Tom Welling
The epitome of overnight success, this former model went from TV guest spots (including a memorable recurring role as a judge's much-younger beau on Judging Amy) to headlining his own series, all in 2...
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
04/25/1977
New York, NY |
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'Parks and Recreation' Recap: Smallest Park
November 17, 2011 9:38pm ESTS4E8: Every episode of Parks and Recreation—even the very worst episode of Parks and Recreation—is still a chuckle-worthy, syrup-slathered delight that is the rare combination of both clever and life-affirming and sweet. That’s the worst case scenario for this show: a few laughs and some smiles. So how, pray tell, would I describe this show at its best? Much like what is buried in Ron Swanson’s backyard: gold. This week’s episode of Parks and Recreation is such a magical delivery after last week’s meager-for-the-show/terrific-by-all-other-standards episode. It’s not a particularly complicated episode, but it’s an episode that embraces everything that is just right about each of its major characters: Leslie’s unwillingness to accept anything but perfection, Tom’s sky-high ambition to be the greatest businessman who ever lived (which I worried was dead after his return to the Parks department), Andy’s wide-eyed misunderstanding/love of pretty much everything on Earth, and Ron Swanson’s ability to coexist perfectly with while completely rejecting altogether the world entirely. Any problems there? Of course not. "Anne, your quiet support means the world to me. As well as your tacit endorsement of all my behaviors." - Leslie Leslie has taken on the conquest of creating the smallest park in all of Indiana for Pawnee, which is literally just a few feet large. A project so insignificant (to anyone but Leslie) seems capable of breezing by without conflict, which means it will be over in a jiffy. The only problem here: Ben explains to Leslie that due to the emotional difficult of working with her, after the Smallest Park project is over, he will be requesting to Chris that he no longer work with her or the Parks Dept. So how does Leslie handle this? Draw out the Smallest Park project as long as humanly Lesliely possible. It is things like this—these incredibly innocent yet somehow decidedly ingeniously crafted schemes that make Leslie Knope the most unbelievably likable character in modern fiction. Obviously, her plan goes awry and ends up making Ben even more upset with her. He calls her a steamroller for neglecting his feelings in favor of her own, which Anne confirms (in the most supportive way possible). After deliberating the matter, Leslie apologizes to Ben and offers him complete freedom from her…or, and here’s where your eyes might start welling up, the two can put it all on the line, come clean and try for a real relationship. Sure, it might sabotage Leslie’s lifelong goal of running for office. But Leslie is willing to take that chance. As I said, she’s clever, ingenious and terrifically strong, but Leslie is nothing if not a romantic whose heart is oh so prone to melting. Their quiet, slow-paced final scene has real kick to it. It’s not sappy, it’s serious and heartfelt, much like many of the sweet moments on this show. I don’t know what will happen from here on out, but I’ve never been more invested (and believe me, I’ve been quite invested). One final thought about this storyline: Leslie trying unsuccessfully to provoke conflict in a public forum filled with the regular nut jobs who always cause her department grief—this is the sort of thing that fans of the show can’t help but feel rewarded watching. Thank you, show. "This is our current community center...and this is our new community center! That's right—it looks like an Apple store!" - Tom I was very afraid of what might happen to Tom once he returned to the Parks Department. Sure, he’s funny here. But are we going to be expected to cast away his dreams and allow him to return to his sardonic slacker role? Graciously, apparently not. Although Tom is back in his old position, he applies a new zest and flare to the job now, realizing he can utilize his creativity and business sense right here in the Parks Dept. Jerry plays the foil, recommending complacency and telling Tom kindly that the government is no place for his flashy, stylized antics. However, Jerry inadvertently inspires Tom to reinvent the department’s logo, channeling a limited-time retro style from Jerry’s early days in the department. Tom and Jerry have never had a rapport beyond mockey, and although Jerry didn’t do much in the way of actively trying to help Tom achieve his goal, and Tom’s acknowledgement of Jerry’s contribution was backhandedly complimentary at best, it is still kind of a nice moment for the two of them. They both seem pleased, anyhow. I guess that’s how things role at Tommy’s Place. "Of all of my coworkers, Andy is one of a small number whom I do not actively root against." - Ron Andy Dwyer, April Ludgate and Ron Swanson take the day off to go to college. I would pay inordinate sums of money to see that three-hour movie. But I’ll gladly settle for rewatching this episode’s B-story, in which Andy, on a quest for self-betterment, decides to enroll in one class at the local college. April wants Andy to choose something he’s already excellent at (i.e., guitar—by the way, it’s kind of warming to see Andy as the best in the room at something; the scene wherein he casually shows off his knowledge of and talent at the guitar really makes me feel good for the character, and proves that he has more value than just goofy one-liners), while Ron suggests that he find something new in order to genuinely learn. Ron recounts a story when his own father insisted that Ron work at the steel mill instead of pursuing a college education, but that he neglected his father’s wishes and paid his own way through college. Ron is adamantly averse to just about everything on Earth, so to watch him genuinely proclaim his steadfast value of a good education is really intriguing to me. It’s easy to take a character like Ron, a hypermasculine, old-fashioned woodsy type and lock him into a thoughtless, backwards-thinking stereotype. Instead, Ron is regularly one of the wisest, most progressive figures on the show. Instilling these traits into such an easily admirable character is a terrific choice. After a slew of hilarious, laser-centric academic hijinks, Andy/April/Ron all mutually agree that Women’s Studies is the most fascinating class offered, and that Andy will be taking said class. And yes, his heart is definitely in the right place. But no…it doesn’t mean he’s immune to some highly embarrassing comments in the lecture. The episode is chockfull of all of the things that make Parks such a treat for its viewers. The show loves its characters so much, and celebrates them wholeheartedly in this episode. The Leslie/Ben story is both hilarious and heartbreaking. The Tom/Jerry story is highly encouraging. And Andy/April/Ron…that’s about as good as television gets.
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'Parks and Recreation' Recap: The Treaty
November 10, 2011 8:37pm ESTS4E7: One of the most beautiful things about Parks and Recreation is that it has a cast of ten very rich, very three-dimensional major characters (plus one Jean-Ralphio), all of whom we have come to care deeply about. With this strength, though, comes an inherent weakness: because we care about each and every one of these characters, and we only have twenty-two minutes a week to spend with the lot of them, we are inevitably going to feel like someone that we cherish is getting short-changed. Sometimes this comes in the form of diminished screen time—this isn’t so much of an issue this week, as we get stories involving everyone in the Parks & Rec department. Sometimes, it means interesting arcs being cut short, sacrificed to make room for larger stories—this is a present flaw in this week’s episode. And sometimes, since we’re always so pumped to see these characters do what they do best, we simply get a little disappointed when we see them used incorrectly. “Friends drive you to the airport and help you move. All boyfriends do is…love you and marry you.” – Leslie Leslie is headlining a Model U.N. event for Pawnee high school students who are passionate about the club. The only person as excited as Leslie for the afternoon is Ben, who “super-did” Model U.N. in high school. Last week laid some pretty serious groundwork for the discomfort/frustration Leslie and Ben have around each other due to lingering romantic feelings, and this week tends further to that storyline. Naturally, Leslie’s campaign managers feel that this event would make a good photo-op, et al—Ben does not deal well with this. Feeling abandoned by Leslie after they had begun the day in such a fun/dorky celebration of their mutual interest, he develops an immediate hostility toward her once her attention shifts elsewhere. His reaction might seem inconsistent with his extremely supportive act of ending their relationship so that Leslie could pursue her dream guilt-free, or his passive-aggressive bottle-up-your-problems theory as expressed in the Halloween episode, but at second thought, that doesn’t necessarily suggest error: people are inconsistent, especially when overcome by strong (negative) emotions. He wasn’t acting like the gentle Ben (yep, going there) we know, because he can’t help but feel jealous, sad, a little bitter even, at seeing Leslie dote over the “love for which she left Ben”: politics. The fight escalates and encompasses the entire Model U.N., provoking Leslie and Ben to declare war on one another and form alliances against each other. After the French ambassador calls the duo out for their behavior, Leslie and Ben recognize how they’ve been acting and come to a reconciliation. They acknowledge how difficult it will be to stay friends, but they vow to try. It’s sweet, and real, because the problem is clearly not over—but it’s being worked on. “Tom Haverfords don’t grow on trees.” – Ron “If they did, I would sell ‘em—Tommy Trees!” – Tom Tom is amazing. Ron is amazing. Tom + Ron = amazing. In fact, were it not for the pretty obvious conclusion impending the whole way through, this week’s Tom/Ron storyline would be amazing. It is funny, even if both characters are a bit out of their elements—that’s a testament to the show, that we can love and feel familiar with characters even when they’re acting out of the norm (because it’s rooted in the way we really understand them to be). And as much as I love Tom as a Parks & Rec employee, I was really hoping his “trying to make it big” storyline wasn’t going to get thrown out. I want to see Tom pursue his dream further. Maybe he’ll have ups, probably a lot of downs. But the character has established since Day 1 how he wanted something more (not more substantial, just more expensive) than his P&R* life. I can only hope that this is not the end of his extra-Park ambitions, as they are integral to the Tom character. But I can optimistically say that I feel as though as long as Jean-Ralphio is hovering around, Tom will always have a scheme in the works. “I am sorry that I added five years to your life.” – Chris I’m not really sure what’s going on with Chris lately—or Anne, for that matter. Perhaps they are using the two in a more confrontational forum to break Anne out of the void that she’s been in since their breakup. But where the idea came for Chris to date Jerry’s daughter is beyond me—I’m none too fond of the “She’s hot despite the fact that her father is Jerry” jokes, or Chris’ overt openness with Jerry about their love-life. It all just seems a little one-note, and flat on top of that. So the storyline surrounding Chris/Anne/Jerry/Donna (characters I’m all perfectly fond of ordinarily) this week, in which Chris commandeers the other three to get perspectives on why Jerry’s daughter isn’t calling him back, doesn’t work for me. The payoff is Anne coming into her own and calling Chris out on his self-absorbed nature, but then admitting that their relationship in turn made her come out stronger. I suppose we’ll have to see what exactly they decide to do with Chris/Anne/Jerry/Jerry’s daughter in episodes to come. But if it’s more of the same, I’m hoping that this storyline is dropped promptly. Anne deserves to interact with other characters—her Ron stories this season have been subtly phenomenal—and I’d like to see her come into her own independent of Chris. This week’s episode of Parks has a lot of what makes us love the show. We are enamored and charmed by Leslie, even Leslie at her worst (because Leslie at her worst is always for really sweet, eye-welling reasons). It has Tom being suave, Andy being goofy, and Ron taking pride in things that no man should (and pulling it off in a way that makes all men think, “Maybe that is something I should take more pride in”). But, as expressed above, it’s easy to feel like characters we love so much aren’t always getting the stories they deserve. "The Treaty" is a little thinner than your usual Parks. But, it's still very much a Parks, and still very much a great, funny, warm episode of television. *Or, if you prefer, Tommy’s Place.
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Marvel Looking At ‘Smallville’s’ Tom Welling For Undisclosed Film?
May 12, 2011 10:15am ESTDuring its ten year run, did anyone else forget that Smallville was actually about Superman? And somehow became the longest running sci-fi show in the United States? Both of these are quite shameful, aren’t they? Anyway, would-be Man of Steel Tom Welling is now in talks with the other team, Marvel, about a possible role in one of their upcoming flicks, though no one is quite sure which movie that will be. Possibilities include Doctor Strange, Runaways, and Deathlok, which are all B (or C) string characters/titles that few outside of the local comic shop have heard of. I stopped being familiar with the current superheroes in film when they told me Jonah Hex was a comic and I asked if he had ever been on Conan. Source: Fandango
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CW May Replace 'Smallville' With DC's The Raven
December 07, 2010 4:30am ESTAs you Superman fans (and fans of Tom Welling’s boyish good looks) know, 2011 will mark the last season of the CW’s superhero back story drama, Smallville. With that in mind, the CW is looking to find another superhero to take the famous spandex-clad hunk’s spot in the line-up. Rumors have been flying about what might replace the beloved show, but now we may have an answer. The network has started developing a show with Diego Guitierrez (Without A Trace, V) for DC’s The Raven as a potential pilot to take over when Smallville leaves us. The Raven, or Rachel Roth, isn’t exactly a well-known American hero like Superman. While she may be part of a more well known clan – Teen Titans – she doesn’t really have the draw for those who aren’t already intimately familiar with the character. While not everyone who tuned into Smallville got hooked because they know every detail of the Superman saga, they knew enough about him – he’ s from another planet, raised by nice Midwestern foster parents, kryptonite is his weakness, and he can fly and oh yes, he’s the man of steel. Here's what I, as a regular, passive superhero fan can tell you about the Raven: I’m pretty sure she can feel others’ emotions, she can teleport, and she wears a lot of purple. I’m not saying The Raven isn’t completely interesting – she can send her “soul self” out and about to listen and spy at remote locations and the ghostly presence can actually do some serious damage, which is pretty awesome. I am, however, simply stating that choosing a lesser-known superhero to base a teen television drama off of is tricky business. I don’t know that The Raven won’t catch on, but it will be a much more difficult task. Source: AV Club
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From Wisteria Lane to Lois Lane's mum - Hatcher set for Superman return
September 23, 2010 5:00am ESTThe Desperate Housewives star, who portrayed the superhero's girlfriend opposite Dean Cain in TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, has been cast as Ella Lane in the upcoming 10th and final season of U.S. TV series Smallville, according to EW.com. Erica Durance plays Lois Lane on the show, opposite Clark Kent/Superman Tom Welling.
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'Smallville' Photos: Clark Kent Receives Letter, Ponders, Looks Handsome
August 31, 2010 1:13pm ESTSuperman flies back onto the CW on Friday, September 24 with Smallville at 8 p.m. EST. For those who can't wait any longer for their favorite hero in tights, the CW posted some stills from the first episode of the final season. It's titled "Lazarus" and you can find them right here. In the photos, Clark Kent (played by Tom Welling) receives some type of letter in the mail. Then, he talks to his father (John Schneider) about it. They look very serious, then hug. From the stills, Pops appears to be giving an inspirational speech to his son. Clark then looks really serious again as he leans against the fence, and we imagine, probably pondering the future of mankind. It all appears to be very dramatic and we can't wait till September 24.
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'Smallville's' Tenth Season Will Be It's Last
May 19, 2010 11:01am ESTSource: Hollywood Life After years of boring some with stories of a faux Man of Steel and enthralling others with Gossip Girl-styled drama involving some of DC Comics fabled characters, The CW will announce tomorrow that it's long running superhero show Smallville will finally hang up it's red, blue and yellow spand --- oops, I forgot, Tom Welling's Clark never got to wear Superman's iconic costume! The news comes as the show ends its ninth, and reportedly best, season. Welling spilled the beans to Hollywood Life at a party honoring the release of power producer Jerry Weintraub's new book, “When I Stop Talking You’ll Know I’m Dead” at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills, Calif. May 18. The news doesn't come a day too soon. Smallville is a mockery of the World's Greatest Hero and the DC Universe in general - and it always has been. The fact that Clark Kent has recently been running around dressed like Neo and calling himself The Blur is offensive to die-hard fans of the Last Son of Krypton and of the long running film series, as has every other element of the show, from teenagers running the Daily Planet to the non-existent character of Chloe (Alison Mack) - a figure created for the express purpose of soaping up the story of Superman. Good Riddance!
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Love Happens Review
September 17, 2009 2:35pm ESTWHAT’S IT ABOUT? Pity there aren’t more stringent “truth in labeling” laws for movies like Love Happens. From the film’s title and its innumerable ads featuring stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart locked in a smiling embrace one might reasonably assume Love Happens to be a charming romantic comedy in which its two attractive leads bicker and flirt for a breezy 85 minutes before finally realizing that they’re meant for each other. That assumption would be catastrophically incorrect for there isn’t much comedy to be found in Love Happens. Nor is there much romance for that matter. And come to think about it there really isn’t a whole lot of Jennifer Aniston exactly one half of the aforementioned misleading embrace to be found in the movie either. (Click here for Aniston's take on the matter.) That leaves us with the obvious question: What then is Love Happens? It’s a drama centering on the emotional journey of Burke Ryan (Eckhart) a handsome widower who parlays the tragedy of his wife’s untimely death into a bestselling self-help book and a sold-out workshop tour becoming something like the Tony Robbins of grieving. (He's even aped the walking-on-hot-coals gimmick from the toothy motivational speaker.) Though his adopted career is a smashing success not much else is well in Burke’s world. Truth be told he never truly reconciled himself with his wife’s tragic passing and has heretofore nursed his denial with a steady diet of alcohol and avoidance. That is until he runs into Eloise Chandler (Aniston) a refreshingly blunt free spirit whose own love life is marked by disappointment and heartbreak. Though just a humble florist with no apparent training in psychology Eloise immediately sees through the confident upbeat persona that Burke has carefully constructed. They can ease each other's pain but the healing won’t begin unless both of them are willing to let down their guard and let love -- wait for it -- happen. WHO’S IN IT? In addition to Aniston and Eckhart Love Happens’ cast includes Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury) as Burke’s smarmy agent and former college roommate Judy Greer (27 Dresses) as (what else?) Eloise’s quirky sidekick John Carroll Lynch (Zodiac) as one of Burke’s more skeptical workshop attendees and Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now) as his resentful father-in-law. WHAT’S GOOD? Misleading marketing aside Love Happens writer/director Brandon Camp does make an earnest attempt to explore the grieving process of a man who has experienced unspeakable tragedy. Which is better than a saccharine formulaic romantic comedy I guess. WHAT’S BAD? For all its serious intentions Love Happens bears all the hallmarks of a slick studio rom-com including stereotypical supporting characters (his irreverent wing-man her goofy confidante) contrived comic relief devices (Sheen plays straight man to a crazy parrot!) and manipulative tugs on the heartstrings (too many to mention). The whole experience comes off as sort of a second-rate Cameron Crowe flick. PARTING SHOT The climax of Love Happens includes a dramatic “slow clap ” in which the lead character finally breaks down in a cathartic release of pent-up emotion and is rewarded with a slow-building round of applause from onlookers. That’s pretty much all you need to know about this movie.
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Box Office Analysis, Dec. 28: "Rings" Still King
May 11, 2009 2:07pm ESTNew Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the third and final installment in director Peter Jackson's fantasy epic, continued its reign at the box office with a cork-popping take of $51.2 million* over the holiday weekend. What's more, The Return of the King posted the best Christmas day gross ever, taking in $14.5 million on Dec. 25 alone. The film also crossed the $200 million mark after only 11 days, beating The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which took 12 days. That's definitely good news for New Line, whose Rings trilogy was a $300 million-plus make-or-break investment for the studio. Combined with the spirited take of four new wide releases, The Return of the King's strong legs also helped make this weekend the biggest Christmas weekend in box office history.The comedy Cheaper by the Dozen triumphed over rival newcomers hitting theaters this weekend, opening in second place with a generous three-day take of $28.2 million. The family comedy was followed by Cold Mountain, which debuted in the No. 3 position with nippy $14.5 million. Aided by its eight Golden Globe nominations and inclusion on many critics' Top 10 lists, the American Civil War drama is on a likely track for key Oscar nominations. Something's Gotta Give, now in its third week of release, placed fourth with $14.2 million, while the new Ben Affleck sci-fi thriller Paycheck, rounded out the Top Five with a foreseeable opening take of $13.9 million. The family pic Peter Pan, the last of this week's wide releases, kicked off in seventh place with a not-so-magical take of $11.4 million.Although this week's four new releases produced a combined first-day box office tally of almost $22 million, Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking service Exhibitor Relations, told The Associated Press Sunday the industry's total yearend box office revenues would likely fall short of last year's $9.3 billion record, marking the first year-to-year decline since 1991."The end of the year is looking pretty good," Dergarabedian said. "But not enough to jump ahead of last year's revenues ... because 2002 was so amazing."Last year, Hollywood benefited from an abundance of blockbusters, such as Spider-Man, Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the sleeper hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.The Top 12 films this weekend grossed an ESTIMATED $168.6 million, up 26.39 percent from last weekend's $133.4 million take and up 8.18 percent from last year's $155.8 million.THE TOP TENNew Line Cinema's PG-13 rated fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King kept its No. 1 stronghold in its second week of release with an ESTIMATED $51.2 million (-29%) at 3,703 theaters (unchanged; $13,833 per theater). Its cume is approximately $223.6 million. Directed by Peter Jackson, it stars Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Miranda Otto, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan.Twentieth Century Fox's PG rated comedy Cheaper by the Dozen debuted in second place with $28.2 million in 3,298 theaters, with an $8,558 per theater average. In the film, a contemporary remake of the 1950 Walter Lang comedy based on the novel by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank B. Gilbreth, mayhem ensues as a couple moves their large family of 12 children from a small town to an affluent Chicago suburb.Directed by Shawn Levy, it stars Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff and Tom Welling. Miramax Films' R rated Civil War drama Cold Mountain opened in third place with $14.5 million in 2,167 theaters with a $6,691 per theater average. In the film, a Confederate soldier makes the arduous journey from the front lines of the Civil War to his home in Cold Mountain, N.C., where his ladylove has been fighting battles of her own.Directed by Anthony Minghella, it stars Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger. Sony Pictures' PG-13 rated romantic comedy Something's Gotta Give dropped one spot to fourth in its third week with an ESTIMATED $11.4 million (+24%) at 2,709 theaters (+32 theaters; $5,242 per theater). Its cume is approximately $56.3 million. Directed by Nancy Meyers, it stars Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet and Frances McDormand.Paramount Pictures' PG-13 rated sci-fi thriller Paycheck kicked off in the No. 5 position with $13.9 million in 2,762 theaters with a $5,033 per theater average. In the film, a "reverse-engineer" who has had three years of his memory erased by a multimillion-dollar corporation, tries to piece together his past using a collection of random objects.Directed by John Woo, it stars Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman.*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.Sony Pictures' PG-13 rated drama Mona Lisa Smile fell from its runner-up position last week to sixth place in its second week with an ESTIMATED $11.5 million (unchanged) in 2,677 theaters (unchanged; $4,296 per theater). Its cume is approximately $31.4 million.Directed by Mike Newell, it stars Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles.Universal Pictures' PG rated family pic Peter Pan opened in seventh place with $11.4 million at 2,813 theaters with a $4,053 per theater average. In the film, based on the classic J.M. Barrie novel, the Darling family children receive a visit from Peter Pan, who takes them to Neverland where an ongoing war with the evil pirate Captain Hook is taking place.Directed by P.J. Hogan, it stars Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs and Ludivine Sagnier. Warner Bros.' R rated period actioner The Last Samurai, fell four spots to eighth place in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $8.3 million (+8%) in 2,557 theaters (-381; $3,273 per theater). Its cume is approximately $74.3 million.Directed by Edward Zwick, it stars Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Tony Goldwyn and Timothy Spall.Miramax Films' R rated dark comedy Bad Santa dropped two rungs to ninth place in its fifth week with an ESTIMATED $4.5 million (-11%) at 1,710 theaters (-515 theaters; $2,644 per theater). Its cume is approximately $50.9 million. Directed by Terry Zwigoff, it stars Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac, Tony Cox and John Ritter.New Line Cinema's PG rated holiday comedy Elf fell five places in its eighth week to round out the Top 10 with an ESTIMATED $4.2 million (-22%) at 2,015 theaters (-436 theaters; $2,122 per theater). Its cume is approximately $164.8 million. Directed by Jon Favreau, it stars Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen.OTHERSSony Picture Classics' PG-13 rated dance drama The Company debuted in 11 theaters with $96,939, with a $8,813 per theater average.The film centers on a Chicago ballet company--the difficult daily work, the intense pressures of performance and the richly textured behaviors of the dancers, whose professional and personal lives grow impossibly close.Directed by Robert Altman, it stars Neve Campbell, James Franco and Malcolm McDowell.New Market's R rated biopic Monster opened in four theaters with $84,156 with an impressive $21,039 per theater average. The dark tale is based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, one of America's first female serial killers.Directed by Patty Jenkins, it stars Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci.WEEKEND COMPARISON Last year, New Line's PG-13 rated The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers came in at No. 1 in its second week with $48.8 million in 3,622 theaters (unchanged; $13,494 per theater); DreamWorks' biopic Catch Me If You Can opened in second place with $30 million 3,156 theaters ($9,523 per theater); Warner Brothers' PG-13 rated romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice followed in third place in its second week of release with $15.5 million in 2,755 theaters (unchanged; $5,633 per theater). Go to our Box Office section for recent weekend movie analysis.
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Brandon Routh Is Superman, Second Time Lucky
July 12, 2006 5:53am ESTSuperman Returns actor Brandon Routh became the Man of Steel at the second time of asking--after trying out and failing to land the role in TV series Smallville. Routh was urged to audition for the part by his agent who thought he looked the spitting image of late Superman actor Christopher Reeve. But after he lost out to Tom Welling, Routh contemplated quitting acting, fearing he looked too much like Reeve to get any other work. He says, "When I went to Los Angeles (at 19), I became more conscious of it because I did look like Christopher Reeve. People didn't say it all the time, but once in a while I got remarks. I knew that if there was a new Superman TV show, it would be good for me to audition." Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved.
