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Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office


Notes:

  • New Line/Warner Bros.' Anthony Hopkins exorcism pic The Rite opened on the lower end of expectations, but still won the weekend box office race with an estimated gross of $15 million.
  • Last week's #1, Paramount and Spyglass' No Strings Attached, held better than expected. The romantic comedy came in #2 while grossing an estimated $13.7 million -- and now has a cumulative total of $39.7 million in its first 10 days.
  • CBS Films' action remake The Mechanic, the weekend's other new entry, tied with Sony holdover The Green Hornet for #3 -- each grossing $11.5 million.
  • For award favorites, Oscar nominations resulted in a definite box office bump, led by the Weinstein Co.'s The King's Speech, which jumped the $70 million mark domestically and came in #5.
  • Paramount's True Grit (#6) showed a zero decline from the previous weekend, unusual for a film well into its run. The Western, receiving 10 Oscar nods, grossed an estimated $7.6 million for a cume of $148.4 million.
  • Coming in at #8, Fox Searchlight's awards front-runner Black Swan was down only 13% from the previous weekend to jump the $90 million mark on its way to $100 million.
  • Paramount's The Fighter also benefited from its top Oscar nods, coming in #9 and dipping just 5% from the previous weekend. The film grossed an estimated $4.1 million for a cume of $78.4 million.
  • Across the board, the box office was hurt Friday by yet another storm in the Northeast. But business rebounded on Saturday and doesn't have any football to compete with today. While box office revenues were down 13-15% over the same period last year, it's a narrower decline than recent weekends.
  • All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
  • Reviews of True Grit, Black Swan and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
  • Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter

MusicMonday: Hot Tunes for a Cold Day


Monday = Free Music Day!
Here's the latest list:

  • Compliments of SPIN Magazine comes 16 tracks from its "Best of 2010" issue. Click here to download via iTunes. Offer expires next Monday, January 31.
  • Also from SPIN, download a mix tape featuring one song from each of the albums the magazine deemed the "10 Best Albums You Might Have Missed in 2010." Click here.
  • Timbaland has kicked off Timbaland Thursdays on his site -- offering up a free download each week. Click here to get the latest -- "Take Ur Clothes Off" (with Missy Elliott) and "Round Da Way Tim."
  • Click here (or the image above) to download "Don't Shut 'Em Down," the first single off the forthcoming studio album from Flogging Molly.
  • Smashing Pumpkins now has eight free downloads on its site --with the latest being "The Fellowship." Download them all here.

Want more free downloads? Well, don't forget to continually check the following sources -- new songs covering all genres are added frequently. Just click on the links below and enjoy some new tunes.

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office


Notes:

  • Paramount’s Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher R-rated romantic comedy No Strings Attached topped the weekend box office with a solid $20.3 million start -- on the higher end of expectations. The film obviously overcame mostly weak reviews with good word-of-mouth by a mostly female audience.
  • No Strings Attached proved a strong return for Ivan Reitman in the director’s chair. The $20.3 million opening beat the debuts of recent R-rated comedy hits I Love You, Man ($17.8 million) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall ($17.7 million).
  • Meanwhile, Portman is the darling of the box office -- with two films in the top ten. Fox Searchlight’s Black Swan is still doing strong business, coming in #6 for the weekend. Portman won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama for her role in the psychological thriller. Jeff Bridges shares the two-fer feat -- starring in #5 True Grit and #10 Tron: Legacy.
  • Sony’s 3D The Green Hornet came in #2 in its second weekend, declining a respectable 46% to an estimated $18.1 million -- and a domestic cume of $63.4 million.
  • Colin Firth’s Golden Globe win a week ago for best actor in a drama likely boosted The King’s Speech, coming in #4 for the weekend. On Saturday, the filmed scored a surprise upset over The Social Network in winning the top award from the Producers Guild of America.
  • On the downside is the 11th consecutive down weekend vs. last year with the ghost of Avatar looming large and making comparisons tough.
  • The specialized fare of The King's Speech, True Grit and Black Swan should continue to do well next weekend -- not only because of good reviews, but due to the Oscar nominations they should garner come Tuesday morning.
  • All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
  • Reviews of True Grit, Black Swan and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
  • Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office



Notes:

  • Sony's 3D The Green Hornet grossed an estimated $34 million over the weekend to nab the second-best opening ever for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Sony estimates the superhero pic will gross $40.5 million through Monday.
  • The only other film to gross more over the long King holiday weekend was Paramount's 2008 Cloverfield, which earned $40.1 million for the three days and $46.1 million for the four days. Hornet also is the third-highest January opener after Cloverfield and a reissue of Star Wars.
  • Ron Howard's Vince Vaughn/Kevin James comedy The Dilemma, from Universal, got off to a rough start due to bad reviews -- grossing an estimated $17.4 million through Sunday. Good enough for the #2 spot, but far lower than the usual opening for a Vaughn or James comedy.
  • The bright spot continued to be specialized fare -- as The King's Speech, True Grit and Black Swan continue to do well -- thanks to good reviews.
  • It is important to note that The Green Hornet came in on the lower end of expectations -- possibly due to poor reviews. The film couldn't help reverse a troubling downturn at the domestic box office for studio popcorn titles. Overall revenues for the weekend were down at least 25% from last year, as well as being the lowest since 2007.
  • All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
  • Reviews of True Grit, Black Swan and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
  • Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office


Notes:

  • Paramount and Skydance Prods.' True Grit wrestled the weekend box office crown from Universal's Little Fockers for the first time, grossing an estimated $15 million and upping its overall take to $110.4 million.
  • True Grit and #2 Little Fockers (with $13.8 million) had no trouble beating Relativity Media newcomer Season of the Witch. The Nicholas Cage-starrer came in #3 with an estimated debut of $10.7 million.
  • Sony/Screen Gems' new nationwide entry starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Country Strong, grossed an estimated $7.3 million to come in #6 as it expanded from a limited two-city run.
  • It was a slow weekend overall compared to the same time frame a year ago, when Avatar lit up the domestic box office with a $50 million gross. Revenues this year were down a whopping 30%.
  • All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
  • Reviews of True Grit, Black Swan and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
  • Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter

MusicMonday: Free Downloads to Kick Off 2011


Happy 2011! Here are the first free downloads of the New Year -- which are actually some leftovers from late in 2010:

  • Head over to Facebook here to download "What the Hell" from Avril Lavigne.
  • Click here for 10 live tracks from Trey Anastasio and the Scorchio Quartet. The set from the Phish frontman was recorded last November in Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University.
  • Compliments of NPR comes The Best New Music of 2010. Download the 12 songs via iTunes here. Free offer expires February 28.
  • The Winter 2011 edition of the Landmark Digital Sampler is now out. Download 11 tunes here.
  • And sure, Christmas is over and you're so over the music. But if you like Country, you may want to download 8 holiday tunes from People Magazine -- and save for NEXT Christmas. Top stars Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts are included in the mix. Download here via iTunes. Offer expires this Friday.

Want more free downloads? Well, don't forget to continually check the following sources -- new songs covering all genres are added frequently. Just click on the links below and enjoy some new tunes.

Complete Rules for Farewell Contest


Here are the complete rules for EntertainmentBlogger's Farewell Contest announced on June 2, 2011:

1. No purchase necessary to enter or claim a Prize. No skill is necessary to enter or win.

2. Sponsor: The sponsor of this Sweepstakes is EntertainmentBlogger located in Philadelphia, PA (”Sponsor”).

3. Eligibility: EntertainmentBlogger's Farewell Contest (the “Sweepstakes”) is offered to any U.S. resident with a Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/) account who is at least 13 years of age. Employees and agents of Sponsor and/or its affiliates, agencies and distributors (”Associated Persons”), members of such Associated Persons’ families, and individuals living in the same household with such Associated Persons are not eligible to win. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.

4. How to Enter: The Sweepstakes begins at 10:45 AM Eastern Time ("ET") on June 2, 2011 and ends at 11:59pm ET on June 29, 2011 (the "Promotion Period"). To enter, you must issue the stated status update from your Twitter account. Limit one (1) entry per person / per day. Sponsor’s decisions will be final in all matters relating to the Sweepstakes and winner eligibility. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible or misdirected entries, which will be disqualified. The potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder of the account associated with the winning entry in order to be awarded a prize.

5. Prize Drawing and Entry Period: Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing after the entry period. An official entry will only be counted if the Twitter service displays the entry from their public search stream (http://search.twitter.com/). Sponsor is not responsible for entries undelivered to the public search stream. If any potential winner cannot be contacted, or if prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.

6. Odds: There will be a total of one (1) Prize winner. Odds of winning the random drawing will depend on the total number of entries received during the entry period.

7. Prizes and Approximate Retail Value: There will be two (2) Prizes with a total ARV of $164 awarded to one (1) Prize winner -- one (1) Apple iPod nano 8 GB Graphite (6th generation; newest model; ARV of $149.00) and one (1) Apple iTunes gift card in the amount of $15 (ARV of $15.00).

8. Release: By receipt of any prize, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Apple, and any promotional partners, each of their parent, subsidiary, affiliate and related companies, and each of its and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (collectively the “Released Parties”) from and against any losses, damages, rights, claim or cause of action of any kind arising, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, out of participation in the Sweepstakes or resulting directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize awarded in connection with the Sweepstakes, including without limitation personal injury, death, and/or property damage, as well as claims based on publicity rights, defamation, and/or invasion of privacy.

9. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Sweepstakes or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use of any prize or while traveling to or from any prize-related activity. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, un-awarded, eligible prize claims. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, abbreviate or suspend the Sweepstakes or any portion thereof for any reason without further obligation or advance notice. If the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned by Sponsor, notice will be posted on http://movies-tv-entertainment.blogspot.com/. In the event that the Sweepstakes is abbreviated for any reason, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion, but is under no obligation, to award prizes from among all valid and eligible entries received up to the time of termination. By entering, entrants agree to comply with these rules. Any entrant who attempts to tamper with the Sweepstakes, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, shall be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to who submitted an entry, the Entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Twitter account submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” means the natural person who is in control of the email address associated with the entering Twitter account. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANTS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. If any portion of these rules is determined to be invalid or illegal, the remaining portions of these rules will remain in effect and be construed with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

10. Notification: Winners will be contacted directly via a direct message from Sponsor's Twitter account (@Entertainment2u) and posted directly on http://movies-tv-entertainment.blogspot.com/. It is the Entrant's sole responsibility to contact Sponsor to collect Prize.

11. Prize Shipment: Prizes will be sent to winner via USPS. EntertainmentBlogger is NOT responsible for lost or damaged prizes.

Top 10 at the Weekend Box Office


Notes:

  • Little Fockers grossed an estimated $26.3 million over the holiday weekend to top the box office and jump the $100 million mark. The film now has a cume of $103.2 million. However, it is pacing well behind previous sequel Meet the Fockers, which earned $162.5 million during the same frame in 2004.
  • Paramount's True Grit finished at #2 -- earning another $24.5 million -- and raising its domestic cume to $86.8 million, the best ever gross for the Coen brothers.
  • Except for True Grit and other top awards contenders, the Christmas season has been a disappointment for Hollywood studios. Business over New Year's weekend was down a hefty 27% from last year, when Avatar and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, both from 20th Century Fox, did big business.
  • Big losers for the 2010 holidays include Fox's 3D family adventure Gulliver's Travels, which grossed an estimated $9.1 million to come in #8 for New Year's weekend and raise its cume to only $27.2 million. Sony also stumbled with Christmas romantic comedy How Do You Know, which fell out of the top 10 already and has a cume of just $25.1 million.
  • While it didn't become the breakout hit that Disney had hoped for, the studio's 3D Tron: Legacy was still the biggest grosser of the two-week holiday stretch. The film finished #3 over New Year's weekend at the domestic box office, grossing an estimated $18.3 million for a cume of $130.9 million.
  • All figures are industry estimates. Final weekend figures will be released on Monday.
  • Reviews of True Grit, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Gulliver's Travels, Black Swan and other movies not in the top 10 can be found by clicking on the Film Reviews archive icon at left.
  • Sources: Hollywood.com, Hollywood Reporter

Complete Rules for 1500 Twitter Contest


Here are the complete rules for EntertainmentBlogger's "1500 Twitter Contest -- Amazon.com Gift Card Giveaway" contest announced on February 12, 2011:

1. No purchase necessary to enter or claim a Prize. No skill is necessary to enter or win.

2. Sponsor: The sponsor of this Sweepstakes is EntertainmentBlogger located in Philadelphia, PA 19103 (”Sponsor”).

3. Eligibility: EntertainmentBlogger's "1500 Twitter Contest -- Amazon.com Gift Card Giveaway" contest (the “Sweepstakes”) is offered to any U.S. resident with a Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/) account who is at least 13 years of age. Employees and agents of Sponsor and/or its affiliates, agencies and distributors (”Associated Persons”), members of such Associated Persons’ families, and individuals living in the same household with such Associated Persons are not eligible to win. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.

4. How to Enter: The Sweepstakes begins at 10:00 AM Eastern Time ("ET") on February 12, 2011 and ends when @Entertainment2u hits 1450 followers on Twitter (the "Promotion Period"). To enter, you must issue the stated status update from your Twitter account. Limit one (1) entry per person / per day. Sponsor’s decisions will be final in all matters relating to the Sweepstakes and winner eligibility. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible or misdirected entries, which will be disqualified. The potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder of the account associated with the winning entry in order to be awarded a prize.

5. Prize Drawing and Entry Periods: Prize winners will be selected in a random drawings at the specified intervals: 1250, 1300, 1350, 1400 and 1450 @Entertainment follower thresholds. An official entry will only be counted if the Twitter service displays the entry from their public search stream (http://search.twitter.com/). Sponsor is not responsible for entries undelivered to the public search stream. If any potential winner cannot be contacted, or if prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize.

6. Odds: There will be a total of five (5) Prize winners. Odds of winning the random drawing will depend on the total number of entries received during the entry period.

7. Prize and Approximate Retail Value: There will be five (5) Prizes awarded with a total retail value ("ARV") of $25 USD (five $5 Amazon.com e-gift card codes equaling $25 in total).


8. Release: By receipt of any prize, winner agrees to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Amazon.com, and any promotional partners, each of their parent, subsidiary, affiliate and related companies, and each of its and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (collectively the “Released Parties”) from and against any losses, damages, rights, claim or cause of action of any kind arising, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, out of participation in the Sweepstakes or resulting directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize awarded in connection with the Sweepstakes, including without limitation personal injury, death, and/or property damage, as well as claims based on publicity rights, defamation, and/or invasion of privacy.

9. Limitations of Liability: The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Sweepstakes; (2) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Sweepstakes; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Sweepstakes or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Sweepstakes or receipt or use of any prize or while traveling to or from any prize-related activity. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In the event that production, technical, seeding, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, un-awarded, eligible prize claims. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, abbreviate or suspend the Sweepstakes or any portion thereof for any reason without further obligation or advance notice. If the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned by Sponsor, notice will be posted on http://movies-tv-entertainment.blogspot.com/. In the event that the Sweepstakes is abbreviated for any reason, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion, but is under no obligation, to award prizes from among all valid and eligible entries received up to the time of termination. By entering, entrants agree to comply with these rules. Any entrant who attempts to tamper with the Sweepstakes, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, shall be disqualified. In the event of a dispute as to who submitted an entry, the Entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the Twitter account submitted at the time of entry. “Authorized account holder” means the natural person who is in control of the email address associated with the entering Twitter account. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW) FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANTS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. If any portion of these rules is determined to be invalid or illegal, the remaining portions of these rules will remain in effect and be construed with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

10. Notification: Winners will be contacted directly via a direct message from Sponsor's Twitter account (@Entertainment2u) and posted directly on http://movies-tv-entertainment.blogspot.com/. It is the Entrant's sole responsibility to contact Sponsor to collect Prize.

11. Prize Shipment: Amazon.com e-gift card codes will be sent to winner via direct messages on Twitter or via email address if supplied by winner.

Movie Reviews: An Alphabetical Listing


Below is an alphabetical listing of movies released in 2009 and 2010 that I reviewed. The full review for each can be found by clicking on the film's title.


Notes:

  • Those films issued on DVD before 2011 are marked with "already on DVD."
  • ** NOTE: 2011 release dates are in GREEN.
  • Curious when the other movies will be available at your local video store or on Netflix? Check this best source for DVD release dates: http://videoeta.com/.
  • And don't forget to check out this earlier post on how you can obtain free advance screening passes, too: click here.

 
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