Confirmed: Michael Jackson Is Dead

Michael Jackson is reportedly in the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The “Thriller” superstar’s aides frantically called an ambulance to come to Jackson’s Holmby Hills mansion in Los Angeles earlier today, according to TMZ.com.

Reports suggest the singer’s condition was so bad, medics were forced to administer CPR en-route to a nearby hospital — to keep him alive.

Jackson’s worried family members are allegedly rushing to his bedside.

Earlier this month, family insider Arthur Phoenix told WENN the superstar was in a bad way and should not be considering a 50-concert run in London, scheduled to start in July.

He insisted the concerts would not happen, stating, “Michael is not mentally, physically or spiritually ready for these shows. There’s something missing in his soul… It’s over! There are family members who feel the same way but they’re afraid to speak.”

Phoenix fears the pressure of the comeback and the upcoming shows have taken their toll on the 50 year old.

Michael jackson died

Its really a Bad news to all of his fans that Michael Jackson died today. He takes his last Air on Thursday afternoon (June 25) at the UCLA Medical Center. He was of 50 age.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics couldn’t reanimate him.
When he was brought to hospital he was already dead, the staff tried to resuscitate him but in vain.

The tributes, expressions of shock and bad jokes came flooding in even as news outlets rushed to confirm the first reports that Michael Jackson was dead.

The Internet response Thursday to Jackson’s reported hospitalization and death was yet another testament to how quickly news travels in a plugged-in society ravenous for pop culture gossip. Some news Web sites were slow to load, apparently bogged down by a sudden uptick in traffic as millions raced online seeking the latest, best word on Jackson’s status.

Keynote Systems, which tracks Web site performance, said that beginning at 4:30 p.m. CDT, about when the first reports of Jackson’s death emerged, the average speed for downloading major news sites doubled to almost 9 seconds from less than 4 seconds.

Google’s list of top 100 search trends in the hours after the news broke was composed almost exclusively of Jackson-related phrases, ranging from “Michael Jackson died” and “Thriller lyrics” to “Neverland ranch.”

According to initial data from Trendrr, a Web service that tracks activity on social media sites, the number of Twitter posts Thursday afternoon containing “Michael Jackson” totaled more than 100,000 per hour. That put news of Jackson’s death at least on par with the Iran protests, as Twitter posts about Iran topped 100,000 per hour on June 16 and eventually climbed to 220,000 per hour.

Gossip site upcominghollywoodmovie.com, owned by Time Warner, was out in front with Jackson news and digital-era pipelines spread the word, as has happened before with other major celebrity news stories. But it was old media stalwarts that did the heavy lifting, with giants such as The Associated Press and the Web site of the L.A. Times, sister paper of the Chicago Tribune, reporting the fastest, most credible information on the emergency call for paramedics and ultimately his death.

Adam Fendelman, founder and publisher of upcominghollywoodmovie.com, an entertainment news site, was at a no-cell-phones-allowed screening of “Public Enemies” Thursday afternoon and missed the initial reports. When he left the screening and heard that TMZ had broken the story, his first response to his staff was: “Are we sure?”

“The Web and TV phenomenon that TMZ is is very good at fast-breaking and late-breaking news, but there’s an inherent problem with trust in the everyday consumer’s mind,” Fendelman said.

The debate over which media outlet to trust and when to run with the news of Jackson’s death raged on Wikipedia.

Users of the collaborative online reference site battled back and forth, editing Jackson’s entry to reflect that he had died or that he was still fighting for his life. Some users begged their fellow editors to slow down and wait for more official confirmation of the death, while others expressed frustration that the entry wasn’t reflecting up-to-date information

‘Dark Knight’ Triumphs at Saturn Awards

Batman movie The Dark Knight has added five more trophies to its impressive haul of prizes — scooping the top accolades at the Annual Saturn Awards.

The film, starring Christian Bale, came out on top at the ceremony in Burbank, California, on Wednesday night, which is hosted by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The Dark Knight was named Best Action-Adventure Thriller, while late star Heath Ledger was honored posthumously as Best Supporting Actor. The sequel also took prizes for its script, special effects and score.

Comic book action movie Iron Man triumphed in three categories, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director for Jon Favreau, and Best Actor for Robert Downey Jr..

Angelina Jolie took the Best Actress trophy for Changeling and her partner Brad Pitt’s movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, landed three awards — seeing off competition from Twilight to be named Best Fantasy Film.

The picture also garnered a Best Supporting Actress honor for Tilda Swinton and a prize for its makeup effects.

Will Smith’s son, Jaden Christopher Smith, was honored with the Best Performance by a Younger Actor award for his turn in The Day the Earth Stood Still, Swedish vampire horror Let the Right One In scored Best International Film, and Wall-E was Best Animated Film.

In the TV awards, mystery drama Lost was named Best TV show and Battlestar Galactica landed the Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series honor, as well as acting prizes for stars Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell.

Veteran Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremon

AR Rahman, Resul Pookutty win Oscars: Slumdog bags 8 awards

AR Rahman, Resul Pookutty win Oscars: Slumdog bags 8 awards

Los Angeles: Kodak Theatre in Los Angels is brimming with Indian glory. The acclaimed movie Slumdog Millionaire, Directed by Danny Boyle, has bagged eight Oscars, with Indian music maestro AR Rahman winning the title in two categories -original score and original song, which he shared with lyrist Gulzar. Besides, film sound designer and mixer Resul Pookutty won the Oscar for best sound mixing in the same movie. The categories Slumdog Millionaire won Oscar awards are best feature film, direction, original song, original score, sound mixing, editing, adapted screenplay and cinematography.

“There is a dialogue from an old Hindi film – “Mere paas ma hai” – which means I have nothing but a mother. My mother is here, I have her blessings. I am glad she could be here,” said Rahman.
He ended the acceptance speech by saying “God is great” in Tamil, something he says after winning every award.

Pokutty shared the Oscar with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for their work in the Mumbai-based rags-to-riches drama directed by British filmmaker Danny Boyle.

“This is unbelievable. I share this stage with two magicians…I dedicate this award to my country,” Pookutty said while accepting the award here Sunday.

Pookutty, who lives in Mumbai with his wife and two young children, got his big break in Bollywood with the critically acclaimed 2005 film “Black” that was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

81st Annual Academy Award Nominations

The 81st Annual Academy Award nominations are in — and it’s a Button landslide!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a fable about a man who ages in reverse, dominated the nominations this morning, earning 13 nods, including Best Picture, Actor Brad Pitt and Director for David Fincher.

Of course, we can’t discount this year’s underdog, the indie hit Slumdog Millionaire, earned 10 nominations. The poignant drama about an impoverished Indian teen who ends up on a TV game show earned nods for Best Picture, Director for Danny Boyle and Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.

Runner ups included Milk — about slain gay-rights activist Harvey Milk — and the Batman thriller The Dark Knight, which received eight nominations apiece. And one year to the day after he died at age 28 of a drug overdose, Heath Ledger earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as the Joker.

Here is the complete list of nominations:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, WALL-E

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
David Hare, The Reader
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

2009 Oscar Predictions: Previewing the Best Films of 2008

Well, what better time to look ahead than the day after the big show. Last year, we correctly forecast “Atonement” as a Best Picture nominee one-year-in-advance. Two years ago, we nailed “The Departed.” This year, we hope to improve on our track record. As you will see, there are some heavy hitters coming up later in 2008, films with big stars AND big directors. It could be one of the most competitive seasons in recent Oscar history. Here are the names of the Best Picture films we think will be announced on nominations morning.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount)

David Fincher directs Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in this story, based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald book, about a man who ages in reverse. The concept sounds positively intriguing to us and every single major player attached is coming off a big hit. Fincher directed last year’s underrated “Zodiac,” Blanchett was nominated twice for “The Golden Age” and “I’m Not There” and Brad Pitt exceeded expectations in “The Assasination of Jesse James.” The film also features current Supporting Actress winner Tilda Swinton. Put them all together and it could be nothing short of magic.

Australia (20th Century Fox)

After a long hiatus, Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) is back with this epic love story about two people who embark on a journey herding cattle across the outback, and then must survive numerous obstacles including bombing by Japanese forces. Once again, Luhrmann has enlisted the services of his leading lady Nicole Kidman and teamed her with the versatile Hugh Jackman. We have little doubt the chemistry will be there between the co-stars, so the big question is whether the historical elements will mix in well with the personal story. Luhrmann’s attention to detail should hopefully make the film more “Gladiator” than “Alexander.”

The Reader (The Weinstein Company)

Based on the best-selling book by Bernard Schlink, the story chronicles the relationship between a young boy and a woman accused of Nazi war crimes. The story spans many decades and takes many turns along the way. Stephen Daldry (The Hours) directs Academy Award nominees Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. This film screams prestige and bears some resemblance to “Atonement.” The big challenge will be whether it can satisfy fans of the book. We think it will.

The Changeling (Universal)

Clint Eastwood is back and that usually strikes fear in the hearts of other directors with hopes of adding a gold statute to their collection. This time, he’s got a story about a mother whose son is kidnapped. When he is returned, she starts to suspect that it is not really him. Angelina Jolie plays the mom and Academy Award nominee Amy Ryan also has a meaningful role. At first glance, the story seems more mystery and suspense than drama, but Eastwood is always a wizard at creating powerful, conflicted characters and fleshing out deeper themes in the story. It’s Mystic River meets Gone Baby Gone and to us, that’s a winning combination.

Revolutionary Road (Paramount, Dreamworks)

This is the big one. The director is Sam Mendes, Academy Award winner for American Beauty. The co-stars are Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. You might remember them from somewhere. The story is about a married couple who have to deal with the realities of life during the depression era while raising their two small children. It’s based on a novel by Richard Yates. As of present, the film is already positioned for a mid-December release, perfect timing for next year’s Oscar season. When you reunite arguably the best young actor and actress of our generation in a story that seems to have so many potential layers, we are absolutely sold.

So now, let’s take a look at the individual races and make some projections.

Best Actor:

Sean Penn will be a contender for playing gay activist Harvey Milk in “Milk” and Benicio Del Toro will undoubtedly shine as legendary Che Guevara in “The Argentine,” but Leo is so overdue and he could ride a “Revolutionary” sweep to the podium.

Best Actress:

The array of strong contenders here is mind-blowing. You have past winners Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and Cate Blanchett. You have rising star Keira Knightley in the costume drama “The Duchess.” And then you have Kate Winslet possibly competing against herself in “The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road.” The five time nominee finally gets her award for the latter.

Best Supporting Actor:

Even before his unexpected death, people were wowing over his masterful and unique portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” It will be very hard, we feel, for the Academy to pass up this opportunity to pay tribute to a great character actor, the talented Heath Ledger.

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Ryan came so close to winning this past year as the mother of a kidnapped child in the edgy “Gone Baby Gone.” Now, she’s got a wonderful part in Eastwood’s Best Picture contender “The Changeling.” And we all know how good Eastwood is at getting his actors hardware.

Best Director:

Sorry Clint Eastwood. But you do already have two Best Director trophies. It’s time to make way for a new face to join the two-win club. Sam Mendes will triumph for “Revolutionary Road.”

Best Picture:

And it all comes down to this, right? “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” for its innovative storyline and probable stylish feel, has a shot. And we foresee a tight two film race. But in the end, we think 2008 will see a single film plow through everything in its path, reminiscent of a “Schindler’s List,” “English Patient,” or appropriately, “Titanic.” Yes, it is very difficult to be the early front runner and it’s likely “Revolutionary Road” will carry that burden the entire way through. But somehow, with that creative team on board, we think they have the goods to go all the way. “Revolutionary Road” is your 2009 Oscar Best Picture winner.

Single Mum Madonna Adopting Again?

Newly single mum Madonna is reportedly in the process of adopting a fourth child from Malawi, the same African country where she adopted her son David Banda in 2006.

Madonna is preparing to fly to Malawi with NY Yankees star Alex Rodriguez — just months after officially announcing her separation from Guy Ritchie, reports Star Magazine. The pop superstar is said to have signed paperwork to adopt four-year-old Mercy James.

The young girl’s grandfather has allegedly confirmed the exchange will occur early next year, 2009. He tells Star Magazine, “It breaks our hearts to know she will leave us, but adoption is best for her.”
James’ mother Mwandida died aged 18 just days after giving birth to her daughter.

Madonna and filmmaker Ritchie’s split was announced in October 2008, ending months of speculation.

Ray Goes Under the Knife

Rachael Ray is more known for her gift of gab than her cooking — this holiday season Ray will definitely up her skills in the kitchen since she won’t be able to chat … at least, not as much or as loud as usual!

“I’m having voice surgery on Dec. 16, so we’re going to celebrate very quietly,” Ray told People.

Ray is having a benign cyst removed from her throat, but she is more worried about keeping quiet post-op than she is about the procedure itself.

The TV chef plans to communicate to her husband John Cusimano via handwritten notes after the surgery.

“I’m going to grow back the callous I had in grade school from writing,” she said.

Ray will resume production on The Rachael Ray Show in January.

Terror strikes Mumbai again, 80 killed

Mumbai, Nov 27: At least 80 people, including a foreign tourist and four top police officers, were killed and over 250 injured as terrorists struck in yet another series of planned and synchronised gunfire and bomb attacks in the heart of India’s financial capital late Wednesday, authorities said.

Terrorists were reported to be holding tourists and other guests hostage in two five-star hotels, the Taj Intercontinental and Trident (formerly Oberoi), facing the waterfront across the Arabian Sea close to the city’s most important landmark, the Gateway of India.

Four top police officials, including Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, were among the 10 policemen killed in the gunbattles with the terrorists, police confirmed.

Among terror targets was the city’s busiest railway station, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), formerly the Victoria Terminus that is a World Heritage site.

A nationwide alert was sounded and all airports in the country put on high-security surveillance following the attacks that came less than a month after over 50 people died in serial terror bombings in the northeastern state of Assam.

Army was called in to bring the situation under control and restore the sense of security in the city that was literally shaken the attacks, one of the worst in the country.

“This is a most audacious attack. It is a very serious situation and gun battles are still on in at least three places,” said Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Ghafoor said the attacks were suspected to be “coordinated terrorist acts”, and added that automatic weapons like AK-47 and AK-56 and semi-automatic rifles as well as grenades were apparently used.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil, who hold the home portfolio, confirmed more than 70 people were killed and 250 injured, many of them grievously.

But the police officials said over 80 people have died in the series of attacks.

Patil said two terrorists were killed in gun battles with police while at least nine were held.

Small groups of heavily armed terrorists had sneaked into busy public places, mostly in south Mumbai, in the dead of the night spreading panic in the crowded metropolis that has been a target of terror attacks in recent years.

Many of the locations targeted, mostly in upscale south Mumbai, were preferred destinations of foreign tourists.

Maharashtra Director General of Police A.N. Roy said: “At least seven places have been attacked. The figure could be eight.

“The terrorists have gone in and fired indicriminately at certain places. They are still holed up in three places and gun-battles have been on (with security forces).”

Five people were killed in a bomb blast targetting a taxi in Vile Parle. The taxi was blown to pieces, police said.

Police officials said suspected terrorists opened fire at police and paramilitary forces outside the Taj between 10.15 p.m. and 10.30 p.m.

The police officials said firing was on near the five-star hotel where around 2,000 guests and staff were stranded.

The body of a foreign woman guest was recovered from the Taj Hotel and two terrorists were holed up inside the building, a police official said. She was not immediately identified and her nationality was not known.

At least 90 percent of the 22-storey building was plunged into darkness as authorities cut off power in a precautionary measure.

In the wee hours of Thursday, there was an explosion on the top floor of the legendary hotel, leading to a major fire.

Minutes later, bullets were fired near the Hotel Trident – another five-star hotel barely a kilometre away from the Taj. Part of the hotel was said to be on fire. At least 1,000 tourists were inside the hotel, which is in a high-security zone and lies just behind the Air India and Maharashtra legislature buildings.

Those trapped in the two hotels included an unspecified number of foreign guests.

Officials said rescue operations had started and hostages were being evactuated as army stormed the besieged hotels.

Suspected terrorists also opened indiscriminate firing near the railway station, the headquarters of the Central Railway, which remains crowded almost throughout the day.

As a precautionary measure, authorities suspended suburban and other railway services. But the train service was resumed early Thursday, nearly six hours after the station was shut.

Later in the night, two bomb blasts, one in Vile Parle, a residential suburb in north Mumbai, and another in Mazgaon, also injured an unspecified number of people, police officials said.

Firing also took place near the Metro cinema, barely a kilometre away from the CST. An eyewintess said the attackers hijacked a police vehicle after opening fire at two policemen in the vehicle.

All roads linking south Mumbai with the rest of the metropolis were barricaded. Elite Rapid Action Force (RAF) were pressed into action and the targeted locations were cordoned off. A crack team of 200 National Security Guards (NSG) were rushed from New Delhi to Mumbai late in the night.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the terror attack and assured all help to the state government.

Schools and colleges will remain closed Thursday although government will function normally, officials said.

Madonna & Guy Get a Quickie

The eight-year marriage of The Material Girl and Guy Ritchie is officially over.

And Ritchie apparently got none of Madonna’s reported $445 million; he had but one request: shared custody of their sons Rocco, 8, and David, 3. Oh, and not to mention, Ritchie has $45 million of his own in the bank. He can probably stretch that for a while. 
The famous couple, who announced their separation last month, were reportedly granted a decree nisi by a judge at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division of the High Court in High Holburn, London — officially ending the marriage.

Actual terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. Madonna sought a divorce based on Ritchie’s “unreasonable behavior,” according to court documents.

“This is the epitome of how a divorce should be done and it is clearly what both Guy and Madonna wanted,” Joe Vaitilingam, a solicitor at family law firm Hughes Fowler Carruthers in London, said in an e-mail to Bloomberg.com.

Neither Ritchie or Madonna were at the hearing. The marriage will be officially dissolved in six weeks, when the former couple will be granted a decree absolute.

‘Edwin A. Salt’: Cruise Out, Jolie In

 

The rumors are true; Angelina Jolie will replace Tom Cruise in the upcoming thriller Edwin A. Salt.

The writers of the espionage flick, about a CIA officer fingered as a Russian spy, rewrote the lead character, originally meant for Cruise, when the mother-of-six expressed interest in the film. They also plan to rework the title to reflect the change. Jolie confessed the news to BBC Radio saying, “I’m working on a film called Salt. It’s with Phillip Noyce (Bone Collector). And that’s it.”

The actress recently told reporters she plans to “fade away” from the acting biz in the years to come.

Nicole Kidman Dunzo With Acting?

Another one bites the dust?

Following in the footsteps of Joaquin Phoenix, who recently announced he was giving up acting to pursue his musical career, Nicole Kidman looks to also be considering retirement.

During a Sydney press conference to promote the Down Under premiere of Australia, E! Online reports the Oscar winner hinted she may give up the big screen for more personal endeavors.

“In terms of my future as an actor and stuff, I don’t know,” the 41-year-old mother of three said. “I am in a place in my life where…I’ve had some great opportunities, and I may just choose to have some more children.”

Kidman and husband Keith Urban welcomed their first child together, daughter Sunday Rose, in July. Kidman also has two other children, Isabella and Connor, with ex Tom Cruise.

“I’ve no idea what is in my future, but I am very at peace with where I want to be,” she said. “There are many things I want to do besides act.”

Sure, but before Kidman fades away into the sunset, she’s signed on to play a transsexual, who loves Charlize Theron, in The Danish Girl, which could mean more Oscars. Think she’ll give all that up for good? I have doubts.

Angelina to Call It Quits

It’s pretty difficult to try and take care of half a dozen kids — even if you’re not one of the biggest movie stars in the word!

But for Angelina Jolie, that juggling act is starting to become unmanageable, and she’s ready to choose her six-strong brood over her movie career.

Jolie told a BBC reporter of her plans, saying, “I don’t plan to keep acting very long, I’m ready to do a few things now and fade away and get ready to be a grandma one day.”

Fans shouldn’t be too worried about a complete stoppage just yet, as Jolie has previously made similar pledges to ‘fade away,’ and she didn’t get too specific as to when her acting days would come to an end — but it’s safe to say that she and partner Brad Pitt probably don’t have any financial need to keep a busy movie schedule.

Jolie went on to say: “So maybe it will be once a year and then maybe it will be once every three years, and then just naturally — I like being home a lot these days.”

The Oscar winner is currently starring in Clint Eastwood’s true-story drama Changeling and has a few projects in the works, potentially including a very long-rumored adaptation of Atlas Shrugged.

Abdul Stalker Tried It Once Before

A former American Idol contestant, who had a deep affection for Paula Abdul, apparently committed suicide near the Idol host’s home, People.com reports.

Paula Goodspeed, 30, was found dead by a drug overdose Tuesday night in her car. And now authorities tell TMZ.com they were called to the Abdul residence about a year ago, because Godspeed had overdosed in the same spot.

The car, parked a few doors down from Abdul’s house, featured a license plate “ABL LV” and had a photo of Abdul hanging from the rear view mirror. A DMV check of the license showed that the car was registered to Goodspeed.

Abdul was not at home when the body was found. “I am deeply shocked and saddened at what transpired yesterday,” she said in a statement. “My heart and prayers go out to her family.”

Goodspeed was a Season 5 contender, whose audition performance of “Proud Mary” was panned and mocked by the judges. Still, Goodspeed expressed her affection for Abdul, even after being denied.

“I really like Paula Abdul a lot. She’s really cool,” said Goodspeed when asked about her inspiration during the Idol audition process. “I’m a really big fan, and I made life-sized drawings of Paula. I’ve been drawing ever since I was a little kid, and my first drawing was of Paula Abdul.”

Quantum of Solace” set to blast U.S. box offices

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Even before new James Bond flick “Quantum of Solace” blasts into U.S. movie theaters this Friday, industry watchers are expecting it to earn big bucks at box offices and easily top previous 007 film “Casino Royale.”

The film is the 22nd in the lucrative series that dates to 1962’s “Dr. No” and altogether has grossed over $4 billion at U.S. and Canadian box offices when totals are adjusted for inflation, according to boxofficemojo.com.

“Quantum of Solace,” in which the British secret agent battles a villain looking to control natural resources, already has topped box office charts in Europe and other markets.

It debuted in London about two weeks ago, and took in a record-breaking 15.4 million pounds ($25 million) on its opening weekend. So far, it has collected more than $160 million in over 60 international markets.

“This is arguably the most anticipated movie of the holiday season and therefore expectations are quite high,” said Paul Dergarabedian of box office watcher Media by Numbers. “I think we are going to see tremendous numbers.”

Dergarabedian did not predict an opening weekend figure, but he said “Quantum of Solace” was “certainly on track” to equal or beat “Casino Royale,” which debuted with $40.8 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales in November of 2006.

“Casino Royale” introduced actor Daniel Craig as the new James Bond and went on to become arguably the biggest Bond ever with $167 million in the U.S. and Canada and another $426 million internationally for a global total near $594 million.

Dergarabedian noted U.S. box offices have been on a roll lately with five of the past six weekends beating year ago comparisons. Last weekend family film “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” opened to an eye-popping $63 million.

“The fact is, there was so much moviegoing last week that it just enhances the prospects for Bond,” he said.

So far, reviews have been mostly good with the film scoring a 76 percent positive rating on Web site rottentomatoes.com, which aggregates movie reviews.

But critical reaction matters little to opening weekend ticket sales for event movies like “Quantum of Solace,” which rely on studio marketing to lure crowds to theaters.

The Bond movies are co-produced by EON Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc and distributed by Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Corp’s Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Next Page »