HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: Studio To Re-Release Extended Rings Editions
New Line Cinema announced it will re-release extended versions of the first two Lord of the Rings movies worldwide just two weeks before the Dec. 17 release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Variety reports the studio plans to release the 208-minute long Fellowship of the Ring Dec. 5 on 100-150 screens in the top 10 U.S. markets, with one cinema in other cities showing the special extended editions. The 214-minute long The Two Towers, meanwhile, will unspool in theaters the week of Dec. 12, leading up to a worldwide daylong marathon Dec. 16, during which all three films will be shown back-to-back. Exhibitor guidelines call for a 3 p.m. showing of Fellowship, followed by a 7 p.m. screening of Two Towers and then an 11 p.m. screening of Return of the King which will carry over into Dec. 17 -- the day of its global release. Advanced ticket sales are scheduled to begin in late September or early October on exhibitor Web sites and movie ticketing sites.
Ex-Staff Sue Robert Redford Over Settlement
Two former officers in actor Robert Redford's Catalyst Film Works filed a lawsuit against the actor Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming he failed to finish paying them an agreed-upon $750,000 settlement. According to Reuters, Jeff Kleeman and Eric Greenfeld say Redford did not adhere to an October 2001, settlement agreement, which ended an earlier legal dispute. According to the suit, the settlement called for Redford to pay Kleeman and Greenfeld $250,000 upon signing the agreement, $200,000 a year later, $175,000 this October, and $125,000 on Oct. 1, 2004. Redford made the first payment 10 months late and missed the second payment's Oct. 1, 2002, deadline, according to the lawsuit. They are asking that Redford honor the first two payments plus interest, and pay their legal fees plus unspecified relief.
Mexican Actor Arrested After Fatal Action Scene
Mexican actor Flavio Peniche was arrested on suspicion of homicide after shooting and killing a colleague during the filming of an action scene with what he thought was a prop gun. According to The Associated Press, the incident occurred Saturday during filming of a low-budget movie, Juana The Scorpion, at a hotel in Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos state, just south of Mexico City. "I was handed the prop gun, and did the scene as I was instructed," Peniche told the AP. "When I saw the blood come from his chest, at first I though it was fake blood." When he realized what had happened, Peniche said he called for help and tried to stop the bleeding on actor Antonio Velasco, 42, who died later at a Cuernavaca hospital. Peniche has been released on $40,000 bail and could face a prison sentence of 8 to 20 years if convicted.
Rap Mogul Gotti a No-Show in Court
Rap mogul Irv Gotti, the CEO of Murder Inc. Records, was a no-show in court for his arraignment on a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance, the AP reports. Gotti was arrested Aug. 15 after passing through a metal detector at the Oakland Arena in Calif. He had taken some items from his pants pocket and put them into a tray when an Oakland police officer noticed a small clear plastic bag containing some pills. According to police, Gotti, tried to put the bag, which contained one Ecstasy pill and Viagra, back in his pocket before the officer stopped him. Gotti posted $20,000 bail and was told to appear Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court. His attorney, Dennis Roberts, had said he would appear on his client's behalf because Gotti lives in New York.
Clay's Album Hits Record Stores Before Ruben's
American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken's album will arrive in record stores about a month before that of winner Ruben Studdard's Soulful. Aiken's still untitled album will hit stores on Oct. 14 while Studdard's album, on which he is still working, will arrive Nov. 11. "He got his album done fairly quickly; with me, I had my own press junket, so studio time was very limited," Studdard told the AP Thursday. "It [doesn't] make sense for Clay to have his album chillin' when he could just do his thing," he said. Aiken's first single, "This Is the Night," sold more copies than Studdard's "Flying Without Wings" when both songs were released in June.
Jamie Lee Curtis Discusses Plastic Surgery
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis says plastic surgery is not necessarily the answer for women who want to change their appearance. In the Sept. 1 issue of People magazine, the Freaky Friday star does not specifically state what surgery she's had, but says she did all of it in attempting to stave off aging. "It made me look worse and feel worse," the 44-year-old actress notes. "What they say works doesn't." The issue also includes Roseanne Barr, Sharon Osbourne and Dolly Parton discussing the work they have had done.
Billy Crystal to Pen Children's Books
Comedian Billy Crystal, best known for his roles in When Harry Met Sally... and City Slickers, is the latest celeb to try his hand at children's books. Crystal, who voiced the one-eyed creature Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc., is set to release two new children's bedtime books that will focus on the relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents. HarperCollins Children's Books will publish the books, the first of which is titled I Already Know I Love You, due to be published in April next year.