‘Instructions Not Included’ Sets Spanish Language Box Office Record For U.S.
By THE DEADLINE TEAM
Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included today becomes the highest grossing Spanish Language film ever released in the U.S., according to distributor Lionsgate. With this weekend’s estimate of $3.38 million, the breakout family comedy/drama has a cume of $38.567M in its 5th weekend at the American box office. Starring and directed by Eugenio Derbez, the pic has passed Pan’s Labyrinth‘s $37.6M as the new record holder. It’s also the 4th biggest grossing foreign language film ever in the U.S., behind only Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Taiwan), Life is Beautiful (Italy), and Hero (China). Meanwhile, Instructions Not Includedhas yet to be released in Canada. Word of mouth spread due to its ‘A+’ CinemaScore, and Instructions Not Included expanded its U.S. run to target crossover audiences. Made for a $5M budget and acquired by Pantelion, it was the big story coming out of Labor Day Weekend for the best-ever domestic debut for a Spanish language film. Pantelion Films is a joint venture between Lionsgate and Mexico’s media powerhouse Televisa with plans for 8-to-10 films per year.
Happy Birthday Pugsley!
Ken Weatherwax, the actor who portrayed Pugsley on the "The Addams Family," is 58 years old today.
More ex-fans for 'X Factor': Ratings lowest ever
So Simon … do you want to join NBC’s America’s Got Talent next summer or return to Fox’s American Idol?
Because a fourth season of The X Factor probably isn’t going to happen.
The broadcast season hasn’t even officially started yet and Factor has been bombing, delivering ratings roughly 38 percent lower than last fall in its first couple weeks on the air. Thursday night’s episode fell to 6.1 million viewers and an unprecedented 1.9 in the demo, slipping 14 percent from last week’s two-hour edition. Broadcast competition was soft, with Factor facing repeats and the modestly rated summer finales of ABC’s Wipeout (4.4 million, 1.2) and NBC’s Million Second Quiz (5.4 million, 1.4), the latter hosted by Cowell’s former Idol band-mate Ryan Seacrest.
Given that Factor will start facing heavy competition next week like original episodes of CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, it’s easy to imagine its demo rating slipping lower into the teens. Plus, NBC’s The Voice is about to launch. Voice doesn’t air on the same nights as X Factor, yet its presence certainly can’t help matters. Critics, including our EW’s Annie Barrett, have been pretty brutal about Factor Ver. 3.0, which has yet another revamped judging panel that includes Paulina Rubio and Kelly Rowland.
Yet Fox has cause for optimism for other slots on the schedule: New drama Sleepy Hollow surprised with animpressive opener on Monday, and the network’s new Tuesday comedies improved their time slots.
Johnny Cash documentary promises lots of new insights
Saul Holiff, who managed Johnny Cash’s career, killed himself in 2005, just before the release of the Joaquin Phoenix biopic about Cash, Walk the Line.
Now Saul’s son Jonathan Holiff has made a documentary, My Father and the Man in Black, which promises lots of new insights (read: “dirt”) on Cash.
“This is the anti-Walk the Line”, Jonathan told Fox411. “This is never-before-seen-or-told information that will shock and surprise. This isn’t spoon fed by a studio or the Cash estate. Johnny was the original bad boy.”
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Cal Worthington Legendary Car Salesman DEAD AT 92
Worthington -- who had dealerships in Long Beach, CA, Anchorage, Alaska, Phoenix, Houston, Sacramento and other cities -- died Sunday at his ranch in California.
Worthington did commercials for decades, often sharing the screen with animals including his dog Spot.
Cal became a celebrity in his own right, attracting paparazzi whenever he went to restaurants. Part of his fame was his dealerships, but part was also his attraction to young women.
Cal was recently divorced from Anna Mjoll, who's in her 40s.
Cal had 5 kids.
Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2013/09/09/cal-worthington-dead-dies-car-dealer/#ixzz2eQM3sNeZ
Visit Fishwrapper: http://www.fishwrapper.com
Obama Postpones $32,000-a-Head Hollywood Fundraiser Amid Syria Crisis
As the president cancels Sept. 9 trip, fundraisers vow to reschedule a reception that was set to be held at the Hancock Park home of "Friends" co-creater Marta Kauffman and her husband, composer Michael Skloff.
President Obama has postponed a Los Angeles fundraiser scheduled for next Monday.
The announcement arrives as Congress gets ready to debate the authorization of the use of military force against Syria.
The reception was to be held at the Hancock Park home of Friends co-creater Marta Kauffman and her husband, composer Michael Skloff.
The Sept. 9 Hancock Park fundraiser with Obama was set to include an exclusive $32,400-per-person "off the cuff" roundtable discussion with the president, as well as a photo line for those who donate $5,000 to the party -- and raise an additional $20,000 from others.
The event was expected to bring in well over $1.2 million for the DNC. While in Los Angeles, Obama was also scheduled to address attendees of the national AFL-CIO convention.
In an email, one Democratic National Committee fundraiser said the reception was to be rescheduled:
We regret to inform you that the September 9th reception with President Obama at the home of Marta Kauffman and Michael Skloff has been postponed. We will keep you updated with a new reception date in the near future and would like to encourage you to attend the rescheduled date for what is still sure to be a great event. A refund is also available for those that do not wish to attend a rescheduled date. We would like to thank you again for your support of the DNC. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.
The White House released a statement on the matter at 10:55 a.m. officially announcing that the California trip had been canceled. According to a pool report: "(Obama) will remain in Washington to work on the Syrian resolution before congress."
Hollywood Legend Jack Nicholson Retires From Acting
He’ll still sit court side at Los Angeles Lakers’ games, but Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson has quietly retired from the movie business, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.
The 76-year-old icon has no plans to appear in films again after a career spanning five decades.
“Jack has — without fanfare — retired,” a well-placed Hollywood film insider confirmed to Radar.
“There is a simple reason behind his decision — it’s memory loss. Quite frankly, at 76, Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him.
“His memory isn’t what it used to be.”
The three-time Academy Award winner has not worked sinceHow Do You Know in 2010 starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson.
Tellingly, producers for the forthcoming film Nebraska had wanted him to play the key role of an aging, booze-addled father who makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
The role ultimately went to Bruce Dern, after Nicholson advised the filmmakers that he was not interested, the source said.
Nicholson began his Hollywood career in the 1950s, first working as a gofer for animation legends William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at the MGM cartoon studio. He left soon after to pursue his dream to star on screen.
The New Jersey-native made his film debut in a low-budget teen drama The Cry Baby Killer, in 1958, playing the title role.
He’s best remembered for his Academy Award winning roles as Best Actor for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and for As Good as It Gets. He also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1983 filmTerms of Endearment.
Nicholson has been nominated for a record-setting 12 Oscars, eight for Best Actor and four for Best Supporting Actor, making him the most nominated male actor in Academy Awards history.
“Jack has no intention of retiring from the limelight,” said the source, who noted his regular appearances on the Hollywood party circuit, court side at his beloved Lakers and his co-presentation of the Academy Award for Best Picture with First Lady Michelle Obama, earlier this year.
“He’s not retiring from public life, at all. He just doesn’t want a tribute,” added the insider. “He’s happy to tacitly join the retirees club like Sean Connery.”
Sir Elton John: I was a monster. I’m a better person now that I’ve got children
Sir Elton John revealed that fatherhood has helped him to consign his tantrums to the past, as he was honoured with the first Brits Icon award.
The singer performed a career-spanning set at the London Palladium, which was interspersed with surprise video messages from friends and colleagues in recognition of his work.
Between songs he spoke candidly, paying tribute to his partner David Furnish, 50, and their sons Zachary, aged two, and Elijah, who is almost nine months old. Of his infamous temper, Sir Elton, 66, admitted: “We’re all monsters sometimes. I’ve changed a lot, I’ve done a lot of work on myself.
“My partner has helped me and confronted me on issues, and helped me become a better person.
“Having the children is just the icing on the cake. You have to behave yourself around them. You can’t swear, you can’t do this, because it will reflect on their behaviour.
“It’s the best thing that’s happened to me in my life. My partner is damned near that because he’s been with me nearly 20 years.”
Sir Elton called his 1975 suicide attempt — when he swallowed 60 Valium pills and jumped into the swimming pool at his Los Angeles mansion in front of his mother and grandmother — a “cry for help”. He added: “I’m all mouth and no trousers. I’ve never been good at expressing my feelings
“I regret my drug use and selfishness. But I had to go through that to become the person I am now. I had to learn to become a human being again. I’m 23 years clean now.”
The superstar opened the Palladium set with I’m Still Standing and closed by duetting on Sad Songs (Say So Much) with his friend, rocker Rod Stewart, who presented him with the award.
Sir Elton stunned the audience at one point
during a discussion about his formative years when he remarked: “The Fifties was a very sedate era. You could play outside without getting raped.” The evening was hosted by X Factor presenter Dermot O’Leary and included messages from Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, former US president Bill Clinton and Sir Elton’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Liz Hurley, Pixie Lott, Gary Barlow and Lulu were in the audience.
Night out: James Blunt with girlfriend Sofia Wellesley (Picture: Dave Benett)David Frost, Who Interviewed Nixon, Is Dead at 74
David Frost, the iconoclastic British broadcaster best known for interviewing former President Richard M. Nixon after he resigned from office in disgrace, died on Saturday night. He was 74.
His death, which was announced in a statement by the Frost family to the BBC, was confirmed by a spokesman for Al Jazeera English, where Mr. Frost hosted an interview program. The statement said Mr. Frost died, possibly of a heart attack, while aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was scheduled to give a speech.
Mr. Frost had just moved to a home close to Oxford, according to Richard Brock, his executive producer at Al Jazeera English. He also had a home in London.
Known for incisive interviews of leading public figures, Mr. Frost spent more than 50 years in television. Since 2006, he has conducted newsmaker interviews for Al Jazeera English, one of the BBC’s main competitors overseas.
“No matter who he was interviewing, he was committed to getting the very best out of the discussion, but always doing so by getting to know his guest, engaging with them and entering into a proper conversation,” Al Anstey, the managing director of Al Jazeera English, said in an message.
“His humor, intelligence and unique character on-air was no different away from the cameras,” Mr. Anstey said. “He was a great journalist, a legendary interviewer, but always a true gentleman.”
Among his guests on Al Jazeera were the first President George Bush, George Clooney and the tennis star Martina Navratilova. One of his first interviews for Al Jazeera made headlines when his guest Tony Blair agreed with Mr. Frost’s assessment that the Iraq war had, up until that point in 2006, “been pretty much of a disaster.” More recently, in 2011, Mr. Frost sat with Donald H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary.
A new season of Mr. Frost’s program, “The Frost Interview,” began in July with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The season was scheduled to continue through mid-September.
David Paradine Frost was born April 7, 1939, in Tenterden, England, to Mona and W. J. Paradine Frost. His father was a Methodist minister. While a student, Mr. Frost edited both a student newspaper and a literary publication at Cambridge University, where he showed a great talent for satire — something the BBC soon capitalized on.
In 1962, Mr. Frost became the host of “That Was the Week That Was,” a satirical look at the news on Saturday nights. While it lasted for only two seasons in Britain, “TW3,” as it was known, was reborn briefly as a program on NBC in the United States, and it is remembered as a forerunner to “The Daily Show” and the “Weekend Update” segment on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” After “TW3,” Mr. Frost hosted a succession of programs in Britain, from game shows to intellectually rigorous talk shows.
In his penetrating interviews with President Nixon in 1977, which were later immortalized in a play and a film both named “Frost/Nixon,” Mr. Frost asked about Mr. Nixon’s abuses of presidential power, prompting this answer: “Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.”
“Upon hearing that sentence, I could scarcely believe my ears,” Mr. Frost wrote in a 2009 book about the interview, published on the occasion of the “Frost/Nixon” movie. Mr. Frost said his task then “was to keep him talking on this theme for as long as possible.”
By then, Mr. Frost and Mr. Nixon had already spoken on camera several times. And they continued to speak: the interviews, for which Mr. Nixon was paid $600,000 and a share of the profit for the broadcasts, totaled nearly 29 hours, and were taped over four weeks for about two hours at a time.
On the last day, Mr. Nixon apologized for putting “the American people through two years of needless agony.” Since then, whenever Mr. Frost was asked about the highlight of his career, he cited the Nixon interview.
“The Nixon interviews were among the great broadcast moments, but there were many other brilliant interviews,” Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain said in a statement on Sunday morning.
Survivors include his wife, Carina, and their three sons.
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