Diary of a HOLLYWOOD Starlet

Journal Entry #1: FAME "What a Funny Thing?"

I never wanted to be a movie star. Really -- I never imagined that one day I would be living this bizarre life - the life of a movie star. I wonder all the time how this happened. How did I become this famous person that is recognized by most humans (and some animals) wherever I go??? Growing up I was an awkward teenage girl that wanted to be a marine biologist. That was the job that sounded fun to me. I wanted to swim with the dolphins.

So when I was asked to write this online diary -- speaking anonymously about my life in Hollywood and how fame affects people like me, it really scared me and at the same time I felt completely exhilarated.

I have been on hundreds of red carpet press lines, I have towered over audiences on the big screen in front of thousands of people, on the cover of countless magazines, including my favorite, Vogue. I have appeared at glamorous award shows accepting and presenting awards to people who are much more famous than me -- legends. However, none of these experiences have ever scared me more than writing this column -- and yet it is the most liberating thing that I have done thus far in my career.

In Hollywood it is taboo for A-List actors to speak about the personal lives of other A-list actors, nor are we allowed to speak-out about the inner workings of the Hollywood system that we all live so comfortably in.

And yet I have chosen to break all the rules and write this blog column. And you know what, it feels great. I have been waiting my entire career to say exactly what is on my mind, and now I have my chance.

NOW LETS TALK ABOUT FAME. When you become famous, everything you do and say becomes public property. Nothing is sacred or private ever again. And by the way -- it does happen over night. One successful film project takes you from being a struggling actor to a virtual lottery winner.

Fame really does change everything!! The only way too describe it is that it is like standing high on top of a mountain, standing on the very edge looking down and there is this grand voice from above saying, "if and when you take that leap off into this world of fame, fortune and success -- your life can never, and will never, be the same again -- the life you knew before is now lost and gone forever, no matter how hard you try to get your past life back, you cannot, because it is impossible."

Everyone wants to know where you eat, what you eat, who does your hair, how much money you make, who you're dating, who you're sleeping with, which designer's clothes you are wearing. It never stops -- there are no boundaries. There is no end to the prying eye of the publicity machine and paparazzi that is now a constant part of your everyday life.

Please don't get me wrong I feel very fortunate, I do feel blessed. I am sorry for ranting, but I have never been very good at playing the "celebrity game" -- and hey this is my column -- so I can bitch about whatever I choose to bitch about, right??

INSIDE: Hollywood Marriages

by Buzz Austin

{Los Angeles} Hollywood Marriages are recipes for disaster -- and yet most movie stars usually only date other famous people.

The reason this happens is because most non-famous people are too intimidated to approach someone famous and ask them out on a date.

It just doesn't happen in Hollywood - then again how often do you see the famous socializing with the average Joe? Not often.

Famous people always move in the same circles as other famous people, therefore, it is inevitable that these individuals date and marry within that same glorious circle.

Hollywood Marriages consisting of only a husband and wife are nonexistence in the hills of Hollywood. Each celebrity brings a "camp" to the table, so when you have a marriage merger between two celebrities - they each have a manager, agent, publicist, stylist, assistants - and all of these individuals guide, serve and direct their clients, not only in the matters of career, but relationships as well. So a Hollywood union that consists solely between just a man and a women doesn't exist in Hollywood. "As a handler, coordinating a successful Hollywood marriage between two major stars eventually is logistically unfeasible and after a while things inevitably just fall apart," remarked one Hollywood power publicist.

Don't get me wrong, there are some Hollywood Marriages made in heaven. Some celebrity couples fall into that small percentile that have the chemistry to make it work and they compliment each other effortlessly.

Like Bening and Beatty, Zeta Jones and Douglas, Madonna and Guy Ritchie for example.

I absolutely love Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston and Angelina Jolie. All three individuals are extremely talented actors and wonderful human beings. I must admit it as been extremely difficult for me to see these three individuals get tortured in the tabloid press the past year. The media has publicly dissected their relationship from the inside out. I knew that Brad and Jennifer's split was going to be, not only difficult for them, but for everyone living within "the" Hollywood circle.

During the Oscar party weekend earlier this year there was a party at the home of CAA head honcho Bryan Lourd. Everyone, who was anyone, was there: Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Jamie Foxx, Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek - you name it - they were there - it was the Oscar season bash-of-all-bashes.

Now keep in mind, Brad and Jennifer had just announced their separation a month earlier. Brad and Jenn arrived at this party separately, and while they were cordial to each other they stayed on opposite sides of the room all evening.

Gwenyth Paltrow was there, obviously putting the past and her broken engagement to Pitt behind her - Gwen was laughing and talking with Brad and showing him pictures of her daughter Apple. All the while Jennifer was across the room talking with actor and future co-star Vince Vaughn (who would have guessed what the future held for these two.) The next glittery party on the agenda for that weekend was the "Night Before" party, a fund-raiser for the Motion Picture & Television Fund held the following evening poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Brad and Jenn were in attendance wearing their game face. This party is always a star-studded affair in which organizers take great pride in keeping the press outside to make the celebrities feel more relaxed.

The Pitts were the topic of conversation that night, everyone was full of gossip and innuendo. Little did the Pitts know that the media was preparing to pounce on the unraveling of this relationship for many months to come.

Now as the media begins its cool-off in reporting on the former Pitts, the media frenzy is in full-swing for Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. Over the course of the months to come we will continue to see endless editorial content on the pending divorce of everyone's favorite "newlyweds." Both Simpson and Lachey have hired PR bulldogs to manage the fierce struggle to manipulate the media during this difficult time. Nick has hired PR guru Ken Sunshine (publicist to Ben Affleck and Leonardo DiCaprio) who has had plenty of experience guiding his celebrity clients through the break-up mine field. While Jessica has hired PR cowboy, Rob Shuter.

Celebrities will continue to fall in love. The media will continue to stalk and prey. And we "the public" will continue to devour the magazines.

My advice to all you celebrities out there: Be smart - work together - but don't fall in love with each other!

Recently when Kimberly Stewart (daughter of rocker Rod Stewart) woke up one morning and suddenly got a brain; she ended her quickie engagement to MTV's Laguna Beach star, Talon Torriero, after only 11 days. In a joint statement the now ex-couple said, "It is better to have a brief engagement than a short marriage."

Amen!!!

Milla Jovovich is ULTRAVIOLET

Sony Pictures has unveiled some of the first artwork from the upcoming film, Ultraviolet, starring Milla Jovovich. The feature film is set to hit theaters February 24th. Set in the late 21st century, a subculture of humans have emerged who have been modified genetically by a vampire-like disease called Hemophagia, giving them enhanced speed, incredible stamina and acute intelligence, and as they are set apart from "normal" and "healthy" humans, the world is pushed to the brink of worldwide civil war (a war between humans and hemophages) aimed at the destruction of the "diseased" population. In the middle of this crossed-fire is an infected woman named Ultraviolet (Jovovich), who finds herself protecting a nine-year-old boy who has been marked for death by the human government as he is believed to be a threat to humans.

Click the following link for the film’s official website: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/ultraviolet/

Also, SciFi Wire has new photos from the film on their site: http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=10

Disney-Pixar Deal

According to Variety, as far as the Disney-Pixar deal goes, both sides remain tightlipped, most insiders are confident that Disney and Pixar are on the verge of renewing their distribution pact.

So what's up with the delay?

There have been some whispers that Disney might take a stake in Pixar, or even purchase it outright. A key point is undoubtedly Circle 7, the secretive division that Disney formed to make sequels to Pixar films, for which it has rights through next year's Cars. (That film is the last under the partners' current deal.)

Production on Toy Story 3 is already under way and the division is close to picking a second film to green light from several scripts under development -- most likely Finding Nemo 2 or Monsters, Inc. 2. Sources indicate the next step -- picking a director -- is on hold until Disney and Pixar close their deal. But in a sign of how close the two companies have again become, Disney CEO Bob Iger reportedly is keeping Pixar chief Steve Jobs and creative guru John Lasseter in the loop about developments at Circle 7 -- something former Disney boss Michael Eisner rarely did.

In the past, Jobs has had little good to say about Disney-produced sequels, but he might warm to the idea with the right deal and if Pixar had enough involvement. Many have speculated that a Disney-Pixar renewal could be the end of Circle 7. But with the Mouse House continuing to spend money on talent, facilities and production, a complete shutdown seems unlikely. In the ideal situation for Iger -- one that looks increasingly likely -- Disney would distribute new Pixar films and produce, in one form or another, a slate of sequels. Combine that with the studio's own newly invigorated toon unit following a successful run for Chicken Little and Disney could again be the undisputed No. 1 animation player. With DreamWorks gaining a more powerful distribution partner in Paramount, and Sony and Warner Bros. getting ready to launch CG toons next year, that's just the position Disney would like to find themselves in going into 2006.

{UPDATE: January 6th} Amid intense speculation on Wall Street that the Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation were about to announce a new deal, shares in Pixar began taking off Wednesday and continued its flight on Thursday -- rising nearly 10 percent over the two days. But as the day wore on Thursday, with no news from either company -- a Disney spokesperson said late in the day that there was nothing new to report -- Pixar shares began retreating. The drop was accelerated after Credit Suisse First Boston analyst William Drewry said in a report to clients Thursday that Pixar's stock looked "priced for perfection" -- presumably meaning that it was based on the presumption that Pixar would continue to have an unbroken streak of hits. At midmorning today (Friday), Pixar was the only major entertainment company listed on the NYSE showing a drop in share price.

Holiday Weekend Box Office Report

King Kong lead the North American box office for a second weekend, leading a wide array of Christmas openings and film expansions even as overall ticket sales declined. Director Peter Jackson's "Kong" sold an estimated $31.4 million worth of tickets in the four days beginning Friday, taking its total to a modest $118.7 million after 12 days.

Because of the holiday season, movie industry observers are still not certain how to classify the performance of Universal Pictures' $207 million movie. After a slow start, it picked up steam last weekend, but was surpassed in subsequent days by the weekend's No. 2 movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. "It is forging its own pattern of performance, but it is doing sizable business every day," said Marc Shmuger, Vice Chairman of Universal studio. Walt Disney's "Chronicles of Narnia" held on to the No. 2 spot with $30.1 million, taking its total after 17 days to $163.5 million.

Two newcomers that opened on Wednesday grabbed the next two places: the Jim Carrey comedy remake Fun with Dick & Jane with $23.5 million for the four days, and the Steve Martin family comedy sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2 with $14.8 million. Their respective totals stand at $31.1 million and $20.1 million.

The family comedy drama The Family Stone, starring Diane Keaton, fell two places to No. 5 with $10.9 million, taking its total to $30.1 million after 10 days. Overall ticket sales fell, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The top 12 films tallied $101.8 million for the three days beginning Friday, down 14 percent from the year-ago period, when Christmas fell on a Saturday and Meet the Fockers led the pack with a $46.1 million opening. Among the expansions this weekend was the period adaptation Memoirs of a Geisha, which rose six places to No. 6 with a solid $10.2 million in its third weekend.

The Special Olympics comedy The Ringer, starring Johnny Knoxville, opened at No. 7 with $8.4 million for the four days since Friday. Two movies that opened on Sunday grabbed the next two places: the Jennifer Aniston comedy Rumor Has It with $7.5 million and the horror film Wolf Creek with $5.9 million. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire rounded out the top tier, falling six places to No. 10 with $5.7 million.

Also new was Steven Spielberg's revenge saga Munich, set in the aftermath of the 1972 Olympics massacre. The Universal Pictures release opened at No. 11 with $5.7 million from just 572 theaters, about $20,000 behind "Harry Potter." Rankings could change when final data are issued on Tuesday. Munich opens nationwide on January 6.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Behind the Scenes of The Da Vinci Code

Newsweek has a 3 page feature that goes behind-the-scenes of Ron Howard's new film, The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Paul Bettany.

Howard has revisited classic thrillers with spiritual elements, such as The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby, as well as movies in which action springs from conversation, as in All the President's Men. His goal is to duplicate the experience of reading the book—no small task, considering that Brown's tale unfolds in real time over the course of 20 hours and that the movie will run less than three. Plenty will be omitted, but Howard insists nothing dear has been lost. He's made a believer out of Brown. "The novelist is always the adaptation's most skeptical audience," the press-shy author said in a statement to NEWSWEEK, "but I think this movie will blow people away. I truly believe moviegoers will come out of the theater feeling like they've just watched the novel."

The Da Vinci Code is a different kind of project for Grazer and Howard, whose previous films, including Far and Away, Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, have grossed billions around the world and collected nine Oscars. The two usually develop their own projects for Imagine and shop them to a studio; this time, Sony brought them in as hired guns. Grazer tried to buy the rights to The Da Vinci Code for Imagine, with the idea of using the book as a template for the third season of his company's hit TV series, 24, but he got outfoxed by another bidder. "I just didn't know the right people," he says. "I didn't know Dan's people—the book people."

The Da Vinci Code hits theaters May 26, 2006. To read the entire article click the following link: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10509652/site/newsweek/

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT Dec. 16th - 18th

King Kong did not meet the high expectations that were expected, however, director Peter Jackson's $207 million remake of the of the seminal 1933 creature feature grabbed $50.1 million over the weekend from around 7,500 screens at 3,568 theaters. It ranks as the fourth highest-grossing first weekend on record for a December release, behind the last two Lord of the Rings movies and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Hollywood analysts generally expected King Kong to have a debut weekend at least in the $60 million range. Though it came in lower than expected, King Kong led Hollywood to a solid weekend, with the top 12 movies grossing $121.2 million, up 22 percent from the same weekend last year. That was good news heading into the holidays, when studios are counting on a strong finish to help snap a prolonged slump in which movie attendance has fallen 7 percent compared with last year. Since bowing Wednesday, the three-hour thrill ride has amassed $66.2 million in five days, below distributor Universal Pictures' publicly-stated benchmark, the $75 million of Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and much lower than media and industry hype that had hoped for over $100 million. "I think the industry and the media did not understand how a three hour movie performs," said Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal. "Take Lord of the Rings out because that comes with the Tolkien nuts, and there aren't any examples. It's not surprising that we didn't understand it. As crazy as it is, the only one you can point to is Titanic. King Kong is writing its own pattern."

In limited release, Brokeback Mountain saw another stampede of moviegoers in its second weekend, while there was no springtime for The Producers in its debut. Focus Features' cowboy love story lassoed $2.5 million from 69 locations, averaging a potent $36,354 per site, raising the total to $3.5 million in 10 days. Last weekend, Brokeback Mountain trumpeted a $109,485 average at five bustling theaters in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. It's natural for a picture's average to drop significantly as it adds smaller markets. "The danger with distributing a movie like this is if you get ahead of it, you lose it," said Jack Foley, Focus' president of distribution. "We'll do what we have to do to meet the business capabilities and the demand. I'd love to see this movie in 2,000 theaters. I have no limits to how wide I want it to go." Foley said that the expansion will be more aggressive than previously planned, with around 275 theaters set for Jan. 6 and about 400 for Jan. 13. The original intent was to be in 300 venues by the end of January.

Also in its second weekend, Memoirs of a Geisha rolled out to 52 theaters and attracted $1.3 million, or a decent $25,044 per site. Director Rob Marshal's $85 million adaptation of the bestseller of the same name expands to around 1,400 theaters on Friday. Meanwhile, The Producers, the $45 million movie version of Mel Brooks' Broadway musical, itself adapted from Brooks' 1968 movie, was unimpressive. At six venues, the musical comedy drew $154,590, averaging a modest $25,765 per site. Distributor Universal Pictures will release the picture at over 1,000 locations on Christmas day.

1. King Kong ($50,130,145)
2. The Chronicles of Narnia ($31,837,683)
3. The Family Stone ($12,521,027)
4. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire ($5,952,452)
5. Syriana ($5,605,167)
6. Walk The Line ($3,688,031)
7. Yours, Mine and Ours ($3,511,110)
8. Brokeback Mountain ($2,508,494)
9. Just Friends ($2,080,852)
10. Aeon Flux ($1,751,220)

TRIBUTE: John Spencer (1946 - 2005)

NEWS From the Boardroom

Even after two seasons of dismal ratings, NBC President Jeff Zucker was promoted to the newly created post of CEO of the combined NBC Universal Television. NBC Universal Chairman and CEO Bob Wright said that Zucker's elevation was part of a streamlining effort to ensure "that all of our knowledge, all of our assets, all of our people in television are completely aligned."

Only three months after Lachlan Murdoch, the son of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, surprised the industry by suddenly quitting his father's media empire and moving to Australia, Richard Freudenstein, the COO of Murdoch's BBSkyB satelite service in the U.K. has also quit the company and announced plans to move to Australia. Freudenstein was regarded as the most likely successor to BBSkyB CEO James Murdoch if the younger Murdoch was elevated to a more senior position in the company by his father.

Jamie Foxx has signed on to star in the adaptation of Jeff Stetson's novel Blood on the Leaves for Paramount Pictures. Foxx's studio-based production company, which will produce, brought the book to Paramount with him attached. Stetson will adapt his own work, which centers on a district attorney who grapples with feelings of revenge as he prosecutes a black history professor on trial for the murders of white men accused of crimes against blacks during the civil rights movement. Foxx will lead the cast as the District Attorney. Warner Books published Jeff Stetson’s novel in July 2004.

Josh Hartnett has been cast in Texas Lullaby, leading a cast that also includes Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, Ellen Barkin and Tom Waits. Commercial director Malcolm Venville is making his feature debut on the indie, which is being produced by Marshall Rawlings and his Alturas Films banner. An original screenplay written by Steve Allison, the story is very loosely based on Hamlet. Set in a small eastern Texas town, the movie revolves around a young man {Hartnett} who learns that his widowed mother has married his father's brother {Malkovich}. His father's ghost tells the young man that he was murdered by his uncle and seeks vengeance. Hartnett will next be seen in the Weinstein Co.’s Lucky Number Slevin and the Brian De Palma-directed The Black Dahlia.

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

{BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.} - The cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain led Golden Globe contenders today with seven nominations, among them best dramatic picture and honors for actors (and real-life-lovers) Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams and director Ang Lee positioning itself as a key Academy Awards competitor.

Other best drama picture contenders were the murder thriller The Constant Gardener, the Edward R. Murrow tale Good Night, and Good Luck, the mobster story A History of Violence, and the infidelity drama Match Point.

The Globes were a triumph for smaller budgeted films over big studio productions. "This is the first time in the history of the Golden Globes that all of the best (dramatic) film nominees are independent movies made for under $30 million," said Philip Berk, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The Globes have a separate category for musical or comedy films. Nominated there were the theater tale Mrs. Henderson Presents, the Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, the Broadway musical The Producers, the divorce story The Squid and the Whale, and the Johnny Cash bio-pic Walk the Line.

The Globes were the latest recognition for Brokeback Mountain, a critical darling that has received top honors from critics groups in New York City, Los Angeles and Boston.
Along with Ledger, who plays a family man concealing a homosexual affair from his family, best dramatic actor nominees included three actors playing real-life figures: Russell Crowe as depression-era boxer Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man, Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Truman Capote in Capote, and David Strathairn as newsman Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck. The fifth nominee was Terrence Howard as a small-time pimp-turned-rap singer in Hustle & Flow.

Good Night, And Good Luck was tied for second-most film nominations with four, along with Match Point and The Producers. The Murrow tale earned a best-director nomination for George Clooney, who also had a supporting actor movie nomination for the oil industry thriller Syriana.

Felicity Huffman received two nominations, best dramatic actress in a film for her role as a man preparing for sex-change surgery in Transamerica and best actress in a TV musical or comedy for Desperate Housewives. Her Housewives co-stars Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and (yes - even) Eva Longoria also were nominated.

Other best dramatic film actress nominees were Maria Bello as a wife learning painful secrets about her husband in A History of Violence, Gwyneth Paltrow as an unstable math genius' daughter in Proof, Charlize Theron as a woman leading a sexual harassment lawsuit in North Country and Ziyi Zhang as a poor girl who becomes the belle of Japan's geisha houses in Memoirs of a Geisha.

The Globes are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a relatively small group of about 90 reporters for overseas news outlets. Yet with a nationally televised awards ceremony on NBC and a historically solid knack for picking eventual Academy Award winners, the Globes wield a fair amount of sway among the 5,800 Oscar voters.

Winners of the Golden Globes will be announced Jan. 16, five days before polls close for Oscar voters. Oscar nominations come out Jan. 31, and the awards will be presented March 5.
The Globes feature 13 categories for film and 11 for television. Unlike other major movie awards, the Globes have separate divisions for dramas and comedies or musicals in the best-picture and lead-acting categories. For a complete list of nominees go the Hollywood Foreign Press Association website: http://www.hfpa.org

Anthony Hopkins will receive the group's Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.

DreamWorks Sale—Why the Dream Didn't Work

{PHOTO: Peter Morgan/Reuters}
by Sean Smith - NEWSWEEK/Dec. 19, 2005 issue

The dream is over. Eleven years after founding their studio, Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg agreed to sell DreamWorks SKG to Viacom for a reported $1.6 billion. Viacom's studio division, Paramount Pictures, gets DreamWorks' library of about 60 films—such as "Saving Private Ryan" and Oscar winners "American Beauty" and "Gladiator"—along with a slate of films DreamWorks planned to release next year, including Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers." Spielberg will likely give Paramount first dibs on his movies, and Paramount will get half the profits of any movie he makes at another studio. The biggest prize, though, is that Paramount, led by Brad Grey, who initiated the deal, will now distribute films from DreamWorks Animation. A separate, publicly traded company run by Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation created the "Shrek" movies, which have grossed $1.4 billion worldwide.

Despite DreamWorks' successes, the company never quite lived up to its potential. Plans for a studio campus in L.A.'s Playa Vista section were scrapped, the record label and videogame unit were sold off, and while other major studios release more than 20 movies per year, DreamWorks has released an average of only six per year since 2002.

Just about everybody in Hollywood has an opinion about what went wrong. One theory, voiced by a rival studio head (who refused to be identified while commenting on industry matters), was that DreamWorks could not survive because the costs of running a studio now are so high that it's impossible to make a profit without other large revenue streams, including a sizable DVD library. A few filmmakers saw a different problem: bad management. The live-action studio was run, until recently, by the married team of Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who also produced more than a few of the movies that DreamWorks released. Thus, the criticism goes, the couple was busy on film sets producing its own movies instead of greenlighting other people's. (The couple has repeatedly said that there was no conflict, and no conflict of interest, between the two jobs.)

But perhaps the primary failure at DreamWorks was simply one of will. Of the three founders, only Katzenberg wanted to actually head a studio; now he is, at DreamWorks Animation. Spielberg's first love has always been directing, and he has spent the last year on sets making "War of the Worlds" and "Munich" back to back. And Geffen has always been upfront about his distaste for the movie business. What both men wanted, it seems in retrospect, was the power and freedom of owning a studio, not the burden of running one. And who can blame them? If you were Steven Spielberg, would you want to sit behind a desk, fretting about profit-and-loss statements? Didn't think so.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Christmas is arriving early this year for Buena Vista as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe worked its magic on audiences in its debut and warmed up to a dazzling estimate of $67.1 million. Internationally, Narnia opened this weekend in 14 markets and generated an estimated $41.7 million, bringing the worldwide total to a radiant $108.8 million to date. The well-reviewed fantasy-adventure film, helmed by Andrew Adamson and based on the first book from the beloved series by author C.S. Lewis, generated the biggest debut ever for the comparable weekend and the second-highest December opening of all time.

Only New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and based on the series written by Lewis' friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, opened higher {$72.6 million}. The other two films in the Lord of the Rings series, The Two Towers and The Fellowship of the Ring, are the third- and fourth-biggest debuts in December with {$62 million} and {$47.2 million}, respectively. Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures co-produced the PG-rated Narnia, which cost about $150 million.

Magical forces clashed during the weekend at the international box office, with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire jostling against the opening of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, and both films proved that audiences love well-made fantasies. Goblet maintained its top ranking with an estimated gross of $51.9 million from more than 11,200 prints in 56 markets, taking its international cumulative total to a heady $414 million. Its openings included Israel, where it grossed $837 from 37 prints, a new industry record there. In France in its second weekend, Goblet maintained its No. 1 spot with an estimated $11 million from 950 prints, taking its total to just less than $33 million. The U.K. remains the film's biggest market, with its fourth weekend grossing $3.5 million from 1,050 prints, taking its total there to about $70 million. Narnia in just 13 markets but was No. 1 in each and grossed an estimated $42 million from 2,800 prints.

In other related box office news - After only 3 days in limited release in only 5 theaters in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Brokeback Moutain made an estimated $544,549. This is the highest per-screen average for any film released in 2005. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named Brokeback Mountain as the best film of 2005 this past weekend -- the first of several award lists expected to narrow the field of Oscar contenders.

INSIDE: Tom Ford's Vanity Fair Stint

The controversy! The actresses! The collaboration with Joe Zee!

SOURCE: Jim Shi from FashionWeekDaily.com

{NEW YORK} Tom Ford’s up to his old tricks again.

Sources inside the fashion halls of Vanity Fair, not to mention publicists at more than one luxury fashion house, have been abuzz over the apparent drama Ford is stirring up since editor-in-chief Graydon Carter confirmed Ford's position as artistic director of the annual Hollywood photo portfolio, scheduled to bow in March.

Specifically, Ford was said to have requested that the Vanity Fair fashion department pull “really grown-up clothes” (translation: skin-baring dresses and platform high heels) for 12-year old Dakota Fanning, just one of a bevy of actresses he worked with. “It’s one thing to have an artistic eye, but it’s another to be offensive,” said one source who worked on the shoots. “It’s been an interesting adventure.” What’s also interesting is that sources are now saying that Ford’s guest-editing gamble might very well become a permanent venture at the Condé Nast title.

While all those involved with the issue remain tight-lipped about which actresses achieved the cover status—once again photographed by Annie Leibovitz—what is known is that none of the actresses will wear any of Ford’s own ready-to-wear line, which he is currently developing. Patricia Clarkson and Mission: Impossible III star Michelle Monaghan are among those featured inside the issue, which also boasts contributions from an array of famed shutterbugs, from Terry Richardson to Michael Thompson.

Meanwhile, Joe Zee hasn’t been sitting idly by since his magazine, Vitals, folded at the end of September. The contributing fashion editor at W has, for the last two and a half weeks, been in Los Angeles working as “fashion director” for the March issue alongside Ford. It’s Zee’s first collaboration with the man infamous for his attention to detail, and some are even hinting that the proactive Zee’s relationships and experience with celebrity styling would make him the ideal candidate to succeed Anne McNally, who left the magazine earlier this month.

When asked about the issue’s theme, Zee replied, “Tom Ford, of course.”

A spokesperson for Vanity Fair offered no comment on upcoming issues.

Brokeback Mountain by Garth Franklin

It may be breaking new ground in terms of how audiences react to it, but Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” is at once both an American classic western and a sweeping old fashion romance that will pull at the heart strings of all but the coldest people. With a delicate and respectful touch, Lee pulls off the tricky feat of expanding Annie Proulx's powerful short story in a scale and scope, all the while bringing more heart and realism to the table.

Proulx's story worked because it seemed to almost refuse to be political - and yet calling it a fantasy was too much of a stretch because the tale was written in a style that was very gritty, real and with utterly believable consequences. The result was a simple, powerful and universal fable of a beautiful but tragic love affair between two ordinary people in an unforgiving society - the fact that it’s between two men became only a minor detail more than anything else.

The strong story and masterful direction is only the start of the film's strengths. Performances are superb all across the board, each character is given time to shine and we explore their many facets. Jake Gyllenhaal finally shows us strong dramatic chops as the more emotionally driven, optimistic of the pair who must contend with the frustration of a love that's more withdrawn and restrained than he is.

Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway do great supporting work as the pair's wives - both very different characters who service the story in different ways yet each actress is always up to the task. The two are given short shrift in the original story but here are developed and add richness to both the plot and the two male characters on which we're focused.

The real showcase here though is Heath Ledger who underplays his role to perfection. He makes a physically imposing rough around the edges figure whom many would immediately write-off as a simpleton, and adds whole levels of complexity, vulnerability and depth throughout. His character, who spends most of the film looking slightly constipated and/or mumbling, ends up being the film's richest - a man struggling to deny who he is to both himself and everyone else, even as that secret destroys the happiness of both him and everyone around him. All these performances are very physical as well, with their tone and looks saying a lot more than their words - its a tricky act to pull off and some audience members may not read into it as much as others.

There's very careful attention to detail - as the characters age throughout the story there's a few convincing changes (for the most part) in make-up, hair, dress and lifestyle. All this is offset with the breathtaking visuals showing off the harshness of both low-income dusty American townships and the picturesque natural landscapes of the Rockies. Rodrigo Prieto's Oscar-caliber cinematography is off-set with a soulful low-key score of mostly simple guitar notes and twangs that seem so inherent to the western genre and yet add another dimension to the sense of soulful longing at the story's heart. Lee always wants to make sure this is seen as an emotional love story rather than a physical one so those audiences going to see it for 'man on man action', you'll be somewhat disappointed.

On the other side of the coin, the only thing homophobes will get squirmy over isn't what's shown but rather the mild implication that you're probably a closeted gay guy if you take your wife from behind more often than from the front. Great sweeping romance films are few and far between these days, even more rare are films made with such care and obvious affection. Sadly whilst it'll be dismissed as the 'gay cowboy' movie by many, they will miss out on what's one of the few times you'll ever see a film adaptation that's at least as good as, and in my opinion much better than, the acclaimed story its based on.

It doesn't matter what your orientation or relationship status in life is, 'Brokeback' is a tale of romance that's never properly expressed and doesn't come with a simple 'happily ever after' conclusion. At times it stretches its credibility or short changes a few things, which should've been explored, and it could've been a little shorter. Still, the more I look back on it the richer and more rewarding an experience it seems - how often can you say that about a film these days. - Garth Franklin

Wilmer Valderrama is Ponch in CHiPs Movie

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wilmer Valderrama will star as motorcycle cop Ponch in Warner Bros. Pictures' big-screen version of CHiPs. The studio has just acquired the rights for the TV series and has set Paul Kaplan and Mark Torgove to adapt.

Erik Estrada famously originated the Ponch role in CHiPs, which ran on NBC in the late 1970s and followed the adventures of California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers Francis Ponch Poncherello and Jon Baker. Larry Wilcox played Baker. The show had a serious macho tone, but over the years has achieved a cheesy, cult status. Sources say the project was built around the involvement of Valderrama, best known as Fez on That '70s Show.

Memoirs of Geisha

Well, Rob Marshall did it again. With a little help from Executive Producer, Steven Speilberg and a phenomenal cast; Marshall has created a masterpiece.

This hauntingly beautiful film leaps off the screen.

The film adaptation of Arthur Golden's best-selling novel Memoirs of a Geisha was met with mixed reaction at its world premiere in Tokyo Tuesday, amid concerns about its portrayal of Japanese culture. Despite much anticipation, the project has drawn criticism from different camps in Japan and China. (Which we at The Hollywood Bureau think is a load of crap.......but we will let them state their opinion!)

In Japan, critics have questioned whether a Hollywood movie can accurately depict the nuanced culture of geishas – the women trained from childhood in music, dance and conversation in order to be elegant companions to wealthy men. In the past, geishas have been portrayed outside the country as nothing more than glorified prostitutes.

Director Rob Marshall, whose last film project was the Oscar-winning musical Chicago, has defended the cast during recent media events in advance of the premiere. "I have a very simple philosophy about casting, and that is: cast the best person for the role," Marshall told reporters Tuesday. "The demands were enormous and Ziyi Zhang was the best."

At a press conference Monday, Zhang herself stressed that it's a milestone for a Hollywood film to have a largely Asian cast. She also said that the film is an amazing opportunity to showcase the skills of Asian actors before a worldwide audience.

The lavish, joint U.S.-Japan production, which was at one point to be directed by Steven Spielberg, tells the story of a poor fisherman's daughter sold into life as a geisha. She rises to become one of the most celebrated geishas in 1920s Kyoto.

Before filming, the actresses in Geisha submitted to a sort of "geisha boot camp" for six weeks in an attempt to quickly acquire skills that took real geishas a lifetime to develop.

Arthur Golden's 1997 novel in which the film is based spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and sold millions of copies.

The film opens in limited release December 9th - DON'T MISS THIS FILM EXPERIENCE!!!

Kudos to those responsible for the Post Premiere Party for "Memoirs of Geisha" -- Columbia Pictures transformed Manhattan's Central Park Boathouse into era-esque Japan including costume clothed Geishas to greet VIP's like Doug Wick, Harvey Weinstein, Regis, Oscar de la Renta and edgy Justin Thoreax.

Looking out across the water from the Central Park Boathouse was simply heaven as the lights from New York City twinkled and glowed atop the water.

Other premieres were held to promote the opening of the film all across the globe, from Los Angeles to Tokyo.

King Kong's Monster Premiere in New York City

The world premiere of KING KONG finally took place in New York City. The screening was a monster of an event that attracted thousands – a huge life-size Kong was erected towering over Times Square where the $292 million dollar film spilled out on 38 giant screens, each playing the highly anticipated movie simultaneously for 8,000-seated guests.

New York ground to a relative halt — the event shut down a large section of 42nd Street, one of NYC’s busiest thoroughfares as A-list guests arrived to walk the long red carpet. Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jamie Bell, Collin Hanks and Jack Black all showed up to support their movie, which has received rave reviews throughout the world.

Even the Mayor of New York Michael R. Bloomberg officially pronounced "King Kong Day" on December 5, 2005. Even George Lucas showed up to lend his support to the film. In addition to Glen Close, Donald Trump, Tim Robbins, Lindsay Lohan and Will Ferrel.

After the screening stars and guests alike were shipped by coach to the post premiere party held on a West Side pier. Here the guests could sample various contrived delights from the Skull Island section complete with waterfall and a burlesque show filled with dancing dogs. There was a brilliant 1930’s club with ballroom dancers lavishly created for the VIP’s.

Audience reaction to the film has been largely positive, with many in awe of the production. This was one giant movie that is going to be “big” for the holiday box office.

The King Kong World Tour continues with premieres in Berlin on Wednesday and Thursday night in London’s famous Leicester Square.

2006 Academy Awards Posters

Beverly Hills, CA — For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has chosen a pair of vintage photographs to celebrate the 78th Annual Academy Awards. "Black Tuxedo" and "White Gloves" showcase two actors holding the coveted statuette moments after receiving the award. The posters will be used to promote the the annual awards presentation, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Selected from among several hundred entries, the concept chosen by the Academy was presented by Joan Maloney, founder and president of the San Diego-based graphic design firm, Studio 318.

Every January, when the calendar has turned to a new year, the attention of the entertainment community and of film fans around the world turns to the upcoming Academy Awards. Oscar Fever hits, building to the crescendo of the annual presentation of golden statuettes, when hundreds of millions of cinema lovers glue themselves to their television sets to learn who will receive the highest honor in filmmaking.

The Academy Awards be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST.

Oprah Makes PEACE With the King of Late Night

It would have been the biggest slap in the face to David Letterman had Oprah not agreed to stop by and say hello to him. She was in the neighborhood – literally-- next door. Oprah produced a musical version of "The Color Purple" that opened last night right across the street from the old Ed Sullivan Theater, where Letterman's show calls home.

"Could you please tell me what has transpired?" Oprah asked Letterman, smiling sweetly. "I have never for a moment had a feud with you."

Despite repeated requests from Letterman, Oprah had refused to return to his show for "16 and 1/2" years. Two years ago she told a Time magazine reporter that she would not go on Letterman's show because, in the '80s when he was on NBC, "I was sort of like the butt of his jokes. I felt completely uncomfortable sitting in that chair, and I vowed I would not ever put myself in that position again."

"This is the television event of the decade," Dave gushed, introducing Oprah as an "icon," "humanitarian" and "Broadway producer."

Oprah brought him a present wrapped in bright purple wrapping paper. The present was a framed autographed picture of Oprah and Uma Thurman, the ladies who, just a few days earlier on Oprah's syndicated show, had discussed Letterman and his now famous joke with which he'd opened the Academy Awards in 1995 -- "Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah." They've never forgotten the joke, they told Oprah's viewers, because they're both very, very sensitive about their first names.

Letterman said he could not thank Oprah enough for finally agreeing to be a guest on his show: "It means a great deal to me, and I'm just very happy you're here."

"Does it really?" Winfrey asked. "I've been hearing for the past week you talking about it, and I didn't know if you were really serious or you were just doing your 'Dave thing.'

"You have meant something to the lives of people," he said. "We're just a TV show."

He stuck with that theme for some time: "It's more than a show," he said of her syndicated daily program. "It's a mission," she agreed. "I can't believe you're being this serious!" she said repeatedly.

In 1989, Letterman's NBC show traveled to Chicago, and Oprah was his guest for what would be the last time -- until last night.

Letterman ended the historical peace talks by escorting Oprah all the way out of the Ed Sullivan Theater – onto the street (where there must have been a million fans lined up to witness this historic event) and then planting her on the front door of her theater for the premiere of "The Color Purple," with cameras rolling the entire time.

Syriana

“Corruption charges...corruption? Corruption is government intrusion into market efficiencies in the form of regulation. That’s Milton Friedman. He got a goddamn Nobel Prize. We have laws against it precisely so we can get away with it. Corruption is our protection. Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the street. Corruption...is why we win.”

From writer/director Stephen Gaghan, winner of the Best Screenplay Academy Award for Traffic, comes Syriana, a political thriller that unfolds against the intrigues and corruption of the global oil industry. From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, the film’s multiple storylines weave together to illuminate the human consequences of the fierce pursuit of wealth and power.The intrigue takes place against the backdrop of an oil-producing Gulf country, where young, charismatic and reform-minded Prince Nasir (ALEXANDER SIDDIG) is seeking to change long-established relationships with U.S. business interests. Nasir, the apparent heir to the throne, has just granted natural gas drilling rights -- long held by Connex, a Texas energy giant -- to a higher Chinese bid. This is a huge blow to Connex and American business interests in the region. Killen, a smaller Texas oil company owned by Jimmy Pope (CHRIS COOPER), has just won the very competitive drilling rights to coveted fields in Kazakhstan. This makes Killen very attractive to Connex, who now needs new territory to maintain its production capacity.

When the two companies merge, the pending deal attracts the scrutiny of the Justice Dept., and Sloan Whiting, a powerful white-shoe Washington law firm, is brought in to perform due diligence. Bob Barnes (GEORGE CLOONEY) is a veteran CIA agent nearing the end of a long and respectable career, with a son headed for college (MAX MINGHELLA) and the possibility of spending the latter days of his service in a cushy desk job. A devoted company man, Bob’s always been a true believer that his work benefits his government and makes his country a safer place. In Bob’s last assignment, an assassination of two arms dealers in Tehran, a Stinger missile falls into the hands of a mysterious blue-eyed Egyptian. On his return to Washington, Bob is promised a promotion after one last undercover mission -- assassinating Prince Nasir.

But when one of his field contacts turns on him and the assassination attempt goes terribly awry, Bob is scapegoated by the CIA, betrayed by the organization to which he has devoted his life. As he searches to understand what has happened, he begins to realize that he has been lied to -- used as a pawn and never privy to the real motivation for the assignments he has blindly carried out for years. Bennett Holiday (JEFFREY WRIGHT) is an ambitious Washington attorney at Sloan Whiting, in charge of the delicate task of guiding the Connex-Killen merger through the deep waters of D.C. He needs to give the Justice Department enough material to make their case against Killen for its shady dealings in Kazakhstan without jeopardizing the entire deal. It’s in the company and the country’s interest that the merger go through. It also serves Bennett’s ambitions -- ambitions fueled by a father (WILLIAM C. MITCHELL) he is constantly at odds with.

Energy analyst Bryan Woodman (MATT DAMON) is a rising star at an Energy Trading Company, living with his wife Julie (AMANDA PEET) and their two young sons in Geneva. When he attends a party thrown by Prince Nasir’s family, a tragic accident results in the death of Bryan’s young son. Nasir attempts to make amends for what happened, offering Bryan a business opportunity to help the young leader realize his reformist ideas -- an opportunity Bryan embraces, to the dismay of his grieving wife. Dean Whiting (CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER), Bennett’s boss, the head of Sloan Whiting and one of the most powerful men in Washington, is trying to undo Nasir’s deal with the Chinese. He knows that Nasir’s younger, more callow brother, Prince Meshal (AKBAR KURTHA), will be more amenable to American business interests and he pressures the aging Emir to choose his younger son to succeed him, effectively engineering Nasir’s political demise.

At the other end of the wage scale in Nasir’s country are the migrant laborers toiling in its energy fields, whose lives are directly and drastically affected by the royal family’s policies and the vagaries of the industry. Connex workers Saleem Ahmed Kahn (SHAHID AHMED) and his son Wasim (MAZHAR MUNIR) have just been laid off from their jobs in the fields when the Chinese take them over, and their future becomes increasingly uncertain as they search in vain for work before their visas run out. Saleem dreams of someday returning to Pakistan; his son hopes for a better life but quickly becomes disillusioned and angry at the way he and his father are treated as immigrant workers in the Gulf. Wasim and his friend Farooq (SONNELL DADRAL) find solace at the local madrassa, a place where they are treated with dignity in an otherwise bleak and unfamiliar world. At the madrassa, Wasim and Farooq are taken under the wing of a charismatic and dangerous recruiter -- the blue-eyed Egyptian with the missing Stinger missile.

Sheiks and field workers, government inspectors and international spies, rich and poor, the famous and infamous -- each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, none realizing the true extent of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world.