Pop Culture/Entertainment Watch 10/1/06
Box Office Report: "Open Season" comes out on top: Everything fell nicely into place at this weekend's box office. (Granted the final result isn't what I would call quality entertainment, but still...I did get the top 5 right, so Kudos to me!) Open Season had enough kiddie interest to grab the top spot, earning an estimated $23.0 million according to early estimates. In second place, The Guardian debuted to $17.7 million, proving once again that no matter how hard he tries, Kevin Costner can't open a film like he used to. (If he ever used to...it's not like his name is Tom Cruise, which nowadays isn't what it once was.) Jackass Number Two dropped 52% in its second week, adding $14.0 million to its total haul of $51.5 million. School for Scoundrels landed in fourth place with $9.0 million, while Jet Li's Fearless rounded out the top 5 with $4.7 million. The full list of the Top 10 appears below.
1. Open Season -- $23.0 million
2. The Guardian -- $17.7 million
3. Jackass Number Two -- $14.0 million
4. School for Scoundrels -- $9.0 million
5. Jet Li's Fearless -- $4.7 million
6. Gridiron Gang -- $4.5 million
7. The Illusionist -- $2.9 million
8. Flyboys -- $2.3 million
9. The Black Dahlia -- $2.1 million
10. Little Miss Sunshine -- $2.0 million
Rumor Mill: Are Eva Longoria and Tony Parker done?: It seems so: Eva Longoria and her sports star boyfriend Tony Parker have ended their 18-month romance, according to insiders. The couple's split comes at an awkward time -- they've just bought a house together in Los Angeles and they've spent much of 2006 renovating a dream homein Texas. A friend close to the couple says: "Eva decided in the end that Tony was not the right one for her." The insider concludes that one reason Eva decided to call off the relationship was their seven-year age difference: "She just decided he's too young." My other source confirms all this, saying: "They did break up. It's amicable. They are talking and trying to figure the best course of action for their future. They are trying to work things out." Hey, Eva, there's always the gardener, right?
The king of Sitcomland is... Charlie Sheen?: When did this happen? It's hard to believe, but the inside rumor is that Charlie Sheen is about to sign a deal worth $350,000 per episode. That's not Friends money (or Frasier or Everybody Loves Raymond money), but then, Two and a Half Men isn't "Friends." I find this slightly hard to believe, but the real question is does Sheen really deserve to be the top-earning sitcom star? Yeah, his show is TV's most-watched comedy, but let's imagine for a moment that TV salaries were based on merit. Shouldn't it be someone worth laughing over? Who, then, would deserve top pay? Jason Lee? Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Steve Carell? Post it!
'Studio 60' actress Amanda Peet weds: Amanda Peet and screenwriter David Benioff were married in New York City on Saturday evening. The bride and groom exchanged vows in a ceremony held at the actress's alma mater, Friends Seminary, a Quaker school founded in 1786. Peet, who appears in the new NBC drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Benioff, who wrote the screenplays for 25th Hour and Troy, are expecting a child together, according to their rep. Congrats to the lovely duo.
Until next time, Peace out!
Anthony