Hollywood Insider

‘A Christmas Carol’ leads the box office with $9 mil on Friday

John Young — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:31:16 +0000

Jim Carrey, or rather a performance-capture CGI version of the actor, delivered enough holiday spirit to snatch the top spot at the box office on Friday, according to early estimates. Disney’s A Christmas Carol, director Robert Zemeckis’ animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novella, grossed $9 million on its first day. By comparison, the last

‘Gossip Girl’ threesome: do parents really have reason to worry?

Lynette Rice — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:05:51 +0000

Tantalizing promos that tease a possible sexual threesome during the Nov. 9 episode of Gossip Girl may have ticked off the Parents Television Council but it seems unlikely the CW will give the advocacy group anything to complain about to the FCC. Though the CW wouldn’t comment on next week’s episode, those familiar with the network’s standards and practices

Wanda Sykes on her new talk show: ‘Hell yeah, we’ll … have quite a few drinks’

Lynette Rice — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:34:51 +0000

In preparation for the debut of The Wanda Sykes Show – which debuts tomorrow night on Fox and features guests Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (Brothers) and Phil Keoghan (The Amazing Race) - the 45-year-old comedian and co-star of CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine talked to EW exclusively about the show’s laidback

Exclusive first look of James Franco on ‘General Hospital’

Lynette Rice — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:27:35 +0000

James Franco will appear in more than 10 episodes of General Hospital, executive producer Jill Farren Phelps told EW exclusively. On Franco’s first day of taping Oct. 30, the Milk co-star filmed 65 pages – “pretty Herculean in terms of memorization,” Phelps said. He’ll return to the set two more times in preparation for his

Aziz Ansari talks about his Comedy Central stand-up special and a strip club outing for the ‘Parks and Recreation’ gang

Dan Snierson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:04:18 +0000

Aziz Ansari has filmed a Comedy Central stand-up special, “Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening,” that will air on the cable network on Jan. 17, two days before the gig is released in DVD and CD form. “To have an hour special is really cool,” the 26-year-old Parks and Recreation star tells EW.com. “It’s bigger than

Thursday ratings: ‘Bones,’ ‘FlashForward’ go another round

Margaret Lyons — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:25:23 +0000

FlashForward and Bones continued to slug it out this week, with audience numbers basically neck and neck. FF edged out its Fox competitor averaged over the hour, but Bones picked up viewers in its second half while FlashForward lost them. Rankings were relatively stable otherwise, with slight dips for NBC comedies except Community, and Vampire

Fox Searchlight’s Oscar hopeful ‘Crazy Heart’ gets a release date

Nicole Sperling — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:01:05 +0000

Fox Searchlight, the studio arm behind last year’s Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire, must have had a terrific last-minute screening of their country music-themed acquisition Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges. The studio has settled on the release date of Dec. 16 after quickly putting together a last-minute press viewing of their film yesterday in Los Angeles.

Exclusive: Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake line up for ‘Yogi Bear’

Nicole Sperling — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:17:53 +0000

Anna Faris is sticking to the world of children’s entertainment. The blonde comedian best known for her starring role in House Bunny, and who recently voiced a lead role in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, is in negotiations to star in Warner Bros. live-action/CG-animated feature Yogi Bear. She will play Rachel, a nature documentary

Box office preview: ‘A Christmas Carol’ set to bring some cheer to the box office

Nicole Sperling — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:02:17 +0000

Feeling merry? Disney and Robert Zemeckis sure hope so as they prepare to unload the technologically obsessed filmmaker’s vision of Dickens’ classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, in over 3,500 theaters (2,000 of which will be 3-D). Carol starring Jim Carrey may be Zemeckis’ most successful debut using his beloved motion-capture technology — which

Ratings: Fox wins Wednesday with World Series

Annie Barrett — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:52:15 +0000

Wednesday night’s sixth (and final) game of the World Series averaged 22 million in total viewership. Fox averaged nearly 20 million viewers for all six games, making it the most-viewed MLB series in five years. Meanwhile, CBS’ numbers for new episodes of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY were down slightly, and ABC’s Eastwick lost 17