Will Ferrell: Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Star

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Lists

Will Ferrell has topped a list of the Most Overpaid Stars. The actor and comedian topped the annual list by Forbes magazine, which calculated how much moviemakers earn per dollar paid to their lead actor.

After the last couple of funnyman Will’s films - Semi-Pro and Land of the Lost - bombed at the box office, his rate of return has dropped to $3.29 for every dollar of Will’s fee. This contrasts greatly with the other end of the scale, which saw Shia LaBeouf named as the Best Actor for the Buck in August, earning studios an average of $160 for every dollar he was paid.

Behind Will on list was actor Ewan McGregor, while Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson all made the Top Ten. Only one female (Drew Barrymore) had the unfortunate luck of being included.

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Read More | Forbes Magazine

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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Family, Independent, Music, Political, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Box Office, Lists

Depending on how you look at the numbers, the winner this weekend was either Couples Retreat or Paranormal Activity.

In the comedy corner, we have a Peter Billingsley-directed film that earned $35.3 million and a first-place finish. The movie - which combined the efforts of Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman - pulled in the best numbers for any Columbus Day weekend entry ever. It also gave Vaughn his 2nd best opening behind The Break-Up.

Meanwhile, on the horror front, Paranormal Activity made a huge splash despite being in limited release. The Blair Witch-esque movie scared up a shocking $49,000 per screen average. It also raked in nearly 500 times more than its budget. (It only cost less than $16,000 to produce.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Read More | Variety

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Box Office Breakdown: No Sluggish Start for Zombieland

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Political, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists

Watch out, vampires…there’s still life in the other undead.

Although he was previously known as a director for Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ruben Fleischer now has a new title: box office champ. This past weekend, Ruben saw his first major feature, Zombieland, attack the competition with a $24.7 million debut. The movie - which only cost approximately $24 million to make - had the highest open for any zombie-themed flick since Dawn of the Dead in 2004.

Meanwhile, another director had an entirely different result with her debut feature. Whip It, a roller derby comedy helmed by Drew Barrymore, rolled into 6th place finish with only $4.7 million. (When your film’s been topped by Pixar entries from 10+ years ago, there might have a problem.) Hopefully in a few more weeks, the Ellen Page vehicle will at least cover its $15 million production tab.

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Read More | Variety

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In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Disney, IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Sony, Warner Bros, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Capitalism: A Love Story** (R): starring Michael Moore (directed by Michael Moore)
• The Invention of Lying (PG-13): starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill (directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson)
• Toy Story/Toy Story 2 in 3D (G): starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger (directed by John Lasseter)
• Whip It! (PG-13): starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis (directed by Drew Barrymore)
• Zombieland (R): starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone (directed by Ruben Fleischer)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009

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Scared Skater Drew Barrymore

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Fox Searchlight, Action, Drama, Comedy, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

Roller derby is “scary as s**t” to Drew Barrymore

The 34-year-old actress’ new movie Whip It, which she directs and stars in, is about the roller skating contact sport, and she admits she had no idea how brutal the sport could be.

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Meryl Streep’s Catty Critic

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip

Why hire someone when you can rely on a trusty feline friend? Just ask Meryl Streep, whose cat helps her rehearse her movie lines!

The Oscar-winning actress reads the script to her pet to see if he is impressed by her performance. National Enquirer magazine reports:

“Every evening when she runs through her lines, her cat wraps himself around her feet. If her performance sounds insincere or boring he will suddenly stop purring and stalk out of the room. But if the tabby thinks Meryl has delivered her lines brilliantly, he will purr loudly and proudly. He is her most dependable critic.”

Meryl, 60, isn’t the only Hollywood star who shares a special bond with their pet—Drew Barrymore regularly speaks about her beloved yellow Labrador-Chow mix pet Flossie. She once said, “Flossie is like my little daughter. I can’t wait to have kids.”

Drew was saved by Flossie when a fire struck the $3 million mansion she shared with then-husband Tom Green in 2001. The actress claimed that she was woken in the early hours of the morning when Flossie barked after smelling smoke and “literally banged on the bedroom door” to alert the couple to the blaze.

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Create Your Own Whip It Roller Derby Name

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Action, Comedy, Technology

Just because you’re too scared to attempt roller derby doesn’t mean you can’t sound bad ass.

For the upcoming release of Whip It, Fox Searchlight has created a tool that will let you create your own derby persona. The results generated are meant to fall in line with the names used in the movie (Smashley Simpson, Dinah Might, Malice in Wonderland, Bloody Holly, Eva Destruction).

What title was randomly selected for me? Whiskey Terror. (Although I’m personally not a fan of the drink, I’m pleased with the outcome.) To build your own alter ego, just click here.

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut premieres on October 9.

Read More | Fox Searchlight

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First Look: Drew Barrymore Rolls Along in Whip It

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Comedy, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

Could 2009 be the year Drew Barrymore is finally taken seriously?

Although the actress has starred in a number of successful projects, the 34-year-old made people take notice earlier this year with her portrayal of Little Edie in Grey Gardens. (She just received a Lead Actress nomination for that performance today.) Now she’s months away from directorial debut.

Click to continue reading First Look: Drew Barrymore Rolls Along in Whip It

Read More | Fox Searchlight

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Casting Corner: Jason Sudeikis, Mark Ruffalo and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, New Line, Paramount, Warner Bros, Drama, Independent, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Jason Sudeikis: The Saturday Night Live star may be on board for Going the Distance, a romantic comedy starring (exes?) Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. Sudeikis is in talks to play Box, a friend who thinks Justin’s long-distance relationship with Drew is a mistake. (Don’t we all?) Nanette Burstein (American Teen) has been tapped to direct the New Line movie.

Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Jason Sudeikis, Mark Ruffalo and More

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: June 2, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: MGM, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Classics, Drama, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:

• Air Force One: Blu-ray
• Anaconda: Blu-ray
• Bruce Almighty: Blu-ray
• Defiance: DVD, Blu-ray
• Eddie Murphy: Delirious (25th Anniversary Edition): DVD
• Fletch: Blu-ray
• Glory: Blu-ray
• The Graduate: Blu-ray
• He’s Just Not That Into You: DVD, Blu-ray
• Inside Man: Blu-ray
• Navy Seals: Blu-ray

Click to continue reading This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: June 2, 2009

Read More | Amazon

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