In Monday afternoon’s round-up of news stories, Twilight rocketed atop the box office again. Liz & Dick is Lifetime is a ‘moderate’ success despite the hype. Dubai picks an opening film and highlights lineup. Susan Boyle may head to the big screen. And India is set for a Cannes fete. Twilight On Top at the Box Office Again Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 , the final installment of the vampire fantasy films, has topped the US box office for the second week in a row. Early estimates suggest it took $43.1 million between Friday and Sunday, James Bond film Skyfall was second with $36 million, followed by Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln with $25m (£15.6m). Domestic revenues for the year currently stand at $9.75 billion, with a strong December line-up still to come. The current annual domestic record is $10.6 billion, set in 2009, BBC reports . Liz & Dick Pulls In 3.5 Million Viewers The made for Lifetime TV movie about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was the fourth biggest viewed origin movie premiere on ad-supported cable this year. It drew 3 million less viewers than Steel Magnolias which played the network in October, Deadline reports . Life of Pi to Open Dubai International Film Festival The festival running December 9 – 16 will also include Hitchcock , Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Amour . The Sapphires will close out the event. Other highlights include Karzan by Kadar Bekas and Wadjda directed by Haiffa Al Mansour, Saudi’s first-ever female moviemaker to shoot a film on her own in the conservative country THR reports . Fox Searchlight Eyes Susan Boyle Biopic The company has picked up the life rights to Boyle’s story along with rights to the musical I Dreamed a Dream . The idea will be to merge the two to develop a re-imagined film version of the musical. A director and screenwriter are still pending, Deadline reports . Cannes to Fete India in 2013 It’s hard to believe Cannes news is beginning, but event organizers said it will commemorate the 100th anniversary of India’s film industry by making it the festival’s “Guest Country” for 2013. The home of Bollywood will be the third country to be honored by festival organizers following Egypt in 2011 and Brazil last year. The 66th annual Cannes film festival runs from May 15 to 26, The Guardian reports .
Jessica Chastain is riding a huge wave of Best Actress buzz this week for Katherine Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty , but let’s not forget the memorable impression she made earlier this year as a bootlegger’s moll in John Hillcoat’s brutal period drama Lawless . See Chastain, Shia LaBeouf , Tom Hardy , and the Lawless gang channel Depression-era chic in Movieline’s exclusive set of never-before-released photos from the Lawless set. I’m particularly enamored of this shot of Chastain as Maggie, the city girl with a past laying low with the Bondurant brothers, posing Bonnie Parker-style LIKE A BOSS. Head here for high-res versions of our exclusive Lawless set photos . Although these Lawless are only available here, the film hits DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday (November 27) with featurettes, audio commentary with director John Hillcoat and author (and Bondurant descendant) Matt Bondurant, deleted scenes and more. They were brothers who became outlaws, and outlaws who became heroes…The three Bondurant boys (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke), along with their sultry new hire (Jessica Chastain), command the most lucrative bootlegging operation in Franklin County, Virginia. The locals consider them “indestructible.” But the law – in the form of a corrupt special deputy (Guy Pearce) – wants a cut of their action, at any cost. When youngest brother Jack (LaBeouf) gets a taste of power with a deadly gangster (Gary Oldman), the whole business blows sky high. Based on the astonishing true story, the Bondurant brotherhood is the stuff of legend. READ MORE ON LAWLESS AT MOVIELINE ! Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
We have an update to the Ariel Winter saga . A judge ordered the 14-year old Modern Family star to remain under the care of her sister, Shantelle Grey, yesterday, as a Department of Children and Family Services determined charges of physical abuse were “unsubstantiated.” But it did cite evidence of emotional abuse by Ariel’s mother, Chrystal Workman . This same report recommended Ariel’s sibling be rewarded permanent guardianship, though a trial will eventually decide where the actress ends up long-term. Winter’s father, Glenn Workman , was represented at yesterday’s hearing and his lawyer suggested that his client could move into the family’s home if his ex-wife moved out. However, the judge ruled against such a notion, saying: “I have questions about the nature and strength of the relationship with her father.” With this ruling not in her favor, and with Ariel not set to return home in the near future, Chrystal told reporters afterward: “I love my daughter and I just want our family to be back together.”
Valeria Lukyanova, the Human Barbie, has been at the center of controversy for several weeks now. Is the 21-year-old Ukrainian’s “perfect” body even real? A new video of Valeria Lukyanova has raised further doubts, as she looks markedly different and more … well, more normal than photos of her online. Check it out: Valeria Lukyanova (Human Barbie) TheDirty (dot) com posted the video, which shows Lukyanova explaining that neck problems are the reason why her head is always tilted to the side. But the person who posted the video claims she’s a fraud. “This girl is a FRAUD. She had been badly photoshopping her photos since the beginning of her time online,” he/she writes. “Her videos aren’t photoshopped.” “Does she still look the same? There is a ton more of videos out there and as you can see from them, she looks nothing like she does when she photoshops her photos.” In the past, Lukyanova has denied both Photoshopping herself or receiving plastic surgery to maintain her eye-popping figure, which resembles a Barbie doll. She claims she uses make-up to complete her transformation, and that’s it. The model defended her looks during an interview she did while shooting a photo spread for V Magazine and claims her critics are just jealous of her: “Many people say bad things about people who want to perfect themselves. It’s hard work, but they dismiss it as something done by surgeons or computer artists.” “This is how they justify not wanting to strive for self-improvement.” Real or not … would you get it on with Human Barbie? Heck yeah! Heck no! Depends on alcohol consumption … I already own a Kim K. blowup doll, thanks. View Poll »
James Spader doesn’t just make a great lobbyist in in Lincoln . The actor, who provides welcome moments of comic relief as William N. Bilbo — the Democratic operative whose methods of persuasion prove invaluable to the passage of the 13th Amendment — gave an answer befitting a contemporary Beltway arm-twister when I asked him to name his favorite president. Noting that President Obama had just seen Lincoln “and had wonderful things to say about it,” Spader replied: “So, of course my favorite president today is, without a doubt, Barack Obama.” During a surprisingly honest discussion about the film, Spader talked about the kind of lobbying that’s done in Washington today versus the kind his character was involved in during Lincoln’s time. He also briefly addressed another kind of lobbying: the kind that takes place every year around this time in the run-up to the Academy Awards. Check out the videos below to see why Spader, ever charming, really does make the perfect lobbyist: Lincoln is now playing in theaters, and is a major Oscar contender. Follow Movieline on Twitter . Follow Grace Randolph on Twitter .
Calling the lobby before last night’s New York premiere of R. Kelly ‘s Trapped in the Closet an awkward scene wouldn’t do it justice: PR reps ran around, security locked down our electronics and scores of media folk shuffled about as all of our abilities to tell time went dark. But then something magical happened: Eric Lane walked in. He was followed by La Donna Tittle, and suddenly everyone stood around in awe of the two actors who are better known in this strange world as Twan and Rosie the Nosy Neighbor. It speaks to the weird magic behind R. Kelly’s self-described “hip hopera” — but really, let’s just say it’s a soap opera that rhymes — and how a one-night stand can transform into a character study about a group of people dealing with relationships, crime and a blind ho named Francine. And yet, the crowd that came out to see the latest installment in the Trapped franchise (airing on IFC Friday, November 23 at 9pm PT/ET) wasn’t there for spectacle. The audience assembled because of the assured promise that R. Kelly would continue to deliver revelations with his cult hit about adultery, midgets and how devastating a plot point that no one could find Chuck — once a throw-away character, now a series lynchpin — could be. Even the show itself turned into a meta-on-top-of-meta moment as Reverend Mosley hawked a “Trapped in the Closet” book (“There’s the Bible…and there’s this”) as characters gave Real World confessionals on an unnamed talk show. But when R. Kelly came out for a post-screening Q&A with E! ‘s Alicia Crowley, any questions were moot as he soaked in the applause. Answering a few questions, Kelly had this to say about the writing process behind the series: PHOTOS: New Images from R. Kelly’s ‘Trapped In The Closet’ “I sit in the studio all day, thinking of stupid stuff I have,” he said. Even when asked about a certain new chapter and how it chronicles the comically long trip to see a new character, “That’s me trying to say in a hilarious way, this guy’s way up in the building! You got to form a scene!” Kelly is adamant in keeping the Trapped series as silly as possible, not because it needs to be but because it appears to keep him sane while working in the studio. On writing the chapters, he explained, “It varies. I’m in the studio and it takes a while. I need to rhyme in order to write.” Even if he takes inspiration from his family (Rosie and Randolph are based on his grandparents, Lucius’ stutter on his stepfather) Kelly himself continues to provide fodder for his fans and the Trapped in the Closet mystique. On top of comparing Trapped to being an alien and calling himself and his actors astronauts, he announced he is considering a Broadway run for the series on top of the next installment, which will happen in “less than five years.” During the Q&A, Kelly delivered to his fans — he broke into song three times : An intro, a brief “Bump ‘n’ Grind” for a fan in the front row, and then an a cappella “I Believe I Can Fly” that got arms in the air and at least one lighter going in the theater to close out the night. Now here’s what makes Trapped In The Closet: Chapters 23-42 required Black Friday viewing: – It turns out blood is thicker than the finest p-p-p-pimp juice when we learn who Pimp Lucius is related to. – Speaking of Pimp Lucius, ever since he was almost converted by Reverend Mosley, he can hear the the voice of God. No, really. – We still don’t know how Tina got her twitch. – Kelly takes on two new roles: relationship counselor Dr. William Percy and a bad-ass, shark toothed gangster named Beeno (aka The Goat) who has a penchant for sunflower seeds and “stallions” (i.e. ladies in bikinis). – Sgt. James (Michael Kenneth Williams) doesn’t return (except for a brief shot)! Neither, as we knew, do Big Man, Bridget (save for a still shot in Chapter 23) or the Italians. – Perhaps in the cruelest fashion, “The Package” is finally revealed. But it is done in so in such a way that it feels like Kells took lessons in plot revelation from Damon Lindelof and it won’t officially pay off till the next series. – There’s certainly nothing as insane as a midget crapping himself, but the final Chapter IS a huge stand-out from everything thing else R. Kelly previously gave us. It’s so entertaining that it even gets a reprise during the credits, and had the entire crowd clapping along. – The next arc will focus on a talk show called “Out of the Closet.” We won’t spoil certain relationships, but a healthy amount of the teases point to a Jerry Springer-esque “confession” series with all the characters involved. – Seriously, Pimp Lucius? If ever a spin-off were to happen, this block of chapters gives the feeling that Kelly knows exactly who he’d focus on. In fact, if we had to wager who is the true star of this arc… let’s just say we wouldn’t stutter, but he definitely would. – We’re not going to say for sure, but there is a clear question asked at the beginning of Chapter 23 that won’t be resolved this time (SPOILER): ” Where’s Chuck? ” READ MORE ON R. KELLY’S TRAPPED IN THE CLOSET : WATCH: R. Kelly Gets Personal In ‘Trapped In The Closet’ Behind The Scenes (Plus: New Photos!) R. Kelly’s ‘Trapped In The Closet’ Might Be The Best Thing Ever, Forever John Lichman has written for The Playlist, Washington City Paper and does a fine Armond White impression. He tweets here .
Kevin Clash, the puppeteer who provides the voice of Elmo on “Sesame Street,” has officially resigned following allegations from a man who filed a lawsuit…
Last time we checked in with Mel B. she was on vacation in a bikini (and the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that), so it shouldn#39;t come as too big of a shock that she#39;s still on that perpetual vacation. Basically, if doing nothing in your life but relax was equivalent to being an overrated
