Celeb News Aggregate
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Christopher Guest is taking it up to 11 for Fox's sequel to Night at the Museum.
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Hollywood is gearing for what is certain to be a spectacular 5-day 4th of July holiday movie-going period with two strong holdovers and a brand new PG-13-rated superhero picture starring the world’s biggest box office draw.
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By Monday, July 7, Will Smith will be the undisputed No. 1 movie star in the world. My sources tell me that tracking for Hancock (Sony) is in the stratosphere, and its five-day gross will be, conservatively, in the $140M-$150M range, with a bigger number highly possible. That would give the former Fresh Prince his eighth consecutive $100M+ grossing movie, topping the all-time best streaks of two fellow screen legends.
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Funnyman Robin Williams has paid tribute to his estranged wife Marsha, thanking her for not turning their divorce battle into a messy and expensive affair.
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Teri Hatcher will show off her singing skills when she performs on American Idol's charity fundraiser Idol Gives Back next week.
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Robin Williams’ hometown newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, is reporting that his wife of almost 19 years has filed for divorce.
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Robin Williams is to go back to his TV roots with a guest appearance on hit detective show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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Comedian Billy Crystal's debut as a baseball professional ended in failure on Thursday--he struck out without hitting the ball.
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Stars Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Pheonix lent their support to a pre-recorded TV version of the People's Choice Awards after the ceremony was cancelled due to the Hollywood writers strike.
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Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers has checked into rehab for alcohol abuse.
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Jennifer Aniston made a thinly veiled joke aimed at former boyfriend Vince Vaughn's expense at the People's Choice Awards--insisting she enjoyed their break-up.
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Ailing actress Farrah Fawcett has thanked her fans for supporting her through her recent cancer battle in a heartfelt new statement.
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Movie funnyman Robin Williams has offered his support to Seinfeld star Michael Richards, after his racist tirade against two audience members at a comedy club.
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Oliver Stone's gripping 9/11 drama World Trade Center was named Best Film in the first major awards show of the 2006/2007 season, beating out Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest at the Hollywood Awards last night.
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Actress Farrah Fawcett has confirmed press reports she is battling cancer, as her celebrity friends send their best wishes to her.
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Troubled actor Robin Williams was inspired to check into rehab when he saw how graciously Mel Gibson sought help after his alcohol-fuelled fall from grace in July.
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Comedian Robin Williams has checked out of rehab and moved in with a sober friend in a bid to save his marriage to his wife Marsha.
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Jamie Foxx Robin Williams Denis Leary Mariska Hargitay Halle Berry Mick Jagger Clint Eastwood Emily Watson Emmy Rossum Geoffrey Rush Natasha Richardson Kevin Spacey Johnny Depp Mike Nichols Natalie Portman Annette Bening give quotes at the 62nd Annual Golden Globes
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Star Jones of The View marries, Ol'Dirty Bastard dies unexpectedly, Diaz and Timberlake sued for assault and battery
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Touchstone TV, the producers of ABC's 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, has signed veteran actor James Garner as a regular to its sophomore comedy. Also: Maverick Films Michael Jackson ScriptShark Jerry Bruckheimer Grammys Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards Bruce Springteen Wah Ming Chang Lenny Bruce Peter Stormare Constantine
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Country singer Wynonna Judd, who was arrested last month for drunk driving near Nashville, Tenn., will lose her driver's license for one year and must perform 200 hours of community service. Also: Robin Wliiams Ben Affleck The Wedding Planner Jennifer Lopez Heidi Klum Mary J Blige Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings Mena Suvari Kip Pardue
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News, Oct. 1: Tom Sizemore Checks Into Rehab, Madonna Sued Over Photos, Sean P. Diddy Combs Takes Stab at NY Marathon Elton John Louie Anderson Insomnia Al Pacino Robin Williams Everybody Loves Raymond CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Jennifer Connelly
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People magazine released its list of the 25 hottest bachelors Wednesday--but readers get to decide whether Prince William or Ashton Kutcher will be crowned No. 1. Also Pamela Anderson Kid Rock Rachel Hunter Rod Stewart Sasha Alexander Navy CIS Luther Vandross Ruben Studdard Clay Aiken Cher David Duchovny Tea Leoni Robin Williams House of D
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News, March 18: Gandolfini, HBO Drop Lawsuits; War Won't Disrupt Movie Release Sked, Dire Straits Mark Knopfler Injured in Accident Martin Sheen Tom Hanks Susan Sarandon Robin Williams
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About Schmidt and Adaptation lead the Broadcast Film Critics Nominations
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Box office analysis, Nov. 10
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Martin Grove's box office analysis for Oct. 6, 2002, featuring Red Dragon.
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Box Office Analysis: Sept. 29 - Sweet Home Alabama The Tuxedo Barbershop My Big Fat Greek Wedding Signs Stealing Harvard Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever One Hour Photo Swimfan
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Box Office Report: Sept. 22
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Box office report Sept. 15 Barbershop One Hour Photo Greek Wedding
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Martin Grove's box office analysis for the weekend of Sept. 8, 2002.
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Martin Grove's box office analysis for September 2, 2002.
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As the summer season winds down, so do box-office dollars. Signs won the heated battle for first place with a mere $14.3 million, while xXx failed expectations to be the summer's first three-peat at No. 1 with a close $13.7 million.
Sigsn XXX Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams My Big Fat Greek Wedding Blue Crush Serving Sara Austin Powers in Goldmember Undisputed Sione Blood Work The Good Girl One Hour Photo
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The box office predictions for the weekend beginning Aug. 23:Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Serving Sara, Al Pacino, Andrew Niccol, Simone, Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Undisputed, Ribin Williams, One Hour Photo, Blue Crush, Eddie Murphy, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaaron Eckhart, Possession, Vin Diesel, XXX, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Mel Gibson, M. Night Shyamalan, Signs, Dana Carvey, Master of Disguise, Stuart Little 2, Tom Hanks, Road to Perdition, Jennifer Aniston, The Good Girl, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Tom Hanks, Road to Perdition
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Fears about whether moviegoers were ready for a film involving nuclear terrorism proved ungrounded as The Sum Of All Fears exploded with $31.2 million in ticket sales.
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President Bush and a handful of celebrities will appear in the public TV series Freedom: A History of Us.
President Bush Julia Roberts Anthony Hopkins Angela Bassett Reese Witherspoon Billy Crystal Robin Williams Lance Bas Sylvetser Stalone Jennifer Flavin Susan Sarandon Tim Robbins The Guys Elton John Angie Harmon Frankie Muniz Hilary Duff Jonathan Glazer Chaos Robert De Niro Benicio Del ToroAnna Nicole Smith Sharon Osbourne David BowieMetallica Lars Ulrich Tim Duffy Mildred Wirt Benson
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Martin Grove's analysis of the Memorial Day weekend box office, May 2002.
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Day 6 at Cannes Adam Sandler Jack Nicholson Leonardo DiCaprio Cameron Diaz Martin Scorsese
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News Roundup for May 8: Robin Williams doing HBO comedy special Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton push through their adoption Bruce Willis buys Girl Scout cookies Lucy Lawless has a baby Jon Bon Jovi is a dad again Ethan Hawke readies his second novel Jamie Foxx Slyvester Stallone
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Robert De Niro and business partner Jane Rosenthal, who started the Tribeca Film Festival, couldn't have imagined that it would grow so big so fast and draw the premieres of big Hollywood movies About a Boy, Insomnia, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones in its inaugural year.
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Simpsons' creator Matt Groening is denying a report that appeared Monday in The London Financial Times that implied he was winding up the series because it was getting harder and harder to surprise the audience
Matt Groening The Simpson Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes Bjork Nicole Kidman People magazine Penelope Cruz Jessica Lange Luke Wislon Bob Dylan Jeff Bridges Larry Charles Mask & Anonymous Brett Ratner Paycheck Gore Verbinski Pirates of the Caribbean Steven Spielberg Catch Me If You Can Tom Hanks Leonardo DiCaprio The Osbournes Viacom MTV Showtime Pridevision TV MTV Rock and Comedy Concert Tribeca Film Festival
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Box office analysis: March 31
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Robin Williams hopes his film Death to Smoochy will be judged fairly by the French if it is screened at the Cannes Film Festival
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News Roundup for Feb. 19 - Julia Roberts wants Denzel Washington to win the Oscar; Robin Williams will go back on tour Pierce Brosnan got injured on Bond set Britney Spears will appear in Sex and the City Sylvester Stallone suing former business manager Kate Mulgrew to play Katharine Hepburn in a movie.
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News Roundup for Jan. 17: Sundance brings out the stars Jennifer Aniston Brad Pitt Christina Ricci Matt Damon Ben Affleck Robin Williams X-Files Chris Carter Star Trek Scott Bakula Patrick Stewart Kate Mulgrew Robert Altman Gosford Park Joaquin Phoenix Philip Seymour Hoffman Liv Tyler William H. Macy Steve Buscemi Tony Shalhoub Bob Balaban James Earl Jones Barbra Streisand
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Kidman and Carrey's new movie stopped before it started, plus more entertainment news from Jan. 18, 2002.
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In an effort to satisfy the frenetic demand by youngsters to see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone during its opening weekend,
Warner Bros. is attempting to clear an unprecedented number of screens
for the debut.
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America: A Tribute to Heroes struck a chord with America as celebs like got together for a solemn night of fundraising.
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Singer Mariah Carey is expected to make a public appearance on Friday, when she will join a series of musical guests and actors on America: A Tribute to Heroes. Carey, who was hospitalized for a mental and physical breakdown in July, and relapsed in September, will sing her 1993 hit "Hero," a publicist for Virgin Records told Reuters.
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Following is a news story about the upcoming charity event for the terrorist-attack relief efforts. Mentioned names are Tom Cruise Faith Hill Julia Roberts Cameron Diaz Robin Williams Calista Flockhart Sela Ward Sheryl Crow Bon Jovi Billy Joel terrorist attack charity
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ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox confirmed reports Tuesday that they will jointly produce a two-hour, celebrity-studded telethon on Friday to benefit families of the victims of last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
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Big Trouble Tim Allen Rene Russo Warner Brothers Collateral Damage Barry Sonnenfeld Arnold Schwarzenegger Touchstone Pictures Men in Black 2 Jackie Chan The Tuxedo Jennifer Love Hewitt Toronto Film Festival events canceled Steve Martin Danny DeVito Helena Bonham Carter Uma Thurman Nicole Kidman Denzel Washington Anthony Hopkins Sidewalks in New York Ed Burns Heather Graham Brittany Murphy
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Given that this summer--with a few notable exceptions such as Shrek--did not exactly wow us, we have come up with a list of movies that are currently in pre-production or production that we're begging the studios to cease all work on. Immediately. Jurassic Park, Drew Barrymore, Barbarella, Rush Hour, Planet of the Apes, Lara Croft Tomb Raider The Mummy Philadelphia Story Cary Grant Katherine Hepburn
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HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 18, 2000 -- The American Film Institute is honoring funnyman Billy Crystal with its Star Award at the 2001 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Daily Variety reports. The seventh annual event will once again take place in Aspen, Colo., from Feb. 28 through March 4, organizers said Tuesday. The weeklong gathering showcases fresh comic talent, and details about the festival will be announced over the next few months.
Crystal's credits include "Analyze This," "When Harry Met Sally" and "City Slickers." He's also a celebrated Academy Awards host and six-time Emmy winner.
Past AFI honorees include Robin Williams, Steve Martin, Monty Python and Jerry Seinfeld.
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 2, 2000 -- "Stuart Little" may squeak softly, but he carried a big cheese stick at the box office during New Year's weekend.
Columbia Pictures' animated talking mouse movie returned to the No. 1 spot, surging ahead of Al Pacino and Matt Damon and claiming a place in the cinema record book.
With total receipts topping $7 billion for the first time ever, 1999 was a record-setting year at the U.S. box office. "Stuart Little" closed out the year with another historical footnote by grossing an estimated $52 million during the final week of the century, the most ever for a family-oriented film during the Christmas-to-New-Year period, according to studio officials.
The film, which bowed at No. 1 two weeks ago, then slipped to third place over the Christmas weekend, entered Y2K by rebounding with an estimated $16 million in its third weekend.
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Hollywood opens its presents early this weekend with the arrival of a few deluxe-wrapped packages full of good holiday cheer.
"Anna and the King," a richly decorated version of the classic musical "The King and I" sans the music, should pique the interests of romantic moviegoers young and old. It stars Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and Hong Kong action icon Chow Yun-Fat.
Gifts for the kids come in the form of the studio movies "Stuart Little" and "Bicentennial Man." Based on a beloved children's novel, "Stuart Little" tells the live-action adventures of a pet mouse, with a voice provided by Michael J. Fox. In "Bicentennial Man," Robin Williams undergoes a different kind of transformation, playing an android who learns what it means to be human. "Mrs. Doubtfire" director Chris Columbus helms the film.
Other high-profile holiday films opening in limited release
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Mimi Farina, a singer and social activist, died of cancer Wednesday at her home in Marin County, Calif., at the age of 56. Like sister and fellow singer Joan Baez, Farina was a member of "folk royalty" in the 1960s, but she left her music career to devote herself to charitable work.
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Sen. John Lieberman (D-Conn.) has asked President Bush to support a bill that would give federal regulators the authority to penalize media outlets to market adult-rated materials to children.
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HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 15, 2000 -- The 2000 Olympic Games from Sydney, Australia, will be the most thoroughly covered sporting event in history. NBC, CNBC and MSNBC will join to offer 441.5 hours (roughly three times what we saw from Atlanta in 1996) of synchronized swimming, archery and so many other events that you will need a raging case of "Olympic fever" to really enjoy the spectacle.
But, of course, these two weeks of primetime TV will feature all the good stuff: Our beloved World Champion U.S. women's soccer team, gymnastics -- and, of course, plenty of gracious NBA all-stars taunting and humiliating small, slow, unskilled players from around the world in basketball. "U-S-A! U-S-A!"
So, what are the other networks going to do to compete with all that? Well, the first thing they thought of was to delay the start of their fall lineups two weeks, to make sure someone would
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HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 14, 2000 -- From psychotically funny to just plain psycho?
That seems to be the trajectory for Robin Williams. The Hollywood Reporter says today that the career funnyman has been cast against type as a pathologically obsessive man in the thriller "One Hour Photo."
Written and directed by music video veteran Mark Romanek (whose directorial resume includes music videos for Madonna’s "Rain" and Beck’s "Devil’s Haircut"), the flick is scheduled to begin production in the fall.
’DRAGON’ LADY: Daily Variety columnist Michael Fleming reports that Bridget Fonda has landed the female lead opposite Jet Li in "Kiss of the Dragon." The film will be directed by "The Fifth Element" and "Joan of Arc" helmer Luc Besson.
DOUBLE ‘CONSPIRACY’: Thesps Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci will star in the HBO film "Conspiracy," the Reporter says. The flick chroni
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Actor Denzel Washington has finally received the greenlight to direct his first feature film for Fox Searchlight studios, keeping up with the trend of actors wanting to take a stab behind the camera.
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Walt Disney Studios has announced that it will remake the 1975 movie Escape to Witch Mountain. The updated version will still feature two kids with telekinetic powers whose real origins are unknown, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 7, 2000 -- It's time for some old school fun.
Seasoned comedian Eddie Murphy and seasoned tough guy turned sometime funny guy Robert De Niro might star in "Showtime," Daily Variety says.
The project is about a no-nonsense cop who is forced to partner up with a rookie as the star of a new reality-based TV show in the vein of "Cop."
DOING GOOD 'DEEDS': Variety also says that Adam Sandler and "Little Nicky" director Steve Brill will team up again in the pic "Deeds," an homage to the 1936 Frank Capra classic "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town."
KISS ME, STUPID: Here's another comedy item: Jon Stewart will join Edward Norton, Robin Williams and Catherine Keener in the comedy "Death to Smoochie."
Directed by Danny DeVito, the film follows a Barney-like kid-show host who gets canned. Stewart will play the network exec that gives the show the ax.
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 20, 2000 -- Erstwhile "Married ... with Children" star Ed O'Neill is returning to television.
And we're not talking about reruns of the syndicated show.
Daily Variety says that O'Neill has nabbed one of the two leads in the cop drama preliminarily titled "Big Apple."
In the series about the workings among the NYPD, FBI and the Mob, the actor will play an Irish top dog in the police department.
A VERY IMPORTANT SERIES: Looks like Pamela Anderson is going to have a new home. Variety says that the cable channel TNN has bought the rerun rights to the buxom blonde's action series "V.I.P."
For viewers who just can't get enough of the show, it will air on the station beginning fall 2002. And viewers can still catch Lee on reruns of "Baywatch."
CELEBS TV: The ratings war rages on. According to Variety, NBC scored the most TV viewers
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HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 13, 2000 -- Now that Liam Neeson has got passed his near-fatal motorcycle accident, he will go directly back to work.
Mr. Showbiz reports today that the actor will join Harrison Ford in the submarine war drama "K-19," where he will play the "Indiana Jones" guy’s second-in-command on a crippled Russian nuclear sub.
Neeson was badly injured in July when he and his motorcycle, while cruising upstate New York, nearly struck a passing dear. The actor is currently undergoing physical therapy.
SAY CHEESE! The Hollywood Reporter says that Connie Neilsen, whose credits include the summer blockbuster "Gladiator," will join the cast of "One Hour Photo." In the psychological thriller that also stars Robin Williams, the actress will play the mother and wife in a suburban family who becomes the object of obsession for a photo lab employee (Williams).
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HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 5, 2000 -- What does Russell Crowe have in common with Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey and Harrison Ford?
Answer: The "Gladiator" roughtrade might soon be making the same type of cash as those A-list leading men.
British Web site Popcorn reports that Crowe has been offered a cool $20 mil for the lead in a new World War II project titled "Giant." If Crowe accepts the role, the salary offer will be his career high.
Directed by John Frankenheimer ("Reindeer Games") and penned by Dan Gordon ("The Hurricane"), the film's slated for a January start date.
ROBIN PLAYS 'DEATH': Daily Variety reports that Robin Williams is close to taking the lead in "Death to Smoochie." He'll be playing a costumed children TV star (a la Barney) who seeks vengeance after being replaced by another character. The comedy will costar Danny DeVito, who'll also serve as director. <
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English piano man Elton John didn’t hold back when he revealed how he really felt about presidential candidate George W. Bush at a political fundraiser Tuesday.
The 53-year-old singer was in the California’s Silicon Valley to perform at a $10,000-a-plate dinner when he endorsed Vice President Al Gore while bashing Bush.
"The vice president ... wants this country to go forward, and if you vote for him, it will go forward," John said. "But it's back to the Dark Ages, I'm afraid, if you vote for the other guy."
John made his little speech before 320 guests, who included actors Robin Williams, Sharon Stone and high-tech executives.
LET’S MAKE A MUSIC VIDEO: MTV viewers be warned: Very amateur music video from Stone Temple Pilots coming your way. After belly aching over the terms of direction for the band’s next music video for the single "No Way Out", frontman
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HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 25, 2000 -- Martin Scorsese is trading in his Armani for a Gucci. The famed film director will direct "Gucci: A HouseDivided," an epic that takes a look at the Italian fashion dynasty. The film will be based on the novel by Gerald McKnight of the same name. Scorsese is currently preparing to shoot "Gangs of New York" in Rome starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
MORK GOES SCI-FI: When Steven Spielberg talks, Robin Williams listens. The energetic funnyman has taken a small role in Warner Bros. Pictures’ "A.I," after the director asked him to. Williams will serve as the film’s narrator.
Contrary to earlier reports, representatives for Williams confirmed that the actor has made no commitment to play Liberace in an independent biopic that will be directed by Philip Kaufman.
MY FAVORITE 'DAIRIES': Julie Andrews is in the last leg of talks to co-lead in Walt Dis
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HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 24, 2000 -- What? Robin Williams playing a flamboyant and outrageous character?
Yep, in what's obviously not-much-of-a-stretch, the seasoned funnyman is going to portray Liberace in a biopic currently in development. Titled "Liberace," the flick will follow the rise of the flaming entertainer's career until his death in 1987.
HEARING VOICES: Variety reports that Alec Baldwin will produce and star in a series of play readings called "City Center Voices! Of the American Theater" in the 2000-01 season at City Center in New York.
DAFOE MORALIZES: Willem Dafoe is likely to star in "Morality Play," a British indie film about a priest on the lam, Variety says.
'PERFECT' MATCH: Jenny McCarthy and Chris Eigeman ("Barcelona") will star in "The Perfect You," a romantic comedy written and directed by sitcom writer Matthew Miller, Daily Variety reports.
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HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 1, 2000 -- As the countdown to the season premiere of "Nash Bridges" continues, TV is pretty much just phoning it in until the start of the new fall season. How bad is it? Well, A&E’s venerable "Biography" series is running a full week of shows dedicated to Adam West and the actors who played villains on "Batman" in the 1960s. Oh, and there’s also a weeklong, four-hours-per-night "The Facts of Life" endurance test on Nick at Nite. Let us be the first to say finally!
Hey, remember this? "Do not attempt to adjust your television set! We control the vertical!" One guess. OK, that’s it …
Prepare to regain control of your TV’s "vertical hold!" The second coming of a classic science-fiction anthology series makes its second going as the final episode of "The Outer Limits" airs Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT on Showtime and finally releases control of your television set
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HOLLYWOOD, June 11, 2000 -- This is really the best time of year to be writing a weekly TV column. It's a time of promising summer replacements (such as "Clerks," which has, um, already been canceled), cool film festivals and new original cable series.
Even PBS lets its hair down and gets a little experimental, in its own, starched collar kind of way.
If we can steal gameshows from England, what's to stop the British from moving in on our reality-based TV territory? Nothing, apparently, because it's happened. "1900 House" (9 p.m. EDT/PDT, Monday, PBS) is kind of like putting MTV's "The Real World" into a time machine, as the Bowlers -- a real-life British family of six -- move into a retrofitted Victorian era London home, where they will remain for three months, as if it were in fact, the Victorian Era. "Huh … ?" you ask? Well, think of it as "Survivor" for history buff
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 25, 2000 -- They are some of the most-asked questions at donut shops around the world: (1) Who will go home with Oscar?; (2) What new and probing insights will the most important social commentators of our time, Joan and Melissa Rivers, have to say about the nominees' clothes? (3) Why is a babe like Catherine Zeta-Jones hanging around with that old guy? And, (4) What is Ricky Martin's sexual orientation, and how does it affect us?
Ricky Martin At least some of those questions -- and more -- will be answered this week on TV. And just so you don't have to sit through all of it just to find out about the really important stuff, here's a handy little guide:
-- Live from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, it's the 72nd Annual Academy Awards (8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST, Sunday, ABC)! In case you haven't heard of this show, it's kind of like the Golde
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SANTA MONICA, Calif. March 27, 2000 -- Yes, the Oscars were inescapable Sunday night. How could they not be? They only ran for, like, 10 (well, four-plus) hours. Early estimates this morning say 78 million incredibly patient and tolerant individuals watched all, or part, of ABC's marathon Academy Awards broadcast. In the nation's biggest markets, the show -- which marked the return of host Billy Crystal and the crowning of "American Beauty" as Best Picture -- pulled a 31.7 rating. If that number holds up when the final stats are released, it'll mean the telecast was down 1 percent from 1999. And while that's not bad, that would still represent a 22 percent fall off from 1998's ceremony, otherwise known as the "Titanic" coronation.
Critical reaction to the telecast, meanwhile, was mixed -- as critical reaction is wont to be.
In the Washington Post, Tom Shales said that th
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2000 -- Leave it to the insurance types with their legal babble to ruin everything -- and that's including "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Reports today say that Buena Vista Entertainment, the ABC/Disney production wing behind the champion game show, has been taken to the British High Court of Justice by its London-based insurers. Why? The smarty-pants types at the insurance firm of Goshawk Syndicate feel that the quiz-show's questions have just gotten too bloody easy. So easy that, the Goshawk folks fear, the show will be minting too many millionaires -- a scenario equivalent to a depthless money pit for an insurer.
Simply put, the Goshawk camp wants out of its contract with ABC -- and nothing short of a ruling by the crown is going to stop the company from getting it.
Here's the breakdown of the financial implications for Goshawk if
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2000 -- So he got to shoot on an island off Thailand for months, flying friends in for visits and soaking up an island paradise. But Leonardo DiCaprio, star of "The Beach," has one little quibble.
Says Leo to the British magazine The Face, "It truly bothered me ... that [Richard, DiCaprio's character] never had any kind of sexual contact with Francoise," a stunning Frenchwoman played by Virginie Ledoyen, with whom he does a little smooching and frolicking in the surf.
"The constant foreplay between the two characters never amounted to anything," the 25-year-old DiCaprio says. "And I really wanted something, whether it be complete and utter rejection or some sort of wild sexual encounter. ... It just had to happen." Well, it just goes to show that even the King of the World can't have it all.
SCANDAL SHEET: Vanity Fair
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 9, 2000 -- Ashley Judd is in "Double Jeopardy" no more.
According to last Friday's Hollywood Reporter, the non-singing Judd is in talks to star in the romantic comedy "Animal Husbandry," based on the 1998 novel by Laura Zigman about the mating rituals of urban professionals in New York City. Judd's paycheck reportedly will be $4 million.
The movie will be helmed by actor-director Tony Goldwyn ("A Walk on the Moon").
WHAT HELEN WANTS: It's not easy for a woman to turn down Mel Gibson twice. As Helen Hunt is learning. Hunt is reconsidering a starring role opposite Gibson in the romantic comedy "What Women Want," Daily Variety says. The Oscar winner turned down the project last month due to scheduling conflicts. She's gearing up to shoot the drama "Pay It Forward," starring Kevin Spacey and That "Sixth Sense" Kid (a k a Haley Joel Osment) i
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 3, 2000 -- Buoyed by the holiday success of "Toy Story 2," the summer hit "Tarzan" and the mega-sleeper "The Sixth Sense," Disney was 1999's studio box-office champion.
The title marks the sixth time in seven years that the Magic Kingdom has captured the biggest slice of the domestic movie market.
Disney product accounted for 17 percent of all ticket sales, grossing more than $1 billion. The Mouse House, which had a rough year on Wall Street, nonetheless ruled Hollywood thanks to a pair of $200 million-plus hits ("Sixth Sense" and "Toy Story 2"), and a couple of kiddie superstars, "Tarzan" ($170.8 mil) and "Inspector Gadget" ($97.4 million).
Disney's dominant box-office performance came despite less-than-great performance from several front-line releases, including "The Insider," the critically acclaimed but commercially tepid tobacco-
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 26 — At the holiday weekend box office, Oliver Stone's homage to football scored, while Jim Carrey's homage to Andy Kaufman fumbled.
Director Stone's "Any Given Sunday," released by Warner Bros. and starring Al Pacino, and Cameron Diaz, was No. 1, grossing $14.2 million Friday through Sunday, studio estimates say. The film opened Wednesday in 2,505 theaters and averaged $5,669 per screen over the weekend, and has pulled in an estimated $21.3 million in its first five days.
But perhaps the biggest story of the weekend was all the money "Man on the Moon" didn't pull in. The Andy Kaufman biopic, starring Jim Carrey as the late "Taxi" comedian, is not expected to earn more than about $9 million for the Friday-Sunday weekend and $13.8 million for the week. (Like the Stone film, "Man on the Moon" opened Wednesday.)
"I think we pretty much exp
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It looks like tough sledding for Hollywood this pre-Christmas weekend, according to distribution executives with an eye on tracking study data.None of the three new wide releases appears likely to open impressively.
"It doesn't look too exciting in terms of the openings," said one studioexecutive. "The first choice on 'Bicentennial Man' is running only like 8%. Now, admittedly, it's (only mid-week) but I would think they would like to have been in double digits by now."
Buena Vista/Touchstone and Columbia Pictures' PG-rated sci-fi fantasy "Bicentennial Man," directed by Chris Columbus and starring Robin Williams, opens Friday at about 2,200 theaters.
While 2,200 theaters is certainly a wide break, it's not as wide as last weekend's theater count for "Toy Story 2" (3,257), "The Green Mile" (2,875), "The World Is Not Enough" (3,063), "End Of Days" (2,652) or "Sleepy Ho
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Hollywood is expecting Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's opening of "The Green Mile" to walk off with the most box office green this weekend.
The R-rated drama, written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tom Hanks, kicks off at more than 2,850 theaters.
"'Toy Story [2],' if it's down in the neighborhood of 35-40%, is $16-18 million. And I think 'Green Mile' beats that based on the tracking. They're sitting there with an 18% first choice right now," one studio executive said earlier this week."
"It is high," he said of the tracking results. "Although I understand the reviews are not very good, with Tom Hanks (starring), that's $20 million-plus."
While a $20 million-plus opening is certainly very attractive, it's not spectacular. One of the factors working against a bigger first weekend for the adult appeal "Green" is that adults are bu