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'Hunger Games' earns $21.5M to slap down 'Stooges'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Movie fans have chosen real violence over the slapstick variety as "The Hunger Games" held off "The Three Stooges" to remain the No. 1 weekend movie.

Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games," the blockbuster about teens competing in a televised fight to the death, stayed on top for a fourth-straight weekend with $21.5 million. That raises the film's domestic total to $337.1 million.

"I think a couple of weeks ago, if someone had told us where we'd be, we would have said, 'We'd like to see that number, but it would be a pleasant surprise.' So we're in that pleasant surprise spot at this point," said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Lionsgate.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly's slapstick update "The Three Stooges" opened in second-place with $17.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That was well above industry expectations of around $10 million for the 20th Century Fox update starring Chris Diamantopoulos as Moe, Sean Hayes as Larry and Will Sasso as Curly.

Fox executives had figured the movie would appeal mainly to young males. But it also pulled in older men who grew up on the Stooges and a fair number of women and girls as whole families turned out to see it, said Chris Aronson, the studio's head of distribution.

"If you're predisposed to open your mind, it's a laugh riot," Aronson said.

The acclaimed horror tale "The Cabin in the Woods" debuted in third-place with $14.9 million. A smart, twisting take on the genre produced and co-written by Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), the long-delayed "Cabin in the Woods" had been one of the films caught up in MGM's bankruptcy but was finally released by Lionsgate.

On the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking on April 15, 1912, the 3-D version of James Cameron's "Titanic" sailed past the $2 billion mark worldwide.

"Titanic" is just the second blockbuster to top $2 billion, trailing only the next film Cameron made — the sci-fi sensation "Avatar," which took in $2.8 billion.

Domestically, "Titanic" held the No. 4 spot with $11.6 million. The 3-D re-release has taken in $44.4 million domestically to lift the film's lifetime total to $645.2 million.

"Titanic" also pulled in $88.2 million in 69 overseas markets, including a huge $58 million 3-D debut in China. That brought the 3-D reissue's overseas total to $146.4 million and the worldwide sum for re-release to $190.8 million.

Added to the $1.84 billion take from the original release of the 1997 hit, "Titanic" has climbed to a lifetime total of about $2.03 billion.

Another big overseas haul came with Universal's "Battleship," which opened with $58 million in 26 countries five weeks ahead of its U.S. debut on May 18. The action tale featuring Taylor Kitsch and Liam Neeson is inspired by the game Battleship.

"The Hunger Games" added $15 million overseas to bring its international total to $194 million and its worldwide haul to $531 million.

The weekend's other new domestic wide release, Film District's sci-fi story "Lockout," opened at No. 9 with $6.3 million. The movie stars Guy Pearce trying to quell an uprising at an orbiting space prison.

With no big new debut on the domestic front, the overall box office slipped for only the second weekend this year. Domestic revenues totaled $117 million, down 10 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Rio" led with $39.2 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

Domestic revenues this year are at $2.98 billion, 19.3 percent ahead of 2011's, putting Hollywood on a record money pace with a big summer lineup just weeks away. The superhero tale "The Avengers" kicks off the summer season May 4.

Revenues may continue to lag over the next couple of weeks compared to last year, when the action hit "Fast Five" boosted business just before the summer season.

"This year, we don't really have something like that, but with the 20 percent lead we have over last year, we don't really need it. We are in terrific shape going into summer," said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Hunger Games," $21.5 million ($15 million international).

2. "The Three Stooges," $17.1 million.

3. "The Cabin in the Woods," $14.9 million.

4. "Titanic" in 3-D, $11.6 million ($88.2 million international).

5. "American Reunion," $10.6 million ($11.8 million international).

6. "Mirror Mirror," $7 million.

7. "Wrath of the Titans," $6.9 million.

8. "21 Jump Street," $6.8 million.

9. "Lockout," $6.3 million.

10. "Dr. Seuss' the Lorax," $3 million.

Source:yahoo.com

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J.K. Rowling's next book: 'The Casual Vacancy'

LONDON (AP) — It may lack wizards and witches, but J.K. Rowling and her publisher are hoping her first novel for adults, "The Casual Vacancy," will have the magic touch.

The book's title was announced Thursday by Little, Brown & Co. along with a brief plot synopsis and publication date.

The publisher said the "blackly comic" tale of rivalry and duplicity in a small English town would be available worldwide on Sept. 27.

The book will be Rowling's first post-Potter effort. Her seven-volume saga about the adventures of a boy wizard became one of the most successful fictional series in history and led to a series of extremely popular films.

The new book, aimed at a grown-up audience, will be set in a seemingly idyllic English town called Pagford which is described as far more menacing than its pretty facade would indicate.

It opens with the sudden death of a popular man whose unexpected demise shocks the town. The battle for his seat on the local council sets off "the biggest war the town has yet seen," with rich people fighting poor, parents battling their teenagers, and wives in conflict with their husbands.

The publisher said the 480-page novel will be sold as an e-book and audio download as well as in traditional hardback form.

The seven Harry Potter novels have sold 450 million copies and have been translated into 74 languages.

Rowling's final Potter offering, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was published in 2007. She published a short Potter spin-off collection of stories, "The Tales Of Beedle The Bard," in 2008.

Rowling said earlier this year she wanted to reach an adult audience, but kept the book's name and publication date secret until Thursday.

In the past, many successful children's writers have struggled to remake themselves as adult authors. Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne, a successful playwright in his early years, once confessed that he was forced to say "goodbye to all that" after his beloved books about the bear and friends.

But Rowling has one advantage: the Potter books had a huge adult, as well as child, audience.

Jon Howells of British book store chain Waterstones said "The Casual Vacancy" would likely be the year's best-selling novel.

He said the synopsis came as a surprise and suggested similarities to the work of popular mystery writer Alexander McCall Smith and Mark Haddon, a children's writer who had a huge adult hit with "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time."

"We were all expecting some sort of crime or mystery novel, but she has, refreshingly, surprised us all," Howells said.

"The plot sounds like it will have hints of Mark Haddon and McCall Smith, and the promise of black comedy is very beguiling."

Source: yahoo.com

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Justin Bieber: I’m Just Trying to Make Selena Happy

That cute little guy we know as Justin Bieber isn't so little anymore. In case you haven't noticed, the Biebs, who turned 18 last month, is quickly becoming more mature, and seems to be making more sense almost every time he opens his mouth. The "Baby" singer shared some of his pearls of wisdom in a new interview with Seventeenmagazine.

First, Bieber spoke openly about his career, which only seems stronger after his successful holiday album, Under the Mistletoe, and his latest hit single, "Boyfriend." Although a lot of people have questioned whether the pint-sized pop star will be able to hold on to his fans as he ages, Justin doesn't sound worried about it at all. "A lot of times, when artists grow older, they lose their younger fans because they're just trying to get older fans," he reveals to the mag. "But if you try to make good music, then you'll just appease everybody. I just want to make music that's good for everybody."

The teen also doesn't mind if he does some good for others along the way. He's already launched the Believe Charity Drive to help kids with cancer and music education, and he's a major supporter of Pencils of Promise, a non-profit organization that supports local schools. Now he's doing his part to end world hunger. "Recently, there were so many things in my [concert] rider that went to waste, so I took a lot of things off my rider," Justin admits. "Every day we were buying all this stuff and it was just sitting there. I got rid of it. I didn't want to waste all the food."

Someone who's probably pretty pleased with the way Justin is turning out is his girlfriend, Selena Gomez, 19. The two appear to be going strong after more than a year together, but it doesn't sound like the pop star's anywhere near taking his gal for granted. "I'm just trying to make her happy, that's all," he says. "I think it's important to make all women feel like they're princesses, because every girl is a princess. I'm serious." Aw, sweet! We'll see if he still agrees with that statement after a few bad breakups...

No matter what happens, though, the Biebs says he's prepared, thanks to the talented man who discovered him, Usher. "From the beginning, he told me to put family first and you'll always succeed, because your family will never leave you," Justin explains. "He told me to always stay humble and never forget where I came from."

Sounds like good advice to me!

Source: yahoo.com

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One Direction: 5 Things You Need to Know

Boy band mania is back!

British-Irish quintet One Direction first made a splash when they came in third on the U.K.'s X Factor in 2010, and now the group is gaining traction Stateside, with the guys acting as the musical guests on this weekend's Sofia Vergara-hosted Saturday Night Live.

PHOTOS: Stars' funniest SNL moments

Ahead of the group's SNL performance, Us Weekly uncovers five things you must know about the hot new group, comprised of Niall Horan, 18, Zayn Malik, 19, Liam Payne, 18, Harry Styles, 18, and Louis Tomlinson, 20.

1. Signed to Columbia Records, the quintet is experiencing success similar to that of Beatlemania back in the day. Seeing their first album, Up All Night, debut at No. 1 on theBillboard 200 charts, One Direction is the first U.K. band in history to earn that honor. "People think that a boy band is air-grabs and being dressed in all one color. We're boys in a band. We're trying to do something different from what people would think is the typical kind of boy band," 1D's Horan has said. "We're trying to do different kinds of music and we're just trying to be ourselves, not squeaky clean."

PHOTOS: Stars in concert

2. Sorry, ladies! Band member Tomlinson is officially off the market, having dated Manchester University politics and sociology major Eleanor Calder since 2011. "She is a couple of years older than Louis, but the lads in the band think she's the female version of Louis," an insider told the U.K. Sun newspaper of model Calder. "She is gobby, loud and confident but pretty laid-back at the same time."

3. They came together by chance. All auditioning for The X Factor as solo artists, the members were put together into a group at the suggestion of guest X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger. Following their X Factor stint, the group signed with Simon Cowell's Syco Records and toured as part of the X Factor Live Tour in the U.K. They'll tour the U.S. -- making a stop at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden -- starting this spring.

PHOTOS: Simon Cowell before he was on X Factor

4. Band member Payne has had his fair share of heath scares before hitting it big. As a kid, he had a kidney removed. "I don't drink at all because I have one kidney," he told Metro last fall. "I have just turned 18 but I don't touch alcohol at all. It's just a choice to be on the safe side."

PHOTOS: Celeb health scares

5. Though they're just now taking hold in the U.S., Malik has long admired his North American entertainment industry peers. In fact, he's a big fan of Justin Timberlake! "My man crush...probably... Justin Timberlake," the singer has said. "He's a cool guy."

Source: yahoo.com

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Justin Bieber: "I'm Loving and Patient" With Selena Gomez

Young love!

Justin Bieber may have just turned 18, but in a new interview with Radio Disney, he proves that he's wise beyond his brand-new "legally adult" status when it comes to knowing the key to a successful relationship.

"It's just about being honest with one another," he tells host Jake ofCelebrity Take with Jake about how he and his equally-as-famous love,Selena Gomez, maintain theirrelationship in the midst of Hollywood's stressors.

"You just have to be honest, that's the first thing, because if you're not honest, then the relationship is just not a good relationship. At the end of the day, your girl would appreciate you being honest more than lying to her and vice versa.

In her March interview with Cosmopolitan, Gomez, 19, showed that she and her beau's expectations line up with each other's. "If you're in love, you're in love to the fullest, and you just want to go to the movies, hang out, and be as normal as possible. I'm fortunate that I've found someone who has that philosophy."

Bieber and Gomez began dating in 2010 and have since been spotted packing on the PDA across the globe. In October, the Canadian crooner surprised the former Disney starlet by renting out an entire movie theater so the pair could watch Real Steel in private.

In "Boyfriend," Bieber debuts a more mature side of his musical career. The chorus of the first song off his forthcoming album, Believe, has the lyrics: "If I was your boyfriend, never let you go / Keep you on my arm girl, you'd never be alone / I can be a gentleman, anything you want / If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go / I'd never let you go"

Source: yahoo.com

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'Lorax' trumps 'John Carter' with $39.1M weekend

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Dr. Seuss' the Lorax" has easily beaten Edgar Rice Burroughs' "John Carter" at the weekend box office.

Studio estimates Sunday put Universal Pictures' "The Lorax" at No. 1 for the second-straight weekend as the animated adventure based on the children's book took in $39.1 million. That raised its 10-day domestic total to $122 million, making "The Lorax" the top-grossing movie released this year.

"John Carter," based on "Tarzan" creator Burroughs' tales of the interplanetary adventurer, opened in second-place with $30.6 million. That's an awful start given the whopping $250 million that Disney reportedly spent to make "John Carter," which also earned generally poor reviews that will hurt its long-term prospects.

The movie's salvation could come overseas, where "John Carter" opened in 55 markets with $70.6 million, giving it a worldwide total of $101.2 million.

The stronger international business helps, but that worldwide total still pales compared to global debuts of $200 million and up for many modern blockbusters.

"We would have hoped for more considering the larger economics of the film but are still encouraged with how it's been received by audiences that have seen it and hope to see that generate positive word of mouth for the balance of the run," said Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution.

The Warner Bros. teen comedy "Project X" held up well in its second weekend with $11.6 million to finish at No. 3 and raise its domestic haul to $40.1 million.

Elizabeth Olsen's horror tale "Silent House," released by Open Road Films, opened modestly at No. 4 with $7 million. Olsen plays a young woman terrorized inside her family's spooky summer home.

Eddie Murphy's comedy "A Thousand Words," a leftover shot in 2008 and finally dumped into theaters by distributor Paramount, was a dud at No. 6 with just $6.4 million.

The movie features Murphy as a fast-talking literary agent and neglectful family man who gets a lesson on the important things in life after discovering he has only a thousand words left to utter before he dies.

"A Thousand Words" was so bad it had a perfect score on the film critic site Rottentomatoes.com: all of the 37 reviews compiled there for the movie were negative.

"John Carter" at least managed 49 percent favorable notices of the 170 reviews compiled there. That's still not a recipe for staying power at the box office, particularly with such a bad opening in the United States.

"If you just take the domestic number, it's not a very pretty picture," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "But if you look at the worldwide opening weekend of a hundred million dollars, that's pretty solid."

"John Carter" casts "Friday Night Lights" co-star Taylor Kitsch in the title role as a 19th century Civil War veteran whisked away to Mars, where he falls for a beautiful princess and becomes a hero in the red planet's own civil war.

Disney executives noted that the movie had a 25 percent uptick in domestic business from opening day Friday to Saturday, saying it was a sign that audiences were talking up "John Carter" to friends.

But the movie drew only 41 percent of its viewers from the under-25 crowd, indicating that Hollywood's key audience of young action fans was not interested.

Overall domestic business rose again as studios continued their 2012 box-office roll. Revenues totaled $140.5 million, up 8.7 percent from the same weekend last year, according to Hollywood.com.

Receipts have climbed every weekend this year, with domestic revenues inching above $2 billion so far in 2012, an 18 percent increase over last year's.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Dr. Seuss' the Lorax," $39.1 million ($1.4 million international).

2. "John Carter," $30.6 million ($70.6 million international).

3. "Project X," $11.6 million.

4. "Silent House," $7.01 million.

5. "Act of Valor," $7 million.

6. "A Thousand Words," $6.4 million.

7. "Safe House," $5 million ($6.1 million international).

8. "The Vow," $4 million ($2.4 million international).

9. "This Means War," $3.8 million.

10. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," $3.7 million.

Source: yahoo.com

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Weekend Pick: ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’

What's the Story?
In a plastic land with nary a tree, Ted (Zac Efron) is infatuated with an older girl named Audrey (Taylor Swift). When Audrey tells Ted that what she wants most in the world is to see a Truffula tree, Ted knows what he must do. After getting some advice from his Grammy (Betty White), Ted hops on his monocycle and seeks out the mysterious Once-ler (Ed Helms) to find out where all the Truffula trees have gone. The Once-ler tells Ted the story of the Lorax (Danny DeVito), who used to speak for the trees, and challenges Ted not to accept the plastic land he's been dealt.
Who Will Dig It?
Fans of Dr. Seuss adaptations, scintillating 3D, stunning animation, family fun, musicals, and magical adventures should check out this flick for kids of all ages. Don't forget to recycle your ticket stub.

Source: yahoo.com

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Taylor Swift asks NJ teen to country music awards

SOMERDALE, N.J. (AP) —Taylor Swift has a date for theAcademy of Country Music awards.

The country star asked a fan,Kevin McGuire of Somerdale, N.J., to the awards show.McGuire is 18 and has leukemia. His sister had started a campaign on Facebook to get Swift to go with him to his prom.

Swift writes in a Facebook post of her own that she can't make it to the prom, but that she'd like for McGuire to accompany her to the awards ceremonyApril 1 in Las Vegas. She is nominated for three awards.

A spokesman for Swift confirms that she wrote the post. A post on the Facebook page for McGuire thanks her for the invitation. His sister did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Source: yahoo.com

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Whitney Houston remembered at NJ hometown funeral

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Clapping hands and swaying to gospel hymns in the church where Whitney Houston's powerful voice once wowed her congregation, the biggest names in entertainment sang along with the choir to remember the pop superstar at her hometown funeral Saturday.

"We are here today, hearts broken but yet with God's strength we celebrate the life of Whitney Houston," the Rev. Joe A. Carter told the packed New Hope Baptist Church after the choir behind him sang "The Lord is My Shepherd."

Mourners including singer Jennifer Hudson and Houston's mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, stood, swayed and clapped along in the aisles. Gospel singers BeBe Winans and the Rev. Kim Burrell joined with pop stars like Alicia Keys in paying tribute to the 48-year-old pop superstar who first began singing in the Newark church.

"You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime," said music mogul Clive Davis, who shepherded Houston's career for decades.

The service had lighthearted moments too — Kevin Costner imagining a young Houston using her winning smile to get out of trouble, Houston's cousin Dionne Warwick offering short insights about the singer.

Others were more mournful; singer Ray J., who spent time with Houston during her last days, broke down crying. His sister, singer Brandy, put her arm around him. Cissy Houston and Houston's daughter, 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina, clutched each other. Toward the end of the service, Bobbi Kristina and Ray J. embraced at length and spoke. Others gathered near the front of the church and hugged each other.

The most powerful moment was reserved for the end. As Houston's casket was carried out, her hit "I Will Always Love You" played. Bobbi Kristina began crying, and the sobs of Houston's mother rang throughout the church.

"My baby!" she wailed.

Stevie Wonder and Oprah Winfrey were among the biggest names gathered to mourn Houston, along with Hudson, Monica, Brandy and Jordin Sparks — representing a generation of big-voiced young singers who grew up emulating her.

Costner, her co-star in "The Bodyguard," which spawned her greatest hit, remembered a movie star who was uncertain of her own fame, who "still wondered, 'Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me?'"

"It was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end," Costner said.

Filmmaker Tyler Perry praised Houston's "grace that kept on carrying her all the way through, the same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts. She sang for presidents."

Warwick presided over the funeral, introducing speakers and singers.

Houston's mother was helped by two people on either side of her as she walked in and sat with her granddaughter and other family to begin the service. Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, briefly appeared at her funeral, walking to the casket, touching it and walking out. He later said in a statement that he and his children were asked repeatedly to move and he left rather than risk creating a scene.

As the funeral began, mourners fell quiet as three police officers escorted Houston's casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies. White-robed choir members began to fill the pews on the podium. As the band played softly, the choir sang in a hushed voice, "Whitney, Whitney, Whitney."

Close family friend Aretha Franklin, whom Houston lovingly called "Aunt Ree," had been expected to sing at the service, but she was too ill to attend. Franklin said in an email to The Associated Press that she had been up most of the night with leg spasms and sent best wishes to the family. "May God bless and keep them all," she wrote.

A program featuring a picture of Houston looking skyward read "Celebrating the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston, a child of God." Pictures of Houston as a baby, with her mother and daughter filled the program.

"I never told you that when you were born, the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long," Cissy Houston wrote her daughter in a letter published in the program. "And I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years."

"Rest, my baby girl in peace," the letter ends, signed "mommie."

The service marks one week after Houston, one of music's all-time biggest stars, was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel in California. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

To the world, Houston was the pop queen with the perfect voice, the dazzling diva with regal beauty, a troubled superstar suffering from addiction and, finally, another victim of the dark side of fame.

To her family and friends, she was just "Nippy." A nickname given to Houston when she was a child, it stuck with her through adulthood and, later, would become the name of one of her companies. To them, she was a sister, a friend, a daughter, and a mother.

"She always had the edge," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said outside church Saturday. "You can tell when some kids have what we call a special anointing. Aretha had that when she was 14. ... Whitney cultivated that and took it to a very high level."

A few fans gathered Saturday morning hours before the service as close as they could get to the church, some from as far away as Washington, D.C., and Miami. Bobby Brooks said he came from Washington "just to be among the rest of the fans."

"Just to celebrate her life, not just her death," said Brooks, "just to sing and dance with the people that love her."

Others were more entrepreneurial, setting up card tables to sell silk-screened T-shirts with Houston's image and her CDs. But only the invited would get close to the church; streets were closed to the public for blocks in every direction. But their presence was felt around the church, with a huge shrine of heart-shaped balloons and personal messages that covered the street corner around the church entrance.

Houston's death marked the final chapter for the superstar whose fall from grace while shocking was years in the making. Houston had her first No. 1 hit by the time she was 22, followed by a flurry of No. 1 songs and multi-platinum records.

Over her career, she sold more than 50 million records in the United States alone. Her voice, an ideal blend of power, grace and beauty, made classics out of songs like "Saving All My Love For You," ''I Will Always Love You," ''The Greatest Love of All" and "I'm Every Woman." Her six Grammys were only a fraction of her many awards.

But amid the fame, a turbulent marriage to Brown and her addiction to drugs tarnished her image. She became a woman falling apart in front of the world.

Her last album, "I Look To You," debuted on the top of the charts when it was released in 2009 with strong sales, but didn't have the staying power of her previous records. A tour the next year was doomed by cancellations because of illness and sub-par performances.

Still, a comeback was ahead: She was to star in the remake of the movie "Sparkle" and was working on new music. Her family, friends and hard-core fans were hopeful.

The funeral is for invited guests only. Houston is to be buried next to her father, John Houston, in nearby Westfield, N.J.

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Contributing to this report were AP Global Entertainment and Lifestyles Editor Alicia Quarles and Entertainment Writer Mesfin Fekadu.

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Online:

http://www.whitneyhouston.com