February 20, 2007

Double triumph has successfully been attained by domestic champion "Ghost Rider" as it also turns out to rule over the weekend foreign box office in its debut.

Pushing last-week top holder "Night at the Museum" one notch below, the superhero flick wonderfully manages to pull $16.4 million from 25 markets, slightly above the $14.1 million the Fox's family-friendly comedy has collected from 45 countries.

Set to plant solid base in Hollywood, British newcomer Andrew Garfield has successfully acquired a starring slot in United Artists' high-profile drama "Lions for Lambs", joining household names like Robert Redford, Tom Cruise, and Meryl Streep.

Currently in production, the picture presents three interconnected plotlines concerning a congressman, an idealistic professor, and a pair of American soldiers wounded in enemy territory in Afghanistan. Redford is on duty to direct from script penned by Matthew Michael Carnahan with MGM to distribute domestically.

Trying hands at different film genre, Brittany Snow is on board to star as the female lead in a slasher picture entitled "Prom Night" for Screen Gems, Variety has reported.

A remake of the 1980 film of the same name starring Jamie Lee Curtis, the project is likely to follow the plot of the original version which centers on a group of teen girls who are stalked by a masked killer. Nelson McCormick has been tapped to direct with an eye for a February 1, 2008 release while Original Film's Neal Moritz will seat as the producer.

Breaking into Hollywood, New Zealander Jessica Rose is reportedly set to take part in Lindsay Lohan's starring vehicle "I Know Who Killed Me", a thriller flick coming from TriStar Pictures.

Rose, known widely for her appearance in YouTube's video blogs "Lonelygirl15", is said to play a character named Marcia whose details are yet to be released. Pictures spotting her and Lohan on the film's set have already popped up on some celebrity gossip websites.

Wedding invitations have been sent out, it means they have set the date. Eva Longoria and Tony Parker have sent out wedding announcements, informing their guests to save the date of July seventh for the wedding.

And now what about the place? The happy couple reportedly is planning to marry in a $488,000 French luxury chateau. However, guests which among others include "Desperate Housewives" castmates Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Nicollette Sheridan have yet being informed where the actual event will be held.

Giving further look on its anticipated animated feature "The Simpsons Movie", the 20th Century Fox has ultimately put a brand new trailer of the flick on the web, the studio itself has confirmed.

Available on Apple in various QuickTime formats, the trailer can be viewed via http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/ thesimpsonsmovie/. It starts with a parody of "Spider-Man 3" before revealing a little bit more about plot which appears to have a more epic tone than the TV series.

Whitney Houston made it obvious to everyone that it really is over between her and estranged hubby Bobby Brown despite the fact that they were spotted dining together Sunday Feb 11th. And to set the record straight, the singer created frenzy when she stepped out with Ray J, the brother of singer Brandy.

Whitney and Ray, who is 17 years her junior, are reportedly back together again after falling out after a sex tape of Ray and his ex-girlfriend Kim Kardashian was leaked online. The pair, who's been dating for several months, created frenzy as they arrived together at Jay-Z's party at Tao nightclub Saturday night Feb 17th.

They repeatedly denied that they are dating. Yet the fact just goes the other way around. They are often spotted together. Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson, who reportedly dating but were then said to split, are being spotted together again.

Wilson, who reportedly flew in from the US to Australia for a surprise Valentine's Day visit, was the surprise guest at the screening of "We Are Marshall", which Matthew McConaughey specially held for cast and crew members of "Fool's Gold." Wilson and McConaughey are longtime friends.

Compiling a great list of this year's Academy Awards presenters, telecast producer Laura Ziskin announced yesterday, February 19, that Tobey Maguire, Anne Hathaway, and Jack Black have also been picked up to perform the task at the event which is held for the seventy-ninth time.

Honoring best achievements in filmmaking of 2006, the 79th annual Academy Awards will take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday, February 25 and be aired live by ABC at 5 p.m. PST (8 p.m. EST), beginning with a half-hour red carpet arrivals segment, "The Road to the Oscars."

Divorcee Selma Blair is single no more. The actress who is now sporting a short, platinum blonde haircut, revealed she has had a new boyfriend.

At the Marc Jacobs fashion show in London on Friday February 16th, Blair openly revealed she has a new guy in her life, who happens to be model-actor Matt Felker. The guy, who is seven years her junior, once appeared in Britney Spears' video for "Toxic" where he is seen passionately kissing the pop star.

Seems big screen roles really suits Maggie Grace as time goes by. Already attached to two movie projects for future releases, the beauty is now reported to have landed the female lead opposite Liam Neeson in "Taken", an action thriller of Luc Besson's Europa Corp. and the 20th Century Fox production.

Here the "Lost" star is plotted as the estranged daughter of Neeson's character who is kidnapped and forced into the slave trade, leading the father, a former spy agent, to use his skills in rescuing her.

Britney Spears' hair will have to find a new marketplace as eBay is trying to pull it out from their site. The many auctioneers who are trying to cash in on eBay with the star's hair makes it difficult to find out which one is authentic.

From the day Spears getting her head shaved completely bald, there are reportedly 50 people on eBay trying to make a dime off the hair that they claim came straight from the head of the singer. In fact, it's hard to authenticate hair bought on eBay without an expensive DNA test.

Rounding out the cast lineup, Steve Zahn has landed deals to have a starring role in dark comedy flick "Sunshine Cleaning", The Hollywood Reporter has revealed.

Joining the likes of Amy Adams, Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, Clifton Collins Jr., Eric Christian Olsen, and Kevin Chapman, the "Sahara" star will portray a married police officer named Mac who has an affair with Rose Lorkowski, played by Adams. Meanwhile, Arkin and Blunt are billed to be Rose's relatives and partners in her business of cleaning messy crime scenes.

It's been sometime since they announced their split after nearly four years together. Justin Timberlake and ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz were seen together Friday night Feb 16th at the Whiskey Bar in the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood.

An eyewitness revealed that Justin joined director Martin Scorsese and about eight other people at a table inside the hotel's exclusive bar. The singer chatted briefly with the director and others at the table. Soon thereafter, at 1 a.m., Diaz arrived.

Previously helmed two recent installments of "Saw" series, Darren Lynn Bousman is now returning to the director's seat for the next one that is "Saw IV", Lionsgate Film and Twisted Pictures have officially confirmed yesterday, February 19, 2007. Announcing the statement were Lionsgate's President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions Peter Block and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions Jason Constantine, and Twisted's Mark Burg and Oren Koules.

"Having Darren behind the camera gives 'Saw IV' a real edge, so to speak," Block remarked. "He has led this franchise into box office history while proving himself a modern master of psychological terror."

Bridget Moynahan and Tom Brady are no longer dating, but they are expecting their first child together. The actress, who is six years his senior, announced through his publicist Monday Feb 19th, she is over three months pregnant.

Confirming the pregnancy report to People, Moynahan's rep claimed the star is "healthy and excited." Elsewhere, a rep for Brady had no comment on that matter.

She does sexy. Scarlett Johansson is sexy, not only according to Esquire magazine, but Playboy also thinks so. The movie beauty has just been named Playboy's Sexiest Celebrity.

"Scarlett Johansson is the apex of beauty and sensuality - from her porcelain skin to her fully feminine figure to her mysterious charisma, which is at once palpable and undefinable," the Playboy editors said on the actress.