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 >>

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:
Buy Valkyrie movie posters at AllPosters.com
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)

Bolt Opens in the Number Three Spot at the Box Office

The other new release this past weekend was Walt Disney’s non-Pixar animated family flick, “Bolt”, which might have suffered from “Twilight’s” strong opening, but is expected to pull some strong numbers over the extended holiday.

Opening in third spot with $26.2 million, but just slightly behind last weekend’s box office champ, “Quantum of Solace“, Bolt also launched with a record 982 3-D presentations which accounted for 39 percent of its total box office take.

Cast: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Diedrich Bader, Malcolm McDowell, Nick Swardson
Directed by: Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Official Website: Disney.com/Bolt

Confirmed Movie Poster Links:
Buy a Bolt Movie Poster (AllPosters) here >>
Buy a Bolt Movie Poster (MoviePoster.com) here >>
Buy a Bolt Movie Poster (MovieGoods.com) here >>

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Twilight Scores at the Box Office

The teenage girls turned out in full force this weekend, and propelled the big screen adaptation of the first of Stephenie Meyer’s popular vampire books to the top spot at the box office, with an estimated $70.5 million in ticket sales.

Playing one of the leads as Edward, has also established Robert Pattinson as a bonafide heart throb to that seething mass of female consumers, who know what they like and know what they want…

The movie also established a record for Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen“, “Lords of Dogtown” and “The Nativity Story“) as the biggest opening ever for a female director. The opening also was the fourth-biggest ever for the month of November.

With the success of this first film, the sequels are already in the works – the next 2 books in the series – 2006’s New Moon (2006) and last year’s Eclipse – will be shot back-to-back with director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson returning.

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Cam Cigandet, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Official Website: TheTwilightmovie.com

Confirmed Movie Poster Links:
Buy a Twilight Movie Poster (AllPosters) here >>
Buy a Twilight Movie Poster (MoviePoster.com) here >>
Buy a Twilight Movie Poster (MovieGoods.com) here >>

Twilight Movie Font:
A good match for the book font, Zephyr Regular, fills the gap, but the movie title font is probably a modified verson.

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Quantum of Solace

It looks like Daniel Craig and the “Quantum of Solace” have won the weekend with a debut that will probably be $70 to $71 million at the box office after the dust settles on Monday morning, setting a record for the biggest Bond movie ever, and eclipsing the previous record for the franchise which was the 2002 release of “Die Another Day” with $47.1 million and starred Pierce Brosnan.

Sony Pictures gambled with its controversial reinvention of the long running franchise, introducing a darker, grittier James Bond in the 2006 “Casino Royale” which featured the writing talents of Paul Haggis (“Crash“) , Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and the numbers indicate that it has paid off. Folllowing a storyline that is closer to Ian Fleming’s original vision of a spy in a cold, cruel world, the latest incarnations are proving that there is still life with intelligent screenplays that don’t pander to the lowest common denominator.

The quick movie synopsis: “Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (Judi Dench) interrogate Mr White (Jesper Christensen) who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.”

Confirmed poster links:
Buy the movie poster of Quantum of Solace (AllPosters) here >>
Buy the movie poster of Quantum of Solace (MoviePoster.com) here >>
Buy the movie poster of Quantum of Solace (MovieGoods) here >>

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Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Tops Last Weekends Box Office

The holiday season got a great kick off, as Dreamworks “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” raked in a cool $63.1 million on approximately 7,100 screens last weekend, and ranking it among the ten biggest animated starts of all time. It also set a record for an IMAX animation debut, with a gross of $3.5 million at 129 venues.

The sequel to the orginal hit from 2005 features the voice talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Bernie Mac, Sherri Shepherd and Alec Baldwin.

The plot synopsis: “All the loveable characters are back – Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins – in “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.” Left marooned on the distant shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers have hatched a plan so crazy it just might work. With military precision, the penguins have repaired an old crashed plane – sort of. Once aloft, this unlikely crew stays airborne just enough to make it to the wildest place of all – the vast plains of Africa itself – where our zoo-raised crew encounter species of their own kind for the very first time.”

Confirmed poster links:
Buy the movie poster of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (MoviePosters.com) here >>
Buy the movie poster of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (MovieGoods) here >>

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Box Office Predictions for Oct 31 – Nov 2, 2008

Two new movies (“Zack and Miri Make a Porno” and “The Haunting of Molly Hartley“) debuting this weekend are expected to make the box office top ten, while Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” will expand into wide release and should make a splash as well. Industry watchers have indicated that Angelina Jolie’s performance in the movie could garner her Golden Globes and Oscar nominations.

The numbers from Friday, while not indicative of the final numbers for the weekend because of Halloween skueing the results were:

1.Saw V
2.Changeling
3.Zack and Miri Make a Porno
4. The Haunting of Molly Hartley
5. High School Musical 3: Senior Year
6. The Secret Life of Bees
7. Pride & Glory
8. Max Payne
9. Eagle Eye
10. Beverly Hills Chihuahua

The pundits expect “HSM 3″ to win the weekend, with Kevin Smith’s “Zack and Miri” in second or third and “Changeling” picking off either third or fourth.

UPDATE: Monday, Nov. 3: The weekend final numbers are in, and it looks like High School Musical 3 did indeed top the box office for the second week running. Zack and Miri placed second, while Saw V edged the new Angelina Jolie movie “Changeling” for third place.

The numbers were as follows:
1. High School Musical 3: Senior Year: $15,316,072
2. Zack and Miri Make a Porno: $10,065,630
3. Saw V: $9,741,578
4. Changeling: $9,351,560
5. The Haunting of Molly Hartley: $5,423,315
6. Beverly Hills Chihuahua: $4,864,021
7. The Secret Life of Bees: $4,010,668
8. Max Payne: $3,688,253
9. Eagle Eye: $3,482,655
10. Pride & Glory: $3,363,452

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