FOUR SCORE
How's this for irony: It took one of the worst movies in cinematic history to finally snap Hollywood's unprecedented 19-week box-office slump. That's right, Fantastic Four — which was deemed a fantastic flop by 75 percent of the nation's film critics, per RottenTomatoes.com — grossed $56 million over the weekend. That, coupled with a strong second-week performance from War of the Worlds, lifted overall receipts 2.25 percent over the same weekend in 2004. But don't be so quick to anoint Fantastic Four a hit. The audience for the film steadily declined from Friday to Sunday, a good indication that word of mouth was, well, less than fantastic. |
IN RELATED NEWS...
Here's further proof that Today show film-critic Gene Shalit is getting a little gray in the mustache: The human Muppet thought Fantastic Four was — gulp — "brilliant." In one of the superhero flick's only rave reviews, Shalit gave Jessica Alba's rack Fantastic Four an A-plus. Even more troubling, he single-handedly set the pun movement back a decade by calling the film "Fantastic four everyone!" That's the kind of play on words that makes TVGuide.com columnists cry. |
VEGAS, BABY
Lara Flynn Boyle isn't the only Hollywood starlet relocating to Las Vegas this fall (Entertainment News 7/6). According to Variety, Rachael Leigh Cook will guest-star in four episodes of NBC's Sin City-based drama as a real estate agent and potential love interest for Josh Duhamel. |
SHE HAD IT COMING
Perhaps inspired by her killer feud with Tom Cruise, Brooke Shields will assume the role of merry murderess Roxie Hart in Broadway's Chicago beginning Sept. 9. Meanwhile, sketchy sources confirm that Shields — in an apparent peace offering — has already reserved a pair of house seats for Cruise. In hell. |
PASADENA OR BUST
SoapNet has secured rights to all 13 episodes of Fox's late, great sudser Pasadena. Fox axed the show in fall 2001 after airing just four episodes. In related news, SoapNet is still dragging its heels on that long-overdue Santa Barbara acquisition. Why? Because they hate me. |
REMEMBERED
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle were among the 2400 mourners paying their last respects to R&B legend Luther Vandross Friday at a memorial service in Harlem. Vandross died last week at age 54. |
9/11 PIC
Filmmaker Oliver Stone has signed on to direct a film about the Sept. 11 attacks. The movie will tell the story of two police officers — one played by Nicolas Cage — who were trapped in the rubble following the collapse of the Twin Towers. |
STALKER SENTENCED
A woman charged with making death threats against Catherine Zeta-Jones over an 18-month period was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday. Zeta-Jones was not in court for the sentencing, but in a statement read aloud in court she called Dawnette Knight "simply evil" and said her actions "will be with me for the rest of my life." Sorta like those T-Mobile spots. |
NO RUSH
Jackie Chan is blaming costar Chris Tucker for putting the brakes on Rush Hour 3. "He wants too much power," he told the Associated Press. "The movie company hasn't obliged. He wants final editing rights and the final look at the movie and so on." Chan went on to describe Tucker as "good friend," which is Chinese for "big jerk." |
