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In the news
Compiled from Times wires The first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy ruled theaters in its first week, and Ali was No. 1 among films opening Christmas Day. The Fellowship of the Ring took in $47.2-million in its first three-day weekend and $66.1-million Friday through Christmas Day to finish No. 1 at the box office. Opening Dec. 19, it grossed $94-million in its first week. Ali, starring Will Smith as Muhammad Ali, earned $10.2-million in its debut Tuesday. That beat the previous high for a Christmas opening, Patch Adams with $8.1-million. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone padded its haul by $10.7-million Friday through Tuesday. That put it a fraction ahead of Shrek to be the year's top-grossing film at $267.8-million and counting. The industry also had a record revenue year, topping $8-billion for the first time. Star-backed charity deliversChecks started going out Monday from the September 11th Fund, the charity Fox News' Bill O'Reilly said was not getting money to terrorist attack victims after a star-packed telethon raised millions of dollars for it. Eighteen thousand people have been sent a total of $60-million, Entertainment Tonight said Wednesday. PeopleThree months after the commercial flop of Mariah Carey's first release for EMI's Virgin Records, the music giant is seeking to buy out the singer's contract, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. The newspaper said EMI offered Carey a huge lump-sum payment in exchange for her departure. It put the contract's value at $80-million for four albums; other reports have said Carey signed for as much as $118-million for five albums. Representatives for Carey, EMI, or Virgin Records could not be reached for comment. . . . Five days after a liver transplant, HIV-positive author Larry Kramer was upgraded to fair condition Wednesday, and he was moved from intensive care. His doctors at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said he was progressing as expected. Kramer, 66, suffered from end-stage liver failure caused by hepatitis B. 'Yes, Minister' actor diesNigel Hawthorne, a versatile actor known around the world as scheming civil servant Sir Humphrey Appleby in the British TV series Yes, Minister, died Wednesday. He was 72. Hawthorne died of a heart attack at his home north of London, his agent Ken McReddie said. Hawthorne, a Tony winner who was nominated for a best actor Oscar for the title role in 1994's The Madness of King George, achieved worldwide fame as Sir Humphrey. The satirical 1980s series about a hapless government minister outsmarted by devious civil servants reportedly was then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's favorite program. The series has aired on PBS stations.
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From the wire |
