Celeb News Aggregate
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A Los Angeles photographer was charged Wednesday with attempting to extort $3.3 million from actress Cameron Diaz over photos taken at a private modeling session in 1992--before the Charlie's Angels star became famous. Also: John Rutter Tom Sizemore Heidi Fleiss Steven Seagal Julius Nasso Jay Leno Madonna Luc Besson Estee Lauder Carolyn Murphy Insane Clown Posse Soike Lee She Hate Me Rosario Dawson Woody Harrelson
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SANTA MONICA, CALIF., Feb. 13, 2000 -- A week after Leo's second coming, other big Hollywood names -- in the form of Ben Affleck, Bruce Willis, Meg Ryan and Diane Keaton -- are also coming out to play.
Making their nationwide debuts in the coming week are the Wall Street flick "Boiler Room," the mobster-gone-straight comedy "The Whole Nine Yards" and the sibling-rivalry antics of "Hanging Up."
Here's a rundown of what's up:
FRIDAY
"Boiler Room" (New Line) -- Giovanni Ribisi plays an upstart stockbroker freshly recruited for a job in a firm nicknamed the "boiler room." Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel and Nia Long co-star. (Wide release)
"Hanging Up" (Sony) -- Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton and Lisa Kudrow co-star as sisters who come together to care for their dying father played by Walter Matthau. (Wide)
"Pitch Black" (USA) -- In the sci-
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NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 15, 2000 -- The news broke Sunday in New York newspapers and on Time Warner Cable's New York 1 channel that film critic/columnist/actor Rex Reed was arrested Saturday for allegedly shoplifting three compact discs. National coverage of the alleged crime continued Monday in such publications as USA Today.
Reed was apprehended by security officers at a Tower Records store near his apartment for allegedly tucking CDs by Mel Torme, Peggy Lee and Carmen McRae into his jacket without, as authorities maintain, paying for them.
Sources suggest Reed, who currently writes an entertainment column for The New York Observer, could have sustained the financial hit of paying for the items. He lives at the Dakota, one of Manhattan's most expensive and exclusive apartment buildings (John Lennon was shot there); owns a spread in an elite corner of rural Connecticut; and,
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 1, 2000 -- It won't just be difficult, it will be virtually impossible to evict "Mission: Impossible 2" from first place this weekend.
After opening to nearly $92 million for the six-day Memorial Day holiday period, Paramount's "M:I-2" is certain to hold on to the top spot on the chart in its second week.
The PG-13 action adventure sequel did $96.3 million its first seven days in theaters vs. the original "Mission's" $79 million. The sequel cracked $100 million on Wednesday, its eighth day in release, and is heading for $200-250 million in the U.S. and Canada. It should do $300-350 million in international theaters, giving it a likely worldwide cume of $500-600 million, compared to the first film's $465 million.
"'Mission' will be number one," promises one insider. "The first one dropped 52 percent in its second weekend. This one did $57
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Jim Carrey should be the personality splitting most of this weekend's box office.
Carrey and 20th Century Fox's R-rated comedy "Me, Myself & Irene," about a schizoid Rhode Island motorcycle cop, should speed into first place at 3,016 theaters with about $25 million.
"Among opening and released films, it has a 27% first choice," explains an insider. "It's 36% for males under 25 and 20% for males over 25. It's 31% for females under 25 and 23% for females over 25. So it's definitely young males."
A $25 million launch, this source says, "isn't the 'Liar Liar' opening, but I don't think it has the heat that 'Liar Liar' had." That Jim Carrey comedy opened via Universal to $31.4 million the weekend of March 21-23, 1997.
Should Fox be unhappy with a $25 million opening? "No," replies this insider. "$25 million is a huge opening. Who would be unhappy w
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"Gone In 60 Seconds" should have no trouble finding first place parking this weekend.
With a first-choice tracking of 27%, the PG-13-rated action thriller from Buena Vista/Touchstone is on track to steal $30-35 million at 3,006 theaters. Insiders point out that if it opens as well as "The Rock" - $25.1 million at 2,392 theaters June 7-9, 1996 ($10,481 per theater) - it would gross $31.5 million.
Who most wants to go to "Gone?" "It's very much young male," an insider says of the film's appeal. "The overall definite interest is 55%, but for young males (under 25) it's 69% and it's 46% for older men (over 25). It's 57% for young women and 48% for older women."
Look for "Gone" to drive Paramount's "Mission: Impossible-2" down one ramp to second place in its third week. The PG-13 blockbuster action adventure sequel's 19% first-choice tracking suggests "M:I-2"
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"Gladiator" continued to rule the box office this weekend, collecting another $24 million in tribute from moviegoers.
The R-rated action adventure from DreamWorks easily held on to first place in its second week with a hefty ESTIMATED $24.3 million (-30%) at 2,943 theaters (+40 theaters; $8,257 per theater). Its cume is approximately $73.3 million, heading for about $150 million in domestic theaters.
"Gladiator's" per theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"Obviously, it's a strong hold," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning. "The positive word-of-mouth continues to be very strong."
Although DreamWorks is distributing "Gladiator" domestically, Universal is releasing it internationally. The two studios are 50-50 partners, sharing equally in its success. The film reportedly cost $1
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HOLLYWOOD, May 11, 2000 - It's time to separate the men from the boys, and by all accounts, "Gladiator" is going to do the separating. The Roman action epic, which opened last weekend at No. 1 and, as of Tuesday, had pulled in a tidy $42 million, should have little trouble defending its box-office supremacy this weekend, what with "Battlefield Earth" -- a baggage-carrying sci-fi vanity project from John Travolta -- mounting the most formidable challenge (such as it is).
Meanwhile, there are four other new films arriving at cinemas this weekend ("Center Stage," "Screwed," "Hamlet," and "Held Up"), but none aspires to blockbuster credentials.
Here's a rundown of the new releases:
"Battlfield Earth" "BATTLEFIELD EARTH" The skinny: At long last, John Travolta brings to the screen one of his favorite books, written by Scientology guru, L. Ron Hubbard. It's abou
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 14, 2000 -- Kidney surgery wasn't enough to keep Steven Spielberg from making an impassioned plea for diversity. The 53-year-old director skipped the red carpet arrivals but mustered the strength to make it to the podium at the 31st NAACP Image Awards on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.
Only a few days after having a kidney removed, the filmmaker -- looking no worse for his recent wear -- urged his peers in the industry to continue to "expand the opportunities of the portrayal of diversity in all medium." His call to action came after receiving the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Vanguard Award for his "pioneering courage to promote social justice through creative endeavors."
"A couple of days ago, I was in the hospital,'' the director said. ``This is the first time I've been out since my operation and it feels like a dr
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"Shaft" should have moviegoers shouting "Right On" at this weekend's box office.
Look for Paramount's R-rated urban appeal remake starring Samuel L. Jackson to open to a cool $20 million-plus at 2,337 theaters.
"Shaft" is a powerful 19% overall first choice in studio tracking studies, with its strongest appeal to men, especially those under 25.
"They're up from 15% first choice earlier in the week to 19%, so they're looking stronger than they did," an insider explains. "They'll do $20 million, maybe more."
"$22-25 million would be the number to me," predicts another studio source. "$10,000 a theater gives you $23 million."
Directed by John Singleton, "Shaft" stars Samuel L. Jackson and Vanessa Williams.
"Shaft" should give Buena Vista/Touchstone's "Gone In 60 Seconds" the first place heave-ho. The PG-13-rated action thrill
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"Shaft" was the man this weekend, easily stealing first place at the box office from "Gone in 60 Seconds."
Paramount's R-rated urban appeal remake kicked off to a muscular ESTIMATED $21.1 million at 2,337 theaters ($9,029 per theater).
"Shaft's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"It's great. It's a good opening," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning.
"We're very pleased with it, obviously. Early on, we thought it would be $18-22 million, so it fell right in the range that we were looking at, and it's a little bit on the high side of it."
Asked who the film's audience was, Lewellen noted, "I haven't seen the exit polls yet. I think it must have played young, at least that's what our research told us up front. Young males are the primary audience. The p
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 2, 2000 -- "Storm" clouds unexpectedly dominated the July Fourth weekend box office skies, raining on what was expected to be Mel Gibson's parade.
Nonetheless, there was plenty of room in the holiday marketplace for both Warner Bros.' "The Perfect Storm" and Columbia and Centropolis Entertainment's "The Patriot" to do blockbuster business. "Storm" made big waves with ticket sales of nearly $42 million, while "Patriot" marched ahead, grossing nearly $22 million with very encouraging exit polls.
Despite expectations based on tracking scores that "Patriot" would capture the top spot, it was "Storm" that won the battle with an estimated $41.68 million at 3,407 theaters ($12,234 per theater). Its cume for the five days ending with July Fourth should be about $63 million.
"Storm's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wi