KILLING SPREE
Here's further proof that summer is almost over: Freddy vs. Jason lost 63 percent of its business from its debut last week and still held on to the No. 1 spot at the box office. The slasher pic grossed $13.5 million over the weekend and became the first movie since X2: X-Men United to retain the top spot for two consecutive weekends. Among new pics, Jackie Chan's action comedy The Medallion captured fifth place with $8.2 million and Ashton Kutcher's romantic comedy My Boss's Daughter debuted in 10th place with $5 million. The Lisa Kudrow-Damon Wayans dud Marci X, meanwhile, brought in only $865,000. Finally, Finding Nemo officially surpassed The Lion King as the highest-grossing animated movie ever. Nemo took in another $1 million to bring its total U.S. haul to $329.8 million; King earned $328.5 million during its initial theatrical run and IMAX re-release last year. |
BATTLE WON?
In other box office news, the players behind HBO's latest Project Greenlight saga have something new to bicker about this morning: whether or not their film had a successful opening weekend. The Battle of Shaker Heights grossed $52,000 in five theaters in Los Angeles and New York over the weekend. That puts the movie's per-screen-average at $10,400 — a decent tally but well below Miramax's initial $20,000 per-venue mandate. Regardless, the indie is slated to expand to eight other cities next week. In the meantime, smarmy producer Chris Moore will continue to talk smack about amateur directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle — but not to their faces, of course. |
NOT SO FAR FROM HEAVEN
Oscar-nominated actress Julianne Moore and her longtime beau, film director Bart Fruendlich, tied the knot Saturday night in New York City, E! reports. |
JUST DESSERTS
Singer Bobby Brown was arrested Friday on a probation violation while he was enjoying a romantic dinner with wife Whitney Houston at an Atlanta-area restaurant. Police reportedly received an anonymous tip that the couple were dining at the Atlantic Seafood Co. in Alpharetta, Ga. It's a good thing the duo didn't go with their first choice: Red Lobster. |
FREE RUBEN
American Idol champ Ruben Studdard is apparently throwing his weight behind a new cause: higher taxes. The Velvet Teddy Bear will perform two free concerts in his native Alabama on Sept. 2 and 5 to help promote Republican Gov. Bob Riley's tax increase proposals. In related news, AI runner-up Clay Aiken will perform his hit single "This Is the Night" at the Sept. 20 Miss America pageant. |
LOVE AND LIES
Courtney Love's mother Linda Carroll is denying reports that her rock-star offspring is Marlon Brando's granddaughter. Last week, a London tabloid reported that Carroll's upcoming memoir claimed Brando was Love's grandfather by virtue of a brief liaison with Carroll's mother, novelist Paula Fox. "First of all, it's crazy, it's not true," Carroll told the Corvallis (Ore.) Gazette-Times. "Second of all, my book doesn't say that." Third of all, why the heck is she writing a book? |
AL WINS
If Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly seems pricklier than usual these days, there's good reason. On Friday, a federal judge rejected O'Reilly's, er, I mean Fox's request to stop the sale of Al Franken's new book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. The network accused the liberal satirist (and O'Reilly nemesis) of trademark infringement for using its signature "fair and balanced" phrase on his book's cover. |
THE EYES HAVE IT
Former Fastlane scribe John McNamara has inked a deal with ABC to produce a drama pilot that revolves around a 21st century detective agency. Titled Eyes, the potential series is being described by Variety as a corporate thriller about a risk management firm that operates along the fringes of the law in order to affect the outcome of a host of civil and criminal matters. I'm lost already. |
COLD CASTING
Actor Danny Pino, best known for his portrayal of Desi Arnaz in CBS's recent Lucy telepic, has joined the cast of CBS's upcoming homicide drama Cold Case. Pino will play the partner of series star Kathryn Morris. He'll debut in the show's sixth episode. |
BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE AN ACTOR
Rocker Dave Matthews is in talks to make his feature film debut in the Wayne Wang-directed dramedy Because of Winn-Dixie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Dave Matthews Band frontman would play a drifter who is befriended by a 10-year-old girl. |
SOMEONE CONSOLE ANDRA
Everything has changed for former Boy Meets Boy contestant Michael Jason Tiner. The Navy combat instructor was discharged from the military after he violated the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy by revealing he was gay on the show. "I was fully aware of what would happen," Tiner said. "I was ready for it." |
