Via hollywoodlife.com

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have hinted lately that a new addition might added to their growing family, and now sources say it’s really happening! “She’s almost three months along,” a source confirmed to OK! magazine. “It’s not something she wants to officially announce, but she’s at a point where she is telling a very select group of people.”

Angelina recently revealed that having a baby was definitely an option. “I could end up pregnant,” she hinted. Her friends say she couldn’t be happier about the new baby.

“Angelina is really savoring every moment,” an insider revealed. “She’s having a tough time with morning sickness but says it’s all worth it.”

The actress is already mom to six lively kids — Maddox, 10, Pax, 8, Zahara, 6, Shiloh, 5, and Knox and Vivienne, 3 — and she’s more than prepared for this newcomer. “Angelina has cleared out her bedroom and redone it all in white,” the insider said. “She wants the room to have a Zen-like feeling because she believes in the mind/body connection and wants her mind at peace.”

Friends say this baby couldn’t have come a better time — it’s saved the couple’s relationship!

“Of coure, while trying to conceive, Angelina and Brad got to spend a lot of alone time,” the insider revealed. “The kids are rarely without either one of their parents, but over the past few months their nannies have been taking over a lot more.”

The bonding time worked: “Angie and Brad have always had an incredible physical connection, but when they have the mission of making a baby, things between them really spark up.”

There’s other benefits to expecting a little one: Pregnancy will force super-skinny Angelina to eat. “Because Angelina sees so much starvation up close, it’s always hard for her to indulge in food,” the source explained. “But when she gets pregnant, all that goes out the window.”

All is well in the Jolie-Pitt household. “It’s a very joyous time,” the insider said. “Everyone is thrilled to see them in a happy place.”

Via ph.omg.yahoo.com

Via Iva Dorschner FB Fan Page

Via Iva Dorschner FB Fan Page

Former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate and Star Magic artist Ivan Dorschner, 21, finally fulfilled his “teenage dream”. He got a kiss from international pop singer Katy Perry during her concert at the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds in Pasay City on Sunday night, January 22.

Ivan was one of the thousands of hopefuls who wanted Katy to kiss him as part of her act in her “California Dreams” tour. Manila was the last leg of the tour, which started in February 2011 with over a hundred shows in Europe, Australia and America.

The Kiss

Katy announced on stage that whoever takes his shirt off first can come on stage. Many of her Filipino fans frantically took off their shirt but it was Ivan who ended up the luckiest.

Katy not only kissed him. He kissed her back.

“I wanna make your dreams come true because I’m sure you haven’t kissed a pop star yet, have you?,” Katy playfully asked Ivan. She shouted, “Thank you, God!” when Ivan kissed her.

Going viral

The kiss went viral and Ivan trended on Twitter on Monday, January 23.

The kiss even made news on “The Daily Mail” website in UK.

The headline read, “Is she trying to make Russell jealous? Katy Perry kisses ANOTHER man onstage as she continues her Asian tour.”

The news also says that while Katy was enjoying her Manila concert, her estranged husband was spotted at a club in Los Angeles.

“While the flirtatious act appears to be part of her stage show, Katy was clearly enjoying herself. Several miles across the ocean, her estranged husband was spotted at The Lexington Social House in Los Angeles with two male friends,” the news said.

Meanwhile, through her Twitter account, Katy defended her actions and explained why she “kissed a boy.”

“Btw, I have *kissed* 1 boy, picked randomly out of the audience, on the cheek as a part of my show for all 125 tour dates. Simmer down now,” she tweeted on Monday, January 23.

Via reuters.com

The massive online protest last Wednesday, in which Wikipedia and thousands of other websites closed down or otherwise protested and helped to kill controversial online piracy legislation, was widely heralded as an unprecedented case of a grassroots uprising overcoming backroom lobbying.

Yet a close look at how the debate unfolded suggests that traditional means of influencing policy in Washington had its place too. The technology industry has ramped up its political activities dramatically in recent years, and in fact, has spent more than the entertainment industry -- $1.2 billion between 1998 and 2011, compared with $906.4 million spent by entertainment companies.

The latest chapter in what has become an epic, decades-long battle between the two industries over copyrighted digital content began innocuously enough. Hollywood movie studios, frustrated by online theft that they claim already costs them billions of dollars a year and will only get worse, in 2010 started pushing for a law that would make it possible to block access and cut off payments to foreign websites offering pirated material.

In 2010, longtime industry friend Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, introduced a bill, the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, that passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously but never went further.

In May last year, Leahy tried again, introducing his Protect IP (Intellectual Property) Act. In October, Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, introduced a similar bill. The last major piece of copyright law, the Pro-IP Act of 2008, moved through Congress with little controversy, so the industry felt hopeful.

Through the end of September, Hollywood had outspent the tech industry 2-to-1 in donations to key supporters of measures it was backing. More than $950,000 from the TV, music and movie industries has gone to original sponsors of the House and Senate bills in the 2012 election cycle, compared with about $400,000 from computer and Internet companies, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Tech companies preferred backers of a narrower alternative bill. The computer and Internet industries gave more than $291,000 to supporters of that measure vs. about $185,000 from the content makers.

"They're both very powerful. They're all big players. They give a lot of money to politicians. This has to be a tough choice for many members of Congress," said Larry Sabato, a campaign finance expert who teaches at the University of Virginia.

PAY ATTENTION

Via omg.yahoo.com

Rache Weisz (L, AP Photo) and Valerie Birou (R, Contributed photo)

Rachel Weisz is British. Valerie Bariou has French blood. But they share striking similarities.

Both have high cheekbones. Both have an elegance that makes you look not once, but twice. Both started as a model before turning to acting.

No wonder producers of “Bourne Legacy” chose Valerie as stand-in for Rachel in the ongoing shoot of the hit franchise in the Philippines.

“People said that we look alike,” Valerie's text message to Yahoo! Philippines OMG! reads. “The built, the skin tone, etc., are similar.”

This is why she auditioned as a stand-in for Rachel.

“We are not seen on cam. It’s similar to being a double. Basically, I stand for her for lighting and framing,” Valerie explains her work.

And since Rachel and the other stars need full concentration to get into their character, Valerie says that “we don’t want to disturb them as much as possible.”

The Hollywood stars, she observes, are very professional and time conscious. And it’s great to be part of the film.

“I get to see how they work – the Hollywood standards. We talk with the crew about their other experiences in their films like ‘300,’ ‘Titanic,’ ‘Avengers,’ ‘Spiderman,’ etc. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Valerie relates.

Husband Onemig Bondoc is happy for her.

He has thrown in his full support “as long as I always prioritize our family and I update him once in a while during the shoot, ” states Valerie.

The proud wife adds that Onemig guests on radio – via 738 khz AM at 7 a.m. twice a week.

Valerie's acting credits include a role in "The Red Shoes," where she plays Olivia (wife of Marvin's bestfriend). She was also the glam secretary in "I Love You Virus" with Jericho Rosales and Briana Evigan and "Skeika" in Chito Rono's film "Emir."

Read more of this from source @ yahoo.com

Via music.yahoo.com

From the special Sunday San Diego episode's manly locale on the USS Midway aircraft carrier, to its soundtrack of the manly Top Gun theme "Danger Zone," to its increased amount of Steven Tyler swearing, to its first audition featuring a modern-day Vargas girl in a teensy-weensy red white & blue bikini, to its final audition by a manly mechanic named "Wolf" who covered CCR and Johnny Cash, it was obvious that "American Idol" producers were hoping to hook male viewers who'd stuck around after Sunday afternoon's NFL playoff game. And the tactic just might have worked.

Once again, this was an episode heavy on impressive singers, some of which may have roped in a few new fans. And among those impressive singers was one who probably had some longtime Fox viewers, male and female alike, feeling all nostalgic, as Jim Carrey's 24-year-old daughter, Jane Carrey, tried out in front of Jim's old "In Living Color" Fly Girl castmate, Jennifer Lopez. ("I was 2 when you were on TV together," Jane told J.Lo; Jennifer, surprisingly uninsulted, gave her a golden ticket anyway.) Wow, the daughter of the Truman Show star on an ACTUAL reality show? How very meta! And also, what great television.

Below is a full roundup of who sailed straight from the USS Midway to Hollywood...

Ashley Robles - This girl seemed to be ticking all the boxes here: single-mom back story (she works five jobs, including one as a DJ), a precocious 5-year-old daughter who dreams of being a Fly Girl and loves J.Lo's "On The Floor," a button-cute face and figure, and, most importantly, the ability to actually pull off an ambitious audition song like "I Will Always Love You." Steven told her, "You are gonna be big." I'm kind of surprised that Ashley isn't big already.

Jayrah Gibson - Jayrah is an R&B songwriter who was once told he should just stick to penning songs for others because he cannot sing himself. Of course, when Jayrah revealed this, I thought it was all a setup for a classic bad, William Hungian audition. (Oh, "Idol." Eleven seasons in, and you still keep on fooling me. Kudos.) As it turned out, whoever told Jayrah he couldn't sing clearly couldn't hear. Jayrah can sing, quite well, and judging by the snippet he warbled of an original ditty he wrote for J.Lo, "Shake Your Moneymaker," he's not a bad writer, either. Honestly, I liked his "Moneymaker" bit better than his "real" audition, of Musiq Soulchild's "Just Friends," but I enjoyed him all the way through, and as Randy Jackson pointed out, it has been WAY too long since a major R&B star came out of "Idol." It's time for that to change, and maybe Jayrah is the man who can make it happen.

Ali Shields - I can't decide if this geek girl will be tons of fun on the show, or if she'll just be so annoying that I'll be praying for her to get cut on day one of Hollywood Week. (Probably the latter.) Ali's done her goofball-shtick act on national television before: She wrote a song about ex-"Idol" judge Ellen DeGeneres that landed her a cameo on Ellen's talk show, and then Ellen dispatched Ali to be a reporter at the American Music Awards, where Ali used some dorky never-been-kissed sob story to coerce kisses out of sympathetic pop stars like Mike Poesner and Usher. By the time I finished watching Ali's bio reel featuring all of her "Ellen" and AMAs footage, I was already tired of her, and I expected she'd get a kissoff from the judges once she auditioned for "Idol," that she'd be a novelty act at best. I personally preferred her jokey rap of Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" over her more serious rendition of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like A Star" (although I found it a little offensive when Randy ordered her to "ghetto dance," and she stuck her booty out like a stripper), but for whatever reason, the judges liked her and put her through. My prediction now is she'll get eliminated early, then she'll be brought back as an "Idol" correspondent for the finale. I have a feeling that was Ali's real agenda from the start, anyway.

Aubree Dieckmyer - Here was one gorgeous girl sure to please male viewers...so gorgeous, in fact, that she kept accidentally saying she was trying out for "America's Next Top Model"! Oops. This made me instantly dislike her, and when she encouraged Steven's icky flirting, that also had me prematurely writing her off as a probable reject. I say "prematurely" because once Aubree started singing...she was great! Her "Feeling Good" audition was actually my favorite of the night; her voice had a truly lovely, fragile quality to it that got me feeling all gooey and goosepimply inside. So not so fast, Tyra Banks: Aubree may be pretty good at smizing at Steven, but if she keeps singing like this, she'll be on "Idol" for a while and won't be signing up for "ANTM" any time soon.

Kyle Crews - This 19-year-old UC Berkeley frat boy claimed to be a ladies' man, but honestly, I think David "Mister Steal-Your-Girl" Leathers Jr. from the Savannah auditions might have a better chance at being an "Idol" heartthrob, even if Kyle did cheesily dedicate Monica's "Angel Of Mine" to J.Lo and serenade her throughout. I just found Kyle to be Wonderbread-bland, and I was shocked--shocked!--when Steven told him he was the "best male voice we've heard so far." Kyle looked as shocked as I was, actually. Maybe all the loud background airplane noise marring the San Diego auditions rendered Steven temporarily deaf or something.

Jane Carrey - The aforementioned daughter of Jim, Jane talked wistfully about living in her famous father's shadow and how difficult it was for her to establish her own identity as a performer. At first I was slightly turned off by this; I mean, after seasons of single parents, widowers, orphans, illness and accident survivors, struggling artists living out of cars (or tents), etc., "My dad is an A-list millionaire actor" didn't seem like a very heartstring-tugging sob story. But then Jane sang, and all was forgiven. Her soulful cover of Bonnie Raitt's "Something To Talk About" showed raw promise, and when she called her dad after she got her golden ticket and he sounded so elated and supportive, it warmed my heart. I was dumb and dumber to doubt this girl. (Heh.)

via pollpigeon.com

Via pep.ph

Prior to accepting TV5's offer to headline the network's newest soap opera, American Idol alumnus and season seven runner-up David Archuleta had visited the Philippines three times.

These visits were very brief, less than 24 hours each, only enough to do concerts, or to promote his albums.


But those short stays were more than enough for the young singer to experience what the country offers.

He readily admits that, from these visits, it's really more fun in the Philippines.


In an interview by PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) last week, David did not hesitate to relate the reasons why he thinks the Philippines is more fun.

For one, he says, the fans are warmer here than anywhere else.


"I feel very comfortable with just the people," says the 21-year-old
matinee idol. "I feel that fans are very warm here. That's why I feel
that it would be a comfortable experience here."



He adds, "For me, the number one thing about any place is people.
That's what interests me, and what I remember the most anywhere I go.

"Especially here, I feel comfortable here, the people here are very
friendly, and they're very supportive as well.



"I could safely say that I always have a blast when I come to the
Philippines, so it's always fun to me when I come to the Philippines."



Asked to name Filipino things that excite him whenever he's in the country, David was quick to mention the food, the tourist spots, and the unforgettable experiences.


The food that David pleasantly remembers and has tasted in his past visits are tokwa't baboy, sisig, and papaitan.



"They're all good," he says with delight.



During his short stint, this time, in the country, David hopes to visit the best tourist spots, but he's concerned that he just won't have the time.

Via Dramabeans.com
By girlfriday

The production team behind highly anticipated miniseries The King has announced that Ha Ji-won and Lee Seung-gi have been confirmed as the soon-to-be royal couple to hit the small screen this March. Looks like the king’s in for a noona romance, but considering that Seung-gi’s basically the poster boy for noona love, it only seems fitting.


The King is the new project from the team behind Beethoven Virus (PD Lee Jae-kyu and writers Hong Jin-ah and Hong Ja-ram), and is described as both a romantic comedy and a “human melo black comedy.” Uh… so basically you have no idea what it is. If it’s actually a dark comedy, all the better, but I’m not going to get my hopes up about that. The story takes place in a fantasy world where modern-day South Korea is governed by a constitutional monarchy. Lee Seung-gi will play the crown prince, Lee Jae-ha, who is just the face of the royal family. He quite literally only has a handsome face and cares nothing about politics, and is described as horribly spoiled and materialistic, and extremely blunt.

Meanwhile, Ha Ji-won plays Kim Hang-ah, a legendary North Korean special forces agent, now an instructor for the special forces. They begin their unlikely romance with prejudices about each other, but eventually come to fall in love.

The King follows The Moon That Embraces the Sun and premieres March 14 on MBC.

Read the whole article from its original source @ dramabeans.com
This article belongs to their respective owner/s.

Via Yahoo.com / Philstar.com
By: Abac Cordero


Manny Pacquiao is not losing sleep over Floyd Mayweather Jr. rejecting his offer of a 50-50 split of the fight purse.


“Okay lang. May iba pa namang fights (It’s okay. There are other fights),” said Pacquiao, who had hoped for a positive response from Mayweather.


Pacquiao said a couple of nights ago Mayweather called him on the phone, and they discussed the possibility of staging the superfight in May or June.


During their two-minute conversation, which must have felt like an hour for both fighters, Pacquiao told Mayweather they should do the fight under a 50-50 basis.
“Sana matuloy na nga (I hope it pushes through),” he told The STAR.


But the undefeated American, who will go to jail in June regardless of whom he fights next, has reportedly thumbed down Pacquiao’s golden offer.


Many think it’s the best way to do the fight, with both superstars getting just as much as the other – fair and square.


Mayweather, however, has other things in mind. He thinks he’s better than Pacquiao, and deserves more than the Filipino champion in eight weight classes.


“He asked about a 50/50 split and I told him no, that can’t happen,” Sportscenter quoted Mayweather as saying.
Mayweather must have made up his mind that if he doesn’t get more than Pacquiao, then he’d fight someone else, for a much, much lesser price.


“But what can happen is you (Pacquiao) can make more money fighting me than you have made in your career,” Mayweather apparently told Pacquiao over the phone.
“I also let him know I’m in control on my side but he needs to get on the same page as his promoter so we can make this fight happen,” Sportscenter also wrote.


Pacquiao wouldn’t budge either. He said 50-50 is it, nothing more, nothing less. Or he fights someone else as well.


“I’ve chosen my next opponent,” said Pacquiao.
And the name of that chosen one will soon be announced by Bob Arum once the legendary promoter finally gives up on the Mayweather fight.


It could be Miguel Cotto up next for Pacquiao even if Juan Manuel Marquez, Tim Bradley and Lamont Peterson are in the mix or used to be in the mix.


If Pacquiao takes on Cotto on June 9, the eve of the Puerto Rico Day parade, Arum said it may take place at the Thomas and Mack Center or the MGM.


Arum had said Pacquiao vs Mayweather can happen late in May or June 9 in Las Vegas. Otherwise, both fighters have to move on, and hope they end up doing the fight in November.
Arum is sick and tired of people saying he’s the one who doesn’t want the fight to happen.


“I’m not stopping any fight. This is all for public relations, it’s nonsense. Arum’s blocking the fight and so on, it’s just ridiculous. What’s going on is not rational,” Arum told boxing scribe Michael Marley .


“This is not the normal way you put together a big fight. The normal way would be for us to sit down somewhere. Mayweather said he won’t agree to a 50-50 split with Manny. Now that’s something blocking the fight, something we won’t agree to,” the Top Rank chief added.

Via mb.com.ph
By Neil Ramos

Not a few Pinoys are eager to rub shoulders with Hollywood stars Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz. This is evident in the numerous footage shown in the news with more than a handful kibitzers crashing the set of “Bourne Legacy” in Malate the past couple of days.

But when most were allowed only a glimpse of the celluloid heroes at work, there are a lucky few who were able to actually share a conversation with the duo, this, including, model-TV host Phoemela Barranda and actress Iza Calzado.

Barranda revealed that she was among those invited to have dinner with both Renner and Weisz, which came courtesy of good friend, Cristalle Belo – product development and marketing head of Belo Essentials.

According to Baranda, the dinner was held at Filipino resto, Abe, in consideration to the stars supposedly preferring to taste more of the local cuisine.

Baranda was surprised that both aren’t cutting on their diet, just digging into their rice with gusto. And both, she said, enjoyed most of the food served including “binukadkad na tilapia, adobo and gising-gising.”

Among other things, Renner and Weisz were enthusiastic to know about places that they could visit while they’re in the country, said Barranda.

“Hanggang Feb pa sila rito so gusto nila malaman kung ano pa ang magandang puntahan sa Pilipinas,” Barranda said. “Si Jeremy came from Boracay na and si Rachel naman gusto ding mag-Boracay.”

Both Hollywood stars are enjoying their stay here, added Barranda.

In a separate report on GMA News, Calzado said she was “starstruck” upon meeting Renner and Weisz.

“I was honored to be in their presence. I was just in awe,” she recalled.

Meanwhile, shooting for the international film continues today in Remedios Circle, Malate. The place was cordoned off near dawn with several officers of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed to control anticipated traffic in the area as early as 5 a. m.

Nearby Bocobo Street will be closed to traffic until tomorrow as well, says a GMA report.

Read more @mb.com.ph
Article above belongs to their respective owners.

Article from Manila Bulletin
by: Jojo P. Panaligan
                             

Tria Bascon (courtesy of mb.com.ph)

MANILA, Philippines – After many years of wowing the international audience through performances in five-star hotels from as far as away as Almaty, Kazakhstan to nearby Jakarta, Indonesia, Filipino lounge artist Tria Bascon has finally come up with an album---to the tune of P1-M plus plus!

Note that these days when technology allows many recording artists to make an album at home, spending a million on one is unheard of. From a business point of view, and in light of the sorry state of the local music scene, the cost of making Tria’s maiden offer doubles the risk of ever recouping the investment.

Yet Tria, who bankrolled the project, just laughed when these things were pointed out to her.

“I knew from the beginning that the cost would reach at least seven-digits. Pero what can I do? I want to work with the best musicians and to use only live instruments in the tracks,” she told Bulletin Entertainment in a recent interview.

One of the best musicians she pertains to is her longtime pianist Moreno Donadel, an Italian. As for the musical arrangements, she even got acclaimed vocal group The CompanY to do back-up singing on some of the tracks.

Tria is probably still abroad as of this writing but she plans to return and stay longer in the Philippines in order to promote her album dubbed “Wanderlust.” As the title suggests, the music and the singing in her opus reflect her travels and how these have influence her musicality. Aside from English and Filipino, Tria can sing in Chinese, Spanish, Italian and Japanese.

The singer makes no bones about her intention to cater to the AB market and foreigners. Although she’d be more than delighted if her songs are played on local radio and if majority of the people here end up embracing her talents, Tria says she is “realistic” and accepting of her niche.

“That’s how I started and it’s how it’s always been. I’ve never sung in bars but always in lounges and five-star hotels. Oh, I’d sing in fiestas if people ask me to---and gladly so---but at this point in my career, I already know my sound, who my audience is, and where I want to take my career,” she said.

“I have no illusions but I have my aspirations.”

Tria was discovered in Cebu and by accident. As bartender then, the owner of the club she worked at chance in on her singing when she thought no one was around. He gave her a break when the featured singer of his club did not show up one time and the rest, as they say, is history.

The singer said she always makes it known to her foreign audience that she is Filipino. In everything she does, Tria is conscious that she will be seen by others not just as herself but for her nationality.

“Kaya nga pinagbuti ko din itong album ko dahil gusto ko malaman ng mundo na ang gawang Pinoy, world-class at quality all the way,” said she whose musical style go from disco and broadway to rock and pop songs.

The promotional single off “Wanderlust” is “I’m Old Fashioned” which comes with a music video. Other tracks in the album are “With A Little Help From My Friend,” “The Party’s Over,” “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “La Belle Vie,” “Two For The Road,” “Anos Dourados,” and “Magkikita Pa Rin Naman Tayo.”

read more @ mb.com.ph
Article shown above belongs to their respective writers and mb.com.ph
For public information only

LOS ANGELES – Johnny Depp and Tim Burton found a pile of money on the other side of the looking glass.

"Alice in Wonderland," their update on Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," had a mammoth opening weekend of $116.1 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Alice in Wonderland," Disney, $116,101,023, 3,728 locations, $31,143 average, $116,101,023, one week.

2. "Brooklyn's Finest," Overture, $13,350,299, 1,936 locations, $6,896 average, $13,350,299, one week.

3. "Shutter Island," Paramount, $13,225,411, 3,178 locations, $4,162 average, $95,750,005, three weeks.

4. "Cop Out," Warner Bros., $9,289,311, 3,150 locations, $2,949 average, $32,504,610, two weeks.

5. "Avatar," Fox, $8,118,102, 2,163 locations, $3,753 average, $720,607,444, 12 weeks.

6. "The Crazies," Overture, $7,078,851, 2,479 locations, $2,856 average, $27,472,164, two weeks.

7. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," Fox, $5,124,623, 2,994 locations, $1,712 average, $78,057,749, four weeks.

8. "Valentine's Day," Warner Bros., $4,154,110, 3,040 locations, $1,366 average, $106,303,870, four weeks.

9. "Crazy Heart," Fox Searchlight, $3,312,591, 1,274 locations, $2,600 average, $29,532,002, 12 weeks.

10. "Dear John," Sony Screen Gems, $2,782,079, 2,496 locations, $1,115 average, $76,626,086, five weeks.

11. "The Tooth Fairy," Fox, $1,684,408, 1,734 locations, $971 average, $56,240,052, seven weeks.

12. "The Wolfman," Universal, $1,636,835, 1,829 locations, $895 average, $60,446,320, four weeks.

13. "The Ghost Writer," Summit, $1,287,646, 147 locations, $8,759 average, $2,600,505, three weeks.

14. "The Blind Side," Warner Bros., $1,257,186, 822 locations, $1,529 average, $250,467,047, 16 weeks.

15. "The Last Station," Sony Pictures Classics, $717,675, 354 locations, $2,027 average, $4,527,796, eight weeks.

16. "Up in the Air," Paramount, $607,465, 403 locations, $1,507 average, $83,011,223, 14 weeks.

17. "When in Rome," Disney, $575,254, 504 locations, $1,141 average, $31,720,305, six weeks.

18. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," Fox, $544,451, 562 locations, $969 average, $217,367,092, 11 weeks.

19. "The Book of Eli," Warner Bros., $533,156, 555 locations, $961 average, $93,412,890, eight weeks.

20. "The Hurt Locker," Summit, $439,000, 274 locations, $1,602 average, $14,700,000, one week. - AP

Source: gmanews.tv and ap.org

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185663/alice-in-wonderland-races-to-1161m-opening?utm_source=GMANews.TV&utm_medium=facebook

By KRISTEN GELINEAU,Associated Press Writer - Thursday, February 18

SYDNEY – J.K. Rowling has been named in a lawsuit alleging she stole ideas for her wildly popular and lucrative "Harry Potter" books from another British author.

The estate of the late Adrian Jacobs on Wednesday added Rowling as a defendant in a lawsuit it filed in June against Bloomsbury Publishing PLC for alleged copyright infringement, according to a statement released by the estate's representatives, who are based in Australia.

The lawsuit, filed in a London court, claims Rowling's book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" copied substantial parts of Jacobs' 1987 book, "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard _ No. 1 Livid Land." Jacobs' estate also claims that many other ideas from "Willy the Wizard" were copied into the "Harry Potter" books. Jacobs died in London in 1997.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the fourth book in Rowling's series and was published in July 2000.

Sydney agent Max Markson, who is representing the trustee of Jacobs' estate, Paul Allen, said Rowling was added to the lawsuit after Allen learned that the statute of limitations to sue her had not run out, as previously thought.

"I estimate it's a billion-dollar case," Markson said Thursday. "That'll be the decision of the courts, obviously."

There was no immediate comment from Rowling. In June, Bloomsbury said the allegation that Rowling lifted from Jacobs' work was "unfounded, unsubstantiated and untrue." Bloomsbury said Jacobs' estate first approached the company in 2004 with its claims, but was unable to identify any text in the "Harry Potter" books that was copied from "Willy the Wizard."

In a statement, Allen said the estate is also seeking legal advice on whether the Harry Potter films and soon-to-be-opened Harry Potter theme park breach copyright law.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ap/20100218/tap-as-australia-rowling-lawsuit-79704af.html

----------------

hope it's not true........ Im a HARRY POTTER fan!

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How's this for a plot twist? M. Night Shyamalan, the writer/director behind the dark thrillers "The Sixth Sense," "Signs" and "The Village," is making a movie based on an animated TV show.

The film is an adaptation of the Nickelodeon series, "Avatar: The Last Airbender," but Shyamalan had to drop the first word in the title to avoid confusion with James Cameron's record-setting blockbuster. It's the most effects-heavy and action-packed movie of the Oscar-nominated director's career. And Shyamalan's inspiration for taking on the project that's so different from his previous work came from very close to home. 

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE