Final Harry Potter movie breaking records

The end is near for the zillions of Harry Potter movie fans. The eighth and final installment in the Potter film series opens tomorrow at midnight. All ready, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2″ is breaking records for movie screens and ticket sales.  Nikki Finke has the scoop over on deadline.com

Jaycee Dugard’s book sells 175,000 copies 1st day

The 18-year kidnap ordeal of Jaycee Dugard has really grabbed public interest. Dugard’s interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer last Sunday brought in huge ratings  last Sunday. Nearly 15 million viewers reportedly watched the two- hour special. Yesterday, her memior detailing her years held captive in a tent by convicted sex offender, Phillip Craig Garrido and his wife, Nancy, debuted.  “A Stolen Life” sold 175,000 copies on Tuesday, according to Galleycat.  More here.

Hollywood & Carmageddon

Some folks in Hollywood are making plans to  avoid what may be a real life disaster. The shutdown of  the 405 freeway, between the 10 and 101, this weekend. It has been dubbed Carmageddon. The Wrap has details on what some local entertainment companies are doing.

“Transformers 3″  makes $21 million on Thursday

“Transformers 3″ is packing them at movie theaters. Yesterday, the sci-fi  flick scored $21 million  — bringing its two-day haul to around $60 million. The question now is how close to $200 million will the film get before the fireworks celebrations wrap up on July 4th?

“Thor 2″ on the way

“Thor ” is still playing in theaters, but a sequel is already in the works.  So far, “Thor” has earned close to $178 million at the domestic box office. “Thor 2″ has a release date of July 26, 2013, even though it has yet to land a director.  However, the project does have a screenwriter. More on  Deadline.com

Justin Timberlake and MySpace

Specific Media snatched up MySpace at a bargain basement price of $35 million, earlier this week.  The Orange County company is hoping  singer/actor, Justin Timberlake, will help revive the struggling social network.  Details on The Wrap.

It’s going to be a hot, sizzling July 4th holiday weekend — and I’m not talking about just the weather.  The box office is fired up. The sci-fi action sequel, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” opened yesterday with  around $37 million –  which means it’s on track to make some serious bucks over the next few days.

The other major  movies opening this weekend are romantic comedies: “Larry Crowne” starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and  “Monte Carlo”  featuring Selena Gomez.

Embattled Dodger owner, Frank McCourt, is still fighting to keep control of the team. Yesterday, the Dodgers filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Today McCourt is trying to wrangle enough money to pay the team’s bills. More on McCourt’s  dilemma and an upcoming hearing in U.S. bankruptcy court on the Los Angeles Times website.

The final box office numbers for the weekend are out today. The animated sequel, “Cars 2″ leads the pack with a debut of $66 million winning bragging rights as the number one film in the country. In second place, the Cameron Diaz-Justin Timberlake new R-rated comedy, “Bad Teacher,” with $31.6 million, followed by the superhero actioner “Green Lantern” $18 million,  the sci-fi flick “Super 8 ” $12 million, and rounding out the top five, the family comedy ”Mr. Popper’s Penguins” with $10 million.

“Jackass” star killed in car accident

"Jackass 3D" movie poster

 Actor Ryan Dunn was reportedly killed in a horrible car accident early this morning. The 34-year-old star of the  R-rated “Jackass”  movie comedy series apparently died when his Porsche crashed and exploded into flames in Pennsylvania. The Wrap has more on the  tragedy.

“Dilbert” creator in hot water over blog post

The  Internet is buzzing over the recent blunder by Scott Adams, the creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip.  In an attempt to explain the rash of  sex scandals by some prominent men, Adams recently published a  post on his Dilbert website  called, “Society Has Evolved To Keep Males in a State of continuous Unfulfilled Urgers.” 

Galleycat reports the post has generated hundreds of negative comments. Also,  a thousand readers have signed an online petition calling for Adams to apologize for the controversial post.  More here

“Green Lantern” shines bright at the box office

The actual box office numbers are out today and  “Green Lantern”  is in the number one spot.  “Green Lantern” beat the competition with a $53 million debut over the weekend.  There  are complaints the picture should have made millions more . Maybe so, but you gotta take into account that the “Green Lantern” isn’t the best known superhero and that could be a factor in its modest opening.  More on Box Office Mojo about the “Green Lantern” numbers and the other top movies.

McCourts’ divorce settlement and TV deal

The battling McCourts announced a divorce settlement today –  but it depends on a TV contract  between the Dodges and the Fox network .So it’s not quite a done deal for Frank and Jamie. Details here on the Los Angeles Times website.

“Green Lantern” burns red hot in theaters

The “Green Lantern”  made a ton of green at theaters today. Nikki Finke over on Deadline.com says the superhero flick’s opening day haul is around  $24 million — with an estimated weekend take of  $60 million.  More about the weekend movies here.

Photo: www.oprah.com -- Oprah says good-bye to her millions of fans on the finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which aired May 25, 2011

 ”The Oprah Winfrey Show”  finale was huge — in true Oprah style. On Wednesday, Oprah’s talk show wrapped up 25 years with a tribute to her fans, who stuck with her year after year. That show scored its biggest overnight rating for Oprah’s talker in 17 years,  according to the website TV by the Numbers.

If you missed the big episode, click over to the Oprah.com website and share some of the finale highlights. Here is some of what the queen of talk shows had to say to her fans.

Oprah:

“After deliberating for some time, we decided to do what we do best, and that is a show about and with everyday people. This show always allows people, hopefully, to understand the power they have to change their own lives. If there’s one thread running through each show we do, it is the message that you are not alone. Twenty-five years and I’m still saying thank you, America. Thank you so much. There are no words to match this moment. Every word I’ve ever spoken from this stage of The Oprah Show for 4,561 days of my life is what this moment is all about.”

More of Oprah’s love letter to the fans here. Also, check out Oprah’s farewell season in videos, photos, and articles on the Oprah website.

The big summer movies are rolling into theaters. Tomorrow, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides,” opens in the U.S.  The fantasy adventure is the fourth installment in the “Pirates of the Caribbean”  film series. The movie is based on the book from 1987, “On Strange Tides,” by Tim Powers.

Today over on the publishing site Galleycat, Powers talks about his fantasy  book, how it got optioned by Disney, and more here.

Chick flicks are packing them in at movie theaters. Two in the last couple of weeks have beaten projections and grabbed a lot of attention away from the front runner, “Thor”.

While the superhero actioner held onto first place over the weekend, the debut of the raunchy female comedy, “Bridesmaid” is the talk of Tinseltown. The comedy about a down-on-her luck woman whose experiences as a maid of honor are hilarious, painful, and finally life changing.

“Saturday Night Live” cast member Kristen Wiig, co-wrote the screenplay with Annie Mumolo, and stars in the film along with Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne. In the actual box office numbers released today, “Bridesmaids’ scored an impressive $26.2 million — good enough for second place.

On the previous weekend, the low-budget but audience pleasing wedding comedy, “Jumping the Broom,” out paced expectations as well. This film cost around $7 million and in two weeks it has made around $26 million. Clearly, there is plenty of life left in the wedding comedy genre.

Box Office final numbers for May 13-15, 2011

1.”Thor” —–  $34.7 million

2. “Bridesmaids” —– $26.2 million

3. “Fast Five” —– $20.4 million

4. ”Priest” —– $14.9 million

5. “Rio” —– $8.2 million

6. “Jumping the Broom” —– $7 million

The New York Times column “Modern Love” is hooking up with Lifetime Television.  A TV series based on the column got a pilot deal at the cable network, according to deadline.com

The “Modern Love” TV series will use real stories from the newspaper column to create episodes that explore the state of modern relationships. The pilot will begin shooting this summer. Deadline has more on the genesis of the newspaper column and how it got a TV deal.

At a time when the sale of spec scripts usually slows down – this year– those sales are still going strong.  Scott Myers over on the screenwriting blog Go Into The Story is tracking 2011 spec script buys.

Myers says the 29th sale was for a spec script written by the grandsons of the actor, Dick Van Dyke. Carey and Shane Van Dyke’s “The Watching Hour” is a horror screenplay.

Spec script sales in Hollywood are way ahead of  2010. Last year, the 29th spec script did not get bought until June 25! For more on this sale click here.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Chevron gas station at Glenoaks Boulevard and Olive Avenue in Burbank April 12, 2011

 Skyrocketing gas prices are turning motorists into gas scouts — on the lookout for the lowest pump prices anytime they hit the road. If that makes some of ditch the cellphone calls and texting to pay more attention to their surroundings –that’s a huge plus!

I spent $20 on gasoline last Tuesday and I got less than five gallons. I didn’t gas-up at a high end station like the Chevron at Glenoaks Boulevard and Olive Avenue, which was charging $4.23 for a gallon of self-serve regular. At the lower end a couple of blocks away, the Arco station at Tujunga Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard was charging $4.11 for regular.

Photo:FLLewis/Media City G -- Arco station at Tujunga Avenue and Glenoaks Boulevard in Burbank April 12, 2011

I should have stopped at the Arco station. Instead, I popped into a 76 station across town and paid $4.15 a gallon for regular. I plan to do a better gas prices scouting job next week.

In general, we’re paying about a dollar more per gallon than last year. Here are some figures from the AAA Fuel Gauge Report website about the average price of regular gasoline.

Nationwide

• Average today       $3.8 a gallon
• A year ago              $2.8 a gallon

California

• Average today        $4.1 a gallon
• A year ago              $3.1 a gallon

Los Angeles/Long Beach (this includes Burbank)

• Average today     $4.2 a gallon
• A year ago            $3.00 a gallon

OSH is hiring in Burbank . The Orchard Supply Hardware store in the 600 Block of North Victory Boulevard has help wanted signs pasted to its front doors. They are looking for cashiers, sales associates, and pick-up clerks with some special skills.

“We are seeking applicants with an outgoing personality, willingness to learn and the motivation to provide legendary customer service…”  OSH job qualification.

For details and more qualifications check the store website, www.osh.com, and click on careers at the bottom of the page.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking for new talent. You don’t have to be able to throw a fastball or hit a home run. The baseball organization is accepting applications and resumes right now for the part-time seasonal union position of Ticket Seller.

The qualifications include excellent verbal communications, outstanding customer service, and at least a high school diploma or GED. For more requirements and details on the position click over to dodgers.com   and check under job opportunities or call Human Resources at (323) 224-1547.  The deadline to apply is April 5, 2011.

The debate is heating up over the new Writers Guild tentative agreement with producers. Yesterday the negotiators for the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached the tentative agreement after only about two and a half weeks of talking. The producers must have offered a juicy deal with plenty of perks and money for the writers to jump so quick at an offer. That’s not what the critics are saying about this contract deal.

Today the Writers Guild West posted an announcement about the tentative agreement on its website.  However, the debate over the agreement began yesterday — and Nikki Finke over on deadline.com has an interesting post on the contract negotiations, the players involved, and the e-mail sent out yesterday by the WGAW. Also, that post has nearly 100 comments about the tentative agreement.  Check it out here.

 Tom Hanks takes on real-life hero role

 The high-seas drama of cargo ship Captain Richard Phillips and the Somali pirates is headed to the big screen. Actor Tom Hanks is reportedly on board to play Phillips, according to deadline.com

Back in April of 2009, Captain Phillips traded himself as a hostage to the pirates to save his crew. Phillips was later freed in a daring rescue by U.S. Navy Seals. More on Hanks and this project on Deadline.

John Wayne photo book coming soon

The family of the late actor John Wayne has decided to share some rare photos with the world. A soon to be published John Wayne photo book will include, pictures from the family archives as well as snapshots from some of the 175 films Wayne appeared in, according to the publishing site, Galleycat.

Along with the photos, the book will include comments from relatives, friends and co-stars. It will be published by powerHouse books sometime this fall.

More spec screenplay sales

Screenwriter Scott Myers is tracking the spec screenplay sales. Myers says the spec, “The Last Drop” by Brandon and Phillip Murphy, is the 17th to get bought this year. The eight spec to get snatched up this month. Myers has more on the sale of “The Last Drop” and the spec script market over on his Go Into The Story blog.

The new gritty sci-fi action flick, “Battle: Los Angeles,” fought its way to the top of the box office this weekend.  “Battled: LA” debuted with an estimated $36 million to become the number one movie in the country.

Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriquez, and pop singer Ne-Yo are in the cast of  ”Battle: LA,” which is about a marine platoon that goes up against invading aliens in the City of Angels. 

Last week’s top film, Johnny Depp’s computer-animated western-comedy, ”Rango,” slipped to second place with around $23 million. ‘ The new take on folk tale classic, “Red Riding Hood,” did not generate the kind of opening expected — by landing in third with an estimated $14.1 million. The dark fantasy stars Amanda Seyfried as a woman living in a town terrorized by a werewolf.

The thriller, “The Adjustment Bureau,” claimed fourth with just about $11.4 million, and rounding out the top five, the new Disney animation, “Mars Needs Moms,” with an estimated $6.8 million. Produced on a budget reported to be at least $150 million, the film is considered a box office bomb. “Mars Needs Moms” stars Seth Green and Joan Cusack, in a story of a young boy who is out to save his mother from Martians. It is based on a book by cartoonist, Berkeley Breathed.

The spec script market appears to be catching fire and that’s a good thing for all of Hollywood. More scripts that sell, more production, and more jobs.  Last night, Sony Pictures came out the victor in a lively auction for the spec script, “Agent OX,” by Daniel Kunka, according to deadline.com

Neal Moritz’s Original Pictures will produce “Agent OX.” Moritz is the prolific producer behind “The Green Hornet,” “I Am Legend,” and “Battle: Los Angeles” — opening this weekend.

Several major studios and production companies were involved in the bidding. The sci-fi action screenplay revolves around a human spy living on another planet who must go into action to save Earth from an invasion by the aliens. The script sold for mid-six figures.  Deadline has more on the auction, the script, and some interesting comments from some of the folks in town who say they’ve read this hot property.

Some of the other spec screenplays that got snatched up this week include “The Last Witness” by Stefan Jaworski, “The Nameless” by Chris Bullett, and “Monsters of the Midway” by Jeff Lowell.

Hackers breach Nasdaq security

The Internet is buzzing today about a report of a hacker attack on Nasdaq OMX Group, the company that runs the U.S. stock exchange and several others around the world. The Feds are investigating the computer intrusion — which occurred sometime last year. More about this on the Computerworld website.

Google on a hiring spree

The word is out. Google is hiring. Last week, the Internet search giant got flooded with more than 75,000 applications, according to a Los Angeles Times article. That’s a company record. At the end of 2010, Google had around 24,400 employees. By the beginning of 2012, the innovative company plans to grow to more than 30,000.

NBC staffer fired for posting news clip on YouTube

An NBC staffer reportedly posted a vintage news clip of morning anchors Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel discussing “what is the Internet?” with reporter Elizabeth Vargas on YouTube. It went viral. Apparently NBC executives were not happy to see the off-air clip from 1994 get that kind of play. The staffer was reportedly fired and NBC is trying to get YouTube to take down the news clip.

The Wrap has more on the dust-up and a copy of that now infamous video.