Friday numbers put 'Alice' in first; 'Wimpy' outperforms with a likely second place finish
3/20/2010 11:48:00 PM
kenmouse
, Posted in
It’s no surprise that Alice in Wonderland grossed over $9 million on Friday to give it a first place finish this weekend for the third time in a row. What has taken box office prognosticators by surprise is the strength of the kid flick Diary of a Wimpy Kid. From Twentieth Century Fox, the movie — based on the massive New York Times best-seller by Jeff Kinney — grossed an estimated $7 million Friday. The weekend take could end up north of $25 million. (Most predictors, including me, put the film in the mid-teen range for the weekend.) If the numbers hold, Wimpy will also take the honor of best-performing new release, out-grossing the star power of the Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler in the comedy-action film The Bounty Hunter and the R-rated sci-fi flick Repo Man.
In a court filing made public Friday, Lady Gaga alleges a lawsuit filed by ex-boyfriend/music producer Rob Fusari is only a cover to collect “unlawful compensation” for services as an unlicensed employment agent, according to a press report. Fusari’s lawyer, Robert S. Meloni, called the claim “ludicrous.”
Big casting news coming out of Hollywood: On Friday, acclaimed producer Jerry Bruckheimer told MTV News that Oscar-winning stunner Penelope Cruz will be playing the daughter of Johnny Depp’s arch-enemy, Blackbeard, in the eagerly-anticipated fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film.
On the 19th and 20th, A-mei held two consecutive concerts at Taipei Arena: [AMIT Special Tour]. More than 100 artists went to watch; they included Jay Chou, Show Luo, S.H.E, Patty Hou, Elva Hsiao, Jody Chiang, Xiao S etc. 
Chris Evans is one step closer to the role of Captain America.
Earlier this week Microsoft unveiled a preview of the engine behind its next-generation Web browser, Internet Explorer (IE) 9. Microsoft is still diligently working to convince many customers to make the switch from the archaic IE6 to the current IE8, but the march of development never stops so Microsoft is already hard at work on the next version as well.
Palm is dying. They've been hemorrhaging money since late last year, and yesterday's woeful earnings announcement sealed its fate. It didn't have to be this way. But it's been coming for a long time.
Slates patch for March 30; flaw can't be used in upcoming Pwn2Own hack contest
It seems all but inevitable that Google will not only close the doors on its google.cn search engine, but also its Chinese development offices as well. This is a tragic and preventable mistake.
Three months after releasing its Bing application for the iPhone, Microsoft this week said the application was only meant for the United States and that it is pulling the app from non-U.S. versions of the iTunes Store.
ATV invited Korean artists Lee Pil-mo and Son Hyeon-Joo who stars in Korean drama "My Too Perfect Sons" which ATV brought the right to broadcast. Yesterday the two cast members came to Hong Kong for the drama promotion, accompanied by several ATV female artists including Manecy Chen, Eunis Yao, Karie Cheung and Lam Tsz Kwan. They played games and demonstrated roast pork cutting live at the scene. 
Last weekend Matt Damon and Robert Pattinson couldn’t stand up to Alice in Wonderland. Three new releases will try again this frame and all are unlikely to topple Tim Burton’s most successful outing of his career. The 3-D fantasy adventure starring Johnny Depp has already grossed over $226 million and will likely add more than $30 million more to its cume at the end of this weekend. The new releases fighting for some box office coin this weekend include: Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler in Bounty Hunter; Fox’s adaptation of the best-selling book Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Jude Law-Forrest Whitaker drama Repo Men. Read on for my predictions.
A rep for pop star Ke$ha has shot down rumors that the “Tik Tok” singer is featured in a sex tape that’s been leaked online. X-rated stills of a sex romp allegedly featuring the party girl were posted on ZackTaylor.ca this week, along with a post describing the footage as “what appears to be singer Ke$ha engaging in sexual intercourse and other fun stuff with an unknown man.”
LADY Gaga says being gay is not a choice.
JESSE James’ friends are reportedly furious with him for cheating on Sandra Bullock.
Cyndi Wang attended a press conference to announce her contract renewal with Sketchers. The already-slim star was photographed last year by a magazine at height of her weight gain, but she happily revealed at the event that she has lost 2 kg. 
