HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: "Reloaded" Gets a Two-Hour Jump-Start
Warner Bros. has decided to open The Matrix Reloaded at 10 p.m. Wednesday night on about 1,500 screens, two hours before its nationwide release across the country at midnight Thursday. Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution executive VP/general sales manager, told The Hollywood Reporter the film will bow on the largest number of screens ever for a domestic release, though he was not able to reveal an exact screen count. Many theaters in the Los Angeles area are preparing for the onslaught. Pacific Theaters chief operating officer Nora Dashwood told The Reporter their new theater in Culver City might play Reloaded on all 12 of its new stadium-seating, state-of-the-art projection and sound screens if the demand is there and will also offer patrons popcorn and a soft drink for 25 cents through Sunday.
Tommy Chong Gets Caught Selling Bongs
Comedian Tommy Chong, one half of the ganja-smokin' comic duo Cheech and Chong, has pleaded guilty to selling drug paraphernalia through his company Nice Dreams Enterprises, The Associated Press reports. As part of a series of raids by the Drug Enforcement Administration to crack down on Internet distributors of paraphernalia, Chong, 64, was the first person to plea guilty and was released on recognizance bail.
Alias Star Garner Files Divorce Papers
Jennifer Garner, star of the ABC drama Alias and hit film Daredevil, has filed for divorce from her husband, actor Scott Foley, citing irreconcilable differences, Reuters reports. The two met on the set of the WB's Felicity and were married in 2000. They officially separated in March. Garner's publicist has denied the rumor the actress has an off-screen relationship with Alias co-star Michael Vartan, Reuters reports.
CBS Wins Nielsens This Week
With the help of the finale of Survivor: The Amazon, CBS was able to sweep the ratings race last week, taking in a total of 13.7 million viewers. NBC came in second with 11.2 million, followed by Fox with 9.5 million and ABC with 8.8 million.
Printing Plant Worker Admits Stealing Potter Books
A forklift operator at Clays Ltd. printing press in England has admitted to stealing chapters from the fifth Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, to try to sell them to the London newspaper The Sun. Donald Parfitt, 44, claims he found the chapters in the parking lot and now regrets not returning them immediately. He does not, however, have any connection to the two manuscripts found in a field near the printing plant last week.
Role Call: Portrait of Hannibal Lecter as a Young Man, Travolta Gets Punish-ed, Inside Deep Throat Docu Gets Distributor
As if we need to know how Hannibal Lecter got his start, producer Dino de Laurentiis and Lecter's creator, novelist Thomas Harris, are working on The Lecter Variation: The Story of Young Hannibal Lecter, which will chronicle the infamous cannibal at age 12, 16, 20 and 25…meanwhile, John Travolta will face The Punisher, signing up to play the villain in the film based on the Marvel comic book about a vigilante hero. Thomas Jane is playing the title role…and if you just had to know the backstory of the classic X-rated film Deep Throat, now is your chance. Variety reports Universal Pictures will be releasing the documentary Inside Deep Throat, which will take a look at the most successful X-rated film ever and how it made its star, Linda Lovelace, a celebrity.