The Couch Potato Report - September 7th, 2004
This week in The Couch Potato Report, there are three mediocre movies and the third season of a popular TV show.
Up first this week is the Coen Brother's remake of THE LADYKILLERS.
If you've never enjoyed Alec Guinness in the classic 1955 Ealing comedy that inspired this remake, you might enjoy this new Tom Hanks version.
If you have seen the original, well, I doubt you'll like this new version at all.
One thing you will like is the fact that Tom Hanks creates his own character, instead of just re-creating the standout Guinness performance.
Hanks is a con man who rents a room in an old lady's house. He needs a secret headquarters for his five-man plot to rob a riverboat casino moored on the Mississippi.
His "gang of experts" pose as musicians and they use the woman's cellar to tunnel to the casino's cash-rich counting room.
As this is a Coen Brothers film mishaps ensue, the experts are all idiots, and to tell you any more would rob you of the very few pleasures in this less than stellar remake.
Yes, it's a less than stellar film that takes place in a cellar.
Sorry. I couldn't resist saying that.
THE LADYKILLERS is funny in parts, but those parts are few and far in between.
It is certainly not as funny as the Coen Brothers' O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? and nowhere near as entertaining as FARGO.
As far as it being a Tom Hanks film, well it falls somewhere between THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOW and TURNER & HOOCH.
I doubt if either Hanks or The Coen Brothers will ever see THE LADYKILLERS added to the list of their good films.
A few weeks ago I added HELLBOY To the list of good films made from comic books. This week we add THE PUNISHER to the list of bad ones.
Before he starts punishing people Frank Castle is a regular guy who retires from the FBI.
A shady Florida businessman, whose son was killed in Castle's last mission, orders a hit Castle's wife and child. He also wants Castle's parents and other members of his family killed.
Castle is also shot, but he survives and sets out to even the score.
The character of The Punisher first appeared in comics in "Spider-Man: Number 129."
The Punisher first appeared on the big screen in 1989 in a film starring Dolph Lundgren from ROCKY 4.
This new film version of THE PUNISHER isn't as bad as that original theatrical miss-fire, but it is really, really bad.
If you need to punish yourself, watch THE PUNISHER. Otherwise, see something else.
Like JERSEY GIRL, for instance.
JERSEY GIRL is the latest movie written and directed by Kevin Smith. Smith also gave us CLERKS, CHASING AMY and MALLRATS.
JERSEY GIRL is nothing like any of those movies.
It is reminiscent of other films you've seen, but its nothing like Smith's previous work.
Ben Affleck from CHANGING LANES and PEARL HARBOR stars as a workaholic who loses his wife and has to raise his newborn daughter with the help of his less-than-perfect New Jersey father, who is played by the one and only George Carlin.
As I mentioned, JERSEY GIRL is reminiscent of other films you've seen as it contains several movie cliché's, including: a parent forced to choose between child and career; a parent rushing to attend a child's school performance; and a man oblivious to the fact that he loves the woman he's been spending all of his free time with, just to name three.
Clichéd or not, I liked JERSEY GIRL! Yes, I am a long time fan of Kevin Smith's work, but I thought Affleck was great in the movie. I also think Liv Tyler does a tremendous job as the woman and Raquel Castro is superb as the Jersey Girl.
JERSEY GIRL is not a perfect film, but it is a nice little film.
Most of the time there is nothing nice about Special Agent Sydney Bristow, the character Jennifer Garner plays on the TV show ALIAS.
She is a spy who has to fight, lie and steal all in the name of justice and doing what's right.
And even though the mystery and excitement started to wane in its most recent season, the exploits of the characters on ALIAS are always worth watching because of the talents of Jennifer Garner. Thus, ALIAS - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON is a DVD Box Set that I am more than happy to recommend.
Especially i fyou like to watch Ganer kick some serious butt!
THE LADYKILLERS, THE PUNISHER, JERSEY GIRL and ALIAS - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON are all available now at your favourite local video store.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT
SCOOBY-DOO2: MONSTERS UNLEASED is the less than stellar live-action sequel to the 2002 movie that was based on the classic cartoon. The original movie cast of Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini all return, but they should have hired a screenwriter.
In MAN ON FIRE Denzel Washington is a man who seeks vengeance on kidnappers in Mexico.
And HOME ON THE RANGE is an animated film from Walt Disney about some animals who band together to save a farm from foreclosure. Roseanne, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sarah Jessica Parker provide the voices.
I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!
Nirvana Box Primed For Holiday Success
Although a label spokesperson declined to confirm specifics, Universal Music Enterprises will release a three-CD boxed set from Nirvana in November. Limited editions of the project will include a DVD, which boasts footage of the Kurt Cobain-led band playing at a 1987 house party.
The box is expected to be one of the most in-demand items at music retail this holiday season. High hopes were fueled when portions of the DVD were screened at the recent National Association of Recording Merchandisers conference.
"From what I saw at [NARM] -- which was amazing -- I think it's going to blow everyone away," Newbury Comics music buyer Carl Mello tells Billboard. "It really will out-perform any expectations that customers may have -- even if their expectations are huge."
The boxed set was originally intended for release in Christmas 2001, to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Nirvana's breakthrough album, "Nevermind." But surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic were thwarted by lawsuits from Cobain's widow Courtney Love, who objected to their planned use of the previously unreleased track "You Know You're Right" in the set.
The artists traded vicious barbs in the press, with Grohl and Novoselic claiming Love "couldn't care less about Nirvana fans. She is using Nirvana's music as a bargaining chip to increase leverage for her personal gain, without any regard for the Nirvana legacy." For her part, Love maintained Cobain was by far the driving force in Nirvana's success, and that Grohl and Novoselic were little more than hired hands.
The dispute was eventually settled in September 2002, with the parties agreeing to earmark "You Know You're Right" for a self-titled Nirvana compilation released on Oct. 29, 2002. The album has gone on to sell 1.45 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, while the song rocketed to No. 1 on both Billboard's Modern and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.
"We were looking forward to releasing unheard Nirvana material for our personal sense of closure," Grohl and Novoselic said before the suit was settled. "As the cycle of life moves forward, we are each living our own lives and moving on to new things. We only wanted to go on with the assurance of knowing that all of Nirvana's music is where it really belongs; in the hearts and minds of millions of people in the world.
As previously reported, Novoselic will revisit his Nirvana past in the upcoming book "Of Grunge & Government: Let's Fix this Broken Democracy!" Due later this month via RDV Books, the volume will also address Novoselic's longstanding work in political activism.
Stars Pack Fourth Quarter Release Schedule
Fourth-quarter releases from U2, Eminem, Alan Jackson, Good Charlotte, Ludacris, Fabolous and Gwen Stefani are fueling excitement among retailers as the industry heads into its key selling season.
Like the same period last year -- which yielded new releases by Jay-Z, OutKast and Nappy Roots -- a jam-packed urban release schedule will likely make up the majority of holiday sales.
Led by the aforementioned Eminem, (whose album will arrive Nov. 16 on Slim Shady/Interscope), and Ludacris (coming in October from Def Jam South), other big urban titles include two from Nelly (Fo' Reel/Universal), as well as sets from P. Diddy (Bad Boy/Universal), Destiny's Child (Sony Urban), Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz (BME/ TVT) and Chingy (Capitol).
Sony Urban will also release new studio efforts from rappers Xzibit and Nas, while Island Def Jam will bow projects by Redman, Ja Rule, Musiq and Ashanti.
Capitol has multiple titles coming, including Slum Village, Dilated Peoples and I-20, as does Atlantic, with sets by Fat Joe, Trick Daddy and T.I.
Other strongly anticipated urban sets coming by year's end are releases from Talib Kweli and Mos Def (Geffen), Guerilla Black (Virgin), Babyface (Arista), and Mario (J).
On the rock side, along with the highly anticipated U2 album, No Doubt frontwoman Stefani's first solo turn, both on Interscope, will likely be big. Also, for the first time in almost 20 years, the original Duran Duran lineup is releasing an album, "Astronaut" (Epic), due Oct. 12. A new set is tentatively due Oct. 26 from Beck (Geffen).
Warner Bros. will bow anticipated releases by Green Day and R.E.M. Also on the horizon are Fountains Of Wayne (S-Curve), the Donnas (Atlantic), Cake (Columbia), Sum 41 (Island) and a mini-album from Modest Mouse (Epic).
Plus, sets are coming from pop singers Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam) and Vanessa Carlton (A&M/Interscope) and soul vocalist Joss Stone (S-Curve).
Greatest-hits sets are expected from Britney Spears (Jive) and Mandy Moore (Epic). Best-ofs from Macy Gray and Korn (both on Epic), Everclear (Capitol), Phil Collins (Atlantic), Def Leppard (IDJ) and Seal (Warner Bros.) will also be on shelves.
Though boxed sets are expected from Al Green and the Rat Pack (both from EMI Music), as well as Bon Jovi (Island/Mercury), the Grateful Dead and Ozzy Osbourne (Sony Legacy), retailers are buzzing about the limited-edition vinyl box from Metallica (Elektra/Rhino Vinyl) and Nirvana's three-CD/one-DVD set on Universal Music Enterprises.
Country veterans Shania Twain (Mercury), Toby Keith (DreamWorks Nashville) and George Strait (MCA) are releasing compilations for the holidays.
There will also be new studio albums from Alan Jackson (Arista), Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street), Keith Urban (Capitol) and LeAnn Rimes (Curb).
"American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard is taking his turn at gospel this season with a J Records release. New material from EMI CMG's Steven Curtis Chapman, Toby Mac and Smokie Norful; Sony Urban's BeBe Winans; Word's Point Of Grace; and Reunion's Michael W. Smith are also slated.
Universal Classics will release an album by opera soprano Renée Fleming as well as Andrea Bocelli's first turn at pop. Sony will release a new Yo Yo Ma collection.
Rereleases of their current albums with new material added will come from Usher, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and Twista by end of the year.
Ogre and Out for Summer Box Office
The Scottish-braying green ogre of Shrek 2 was the monster of the summer box office, scaring up $436.5 million to help lead Hollywood to a record seasonal take of nearly $4 billion, estimates from the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. showed.
"For the most part, all the surprises of the summer were a matter of degree," says box-office expert Brandon Gray. "With Shrek 2, [you knew] it was a blockbuster going in, but it just did better than anyone could have expected."
A sequel to 2001's Shrek, no slouch itself with $268 million in the domestic bank, Shrek 2 made a single-day record $44.8 million on its first Saturday and never looked back, zooming past the $400 million mark in just 43 days, per Gray's BoxOfficeMojo.com.
The CGI-animated fairy tale not only topped 2003's Finding Nemo as the biggest-grossing feature-length 'toon ever, it topped just about every movie ever made.
Shrek 2, starring the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy, now stands in third place among the all-time box-office champs, behind only 1997's Titanic ($600.8 million) and 1977's Star Wars ($461 million).
In an absolutely related development, Shrek 3 and just maybe Shrek 4 are already in the works at DreamWorks.
Shrek 2 was one of summer's two mega-movies. The other also featured the number two in its title: Spider-Man 2, which had snared $367.8 million through last weekend.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was the third summer movie to blow past $200 million, but at $247.6 million, it's also the lowest-grossing flick of the boy-wizard franchise.
Likewise, Spider-Man 2 won't make quite as much as its predecessor, Spider-Man, which ruled the 2002 box office with $406 million.
Overall, the Hollywood of 2004 is not the Hollywood of 2002. That year saw ticket sales jump 12 percent. That summer saw attendance grow by 7 percent.
This summer (defined as the first weekend in May through Labor Day weekend) will have seen actual attendance--living, breathing, popcorn-eating bodies--fall by about three-quarters of a percent, down to 637.8 million ticket buyers, Exhibitor Relations estimated.
The drop, though slight, marks the second straight summer of downward-trending attendance. Since 2002, the summertime movie-going public has shrunk by about 17.2 million bodies.
Still, aided by ticket prices reaching an average of $6.25--up more than $1 from five years ago--revenues continue to climb. The summer of 2004 will go down as the hottest one ever in terms of sales, with all films combining to gross $3.986 billion.
"This would be a solid [grade] B summer," says Exhibitor Relations' Paul Dergarabedian. "And you know, I think Hollywood would take a solid B every year."
In all, 11 films crossed the $100 million mark, down from the 16 that hit nine figures in 2003.
To Gray, just about every movie that was expected to do well (Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, et al.) did well. And just about every movie that wasn't expected to do well, didn't do well.
Among the films which saw weak buzz translate into weak box office (relative to cost): Catwoman ($39.4 million domestic gross; reputed $100 budget); King Arthur ($51.3 million; $120 million); and The Stepford Wives ($59.3 million; $90 million).
Other summer washouts: The Olsen twins' New York Minute ($14 million); Brittany Murphy's little-used Little Black Book ($19.8 million); and the so-not-nice-they-made-it-twice Exorcist: The Beginning ($31.2 million).
Adding insult to injury, this stat regarding the biggest summer flop not called Thunderbirds ($6.8 million): Disney's $110 million remake of Around the World in 80 Days, which amounted to about as much box-office business ($23.9 million) as two micro-budget indies--Open Water ($23.2 million) and Napoleon Dynamite ($22.4 million), each produced for less than $1 million.
Still, Gray called the so-so $77 million taken in by The Terminal, a would-be prestige picture from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the biggest disappointment of the summer.
"Going in, it had the pedigree, it had the release date [mid-June] as being the first adult release of the season," says Gray. "It was an unusual, tough sell, but then Tom Hanks is known for taking tough sells and turning them into gold."
This time, instead of running Forrest Gump to the top of the box office, Hanks and his airport drama got stuck in traffic with the likes of The Notebook ($77.4 million), The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ($75.1 million) and, read it and weep, Garfield: The Movie ($74.7 million).
On paper, Van Helsing, with $120 million in U.S. ticket sales off a reported $160 million budget, would seem to be a big-money loser, but that's only if the paper doesn't include worldwide grosses.
Across the globe, the Hugh Jackman monster mash has more than doubled its pleasure, for an overall haul of $269.5 million, per BoxOfficeMojo.com.
"As time goes by, domestic is just part of the story," Gray says.
No summer movie benefited more from the disposable incomes of overseas audiences than Troy, which managed a respectable $133.2 million for a nearly three-hour, R-rated war movie in the States, but hauled in another $358.4 million from Brad Pitt-worshipping international markets.
Figuring in overseas grosses also helps pretty-up the likes of King Arthur ($158.9 million worldwide) and The Stepford Wives ($94.4 million).
Does that mean there's hope yet for Catwoman?
Says Gray: "No."
Well, there's always DVD...
Here's a look at the top 10 domestic summer films of 2004, according to Exhibitor Relations:
1. Shrek 2, $436.5 million
2. Spider-Man 2, $367.8 million
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, $247.6 million
4. The Day After Tomorrow, $186.2 million
5. The Bourne Supremacy, $157.7 million
6. I, Robot, $140.5 million
7. Troy, $133.2 million
8. Van Helsing, $120 million
9. Fahrenheit 9/11, $117.5 million
10. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, $113.3 million
Jerry Lewis Telethon Raises $59.4M
LOS ANGELES - The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon raised $59.4 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but organizers said Monday that power outages and other disruptions from Hurricane Frances contributed to a decline over last year.
Donations totaled 1.8 percent less than last year's $60.5 million.
Television stations in the Florida cities of Jacksonville, Sarasota and Gainesville canceled broadcasts of the telethon completely. Other Florida stations showed only the national portions, preventing the broadcast of local segments during which most pledges are made.
Lewis, 78, was assisted during the 21 1/2 hour fund-raiser by Ed McMahon, and the broadcast featured performances by Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Ray Romano, Tony Orlando and others.
Lewis said the late child poet Mattie Stepanek almost helped the telethon reach its goal. Stepanek, whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer, died in June at age 13 from a rare form of muscular dystrophy.
The boy was an advocate for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. His mother, Jeni, and Lewis appealed to telethon viewers to make up for lost contributions from Florida.
"Even now, Mattie continues to perform miracles," Lewis said in a statement after the telethon. "Without the love and hope that Mattie inspired in millions of Americans, there's no way we would have come so close to reaching our goal in the face of such overwhelming odds."
Only one other telethon in the 1980s failed to surpass the previous year's total.
The 39th annual telethon, based in Los Angeles, was shown on nearly 200 TV stations nationwide.
Moore to Pursue Best Picture Oscar
LOS ANGELES - Michael Moore says he won't submit "Fahrenheit 9/11" for consideration as best documentary at this year's Academy Awards. Instead, he's going for the bigger prize of best picture.
Moore's critically acclaimed film slams President Bush's war on terror as ill-advised and corrupt. The movie has cheered Democrats but enraged the president's supporters, who booed Moore when he visited the Republican National Convention last week.
"For me the real Oscar would be Bush's defeat on Nov. 2," Moore told The Associated Press during a phone interview Monday from New York.
The $6 million film has become a sensation that collected $117.3 million in the United States this summer, despite an early roadblock when the Walt Disney Co. banned its Miramax Films division from distributing the political hot-potato.
In the midst of the presidential campaign, Moore's announcement is a strategic move for his Oscar campaign. Documentaries and animated films have their own categories, but the conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that those niche awards can limit a film's appeal in the overall best picture class.
Moore said he and his producing partner, Harvey Weinstein, agreed "Fahrenheit 9/11" would stand a better chance if they focused solely on the top Oscar.
He also said he wanted to be "supportive of my teammates in nonfiction film."
So many documentaries — such as the gonzo fast-food satire "Super Size Me" and the sober look at Arab television news in "Control Room" — have made the rounds in theaters recently that Moore, who won the best documentary Oscar for "Bowling for Columbine," said he wanted to give others a chance.
"It's not that I want to be disrespectful and say I don't ever want to win a (documentary) Oscar again," Moore said. "This just seems like the right thing to do. ... I don't want to take away from the other nominees and the attention that they richly deserve."
Moore also hinted in a recent interview in Rolling Stone he would like the movie to play on television before the presidential election. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, playing on TV would invalidate its contention in the documentary category, but not for best picture. With the movie coming out on DVD Oct. 5, it's not clear whether the TV deal would happen.
Regardless of who wins the election, Moore said the movie's presence at the Academy Awards in February will provide another forum for Americans to think about its message.
"The issues in the film — terrorism, the war on terrorism, the Iraq war — will be with us five months from now, sadly," Moore said. "The issues that the film raises will be no less relevant, in the new year."
Singer Anita Baker Returns After 10-Year Break
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Timeless hits like "Sweet Love" may have transformed sultry singer Anita Baker into an international star, but after 10 years as a stay-at-home mom, her young sons offer a more humble assessment of her career.
"Their friends at school used to tell them, 'Your mom's famous!"' Baker told Reuters in an interview. "And they would say, 'No, she used to sing -- (now) she's retired."'
Indeed, it may have seemed like retirement for Baker when she dropped from sight after her 1994 album "Rhythm of Love," for which she earned her eighth Grammy Award. Baker's hiatus ends this month with "My Everything" (Blue Note), the 46-year-old vocalist's first album of new songs in a decade.
Her sons, now aged 11 and 10, were not completely wrong about their mom, who has sold more than 13 million albums.
Once the touring and excitement from "Rhythm of Love" simmered down, she retreated to tend to family matters, namely raising her babies and caring for ailing elders.
"Unfortunately, I buried my parents during that time, and my cousin," she said. "But, it's part of living life -- the same thing that you have been doing, I have been doing. When the time was right I was able to get up from the grief and the pots and pans in the kitchen, and the extra pounds."
Some things haven't changed. Baker still wears her trademark short hairstyle that sets free the warmth of her smile and bobs a little when the animated performer speaks.
Her album features collaborations with producer Barry Eastmond and singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. She hopes its familiar sound reconnects with the sort of faithful fans who have flocked back in recent years to acts like Steely Dan and Sade when they returned from professional hibernation.
"My Everything" continues the thread Baker established with songs like 1988's "Giving You The Best That I Got." Still in stride, she croons lush, lyrical stories of love, life and maturity that simmer with emotion -- all delivered in expansive style with her smoky, full-bodied alto voice.
HELLO, BLUE NOTE?
"That I would sound pretty much the same in 2004 as I did in 1995 is because I have creative control. And I always want my product to be what's in my heart, so I'm writing and in the sessions. It sounds like me because I'm there," she said.
The album's 10 songs include the tune "Men in My Life," an ode to her two sons and husband Walter Bridgeforth, whom she married in 1988.
Two years ago, Baker, who has a reputation as a tenacious businesswoman, was still seeking the right partner to work on her new project. She left Elektra Records after some legal sparring, and another label deal fell through.
She eventually found her way to prestigious jazz imprint Blue Note Records at the urging of industry heavyweight Bruce Lundvall, president and chief executive of EMI Jazz & Classics, the parent of Blue Note.
"I called him," she said of Lundvall. "I was basically just looking for a home. So I said, 'Can I just come over there and do a little jazz record?"'
Blue Note's artists typically are not household names, but Lundvall has had a knack for finding critical gems in eclectic jazz vocalists including Cassandra Wilson, Diane Reeves and Rachelle Ferrelle.
She invited Lundvall to attend a sold-out performance in New York in 2002. Afterwards, he told Baker, "Your audience is still here -- and Blue Note wants to be here, so let's get it done," she recalled.
What began as a humble urge to satisfy her jazz yearnings turned out to be a savvy move by Baker, as Blue Note's cache soared thanks to the blockbuster success of singer Norah Jones. With a debut album that sold 6 million copies, Jones' broad, genre-crossing ascent mirrored that of Baker 15 years earlier.
Still, with "My Everything" due in stores on Tuesday, Baker remains semi-retired. Although the lead single, "You're My Everything," is already topping the charts, Baker does not plan to fully promote her album with U.S. concert dates until mid-2005, perhaps coinciding with the start of the summer season.
"Back in the day, the music industry was my God," she said. "But I have got kids, and I can't do a tour unless they are out of school."
Looney Tunes Get A Second Volume of "The Golden Collection"
Looney Tunes finally made it to DVD in the form of the Golden Collection along with several smaller collections last year. The second set is set to arrive this winter.
For all who rightly place Looney Tunes alongside Mom, apple pie and web-surfing at work as American institutions, this is your time to rise and shine and watch. Yes, here on 4 discs you'll find 60 more of the finest, funniest, bestest Golden Era cartoons from the feverishly bent artistic minds at Termite Terrace.
Disc 1 showcases a certain wascally wabbit. The happiness of pursuit is center stage in Disc 2 and 3's respective batches of Road Runner and Sylvester/Tweety fun. Disc 4 is an all-star cavalcade of Hollywood parodies and more.
All 60 toons are restored, remastered, uncut. And each disc is chock-a-block with bonus goodies. It's a 24-carrot gem of a collection. Anything less would be dethpicable.
Features haven’t been finalized, but the shorts included will be The Big Snooze, Broomstick Bunny, Bugs Bunny Rides Again, Bunny Hugged, French Rabbit, Gorilla My Dreams, The Hare-Brained Hypnotist, Hare Conditioned, The Heckling Hare, Little Red Riding Rabbit, Tortoise Beats Hare, Rabbit Transit, Slick Hare, Baby Buggy Bunny, Hyde and Hare, Beep Beep, Going Going Gosh, Zipping Along Stop Look and Hasten, Ready Set Zoom, Guided Muscle, Gee Whiz-z-z-z, There They Go-Go-Go, Scarambled Aches, Zoom and Bored, Whoa Be Gone, Cheese Chasers, The Dover Boys, Mouse Wreckers, Bear for Punishment, Bad Ol' Putty Tat, All Abir-r-r-d, Room and Bird, Tweet Tweet Tweety, Gift Wrapped, Ain't She Tweet, A Bird in a Guilty Cage, Snow Business, Tweety Pie, Kitty Kornered, Baby Bottleneck, Old Glory, The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, Duck Soup to Nuts, Porky in Wackyland (B/W), Back Alley Oproar, Book Revue, Corny Concerto, Have You Got Any Castles, Hollywood Steps Out, I Love to Singa, Katnip Kollege, The Hep Cat, Three Little Bops, One Froggy Evening, Rhapsody Rabbit, Show Biz Bugs, Stage Door Cartoon What's Opera Doc and You Ought To Be in Pictures.
The set will arrive on November 2nd.
Chinese 'Hero' Still Tops at Holiday Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Chinese martial arts thriller "Hero" held onto the No. 1 slot at the North American box office during the U.S. Labor Day holiday, helping to consign four newcomers to a quick oblivion.
"Hero," released by Miramax Films, earned about $9 million in the three days beginning Sept. 3, according to estimates provided on Sunday by two rival studios. Officials from Walt Disney Co. -owned Miramax were not available for comment.
Directed by Zhang Yimou, "Hero" stars action hero Jet Li as a nameless warrior in the third century BC. It was released in China two years ago, and nominated for a foreign-language Oscar last year.
The adventure comedy "Without a Paddle" rose one place to No. 2 with a three-day sum of $7.1 million in its third weekend, said its distributor, Paramount Pictures. Its total rose to $37.9 million.
It swapped places with Sony Pictures' reptilian sequel "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" with $6.4 million in its second round, and a 10-day haul of $22.3 million.
"Paparazzi" was the best of the new releases, opening at No. 4 with just $6.3 million, said distributor, Twentieth Century Fox. The film, from Mel Gibson's Icon production company, revolves around an action star (played by Cole Hauser), who hunts down a gang of criminal photographers, led by Tom Sizemore.
"The Cookout," an urban comedy starring newcomer Quran Pender as a basketball star who throws a neighborhood barbecue, opened at No. 5 with $5.6 million, said distributor Lions Gate Films, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp .
The psychological drama "Wicker Park," starring Josh Hartnett in a remake of the French film "L'Appartement," opened with $5.4 million, according to distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc . It tied at No. 6 with Disney's romantic comedy "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," which has earned $83.4 million after four weekends.
"Vanity Fair," a period drama starring Reese Witherspoon in director Mira Nair's adaptation of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel, opened at No. 8 with $4.9 million. Since its Wednesday release, it has earned $6.0 million, said distributor Focus Features.
The Labor Day weekend is traditionally one of the slowest of the year as Americans fire up their barbecues one last time for the final holiday of the summer. The next few weekends promise to be similarly quiet as well.