Reports: Christina Applegate has breast cancer
LOS ANGELES - Actress Christina Applegate reportedly is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Ame Van Iden, publicist for the 36-year-old actress, released the following statement late Saturday:
"Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life threatening. Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery."
Applegate has earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her starring role in ABC's comedy "Samantha Who?" Applegate plays the title character, a young career woman who awakens from an eight-day coma remembering nothing about her past.
The series debuted last October and marked the return to television of Applegate, who helped establish the upstart Fox network in 1987 as ditzy teenager Kelly Bundy on "Married ... with Children." The raunchy comedy ran 11 seasons and has been airing in syndication ever since.
She won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003 for her portrayal of Amy Green, the younger sister of Jennifer Aniston's character on "Friends."
Applegate earned a 2005 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway role in "Sweet Charity."
"I'm really grateful that acting is the job that was chosen for me," Applegate told The Associated Press in April. "I get really lost when I'm not working. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself. Thank God for dance class and The New York Times crossword puzzle and `American Idol.' But acting is what I really have to do."
Applegate is among the celebrities scheduled to appear on the "Stand Up To Cancer" one-hour television special to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.
"The Dark Knight" leads box office for third weekend
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Batman narrowly fended off the new "Mummy" sequel to lead the weekend box office in North America for a third weekend, while moviegoers rejected Kevin Costner's new political comedy "Swing Vote."
"The Dark Knight" earned $43.8 million for the three days beginning Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday. Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" followed with $42.5 million.
Walt Disney Co's "Swing Vote" came in at No. 6 with just $6.3 million, the latest disappointment for Costner, who has not had a $100 million movie since 1992's "The Bodyguard."
The total for "The Dark Knight" rose to $394.9 million. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it expects the film to add at least $100 million, likely becoming the No. 2 movie of all time in North America. "Titanic" holds the record with $601 million, ahead of 1977's "Star Wars" and its two reissues with $461 million.
"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" came in below pundits' forecasts of an opening in the $50 million range, bruised by the Batman juggernaut. The Brendan Fraser film actually beat "The Dark Knight" on Friday but the reigning champ bounced back on the next two days. (The Sunday component of the data is an estimate; final data will be issued on Monday.)
Universal, a unit of General Electric Co, said "The Mummy" was big internationally. The film, set in China and co-starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, opened to $59.5 million from 28 territories.
Fraser has had a low profile since appearing as part of the ensemble in the Oscar-winning 2004 movie "Crash." But he now has two movies in the top 5, with "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at No. 5 with a four-week total of $73.1 million.