The House Bunny hops to second place

Variety Aug 24, 08 6:41 PM CDT
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Tropic Thunder banked $16.1 million to become the third flick this summer to win two straight weekend box office crowns, Variety reports. Sorority laffer The House Bunny earned $15.1 million to debut in second, followed by Universal’s remake of Death Race ($12.3 million), The Dark Knight ($10.3 million), and the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($5.6 million).
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Variety Aug 17, 08 6:44 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Hollywood spoof Tropic Thunder bombarded the box office this weekend by banking $26 million in top spot, Variety reports. Batman flick The Dark Knight fell to second but raked in $16.8 million and became the second-highest grossing domestic pic ever. Filling out the top five were Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Mirrors , and Pineapple Express , Bloomberg reports. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristinia Barcelona debuted on 692 screens and came in tenth.
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Shrek, Kutcher pic helped bring in $50M

Forbes Aug 12, 08 10:17 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Hollywood's leading ladies earn big bucks for delivering box office gold, and rake in even more with lucrative product endorsements. Together, the top 10 best-paid actresses made more than $244 million in the last 12 months, reports Forbes . Here's how the stars stack up: Cameron Diaz, $50 million Keira Knightley, $32 million Jennifer Aniston, $27 million
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Opinion
They can't 'battle this state of affairs with silence' in Hollywood

Washington Post Aug 9, 08 5:57 PM CDT
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There are conservatives in Hollywood, writes Andrew Klavan in the Washington Post . Unfortunately, they are all tip-toeing and cowering, afraid of being dismissed by liberals who run the town—and it’s time that stopped. Liberal values pervade TV and movies, and not just in message films. It is artistic gospel that American might is sinister, Christians "intolerant," housewives "desperate," and corporations "evil."
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Powerful producer represented Belushi, helped launch SNL

New York Times Aug 8, 08 3:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Legendary Hollywood manager and producer Bernie Brillstein died last night at age 77. In a career that spanned 5 decades, Brillstein guided the rise of stars including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Martin Short, the New York Times reports. He contributed to TV series like Saturday Night Live and The Muppet Show , and co-created one of the most powerful production companies in the industry.
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"Celebrity" ad offends linguists, stars, Paris Hilton's parents

Los Angeles Times Aug 1, 08 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Tinseltown is ticked over John McCain’s recent ad likening Barack Obama to Britney Spears—and to Paris Hilton, whose parents have donated the maximum to the senator's campaign. The problem isn't just looking ungrateful, reports the LA Times, but the fine distinction between a mere “celebrity” and a "rock star" like Obama.
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Other driver ran red light; actor still faces DUI charges

Associated Press Jul 29, 08 9:45 PM CDT
(AP)
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Shia LaBeouf still faces misdemeanor DUI charges, but he was not to blame for an early-morning car wreck in Los Angeles, authorities said today. Detectives determined that the other driver, who has not been identified, ran a red light and will be cited. LaBeouf, who underwent hand surgery after the crash, "was not at fault," a sheriff's spokesman said.
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From the Fresh Prince to Captain Jack Sparrow, stars aren't sweating the small notes

Forbes Jul 23, 08 11:01 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Hancock isn't the "have you seen it" superhero movie of the season, but star Will Smith isn't crying in his beer: The ex-Fresh Prince raked in $80 million in the year that ended June 1. The rest of the Forbes top 10: Johnny Depp ($72 million) Eddie Murphy ($55 million) Mike Myers ($55 million) Leonardo DiCaprio ($45 million)
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Slugger joins growing ranks of sports figures courted by Tinseltown talent agents

Wall Street Journal Jul 22, 08 7:37 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Alex Rodriguez has signed up with the William Morris Agency, the Wall Street Journal reports, as Hollywood's biggest talent agencies look to draft major sports stars onto their rosters. Rodriguez will join clients like Quentin Tarantino and Eminem at William Morris, along with sports figures such as Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Garnett.
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Times looks at how Batman has evolved from first flick in 1940s

Times (UK) Jul 15, 08 5:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
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With The Dark Knight set to open in the US at midnight Thursday, Batman will see another reinvention in the series of makeovers that accompanied the character to the silver screen beginning in 1943. The Times of London takes a look: Low-budget Batman (1943) and Batman and Robin (1949) lacked flair and special effects. Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) came complete with supervillains such as the Joker and Catwoman.
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Films will replace slate lost when Paramount bailed in April

Variety Jul 15, 08 11:15 AM CDT
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Showtime and the Weinstein Company have inked an exclusive 7-year movie deal, giving the pay TV network a replacement for the slate of films it lost when Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate decamped in April and teamed up to launch a rival network, Variety reports. Showtime had balked at what it called excessive license fee demands; all the CEO would say about the fee the Weinsteins will be getting is that it's "a price that is consistent with today's marketplace."
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