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[Mohamad]

Latest "Shrek" sequel eyes $100 million opening

Carl DiOrio
Thu May 20, 2010 10:23pm EDT

• Tue, May 11 2010

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Kids just wanna have fun -- or so DreamWorks Animation's bean counters will be hoping this weekend.
Entertainment | Film
The studio's "Shrek Forever After" opens Friday via Paramount, with executives more challenged than comforted by the knowledge that each installment in the family-comedy franchise has posted successively bigger debuts.
The most recent entry -- "Shrek the Third" -- opened with $121.6 million in May 2007, en route to an eventual $322.7 million domestic tally. But honors for the biggest total go to 2004's "Shrek 2" with $441.2 million.
So that sequel's total box office and the threequel's opening tally are the marks to beat -- with the fourquel likely to fall short by both measures.
"Shrek Forever After" should top the weekend with perhaps $100 million through Sunday. Prerelease tracking suggests a lighter bow, but such projections are infamous for underrating family films, and don't account for the hefty impact of 3D upcharges. (An AMC theater in New York is selling tickets for Imax 3D screenings of "Shrek Forever" at a venue-record $20.)
As for the film's longer-term prospects, the jolly green giant will enjoy a U.S. Memorial Day-stretched second session before running into its first rival family film on June 4, when Fox unleashes live-action comedy "Marmaduke." An even more fearsome rival -- Disney/Pixar's 3D tentpole "Toy Story 3" -- hits theaters June 18.
There's been speculation on Wall Street about the possibility of a disappointing bow by "Shrek Forever" and the likely effect on DreamWorks Animation shares. But such pessimism is tempered by the recollection that the studio's "How to Train Your Dragon" opened with less than $44 million in March but now is pushing $210 million.
Production costs totaled an estimated $135 million on "Shrek Forever After," roughly in line with those on other DWA pics despite the added expense of 3D.
Also this weekend, Universal debuts action-comedy spoof "MacGruber." Taking to the big screen his sketch character from "Saturday Night Live," Will Forte stars in the title role of an ex-special ops officer recalled to duty to hunt arch-nemesis Dieter Von ****h (Val Kilmer).
Produced by Rogue Pictures for less than $10 million, "MacGruber" is tracking limply and looks likely to register just $8 million-$10 million through Sunday.
Elsewhere, holdovers "Iron Man 2" from Paramount/Marvel and "Robin Hood" from Universal will be eyed for signs of market fatigue. The "Iron Man" sequel has led the field for the past two weekends, while "Robin Hood" opened to a so-so $36.1 million last weekend

[Mohamad]

Usher replaces Eminem atop singles chart

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A week after being bumped from the top of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart by Eminem, R&B singer Usher reclaimed the No. 1 spot on Thursday with "OMG."



Eminem's "Not Afraid" slid to No. 6, the biggest drop from the top since Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" also took a five-spot hit in June 2008.
Katy Perry's "California Gurls," featuring Snoop Dogg, opened at No. 2, the 14th title to do so in the chart's 52-year history. The track comes from the pop singer's second album, "Teenage Dream," penciled in for an August 24 release.
Atlanta rapper B.o.B posted back-to-back entries in the top five as "Airplanes," featuring Hayley Williams, rose two to No. 3 and former No. 1 "Nothin' On You," featuring Bruno Mars, slipped one to No. 4. Another former No. 1, Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart," featuring Ludacris, fell one to No. 5.
Ke$ha's "Your Love Is My Drug" rose one to No. 7, a spot ahead of yet another top 10 entry by Lady Gaga. Gaga's "Alejandro" is her seventh straight radio single to reach the top 10.
Rounding out the top 10, each down three places, were Rihanna's "Rude Boy" (No. 9) and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" (No. 10).
The Glee Cast placed five new entries in the Hot 100, led by its rendition of Rick Springfield's 1981 No. 1 smash, "Jessie's Girl" at No. 23.
Other new entries included Charice's "Pyramid," featuring Iyaz, at No. 56; Lil Wayne's "I'm Single" at No. 82; Enrique Iglesias with "I Like It" at No. 89; and Justin Bieber's "Somebody to Love" at No. 98

[Mohamad]

Tearful James says threw away Sandra Bullock marriage

پشیمانی جسی جیمز از خیانت به همسرش ساندرا بولاک

LOS ANGELES
Fri May 21, 2010 4:41pm EDT

Actress Sandra Bullock (R) and husband Jesse James (L) arrive at the 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles, February 26, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Danny Moloshok




LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The soon to be divorced husband of Sandra Bullock says he is probably the "most hated man in the world" for having cheated on the popular actress.
Entertainment | People
A tearful Jesse James, giving his first TV interview since the March split with Bullock, took the blame for the break-up of what had seemed a happy marriage.
"I took a pretty amazing life and amazing success and marriage....and threw it away by my own hands," the custom motorcycle maker told ABC News show "Nightline", according to excerpts released on Friday.
James, 41, admitted cheating on his wife of five years. According to media reports, he had affairs with at least four women -- one of them while Bullock was away last year filming what would be her Oscar-winning role in drama "The Blind Side."
Bullock, 45, had given emotional speeches at the Oscars and other Hollywood awards shows thanking James for his support.
Bullock, the star of romantic comedies "The Proposal" and "Miss Congeniality", left their southern California home when the cheating allegations broke in the media in March, just days after she won her first Oscar.
She has since filed for divorce, despite revealing that the couple had adopted a baby together in January. She told People magazine in an April interview that she would raise the baby alone.
Asked by "Nightline" interviewer Vicki Mabrey whether he was "the most hated man in America" -- as some U.S. celebrity magazines have labeled him for cheating on Bullock -- James replied: "I think 'the most hated man in the world' now."
The interview with James will be broadcast on "Good Morning America" on May 25 and on "Nightline" later that day

[Mohamad]

Losing the shirt? Worth it, says "Idol"s' Casey James

LOS ANGELES
Fri May 21, 2010 4:35pm EDT
Performer Casey James poses at the party for the 12 finalists of the television show ''American Idol'' in Los Angeles March 11, 2010.


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eliminated "American Idol" contestant Casey James said on Friday he was elated to have ended up in the top three, and acknowledged he might never have got so far had he not famously whipped his shirt off at his first audition.
Entertainment | Television
The tall, blue-eyed blond guitarist from Texas wowed "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi when, at her request, he showed off his torso during his first audition in Colorado last summer.
The incident paved the way for a string of jokes later in the season involving DioGuardi, who told James he should play to young girls and women in the competition.
"Who's to say I'd be here had I not done that? I think if you feel like you can back yourself up and not be the guy that took his shirt off -- because hopefully that's not what I am now -- then I would say, do what you need to do to get the ball rolling," James told reporters in a conference call.
"There's a possibility (that) had I not done that I might not have made it past that first round. It definitely wasn't something that I thought of, or even realized was going to happen. (But) it obviously worked out," he added.
James, 27, was voted off the show on Wednesday, leaving Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze to battle it out in next week's Season 9 finale in Los Angeles.
"I've been prepared (to go) at every single round from the beginning of the show. You never know, and you have to be prepared either way," James said.
"I'm the kinda guy who accepts what happens..I am definitely happy with where I landed, "he said of his third place. "I am elated to have landed here and I am going to make the most of it."

[Mohamad]

Iran filmmakers want hunger striker colleague freed

فیلمسازان ایرانی خواستار آزادی همکار خود که در اعتصاب غذا بسر میبرد شدند.

TEHRAN
Sat May 22, 2010 6:34am EDT

Iranian director Jafar Panahi poses with his Silver Berlin Bear after the awarding ceremony at the 56th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, February 18, 2006.
Credit: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann




TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian filmmakers called in an open letter for the release of internationally known director Jafar Panahi who is on hunger strike in a Tehran prison, the semi-official news agency ILNA said on Saturday.
Entertainment | Film | People
"In view of the existing conditions for... Jafar Panahi, we the undersigners of this letter, a group of independent film makers, call for the freedom and speedy consideration of his conditions and his demands in prison," said the letter by 85 Iranian filmmakers sent to the Iranian government.
Panahi, winner of numerous international awards and a supporter of the opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi in last year's disputed presidential election, was arrested in early March and went on a hunger strike earlier this week.
He is protesting against conditions of his incarceration at the notorious Evin prison, demanding access to a lawyer, visitation rights by family members, and his unconditional release until a court hearing in held on his case.
Two senior French ministers called on Iran earlier this month to free Panahi so he could take up an invitation to sit on the jury of the Cannes film festival which opened on Wednesday.
Also on a hunger strike in Evin is Mohammad Nourizad, an Iranian writer and film director who, according to an opposition web site, was severely beaten by security personnel on Tuesday.
Nourizad was arrested late last year after he published on his blog three letters deemed disrespectful to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials.
Thousands of opposition supporters were detained after the presidential election. Most of them have since been freed but more than 80 people have been jailed for up to 15 years. Two people put on trial after the election have been executed.

[Mohamad]

Trump decides winner for 'Celebrity Apprentice



'

Bret Michaels made it to the finish line Sunday of "The Celebrity Apprentice" despite life-threatening illness and was rewarded with victory and $250,000 for charity.

"You've done an amazing job in every single way," Donald Trump said before announcing his choice on a live segment of NBC's reality show. "A little flaky, but that's OK. ... You've also proven ... to be very brave. I appreciate that."

The other finalist, actress Holly Robinson Peete, has been "amazing," Trump said, and then rendered his decision.

"Holly, I have to tell you, we all love you. And Brett, I have to tell you — you're hired," Trump pronounced, drawing a lusty "whoop" from Michaels.

Michaels' appearance on the finale, which included live and taped segments, had been in question after he suffered a brain hemorrhage in April and was hospitalized again recently after suffering what doctors called a warning stroke. He faces surgery for a hole in his heart.

Trump didn't downplay the drama involving Michaels' health, asking the 47-year-old rock star of Poison fame if he was risking his life by coming on the finale against his doctors' advice.

"Lately it seems like me just standing me up is risking my life," Michaels replied, lightly, adding that it was worth the risk and he "came to win." He walked haltingly and with a slight limp.

His presence brought a moment of honest reality to a carefully constructed TV genre.

Robinson Peete, 45, said she and Michaels had become close during the series and there would be none of last season's animosity — a reference to finale fireworks between winner Joan Rivers and runner-up Annie Duke.

Robinson Peete teared up when she and Michaels took the stage before a studio audience in New York.

"Holly, that's so beautiful. You're crying," Trump observed.

"Well, I mean, who in America isn't?" she replied. Trump said that he'd never cried for his opponent.

"My 5-year-old son woke up this morning and said, 'Mom, I love you, but I'm kinda pulling for Bret.' How do you beat that?" Robinson Peete responded.

Both celebrities, who were playing to raise money for their favored causes, came out on top. Michaels, who as a child was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, claimed the winner's prize for the American Diabetes Association, and Peete learned that her charitable group would receive a matching amount.

Trump said the maker of Snapple beverages had agreed to give a matching $250,000 to HollyRod Foundation, whose mission is to support families who have a loved one with a serious medical condition. The actress has a son diagnosed as autistic.

The final challenge for "The Celebrity Apprentice" had required Michaels and Robinson Peete to each create a new flavor of Snapple and a marketing campaign for the soft drinks. Their versions are being sold for a limited period and highlight work their causes.

This season of "Celebrity Apprentice" began airing in March with 14 contestants, each competing in business-oriented tasks around Manhattan to raise money for and publicize their favorite causes.

[Mohamad]

"*** and the City" sequel better than first one

Stephen Farber
Sun May 23, 2010 9:23pm EDT

Actresses from the *** and the City movies and television series (L to R) Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis accept the Ensemble Award during the ShoWest awards ceremony at the Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada March 18, 2010. Actress Kim Cattrall was included in the award but was unable to attend the event.
Credit: Reuters/Steve Marcus




LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Because the first "*** and the City" movie turned out to be a box office bonanza two years ago, there are a lot of women panting for the sequel, already planning their wardrobe for a girls' night out.
Film
So even if "*** and the City 2" consisted of nothing but a two-hour fashion show, it would draw crowds. But it also has the returning cast members in fine comic form, and it has more cutting-edge humor than the first movie.
Critics will carp about the platitudes in the script and about the longueurs in the nearly two-hour opus, but for the core audience, there will be no complaints about too much of a good thing. This picture is going to be a smash when it opens on Thursday via New Line/Warner Bros.
Some of us who enjoyed the outrageous antics showcased in the HBO series created by Darren Star and executed in later years by Michael Patrick King (the writer-director of both films) found the first movie disappointingly bland. Instead of the bracing emphasis on ***, the focus shifted to less scintillating folderol about marriage. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) was jilted at the altar by her true love, Mr. Big (Chris Noth), but snared him in the end. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) also faced a crisis in her marriage but ended up in a clinch with hubby Steve (David Eigenberg).
The new movie begins two years later at a wedding -- a *** wedding (in Connecticut). But though the two grooms are pledging their devotion, the gals are learning that marital bliss is more elusive than the first movie implied.
Carrie and Big find themselves at odds over an issue that bedevils many couples: She loves to go out on the town, and he turns out to be a closet TV addict who wants to do nothing more than curl up on the couch watching old movies.
Charlotte (Kristin Davis) has achieved her dream life with two children, but the tots turn out to be maddening rather than adorable. Only Samantha (the consistently irresistible Kim Cattrall) remains defiantly single, waging her own personal war against menopause.
These wan domestic squabbles are merely prelude to the movie's major plot development. Samantha is approached by an Arab sheik to devise a PR campaign for his business enterprises, and he offers to fly her and her three gal pals on an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation to Abu Dhabi. (These scenes were filmed in Morocco.) Even in an escapist fantasy, the spectacle of women sinking into this billionaire's paradise at a time of widespread economic hardship initially seems creepy and off-putting.
Soon, however, their Arab sojourn takes unexpected turns. First of all, Carrie encounters her old flame, Aidan (John Corbett), at the spice market, but even more importantly, she and her friends run up against the puritanical and misogynistic culture of the Middle East. The rather scathing portrayal of Muslim society no doubt will stir controversy, especially in a frothy summer entertainment, but there's something bracing about the film's saucy political incorrectness. Or is it politically correct?
"SATC 2" is at once proudly feminist and blatantly anti-Muslim, which means that it might confound liberal viewers. Indicative of the film's contradictory stance is a scene in which the ladies perform a karaoke version of Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" in an Abu Dhabi nightclub. An equally outrageous moment comes when the interlopers are rescued by a bunch of Muslim women who strip off their black robes to reveal the stylish Western outfits they are concealing beneath their discreet garb. These endearingly loopy scenes exhibit the tasteless humor that enlivened the TV series on its best nights.
King's script isn't always well-balanced. Carrie's minor marital problems are given way too much attention, whereas the intriguing dilemmas of Miranda and Charlotte are downplayed. Nixon and Davis do, however, share one marvelous scene in which they vent their dissatisfactions with motherhood. It also is a pleasure to see Cattrall flaunt her ***ual imperatives in front of her Arab hosts. Noth and Corbett are so appealing that we can sympathize with Carrie's romantic confusion. Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus and Penelope Cruz show up for amusing cameos.
Technical credits are first-rate. Cinematographer John Thomas and production designer Jeremy Conway make the most of the exotic locations. Costume designer Patricia Field's outlandish creations will send many viewers to hog heaven. But it's hard to know what King and editor Michael Berenbaum were smoking when they let the 146-minute film drag on at least 40 minutes too long. Even with its excesses, Carrie and company's excellent Arabian adventure will leave viewers thinking and arguing as well as swooning over the digs and the rags

[Mohamad]

Producer wanted for questioning returns to US

AP – FILE - This undated file photo made available by Brazil Explore Magazine on Friday April 9, 2010, shows …

• Sherlene Shanklin for May 20th WHAS TV11 Louisville

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER, Associated Press Writer Christopher Weber, Associated Press Writer – Sun May 23, 7:11 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – A former "Survivor" producer wanted for questioning in Mexico about his[COLOR=#366388 ! important]death[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] has returned to the United States, his lawyer said Sunday.

Bruce Beresford-Redman returned to Los Angeles County "to be with his children and attend to family and personal matters," attorney Richard Hirsch said in a statement.

Hirsch said Beresford-Redman, who has not been charged with a crime, had no legal obligation to remain in Mexico while authorities investigate the death of his wife, Monica, whose body was found in a sewer at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun in April.

"He is devastated by the loss of his wife, best friend, and the mother of his children," Hirsch said.

Beresford-Redman's passport had been confiscated and police in Mexico had described him as a suspect. Mexican officials previously said Beresford-Redman was barred from leaving the country.

However, Francisco Alor, the attorney general for Quintana Roo state, where Cancun is located, said Sunday there was no court order barring Beresford-Redman from leaving Mexico, although prosecutors have taken his passport.

"It's a migratory restriction," Alor said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

The family of the victim, Monica Beresford-Redman, strongly criticized [COLOR=#366388 ! important]investigators[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] earlier this month, saying it had taken too long to make an arrest. They expressed concerned Bruce Beresford-Redman might flee Mexico or the case could fall apart if too much time passes.

Beresford-Redman reported his wife missing two days before her body was found, prosecutors have said. He told police he last saw her when she left the exclusive resort to go shopping and never returned, according to investigators.

Investigators have said the [COLOR=#366388 ! important][COLOR=#366388 ! showed signs of asphyxiation and evidence of a heavy blow to the right temple.

Alor said he has received no notification that the television producer has left Mexico and the investigation into his wife's death would continue. Investigators have received the results of new forensic results and were preparing to turn over the evidence to a judge, he said.

"The judge will decide whether to issue an arrest order against whoever is responsible," Alor said. "And we would execute that and locate whoever is responsible."

Quintana Roo [important]general[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] Rodolfo Garcia said Friday that investigators had tried twice to summon the television producer for questioning but could not locate him.

Investigators asked the U.S. consulate in Merida, another city on the Yucatan peninsula, to "present" Beresford-Redman but were told he was not in the custody of the diplomatic mission, Garcia said.



According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. citizens entering the United States by air must show a passport. However, citizens entering by land and or sea can show several other types of documents, including an enhanced driver's license.

Beresford-Redman has retained legal representation in both countries, Hirsch said Sunday in the statement

[Mohamad]

Paula Patton eyes role in wedding comedy

Zorianna Kit
Mon May 24, 2010 1:32am EDT Actress Paula Patton, star of the new film ''Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire'' poses at the AFI Fest 2009 gala screening of the film in Hollywood November 1, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Paula Patton, now onscreen in the Queen Latifah romance "Just Wright," is in talks to star in the wedding-themed comedy "Jumping the Broom."
Film | People
The film follows the clash of two black families from opposite ends of the socioeconomic background at a weekend wedding in Martha's Vineyard. Patton would play the female lead of the wealthy family.
The project is slated to start shooting in the summer in Nova Scotia. Television veteran Salim Akil will direct.
Patton also played the teacher in "Precious."

[Mohamad]

Clinton talks wedding, hair on Chinese TV

BEIJING – Hillary Rodham Clinton tolerates but doesn't share her husband's appetite for violent action movies. Her daughter's upcoming wedding is "the most important" thing in her life. And she thinks Timothy Geithner has great hair.

The U.S. Secretary of State turned on the charm in Beijing Tuesday, taking a break from intense strategic and economic talks with Chinese leaders in order to spend some time promoting people-to-people exchanges between America and China.

With high-level officials from both countries grappling with differences over North Korea, Iran and a host of financial and trade issues, Clinton used a series of public events to stress the importance of cross-cultural understanding, offering up details of her own family experiences.

In an interview with China Central Television, Clinton spoke proudly of the upcoming marriage of her daughter, Chelsea, and explained the American concept of bridal showers to a Chinese audience.

"It is not where you go in and have a shower, it is where friends of the bride and family come together and you give gifts to the bride and you tell stories and you show pictures of when she was a little girl," she told the host. "There will be a lot of that activity" before Chelsea Clinton marries longtime beau Marc Mezvinsky this summer, she said.

"We are looking forward to it," she said of the wedding. "It is something that every mother dreams of. And so for me it's ... the most important activity going on in my life now, I have to confess. Don't tell anybody that but it is such an enjoyable and exciting time for our family."