Entertaining Posts

Sunday, July 3, 2011

"Transformers" global box office hits $372 million

LOS ANGELES | Sun Jul 3, 2011 10:19pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Big-budget Hollywood flick "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" smashed rivals and delighted movie fans around the world, ringing up $372 million at global box offices since its Wednesday debut, Paramount Pictures said on Sunday.

The movie, the third installment in the blockbuster films about a battle for Earth being waged by shape-shifting beings from another world, appeared on its way to beating some box office records and it bolstered the prospects for the soft 3D market with 70 percent of its international ticket sales and 60 percent of its domestic tally in that format, Paramount said.

An estimated $97.4 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for the three days Friday through Sunday eclipses the previous best three-day tally over the U.S. Independence Day holiday, Paramount said. That record had been held by "Spider-Man 2" with $88.2 million on the same weekend in 2004.

By the time the holiday ends on Monday, Paramount forecasts that the third "Transformers" will have taken in $116 million in four days in the United States and Canada and $181 million since its wide-release debut last Wednesday.

The movie, with a reported cost of $200 million to make and tens of millions more to market, started with a soft roll-out of only $13.5 million from sneak previews and midnight screenings in domestic theaters, below 2009's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" $16.6 million midnight mark.

Ahead of its roll-out, box office watchers had expected the movie to sell well over $150 million worth of tickets through the U.S. holiday. After the first-day numbers, some pundits began trimming their forecasts, but now it appears the final box office tally will be well ahead of expectations.

"The bar was set high, and to come in well above it is unusual. But real moviegoers like the movie," said Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution at Paramount.

Elsewhere, last week's No. 1 movie, Disney/Pixar animated "Cars 2" dropped to the second-place spot on domestic theater box office charts with an estimated $25.1 million for the three days ending on Sunday. Its two-week total now stands at $116 million, according to Hollywood.com Box Office.

Cameron Diaz comedy "Bad Teacher" dropped from the No. 2 spot to this week's No. 3 with $14.1 million, and newcomer "Larry Crowne," a romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts claimed the No. 4 spot with $13 million.

Rounding out the top five was another new release, comedy "Monte Carlo" with $7.6 million.

Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc., and Disney is part of The Walt Disney Co.. "Bad Teacher" was released by Columbia Pictures, part of the Sony Pictures Entertainment division of Sony Corp.. "Larry Crowne" was distributed by Universal Pictures, which is controlled by Comcast Corp., and "Monte Carlo" was released by 20th Century Fox, a division of News Corp..

(Reporting by Bob Tourtellotte; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Soundgarden reunion tour relives band's '90s glory

By Dean Goodman

TORONTO | Sun Jul 3, 2011 9:48am EDT

TORONTO (Reuters) - More than 14 years after Soundgarden broke up, the Seattle rockers launched their reunion tour in Toronto on Saturday, taking 16,000 nostalgic fans back to the glory days of the 1990s grunge era.

The foursome raced through 21 songs in two hours at the Molson Amphitheatre, focusing mostly on the riff-laden dark material that transformed them into MTV darlings.

In contrast to the tense final show of their last tour in 1997, the scene on stage seemed particularly more relaxed.

Singer/guitarist Chris Cornell shot some video footage of the audience, and his young son could be seen in the wings playing air drums and singing along. His traditionally stone-faced colleagues allowed themselves the occasional smile, but they rarely acknowledged each other.

Toronto was the first stop of a 20-date tour that wraps July 30 in Washington state; the band is also slated to headline a festival in New Orleans on October 28.

Beyond that, the band must take second-place to drummer Matt Cameron's commitments to Pearl Jam, which is touring Canada throughout September. Cornell will spend most of October on a solo tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Soundgarden is also working on a follow-up to its last studio album, 1996's "Down on the Upside," which is tentatively set to come out early next year. Cornell said there was no room in the set list to premiere any songs.

CULT FAVORITES TO MTV

Soundgarden emerged in the 1980s from a fertile Seattle music scene that also produced such grunge bands as Nirvana, Alice in Chains and the future members of Pearl Jam. The band was often likened to Led Zeppelin early in its career, winning cult approval from punk and heavy metal enthusiasts.

It crossed over into the mainstream with its chart-topping 1994 album "Superunknown," an MTV-friendly set that yielded two Grammys. Nine of the album's 15 tracks were played in Toronto, including the hits "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell on Black Days."

Half of the 12 tunes from that album's predecessor, 1991's "Badmotorfinger," were also dusted off, including the speed-metal track "Rusty Cage" that Johnny Cash later revived in a stripped-down version.

Just two songs were played from "Down on the Upside," an album at the center of a rift about musical direction. Rising tensions led to Soundgarden's break-up after the final stop of its 1997 tour in Hawaii.

Only Cornell and Cameron retained high public profiles in subsequent years. The singer released a few solo albums and formed the "supergroup" Audioslave with members of Rage Against the Machine. Cameron became Pearl Jam's fifth drummer.

But guitarist Kim Thayil told Reuters in May that the foursome managed to remain friends, with the musicians often bumping into each other in Seattle's tight-knit music scene.

The reunion started to come together last year, with the band playing the Lollapalooza festival in August, and a handful of low-profile dates in small venues.

The group, rounded out by bassist Ben Shepherd, is taking the current reunion on a day-to-day basis, given that the members are older, wiser and have domestic commitments.

"The band is definitely handling its career situation in a lot freer way than it did before," Thayil said. "There are other focal points to people's lives individually and those can't be taken away. First things first."

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Santana, McLaughlin open Montreux jazz on high note

By Stephanie Nebehay

MONTREUX, Switzerland | Sat Jul 2, 2011 4:26am EDT

MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin performed tunes by John Coltrane, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, ushering in the 45th edition of the Montreux jazz festival with a spiritual note from the 1960s and 70s.

The two legendary guitarists kicked off Friday night's concert with "The Life Divine" and closed with "A Love Supreme," both tracks from their 1973 gold album "Love, Devotion and Surrender."

Their acoustic version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was a highlight of a nostalgic concert at Montreux, one of Europe's most prestigious summer jazz festivals, which runs until July 16.

"Coltrane, Dylan, Zeppelin -- we grew up with all of them. The next one is a real favorite of mine from the Mahavishnu Orchestra," said McLaughlin, introducing "The Creator has a Master Plan" from his pioneering fusion band.

Santana, dressed head to toe in white, his black curls touching his shoulders, also struck a meditative chord during the gig, which featured mariachis and Latin-influenced percussion.

"John and I have a lot in common, we resonate spiritual feelings and resonate with having fun. It is not just Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu who get to have fun.

"Our highest purpose is to touch your heart. Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, and Dylan, we love all them all and pay tribute and celebrate the supreme spirit of a great drummer, if not the greatest drummer ever, Tony Williams," Santana, 64, told the crowd.

Cindy Blackman, Santana's second wife, joined on drums in a powerful rendition of "Vuelta Abajo," a tribute to the late American jazz drummer Williams who played with Miles Davis and McLaughlin.

"These tunes go back 150 years. Any more old hippies out there?" quipped the silver-haired McLaughlin, now 69. "It was a very special music that we played at that time. Cindy has taken the tradition of Tony Williams and pushed it further."

Santana and McLaughlin sat together front stage without the other nine musicians for two moving duets on acoustic guitars, "Naima," a Coltrane composition also from their "Love, Devotion and Surreder" album, and "Lotus Land."

"At this point in our lives, it is all about perception...So make a conscious choice to make every day the best day of your life," the Mexican-born American Santana said to cheers.

"Downstairs Blues," by Elvin Jones, got the crowd rocking, with Blackman on drums.

For an encore they played "Miles Davis (Black Satin)" and a "Love Supreme," the crowd chanting the lyrics, while Montreux festival founder Claude Nobs jumped in on harmonica.

B.B. King will join the pair on the famed Montreux stage on Sunday night.

"Montreux is known for special meetings of stars," Swiss fan David Pittet said as the lights went on.

(Editing by Michael Roddy)

Friday, July 1, 2011

Kate Moss marries rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince

LONDON | Fri Jul 1, 2011 7:28pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - British supermodel Kate Moss married her rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince on Friday in a small English country church, accompanied by 15 bridesmaids.

Moss, 37, and Hince, 42, a guitar player with The Kills, posed for photos outside the church in the village of Southrop in southern England, after the ceremony.

It was the first marriage for the British model, who met Hince in 2007.

Moss wore a sleeveless, full-length, white wedding dress designed by her close friend John Galliano and covered in rhinestones, according to Womens Wear Daily.

Her eight year-old daughter Lila was among the 15 bridesmaids, who were all dressed in ivory, British media reports said.

The couple are expected to throw a three-day reception and party at the model's home nearby, according to media reports.

Moss began her professional career as an ultra-slim 16 year-old and quickly became one of the best known and top-earning models in the world.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Animated Martha Stewart reaches out to kid crafters

LOS ANGELES | Fri Jul 1, 2011 12:51pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is being reinvented as an animated 10-year-old in a bid to inspire young girls to take up cooking and crafting.

Stewart, 69, whose empire includes publishing, broadcasting and merchandising, is the inspiration behind an animated, multimedia Internet series called "Martha & Friends" that makes it debut on AOL Kids on Friday.

The 26 short webisodes feature a 10 year-old blonde Martha as a problem solving, craft-loving girl who with her three friends and two dogs shows kids how to do it themselves.

The series is aimed at 6-11 year-old girls and also features interactive online games, activities and projects.

"Ever since I was a little girl I've had a passion for crafting and cooking, and my hope is that this series will inspire a whole new generation of do-it-yourselfers," Stewart said in a statement.

The venture from Los Angeles-based A Squared Entertainment is also designed to encourage kids to be independent thinkers and problem solvers.

Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, launched a magazine aimed at children in 2002 but the publication folded about four years later.