andreas04: close to attraction

MONDAY JANUARY 12, 2009

BOX OFFICE

Weekend Estimate

January 9-11, 2009 (*millions)

FILM GROSS

1 Gran Torino (2008) $29M

2 Bride Wars (2009) $21.5M

3 The Unborn (2009) $21.1M

4 Marley & Me (2008) $11.3M

5 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) $9.45M

6 Bedtime Stories (2008) $8.55M

7 Valkyrie (2008) $6.66M

8 Yes Man (2008) $6.16M

9 Not Easily Broken (2009) $5.6M

10 Seven Pounds (2008) $3.9M

GOLDEN GLOBES

The award for best supporting actor went to the late Heath Ledger on Sunday at the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. celebrated Ledger posthumously for his role as the psychotic Joker in “The Dark Knight.” The award came almost a year after Ledger’s death from an accidental overdose Jan. 22 in New York. The film’s director, Christopher Nolan, accepted the award on behalf of Ledger, while those in the ballroom stood and applauded. “All of us who worked with Heath on ‘The Dark Night’ accept this with an awful mixture of sadness, but incredible pride.” While Nolan said Ledger’s passing represented “a hole ripped in the history of cinema,” he also pointed to “the incredible place in the history of cinema that he built for himself.” Nolan ended his remarks by saying, “He will be eternally missed, but he will never be forgotten.”

More winners: Kate Winslet, supporting actress, “The Reader”; Bruce Springsteen, original song, “The Wrestler”; Tom Wilkinson, supporting actress in a series, miniseries or made-for-television movie, “John Adams”; Laura Dern, supporting actress in a series, miniseries or made-for-television movie, “Recount”; Gabriel Byrne, actor in a TV drama, “In Treatment”; Anna Paquin, actress in a TV drama, “True Blood”; “WALL-E,” animated film; Sally Hawkins, actress in a musical or comedy, “Happy-Go-Lucky”; “John Adams,” miniseries or made-for-television movie; “Waltz With Bashir,” foreign-language film; Laura Linney, actress in a TV movie or miniseries; Simon Beaufoy, screenplay, “Slumdog Millionaire”; Alec Baldwin, actor in a TV musical or comedy, “30 Rock”; Paul Giamatti, actor in a miniseries or movie, “John Adams”; “30 Rock,” comedy series; A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire,” original score in a motion picture; Tina Fey, “30 Rock,” actress in a comedy series; Danny Boyle, director, “Slumdog Millionaire; Colin Farrell, actor in a motion picture comedy, “In Bruges”; “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” motion picture comedy; Kate Winslet, actress in a motion picture drama, “Revolutionary Road”; “Mad Men,” drama series; Mickey Rourke, actor in a motion picture drama, “The Wrestler”; “Slumdog Millionaire,” motion picture drama.

BUSINESS NEWS

Warner Bros.’ plan to release “Watchmen” in March may proceed after all as the studio and 20th Century Fox are in the thick of talks to settle the bitter dispute over the rights to the superhero pic. Attorneys for both studios disclosed Friday that they had achieved progress toward an accord and agreed to delay a federal court hearing until today in order to continue settlement talks. Reps for Fox and Warner had no comment about terms of a possible settlement, which would probably see Fox receive a stake in “Watchmen.” Friday’s hearing had been scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess in Los Angeles so the jurist could rule on Warner’s request for an expedited hearing on the key issue — whether to grant Fox’s demand to block Warner’s plans to release “Watchmen” on March 6. Feess ruled on Dec. 24 that Fox owned distribution rights to “Watchmen” due to a provision in its 1994 turnaround agreement with producer Larry Gordon.

STRIKE NEWS/LABOR ISSUES

SAG’s leaders may pull the plug as early as Monday on the guild’s divisive strike authorization vote at what is certain to be a volatile meeting of the guild’s national board. The moderate wing of the Screen Actors Guild’s fractured national board may also follow through on its stated intention to oust the union’s negotiating committee along with removing national exec director Doug Allen from his slot as chief negotiator. The depth of the nastiness of SAG’s internal politics over the strike vote issue was illustrated by the revelation late last week of a suggested boycott campaign of eight actors up for SAG awards due to their opposition to the authorization vote. SAG president Alan Rosenberg told Daily Variety that he condemned the effort but he understands the “anger and frustration” of members who support a strike authorization.

WEBSITE TO WATCH

http://www.oscars.org/

Good news for movie fanatics - Oscar’s web home has received a major makeover just in time for Academy Awards season. No longer simply a place to browse past award winners, the site finally displays the polish and depth of the grand show itself. A History of the Academy takes visitors through the early days of the foundation, founded after a meeting of the minds at the Ambassador Hotel in 1927. (Douglass Fairbanks, the Academy’s first president, was in attendance, along with UA co-founder Mary Pickford.) The Education & Outreach section details the Academy’s ongoing literacy and grant programs including Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship program which helped writers such as Allison Anders and Susannah Grant get their starts. Searchable databases include comprehensive records of past winners and nominees, the officially sanctioned Motion Picture Credits Database and a catalogue of every script holding in six L.A.-area libraries. However, there’s surprisingly little video content here for a film site - just a few interviews with Academy members such as Sidney Poitier and Cameron Crowe as well as a link to the Oscar’s YouTube page.