Face Two-Face

It's been awhile since we've heard any casting rumors concerning The Dark Knight--the sequel to Batman Begins...Filming is set to start some time in March of this year. As you might imagine, speculation is still running high on who will might play the all important role of Two-Face in the film (pictured below).

Stax of IGN has the latest TDK casting buzz via Batman-on-Film:

With The Dark Knight just two months away from the commencement of principle photography, the rumor mill has been working overtime churning out possible contenders for the key role of Harvey Dent, the Gotham City district attorney doomed to become the villainous Two-Face.

A slew of thesps have been rumored for the part over the last year, including Ryan Phillippe (personally my favorite contender), Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber. None of them appear to be "The One."

Now Batman-on-Film.com reports that it recently heard of three actors who may be under consideration to play Dent: Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Oscar nominee Edward Norton and the relatively unknown Eion Bailey.

BoF says Norton's reps shot down the rumor for them. Foxx is a name they claim has surfaced more than once from their sources. If Foxx is indeed in the mix and wins the role, he would be the second African-American actor after Billy Dee Williams to play the role...

Bailey is the most interesting rumored contender. The trades confirmed in 2004 that he screen-tested for the title role in Batman Begins. As BoF points out, Cillian Murphy also screen-tested for Batman, but won the part of the Scarecrow. Could it be a similar case with Bailey this time?

Interestingly enough, Bailey later tested for the Man of Steel in Superman Returns.

Bailey's credits include Mindhunters, Almost Famous, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself , Fight Club, and a stint on [TV's] ER (ex-Batman George Clooney's former stomping grounds) as "Jake Scanlon"

Edward Norton would be a great choice--as would Jamie Foxx. As for Eion Bailey, for a "relative unknown" he has carved out a nice resume just the same. I'm just not sure he has the acting chops for the role....He's a fine actor. I just haven't seen many of his meatier roles to make enough of a judgment one way or another...

I'm really surprised there's been no official announcement yet and that principal casting is still going on this close to the start of shooting.

In Other News:

The Superman DVD Debacle Saga Is Now Over...

The replacement discs from Warner Home Video arrived 3 weeks after sending back the defective DVDs...My Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition is now complete. I'll have some final thoughts on the whole set posted soon.

Sharpen Your Pencils

Here's the latest awards season accolades:




The Writers Guild of America have made public their choices for the best film scripts of '06.

Variety's Dave McNary writes:

Opting solely for first-time nominees, the Writers Guild of America has tapped "Babel," "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Queen," "Stranger Than Fiction" and "United 93" for its original screenplay award and "Borat," "The Departed," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Little Children" and "Thank You for Smoking" for the adapted award.

WGA noms, announced Thursday, showed a strong preference for comedies. Laffers rep half the selected films, including all but one in the adapted category.

"Little Miss Sunshine" scribe Michael Arndt said he was delighted at the presence of laffers in the WGA results. "Even though there's a belief that dramas portray the world more accurately, I think that comedies actually often present a truer picture of reality," he told Daily Variety.

The credited writers in the orginal category are Guillermo Arriaga (Par Vantage's "Babel"); Arndt (Fox Searchlight's "Little Miss Sunshine"); Peter Morgan (Miramax's "The Queen"); Zach Helm (Sony's "Stranger Than Fiction"); and Paul Greengrass (Universal's "United 93").

In the adapted category, the scribes are Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer (20th Century Fox's "Borat"); William Monahan (WB's "The Departed"); Aline Brosh McKenna (Fox's "The Devil Wears Prada"); Todd Field and Tom Perrotta (New Line's "Little Children"); and Jason Reitman (Searchlight's "Thank You for Smoking").

Winners will be announced Feb. 11 in simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. The nominations were based on voting by the guild's 13,000 members from films released in 2006 and produced under WGA jurisdiction, with 147 eligible in original screenplay and 105 in adapted.

Guild voters passed over several well-known contenders, including Eric Roth for "The Good Shepherd" in the original category and Bill Condon for "Dreamgirls" and Paul Haggis for "Flags of Our Fathers" in the adapted category. Other notable omissions included "World Trade Center" in the original category and "Children of Men," "Letters From Iwo Jima" and "Notes on a Scandal" in the adapted category...

Article Continues complete with the full list of nominees

Meanwhile, our friends across the pond, at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts have also chosen the contenders for the best cinema of the past year as well...



Variety's Adam Dawtrey reports:

"The Queen" leads the nominations for this year's British Academy Film Awards, but that's the most predictable aspect of a list that honors an unexpectedly rich and varied blend of British, American and international talent.

"The Queen," with 10 nods, is competing for best film against "Babel" (seven), "The Departed" (six), "Little Miss Sunshine" (six) and "The Last King of Scotland" (five).

Other heavily nominated pics include "Casino Royale" (nine), "Pan's Labyrinth" (eight) and "United 93" (six). "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" received five apiece.

An eclectic best actor race pitches Daniel Craig's impersonation of James Bond in "Casino Royale" against Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland," Leonardo DiCaprio's undercover cop in "The Departed," Richard Griffiths as a schoolmaster in "The History Boys" and Peter O'Toole's decrepit actor in "Venus."

The best actress list has a more predictable air, with hometown favorites Helen Mirren ("The Queen"), Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal") and Kate Winslet ("Little Children") running against Penelope Cruz ("Volver") and Meryl Streep ("The Devil Wears Prada").

The Alexander Korda Award for best British film is a contest between "Casino Royale," "The Queen," "Notes on a Scandal," "The Last King of Scotland" and "United 93."

Paul Greengrass, director of "United 93," is also in the running for the David Lean Award for achievement in direction, against Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu ("Babel"), Martin Scorsese ("The Departed"), Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine") and Stephen Frears ("The Queen")...

This year's awards will be held on Feb. 11 at the Royal Opera House in London.

Article continues...

"Alpha" Bet

The number of new films opening at the cineplex this weekend may be small compared to recent weeks, but they still manage to cover a wide range of tastes.

The thriller Primeval (reviews) stars Dominic Purcell of TV's Prison Break working hard to start up a film career...

...And then of course, there's Nick Cassavetes long awaited Alpha Dog. The reviews for which are very positive (when I first posted this entry anyway. They took a dive when more critics chimed in later); The live action/CGI combo Arthur And The Invisibles (reviews); Sylvain White's dance musical Stomp The Yard (reviews) isn't feelin the love; Finally there's the Hindi film Guru (reviews) getting a run in a limited number of theaters.

Ian Mohr and Dave McNary of Variety update the cinema playing field:

Will "Night at the Museum" be able to top the charts once again?

Hit PG pic from Fox certainly has a real shot over a crowded Martin Luther King Day frame in which other, similarly skewing competish could drain ticket sales from one another.

New product trying to gain attention amid the holdovers -- which include the hot Will Smith starrer "Pursuit of Happyness" and expanding "Dreamgirls" -- will include Sony's "Stomp the Yard," a dancey urban drama that's been tracking very strongly with teens.

Pic -- which steps into 2,051 -- should benefit from MLK holiday biz Monday.

Tracking well with males under 25 is "Alpha Dog," the R-rated pic from Nick Cassavetes and Universal.

Long-gestating pic -- which originally preemed at Sundance last year for New Line and was subsequently scooped up by U -- stars an ensemble led by Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Sharon Stone. It opens on 1,286.

Disney aims to grab horror fans, meantime, with "Primeval," the frame's widest new release, on 2,444. Pic centers on the bloody rampage of a 25-foot-long, man-eating croc.

Par expands "Freedom Writers," the school drama that has taken in $10.8 million in one frame and targets women under 25.

But with so many pics vying for attention from urban and younger auds on holiday during the MLK weekend, "Museum" could continue to have a strong run with family crowds.

Last year, three pics were packed tightly into the top spots over the four-day frame, separated by just over $1 million, including sports drama "Glory Road," Queen Latifah vehicle "Last Holiday" and animated "Hoodwinked."

But in just three frames of release, Ben Stiller starrer "Museum" has already been a review-proof winner, taking in $167.5 million domestically, and could have more steam left.

Sony's "Happyness" also should be able to build on its run: Pic has so far taken in $126.5 million after one month in theaters.

Paramount and DreamWorks will have the first wide-release test for the musical "Dreamgirls," which has so far played to socko numbers on just 852. Pic expands to 1,907 stages.

Frame also reps expansions for a whole slew of artier endeavors as Oscar season looms.

Article Continues...

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly belives ''Dreamgirls'' will float to No. 1 adding:

Look for ''Stomp the Yard'' to step up into second place (barely) over ''Night at the Museum''

Night At The Museum? Dreamgirls? Number one? It's gonna be a tough weekend any way you cut it as the NFL playoffs offer up second round action and the 6th season of 24 finally getting under way...

Top "Dog"

A final ruling has come down in that court case involving the release of the film Alpha Dog.

Justin Timberlake's Acting "Skills" Will Be Unleashed Tomorrow As planned

The Associated Press has the story:

A court ruled the film "Alpha Dog," which is based on an ongoing murder case, can open Friday as scheduled, even though a defense lawyer contended it could taint the jury pool for the upcoming trial.

The movie's stars include Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an emergency request by the alleged killer's attorney to delay the release. Universal Studios had argued that doing so would be unconstitutional prior restraint of free speech.

Attorney James Blatt, who represents Jesse James Hollywood, appealed after a federal judge refused last month to stop the release.

Blatt said he was not surprised by the appellate panel's ruling on Monday.

"It's difficult to take on the First Amendment. The standard for prior restraint is so tremendously high," he said. "How do you prove you can't find 12 impartial jurors?"

Although the main character has a different name, the film is based on the suspected role of Hollywood in the kidnapping and slaying of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz seven years ago.

The teen's body was found in a remote Santa Barbara County camping area.

Prosecutors believe Hollywood, portrayed in the movie by actor Emile Hirsch, was the mastermind behind the murder plot. He was captured in Brazil in 2005 and has pleaded not guilty to charges that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted.

Markowitz was killed as part of a feud between Hollywood and the victim's older half-brother over a $1,200 drug debt, prosecutors contend. Four other people have been convicted in connection to the kidnap-murder.

My "questions" concerning Timberlake as an actor aside, as I write this, the reviews for the movie are actually pretty solid. With all of the legal wrangling now behind it, it will be interesting to see how the average movie-watcher will respond to the drama.

Truth be told, I am curious to see the film--but strictly as a rental though...

RIP Yvonne De Carlo (1922-2007)

The great actress Yvonne De Carlo died on Monday of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television facility. She was 84 years old.

She will of course, be best remembered for her role as Lilly in the sit-com "The Munsters" (1964-1966) Throughout the series 71 episodes, one theatrical reunion film called Munster, Go Home (1966), and the telepic The Munsters' Revenge (1981) she helped the idea soar--even under all of that make-up.

Away from "The Munsters" De Carlo used her striking talents and beauty as Sephora in the epic The Ten Commandments (1956). She played the legendary figure Calamity Jane in 1949's Calamity Jane and Sam Bass. That same year, she was the leading lady in the excellent crime pic Criss Cross.

She also made a ton of guest appearances on TV...My favorite though was as Mrs Smith for the anthology cable series "Tales from the Crypt" in 1993.

For more on De Carlo, Bob Thomas of the Associated Press has this obituary...

People Who Need People

Hey, did you know that Queen Latifah (pictured) hosted the 33rd annual People's Choice Awards last night on TV?

Truth be told...I forgot they were on. And by the time I remembered, I was already half way through a great all new episode of Boston Legal, and didn't feel like switching channels for a peek. Anyhow, here are America's favorites in film, TV, and music for 2006...

Under Wraps

On the agenda Item #1:

J.J. Abrams is talking about Star Trek XI to Lindsay Soll of Entertainment Weekly:

After his panel at the New York Times' 6th Annual Arts & Leisure Weekend, EW sat down with Mission: Impossible III helmer and Lost creator J.J. Abrams to get an inside look at his new enterprise: a Star Trek movie. While it isn't clear when we can expect to see the film, which will be the 11th in the series, he confirmed a draft of the script is done, and it will be trimmed sometime soon.

So what, exactly, will be the plot? Early reports (like this one in Variety) said that it will focus on the young, post-Starfleet Academy days of James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, but Abrams wouldn't specify. Still, he assured us it's a story that even non-Trekkers can enjoy.

''On the one hand, for people who love Star Trek, the fix that they will get will be really satisfying,'' he says. ''For people who've never seen it or know it vaguely, I think they will enjoy it equally, because the movie does not require you to know anything about Star Trek. I would actually prefer [that] people don't know the series, because I feel like they will come to it with an open mind.''

Alex [Kurtzman] and Roberto Orci are executive-producing and writing the sci-fi flick, and Abrams is co-producing with Lost pals Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk. There's no word on a director or casting yet, but Abrams is anxious to move forward. ''I can't wait to do this,'' he says. ''It is an absolute thrill to work on this project. We really are still like, 'How the hell are we able to do this?

Some quick comments: Why exactly is this story news? It's been out there forever that J.J. 's pals Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, (who worked on Alias) and Bryan Burk & Damon Lindelof (from Lost) were all involved with the project...I thought Abrams was indeed directing the film as of December 10th 2006? What gives?. The EW story tells us nothing new and de-confirms a confirmation...Huh? When you have something exciting to report about the flick--I'm all (pointed) ears

And then, there's this amusing Trek XI rumor from Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons via World Entertainment News Network:

Short of that "Enterprise" pilot scene where the busty Jolene Blalock and the muscular Connor Trinneer rubbed oil all over their muscles whilst dressed only in their all too tight underwear (they seemed to be both enjoying filming that scene), the words "Star Trek" and sex appeal have been far from synonymous.

That changed on the weekend when a rather ridiculous rumour popped up over WENN that the new James Bond, ie. Daniel Craig, would be involved in M:I-3 helmer and "Lost" producer J.J. Abrams planned big budget film prequel/restart of the franchise.

No rumours or confirmations as yet on the talk...

I seriously doubt that Daniel Craig would commit to another high profile franchise film this soon after his boffo debut as 007 in Casino Royale. A cameo...maybe? If that. Besides Bond #22 is already ramping up and would likely overlap Trek

Agenda Item #2...Once again courtesy of Franklin:

Rob Cohen ("XXX", "The Fast and the Furious") is in negotiations to direct a third film in the action-adventure franchise "The Mummy" for Universal Pictures according to [the studio].

Stephen Sommers, who directed the first two movies, is producing with partner Bob Ducsay.

The plot details of the script, written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, are being kept [very quiet]

The previous two installments scored $155 million and $202 million in 1999 & 2001 respectively. Talks with actors have not begun.

Cohen has been writing a biopic of filmmaker Russ Meyer and his wife titled "King of the Nudies," which he plans to direct, and is attached to direct "Scared Straight" for New Line.

If Cohen does end up directing the third Mummy flick, I hope its more like The Fast and the Furious was in terms of action and fun and less like the inane xXx. Of course that really depends on the tone of the script from Gough and Millar doesn't it?

High Society

In my continuing series of posts on the current awards season...

Two more cinema organizations have put forth their picks for the best films of '06:

The Online Film Critics Society (O.F.C.S) is up first...

Stuart Levine of Variety:

The Online Film Critics Society have selected Sept. 11 drama "United 93" as its best picture of the year while awarding Martin Scorsese director honors for his helming of "The Departed."

Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland") and Helen Mirren ("The Queen") also won in their respective acting categories, as the pair continue to dominate the guild and critics kudo circuit. Jackie Earle Haley won supporting actor for his role in "Little Children" and 10-year-old Abigail Breslin was top supporting actress for "Little Miss Sunshine."

The Mexican film community was well-represented in the screenwritng department as Guillermo del Toro won original screenplay for "Pan's Labyrinth" while Alfonso Cuaron was one of five writers to win for their adapted screenplay of "Children of Men."

The Complete List OFCS Winners...


Dave McNary takes over to give us the Directors Guild of America nominees:

The Directors Guild has selected Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for "Babel," Bill Condon for "Dreamgirls," Martin Scorsese for "The Departed," Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for "Litte Miss Sunshine" and Stephen Frears for "The Queen" as nominees for its top feature directing award.

With the exception of Scorsese, all directors are first-time nominees. Frears did receive a nomination seven years ago for the telepic "Fail Safe."

DGA president Michael Apted made the announcement Tuesday morning at guild headquarters in Hollywood. The winner, to be decided by voting among the 13,000 DGA members, will be announced Feb. 3 in ceremonies at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The winner of the DGA award will be a front-runner for the directing Oscar. The DGA winner and the Oscar winner have matched in 52 of the last 58 years, including last year when Ang Lee won both trophies for "Brokeback Mountain."

The nominees were chosen by DGA members from over 400 eligible films with a theatrical release in 2006.

A complete list of DGA nominees can be found right here...

Once again, Clint Eastwood's The Flags Of Our Fathers is surprisingly absent from the list...Kudos to Little Miss Sunshine for getting a nod.

The Avatar Chronicles

Following a ten year odyssey with projects like Titanic and the documentaries Ghosts of the Abyss and Aliens of the Deep, filmmaker James Cameron is ready to return to the genre that put him on the map. Get ready for the Sci-fi flick Avatar...

Gabriel Snyder and Nicole LaPorte of Variety:

James Cameron and 20th Century Fox are moving forward with the long-planned $200 million production of his 3-D sci-fi tentpole "Avatar" and are aiming for a summer 2009 release.

"Avatar" pits a band of humans in a battle against a distant planet's indigenous population.

Cameron's pic, officially announced Monday, will hit screens 12 years after the helmer's last feature -- "Titanic," which holds the all-time box office record with $1.8 billion in worldwide ticket sales -- was released in 1997.

The helmer also had been developing "Battle Angel," about a 26th century female cyborg, but said Monday his efforts have been focused on "Avatar" since 2005. "I've been working on this picture exclusively for the last year and a half," he said.

Cameron's "Avatar" will employ CG techniques with which the director has been experimenting over the last several years, including on his underwater 3-D docus "Ghosts of the Abyss" and "Aliens of the Deep." The aim of the techniques is to seamlessly blend CGI and live-action footage and characters.

Techniques Cameron has developed via his Lightstorm Entertainment banner include motion-capture CG that can record an actor's facial expressions and a virtual camera system that allows him to see in real time the way his actor-based CG characters interact with their virtual worlds.

Cameron conceived the story for "Avatar" 11 years ago, but waited for the technology to catch up before fully immersing himself in the pic. "I've wanted to do it since then, but sort of shoved it in the back of a drawer," he told Daily Variety. Despite Cameron's "picking away" at the film for the last year and a half, Fox greenlit the film only this week.

Live-action production is slated to begin in April in Los Angeles, with Peter Jackson's New Zealand effects shop Weta doing the major effects work.

Cameron decided to team with Weta after meeting with Jackson and his writing and producing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens in New Zealand. "They sat with me and discussed the script for the better part of a day, giving me their ideas and input," Cameron said. "That whole group down there seems to be a culture that reflects Peter's passion for fantasy filmmaking. It reminds me of how ILM was 25 years ago."

Principal photography will be in 3-D; Cameron hopes the digital cinema equipment needed to show 3-D pics in regular theaters will be pervasive enough by then to allow for a wide 3-D release. He said by summer 2009, there will be between 1,000 and 2,000 3-D screens in the U.S.

"I feel that we're over the hump of the battle domestically," Cameron said. "The international, which typically accounts for as much as two-thirds of revenue on a picture like 'Avatar,' is what's lagging behind."

Cameron said it would take "major filmmakers announcing major projects" for the international exhibition community to play catch-up and realize that "if they want to compete, they'll have to have the same showmanship as in the States."

He added the 3-D experience was a way for Hollywood to keep drawing auds to theaters and away from the proliferation of digital platforms, adding 3-D "maintains that sense of showmanship and gives people something special. It's something that people can't have at home, can't watch on their laptop."

As he did on "Titanic," Cameron sought to cast largely unknown actors for his leads. Young Aussie actor Sam Worthington will play an ex-Marine who ends up leading the planet's indigenous species in battle against the human colonizers. In the lead female role, Zoe Saldana ("Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl") will play a local woman with whom Worthington's character falls in love...

Article Continues...

There's no doubt that Cameron can pull this off technically. Ultimately, the film will rise or fall though, on the chemistry between Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. I'm thrilled that Cameron is finally getting out of the water and moving on with his movie career...

On the heels of that announcement, it seems that writer/director M. Night Shyamalan, is also making a film with Avatar in the title.

Pamela McClintock and Gabriel Snyder have the details

M. Night Shyamalan and Paramount are planning their own "Avatar" project, based on the popular Nickelodoen kids TV series.

The filmmaker has inked a three-picture deal with Par's MTV Films and Nick Movies to adapt animated kiddie skein "Avatar: The Last Airbender" for the big screen. He will write, direct and produce the potential kids franchise.

Film version will be live-action.

Nick TV's "Avatar," which is set in an Asian-influenced fantasy world permeated by martial arts and magic, follows the adventures of the successor to a long line of Avatars who must put aside his irresponsible ways and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water, Earth and Air nations.

Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, "Avatar" debuted on the Nicktoons lineup in February 2005. Aimed at 6- to 11-year-olds, show has nabbed strong ratings, including outside its intended demo. It is among the top 10 animated series on all of TV among kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14.

Paramount confirmed the pact with Shyamalan just hours after Fox Filmed Entertainment announced it is greenlighting James Cameron's "Avatar," the director's first feature since "Titanic."

Although they may have the same name, the two projects have nothing to do with each other in terms of storylines...

Par said it has registered the name of its project with the Motion Picture Assn. of America.

A Fox rep said, "We own the movie title 'Avatar.' There won't be another film called 'Avatar' coming from anyplace."...

Article Continues...

Lady in the Water tanked at the cineplex. Shaymalan is in need of a hit if he wants to revive his faltering career--Yeah, good luck with that...

"Night" Life

Night At The Museum continues its reign as the top movie in the U.S....

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo kicks off the numbers analysis:

On 2007's first weekend, 'Night at the Museum' and 'The Pursuit of Happyness ' were the top two movies for the third time in a row, while 'Children of Men ' and ''Freedom Writers' mustered decent openings.

Read Gray's full report here

Ben Stiller Continues On The Right Track With "Museum"

Ian Mohr of Variety writes:

Fox's family adventure "Night at the Museum" and Sony's inspirational drama "The Pursuit of Happyness" continued to prove a potent one-two punch at the B.O. in the first frame of 2007.

Pics finished in the top two spots, respectively, for the third straight frame as "Museum" painted in another $24 million, and "Happyness" smiled with $13 million.

PG-rated "Museum," starring Ben Stiller, has taken in $164 million. Will Smith vehicle "Happyness" has grossed $124 million. Pic bowed at No. 1 a month ago.

In other action, Universal found a healthy expansion of its gritty dystopian sci-fier "Children of Men." After playing to some socko numbers in a limited run over the past couple weeks, Alfonso Cuaron pic took in $11.9 million off 1,209.

Per-engagement average was $8,515, the highest of any film in the top 10 next to that of Paramount and DreamWorks musical "Dreamgirls."

Cuaron's last English-language pic was 2004's "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," which took in $249.5 million.

Among new wide openers, Paramount's PG-13 pic "Freedom Writers" -- starring Hilary Swank as a teacher who inspires a group of at-risk high schoolers -- wrote up $9.7 million, bowing in fourth. Movie, also starring Patrick Dempsey, scored a per-engagement average of $7,136 at 1,360. Studio will expand "Writers" by 700 next frame. Pic, from MTV Films, drew an aud that was 62% younger than 21. MTV's last movie for Par, prankster comedy "Jackass: Number Two," bowed to $29 million last year.

With "Museum" still voraciously bringing in family auds, Lionsgate's CG-animated "Happily N'Ever After" bowed in sixth, drawing $6.8 million off 2,381 for a per-playdate average of $2,856.

Indie distrib is rolling out the pic as part of a service deal.

New Line's "Code Name: The Cleaner," an action comedy starring Cedric the Entertainer, got whacked altogether. Pic bowed out of the top 10, with $4.6 million off 1,736 for a per-playdate average of $2,664.

Still playing 852 locations, "Dreamgirls" continued to post solid returns in advance of a wider expansion. The film had the highest per-playdate average in the top 10, at $10,358.

Pic has so far cumed nearly $55 million. It dipped just 37% from the previous frame.

Other notable holdovers included Par's G-rated "Charlotte's Web," which has kicked around the middle of the top 10 for the last month but has found solid biz. Update of the classic tale took in another $6.6 million over the most recent frame to lift its cume to nearly $67 million.

Universal political pic "The Good Shepherd," helmed by Robert De Niro, dipped 41% in its third frame to take in $6.5 million off 3,018. The film, starring Matt Damon, has shot down $48.4 million to date.

MGM's "Rocky Balboa" punched up an additional $6.26 million to remain a top 10 contender. As with "Shepherd," biz dropped 41%. Sylvester Stallone pic has taken in just under $61 million in three weekends.

Warner Bros. gridiron drama "We Are Marshall" finished 10th, rushing for $5.1 million off 2,052, brining cume to $35.4 million after three weeks in multiplexes.

Next weekend, "Museum" and "Happyness" could very well rule the charts once again, with little stiff competish entering the marketplace for the family crowd. Sony's "Stomp the Yard" should manage to divert some ticket sales.

Article Continues...

Here's a sample of Entertainment Weekly's weekend wrap-up from Joshua Rich:

Ben Stiller's comedy is close to surpassing the domestic take of ''Meet the Parents,'' and December holdovers mostly outperform 2007's first new releases

The Best Of Both Worlds

The format war between HD DVD and Sony's Blu-ray discs may be over before it really gets going. According to a January 4th story that ran on Dark Horizons, a Blu-ray/HD-DVD Combo player is set to debut this week. The hybrid technology will bow at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show, that takes place in Las Vegas, from January 8th-11th.

The Sands Convention center: Site of CES 2007

Garth Franklin offers up the skinny:

The high definition disc format war looks like it might come to an unofficial end next week with electronics manufacturer LG firing the killing salvo.

The company has announced in a press release today that it will be showing a dual-format player capable of displaying both HD DVD and Blu-ray titles at next week's annual CES convention.

LG did not give many details on the technology used in the player, or how much one will cost, but said it expects the unit to be available for purchase in the United States in early 2007.

It's also got high ambitions for it, saying in the release that "LG expects this technological breakthrough to end the confusion and inconvenience of competing high-definition disc formats for both content producers and consumers".

Further details will be announced next week. The success of the unit will rely significantly on the number of units that can be manufactured and their planned price for it.

If it is low enough then expect that item to become one of the most in-demand pieces of electronics all of next year.

Now that is something I would definitely buy--Assuming the price was right. The formats have had their share of problems since all of this format fun began 18 months ago or so. Thus far neither one has taken off yet. I think consumers are more than a bit skiddish. As for me, this news alters my plans for a tech DVD upgrade--I think I am gonna wait and see what the LG dual player does first, before making my move

In The Dog House?

Legal matters lead off the first edition of Cinema Stew of 2007.

The Associated Press is up first with item #1:

On the big screen, "Alpha Dog" focuses on the kidnapping and murder of a Southern California teen that were inspired by actual events.

Off-screen, the movie is creating some drama of its own.

Not only is the film facing a legal challenge that could block its Jan. 12 release, but an appeals court chided a deputy district attorney for turning over confidential files to the movie's producers.

"Alpha Dog" stars Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone and Justin Timberlake, and premiered Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Attorneys for Jesse James Hollywood are trying to block its distribution because Hollywood is awaiting trial for events depicted in the movie.

Despite having the characters' names changed, Hollywood is shown in a bad light throughout the film, attorney James Blatt said, and a jury pool could be tainted, infringing on Hollywood's right to a fair trial.

Universal Studios argued that prohibiting the public from seeing the movie would violate the First Amendment.

Last month, a federal judge refused to stop the film's release but Hollywood appealed the decision. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule in the coming days.

"Alpha Dog" is based on the kidnapping and slaying of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz seven years ago. Prosecutors believe Hollywood, portrayed in the movie by Emile Hirsch, was the mastermind behind the murder plot. The teen's body was later found in a remote Santa Barbara County camping area.

Markowitz was killed as part of a feud Hollywood had with the victim's older half brother over a $1,200 drug debt, prosecutors said. Four others have been convicted in connection with the murder.

Hollywood fled after being charged with murder and was captured in Brazil in 2005. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Also pending is a decision by the California Supreme Court, which could reverse a lower court's ruling to remove Santa Barbara County Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen from handling Hollywood's trial.

In October, the 2nd District Court of Appeal ordered Zonen removed from the case because he shared probation reports, police files and other materials with "Alpha Dog" producers. He also served as an unpaid consultant on the film.

Zonen's "actions allowed `show business' to cast an unseemly shadow over this case," Presiding Judge Arthur Gilbert wrote in the court's Oct. 5 decision.

Blatt, who has seen the film, said that Zonen's involvement in "Alpha Dog" gives the public a slanted view of what happened.

Alpha Dog has been on Universal Pictures slate for a quite some time. The First Amendment may be their legal argument in court...Let's face it though--The suits also want to see a return on what's turned out to be a very long term investment.

The best person to play super spy James Bond, actor Sean Connery goes up against his New York City neighbor in court...The story courtesy World Entertainment News Network

A New York city judge has dismissed a $30 million lawsuit filed against actor Sean Connery alleging he was a rude and noisy neighbor.

State Supreme Court Justice Debra James threw the case out of court... on a technicality after the plaintiff failed to rewrite the petition in the case.

Dr Burton Sultan complained that Connery blasted loud music in his Upper East Side apartment and carried out a poor renovation job that attracted rats.

The lawsuit called the 76-year-old star a "rude, foul-mouthed, fat old man," which led the judge to order that the petition be rewritten in a more professional manner. Connery and his wife, Micheline, denied the allegations and contended that Sultan was a "tyrant" who had tried to block them from making much needed repairs and who was trying to evict them from their apartment. Sultan's lawyer said his client intended to appeal the judge's decision.

Looks like Doctor Evil is willing to go the distance...Why not just rewrite the petition in the first place? Sheesh! I thought Docs were supposed to be smart...

Stax of Filmforce has the latest casting news for that Halloween remake

Director Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween is shaping up fast. Casting is currently under way with Zombie making announcements via The Official Rob Zombie Halloween Page.

"I'm very, very excited about this bit of casting news. Dee Wallace Stone has joined the cast of Halloween as Cynthia Strode. Laurie Strode's mother," Zombie revealed. Pat Skipper has already been cast as Laurie's dad Mason. Stone is perhaps remembered for her role as the mom in Steven Spielberg's E.T.

The cast includes Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as Dr. Loomis and Tyler Mane (Sabretooth in X-Men) as serial killer Michael Myers. Mane previously played Rufus in Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. Daeg Faerch plays Michael Myers at age 10.

Zombie also recently revealed that Myers will wear the classic mask in the remake. "I've just seen Wayne Toth's finished mask for Michael and all I can say is [expletive]. It looks perfect. Exactly like the original. Not since 1978 has the shape looked so good. Wayne worked this sucker to death and boy did it pay off."

Dee Wallace-Stone is no stranger to the horror genre with memorable turns in the The Howling (1981) and Cujo (1983) It looks like Zombie is delving more into the backstory of the characters...to make the mew film different enough from the '78 classic. I'm glad that the filmmakers took the time to get the William Shatner/Captain Kirk-style mask that Myers wears in "shape" as well

Writer/director Kevin Smith's latest job has him acting in a high profile action sequel... IGN has the story:

Kevin Smith in Die Hard 4!?

That's right. In a recent blog entry on his website, Smith professes his love for Willis, a fellow Jersey native, and explains how he's parlayed that man-crush into an appearance in Live Free or Die Hard.

He says: "So last week, after I wrapped the Manchild pilot (which went phenomenally), the very next morning, I reported to work on a flick that'd reveal a heretofore unrealized dream I'd unwittingly harbored since I first watched David Addison limbo in the Moonlighting Detective Agency offices, twenty years prior... For five days, I acted opposite Bruce Willis in this summer's Live Free or Die Hard."

The fourth installment in the action franchise tracks John McClane and a young hacker team as they try to stop an Internet terrorist organization from crippling the U.S. infrastructure.

The film stars Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Underworld director Len Wiseman is helming the 20th Century Fox flick which is shooting now in Los Angeles.

Live Free or Die Hard opens on June 29

5 days worth of work on Live Free or Die Hard...Hmm. Sounds like Smith's role is a little more meaty than your average 2 second " let's see if you can spot the famous person cameo.

...The NFL playoffs begin later today..The Chicago Bears have the week off. I hope the team and coaching staff are putting this additional prep time to good use...

The "Children" Are Our Future

For the first weekend of 2007, the new releases are few in number, but one of them is using that fact to its advantage...

Alfonso Cuarón's dark sci-fi flick Children of Men (reviews) actually opened in a limited capacity last Friday. Since then though, the movie has picked up quite a head of steam, and is the best received of the latest batch O' cinema

Clive Owen and Julianne Moore experience future shock in Children Of Men

Other new pics this week: Yet another ho-hum looking CGI animated fairy tale inspired movie called Happily N' Ever After (reviews); Academy Award winner Hilary Swank gets back to work in the classroom drama Freedom Writers (reviews); Comedian Cedric the Entertainer goes for laughs in Code Name: The Cleaner (reviews); And finally there's the horror flick THR3E (reviews)...

Ian Mohr and Dave McNary of Variety offer up this box office primer:

After a socko limited run will Universal's gritty, dystopian sci fi thriller "Children of Men" crossover in its expansion?

Booked in 16 locations over New Year's, the Alfonso Cuaron-helmed pic played to almost $44,000 per engagement, in 16 locations and now moves to over 1,200.

Aiming for more general auds will be PG-13 pics "Code Name: The Cleaner" (New Line) and "Freedom Writers" (Paramount), as well as Lionsgate's CG animated "Happily N'Ever After."

Studio has moved the "Freedom Writers" date up a week as it saw little competish for that demo.

But any newcomers could very well have trouble taking down some still hard-charging holiday holdovers.

Fox's behemoth family comedy "Night at the Museum" has drawn $136.7 million in just two frames, and Sony's Will Smith vehicle "The Pursuit of Happyness" has tracked down more than $104.5 million in three [weeks].

Also in contention will be Par and DreamWorks' "Dreamgirls," the big-screen musical that finished No. 3 last frame in just 852 locations...

Either way, expect overall biz to dip from last weekend's lofty heights over an extended four-day holiday.

First frame in January is typically a time when holiday holdovers pick up further biz with little new primo product flowing. A year ago, Lions Gate's horror pic "Hostel" slipped into No. 1 with $19.5 million, followed by holdover Christmas hits "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," "King Kong" and "Fun with Dick and Jane."

First Look will try and capitalize on such a post-holiday genre trend by rolling out "The Breed" in limited release.

Indie Bigger Picture sends out the pulp pic "Thr3e."

R-rated Clive Owen-starrer "Children" was originally skedded for fall, but was moved by U to go wide early this year avoiding a late 2006 sked filled with similarly skewing adult fare.

"Freedom Writers," meantime, marks [actor Patrick] Dempsey's first feature foray since 2002's "Sweet Home Alabama," which grossed $127.2 million. He's since become a star of the top-rated [TV show] "Grey's Anatomy." Swank's last pic was U's "The Black Dahlia," which took in just $22.5 million earlier this year.

"Cleaner" stars Cedric the Entertainner, Lucy Liu and Nicolette Sheridan in the story of a regular joe who's mistaken for a secret agent. New Line also has "Little Children" and "Nativity Story" in theaters...

Read More Here...

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly makes his prediction for the film that will be at No. 1 when all the ticket stubs are counted...

''Night at the Museum'' will spend its third straight weekend at No. 1; look for ''Happily N'Ever After'' and ''Children of Men'' both to debut in top 5

Will holiday hold-over Night At The Museum be #1 for the third week in a row--as Rich suggests? Or will "Children", with its great buzz, take the top spot come Monday? Stay Tuned...

To Thine Own Self Be True

The nominations for the Screen Actors Guild awards were announced today...

Reuters has the story:

The Screen Actors Guild on Thursday named the casts of musical "Dreamgirls" and crime thriller "The Departed" among the nominees for best performance in a film, helping boost their chances at winning Oscars.

The guild, which represents film and television actors, also nominated the actors in dramas "Bobby" and "Babel," as well as the comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" in the category for best ensemble performance, SAG's top award.

SAG's awards are among Hollywood's top honors, and are often considered a key indicator of who will vie for Oscars in February because actors make the largest group of voters in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Oscars.

The nominees for best actor in a movie were led by Forest Whitaker playing former dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland," and Britain's Peter O'Toole, as an elderly man who is smitten with a young woman in "Venus."

The other nominees for best actor in a film included Will Smith playing a father who overcomes tremendous odds to better his life in box office hit "The Pursuit of Happyness," as well as Leonardo DiCaprio as a diamond smuggler in "Blood Diamond" and Ryan Gosling as a school teacher in "Half Nelson."

SAG's nominees for best actress in a movie were Helen Mirren in "The Queen," an insiders' look at the British royal family, and two other English actresses, Judi Dench portraying a school teacher in "Notes on a Scandal" and Kate Winslet as a woman involved in an extramarital affair in "Little Children."

Rounding out the list of nominees for best film actress were Spain's Penelope Cruz portraying a woman trying to hide the death of her husband in "Volver" and Meryl Streep as a wicked fashion magazine editor in "The Devil Wears Prada."

SAG award winners will be named on January 28 in a ceremony in Los Angeles. The Oscars are handed out on February 25.

Here's the complete SAG nominations list

I was kinda surprised that both Clint Eastwood's The Flags Of Our Fathers and Jack Nicholson for his role in Martin Scorsese's The Departed were not on the list...Another shocker: Leonardo DiCaprio gets noticed as lead actor for Blood Diamond--bad accent and all--but gets just a supporting nod for The Departed. Look for Hollywood legend Julie Andrews to be honored with A Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony as well

Awards And Noms

With 2006 now behind us, more and more distinguished bodies dedicated to cinema are naming and nominating their choices for the best films over the last 365 days.



The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is up first and Stuart Levine of Variety has all of the details:

The African-American Film Critics have tabbed "Dreamgirls" as its best picture of 2006.

On the acting side, the org selected Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren as top lead actor and actress, respectively, for their roles in "The Last King of Scotland" and "The Queen."

"Dreamgirls" dominated the rest of the selections, with Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson winning for their supporting roles and Bill Condon taking home the director prize.

A Special Achievement Honor was given to Spike Lee, who directed HBO's "When the Levees Broke" and the bigscreen "Inside Man," which was his first film to reach $100 in domestic box office.

Other pics in the group's top 10 of the year were, in order, "The Last King of Scotland," "The Departed," "Akeelah and the Bee," "Catch a Fire," "Idlewild," "Bobby," "The Devil Wears Prada," "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Inside Man."

Click here for the complete list of AAFCA winners

The Producers Guild of America, meanwhile, chose their list of 2006 "Best" nominees for both film and TV...The winners decided in a couple of weeks. On the film side of the PGA coin...

Variety's Dave McNary:

The Producers Guild of America has tapped Paramount Vantage's "Babel," Warner Bros.' "The Departed," Paramount/DreamWorks' "Dreamgirls," Fox Searchlight's "Little Miss Sunshine" and Miramax's "The Queen" as best picture nominees.

The PGA, with over 3,000 members, will announce the winner of its Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year kudo in ceremonies Jan. 20 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Nominated producers are Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Steve Golin and Jon Kilik for "Babel;" Graham King for "The Departed;" Laurence Mark for "Dreamgirls;" Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa for "Little Miss Sunshine" and Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward for "The Queen."

The PGA's top feature award has differed from the Best Picture Oscar for the past two years. The org selected "Brokeback Mountain last year while the Academy Award went to "Crash," and in 2005, the PGA opted for "The Aviator" while "Million Dollar Baby" won the Best Picture Oscar.

However, 11 of the previous 15 PGA winners went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Here's the full list of PGA nominees...

Chemistry Lesson

The Pitt And The Jolie In "Mr. And Mrs. Smith"

Almost a year ago, the notion for a TV series, based on the 2005 action/romance Mr. and Mrs. Smith, was being discussed. Today that talk turned into something more...

Josef Adalian of Variety:

ABC has greenlit production on "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," a small-screen take on the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie feature.

Doug Liman and Simon Kinberg are reprising their roles as helmer and scribe, respectively. Liman, Kinberg and Dave Bartis will exec produce.

Regency TV will produce the pilot in association with Bartis and Liman's Dutch Oven Prods.

The Alphabet has been developing its "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" for a while, ordering a script for the project nearly a year ago (Daily Variety, Jan. 31). Project had always been eyed as a fall 2007 contender, however.

Liman and Kinberg are working on New Regency pic "Jumper," and Kinberg delayed writing the TV script until just a few months ago, when he and Liman had a break in the production of that film.

"ABC has been amazing in terms of giving us time for development," Kinberg said, adding the plan is now to [shoot] the pilot in March, once "Jumper" wraps.

As in the movie, ABC's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" will revolve around two married assassins. Action will pick up about six months after the movie left off. "It's essentially 'Married ... With Children' with guns," Kinberg said. "The show takes all the marital issues a couple has and blows them up to action-genre size."

So rather than fight about who forgot to pack the toothpaste, "They'll bicker over someone forgetting to pack the detonator," he said.

Kinberg said the tone of the pilot is more comedic than the feature and possibly a bit darker as well.

Casting will be key, since Pitt and Jolie won't be reprising their roles. Kinberg said he, Liman and Bartis want to look at both known and unknown thesps. "We have to find two people who can make the show their own," he said.

This isn't the first time TV has done "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." In 1996, Scott Bakula and Maria Bello starred in a CBS [show] of the same name with a similar plot; it lasted less than two months...

The movie is a great piece of fluff. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are going to be a tough act to follow for the TV series...But I will check out the pilot for sure...Nothing against the acting skills of Maria Bello and Scott Bakula but the pair had no spark together for that '96 program...

Finally, Whipping Indy Into Shape

Imagine my surprise...A day after I make some cynical comment about a fourth Indiana Jones film for this blog...The three men instrumental in bringing the adventurer to life on the silver screen decide to make a rather definitive sounding announcement...

Pamela McClintock of Variety:

After years of languishing in development, the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise is finally moving ahead, as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford look to reconnect with their blockbuster roots...

...The trio confirmed Monday that Paramount is set to begin lensing the new Indiana Jones pic in June from a script by David Koepp ("Spider-Man").

[Paramount Pictures] and Lucasfilm, which is producing, are eyeing a May 2008 worldwide release -- some 19 years after the last film in the action-adventure franchise, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," came out.

Fans have long clamored for another installment in the series, but some questioned whether Ford would be able to keep up with the vigorous physical requirements of the role after the long delay. "I'm delighted to be back in business with my old friends. I don't know if the pants still fit, but I know the hat will," said Ford, who is 64.

Thesp, who will again topline, had always said he would reprise his role as the adventuring archeologist if he liked the script. Several scribes tried their hand at the project before Koepp was brought aboard in 2005.

"We feel that the script was well worth the wait. We hope it delivers everything you'd expect from our history with Indiana Jones," Spielberg said. "George, Harrison and I are all very excited."

Producer is Frank Marshall, while Kathleen Kennedy and Lucas are exec producing.

For Paramount, the greenlight seems to be another benefit of its pricey acquisition of DreamWorks.

The film doesn't yet have an official title. Producers wouldn't disclose the storyline other than to say there would be plenty of action. Pic will be shot in undisclosed points around the globe, as well as in the U.S.

All told, the first three "Indiana Jones" films grossed more than $1.18 billion at the box office.

The upcoming installment is looking to be Spielberg's next directing project. The helmer continues to alternate wider-appeal projects with more serious dramas: He's also slated to helm "Lincoln," with Liam Neeson attached to star, for DreamWorks. He was last in theaters with "Munich."

Project reunites Spielberg and Koepp, who penned helmer's "War of the Worlds" and "Jurassic Park," among other pics.

David Koepp makes a fine choice as writer for the project...His script must really be something if George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford finally agreed to get rolling on the sucker!

"Night" Lights It Up...Again

For the second (extended) weekend in a row, the family adventure/comedy Night At The Museum took the top spot at American cineplexes...

"Say Hello To My Little Friend"

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo leads off his Weekend Report with this:

'Night at the Museum' ruled New Year's weekend with an estimated $46.7 million, ending 2006 on an up note...

More Mojo can be found here

Ian Mohr of Variety takes you inside the weekend numbers:

Holdovers ruled the roost during the New Year's four-day frame, as Fox's "Night at the Museum" continued to spin the turnstiles at the multiplexes, taking in $46.7 million over the extended four-day holiday and easily landing at No.1 again at the B.O.

The PG family film starring Ben Stiller, playing in 3,768 locations, scored a robust per-playdate average of $12,394. Biz on the pic jumped 21%.

Paramount and DreamWorks' musical "Dreamgirls" made an impressive vault up the charts to No. 3, with an estimated four-day take of $18.7 million off 852.

Pic's cume has skipped to $41.6 million in its first full frame after opening on Christmas.

Four-day weekend was also par-ticularly kind to pics that have gotten off to generally slow starts as auds turned out at the multiplexes for specialty films and heavier fare, too.

Picturehouse's "Pan's Labyrinth" got off to a solid start out of the gate in what has been a generally tough time for specialty pics this season (see accompanying story). Miramax's "The Queen" -- one of a few specialty pics that has shown crossover potential -- actually saw biz jump more than 100% over the frame. Other pics to get good gooses from New Year's biz included heavier studio fare from "The Good Shepherd" to "Blood Diamond" and "Children of Men," and some fluffy or feel-good stuff that's been underper-forming, from "The Holiday" to "We Are Marshall."

Nine of the pics in the top 10 saw biz boosted, all except for Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky Balboa," and overall biz jumped 3% past last year's mark over the same frame when a raft of tentpoles were standing tall including "King Kong." Biz was down just 1% over the four day frame from 2004's lofty levels.

Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto," mean-time, which has been struggling some-what also had its biz jump over the three day frame for New Year's, by almost 19% from last weekend. But the pic found its grosses dipping back down slightly as of Monday as New Year's Day proved a soft one for the subtitled epic.

Sony's "The Pursuit of Happyness," another family friendly PG-13-rated pic, starring Will Smith, meantime, passed the $100 million mark, landing at No. 2. Pic took in $24.7 million and jumped its biz 10% from the prior weekend. Cume has hit $103.4 million after three weekends in release.

Par's G-rated update of the classic kids tale, "Charlotte's Web," got a nice bump in biz to raise its cume to $56.3 million over the four days. Pic took in $15.5 million off 3,745. Studio got off to a slow start with "Web," which has stuck around as more moms have been freed up after Christmas to take their kids.

Over a healthy frame for New Year's weekend -- only Sunday biz was soft this year thanks to prepping for New Year's Eve -- Universal's "The Good Shepherd" also got a needed bump. Pic peaked 52% to take in $14.5 million off 2,218. Robert DeNiro-helmed political pic played too a hefty per-playdate average of $12,394 to raise its cume to nearly $55.5 million.

MGM's "Rocky Balboa" saw biz dip, but is still hanging in: Pic has now cumed $51.1 million in two frames. Pic's budget was estimated at about $24 million and reps the rejuvenated studio's first clear B.O. winner.

"Rocky" in just two frames is MGM's top pic of 2006...

Article Continues...

It looks like many Americans wanted to say goodbye to 2006 by catching a flick and that's a good thing for the biz.

The Imperial March

Happy New Year folks!

I hope everyone enjoyed whatever they did last night to ring in 2007...

Writer/director George Lucas has plans to start the new year in a very cool way that celebrates 30 years since the debut of the Star Wars Saga

The Jedi Master has a prominent role in this year's Tournament Of Roses Parade

Alicia Chang of The Associated Press has the story:

George Lucas, the mastermind behind the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" sagas, can add another credit to his illustrious resume: Rose Parade grand marshal.

For a man accustomed to working behind the camera lens, Lucas embraces his latest challenge as the public face of the 118th annual Tournament of Roses on New Year's Day.

"There's nothing like being a grand marshal. It's a completely unique experience," said Lucas, sitting in the posh Beverly Wilshire hotel.

The 62-year-old director-producer took a break from his grand marshal duties this past week to reflect on the new year and practice his parade wave. He raised his cupped right hand and, with a flick of his wrist, turned it side to side like a beauty pageant model.

"I've done a lot of wave training," he quipped.

It seems fitting for Lucas to serve as the ambassador of the 2007 Rose Parade that will feature the three-piece "Star Wars Spectacular," which commemorates the 1977 release of "Star Wars," the first film in the sci-fi six-pack. The procession will include two floats depicting the moon of Endor seen in the "Return of the Jedi" and the garden planet of Naboo. Darth Vader will lead a group of 200 stormtroopers, assembled from around the world, who belong to a fan club called the 501st Legion.

Lucas won't don a stormtrooper costume at the parade, but he's not missing out. Earlier this year, toy maker Hasbro paid plastic tribute to the filmmaker by creating a limited-edition action figure of him with the snow white stormtrooper attire.

The 30th anniversary of "Star Wars" will be marked by conventions, festivities and the introduction of new video games in 2007. Lucas also is pursuing an animated 3-D TV series of "Clone Wars," a continuation of the Emmy-winning show by the same name that aired from 2003 to 2005. The new series has not been sold to a network yet, but Lucas was confident a deal would be reached next year.

Lucas said he will team up again with actor Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg for the highly anticipated fourth installment of the "Indian Jones" movies. Filming will begin next year and the movie will be released in May 2008.

He is relishing his grand marshal status. He gets to ride in a rare 1911 Pope-Hartford Model Y car and will flip the coin before the Rose Bowl matchup between Michigan and Southern California, his alma mater.

Previous honorees as grand marshal have included Dwight Eisenhower, Bob Hope, Tom Brokaw and Bill Cosby.

"It's always a great honor to be put in a category with other people you admire," he said.

Looking back at the galactic success of "Star Wars," Lucas said he's still amazed by the fanfare.

"It doesn't look like it's going to let up. It's as strong now as it's ever been," he said.

Hmm...Indiana Jones 4 in 2008? I'll believe it when I see it.