News for 1/5/2004


Weekend Boxoffice


'Return of the King' Keeps No. 1 Spot

By ANTHONY BREZNICAN
AP Entertainment Writer


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Hollywood made way for a third straight week of box-office dominance by "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" as no new movies opened in wide release for the New Year's weekend.

The top 10 movies looked a lot like last week's, led by "Rings" with $30.8 million and Steve Martin's remake of "Cheaper by the Dozen" in No. 2 with $21.9 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

It's typical for the New Year's holiday weekend to be slow as far as new releases are concerned, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. Most studios release their big films in time for Christmas.

This coming weekend will bring fresher offerings, such as "Chasing Liberty," "My Baby's Daddy" and a wider release for "Big Fish."

"The Return of the King" has collected $292 million in North America since it debuted Dec. 17. "This movie is like a freight train with no brakes," said Dergarabedian, who predicted the film eventually would cross the $1 billion mark worldwide.

"Calendar Girls" collected $4.6 million to rank ninth, and "Bad Santa" slipped one place to No. 10 with $3 million.

"Calendar Girls," a comedy about older British women who decide to make a tasteful nude calendar, was playing in only 745 locations. The audience for the film was mostly women, predominantly in their 40s and 50s, who have been motivated by word-of-mouth, said Disney head of distribution Chuck Viane.

Other films that performed strongly in limited release included "House of Sand and Fog," with Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly as two people feuding over ownership of a home. It collected $1.8 million in about 442 theaters, for a solid per-screen average of $4,072.

Director Tim Burton's "Big Fish," meanwhile, has had an outstanding limited run and is heading into its first nationwide distribution next week in about 2,500 theaters. The movie, about a tall-tale spinner whose fantastic stories annoy his grown son, garnered $2.5 million in about 125 locations, averaging $20,000 per screen.

"That's a huge number that means the movie is really filling those theaters, and that portends well for its first wide expansion," Dergarabedian said.

The overall box office was up about 14 percent compared to the same weekend last year, when "The Two Towers," the second installment of "The Lord of the Rings," was No. 1, followed by "Catch Me If You Can" and "Two Weeks Notice."

Total ticket sales came in slightly lower for 2003 than the year before, the first downturn since 1991. "It's a little early to start celebrating," Dergarabedian said of the new year's first week. "But you want to head into '04 with momentum."

1. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," $30.8 million.
2. "Cheaper By the Dozen," $21.9 million.
3. "Something's Gotta Give," $12.5 million.
4. "Cold Mountain," $11.7 million.
5. "Paycheck," $10 million.
6. "Mona Lisa Smile," $8.7 million.
7. "Peter Pan," $8.5 million.
8. "The Last Samurai," $7.5 million.
9. "Calendar Girls," $4.6 million.
10. "Bad Santa," $3 million.



News for 1/4/2004


Actress Etta Moten Barnett Dies at 102


CHICAGO (AP) - Etta Moten Barnett, a singer and actress who played romantic, sexy figures in movies at a time when most other black actresses were relegated to roles as nannies or maids, has died. She was 102.

Barnett, who also was a Broadway star, died of pancreatic cancer at Chicago's Mercy Hospital on Friday, according to a news release from her family.

In 1933's "Flying Down to Rio," Barnett was cast as a Brazilian entertainer who sang "The Carioca" while Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced. She received her first on-screen credit for the role, and the song was nominated for an Academy Award as best song.

Her voice caught the attention of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who invited her to sing at his White House birthday party.

"She gave black people an opportunity to look at themselves on a big screen as something beautiful when all that was there before spoke to our degradation," actor Harry Belafonte said at Barnett's 100th birthday party in 2001. "In her we found another dimension to being black in our time. She was a true shining star."

The Pittsburgh Courier, a black newspaper, dubbed Barnett "the first Negro woman to play a dignified role in pictures."

The daughter of a Methodist minister in Texas, Barnett had plans for college that were derailed when she married one of her high school teachers, according to her family's news release.

When the marriage fell apart, Barnett's parents took care of her three young daughters so she could attend the University of Kansas. After graduating at age 30 with a degree in voice and drama, Barnett moved to New York City, where she landed a spot singing with the Eva Jessye Choir.

The lead in the Broadway show "Zombie" followed, and she ventured into film after the show toured in Los Angeles. She dubbed songs for actresses and sang a ballad in the Busby Berkeley film "Gold Diggers of 1933."

In 1934, Barnett married Claude Barnett, the head of the Associated Negro Press, a wire service for black newspapers. Eight years later, she appeared as Bess in "Porgy and Bess" on Broadway and then toured with the show until 1945.

She also performed in symphony concerts and music festivals, but a strained voice forced her to give up performing in 1952.

Barnett later became involved in many civic organizations, including the National Council of Negro Women, the Chicago Lyric Opera and the Field Museum. She also hosted a radio show in Chicago.

Claude Barnett died in 1967. Barnett is survived by Sue Ish, a daughter from her first marriage, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The family has not announced any funeral arrangements.



News for 1/1/2004


Weekend Boxoffice


'Return of the King' Rules Box Office

By ANDREW BRIDGES
The Associated Press


LOS ANGELES - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" continued to reign at the box office, retaining the No. 1 spot with weekend earnings of $50.5 million, according to final studio figures Monday.

That's slightly less than the $51.2 million in ticket sales New Line Cinema estimated Sunday, but still spectacular for any movie - especially one in its second week.

Ticket sales for the third installment in the fantasy trilogy dropped only 30 percent, although wide-release blockbusters frequently fall by 50 percent or more each week after they debut.

So far, "Return of the King" has collected $222.2 million.

The Christmas holiday marked the debut of several other films, including Steve Martin's remake of "Cheaper By the Dozen," which came in second with $27.5 million and the Nicole Kidman drama "Cold Mountain," which was third with $14.5 million.

Ben Affleck's sci-fi action film "Paycheck" opened limply in fifth place with $13.4 million, while the live-action "Peter Pan" also had a disappointing debut - ranking seventh with $11.1 million.

The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc.:

1. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," New Line, $50,598,104, 3,703 locations, $13,664 average, $222,268,708, two weeks.
2. "Cheaper By the Dozen," Fox, $27,557,647, 3,298 locations, $8,356 average, $35,397,241, one week.
3. "Cold Mountain," Miramax, $14,574,213, 2,163 locations, $6,738 average, $19,079,727, one week.
4. "Something's Gotta Give," Sony, $13,816,638, 2,709 locations, $5,100 average, $55,902,582, three weeks.
5. "Paycheck," Paramount, $13,462,374, 2,762 locations, $4,874 average, $18,615,272, one week.
6. "Mona Lisa Smile," Sony, $11,351,439, 2,677 locations, $4,240 average, $31,226,270, two weeks.
7. "Peter Pan," Universal, $11,139,495, 2,813 locations, $3,960 average, $14,627,615, one week.
8. "The Last Samurai," Warner Bros., $8,326,947, 2,557 locations, $3,257 average, $74,324,104, four weeks.
9. "Bad Santa," Miramax, $4,526,000, 1,710 locations, $2,647 average, $50,947,195, five weeks.
10. "Elf," New Line, $3,906,028, 2,015 locations, $1,938 average, $164,648,692, eight weeks.
11. "Stuck On You," Fox, $3,626,868, 2,400 locations, $1,511 average, $24,412,346, three weeks.
12. "Love Don't Cost a Thing," Warner Bros., $2,953,073, 1,133 locations, $2,606 average, $16,431,144, three weeks.
13. "The Haunted Mansion," Disney, $2,860,015, 1,622 locations, $1,763 average, $64,736,126, five weeks.
14. "Big Fish," Sony, $2,053,733, 124 locations, $16,562 average, $3,505,172, three weeks.
15. "House of Sand and Fog," DreamWorks, $1,720,438, 438 locations, $3,928 average, $1,811,537, two weeks.
16. "Honey," Universal, $1,417,310, 760 locations, $1,865 average, $26,638,660, four weeks.
17. "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," Universal, $1,260,080, 1,299 locations, $970 average, $97,011,510, six weeks.
18. "21 Grams," Focus Features, $1,223,891, 291 locations, $4,206 average, $4,771,830, six weeks.
19. "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," Fox, $1,160,829, 751 locations, $1,546 average, $80,688,206, seven weeks.
20. "In America," Fox Searchlight, $1,070,721, 325 locations, $3,295 average, $2,992,911, five weeks.



News for 12/18/2003


'Cold Mountain' Leads Globe Nominations

By ANTHONY BREZNICAN
The Associated Press


BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Civil War epic "Cold Mountain" collected a leading eight Golden Globe nominations Thursday including best drama, as Hollywood marked the start of its annual trophy-giving season.

"Lost in Translation," starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, and "Mystic River," the story of three adult friends linked by tragic crimes, received five nominations each.

Along with "Cold Mountain" and "Mystic River," best movie drama contenders were the seafaring epic "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," the true-life horse racing story "Seabiscuit" and the fantasy saga "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

"The Return of the King," the third film in a hugely successful trilogy, had four nominations including Peter Jackson for best director.

"Big Fish," director Tim Burton's offbeat story of a charismatic father and his repressed son, also got four nominations including best musical or comedy. It competes against the year's highest-grossing movie, the computer-animated "Finding Nemo," and three smaller films: "Lost in Translation," the soccer coming-of-age story "Bend it Like Beckham" and the British holiday romance anthology "Love Actually."

"The Reagans," which CBS dropped after Reagan admirers complained that it dwelled on the negative, got made-for-TV movie nominations for James Brolin and Judy Davis - who played former President Reagan and first lady Nancy. The Showtime cable channel eventually picked up the movie.

Ben Kingsley's performance as a desperate Iranian immigrant in "House of Sand and Fog" joined with Russell Crowe's hardscrabble sea captain in "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" in the lead dramatic movie actor category. Other contenders were Tom Cruise for "The Last Samurai," Jude Law for "Cold Mountain" and Sean Penn for "Mystic River."

Nicole Kidman's role as a prim Southerner in "Cold Mountain" earned her a nomination for lead dramatic actress in a movie, along with Uma Thurman for "Kill Bill: Vol. 1," Charlize Theron for "Monster," Evan Rachel Wood for "thirteen," and Cate Blanchett for "Veronica Guerin."

Johansson had two lead performance nominations - one for the drama "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and one in the comedy class for "Lost in Translation."

Also nominated with Johansson in the lead comedy film actress category were Diane Keaton for "Something's Gotta Give" and Helen Mirren for "Calendar Girls," two films about beauty and romance among older women. Jamie Lee Curtis was also recognized in the category for playing a mom who switches bodies with her teenage daughter in the remake "Freaky Friday," while Diane Lane received a bid for the romance "Under the Tuscan Sun."

Jack Black was a surprise nominee for lead comedy or musical film actor for his role as a phony music teacher in "The School of Rock," while Johnny Depp was nominated for playing a wobbly buccaneer in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl." Other nominees in the category: Murray for "Lost in Translation," Jack Nicholson for "Something's Gotta Give" and Billy Bob Thornton for "Bad Santa."

Renee Zellweger as a tough mountain woman in "Cold Mountain" and Hope Davis as the wife of a dowdy comic book scribe in "American Splendor" were among supporting movie actress nominees along with Patricia Clarkson in "Pieces of April," Holly Hunter in "thirteen" and Maria Bello in "The Cooler."

In the supporting movie actor class, Albert Finney was nominated for playing a tall-tale teller in "Big Fish," while Alec Baldwin was recognized for playing a casino boss in "The Cooler." William H. Macy also received a bid for playing a colorful but fictional horse race announcer in "Seabiscuit." Other nominees: Ken Watanabe for his role as a warrior in "The Last Samurai," Tim Robbins as a grown-up abuse victim in "Mystic River" and Peter Sarsgaard as a skeptical editor in "Shattered Glass."

Along with Jackson for "The Return of the King," the best movie director nominees were Sofia Coppola for "Lost in Translation," Clint Eastwood for "Mystic River," Anthony Minghella for "Cold Mountain" and Peter Weir for "Master and Commander."

In the TV categories, best drama series nominations went to NBC's perennial award-grabber "The West Wing," the real-time Fox thriller "24," the FX plastic surgery drama "Nip/Tuck," CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and HBO's "Six Feet Under."

Comedy series nominations went to the cult-favorite British sitcom "The Office," about a brutally bad middle manager which airs in the United States on BBC America. Other competitors were the fledgling Fox show "Arrested Development," and three critical favorites, USA's "Monk," HBO's "Sex and the City" and NBC's "Will & Grace."

"I'm relieved and thrilled and I've rediscovered the power of prayer," a very sleepy-sounding "Monk" star Tony Shalhoub told E! by phone. "It's a great way to wake up."

The Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have a history of honoring future Oscar winners.

Last season, the Globes were awarded Jan. 19 - and this time the live telecast is scheduled for Jan. 25. The new date comes just two days before Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 27.

Meanwhile, the main Oscar ceremony is set for Feb. 29, about four weeks earlier than usual.

For a complete list of nominations click on the link.

Golden Globe 2004 Nominations



News for 12/17/2003


P. Diddy to Star in 'Raisin in the Sun'

By MICHAEL KUCHWARA
AP Drama Writer


NEW YORK - Sean Combs, better known as rap star P. Diddy, will make his Broadway debut this season in a revival of "A Raisin in the Sun," Lorraine Hansbury's landmark drama about a black family moving into an all-white Chicago neighborhood.

"It is an American classic alongside `Streetcar,' `Death of a Salesman' and `The Crucible,'" producer David Binder said Wednesday. "And it has never had a Broadway revival."

The production, to be directed by Kenny Leon, will most likely begin rehearsals in mid-February, with preview performances starting in mid-March and an opening a month later, Binder added. The exact dates, the rest of the casting and the theater will be announced.

"We are approaching very seasoned New York theater actors" to fill out the rest of the cast, the producer said, declining to be more specific. Combs has no stage experience. He has appeared in the movies "Made" and "Monster's Ball."

Binder said he contacted Combs last September after a mutual acquaintance suggested that Combs "was interested in doing serious, challenging work in the theater."

Combs auditioned several times for the producer, the casting director and Leon over the course of the fall. "We were all incredibly impressed — he's focused on the work," said Binder, a producer of such off-Broadway hits as "De La Guarda" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."

Binder said he chose Leon, former head of the Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta, because the director "respects writing. ... He's interested in serving the play."

The original production, which starred Sidney Poitier, Claudia MacNeil, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands, was a success on Broadway in 1959 and later as a 1961 movie with the same lead cast. It was made into a Broadway musical, starring Virginia Capers and Joe Morton, in 1973.

The title comes from a line in a poem by Langston Hughes: "What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/Like a raisin in the sun?"



Solange Knowles Inks Deal with UPN

By Nellie Andreeva


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Singer-actress Solange Knowles has inked a talent holding deal with UPN to star in a series project for the network, probably a comedy, targeted for fall 2004.

Knowles, 17, is the younger sister of pop/R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles.

A backup dancer for her sister's group, Destiny's Child, Solange Knowles released her first album, "Solo Star," this year.

She is set to make her feature debut in the upcoming comedy "Johnson Family Vacation" opposite Cedric the Entertainer and Steve Harvey.



And She Is Telling You: Frenchie Davis Talks About West Coast Dreamgirls; Cast Announced

By Kenneth Jones


Frenchie Davis, the zaftig, big-voiced diva who was bounced from TV's "American Idol" in 2003, said her casting as spurned Motown singer Effie Melody White in the new three-city, West Coast staging of Dreamgirls is a natural for her."The story is attractive to me," Davis said by telephone from Seattle, where she's talking to the media before jumping into rehearsals Dec. 15 toward the production, which starts Jan. 9, 2004, in San Jose. Engagements in Sacramento and Seattle follow.

"I really get upset for her," Davis told Playbill On-Line. "Effie was treated very unfairly and I can definitely relate to the character. It's a tough business when you're not thin enough or marketable enough to the white audience. I think I, and Effie, both understand that. One could argue that what the Dreams did to Effie is what American Idol did to me."

Effie was bumped from the Supremes-like group (the Dreams) in the fictional Motown musical fable and forced to pick up the pieces of a thwarted career. Davis, 24, was famously cut from the popular television amateur contest, "American Idol," in February 2003 for her association with an adult website.

As Effie reinvents herself in the show, so did Frenchie Davis: Singing offers poured in, and a stint in Broadway's Rent was one of several opportunities she grabbed at. It was thought that Davis (whose cropped blonde hair was instantly recognizable) was a strong contender for the "Idol" win before she was axed, and Davis — expressing an Effie-like opinion — agrees.

"Anyone with a brain knows who the winner would have been had I stayed," she said, adding that she isn't bitter about it. "Everything happens for a reason. I'm not upset at all. I don't know if I want 'American Idol' to define who I am as an artist and my career. There's so much more to me than that. I think being kicked off blessed me with the opportunity to show that."

The full cast of Dreamgirls — co-produced by American Musical Theatre of San Jose (Jan. 9-25, 2004), California Musical Theatre in Sacramento (Jan. 28-Feb. 8, 2004) and 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle (Feb. 10-29, 2004) — includes Regi Davis (Marty), Andre Garner (C.C. White), Rosena M. Hill (Michelle Morris), David Jennings (Curtis Taylor Jr.), Ramona Keller (Lorrell Robinson), Christopher L. Morgan (Wayne), Angela Robinson (Deena Jones), Harrison White (James Thunder Early), with Don Alden, Carmichael Blankenship, Maureen Brown, Iris Burruss, Taryn Darr, Douglas Eskew, Wilkie Ferguson III, Lavon D. Fisher, Stacey Harris, Monique L. Midgette, Christopher L. Morgan, Clifton Oliver, Kevin Steele, Kelsey Scott, Sandy Shimoda, Robert Tatad, Erwin Urbi, Titus Westy Willis, Ted Zervoulakos.

The 1981-82 Broadway hit, Dreamgirls, was created by director-choreographer Michael Bennett and composer Henry Krieger and lyricist by Tom Eyen.

For the new staging of Dreamgirls, Brenda Braxton is the choreographer, Mark S. Hoebee is the director.

Although she earned her Actors' Equity card with Rent ealier this year, singing "Seasons of Love" and playing multiple roles, Davis performed in musicals at Howard University (she's on leave at the moment, and has yet to complete 30 credits before earning a BFA in musical theatre) and played in German productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar.

"I had been acting and singing before everything with 'American Idol' happened," Davis said. "With a major in musical theatre, I had been interested long before 'American Idol.' I was pretty disciplined before [Rent]. When I did the shows in Germany we had to do them in German. We had three weeks to do the whole show in German, in addition to all the blocking. That was when I learned discipline — over there."

Effie's big aria of Dreamgirls, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," was the first song Davis auditioned with for "American Idol."

After being booted from "Idol," Davis said, "I was getting offers, and I still am getting offers, but let me just make it clear: I auditioned like everyone else for Dreamgirls and for Rent. No one handed me anything."

She continues, "Dreamgirls has always been a show that I loved. I grew up listening to all kinds of musical theatre music, and Dreamgirls has always been one of my favorites. I think it's a great show. All I ever wanted was to be able to do what I love and make a comfortable living."

Davis, who is signed with Warner Bros. for an album, said that she used to have a five-year plan for where she'd be, but learned plans can't always be counted on.

"I can tell you, things are a lot different than I would have expected them to be when I made my five-year plan five years ago," she said. "I've just learned to stay in prayer and go with the flow."

Will Frenchie Davis be back on Broadway? Although the West Coast Dreamgirls is not related to the announced plan for a Broadway revival of the show, Davis hopes Broadway is in her future in some fashion.

"The producers of Rent and I have talked about the possibility of me coming back," Davis said. "There are some other projects happening in the Broadway community that I might be a part of — we'll see."



Jamie Foxx Turns on Stealth Mode

Source: Variety


Jamie Foxx will join Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel in Stealth for Columbia Pictures.

Foxx, Biel and Lucas will play elite pilots drafted to stop an artificial-intelligence one that has been programmed to kill and has run amuck.

The summer 2005 film is being readied for a February production start in Australia by director Rob Cohen and producers Laura Ziskin, Neal Moritz and Mike Medavoy.



Weekend Boxoffice


'Something's Gotta Give' Rules Box Office

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Love among older adults conquered the box office as Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton's romance "Something's Gotta Give" debuted in the top spot with $17 million.

The previous weekend's top film, "The Last Samurai," slipped to second place with $14.05 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Farrelly brothers' comedy "Stuck on You," starring Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins, opened at No. 3 with $10 million. The teen romance "Love Don't Cost a Thing," featuring Nick Cannon, debuted in fourth place with $6.5 million.

The overall box office slipped, with the top 12 movies grossing $83 million, down 8 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

Ticket sales will surge this week with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the conclusion of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic. The film opens Wednesday.

"Return of the King" could surpass the $62 million opening weekend for last year's middle chapter, "The Two Towers," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In limited release, a reissue of "Two Towers" took in $700,000 this past weekend, pushing the film's total gross to $340 million and priming the pump for "Return of the King."

"This past weekend was the calm before the storm," Dergarabedian said. "Everybody's waiting for `Return of the King' and the onslaught of all the holiday movies coming after that."

Opening Friday is Julia Roberts' "Mona Lisa Smile." Christmas week brings Nicole Kidman and Jude Law's Civil War epic "Cold Mountain," Steve Martin's comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen," Ben Affleck's sci-fi tale "Paycheck" and a live-action version of "Peter Pan."

Distributor Sony hopes the well-reviewed "Something's Gotta Give" will linger in theaters through the holidays. Keaton stars as a 55- year-old playwright in a love triangle involving a 63-year-old womanizer (Nicholson) and a 30-something doctor (Keanu Reeves).

"For the holidays, this is the perfect piece of entertainment, especially in a market that for the most part has had either children's films or darker-themed adult films out there," said Jeff Blake, Sony Pictures head of distribution. "This is funny, well- written, and we think works for all audiences."

Though aimed at older adults, "Something's Gotta Give" scored well among younger crowds, with viewers under 30 accounting for a third of the audience, Blake said.

It was Sony's ninth movie this year to debut as No. 1 for the weekend, breaking the old industry record of eight set three times in past years by Warner Bros., Blake said.

Playing in 2,677 theaters, "Something's Gotta Give" averaged a solid $6,350 per showing, compared to a $3,330 average in 3,003 theaters for "Stuck on You" and $3,544 in 1,844 theaters for "Love Don't Cost a Thing."

In limited release, Tim Burton's tall-tale adventure "Big Fish" debuted strongly, grossing $215,000 in six theaters for a $35,833 average. The father-son reunion story stars Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Jessica Lange and Billy Crudup.

The 17th century drama "Girl With a Pearl Earring," starring Colin Firth as Dutch artist Vermeer and Scarlett Johansson as a servant who inspires him, also opened well. In seven theaters, the film took in $90,000 for a $12,857 average.

"Big Fish" and "Girl With a Pearl Earring" expand to more theaters Christmas week.

1. "Something's Gotta Give," $17 million.
2. "The Last Samurai," $14.05 million.
3. "Stuck on You," $10 million.
4. "Love Don't Cost a Thing," $6.5 million.
5. "The Haunted Mansion," $6.3 million.
6. "Bad Santa," $6.21 million.
7. "Elf," $6.2 million.
8. "Honey," $5.1 million.
9. "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," $4.2 million.
10. "Gothika," $2.7 million.



News for 12/7/2003


FOX Cuts 'Wanda' Down to Size


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - When it premiered in March (assisted by an "American Idol" lead-in), "Wanda at Large" drew more than 14 million viewers. When it last aired, on Friday, Nov. 7, "Wanda at Large" averaged only 3.8 million viewers. After preempting the show for specials and movies throughout November sweeps, FOX has finally pulled the plug on Wanda Syke's comedy.

On "Wanda at Large," Sykes played an outspoken comic recruited to work as a panelist and correspondent for a Washington D.C.-based Sunday morning political talk show. Phil Morris, Dale Godboldo and Jason Kravits also stared in the laffer from Warner Bros. TV and Bruce Helford's Mohawk Prods.

Originally, "Wanda" performed solidly in its Wednesday 9:30 p.m. slot, following "The Bernie Mac Show." This fall, FOX moved the comedy to Friday night, where ratings have suffered. The network's anemic Friday numbers have already claimed the life of freshman comedy "Luis," while the night's relative veteran, "Boston Public," has seen major attrition in viewership.

A FOX spokesman confirmed that the series has completed production on the initial order of episodes and that the "back nine" will not be picked up. "Wanda at Large" still has five episodes left on the shelf, but the network currently has no plans to show those orphaned half-hours.

For the season, "Wanda" averaged 4.09 million viewers per episode, No. 106 among network primetime offerings. As a point of comparison, Joss Whedon's "Firefly," which aired in roughly the same period last season and also met with an early demise, drew an average of 4.58 million viewers.



News for 11/25/2003


Michelle's destiny is written in the stars

By Elysa Gardner

USA TODAY


Michelle Williams is about to become the second R&B star to step into the shoes of a certain Broadway princess. Tonight, the Destiny's Child member follows fellow pop-soul songstress Toni Braxton in assuming the title role of Disney's Aida, a part that Williams will play through Jan. 25.

The new Aida will be billed in the show's program as Michelle T. Williams, to distinguish her from the Dawson's Creek actress, who also has appeared on the New York stage. Williams was immediately drawn to the Elton John/Tim Rice musical, and especially to her character.

"There are times when Aida is vulnerable, but she's not intimidated by her surroundings," says Williams, 23. "She's honest, she's sarcastic, and she's strong. That's what attracts Radames, the character who falls in love with her." The singer adds that Will Chase, the actor cast as Radames, "is so good-looking. That didn't hurt, either."

Before beginning rehearsals for Aida several weeks ago, Williams' only theatrical experience had been in school plays. "I was shy back then, and insecure about my dancing. Being in Destiny's Child helped me get over that, because I had to learn everything so quickly, but it worked out.

"It's been the same with this show. Everyone has been so helpful — telling me when I'm great, and when (I'm not), but always in a helpful way. I only broke down crying once, because they were filling my head with so much stuff. It's not just singing and acting, it's things like knowing where to stand. Because if I'm in the wrong place and a prop comes down and hits me in the head, I'll be dead, you know?"

Provided that doesn't happen, Williams will have the option of extending her run through February. By then, though, she will have another project to promote: a solo CD, called Do You Know, due Jan. 13. Williams co-wrote several songs for the album, working with producers such as Tommy Sims, whose credits range from Eric Clapton to Kelly Clarkson, and her brother Erron Williams.

"I look at how Beyoncι writes," her bandmate says admiringly. "I mean, she could write a song sitting on the toilet." Williams found inspiration more specifically, in a relationship that ended not too long ago. "I was able to experience a little hurt this year, the loss of a love that I thought was going to be mine forever. Because when I fall in love, I fall pretty hard.

"I would say love is the theme of this album. It looks at the mistakes you make when you're in love, and also at God's love. Because God brought me through this. He said, 'You're still young, and you still have a lot to do.' So I feel good. I know that I'm still blossoming and learning, and that everything will come in time."



Weekend Boxoffice


'Cat in the Hat' Claws Way to No. 1

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES - Critics were cat-haters but "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat" had families purring.

Starring Mike Myers as the whiskered trickster of Dr. Seuss' children's book, "The Cat in the Hat" overcame scathing reviews to debut as the No. 1 weekend movie with ticket sales of $40.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Halle Berry's supernatural thriller "Gothika" premiered in second place with $19.6 million while the previous weekend's top movie, "Elf," slipped to No. 3 with $19.1 million.

Playing in 3,464 theaters, "The Cat in the Hat" averaged $11,570 a cinema, compared to $8,237 in 2,382 theaters for "Gothika."

Critics were even more unkind to "The Cat in the Hat" than they were to the earlier live-action Dr. Seuss adaptation, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." That movie had a $55.1 million debut weekend and survived bad reviews to become 2000's top-grossing flick with $260 million.

Reviewers called "The Cat in the Hat" visually overblown and bereft of story. Some called it "kitty litter."

Universal Studios, domestic distributor for both movies, does not expect "The Cat in the Hat" to rival the total for "The Grinch," whose saving grace even among harsh critics was a manic performance by Jim Carrey.

"The Grinch" also had appeal for teens and adults who fondly recalled the TV cartoon version, while "The Cat in the Hat" was made solely for young children, said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.

"It's not about entertaining parents or reviewers. It's about entertaining kids, and that's what happened," Rocco said. "It's whether or not your audience was satisfied, and every time I saw the movie with an audience of kids, they loved it."

"The Cat in the Hat" may hold up well through the holidays, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Little kids, they want what they want, and they don't care about reviews," Dergarabedian said. "Parents do have some say in the decision, but most of the time they'll just go along with the kids."

For adult crowds, the drama "21 Grams" opened impressively in limited release. A film-festival hit, "21 Grams" took in $256,434 in just eight New York City and Los Angeles theaters, averaging a whopping $32,054. It expands to about 60 theaters Wednesday.

The film stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro as strangers tossed together in a somber exploration of grief, vengeance and mortality. All three are potential Academy Awards nominees.

"The Matrix Revolutions" continued its box-office swoon, taking in $6.7 million, down 59 percent from the previous weekend. It likely will top out at barely half the $282 million gross of its predecessor, last spring's "The Matrix Reloaded."

1. "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," $40.1 million.
2. "Gothika," $19.6 million.
3. "Elf," $19.1 million.
4. "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," $15.2 million.
5. "Love Actually," $9.1 million.
6. "The Matrix Revolutions," $6.7 million.
7. "Brother Bear," $5.5 million.
8. "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," $4.1 million.
9. "Scary Movie 3," $3.3 million.
10. "Radio," $2.6 million.



News for 11/20/2003


"Fame's" Leroy Dies

By Bridget Byrne


Gene Anthony Ray, who briefly found fame as dancer Leroy Johnson in both the movie and TV versions of Fame, died Friday in New York.

Ray, who was HIV-positive, succumbed to complications of a stroke suffered in June. He was 41.

Ray's natural talent proved perfect for the role of the sure-footed, street-smart Leroy, brilliant in performance, but frustrated in the classroom by his illiteracy. The 1980 movie, and subsequent TV series, followed the hopes and dreams of students at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Ray attended that school for a time, but was kicked out. "It was too disciplined for this wild child of mine," his mother, Jean E. Ray, told the New York Times.

Born in Harlem, Ray attended Julia Richmond High School. He skipped class to audition for the Leroy role in the hit movie that won Oscars for the title song and for Best Original Score.

He reprised the part on the NBC series, which debuted in 1982. Low ratings led to the show's quick cancellation, but Fame continued in production for MGM Television as a syndicated series from 1983 to 1987. During the show's run, Leroy graduated and became an assistant dance instructor at the school.

Ray's later film credits included Out of Sync, directed by Debbie Allen, star of the Fame TV series. He also appeared as himself in an episode of the 1998 TV series Linc's, on which Allen is also credited as director. He appeared as a dancer and was credited as assistant choreographer in the 1996 movie Eddie, starring Whoopi Goldberg as an NBA coach.

His link to Fame was never severed. In the '80s with other cast members he had performed in Britain in a series of concerts--a tour that was filmed and shown in the U.S. in 1983 as the The Kids from Fame TV special. He joined several cast members for a reunion special that was included on the recently released Fame DVD and, earlier this year, he took part in the BBC documentary Fame Remember My Name, which has not yet aired.



'Beauty' of a Suit Filed by MGM

By Chris Gardner


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Two competing movies titled "Beauty Shop" have led MGM to file a copyright infringement and breach of contract suit against writer-director Mark Brown.

Brown is one of the creators of MGM's "Barbershop" franchise, which is set to spin off a movie called "Beauty Shop," but Brown already is in preproduction with an indie project of his own, also called "Beauty Shop" and set in a black-run beauty parlor.

The suit, filed Nov. 7 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seeks injunctive relief to prohibit Brown from developing his competing "Beauty Shop" into a film as well as unspecified damages. It names Brown, Beauty Shop Llc., Brown's Renegade Pictures and C4 Pictures as defendants.

Brown received screenplay and producer credit on the original "Barbershop" and is an executive producer on the upcoming "Barbershop 2." MGM's suit claims that he is "developing, producing and marketing a screenplay and motion picture entitled 'Beauty Shop' that is competitive with, and highly similar to, the films in MGM's 'Barbershop' motion picture franchise with full knowledge of MGM's prior use and exclusive rights in the 'Barbershop' (trademarks)."

The suit states that in November 2000, Brown sold his script for "Barbershop" to MGM. As part of that deal, it says, Brown agreed that "all original ideas, concepts and all sequel and prequel rights, among other things, relating to the screenplay and subsequent film belonged to MGM."

"Barbershop" was released in September 2002 and went on to gross more than $75 million at the domestic box office, launching a franchise for the studio. Earlier this year, MGM shot a sequel, "Barbershop 2," in which a new character played by Queen Latifah was introduced, paving the way for a planned spinoff to star Queen Latifah titled "Beauty Shop," which the suit states "is a logical extension of the 'Barbershop' franchise and will contain the same themes, tone, mood, plot and similar characters" to the first two installments.

Brown has written his own film project set in a beauty parlor, also titled "Beauty Shop," and the suit claims that it "copies substantial protectible elements from MGM's 'Barbershop' screenplay and motion picture," including the central story line.

The original "Barbershop" starred Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Anthony Anderson and Sean Patrick Thomas. The sequel, due out from MGM in February, reteams the original cast with several new cast members. "Beauty Shop" is set to start lensing early next year.

Brown's "Beauty Shop" is in preproduction with a cast that includes Vivica A. Fox. The competing projects have caused confusion among media outlets and Internet sites, with some of them reporting incorrectly that Fox has replaced Queen Latifah in MGM's "Beauty Shop."

Brown declined comment, and his representatives did not return calls seeking comment.



Weekend Boxoffice


'Elf' sails past 'Master and Commander'

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) --Will Ferrell's "Elf" scuttled Russell Crowe's "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" to finish as the weekend's No. 1 movie.

"Elf," about a man-child raised by Santa's helpers at the North Pole, took in $27.2 million, off just 12 percent from its second-place debut the previous weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Master and Commander," a Napoleonic-era naval adventure based on Patrick O'Brian's novels about an intrepid British captain, debuted a close second with $25.7 million.

"It just goes to show you, a sugar diet is better than what they eat on those ships," said David Tuckerman, head of distribution for New Line, which released "Elf." "We have a movie that's playing from 8 to 80. It's a sweet, family movie, and Will Ferrell does a spectacular job." (New Line is a unit of Time Warner, as is CNN.com.)

Audiences jumped ship on the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "The Matrix Revolutions," which took the No. 3 position at $16.3 million, down a steep 66 percent from its debut.

"Looney Tunes: Back in Action" opened at No. 5 with $9.5 million. The movie stars Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman and Steve Martin alongside Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other cartoon characters.

In narrower release, "Tupac: Resurrection," a documentary about the slain rapper, premiered with $4.7 million to finish at No. 9.

Overall box office receipts fell with the top 12 movies grossing $124.2 million, down 23 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" debuted with $88.4 million.

"Elf" lifted its 10-day total to $71.3 million. It will face stiff family film competition with this week's debut of "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," but should get a solid bump in business over Thanksgiving weekend and play solidly through Christmas.

"Releasing it very early in the season was a smart move, because it's just building steam heading toward the two big holidays of the season," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Master and Commander" surpassed the expectations of distributor 20th Century Fox. Bruce Snyder, the studio's head of distribution, had figured the movie would come in a bit under $20 million for opening weekend.

"It's an amazing number for an adult movie," Snyder said. "We can't be disappointed at not being No. 1. 'Elf' is a very different movie."

"Matrix Revolutions," the final chapter in the Wachowski brothers' sci-fi trilogy, pushed its 12-day domestic gross to $114.2 million. By comparison, "The Matrix Reloaded" took $275 million in 10 weeks last spring and topped out at $281.5 million domestically.

Worldwide, however, the "Matrix Revolutions" had climbed to about $310 million in less than two weeks, noted distributor Warner Bros.

1. 'Elf,' $27.2 million
2. 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,' $25.7 million
3. 'The Matrix Revolutions,' $16.3 million
4. 'Brother Bear,' $12.0 million
5. 'Looney Tunes: Back in Action,' $9.5 million
6. 'Love Actually,' $8.9 million
7. 'Scary Movie 3,' $6.1 million
8. 'Radio,' $5.0 million
9. 'Tupac: Resurrection,' $4.7 million
10. 'Mystic River,' $3.3 million