News for 4/9/2003


Weekend Boxoffice


"Phone Booth" Dials Up Win


Phone Booth rang up an estimated $15 million as the new number one movie.

After several weeks dominated by comedies, audiences apparently were ready for a good fright--or maybe just a glimpse of hot wild Irish boyo Colin Farrell.

The R-rated Fox release--in which Kiefer Sutherland's sniper reaches and touches Farrell's philandering PR man, trapping him in a midtown Manhattan phone booth--headed up a trio of new major releases. Their arrival pushed last weekend's leading laughers, Head of State and Bringing Down the House, down to fourth and fifth place on the top 10 list, with $8.8 million and $8.5 million, respectively.

Phone Booth, whose release was delayed following last year's Washington, D.C., sniper attacks, marks the third straight Farrell film to debut on top of the box office. In February, The Recruit, the CIA drama in which he starred alongside Al Pacino, and Daredevil, in which he played the scene-stealing villain Bullseye opposite Ben Affleck's comic book hero, both registered as top-grossing flicks.

Debuting in the second slot was What a Girl Wants, starring Amanda Bynes as an all-American girl who crash lands in the British social season in order to connect with her upper crust dad (Colin Firth). The PG Warners romantic comedy fable about this reluctant debutante earned an estimated $12 million by appealing to its target demo of young women and girls.

In third place came A Man Apart, the latest Vin Diesel shoot 'em up (this time he plays a special agent heading looking to exact revenge by busting a drug cartel). While Man blasted into third place with $11.1 million, the R-rated New Line thriller, made before the Diesel-powered XXX scored big, cleaned up a slightly higher per-screen average--$4,534 at 2,459 sites--than What a Girl Wants' $4,069 from 2,964 sites.

Phone Booth averaged $6,056 at 2,481 screens, clearly top of the wide releases. But the weekend's highest per-screen average was earned by Nick Nolte's limited release casino heist caper The Good Thief. At just nine sites the R-rated Fox Searchlight release, a remake of the French noir Bob Le Flambeur, averaged $15,292 for $137,626.

Dysfunktional Family, Miramax's R-rated, no-expletive-deleted lensing of comedian Eddie Griffin's stage show, was dismal in comparison, averaging just $1,827 at 602 sites for a $1.1 million gross.

Among the holdovers, the only movie to register a gain was Bend It Like Beckham. The British import about soccer crazy girls added 71 sites; now playing at 117 locations, it averaged $10,043 for $1.17 million gross. That was a 79 percent kick-up in its fourth week of release to bring its current overall tally to $2.5 million.

But overall business continued on the down slope. Studio executives tend to blame the war, Industry analysts tend to blame the quality of the movies. The top 12 movies grossed $84 million, a drop of 3 percent from last weekend and 10 percent lower than this time last year.

Here are the top 10 based on studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Phone Booth, $15 million
2. What a Girl Wants, $12 million
3. A Man Apart, $11.1 million
4. Head of State, $8.8 million
5. Bringing Down the House, $8.5 million
6. The Core, $6.3 million
7. Basic, $5.4 million
8. Chicago, $5.3 million
9. Agent Cody Banks, $3.7 million
10. Piglet's Big Movie, $3 million



News for 4/4/2003


2 female-driven salon pics make cut


LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- With the success of the feature "Barbershop," two competing indie films billing themselves as the female version of the MGM comedy hope to hit theaters in the near future.

Warning Films' feature "Nora's Hair Salon," with Jenifer Lewis in the title role, began production this week in Los Angeles with Jerry LaMothe directing a cast that also includes Tamala Jones, Tatyana Ali, Donn Swaby, recording artist Lil' J, R&B artist Bobby Brown and a cameo by rapper Lil' Kim.

Meanwhile, stand-up comedian Mo'Nique will star in UrbanWorks Entertainment's "Beauty Shop" for director Leslie Small. That project is due to begin shooting in May in and around Los Angeles.

Warning's Jean Claude La Marre, who also wrote the script to "Nora's," said: "We are first out of the gate with a female 'Barbershop'-type movie. Others are still developing scripts; our film will be in theaters before the others are off and running. Plus, we have a quality offering, a great cast, a great script and a phenomenal young director."

"Nora's" is about a woman (Lewis) who runs a hair salon and the eclectic stylists -- Jones and Ali among them -- who defer to the sassy matriarch. Jones is co-producing with LaMarre, and Tim Swain is executive producing.

"Beauty," written by Sherri A. McGee and Andrea Wiley, is about a woman (Mo'Nique) who flees her Baltimore hometown after getting in trouble with the IRS. Landing in Beverly Hills, she attempts to make a living in an upscale beauty salon run by her estranged sister. The film is being produced by UrbanWorks' Jeff Clanagan and Magic Johnson Entertainment's Nikkole Denson. Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Mo'Nique's manager Steve Imes at Big City Artists Management are executive producing.

"The beauty shop in our script is a backdrop for a story about a family, so the film is more about family bonds and how two sisters come together despite their differences," McGee said. "Plus, it's set in Beverly Hills; we're also exploring the difference between the haves and have-nots."

McGee added that because of the success of "Barbershop," setting a project in a women's hair salon has become a popular concept, so "we want to be the first and the best, and we think that Mo'Nique is the woman who can pull it off."

Meanwhile, State Street Pictures' George Tillman and Robert Teitel, the producers behind "Barbershop," continue to develop their own female hair salon project for MGM (HR 10/25). That project, also titled "Beauty Shop," will eventually be retitled but is moving forward with screenwriter Elizabeth Hunter ("The Fighting Temptations") finalizing a deal to pen the screenplay.

"We are definitely moving forward on the script," Teitel said. "We're not really concentrating on what others around us are doing; we're working on own stuff."

That stuff includes a sequel to "Barbershop" that is currently casting.



'Barbershop' Director Exits Sequel for 'Date School'


HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com) - Tim Story, who directed MGM's "Barbershop" to big box office bucks, bowed out of helming the sequel on Wednesday and turned instead to the DreamWorks comedy, "Date School."

It was an abrupt exit and rumors swirled that Story pulled out because stars Cedric the Entertainer and Ice Cube, along with producers Bob Teitel and George Tillman, received bigger salaries than he did. But Story himself put those rumors to rest.

"This was never about money for me," he tells Variety's Michael Fleming. Story simply decided he didn't want to repeat himself so soon, even though his salary for "Barbershop 2" would have been $760,000, nearly quadruple what he earned for the first film.

"I took a hard look at myself in the mirror and felt creatively that I couldn't go back and do it again so soon. Telling them that was like breaking up with your family. But I need to stretch, to feel scared, and I will always be willing to roll the dice on my own talent."

Story was already an accomplished music video director before he moved into feature films, directing videos for Tyrese, 'N Sync and others. In fact, he took a pay cut to work on "Barbershop," a $12 million film that grossed $76 million.



News for 4/1/2003


Weekend Boxoffice


"Head of State" Rules


Head of State was elected box-office champ by audiences this weekend.

Although no recount was needed to determine that the Chris Rock-Bernie Mac polictial farce was tops, it was hardly a landslide victory, as moviegoers divided their attention between new films and recent Oscar winners.

Head of State, a PG-13 DreamWorks release in which Rock directs himself as an improbable candidate for the nation's number one job, debuted with $13.5 million, averaging $6,278 at 2,150 sites, according to final studio tallies Monday.

Its arrival closed the door on Bringing Down the House's reign on top, but the Queen Latifah-Steve Martin comedy earned $12.5 million in second place, just enough to push its four-week total to the $100 million mark, making it the first film released in 2003 to achieve that milestone. For the weekend, the PG-13 rated Disney release averaged $4,289 at 2,910 screens,

The Core, starring Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank and Delroy Lindo in a sci-fi journey to the center of the earth, opened in third place with $12.1 million. It dug up an average of $3,985 at 3,017 screens.

That was less than the $4,003 averaged by Sony's R-rated Basic at 2,876 theaters. But, because the Panama-set military mystery starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson opened in fewer theaters, its gross was a little less--$11.5 million in fourth place.

The Best Picture Oscar winner Chicago, adding 136 more screens following its victory to play on a total of 2,701, moved up a slot to fifth place, gaining 17 percent to kick up $7.2 million. That brings the murderous Miramax musical's current 14-week gross to $144.7 million.

Disney's Spirited Away, which prior to winning the Best Animated Feature Oscar had been in just a handful of theaters, expanded to 711 screens and earned $1.8 million, for an average of $2,483. Due for DVD release April 15, Hayao Miyazaki's anim้ fantasy tale has so far grossed only $7.4 million.

New movies in limited release scored much higher per-screen averages. Raising Victor Vargas, a portrait of what matters in love and life for adolescents in the ghetto, released by Samuel Goldwyn Films, averaged $16,600 at just two screens for $33,200. Assassination Tango, an R-rated United Artists release in which Robert Duvall directs himself in a portrait of a small-time hit man seduced by the charms of the dance, glided into just seven sites, averaging $9,211 for $64,500.

There was good news too for the Kate Hudson-Matthew McConaughey romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Although no longer on the top 10 list, but still playing at 1,176 screens, it managed to earn another $1.8 million. That took the Paramount hit's gross to $101.1 million, making it the second movie released this year to reach that mark.

Overall, according to the receipt counters at Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films grossed $86.8 million, a gain of 5 percent from last weekend, but a drop of 24 percent from this time last year.

Here are the top 10 weekend movies, based on final studio figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Head of State, $13.5 million
2. Bringing Down the House, $12.5 million
3. The Core, $12.1 million
4. Basic, $11.5 million
5. Chicago, $7.2 million
6. Dreamcatcher, $6.6 million
7. Agent Cody Banks, $6.4 million
8. Piglet's Big Movie, $4.9 million
9. The Hunted, $3.6 million
10. View From the Top, $3.5 million



News for 3/24/2003


6 Oscars: That's 'Chicago'


LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- The clouds of wars past and present that hung over the 75th Anniversary Academy Awards on Sunday night threatened to overshadow some of the razzle-dazzle sparkle of the musical "Chicago." But even though the Miramax Films musical, which kicked off the evening with a couple of high-stepping awards, seemed to lose its footing toward the end of the emotional 3 1/2-hour ceremony at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, it recovered with one final burst of energy as it won the Oscar for the year's best picture.

But though "Chicago" was the night's big winner, earning six trophies, including a best supporting actress nod for Catherine Zeta-Jones, it faced formidable competition in Focus Features' "The Pianist," Roman Polanski's harrowing account of one man's survival during World War II.

Not only was Polanski -- who has lived an expatriate's life in Paris since fleeing Los Angeles in 1977 after pleading guilty to having sexual relations with a minor -- named the year's best director, but writer Ronald Harwood earned the best adapted screenplay award. And, in what was easily one of the evening's most unexpected moments, that movie's star, 29-year-old actor Adrien Brody, defied the handicappers who'd been betting on either Jack Nicholson of "About Schmidt" or Daniel Day-Lewis of "Gangs of New York" by capturing the prize as best actor.

Greeting presenter Halle Berry with a deep kiss -- "I bet they didn't tell you that was in the gift bag," he cracked -- the lanky Brody marveled, "There comes a time in life when everything seems to make sense -- and this is not one of those times." Nevertheless, he managed to thank his parents, acknowledge Wladyslaw Szpilman, the man he played onscreen, and to laud Polanski before expressing heartfelt antiwar sentiments that drew the audience to their feet.

Just minutes later, Nicole Kidman was almost as overcome by emotion herself as she was named the year's best actress for her self-effacing performance as the suicidal Virginia Woolf in "The Hours," produced by Paramount Pictures and Miramax.

Winning for her second nomination -- she was nominated last year for "Moulin Rouge" -- Kidman took a moment to compose herself. "Oh, Russell Crowe said, 'Don't cry if you get up there,' and now I'm crying. Sorry," she apologized. Thanking director Stephen Daldry, writer David Hare and producer Scott Rudin, she moved on to acknowledge her family sitting before her. "I'm standing here in front of my mother and my daughter," she said. "And my whole life, I wanted to make my mother proud, and now I want to make my daughter proud, so thank you."

For the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which had struggled all week with whether to postpone the awards amid war in Iraq, which broke out Wednesday, the pendulum that swung between "Chicago" and "The Pianist" before finally swinging back again to "Chicago" almost seemed to represent the human response to war itself. Do you try to maintain high spirits in the face of danger, or do you force yourself to confront the horrors head on?

The show itself, hosted, in his second outing, by Steve Martin and produced by Gil Cates, at first appeared to be making every effort to steer clear of current events by using the occasion of the Academy's diamond jubilee anniversary to remember the past. To that end, 63 Oscar winners -- including the night's four inductees -- took their places onstage for a look backward.

And in his opening monologue, Martin made only passing reference to the fact that the Academy had rolled up the red carpet in an effort to tone down the glitz in a time of war. "That'll show them," Martin wryly said.

At first, the Oscarcast looked as if it would brave its way through the blitz by adopting a carefree tone.

A very pregnant Zeta-Jones -- who earned her trouper stripes by performing "Chicago's" nominated song, "I Move On," with co-star and fellow nominee Queen Latifah -- was almost immediately called back to the stage when she was chosen best supporting actress for her high-strutting work in that musical. "My hormones are too way out of control to be dealing with this," the actress said.

Chris Cooper scored a supporting actor Oscar for "Adaptation." It was the first nomination for the veteran character actor, who played a rascally orchid enthusiast. He included a special tribute to his co-star Meryl Streep -- who also received a supporting nomination for her work in that film -- saying: "Working with this woman was like making great jazz. You had a lot to do with this, so thank you."

For the actors, it was a good year for first-timers. Brody, Cooper and Zeta-Jones were first-time nominees, and Kidman had only one previous nomination under her belt.

The "Chicago" parade started only 30 minutes into the broadcast, when the musical took the prize for art direction, awarded to John Myhre and Gord Sim. Zeta-Jones' award was followed by a costume award to designer Colleen Atwood, a four-time nominee, who took home her first statue for the movie's flapper dresses and jailhouse drag. Eventually, "Chicago" also picked up Oscars for its editing, by Martin Walsh, and its sound, credited to Michael Minkler, Dominick Tavella and David Lee.

But then "Chicago's" triumphant comeback-of-the-movie-musical story line took a detour as other films -- and seemingly more serious concerns -- took their turn in the spotlight.

The 5,816 Academy members appeared to adopt a very cosmopolitan stance this year when they honored Spanish director Pedro Almodovar for his original screenplay for "Talk to Her." The Sony Pictures Classics release is the tale of two men who develop a friendship as they watch over their comatose girlfriends. "I want to dedicate this award to all the people who are raising their voices in favor of peace," Almodovar said in his acceptance.

The Academy also embraced "Frida," actress Salma Hayek's pet project that documented the life and loves of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. It defeated the sci-fi fantasy "The Time Machine" -- one of the night's only sure Oscar bets -- to take home the award for best makeup. "Thank you to Salma -- none of us would have been there without you," said John Jackson, who received the award along with Beatrice De Alba.

"Frida" then went on to victory in a much more competitive category -- best score -- when composer Elliot Goldenthal's name was announced by presenter Renee Zellweger.

"I want to dedicate this award to the bridges that we tried to build," Goldenthal said in accepting. "To the people of Mexico. To the artistic tradition, a legacy of personal and political art. For you, Mexico."

Hayek presented the foreign-language film award, which went to German entry "Nowhere in Africa," directed by Caroline Link. The film tells of a Jewish family who fled to Africa during World War II.

The night's most polarizing moment came when controversial filmmaker Michael Moore climbed to the stage, accompanied by his wife, Kathleen Glynn, and his collaborator Michael Donovan, to accept the award for best documentary. Greeted by a standing ovation, he alienated many in the house when he proclaimed, "We are against this war, Mr. Bush." And he left the stage to the sound of boos.

The audience at the Kodak Theatre was generous in their standing ovations, though. They rose to their feet to welcome Julie Andrews, Olivia de Havilland and Peter O'Toole, who received an honorary Oscar. "I have my very own Oscar now to be with me until death do us part," said the actor, who has been nominated seven times without winning. "I wish the Academy to know I am as delighted as I am honored, and I am honored."

The announcement that the cinematography award belonged to the late Conrad L. Hall for "Road to Perdition" also provided a sentimental moment when his son, Conrad W. Hall, accepted the award in his father's honor. "Dad, wherever you are, you are gone but you will never be forgotten," Conrad W. Hall said.

One unexpected winner proved to be the rapper Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, whose composition, "Lose Yourself," written with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto, was named best original song. Eminem, not unexpectedly, wasn't present at the event.

The sophomore choice for best animated feature --it was the only the second time the award had been handed out -- went to Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki for "Spirited Away," a fantasy about a young girl's encounter with a phantasmagoria of ghostly spirits. The traditionally animated film, which the Walt Disney Co. acquired for U.S. distribution, beat out such homegrown offerings as Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" and "Treasure Planet," DreamWorks' "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron" and 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age."

And though Sony Pictures failed in its campaign to score an animation nomination for "Stuart Little 2," it could claim the award for best short animated film, "The ChubbChubbs!" for which director Eric Armstrong thanked Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Animation.

New Line Cinema's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" repeated in one category that the first installment in Peter Jackson's trilogy won last year: best visual effects, with the trophy going to Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook and Alex Funke. And it picked up a second trophy in a category the trilogy failed to conquer last year: best sound editing for Ethan Van der Ryn and Michael Hopkins.

With Miramax leading all companies with the eight Oscars allotted to "Chicago" and "Frida" -- plus a share in the "Hours" trophy belonging to Kidman -- Miramax co-chief Harvey Weinstein had reason to celebrate even if Martin Scorsese's labor of love "Gangs of New York" came up short.

"It was a great night for movies," Weinstein said. "The Academy spread the wealth among great performances, great achievements and great films. And I'm thrilled that the musical is back and look forward to making more of them in the near future."

After the ceremony, Academy president Frank Pierson seemed relieved that not just the show but also the week that preceded it was over. "I'm so happy that everyone had a good time," he said. "It's been a tense and tough week for America. It was an interesting horse race, and life went on."

The 75th Anniversary Academy Awards, directed by Louis J. Horvitz, was broadcast by ABC.



Spirit nods bless 'Heaven'


LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- "Far From Heaven," director Todd Haynes' stylized and stylish portrait of a troubled 1950s marriage, dominated the 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards, where it was upstaged only by antiwar sentiments expressed by many of the presenters and winners.

In addition to being named best indie feature, the Focus Features release took home four other awards Saturday: Haynes was chosen best director; Julianne Moore was honored as best female lead; Dennis Quaid, who plays her husband, was cited as best supporting male; and Edward Lachman was named best cinematographer for the lush palette he brought to the film.

In accepting honors during the annual awards ceremony, which took place in an expansive tent on the beach in Santa Monica, veteran indie producer Christine Vachon -- who produced "Far From Heaven" with Jody Patterson -- said: "I have been to this awards show 13 or 14 times, and I've never been on this stage before. I've always been the bridesmaid, never the bride." She added, "I have to thank Todd Haynes for letting me be his friend, his collaborator and his co-conspirator and letting me be his producer."

The afternoon's emotional high point, though, appeared to belong to Derek Luke, who noted that four years earlier he had worked as a waiter at the Spirit Awards. Named best male lead for his performance as the title character in Fox Searchlight's "Antwone Fisher," he invited his wife onstage then said, "This belongs to you, babe!" as he encompassed her in an extended embrace.

Michael Moore, who earned the documentary award for is anti-gun feature "Bowling for Columbine," released by United Artists, offered the most extended political commentary. "The lesson for the children of Columbine this week is that violence is an accepted means by which to resolve a conflict," he said. "That's the lesson for the kids, and it's a sad, sick, immoral lesson."

Don Cheadle, a member of the board of event host Independent Feature Project/Los Angeles, read a board-approved statement. "In this country, 'independent' means we have the right to voice our opinion, and that right is protected in our Constitution," he said. "We have a right to voice our concerns without being called anti-American."

Others settled for passing mention of the conflict. After accepting his award, Quaid said, "I'd like to send out a prayer for peace in the world for the Iraqi people and safekeeping for our troops overseas." Said Moore, "Fighting's not the answer."

But while the afternoon began on a political note, with Elvis Costello singing the anthem "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," it also included its share of characteristically goofy moments.

Emcee John Waters earned a laugh when he began, "Saddam Hussein, George Bush -- no one will stop me from getting my gift bag." And Elizabeth Pena introduced the first in a series of parody song tributes to the nominated films by singing the praises of "Far From Heaven" to the tune of "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah."

The afternoon's other winners included: Mike White, best screenplay for "The Good Girl"; director Peter Care, best first feature for "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys"; Erin Cressida Wilson, best first screenplay for "Secretary"; "Personal Velocity," directed by Rebecca Miller, the John Cassavetes Award for best feature made for less than $500,000; Nia Vardalos, best debut performance for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"; Emily Mortimer, best supporting female for "Lovely & Amazing"; and "Y Tu Mama Tambien," directed by Alfonso Cuaron, best foreign film.

The Motorola Producers Award went to Effie T. Brown for "Real Women Have Curves" and "Stranger Inside." The Turning Leaf Coastal Reserve Someone to Watch Award was presented to Przemyslaw Reut, director of "Paradox Lake." And the DirecTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award, given to an emerging director of nonfiction films, went to Jennifer Dworkin, helmer of "Love & Diane."

Among distributors, Focus Features led the field with five awards, followed by Fox Searchlight, IFC Films, Lions Gate and United Artists -- which earned two each -- and ThinkFilm, which earned one nod.

Premier sponsors of the event -- hosted by IFP/LA and its executive director, Dawn Hudson -- were the Independent Film Channel, Motorola, Express and DirecTV. Halle Berry, who won an acting award last year for "Monster's Ball," was honorary chair. Diana Zahn-Story produced the awards, which aired live on IFC and were rebroadcast on Bravo.



Weekend Boxoffice


"House" Party Continues


For the third straight weekend it was a House party at the box office.

Bringing Down the House remained the number the top flick at the nation's cineplexes. Disney's odd-couple comedy, starring Steve Martin (Oscar host) and Queen Latifah (Oscar nominee for Chicago), earned another $16.2 million to bring its total to $83.4 million and stood firm against a clutch of newcomers.

Almost able to get a foot in the door was Dreamcatcher, debuting in second place with an estimated $15.3 million. The R-rated Warners thriller, based on a Stephen King story about slimy outer-space invaders' impact on a bunch of good buddies and a military alien fighter (Morgan Freeman), debuted in 2,945 sites for a per screen average of $5,197. That was just slightly lower than the $5,643 per site at 2,871 sites earned by the threepeating House. (Dreamcatcher was also helped by an accompanying new Matrix short, as Warners hopes to build momentum for the two sequels to the sci-fi hit due out later this year.)

Debuting in fourth place was View from the Top, a dizzy flight attendant comedy, greeted with extreme reservations by many critics. The long-shelved PG-13 Miramax release, starring one-time Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Christina Applegate, with support from Candice Bergen and Mike Myers, flew in with just $7.5 million, averaging $3,016 at 2,508 sites.

Despite solid reviews and little competition for the wee crowd, Piglet's Big Movie could only squeak into seventh place. The G-rated Disney 'toon about the Pooh crowd snuffled up $6.1 million, averaging $2,927 per 2,084 sites.

Just managing to float into 10th place was Boat Trip. The R-rated Artisan comedy starring former Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz as a couple of straight dudes who mistakenly take a gay cruise, could only wash up $3.7 million, averaging $2,159 per 1,714 screens.

Chicago was the only Best Picture Oscar contender still on the top 10 list. Miramax's razzle-dazzle musical, nominated in all for 13 Academy Awards, dropped down one slot this weekend to sixth place, earning another $6.2 million to bring its 13 week gross to $134 million.

With the war raging and people home surfing between the NCAA tournament and Sunday's Oscars, the top 12 movies grossed just under $84 million, down 8 percent from last weekend and 29 percent lower than this time last year.

1. Bringing Down the House, $16.2 million

2. Dreamcatcher, $15.3 million

3. Agent Cody Banks, $9.3 million

4. View from the Top, $7.5 million

5. The Hunted, $6.5 million

6. Chicago, $6.2 million

7. Piglet's Big Movie, $6.1 million

8. Tears of the Sun, $4.5 million

9. Old School, $4 million

10. Boat Trip, $3.7 million



News for 3/20/2003


MGM flashes hip-hop 'Colors' with Freeman


LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- MGM, the studio known for such classic musicals as "Singin' in the Rain" and "An American in Paris," is mounting a contemporary hip-hop-themed musical titled "Colors Straight Up," based on the Oscar-nominated documentary by Michele Ohayon. Morgan Freeman's Paramount Pictures-based Revelations Entertainment is producing, with Freeman expected to take one of the strong supporting roles in the film.

"Colors," penned by Bob Doleman, is near a green light at MGM with a tentative start date of June 23. The project tells the story of two male teachers -- one white and one black -- who overcome their personal differences to teach kids from Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood to come together using music and drama at a performing arts center for inner-city youth.

Freeman would star as one of the teachers, with the other role still uncast. Producers -- hoping to find unknown and fresh faces to fill the roles of the teens, who are really the stars of the movie -- are expected to launch a 10- to 12-city talent search to cast the film, sources said.

"Colors" is based on Ohayon's 1997 docu that tracked Colors United, a nonprofit organization that teaches inner-city kids music and drama, culminating in a performance of the musical "Watts Side Story." Her film also racked up noms at the Independent Spirit Awards and DGA Awards in 1998.

Producing the feature film are Howard Koch Jr., Ohayon, Ann Marie Gillen and Revelations CEO Lori McCreary. Freeman will take an executive producer credit. At the studio, the project is being overseen by executive vp production Toby Jaffe and vp production Eric Paquette.

Revelations and Freeman are repped by WMA. Freeman next stars in "Dreamcatcher," opening Friday, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Castle Rock Entertainment, followed by "Bruce Almighty" from Universal Pictures. Revelation's upcoming projects include Sony Pictures Classics' "Levity," starring Freeman alongside Billy Bob Thornton, Holly Hunter and Kirsten Dunst.

Ohayon, who will make her narrative feature debut on "Colors," is repped by manager Gary Ungar at Exile Entertainment and attorney Todd Stern. She directed the Jodie Foster-narrated docu "It Was a Wonderful Life."

MGM also is developing several other music-themed projects, including a Cole Porter project and the Bobby Darin biopic to be directed by Kevin Spacey, who also stars. Its United Artists specialty arm is also producing the music-themed "Romance and Cigarettes," to be helmed by John Turturro.



Minorities Return to Lower Oscar Profile


By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES - A year after two black nominees won the lead-acting prizes for the first time, the Academy Awards are back to a likely sweep of the four actor categories by white performers.

This year's two minority nominees — Mexico native Salma Hayek for best actress in "Frida" and black performer Queen Latifah for supporting actress in "Chicago" — are not considered serious contenders against the white front-runners (Nicole Kidman of "The Hours" and Renee Zellweger of "Chicago" for lead actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones of "Chicago" for supporting actress).

Yet some find it encouraging that at least a couple of nonwhite actors managed to score nominations from an academy whose early years were virtually devoid of minority membership and which even in the past decade has had years without a single nonwhite acting nominee.

"I try to look at it as, last year was a big year and that meant a lot, and it may take a few years before we really see the fruits of what happened last year. It doesn't happen overnight," said Halle Berry, who won the best-actress Oscar last year for "Monster's Ball."

Last year, Denzel Washington won the best-actor prize for "Training Day," and Will Smith of "Ali" was nominated in that category.

The only other time three blacks were nominated in the lead categories was 1972. Paul Winfield was up for best actor for "Sounder," and Cicely Tyson of "Sounder" and Diana Ross of "Lady Sings the Blues" competed for best actress. All three lost.

Advocates of greater diversity in film were thrilled over Berry and Washington's wins, considering only six black actors — or 2.2 percent of the 278 winners — had received acting Oscars at the previous 73 Oscar shows.

Few saw last year's Oscars as a major shift toward racial inclusion in Hollywood, though.

"I looked at it as, they both deserved those awards. ... But it's not the kind of thing I held on to, like, `OK, we've made it. We've arrived,'" Latifah said. "I think as long as there's racism in America, there's always going to be racism, period.

"I don't really look at it as everything has changed. I appreciate my nomination. I'm proud of what we did with `Chicago,' so I'm just going to go and enjoy the moment."

The acting branch at the Oscars was almost exclusively a whites-only club through the 1950s, though there were occasional nonwhite nominees, among them supporting-actress winners Hattie McDaniel for 1939's "Gone With the Wind" and Miyoshi Umeki for 1957's "Sayonara."

The ratio of nonwhite nominees and winners has gradually improved since the 1960s. Yet in their best years, they have earned no more than three of the 20 Oscar acting nominations — or 15 percent. Nonwhites make up 30 percent of the U.S. population.

As recently as 1995 and 1997, there were no nonwhite acting nominees. And while 1972 was celebrated as a breakthrough with three blacks in lead-acting categories, there was only one nonwhite acting nominee over the next eight years, black best-actress contender Diahann Carroll for 1974's "Claudine."

While Hollywood still draws heavy criticism for its lack of racial diversity, the last two decades have brought a better range of serious roles and more Oscar nominations for nonwhites.

Winners and nominees have included blacks (supporting-actress recipient Whoopi Goldberg for 1990's "Ghost," Washington with his first Oscar win, as supporting actor for 1989's "Glory"); Hispanics (supporting-actor winner Benicio Del Toro for 2000's "Traffic," Edward James Olmos, a best-actor nominee for 1988's "Stand and Deliver";) Asians (supporting-actor winner Haing S. Ngor for 1983's "The Killing Fields," Pat Morita, a supporting-actor nominee that same year for "The Karate Kid";) and Indians (Graham Greene, a supporting-actor nominee for 1990's "Dances With Wolves").

This year was especially solid for Hispanics. Besides Hayek's nomination, two of the five original-screenplay nominees are Spanish-language, "Talk to Her" and "Y Tu Mama Tambien." "Talk to Her" creator Pedro Almodovar also earned a best-director nomination, and Mexican drama "El Crimen del Padre Amaro" was nominated for foreign-language film.

Still, critics complain that the 5,800-member academy remains disproportionately white. Others say the real problem is Hollywood at large, which offers too few Oscar-caliber films and roles for minorities.

"You can (count) minority actors on your fingers without taking your shoes off," said three-time Oscar nominee Morgan Freeman. "So how can you expect to have one or two (minority nominees) in every mix? You just can't."

Advocates say more minorities must follow the lead of Washington, whose star power helped smooth the way for his directing debut, last year's "Antwone Fisher," based on the true story of a troubled black sailor.

"Until we get our own people writing screenplays for ourselves and getting money to produce our own films, it'll just be, `If there happens to be a part they want to give us, fine,'" said Mayme Agnew Clayton, founder of the African-American Cinema Society. "Until then, we're just kind of at the mercy of Hollywood."