Hilton quits Billboard awards over jokes
LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton won't joke about her peeps. The hotel heiress canceled an appearance at next week's Billboard Music Awards because she didn't like the jokes written for her, according to a spokesman.
"It is my understanding that some satirical references ridiculed some of her peers," her spokesman, Elliot Mintz, said in a statement. "Paris did not want to say anything that could appear hurtful or embarassing about people she knows."
Mintz said Hilton received a script Friday that contained material she found "objectionable." Representatives for Hilton and the awards show could not come to an agreement about the script's content so she decided to scrap the appearance, he said.
A call to Billboard was not returned early Saturday.
The Billboard Awards will be handed out Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show is scheduled to air live on Fox.
'LEBOWSKI' FEST DRAWS GEEKY FILM FANS TO NEW YORK
WHERE THE DUDES ARE: A trio of uber-dedicated fans pay homage to Jeff
Bridges's slacker-antihero star, the real thing.December 3, 2006 -- IN
film circles, the term "cult classic" often gets thrown around liberally.
Maybe a movie inspires a generous online message board or even a drinking
game. Then there's "The Big Lebowski."
The 1998 Coen brothers film has such a rabid underground following that
it's managed to inspire an online Church of the Latter-Day Dude, a
speaking tour featuring Jeff "the Dude" Dowd (the independent film
consultant credited with inspiring the film's main character), an online
petition calling for Jeff Bridges (the film's star) to run for president
in 2008, and, oh yeah, a drinking game.
But perhaps the greatest display of obsessive behavior from Lebowski
lovers is Lebowski Fest. A multiple-day event where fans come together
across the country to pay homage to the object of their cinematic
affection.
And you thought the film was bizarre.
"Everything we try seems ridiculous, but somehow it always works. We do
what we think would be fun, and generally everyone else agrees," says
organizer Will Russell, who with friend Scott Shuffitt expected 25 of his
closest friends to show up at the inaugural 2002 event in Louisville, Ky.
Instead, 150 people came out. The next year, 1,200 people from 35 states
arrived.
"The first bowling alley we held [the event at] was called the Fellowship
Lanes. It was a Baptist-run center, so they had a big sign that said 'no
cussing,' " says Russell. "Which is ironic since the F-word and its
variants are said 281 times in the movie."
Almost five years after its inception, thousands of Lebowski groupies
flock to locales like New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Austin to
partake in the signature silliness drawn from one of the Coen brothers'
most popular, if underrated, films. Plans are in the works for a Seattle
fest, and there's talk of a European expansion.
This year's New York stop takes place on Dec. 16 and 17 at Northsix in
Brooklyn and Cozy Bowl in Queens, respectively. Per Lebowski Fest
tradition, tickets ($15 for the first day, $25 for the second) will get
you a bowling tournament, character-inspired costumes, live music, plenty
of White Russians (the film's signature beverage), and of course, a
screening of the film.
All in honor of a movie that came and went through the nation's
multiplexes without so much as a murmur.
"When I first saw it I didn't dislike it, but I was kind of indifferent to
it," Russell admits. "I think it was the 87th time [that I saw it] when it
was probably the funniest."
Despite marginal box-office numbers when it was released, the Coen
brothers' contemporary Raymond Chandler tribute may be single-handedly
responsible for reinvigorating the popularity of Creedence Clearwater
Revival, bowling, and Bridges (who memorably portrayed the film's
burnt-out, "Caucasian"-sipping, former-roadie namesake). With its all-star
cast, stellar soundtrack, convoluted (and ultimately unimportant) plot,
and whip-smart dialogue, "Lebowski" might be one of Hollywood's few
genuine cult classics. And the scope of that fandom is best demonstrated
in this ever-growing festival.
While the Coen brothers have yet to publicly comment on the event, actors
from the film appear at different festivals, and Bridges even made an
appearance at the L.A. Lebowski Fest two years ago.
"It was a surprise. No one knew he was going to be there," says Russell.
"He was holding a drink and said in the most dudelike way, 'It all seems
like some kind of weird dream I'm having.' He loves it."
If the Fest turnout over the years is any indication, he's not alone.
For info on Lebowski Fest, call (502) 583-9290 or go to LebowskiFest.com.
Penguins, Bond still ruling box office
LOS ANGELES - A dancing penguin and the world's deadliest spy have settled in for a long stay at the top of the box office. The animated penguin tale "Happy Feet" was the No. 1 movie for the third straight weekend, posting ticket sales of $17 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Also for the third straight weekend, the James Bond adventure "Casino Royale" ran a close second, taking in $15.1 million.
"Happy Feet," from Warner Bros., raised its total domestic gross to $121 million. Sony's "Casino Royale" has climbed to $115.9 million.
With a fairly open market for family crowds through Christmas, "Happy Feet" is expected to top out at $185 million or more, said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for Warner Bros.
Topping $300 million worldwide, "Casino Royale" is on the way to surpassing the $432 million total of "Die Another Day" to become the top-grossing Bond movie, said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony.
"It's been all about 'Happy Feet' and 'Casino Royale' for the past three weeks. Those films have really captured the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "I've never really seen two movies define the start of a holiday season in the way these two have."
Denzel Washington's thriller "Deja Vu" remained in third place for a second straight weekend with $11 million, bringing the Disney release's total to $44.1 million.
A weak crop of newcomers were unable to bump off the holdovers. Despite the holiday season, movie-goers generally were not in the mood for New Line's "The Nativity Story," a tale of Christ's humble birth that debuted modestly with $8 million to come at No. 4.
Starring Keisha Castle-Hughes as the Virgin Mary, "The Nativity Story" received mixed reviews, with many critics finding it a skillfully crafted but tame and unimaginative retelling of the first Christmas.
Snow in the Midwest kept many movie-goers at home, undermining the film's opening, said David Tuckerman, New Line's head of distribution.
"The storms in the middle of the country couldn't have hurt us more," Tuckerman said. "It's a movie made for the heartland, and it killed us in the heartland."
Fox Atomic's "Turistas," a horror thriller about Americans stranded and terrorized in the Brazilian jungle, opened at No. 8 with $3.5 million.
MGM's campus comedy "National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj" — which elevates sidekick Kal Penn to lead status in the absence of Ryan Reynolds, who starred in the original movie — flopped with just $2.3 million, coming in at No. 10.
In limited release, Morgan Freeman's "10 Items Or Less" opened weakly, taking in $40,150 in 15 theaters. The low-budget film, about an actor who bonds with a supermarket cashier ( Paz Vega) while researching a role, will be available for download just two weeks after its theatrical debut in a test of online movie distribution.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Happy Feet," $17.05 million.
2. "Casino Royale," $15.1 million.
3. "Deja Vu," $11 million.
4. "The Nativity Story," $8 million.
5. "Deck the Halls," $6.6 million.
6. "The Santa Clause 3: The Escaped Clause," $5 million.
7. "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," $4.8 million.
8. "Turistas," $3.5 million.
9. "Stranger Than Fiction," $3.4 million.
10. "National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj," $2.3 million.