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Wonka, 'Wedding Crashers' Top Box Office (AP)
AP - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers" held off a rush of new releases to retain the top two spots at the weekend box office.
NBC Executive Vows Season of Rebuilding (AP)
AP - NBC's top programmer on Sunday acknowledged the challenges that the network faces in trying to rebound from a ratings slide and said that recovery may not happen in the coming season.
Reruns Test if Reality TV Has Second Life (AP)
AP - For the first time since Rudy Boesch, Susan Hawk and Richard Hatch — in all his naked glory — became household names in the summer of 2000, the premiere edition of "Survivor" is being seen again on television. OLN is rerunning "Survivor," starting with the first episode this week, and has acquired the rights to show all nine subsequent seasons.
Model Backs Polanski's Version of Events (AP)
AP - The model at the center of Roman Polanski's successful libel suit against Vanity Fair says the filmmaker never tried to seduce her.
Some Vets Condemn 'Wedding Crashers' Site (AP)
AP - Some military veterans and law enforcement officials are angry about a Web site promoting Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's comedy "Wedding Crashers."
'Four' still most fantastic overseas (Reuters)
Reuters - "Fantastic Four" pulled in
$22.9 million at the weekend box office overseas, while
"Madagascar" added $20.3 million to its coffers.
Concert review: Mark Knopfler (Reuters)
Reuters - One of the negative
consequences of industrialization is boredom, the oppressive
familiarity of a task done too many times.
AOL's Case finds Lime twist in Wisdom (Reuters)
Reuters - The man who packaged the
Internet to the masses is trying his hand at television, but
for a more discriminating audience.
U.S. home video spending flat at midyear (Reuters)
Reuters - In another warning sign
that the lucrative DVD-driven home entertainment business is
maturing, U.S. consumer spending on home video rose just 0.2
percent in the first half of 2005 over the year ago period,
according to estimates compiled by Home Media Retailing.
Out of the Ashes, Detroit's Plowshares Opens Gospel Play 'Crowns' (Playbill)
Playbill - With the July 23 opening of the gospel musical Crowns, Plowshares Theatre Company in Detroit is presenting its first production since a June fire destroyed 90 percent of its materials.
'Four' still most fantastic overseas (Reuters)
Reuters - "Fantastic Four" pulled in
$22.9 million at the weekend box office overseas, while
"Madagascar" added $20.3 million to its coffers.
"Charlie" Tops "Bad News" Biz (E! Online)
E! Online - After two consecutive weekends of up business, the box office melted
down as the two biggest new releases, The Island and Bad News
Bears failed to connect with their target audiences, and most
holdovers dropped sharply, notably Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory, which despite remaining number one, fell 50 percent from
its opening.
Wonka, 'Wedding Crashers' Top Box Office (AP)
AP - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers" held off a rush of new releases to retain the top two spots at the weekend box office.
Some Vets Condemn 'Wedding Crashers' Site (AP)
AP - Some military veterans and law enforcement officials are angry about a Web site promoting Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's comedy "Wedding Crashers."
Model Backs Polanski's Version of Events (AP)
AP - The model at the center of Roman Polanski's successful libel suit against Vanity Fair says the filmmaker never tried to seduce her.
New le Carre film scolds big business in Africa (Reuters)
Reuters - A new film based on a novel by John le
Carre highlights what the master spy writer calls the
"appalling" practices of drug companies in Africa.
Hong Kong to Erect Bruce Lee Statue (AP)
AP - Hong Kong will mark kung-fu movie legend Bruce Lee's 65th birthday in November with a bronze statue, the Bruce Lee Club said Saturday.
Spoof of Bush Wins Faux Faulkner Contest (AP)
AP - A scathing parody that likens President Bush to the "idiot" in William Faulkner's novel "The Sound and the Fury" has won this year's Faulkner write-alike contest — and touched off a literary spat.
Robert De Niro Visits Dominican Republic (AP)
AP - Robert De Niro has visited the Dominican Republic in preparation for his upcoming movie about the history of the CIA.
B-Movies, Parade Highlight Utah Film Fest (AP)
AP - You won't find any Hollywood moguls, budding starlets or brooding film experts lingering around Utah's other film festival this weekend. The Bicknell International Film Festival screens B-movies, those campy films that can be so bad they're good. Now in its 10th year, the festival shares little with Utah's better-known Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford's hugely successful annual independent film venue.
Concert review: Mark Knopfler (Reuters)
Reuters - One of the negative
consequences of industrialization is boredom, the oppressive
familiarity of a task done too many times.
Concert review: Beck (Reuters)
Reuters - The half-dozen band
members sauntered onstage one by one, pounding and banging
various percussion instruments. A rubber-limbed, pop-lockin'
dancer in "Revenge of the Nerds" garb began his scenery-chewing
shtick, and the sideshow was on.
Doors Drummed Out of Court (E! Online)
E! Online - John Densmore has slammed the door on his former Doors mates.
Huey Lewis to Star in Broadway's 'Chicago' (AP)
AP - Huey Lewis is coming to Broadway, starring as rapscallion lawyer Billy Flynn in the long-running revival of "Chicago."
Billboard album reviews (Reuters)
Reuters - In addition to Anita Baker, the
underserved adult R&B market has something else to cheer about:
Babyface is back. Luther Vandross' heir apparent returns with
the long-awaited follow-up to "Face2Face." That 2001 project
found Babyface upping his hip quotient through collaborations
with the Neptunes and Snoop Dogg, which left some fans
scratching their heads. But it is the classic Babyface they'll
encounter here: the sultan of smooth, whose ballads ("Tender
Lover," "When Can I See You") were '90s staples. Dipping back
into his familiar love and relationship zone, Babyface
orchestrates a pleasing collection of midtempo songs and
ballads brushed with, but not obscured by, a contemporary
sheen. The steppin' groove of the title track gives way to the
tongue-in-cheek "Goin' Outta Bizness," with references to
Vandross and Usher. Above all, Babyface proves he is still a
force to be reckoned with when it comes to love songs ("The
Loneliness").
Sony BMG near settlement over radio tactics - NYT (Reuters)
Reuters - New York state's attorney general and
Sony BMG Music Entertainment are close to a settlement over
accusations that the record company giant used improper tactics
to influence radio programmers to play its music, The New York
Times reported on Saturday.
Austria's President Opens Salzburg Fest (AP)
AP - Austrian President Heinz Fischer warned against the dangers of European values being "bombed away" on Sunday at the opening ceremonies of the Salzburg Festival, the world-famous musical and drama event dedicated to art as a universal value.
'Lawrence Welk Show' Accordion Player Dies (AP)
AP - Myron Floren, an accordion player who entertained generations of television viewers on "The Lawrence Welk Show," died Saturday. He was 85.
Oak Ridge Boys Featured at Hall of Fame (AP)
AP - A new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum chronicles the 30-year history of the Oak Ridge Boys as they crossed over from their gospel music roots to the country and pop charts.
Judge Praises Love on Rehab Progress (AP)
AP - A judge has praised Courtney Love for making progress in a court-ordered drug treatment program.
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