US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary

Cover of Tron

US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan collapses onstage
NEW YORK - Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan collapsed onstage Thursday night in Tampa, Fla., falling into his drummer's kit as the band performed its 1995 hard rock hit "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Almost immediately after falling, Corgan got back to his feet and continued playing. The lead singer and guitarist later commented on the incident on his Twitter page.
"TRON:Legacy" movie brings video game world to life
SAN DIEGO - Back in 1982, first-time director Steven Lisberger brought mainstream audiences into the world of videogames with the sci-fi thriller "TRON", using early computer-generated imagery that paved the way for today's 3D movie blockbusters. Now the long-awaited sequel "TRON:Legacy", out in December from Walt Disney Pictures, is poised to push 3D technology and digital performance capture a step further.
KISS hits the road, betting on spectacle and classic hits
NEW YORK - As the concert business struggles with top-name cancellations this summer, KISS hits the road in North America, betting that its spectacle of classic rock, pyrotechnics and fire-breathing will lure cash-strapped concert-goers looking for dependable entertainment. The group is set to embark on its 32-date "Hottest Show on Earth" tour of the United States and Canada that starts on Friday in Cheyenne, Wyoming and ends in Fontana, California in September to promote its "Sonic Boom" album.
Gabor's daughter denies Zsa Zsa is critically ill
LOS ANGELES - Zsa Zsa Gabor's daughter on Friday denied a report that her mother was critically ill and not responding to human contact. "She is not in a coma. She is not on any kind of death watch. She is responsive and on medications. All vital signs are still going strong, and she is talking," Constance Francesca Hilton said in a statement to Reuters.
"Scott Pilgrim" conjures a limp comic-book world
SAN DIEGO - Chore No. 1 is accomplished: The fanboys and girls gave a resounding shriek of approval to Universal's "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World" at Comic-Con following its "surprise" screening here at this event that has become a kind of Halloween for adults. But the question remains -- will anybody else care?
Farmer takes on despot in compelling documentary "Mugabe"
NEW YORK - Its awkward title notwithstanding, "Mugabe and the White African" offers the sort of narrative drama rarely found in documentaries. The account of the efforts of a white farmer in Zimbabwe to defy the forced redistribution of his property by the regime of the country's despotic president, Robert Mugabe, has more urgency than most Hollywood thrillers. First Run Features released the film Friday. Mugabe's so-called "land reform" -- devised to seize land from white owners and give it to poor blacks, but which actually served to benefit his friends and cronies -- is the subject of Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson's film, which centers on the plight of 75-year-old white farmer Michael Campbell.
Folk-rock duo takes its Warhol soundtrack on tour
NEW YORK to provide music for 13 of these silent clips and perform the songs as part of a live, multimedia presentation of the shorts. Wareham and Phillips viewed hundreds of the screen tests in the museum's archives and chose 13 subjects, including Lou Reed, Nico, Edie Sedgwick and Dennis Hopper. Sponsored by the museum, the project has toured since September 2008 and released a DVD last year, but now Dean & Britta are responding to demand for the music itself. A double-CD package, "13 Most Beautiful Songs ...," including a disc of remixes and a 12-page booklet of essays by Wareham, will be available from the duo's own label, Double Feature Records, in a limited run of 3,000.
"Salt" targets "Inception" at box office
LOS ANGELES - Critics have lamented bland summer fare dominated by film sequels and franchise extensions, but for the second consecutive weekend moviegoers will be dished up an original big-screen concoction expected to reap tasty box office. A week after "Inception" raked in $62.8 million during its first weekend, the Angelina Jolie spy thriller "Salt" will try to shake the Leonardo DiCaprio picture from the top spot.
Author Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" hits big screen
LOS ANGELES - It's hard enough making movies with kids in supporting roles, but it's way more challenging when a film stars a 9-year-old newcomer who's in every scene and can only work six hours a day. That's what Elizabeth Allen faced directing Fox 2000 and Walden Media's family comedy "Ramona and Beezus," opening today from Fox 2000.
Charlie Rich's songwriter widow dead at 76
LONDON - Songwriter Margaret Ann Rich, widow of country music star Charlie Rich, died on Thursday at her home near Memphis, following a struggle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 76. Her husband, who died in 1995, recorded several of her songs including "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs" and "Field of Yellow Daisies." Her songs were also covered by Tom Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Ricky Van Shelton.


Source : Yahoo

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Inception earns dreamy reception with $60.4M (AP)

'Inception' earns dreamy reception with $60.4M (AP)

Source: AP Sun Jul 18, 2010, 2:01 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES - Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan's "Inception" is anything but a sleeper as the thriller opened big with $60.4 million and a No. 1 finish at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Warner Bros. action tale about a team that sneaks into people's dreams is DiCaprio's biggest opening weekend, topping his previous best of $41.1 million for last winter's "Shutter Island."
"Inception" falls far short of director Christopher Nolan's best, though. Nolan is the man who directed the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight," which opened over the same weekend two years ago with a record $158.4 million.
Warner Bros. has carved out a niche with this particular mid-July weekend. The studio followed "The Dark Knight" with a $77.8 million opening for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" over the same weekend last year.
"We like this spot. Not to sound superstitious, but stay away from this weekend. I own it," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.
The final "Harry Potter" movie debuts on the same weekend next summer. Warner plans to open Nolan's third "Batman" movie over that weekend two years from now, though Fellman said the studio could move it to an earlier date that summer.
Strong reviews helped "Inception," which stars DiCaprio as leader of a team that normally breaks into people's dreams to steal their secrets but now has been hired to do the opposite — plant an idea in a wealthy heir's subconscious.
Slipping to second place with $32.7 million was the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Steve Carell's animated hit "Despicable Me." The Universal release raised its 10-day total to $118.4 million.
Disney's family adventure "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was a dud, opening at No. 3 with $17.4 million, lifting its total to $24.5 million since premiering Wednesday.
"It's disappointing to say the least," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which had high hopes for the movie. "I'm perplexed. I have no response, because I honestly don't know what went wrong."
The movie reunites the team behind the hit "National Treasure" movies — Nicolas Cage, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub — for an action comedy about an ancient wizard training an awkward apprentice (Jay Baruchel) to take down an evil sorceress in modern Manhattan.
Bruckheimer has been a blockbuster producer for Disney with such hits as "The Rock," "Armageddon" and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.
But "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was the summer's second Disney-Bruckheimer production to come up short at the domestic box office, following "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," which was unable to crack the $100 million mark.
"Jerry's working on 'Pirates 4' as we speak," Viane said of the Johnny Depp sequel due out next summer. "I'll go to bat with Jerry any day, because his track record is pretty darn good."
With "Inception" and "Despicable Me," the weekend marked a rare instance when two original stories — not sequels, spinoffs or adaptations of comic books, best-sellers or other properties — led the box office.
Hollywood relies on familiar titles such as "Iron Man 2," "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" and "Toy Story 3" for most of its big summer releases, though the occasional fresh idea manages to score with audiences.
"We let all of the sequels and popcorn films come out and get the summer rolling, then we come in here with this original concept," Fellman said of "Inception." "We're in a good place to run now for the rest of the summer."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Inception," $60.4 million.
2. "Despicable Me," $32.7 million.
3. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," $17.4 million.
4. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," $13.5 million.
5. "Toy Story 3," $11.7 million.
6. "Grown Ups," $10 million.
7. "The Last Airbender," $7.5 million.
8. "Predators," $6.8 million.
9. "Knight and Day," $3.7 million.
10. "The Karate Kid," $2.2 million.

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Movies We Want to See in 2010

Movies We Want to See in 2010

By: Roger Friedman   //   Friday January 1, 2010
While Academy voters are studying their ballots and watching their videos, believe it or not there are a lot of new movies coming soon. Here’s a short list of what we’re looking forward to in 2010:
Howl – a docudrama about poet Allen Ginsberg’s obscenity trial following publication of his famous poem is one of the Sundance openers this year. James Franco is Ginsberg, and should be riveting. Great supporting cast, too: Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm, David Straithairn, Treat Williams, etc.
Shutter Island – Martin Scorsese’s thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio was supposed to have been released a few weeks ago. But Paramount delayed it, saying Oscar campaigns for “Up in the Air” and “The Lovely Bones” had them overextended financially. A February release isn’t always bad — look at “The Silence of the Lambs.” And Scorsese is rarely off key.
The Ghost Writer – Roman Polanski’s new epic comes as he finishes it from lockdown home arrest in Switzerland. The film is supposed to open the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 8. Polanski won’t be there, but emotions and support will be high. He’s one of our greatest filmmakers, regardless of his past activities. An eclectic cast comprises Pierce Brosnan, Ewan MacGregor, Kim Cattral, Jim Belushi, Tim Hutton and beloved 93-year-old Eli Wallach. Get ready, this is going to be big news when it’s finally seen.
The Tempest — Julie Taymor’s take on Shakespeare, with Helen Mirren playing Prospera, the distaff version of the Bard’s conjurer.
The Tree of Life — Terrence Malick is never less than interesting. Now he’s got Brad Pitt and Sean Penn in a “Benjamin Button”-type ethereal epic that we probably won’t see until the fall. Will it be great? Weird? Self-referential? Or magnificent, like Malick’s “Days of Heaven”? We can only hope.
Hereafter – Clint Eastwood won’t stop making movies, which is just fine. Following “Invictus” he went straight ahead to make this thriller with Matt Damon and Bryce Dallas Howard. My money’s on Clint. And unlike “Invictus,” this may have a love story.
The King’s Speech — Colin Firth is so hot right now — and Oscar bound — in “A Single Man.” Add all that to Geoffrey Rush and very hot HBO director Tom Hooper (”John Adams”) and we may have a new “Shakespeare in Love” next fall. Woefully underused Jennifer Ehle, plus Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, and Michael Gambon round out this cast. If this isn’t an Oscar nominee, I don’t know what it is.
Robin Hood — Russell Crowe at least doesn’t have to fake an accent the way Kevin Costner did long ago. Saddled with many false starts and millions spent on scripts that didn’t work, Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” should nevertheless prove to be a success. Cate Blanchett is Marian, and there’s a strong supporting cast including breakout star Oscar Isaac (also in “Sucker Punch”) and stalwarts like William Hurt and Max von Sydow.
Sucker Punch — The first new film from Zack Snyder, whose “Watchmen” was a watershed fantasy film this year. Snyder puts together Jena Malone, Abbe Cornish, Scott Glenn and Jon Hamm. Could be a winner, and nothing less than interesting.
The Conspirator – Mary Surratt was the only woman charged with conspiracy in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Robin Wright (ex-Penn) gets to play her, directed by Robert Redford. If this is good, it’s also great, with awards awaiting. James McEvoy, on the edge of being huge, is featured along with Kevin Kline, Justin Long and Tom Wilkinson.

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