Why Kurt Russell opted out.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 23, 2000 -- So, is the "Friends" curse over?This past weekend saw the nation's top box-office spots filled by "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Hanging Up" -- two films starring two, yes, "Friends." ("Yards," with Matthew Perry, took in a strong $15.9 million; "Hanging Up," with Lisa Kudrow, $15.7 million.) "Friends" For a time, box-office analysts found themselves pondering if the six primary cast members of the popular sitcom might not have some type of hideous spell cast upon them, at least when it came to their big-screen forays. Alone, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston headlined such notable (or perhaps not-so notable) flops as "Commandments" (Cox's $488,000 box-office dud), "Three to Tango" (Perry's $10.5 million dud), "Ed" (Le Blanc's $6.2 million underperformer) and "Kissing a Fool" (Schwimmer
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 21, 2000 -- Wanna hear something scary? The shoot date for the "Blair Witch Project" sequel has been pushed back. "The Blair Witch Project" All right, maybe the real scary news is that Artisan Entertainment is still forging ahead with a follow-up to last year's dog-and-pony show known as the "Blair Witch" box-office behemoth. In any case, the deal is shooting was supposed to start this week — on Wednesday, to be precise (at least according to the casting breakdown sheet leaked to the media last month). Artisan mucky-mucks say the dates mentioned in the said memo were "contingent on casting" (and the availability of rocks and twigs, no doubt). The bottom line: Production won't get under way for at least another three weeks. Have no fear, though -- no one's even talking about pushing back the release date for "Blair Witch 2." As always,
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 3, 2000 -- The house from "The Blair Witch Project" is getting a new lease on life. Originally scheduled for a meeting with a wrecking ball, Maryland's Department of Natural Resources has decided to spare the 200-year-old Griggs House in western Baltimore County. A lawyer for Haxan Films, which produced "Blair Witch," tells The Baltimore Sun that he thinks distributor Artisan Entertainment put up money with state officials to save the house. The Griggs House, of course, was the dilapidated shack featured at the climax of the '99 horror hit. At least we think it was. Hard to tell. That friggin' camera was spinning too much. FROM BRITAIN WITH LOVE: Sean Connery's got a new title -- and this time it's not Sexiest Man Alive. No, that would be Sir Sean Connery to you. The original 007, along with Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Andrews, we
This past weekend saw the nation's top box-office spots filled by "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Hanging Up" -- two films starring two, yes, "Friends." ("Yards," with Matthew Perry, took in a strong $15.9 million; "Hanging Up," with Lisa Kudrow, $15.7 million.) For a time, box-office analysts found themselves pondering if the six primary cast members of the popular sitcom might not have some type of hideous spell cast upon them, at least when it came to their big-screen forays. Alone, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston headlined such notable (or perhaps not-so notable) flops as "Commandments" (Cox's $488,000 box-office dud), "Three to Tango" (Perry's $10.5 million dud), "Ed" (Le Blanc's $6.2 million underperformer) and "Kissing a Fool" (Schwimmer's $4 million loser). (Remaining friend Kudrow has mainly -- and smartly? -- stuck to support