02:46 PM EDT 07/22/2008
Movie News
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POLL: Do You Think Heath Ledger Is Oscar-Bound?
Originally posted 07/21/2008 03:45PM
It's a haunting Hollywood story: Five months after his untimely death from an accidental drug overdose, Heath Ledger delivers arguably his best screen performance ever in the box-office blockbuster Batman adventure The Dark Knight.
PEOPLE's review calls him "fearless" as the Joker and notes that his role "helps make The Dark Knight unforgettable." And with a record-breaking $158.3 million take at the box office this weekend, the film – and Ledger's role in it – have become a part of movie history.
Just how powerful was his performance? Said his costar Michael Caine earlier this month: "I think Heath will surely get a posthumous nomination for an Academy Award."
Tell us: How do you think Heath Ledger might fare come Hollywood's awards season?
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Dark Knight Shatters Hollywood Record: $158.3 Million
Originally posted 07/21/2008 08:35AM
In case you haven't heard – or witnessed at any cineplex this weekend – The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's dark sequel about the Caped Crusader, took in $158.3 million since Friday.
Speaking on Britain's GMTV Monday morning, the star of the picture, Christian Bale of the impressive box-office take: "It's Monopoly money to me – I can't even comprehend it."
Along with a hearty $27.6 million opening take for Mamma Mia – the best ever for a musical, topping last year's Hairspray opening – this turned out to be the best three-day weekend in Hollywood history.
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Cheryl Hines: I'm 'Very Proud' of Lindsay
Originally posted 07/14/2008 08:00AM
Cheryl Hines can't curb her enthusiasm for working with Lindsay Lohan on the set of their film Labor Pains.
"I have had a great time shooting with her, and when we have scenes together we have a lot of fun improvising," Hines, 42, told PEOPLE Saturday at the Los Angeles premiere of her new animated film Space Chimps, to which she lends her voice as astronaut chimp Lieutenant Luna. "It usually ends in a big laugh fest, and they have to cut because we can't talk anymore."
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Plans for Another Sex and the City Movie?
Originally posted 07/11/2008 11:10AM
Don't put away those Manolos just yet!
HBO executives say they are "absolutely interested" in making follow-up to the hugely popular Sex and the City movie.
"Everybody came away feeling very excited by [the first film's] quality and its success, so that always invites the possibility of a continuation," HBO co-president Richard Plepler told PEOPLE Thursday after the network's session at the Television Critics Association's press tour.
Will it actually happen?
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Ian McKellen Eager to Play Magneto Again
Originally posted 07/11/2008 10:00AM
Don't put Ian McKellen's cape in storage just yet.
While there are no current plans for a fourth X-Men film, the actor says he'd be up for working in even a relatively small part on a prequel dedicated to his character, a misguided villain with power over all things metal.
"There is a script knocking around for a spinoff, but it will be a younger Magneto, so if I were involved it would be just topping and tailing the story," the actor, 69, tells BBC News.
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Guy Ritchie to Direct Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes
Originally posted 07/10/2008 08:20AM
Fresh from this summer's success in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is in final talks to star as the great English detective in Sherlock Holmes – to be directed by Guy Ritchie, whose been making headlines himself lately, concerning the status of his marriage to Madonna.
The Warner Bros. release, due to start shooting this fall, will show Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's hero in a less stuffy vein than in his previous incarnations, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Not that Downey will be the only versatile actor to don Holmes's stalking cap and coat cape.
Columbia Pictures recently announced that Judd Apatow would produce a comic take on Holmes, to star Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen as the super sleuth, and Will Ferrell as his sidekick, Dr. Watson.
– Stephen M. Silverman
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The Dark Knight Already Selling Out in Theaters
Originally posted 07/09/2008 01:35PM
Planning to see The Dark Knight when it opens July 18? Better get your tickets now.
More than a week before its scheduled opening, the much-anticipated Batman film has already sold out everywhere from New York City to Boise, according to the ticket source Fandango. Theaters report that seats for midnight shows have gone so fast that they must continue to add 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. showtimes.
A Fandango.com poll of more than 3,000 people revealed that 38% plan to take time off from work on the movie’s opening day after seeing it in the wee hours.
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Eddie Murphy Misses His Movie Premiere
Originally posted 07/09/2008 10:25AM
Meet Eddie? Not at the Tuesday premiere of Eddie Murphy's new sci-fi comedy Meet Dave in L.A., where the star was a surprising no-show.
"He's not here because he's doing a movie and shooting – he goes back-to-back-to-back," producer David T. Friendly told PEOPLE on the premiere's red carpet. "Eddie, he'll never admit it, but he loves to work. And I think work keeps him happy."
Murphy, 47, is shooting the film A Thousand Words, Access Hollywood reports.
He has kept a low profile since his sudden split from Tracey Edmonds last
winter, and recently he talked about retiring from acting. But his Meet Dave costar Gabrielle Union says the father of seven is "at peace."
"He's a really cool guy," says Union. "His kids were always on set. He's just really cool and at peace with himself."
–Nicholas White
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James McAvoy On Being an Action Star
Originally posted 07/08/2008 02:30PM
James McAvoy knows he's not the average action hero, but confesses his desire to play Die Hard-like roles.
"I think inside all actors, there's a kid who secretly yearns to jump off buildings and say 'Yippeekayay, motherf-----!'" the Wanted star, says in the August cover story of Details. "I also thought that the fact that they were willing to cast someone like me [in Wanted] showed a willingness to step outside the usual action-movie realm."
Not that the Atonement actor lives a particularly action-packed real life. The Scotsman, 29, admits he's lived a quiet lifestyle throughout his 20s.
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Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff Reunite for Hancock Premiere
Originally posted 07/01/2008 12:30PM
Forget the free popcorn. There was an extra-special added bonus to the Hancock premiere in Hollywood Monday night: an impromptu show from leading man Will Smith and his old partner in rap, DJ Jazzy Jeff.
"I'm out of shape – I'm playing an out of shape superhero here," Smith, 39, said on a stage surrounded by carefully wrecked cars, "prison-cage" private lounges and a moon bounce for the kids.
But Smith seemed anything but winded in the party space outside Hollywood High School as he performed many of his hit songs, including the theme from the TV show that launched him to stardom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
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- | Filed Under: Charlize Theron, Will Smith
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