Taking the number one spot this past weekend at the box office was the only new nationwide release, Michael Jackson’s music documentary “This Is It” – charting in at a decent, but not exceptional $21.3 million, second only in this genre to the opening of the Hannah Montana concert movie.

Buy an original This Is It DS 27×40 at MoviePoster.com

In second place, the hit supernatural horror flick “Paranormal Activity” added another $16.5 million to its total of $84.8 million, while the other major horror release, “Saw VI” looked like a franchise whose days are over, managing a meagre $5.6 million.

Last weekend’s full top 10 (and links to movie posters) were as follows:
1. Michael Jackson’s This Is It – $21.3 M
2. Paranormal Activity – $16.5 M
3. Law Abiding Citizen – $7.3 M
4. Couples Retreat – $6.1 M
5. Saw VI – $5.6 M
6. Where the Wild Things Are – $5.1 M
7. The Stepfather – $3.4 M
8. Astro Boy – $3 M
9. Amelia – $3 M
10. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant – $2.8 M

It’s been reported that actor David Carradine was found dead early Thursday morning, apparently hanged in his luxury hotel room in Bangkok, in what appears to be a suicide. His body was discovered by a hotel maid at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Carradine was in Bangkok filming an undisclosed movie and had been staying at the hotel since Tuesday.

Carradine, a member of an acting family that included father John Carradine, and brothers Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine and Michael Bowen as well as his daughters Calista Carradine, Kansas Carradine and nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton.

He appeared in more than 100 feature films, but arguably was best known for his role as Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest traveling the 1800s American frontier West in the TV series “Kung Fu,” which aired in 1972-75.

In recent years, his film career was given a boost by Quentin Tarrentino in Kill Bill 1 and 2.

Peace, Grasshopper…

J.J. Abrams won the past weekend with the latest take on the venerable series, as Star Trek nailed the box office, pulling $75.2 million on approximately 7,400 screens at 3,849 sites.

BoxOfficeMoJo.comreports that “Star Trek’s total was the biggest-grossing weekend ever in IMAX history. The picture raked in $8.5 million at 138 IMAX venues, surpassing The Dark Knight’s previous benchmark of $6.3 million.”

Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: J.J. Abrams
Screenwriter: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman
Cast: John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Winona Ryder, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy

Buy an original Star Trek movie poster here >>

Opening on May 15, director Ron Howard returns with the second adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestselling novels, “Angels & Demons”. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. This time, it’s the secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati pitted against the Catholic Church, their most despised enemy.

The film is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley, with a screenplay by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.

ctv.ca reports that: “Tom Hanks will reportedly surpass his US$25 million-dollar “Da Vinci” paycheque. His rumoured take for “Angels & Demons” falls between US$29 and US$49 million. That makes Hanks the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.”

Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)

Director: Ron Howard

Screenwriter: David Koepp, Akiva Goldsman

Starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Official Website: AngelsandDemons.com

Buy an original Angels & Demons movie poster here >>

The only new wide release “Watchmen”, the $150 million dollar adaptation of the DC Comics graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, set the pace this past weekend, punching into first spot in the top ten with just over $55 million at the box office. Directed by Zack Snyder of “300″ fame, the R-rated action flicked scored nearly ten percent of its receipts from IMAX showings, the second largest IMAX launch ever behind “The Dark Knight”. Other film adaptations of Moore novels include “V for Vendetta” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.”

Last weekend’s number one movie, “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail” held up well, dropping into second place, while not surprisingly, “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience” had the sharpest tumble, dropping into ninth place from second last week.

Last weekend’s full top 10 (and links to movie posters) were as follows:
1. Watchmen – $55.2 M
2. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail – $8.5 M
3. Taken – $7.3 M
4. Slumdog Millionaire – $6.8 M
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop – $4.1 M
6. He’s Just Not That Into You – $4 M
7. Coraline – $3.3 M
8. Confessions of a Shopaholic – $3.1 M
9. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience – $2.8 M
10. Fired Up – $2.5 M

Fox kicks off season 8 of “American Idol” tonight with a two-hour audition episode, and with the addition of a new judge, things should be as entertaining as ever. The new kid on the block is Kara DioGuardi, who will be appearing with stalwarts Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. DioGuardi, a a pop songwriter, producer and singer says she’ll continue to keep her “day job.”

The season will also mark the return of the “wildcard”, first seen in Season 3, The confusing explanation is, “After whittling the count down to 36 semi-finalists, there will be three weeks where 12 singers perform, with audience votes determining the top male, female and a third contender who will move on to the Top 12. In a fourth week, the next highest vote-getter from each of the three rounds will perform again, along with up to 10 other singers the judges think deserve another go. The three singers who receive the most votes will win the wild card, and round out the Top 12.” So there you go…

The show is still widely popular, even though last season’s viewership was down to an average of 28.1 million American viewers compared to 30.8 million in 2006.

Meanwhile, FremantleMedia, which owns the country’s most-watched TV show, is suing a strip club owner in Austin, Texas for running a weekly “Stripper Idol” contest. With nationwide attention and growing popularity, the Palazio Men’s Club managers say they have no intention ending the Thursday night strip-off, and say the contest bears no resemblance to the TV show.

The surprise big winner at last night’s Golden Globes, was Danny Boyle’s Bollywood fantasy Slumdog Millionaire, which racked up four awards, including best drama.

With the awards Sunday, this darkhorse film which featured a cast of unknowns and a story set among orphans and criminals on the streets of Mumbai, looks like it could be the film to beat at the upcoming Academy Awards. In addition to best drama, “Slumdog Millionaire” also won best screenplay, musical score and best director for Boyle.

Boyle was quoted as saying after the show, “”They have this expression – which I hope I pronounce correctly – in Hindi, which is when you do something, you should do it from the heart. The film was made from the heart, and we never expected to be here, and it’s incredible that we are.”

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Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star in the chick flick, “Bride Wars” about every girl’s dream of the perfect wedding. The pair play best friends who become bridal rivals when their weddings are scheduled on the same day.

Sometimes the soul of a dead person has been so tainted with evil that it is denied entrance to heaven. It must endlessly wander the borderlands between worlds, desperately searching for a new body to inhabit. In the horror movie, “The Unborn,” a woman is haunted by one such soul, called a dybbuk. Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman star in this movie by writer/director David Goyer (“Blade: Trinity,” “The Invisible,” “Batman Begins“).

The highly acclaimed “Gran Torino” from Clint Eastwood expands into wide release this weekend as well. Eastwood directs and stars as a grumpy Korean War veteran who must protect his neighborhood from the threat of street gangs. “Gran Torino,” marks his first film role since his Academy Award winning “Million Dollar Baby.”

Also opening nationwide is “Not Easily Broken” starring Taraji P. Henson (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button“). A couple’s love and faith are tested when the wife is injured in a car crash and the husband becomes attracted to another woman. This drama, directed by Bill Duke is adapted from a book of the same name by renowned pastor and author Bishop T. D. Jakes.

On a weekend after New Year’s, and with no new wide releases, the box office standings pretty well stayed the same as last weekend. “Marley and Me” held on to the top spot, and in fact, the top eight positions remained the same.

With “The Spirit” dropping out of the top ten, “Doubt” actually gained a position, while “Slumdog Millionaire” was the only movie to actually post an increase in box office receipts.

Last weekend’s full top 10 was as follows:

1. Marley and Me – $24.3 M
2. Bedtime Stories – $20.5 M
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $20.5 M
4. Valkyrie – $14.1 M
5. Yes Man – $13.9 M
6. Seven Pounds – $10.1 M
7. The Tale of Despereaux – $6.9 M
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still – $5.0 M
9. Doubt – $5.0 M
10. Slumdog Millionaire – $4.7 M

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With the year drawing to a close, the top ten lists are being released, and movies are no exception. Of little surprise is “The Dark Knight” leading the pack, as it almost became the biggest movie of all time, second only to “Titanic”.

Four of the top 10 were animated movies, and Paramount lead the studios with a piece of four of the top 10 as well.

The list is:

1. THE DARK KNIGHT – Total Gross: $530,750,228
2. IRON MAN – Total Gross: $318,313,199
3. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Total Gross: $317,023,851
4. HANCOCK – Total Gross: $227,946,274
5. WALL-E – Total Gross: $223,749,872
6. KUNG FU PANDA – Total Gross: $215,434,591
7. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA – Total Gross: $172,332,000
8. QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Total Gross: $161,300,000
9. TWILIGHT – Total Gross: $158,461,000
10. HORTON HEARS A WHO -Total Gross: $154,529,439

We just watched Tom Cruise doing an interview today promoting his latest movie, “Valkyrie”, and were wondering why he’s looking so thin – what’s the poop? Observation only, that has nothing to do with the movie…

Tom Cruise stars in the suspense film, “Valkyrie,” based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.

The movie opened Christmas Day, and was directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men).

So what are the reviews?
RottenTomatoes: 63% Fresh

Over on Yahoo Movies, the users give it a B, while the average of the critics was a B-. And Roger Ebert gave it three stars, saying it is “a meticulous thriller based on a large-scale conspiracy within the German army to assassinate Hitler.”

A lot tougher over at the LA Times:
“Valkyrie’ to ‘Heil Razzies’? Looks like the Razzies are confident in their prophesy that “Valkyrie” will land in their next derby, which commences on Jan. 21 when noms are unveiled. Last year the Razzie ceremony ended with big photos on stage of films they expect to see next year. Tom Cruise in that eyepatch got the biggest play – and the most howls, guffaws and applause from the audience.”

Director: Bryan Singer
Screenwriters: Nathan Alexander, Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel, Terence Stamp
Official Website: Valkyrie.UnitedArtists.com

Confirmed movie poster links:
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Buy Valkyrie movie posters at MoviePoster.com
Buy Valkyrie movie posters at MovieGoods.com

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It was a quiet, quiet weekend for Hollywood – and they were blaming the weather across the Northern states for their woes, but it was actually looking like disinterest on the part of moviegoers. Jim Carrey trumped Will Smith, as “Yes Man” pulled the number one spot with just over $18 million. In what could be the end of Smith’s streak of $100 million plus movies, the vaguely marketed “Seven Pounds” took second place with just shy of $15 million.

The other new release was the animated family adventure, “The Tale of Despereaux“, which scurried into third place with $10.1 million. The movie did feature some impressive voice talent with Matthew Broderick, Robbie Coltrane, Frances Conroy, Tony Hale, Ciaran Hinds, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson and Sigourney Weaver. It also managed to beat out the top two movies this week with a better Rotten Tomatoes rating of 52% (Seven Pounds got “pounded” with a 28% rating).

Last weekend’s full top 10 was as follows:
1. Yes Man – $18.3 M
2. Seven Pounds – $14.9 M
3. The Tale of Despereaux – $10.1 M
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still – $9.9 M
5. Four Christmases – $7.7 M
6. Twilight – $5.2 M
7. Bolt – $4.1 M
8. < Slumdog Millionaire – $3.1 M
9. Australia – $2.2 M
10. Quantum of Solace – $2.1 M

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Jeremy Piven leaves Broadway Show

Apparently, Piven of the hit HBO series “Entourage” has left the cast of the Broadway show, “Speed-the-Plow”,
because of what his doctor has cited as being “the highest mercury level he has ever seen”, supposedly caused
by the actors excessive love of sushi.

There are doubters though, that feel that Piven is playing hooky and that something feels “fishy” about the story.
They cite his behaviour during previous performances, and his habit of showing up just moments before curtain call.

Playwright David Mamet made the smart crack that Piven was
“leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.”

Piven has been temporarily replaced in the show by
Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz.

Confirmed television poster links:

Find Entourage TV posters here >> (AllPosters)

You won’t find Amy Adams nude here

Amy Adams is currently on a 3 day promotional push along with stars Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman for the new film “Doubt” which opens in limited release this week on December 12, 2008 from Miramax Films.

Adams plays a young nun, who instigates an investigation by the iron willed principal (Streep) of a Catholic school in 1964 Bronx, of a charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Hoffman) who may or may not be involved in indecent conduct with a young student.

Award winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley (“Moonstruck”) adapted his own play for the screen and also directs this drama.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Directed by: John Patrick Shanley
Official Website: Doubt-themovie.com

Confirmed movie poster links:
Find Amy Adams movie posters here >> (AllPosters)
Find Meryl Streep movie posters here >> (AllPosters)
Find Philip Seymour Hoffman movie posters here >> (AllPosters)

Carrie Fisher Wishful Drinking

All right, all you Star Wars fan boys – still nursing a crush for Princess Leia? Carrie Fisher is currently out promoting her new bio, “Wishful Drinking“, a wickedly funny autobiography that grew out of her one-woman play that deals with drug addiction, mental illness and being the product of “Hollywood in-breeding.”

It’s reported that some of the stories of course involve some interesting moments with other Star Wars actors as well as ancedotes about her decidedly strange family.

A quote from the book: “So now, will you come on a journey with me? We’re going to start at death, but then we’re going to double back and go all the way through an emergency room (where they know me), through Watergate, back through Vietnam to birth. My birth.”

Fisher, now 52, and the daughter of old time stars Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, first played Leia at age 19 in the original Star Wars. Wow – it’s actually been that long…

The official website of Carrie Fisher can be found here at: Carrie Fisher – The Official Carrie Fisher Website