$UPERMAN BUDGET IS UP, UP AND AWAY
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... the sky-high cost of making "Superman Returns."
The new Man of Steel flick, due out June 30, is the culmination of a long, long, long process - one that's had a rotating cast of directors and stars, and drawn a steady stream of Warner Bros. funds since the project began in the early 1990s.
The current version, with "X-Men" director Bryan Singer at the helm, finally began production last spring - as the studio and eager audiences sighed with relief.
But given Singer's penchant for high-end special effects and copious reshoots, some in Hollywood have speculated that the film's sizable budget has since ballooned to nearly $300 million.
"From what I gather, it will be the most expensive film ever," says box office expert David Poland, editor of Movie City News.
"There's no way the picture could cost less than $250 million, based on what they green-lit. And they green-lit $200 million with [previous director] McG. Then they started production, and then they got rid of McG, and then they started with Bryan, and finished, and then had to reshoot.
"I figure it anywhere between $290 and $300 million at this point," he concludes.
Edward Jay Epstein, author of "The Big Picture: Money and Power in Hollywood," takes a different view of the calculation, saying that estimates shouldn't include money for so-called "pay or play" deals with previous participants - a list that includes Brett Ratner, Tim Burton, Kevin Smith, J.J. Abrams and Nicolas Cage - who were eventually cut out.
"There has been a long odyssey of Warner Bros. attempting to make this movie," he concedes, "but those costs would have been written off. The only way a movie like this could cost anything approaching [$300 million] is if you have someone like Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg each getting 16 percent of the gross."
The exact, ultimate price tag of the new "Superman" has become a hot topic as the film nears opening day. Variety has said it's $250 million; last week, the Wall Street Journal reported $261 million.
Both of which drew protests from Warner Bros. suits, who insist the movie's costs are being incorrectly interpreted and inflated.
"The number - after tax credits - is around $204 million," Susan Fleishman, executive vice president of corporate communications for Warner Bros., said in a prepared statement.
But even that "Titanic"-sized budget would seem to be exorbitantly high for a movie featuring no huge movie stars - Kevin Spacey's the highest-profile, and he ain't that high - and a dubious need for extravagant special effects.
After all, the story's main conceit is a guy in tights who can fly. And, as Poland snarks, "the technology in flying has not improved that much."
"Based on the trailer, it doesn't look like one of the most expensive movies ever," says Brandon Gray, publisher of BoxOfficeMojo.com. "They could be saving the good stuff for the actual film, of course - but that's an uncommon practice. Usually they show every special effect in the trailer."
In an effort to track down a possible source of the "Superman" money pit, The Post pored over the film's second trailer with special-effects expert Eric Hanson, who's worked on CG-heavy films including "The Fifth Element" and "The Day After Tomorrow."
The biggest and potentially most expensive scene in the trailer, he says, seems to be the one in which Superman (Brandon Routh) stops a fiery plane from crashing.
"It's probably a [computer-generated] double," he says, "and it will definitely be a CG double for action sequences like when he's on the wing of the plane. It could be a live-action face. But things like the cape are definitely going to be computer graphics.
"This is a good example of a shot that has to withstand pretty close scrutiny. There's a fair amount of budget that will go into that."
Hanson says a big-budget film like this one will typically spend six to nine months before shooting even begins on CG research and development, plus a year of actual production time. "You're probably looking at 300 to 400 artists," he estimates.
Ultimately, Hanson says, the price tag for CG work in films like this is about $1 million per minute. "I'd wager probably half the film is effects," he says, "but it could be higher."
Given the film's estimated 150-minute running time, that's $75 million right there.
But as Epstein points out, "it all depends on what comes out on the screen. It makes no difference to me how expensive a movie is. Warner Brothers is the most profitable movie studio there is - I would assume that whatever the film costs is what they value it at."
No matter what the final price tag is, one thing's clear: "Superman" had better be able to leap opening-day box office records in a single bound.
Tom Cruise Loses "South Park" Fight
South Park'ers Matt Stone & Trey Parker have won their free speech battle, after the cartoon episode which mocks actor Tom Cruise was pulled from British TV. According to IMDB.com, the 2005 episode entitled, "Trapped in the Closet," was shown at the National Film Theatre in London on Monday, for free, hampering Cruise's efforts to shut-down the screening. "If we were charging there may have been legal problems," said a spokesman for the unusual event. "But it was a free event, so it should be fine." Stone and Parker were also on-hand for fans, to discuss the show and specifically the 'closet' episode they defend as a display of free speech.
Mischa Barton's 'O.C.' Character Killed
LOS ANGELES - Fox's "The O.C." closed its third season Thursday with a deadly twist. Marissa Cooper, played by Mischa Barton, was killed in a car crash.
Barton's character was central to the show, which follows four wealthy Newport Beach teens through the emotional ups and downs of high-school life.
Barton was already a familiar face when she began starring on "The O.C." in 2003. She worked as a model and appeared in several films, including "The Sixth Sense," and TV's "Once and Again." She is also a spokesmodel for Neutrogena and the Collection bebe clothing line.
Rumors flew in recent months that she was ready to leave "The O.C."
Earlier this week, Barton told "Access Hollywood," "My character has been through so, so much and there's really nothing more left for her to do."
Barton, 20, has a film arriving in 2007, "Guilty Pleasures," and other projects in the works.
Marissa's death came at the end of an otherwise upbeat episode.
The class of 2006, which includes Marissa, Ryan, Seth and Summer, graduated from Harbor High School. Seth and Summer were accepted by the same college. Ryan was reunited with his mother, who gave him a Land Cruiser as a graduation gift. Marissa's mom gave her a pearl necklace, while her dad gave her an opportunity to work with him on a yacht set to sail around the Greek islands.
Ryan was taking Marissa to the airport in his new SUV when they were antagonized at high speed by a drunken and vengeful Volchok, who they both had a history with. Volchok swigged from a flask as he chased the pair in his car.
Ryan lost control of the Land Cruiser and crashed, the vehicle rolling off the road. He pulled Marissa from the wreckage just before the vehicle caught fire.
There, on the side of the road, she died in his arms.
'Will & Grace' Ends but the Pair Lives On
NEW YORK - It was a funny & satisfying conclusion for "Will & Grace" Thursday as the NBC sitcom ended its eight-season run by looking ahead more than 20 years.
"You know what's funny? We haven't changed a bit," said a slightly grayer Will (Eric McCormack) to Grace ( Debra Messing) and their pals Karen ( Megan Mullally) and Jack ( Sean Hayes), as they toasted themselves in a neighborhood Manhattan bar.
Go no further if you don't want to know the details.
Bottom line: The gay guy and straight girl who were so much in love successfully navigated their incompatibilities, ending up bonded by marriage after all: Will's son to Grace's daughter.
At the start of the hour-long finale, Will (in the present) was making good on his pledge to care for pregnant Grace. He planned to help her raise the child.
But then Leo ( Harry Connick, Jr.), Grace's ex-husband, unexpectedly arrived from Rome to say he wanted her back — finding, much to his surprise, that she was pregnant with his child.
Flash forward two years: Grace and Leo and their little daughter, Lila, were together and happy.
Will and his partner, Vince ( Bobby Cannavale), were together with Ben, their little boy.
But Will and Grace hadn't spoken in two years. They were angry, feeling that somehow each had deserted the other.
Karen and Jack (as they shared a bubble bath and conversed on cell phones) fretted about this estrangement.
"Sometimes it seems like our sole purpose in life is just to serve Will and Grace," Karen declared.
"Right," Jack agreed indignantly. "It's like all people see when they look at us are the supporting players on `The Will and Grace Show.'"
They plotted to bring the unsuspecting former best friends back together. The plan worked.
"I am so sorry I hurt you, Will," Grace said. "But I'd be lying if I said I regret what happened. And I don't think you do either."
"God, you're right," said Will. "Grace, I don't want to fight with you anymore."
But despite their having made up, their lives — and respective families — took them on separate paths.
Then, some 18 years further into the future, college students Ben and Lila were moving into dorm rooms across the hall from one another. They met. Sparks flew. Their parents Will and Grace were reunited once more.
"I still can't believe our kids are getting married," Will told Grace as they chatted on the phone while they each watched TV, just as they did from the first episode of "Will & Grace" in 1998.
And what of Karen, the boozy, rich Manhattan diva, and Jack, her outrageously gay buddy?
We see them, also 20 years in the future, contentedly living together in luxury.
"Isn't it funny how we've been with each other longer than we've been with any of our husbands or boyfriends?" chirped Karen. What's more, Jack and Karen were caring for — and still trading barbs with — Rosario ( Shelley Morrison), Karen's wisecracking maid.
A sitcom about a gay man and a straight woman linked in every way but physically was a radical idea when "Will & Grace" premiered. But it quickly caught on and built into a hit, with nearly 200 episodes.
At its peak in the 2001-02 season the series drew an audience of more than 17 million, though its popularity tapered off in recent years (this season it has averaged 7.8 million viewers).
But even at the end, the characters were true to themselves, the affection between this Fab Four was palpable, and the banter remained razor-sharp.
On the phone, Will voiced his doubts about the dress Grace planned to wear to their kids' nuptials.
"I'm not crazy about the trim," he said.
"Will," she shot back, "you never were."
Dixie Chicks Announce Tour Dates Thu May 18, 5:51 PM ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Dixie Chicks are launching a 43-city North American tour in July to promote their new album, "Taking the Long Way."
The first show will be July 21 in Detroit, and the tour is scheduled to wrap up on Nov. 11 in Tacoma, Wash., the group announced Thursday. Stops include New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto.
The Chicks are teaming up with Target stores and MSN to promote the tour.
The Columbia label CD goes on sale May 23, and fans who buy it from Target stores will get a passcode to buy four concert tickets before general sales begin in early June.
All tour information is being posted on MSN, which also will offer a behind-the-scenes look and a Webcast at http://dixiechicks.msn.com of the Dixie Chicks' June 15 London concert.
The trio of lead singer Natalie Maines, banjo and guitar player Emily Robison and fiddle and mandolin player Martie Maguire had several hits, including "Wide Open Spaces" "There's Your Trouble" and "Landslide," from their first three albums.
But their music was boycotted by some U.S. radio stations after Maines told a London audience on the eve of the war in Iraq that the group was "ashamed" the president was from their home state of Texas.
The single "Not Ready to Make Nice" has been getting country-radio airplay and was listed at No. 50 on this week's Billboard chart after peaking at 36.
The Dixie Chicks tour dates are:
July
21: Detroit, Joe Louis Arena
22: Pittsburgh, Mellon Arena
23: Columbus, Ohio, Schottenstein Center
25: Philadelphia, Wachovia Center
28: Albany, N.Y., Pepsi Arena
29: Boston, Banknorth Garden
August
1: New York, Madison Square Garden
4: Washington, Verizon Center
13: Milwaukee, Bradley Center
15: Chicago, The United Center
18: Minneapolis, Target Center
20: Kansas City, Mo., Kemper Arena
22: St. Louis, Savvis Center
23: Indianapolis, Conseco Fieldhouse
24: Des Moines, Iowa, Wells Fargo Arena
26 Fargo, N.D., Fargodome
September
3: Phoenix, Glendale Arena
6: Fresno, Calif., SaveMart Center
8 Sacramento, Calif., ARCO Arena
9: Oakland, Calif., Oakland Arena
14: Los Angeles, STAPLES Center
16: Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay
23: Omaha, Neb., Qwest Center
24: Denver, Pepsi Center
26: Oklahoma City, Ford Center
27: Memphis, Tenn., FedEx Forum
29: Dallas, American Airlines Center
30: Houston, Toyota Arena
October
1: Austin, Texas, Frank Irwin Center
3: Nashville, Tenn., Gaylord Entertainment Center
5: Tampa, Fla., St. Pete Times Forum
6: Jacksonville, Fla., Veterans Memorial Arena
7: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., BankAtlantic Center
17: Atlanta, Phillips Arena
20: Knoxville, Thompson-Boling Arena
22: Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro Coliseum
27: Ottawa, Scotiabank Place
28: Toronto, Air Canada Centre
November
4: Edmonton, Alberta, Rexall Place
5: Calgary, Alberta, Saddledome
8: Vancouver, British Columbia, GM Place
9: Portland, Ore., Rose Garden
11: Tacoma, Wash., Tacoma Dome