April 12, 2004 |
AND ON THE 47TH DAY...
Remembering that Easter isn't all about creme-filled eggs and tense family gatherings, Christians flocked to The Passion of the Christ over the holiday weekend, lifting Mel Gibson's crucifixion saga back to No. 1 with $17.1 million. With $354.8 million in total receipts, Passion now ranks as the eighth highest-grossing film of all time, passing The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Meanwhile, moviegoers apparently forgot The Alamo was in theaters judging by the film's deadly debut; Disney's $100-million historical epic grossed a weak $9.2 million, tying for No. 3 with Johnson Family Vacation. Among other newcomers, the Bruce Willis-Matthew Perry sequel The Whole Ten Yards brought in a whole $6.7 million for No. 8; Ella Enchanted opened at No. 9 with $6.1 million; and 24 star Elisha Cuthbert's comedy, The Girl Next Door, collected a next-to-nothing $6 million for 10th place. |
SHAKING THE TREES
Janet Jackson wisely spoofed her starring role in Boobygate on Saturday Night Live over the weekend. Appearing as National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice before the 9/11 panel, Ms. Damita Jo flashed a pixelated (and blurred) breast to distract the commissioners from her testimony. Jackson's hosting stint, meanwhile, propelled SNL to its highest ratings in major markets in 13 months. In related news... |
RUNWAY CLOSED
Victoria's Secret is dropping its nationally televised fashion show this year, in part because of the fallout from Boobygate. According to CCO Ed Razek, "We had to make the decision probably six to eight weeks ago, when the heat was on the television networks." |
DIVIDED HOUSE
Full House grad John Stamos and X-Men beauty Rebecca Romijn-Stamos are calling it quits after five years of marriage, the New York Daily News reports. The separation is said to be amicable. |
TRAGEDY
The elderly parents of Grammy-winning spoofmeister Weird Al Yankovic were found dead in their suburban San Diego home on Friday, the apparent victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Nick and Mary Yankovic were 86 and 81, respectively. Weird Al, currently on tour in support of his new CD, Poodle Hat, dedicated a Saturday-night concert in Mankato, Minn., to his parents. |
POTTY MOUTH
Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal dropped the F-bomb during a live postgame TV interview Sunday. After losing 102-85 to the Sacramento Kings, Shaq was asked to critique his rival's performance on the court. "Not impressed, not impressed," he said. "Not [expletive] impressed, you know what I mean?" It was Shaq's second profane outburst of the season. On Feb. 1 in Toronto, the Kazaam star was suspended for cussing out the referees on live TV. |
MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR
Paris Hilton's X-rated sidekick, Rick Salomon, has dropped his $10-million slander lawsuit against the Simple Life star and her family. Salomon filed suit last November, claiming Hilton and her clan waged a "cold, calculated and malicious campaign to portray [him] as a rapist." It's not clear why Salomon dropped the suit. |
RECOVERING
Legendary NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall, 73, remains in stable condition at a Jacksonville, Fla., hospital after receiving a liver transplant Saturday. Summerall, a recovering alcoholic, had been on a waiting list since April 2. |
MONEY HUNGRY
Diane Keaton will follow up her Oscar-nominated turn in Something's Gotta Give with Mad Money, a comedy The Hollywood Reporter describes as a female Ocean's Eleven. Keaton will play one of three female janitors who rob the Federal Reserve. Thelma & Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri will direct. |
'TIS THE SEASON
Ally McBeal alum Jane Krakowski has joined the cast of NBC's upcoming remake of A Christmas Carol, starring Kelsey Grammer, Jason Alexander and Jesse L. Martin. Krakowski will play the Ghost of Christmas Past. |
REMEMBERED
Actress Carrie Snodgress, Oscar-nominated for her film debut in 1970's Diary of a Mad Housewife, died last week of heart failure at UCLA Medical Center. She was 57. She was most recently seen in the HBO telepic Iron-Jawed Angels. |
SHORT CUTS
The WB has renewed Everwood and Smallville for next season... In related news, the Frog network has tapped Drew Carey to star in and produce Green Screen, a live-action-animated improv comedy it's developing... Columbia Pictures has optioned Richard A. Clarke's controversial White House memoir, Against All Enemies, Variety reports. |
KITSCH FACTOR
More than 11 million viewers watched Jessica Simpson sing herself into convulsions on last night's Nick & Jessica Variety Hour. The retro-heavy special — featuring cameos by Kermit, Miss Piggy, Kenny Rogers and Mr. T — easily won its timeslot, although only roughly 1 million viewers tuned in from start to finish. Everyone else slit their wrists, but in a rare stroke of good fortune for ABC, they forgot to shut off their televisions first. |
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