Hollywood Won’t Wait for Troops to Come Home

Berlin does an about-face on anti-Hitler movie

(NEWSER) - Tom Cruise will be allowed to shoot his new movie, about a German military officer who tried to assassinate Hitler, on German soil. Earlier reports said the megastar would be banned because of his ties to Scientology, which Germany regards as a threat to democracy and keeps under "official observation," as it does neo-Nazi groups, reports Yahoo News. More»

Really? 'Hot Tub Time Machine' is the best we can do?

(NEWSER) - “2010 very possibly is the worst year in the history of motion pictures,” declares Joe Queenan in a hilarious Wall Street Journal piece bemoaning the downfall of American cinema. You know things are bad in Hollywood when:

• “Shia LaBeouf—who looks a bit like the young George W. Bush” is being passed off “as the second coming of Tom Cruise.”
• The top contenders for Next Big Action Star are Jake Gyllenhaal and Adrien Brody. “None of these are logical heirs to the throne abandoned by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone. They may not even be legitimate heirs to the throne vacated by Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.”

(NEWSER) - Meryl Streep is starring in summer blockbuster hits and banking big money at age 59—and isn't a bit surprised. ''I've worked hard, so this is what I expect,'' she tells Entertainment Weekly. Hollywood wisdom says female stars fall off the map at 40, to compete for the few eccentric mom roles. But with Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia!, Streep has shattered an old belief: that men won't pay to watch a film about a woman. More»

Ex-husband makes the list, too

(NEWSER) - With an ignominious 1:1 ratio of salary to receipts, Nicole Kidman snags the top spot on Forbes’ list of most overpaid movie stars. In other words, her films make a mere $1 for every dollar she’s paid, an average $15 million per flick. Ex-husband Tom Cruise is close behind at No. 3, with Jennifer Garner in the runner-up slot. More»

Iraq war flick Stop-Loss stumbles in at no. 8

(NEWSER) - Gambling flick 21 played to win this weekend and banked $23.7 million, scoring top spot at the box office, Variety reports. But it failed to revive overall ticket sales, which are down 17% from last year's frame and about a third for the year. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! kept winning with $17.4 million at no. 2 and Superhero Movie took home $9.5 million for a disappointing third. More»