trek: The Next Generation cast member Wil Wheaton would be seen in a recurring role on the new Star Trek: Enterprise series, Wheaton confessed that he himself was the source of the story and that it was all an April Fool's joke. "I hope everyone takes this in good humor," he said on his website today (Tuesday). He added, "Lots of people sent really kind and sweet congratulatory messages, and I actually feel pretty badly for fooling such nice people." The truth is, he said, that he will not, as the stories suggested, be joining the cast of Enterprise as Ensign Wesley Crusher, using his "time travel" abilities (Enterprise takes place in a different era).
BBC's Coverage Of Queen Mother's Death Touches Off Outcry
In what Britain's Guardian newspaper today (Tuesday) described as "a discreet snub to the BBC," Prince Charles reportedly chose an ITV News crew to film his five-minute eulogy of his grandmother, the Queen Mother, that was distributed to British stations. The royal family was said to be angry over the BBC's coverage of her death. However, the BBC issued a statement saying that "to read too much into this is really distorting the facts." It pointed out that interviews with the members of the royal family are produced on a pool basis and rotated between the BBC, ITN and BSkyB. Meanwhile, the London Daily Mail, charging in an editorial that the BBC is "no longer capable of speaking for the nation," has demanded that the government stop forcing TV set owners to pay a license fee to the BBC. "There could scarcely be a more damning indicator of the decline of a once-great institution" than the BBC's coverage of the Queen Mother's death, the newspaper complained.
Sopranos Star Gets Trial Date
Sopranos star Robert Iler will stand trial on robbery charges on May 6. The 17-year-old star - who plays Anthony Soprano, the troubled son of James Gandolfini's mob boss in the hit show - Alban Selimaj and Michael Cournede have been accused of second-degree robbery of $40 from two teenage tourists in Manhattan last July . Iler was 16 at the time of crime, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years. The actor's legal team had refused a previous plea bargain offer from prosecutors. According to the criminal complaint Iler and his friends threatened the robbery victims, saying, "Give us your money. Do you wanna die?" Iler also was charged with marijuana possession, which carries a maximum fine of $100, while Cournede was also charged with possession of a box cutter. In a statement released after the incident, Iler said he was "terribly embarrassed" by the arrest and regretted putting his family and friends through an "extremely difficult" time.
Original Angels To Cameo In #2
Charlie's Angels 2 is set to enjoy a blast from the past - when the original TV Charlie's Angels make cameos on the movie sequel. Drew Barrymore, who will re-team with Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu for the flick, has joined forces with director McG - AKA Joseph McGinty Nichol - to get the original TV angels Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith for appearances. Barrymore says, "There are definitely some surprises on that level. Apparently Farrah met with McG and loved the movie, which made us feel very good."
Gilliam Slams Modern Movie Makers
Veteran Hollywood director Terry Gilliam has laid into the modern cult of making movies which are all style and no content. The former Monty Python man and Time Bandits and Twelve Monkeys movie-maker says the industry needs to focus more on ideas and less on cute camera angles. He says, "The guys who are shooting films now are technically brilliant. But there's no content in their films. I marvel at what I see and say: 'God, I wish I could have done a shot like that.' But the shots are secondary for my films, and with some of these films, it's all about the shots. I watched Tomb Raider last night. Technically, it's brilliant, but it's just crap! Every shot is beautifully composed, the lighting is great, the sets are great. But what's the point? I'm not sure people know what points to make. I'm not sure how in touch with reality anybody is, everybody's too busy phoning each other."
Connery's Bagpipe Quest
Scottish actors Sean Connery and Ewan McGregor are teaming up to help break a world record involving bagpipes. The Hollywood heroes will take part in the Tartan Day parade in New York next weekend to mark the Declaration of Arbroath, which established Scotland's independence in 1320. And Connery will head a special parade featuring 10,000 bagpipers, hoping to break the record for assembling the most pipers in one place.
Crowe Accused Of Stealing Rugby Players
An Australian rugby coach has accused Oscar-winner Russell Crowe of luring players to a rival team. Chris Anderson, who trains the Sharks, claims Crowe broke the rugby league's anti-tampering laws by enticing National Rugby League player of the year Preston Campbell from the Sharks to South Sydney. Anderson has also accused Crowe of talking to St. George Illawarra sportsman Nathan Blacklock. Anderson rants, "I heard two weeks ago that Russell Crowe was ringing Preston and Blacklock trying to get them to go to Souths. If that is the case, it's absolutely wrong." However as Crowe is an avid fan of South Sydney, rather than a club official, Anderson acknowledged it may be difficult to do anything to stop Crowe's so-called player luring. Anderson adds, ""The rules are in place to stop offers like that but clubs can just say they know nothing about it. That's the problem with these anti-tampering laws - it's hard to enforce them."
Robin Williams 1: John Travolta 0
Hollywood funnyman Robin Williams' zany antics continue past the movie set - as fellow actor John Travolta found out. The pair are old pals, but when Williams disguised himself as John's chauffeur - complete with thick Russian accent - he managed to completely fool Travolta. Williams then proceeded to drive around with Travolta in the back, all the while feigning deafness and taking wrong turns. Travolta, still unaware of the cheeky ruse, finally called for help when Williams offered him vodka from an open bottle. But it wasn't until Williams pulled over that Travolta realised he'd been made a fool of.
Bullock Makes Time For Firefighters
Hollywood star Sandra Bullock has made up for the embarrassment of snubbing a group of New York firefighters - by agreeing to let them visit the set of her new movie. According to The New York Daily News a group of rescue workers stopped by the big apple location of her new movie, Two Weeks Notice, to present Sandra with a September 11 fund-raising t-shirt - only to be turned away. Bullocks representative later told the newspaper, "It's not like they'd made an appointment." But Warner Bros studios - who are making the romantic comedy - have made up for the PR disaster by inviting the firefighters to visit Sandra on a different location.
Denise: I'll Never Live In Sheen's Bachelor Pad
Gorgeous Bond babe Denise Richards refused to move into boyfriend Charlie Sheen's home because he'd entertained too many call-girls there. According to Britain's Daily Sport newspaper, the actress was furious when Sheen suggested the move into his huge estate in Malibu, California. Former hellraiser Sheen spent a fortune on call-girls when he was a hard-living, hard partying single. One pal says, "Denise's jaw dropped and she went mad, screaming she'd never move into the 'hooker haven'! She told him, 'That house was your bachelor pad. Nothing could ever make me live there - ever.'" Sheen clearly didn't want to upset his bride-to-be - he and Richards have now bought a plush house in fashionable Westwood, California.
I'll Halt Dudley's Funeral, Says Ex-Wife
The bitter battle between Dudley Moore and his ex-wife Nicole Rothschild is showing no signs of abating after his death - Rothschild is now threatening to halt the actor's funeral. Rothschild has hired one of America's most powerful attorneys in a bid to stop the ceremony taking place. Moore died last week aged 66 after a three-year battle against the rare brain disorder Supranuclear Palsy. One of Moore's last wishes was reportedly that Rothschild, a former drug addict and mother of his youngest son Nicholas, be banned from his funeral. But Rothschild, 38, says she has no intention of abiding by the comic's request. She says, "It's disgusting that Nicholas does not have the chance to kiss his father goodbye. I will do whatever it takes, no matter what, to give the right to see his daddy one last time. If necessary I will disrupt the funeral." She adds, "It sounds grotesque, but it is also grotesque that a child should live a life and not be able to see his father. I will do everything I can to impound that body."
Drew Carey Shattered By Mother's Death
A devastated Drew Carey bid a tearful farewell to the most important woman in his life - his beloved mother Beulah, who succumbed to cancer after a six-year battle. The American funnyman was so crushed he could barely get the words out as he told friends and family at the recent funeral in Cleveland, Ohio, how much 79-year-old Beulah meant to him. Carey, 44, sobbed, "She was the absolute best mom a guy could ask for. She always believed in me. She always said I had talent when I was just starting out and when no one in the world would have agreed with her." Although Carey will miss her as long as he lives, he took some comfort in knowing that his mother's painful ordeal was over, saying, "Mom suffered so much that last five years of her life. I know she's finally at peace."
Some Information courtesy of The Internet Movie Database. Used with permission.
