Photo: Pete Souza/White House -- First Lady Michelle Obama reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to children at the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC on December 9, 2010

 ”Twas the Night Before Christmas,” also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” has become a holiday tradition for young and old. There is some debate over – was it Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston, Jr. who originally wrote the poem back in the 1800s. No matter, the wonderful words are timeless and conjure up the magic and hope of Christmas Eve.

There are many variations of the famous poem. Here’s one version:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

Photo from www.charlottecarter.com -- Author Charlotte Carter in the batting cage ready to slam a homer, September 2010

Author Charlotte Carter is a mother of two and grandmother of five, but you’d never say she’s over the hill. Not with the activities Carter is involved in. The talented SoCal writer and ardent volunteer, has had more than 50 romance, mystery, and inspirational novels published.

A few years back, I was the moderator for a writers/authors group in Burbank and Carter was a guest speaker a couple of times. An experienced workshop facilitator, Carter has  participated in writers’ events at the Burbank library as well.

Carter’s newest book, “Montana Hearts,” hits store shelves today. It’s an inspirational romance about a transplant recipient who meets and falls in love with a rancher whose late wife donated the heart that saved her life.

Carter has another uplifting novel, ” Big Sky Reunion,” set for release next May. More details about her books on her blog,  Charlottecarter.com.  Also, on the site you can read about Carter’s other interests including her enthusiasm for sports, passion for the outdoors, and love of a funny line — she does stand-up comedy, too!

 Yes, Charlotte Carter is a one of kind inspiration.

Fans of the wild adventures of that wizard, Harry Potter, stormed movie theaters this weekend.The latest installment in the popular fantasy film series, ”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1,” cleaned up with an estimated $125.1 million –easily becoming the number one movie in the country.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1,” is the first of a two part film epic of the seventh and final book in the series by J. K. Rowling.  In this film, Harry Potter is out to destroy his archenemy’s secret to immortality. Leading the cast Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson.

Far, far, behind in second place, the animated flick, “Megamind,” with around $16.1 million. The action film, “Unstoppable,” took third with about $13.1 million. The road comedy, “Due Date,” rolled into fourth with an estimate $9. 1 million.

The new action thriller, “The Next Three Days,” created  barely a ripple at the Box Office. It landed in fifth place with an estimated take of $6.7 million. The plot revolves around a husband’s daring plan to break his wife out of prison, after she was falsely convicted of murder. The cast includes Russell Crowe, Liam Neeson, and Elizabeth Banks.

Even if you disagree with his politics or hold him accountable for leaving the country with two wars, a huge deficit, and in a financial/economical meltdown, Ex-President, George W. Bush, is still an intriguing study. The 43rd president is on the talk show circuit promoting his new book, “Decision Points.” Apparently the president is doing a bang up job.

Today “Decision Points,” Bush’s look back at some critical decisions in his life and presidency, is number one on the Barnes&Noble and Amazon.com websites. Bush’s book is getting some pretty good ratings and comments from readers and reviewers on both sites. Also, the Los Angeles Times has an insightful review  on “Decision Points” here.

In his book, Bush sums up his presidency this way: “History can debate the decisions I made, the policies I chose, and the tools I left behind. But there can be no debate about one fact: After the nightmare of September 11, America went seven and a half years without another successful terrorist attack on our soil. If I had to summarize my most meaningful accomplishment as president in one sentence, that would be it.”

Ultimately, history will determine the success or failure of the George W. Bush years. Until then, the debate is further stimulated by the ex-president’s vocal assessment of his administration and his memoir, “Decision Points.”

The DreamWorks animation,”Megamind 3D,” debuted at the top of the weekend Box Office, with $46 million — but that was below expectation. The film had been expected to exceed the $50 million mark.  Nevertheless, the debut was good enough to earn “Megamind 3D” the title of the number one film in the country.

The family-friendly feature  is about supervillians and superheroes battling for supremacy on Earth. Will Ferrell stars along with Brad Pitt and Tiny Fey. Another flick, the buddy-comedy, “Due Date ,” came in second with $32.6 million. Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, and Jamie Foxx star in the story of a wild cross country road trip involving an expectant father and a wanna-be actor.

In third, the drama, “For Colored Girls,” which raked in a surprising $19.4 million. The film, directed by Tyler Perry, is based on the acclaimed 1975 play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rain bow Is Enuf” by Ntozake Shange. Like the play, the movie is about a group of women who share their deeply personal and sometimes heartbreaking experiences of what it is like being of color and female. The cast includes Janet Jackson, Thandie Newton, and Macy Gray. The film was produced on a budget of around $21 million.

The comedy, “Reds” pulled in $8.6 million for fourth and rounding out the top five, the horror sequel, “Saw 3D,” with $7.7 million.

Publishing superstar, Janet Evanovich, has made a bundle off  of her popular Stephanie Plum mysteries, and is now out to  hook up with some fresh talented co-authors.

Number 17 in the Plum series titled, “Smokin’ Seventeen,” is due out next year. The wacky world of former lingerie buyer turned bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, is headed to the big screen as well. Katherine Heigl reportedly has signed on to play Stephanie in the movie version of the first book, “One for the Money.”

Evanovich has written more than 40 books. Recently, she landed a huge multi-million dollar deal with Random House. So Evanovich is not hurting for money, nevertheless, she is eager to revive a co-author program she established several years ago.

In a recent interview with  Media Bistro, Evanovich described the program this way: “We would like to have, maybe three or four co-authors that we’re working with and bringing them out in hard cover. It’s one of those situations that if you find the right person, everybody wins. There are tons of really good writers out there, but for one reason or another, they just have not had the support that allowed them to build audiences. So, for these writers out there, it gives them an opportunity to get a much larger market. If somebody’s interested in being part of our co-author program, they should contact my son, Peter Evanovich or they can send me a letter. My post office box is on all my book covers.”

Maybe the New Jersey born writer has not forgotten her own struggle. It took her 10 years to get published.  When asked in a Barnes & Noble interview for advice for writers looking for that big break, Evanovich said: “Don’t give up, continue to grow, eat some Cheez Doodles and drink some beer.” Hmm, I would of course throw in some chocolate, either way, it  sounds like a good plan.

 Writers around the world are pounding computer keys or scribbling as fast as they can in notebooks — as part of the annual Write A Novel in a Month project. It kicked off today and writers have until November 30 to produce 50,000 words — that’s a short novel of 175 pages. Last year, 165,000 writers reportedly took the challenge and 30,000 were victorious.

This popular creative writing venture is run by a non-profit, which has a host of sponsors this year including Amazon.com. The word count of 50,000 words is a lot, but I know writers who have taken this challenge and achieved that goal.

Organizers admit the project  emphasizes persistence and output, rather than the details of the novel writing craft. However, for those who have been procrastinating about writing “that novel” this is consider a good “kick-in-the-pants” to get cranking.

More details and a ton of support and encouragement here.  By the way, you have to be patient, the  National Novel Writing Month website is getting heavy traffic today so it’s a bit sluggish.

The world’s leading publisher of women’s fiction, especially romance, says it’s “hungry to find talented new writers for Harlequin Books” In a PR Newswire release,  Harlequin announced it’s hosting a five day “So You Think You Can Write” event starting next Monday, November first, to “discover aspiring new authors.”

Harlequin Enterprises Limited produces books for women at the rate of over 110 titles per month. It publishes more than 1,100 authors from around the world.  Also, Harlequin books are sold in 115 international markets and in 32 languages.

Harlequin is pitching this event as multifaceted with podcasts, blogs, and discussions with successful authors and more than 50 of its editors reportedly looking to buy books from new writers. If you think you have the, ah, write stuff, check out the details here.

Another Dr. Seuss classic headed to the big screen

Some big name stars have signed on for the film adaptation of  “The Lorax,” by Dr. Seuss. In his classic style of word play and rhymes, Dr. Seuss aka Theodore Seuss Geisel, creates a delightful tale about the ecology crisis in this children’s story.

Actor Danny Devito reportedly has signed on to be the voice of an orange environmentalist, while Zac Ephron will play the hero, Ted, and Betty White his grandmother.  The animated film will be shot in 3D and is tentatively set for release in 2012, according to Galleycat. More on this project here.

President Obama to go live on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show”

Steve Harvey is a very busy man. The actor, comedian, and author has a new book coming out in December, “Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man.” Harvey’s previous advice book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment,” was a New York Times bestseller and is being developed into a film.

Harvey dishes some of his relationship advice on his nationally syndicated radio program, “The Steve Harvey Morning Show.” Yesterday a friend, Dee Dee Brown, sent out an e-mail reminder that President Obama would be the special guest, tomorrow, Wednesday, October, 27 on that show.

“The Steve Harvey Morning Show” is carried locally on Steve Wonder’s station, KJLH 102.3 FM. The show is on 6-10 a.m. Also, you can listen to “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” online as well, details on the KJLH site. 

Oh, Harvey  is also the host of the TV game show, “Family Feud.” Like I said, he’s a very busy man.

More trouble for Charlie Sheen

There are reports out that Actor, Charlie Sheen, was taken to a New York hospital early this morning, after an incident in a hotel room. There are conflicting reports about what happened and if the actor was intoxicated. 

Sheen has had a number of run-ins with the law and a lot of personal drama. He’s the star of the popular TV series, ” Two and a Half Men.” More on The Wrap.

 Hot Hollywood Movie Deal

I thought it was a bizarre combination when the novel came out last spring: President Abraham Lincoln and vampires. No matter. Hollywood is hot to take this property to the big screen. Several studios were bidding on the project, but over the weekend, 20th Century Fox came out the victor, according to Nikki Finke & Mike Fleming over at Deadline.com.

Los Angeles Author Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel, “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” has our 14th President taking out the blood suckers and their slave-owning allies, in revenge for a vampire killing his mother. Oh, it’s going to be made in 3D. Wow! More on the deal at Deadline.com

WGA announces awards for New Media writing

The Writers Guild of America awards ceremony next February will include two new categories: Writing Original New Media and Writing Derivative New Media.  WGA-West President John Wells explained the need for the additions in a news release: ““New media writers play an essential role in entertaining, educating, and engaging audiences in the digital arena. These new awards pay tribute to their talents and to the diversity of work being done under Writers Guild contracts.”

The WGA will be accepting submissions through November 23, 2010. Details on eligibility and the new awards on the WGA -West website.  

More on the Facebook movie

“The Social Network,” the new movie about Facebook, is the number one flick in the nation. Also, now there’s growing Oscar buzz surrounding the movie. Deadline has that as well as a tidbit about how the screenwriter of the film, Aaron Sorkin, collected a cool $3 million for his work. Who says screenwriting doesn’t pay the bills?

Catching up on …

Some good obits and remembrances of some recently departed celebs over on the  Los Angeles Times website – among them, Actor/Artist Tony Curtis and  TV Producer/Author Stephen J. Cannell.  Cannell was not only a great talent, but a generous writer who was willing to share his knowledge and experiences with other scribes.  I heard Cannell speak to writers’ groups a couple of times — and each time he was terrific.

The new drama, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” rolled right over the competition this weekend to become the number one film in the country. This sequel to the 1987 film, “Wall Street,” collected an estimated $19 million at the domestic Box Office.   

Oliver Stone directed both the original and the sequel. “Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps” picks up 23 years after the original with Michael Douglas’ Gordon Gekko out of prison and reformed. Douglas won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Wall Street.” In the sequel, Gekko tries to warn Wall Street right before the 2008 financial meltdown. The cast includes Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, and Carey Mulligan.

In second place, a new 3D animation, “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” with around $16.3 million. The film is based on an adventure fantasy book series by Kathryn Lasky.

“The Town”, last week’s number top film, fell to third place earning an estimated $16 million. The teen comedy, “Easy A”  landed in fourth with about $10.7 million.

Rounding out the top five, the new romantic comedy, “You Again” with an estimated $8.3 million. Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, and Betty White star. The film is about a young woman who discovers her older brother is about to marry the girl who bullied her in high school.

Another member of the Schwarzenegger family is gearing up for a publicity blitz. Katherine Schwarzenegger is the 20-year-old daughter of Actor/Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and former TV Journalist/Author, Maria Shriver.

The USC student is set to go on a promotional tour in the next few weeks for her first book, “Rock What You’ve Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who’s Been there and Back.” Schwarzenegger says her own struggles with self-worth and  body image prompted her to write a book to inspire young girls.

“You don’t have to look like you’re on a billboard to feel beautiful. I really wanted to correct girls’ perception of that.” Schwarzenegger said in a PR Newswire press release.  

Also, the book is about growing up with famous parents and relatives –the Kennedy family. Schwarzenegger says that at home, her father is more of a food watchdog than her mother. She says that when Arnold the movie star was preparing for a movie role, he would tear through the house, trashing all the ice cream and junk food.

According to the Barnes & Noble website, the busy Southland college junior also blogs about body image and self-esteem for the ABC Family show “Huge.”

Katherine Schwarzenegger’s book, “Rock What You’ve Got,” goes on sale next Tuesday, September 14.

TV reality show judge wins Larry King’s job

The British Talk Show host-turned- “America’s Got Talent” Judge, Piers Morgan, is Larry King’s replacement. Rumors about the deal have been in the wind for weeks. Today CNN made the official announcement. 

Earlier this summer, King announced he would be retiring from his high-profile interview program, “Larry King Live,” this fall, after 25 years.

Deadline.com has a report on the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing that got Morgan the job.

Hollywood and book readers hot for “The Hunger Games” series 

The final installment of the “Hunger Games” book series is a monster hit. Galleycat reports the publisher, Scholastic, announced “Mockingjay” sold an incredible 450,000 copies in hardcover and ebooks since its release on August 24. That’s around 45,000 books a day! The publisher reportedly is printing a second run of 400,000 hardcover copies.

Suzanne Collins’ YA (Young Adult) fantasy series has made a variety of bestseller lists, including Barnes & Noble, The New York Times, and USA Today. Lionsgate has bought the film rights to the first book in the series, “The Hunger Games.”  The script is written and reportedly several directors are circling the project.

George Clooney hangs onto the Box Office lead

Apparently “The American” is getting some good recommendations from moviegoers. The George Clooney thriller won the Labor Day Holiday weekend domestic Box Office and continues to out run the competition this week.

 The thriller is about an American assassin who finds himself marked for death. Three of my friends saw “The American” over the weekend. They say Clooney was great eye-candy, but didn’t think the film was worth the price of admission — especially at $11.50 each.

“The American” raked up a weak $16.6 million over the three-day-holiday, followed by the new action flick “Machete” in second with $14 million. The “Machete” plot revolves around a Mexican immigrant/renegade who gets caught up in a political conspiracy. It stars Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, and Jessica Alba.

The crime drama “Takers” took third with $13.5 million. “The Last Exorcism” scared up $8.7 million for fourth and rounding out the top five the new romantic comedy, “Going the Distance” with $8.5 million. In “Going the Distance” a couple tries to make it work even though he lives in New York and she in San Francisco. Drew Barrymore leads a cast that includes Justin Long and Christina Applegate.

Madonna sued over “Material Girl”  clothing line

Entertainer, Madonna, has launched a “Material Girl” clothing line with daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Oops!  L.A. Triumph, claims it’s been selling clothes under that label since around 1997 and at some of the same high-ended retailers involved in the new Madonna deal.

This week, the California company sued Madonna. More details in a story on The Los Angeles Times website.

Dr. Laura’s controversial farewell

In the wake of a controversy over her use of the N-word on the air, Conservative Radio Talk Show Host, Dr. Laura Schlessinger,  announced she would pull the plug on her program at the end of the year. Dr. Laura made the surprise announcement on CNN’s “Larry King Live.”

Dr. Laura says she’s taking the drastic step because she wants  her  ”… First Amendment rights back.” Not everyone is buying that reasoning — here’s a good post about it all on The Wrap. Dr. Laura’s radio program can be heard locally on KFWB News Talk 980. 

Oh, click here for Dr. Laura’s blog where she talks about the controversy, her apology, and the support she’s getting from Sarah Palin.

Betty White’s new two-book deal

UPDATED:  Sunday,  August 22, 2010                                                                                                                                                       

 Actress Betty White has another Emmy to add to her collection. White won number  seven last night for best guest actress in a comedy series for her hosting of a “Saturday Night Live” episode, back in the spring.

That award winner was announced during the creative arts section of the 62 Annual  Primetime Emmy Awards, at the Nokia Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.  The winners in some of the major Emmy categories will be announced on a broadcast next Sunday, August 29, 2010, on NBC. 

Actress Betty White is 88-years-old and has a career that’s on the upswing. The Emmy Award-winning actress has gained new fans with her appearance in a hit Super Bowl TV commercial back in February, then in May as a guest host on NBC-TV’s, “Saturday Night Live,” and now she has a role on cable network TV Land’s popular series, “Hot in Cleveland.”  This week it was disclosed White has sealed a two-book deal with G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

The first book, “Listen Up,” will be about life lessons learned during White’s many years in Hollywood. It’s due out in hardcover next spring. By the way, she has been nominated for 20 Emmy Awards and has won six — including two for her role in the 1970s ”The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and one for starring in the hit 1980s series, “The Golden Girls.”

The second book, “The Zoo and I: Betty and Her Friends” will showcase stories and photographs of White and her friends at the Los Angeles Zoo – scheduled to hit the market in 2012.

In a PR Newswire press release, White said she’s enjoying the new challenge: “Much as I love what I do for a living in show business, I love writing even more – so I am thrilled to be working on not only one new book but two of them.”  White is the author of five other books.

Bristol Palin to marry Levi Johnston

That Palin family – never out of the media spotlight for long. The latest news,  Bristol Palin is engaged to former boyfriend and father of her son, Levi Johnston. The couple broke the news to US magazine, which posted the exclusive story and some photos on its website today. The Palins really like US magazine. Remember, Sarah Palin on the above US cover with the couple’s son, Tripp, back in 2008?  

Online vampire book sells to major publisher

Photo from www.martaacosta.com

San Francisco Bay Area Author Marta Acosta has a thing for vampires. Acosta sold her latest fang book by posting it on the website scribd. The YA novel, “The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove,” got tons of reads and was bought recently by Tor Books. GalleyCat has the scoop on how Acosta’s novel scored with online readers and the sci-fi fantasy publisher.

 Tribute to Dennis Hopper

“Dennis Hopper Double Standard” now showing in The Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles. Celebs like Liv Tyler, Diane Keaton, and Reese Witherspoon turned out for the opening party last Saturday, for this exhibit showcasing the art career of the late, Dennis Hopper. The actor/artist died last May,after a battle with prostate cancer.                                                                                                                            
Vogue website has more on the star-studded affair. The MOCA site has details on the exhibit, which runs through September 26.

 A Southland lottery winner cashed in that missing $7 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot winning ticket last Monday, June 14. This is the unclaimed jackpot I posted about a few days ago. The ticket was bought in the 7-Eleven store at 3450 Overland Avenue in Los Angeles for the June 5 draw. Oh, the 7-Eleven gets a $35,000 bonus for selling that winning ticket.

 The owner of the lucky ticket wants to remain anonymous. According to lottery officials, the winner chose the annuity option and will receive increasing payments over 26 years, beginning with the first for $175,000. What are his plans?  The winner disclosed he intends to pay off some credit cards, some other bills, and take a long-awaited trip to Disney World!

Actress Demi Moore nails a $2 million book deal

Movie roles have been pretty slim for Actress, Demi Moore, lately, but she just scored a huge deal in the publishing biz. Over on Deadline.com, Mike Fleming reports Moore’s reps are working on the fine points of a book contract with HarperCollins. The word is this will not be a trip down memory lane. More here.

Screenwriting duo hook a deal to write “Monster High” musical

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are very busy screenwriters/producers these days. And they are making a lot of dough at it. Gough and Millar are the showrunners for the TV hit, “Smallville.” Also, they wrote such male-focused films as ”Lethal Weapon 4,” “Shanghai Noon,” and “Spider-Man 2.”  For a some variety, they produced last year’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” which rang up $80 million at the domestic Box Office.

Now Gough and Millar are working on a monster musical about the trials and tribulations of high school — as experienced by the off-spring of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman. “Monster High” is based on a new entertainment/toy line from Mattel. The Hollywood Reporter has a nice write up on the project. 

Another 3D flick blows up at the domestic Box Office. Moviegoers are definitely loving their 3D. “How to Train Your Dragon” opened with an impressive debut of around $43.3 million, to become the number one movie in the country.

This DreamWorks animation is about a Viking teenager raised in a tribe that slays dragons, however, he ends up befriending a wounded dragon and that begins the adventure. The star voices in “How to Train Your Dragon” include America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, and Jay Baruchel. The movie is based on a 2003 children’s book of the same title by British author, Cressida Cowell.

In second place, the live action/animated mega-hit “Alice in Wonderland” with an estimated $17.3 million. After four weeks in release, three of those at number one, the domestic tally for this Tim Burton creation stands at around $293 million.

The new R-rated comedy “Hot Tub Time Machine” landed in third with about $13.7 million. The comedy  stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke as a group of friends who find themselves transported back to 1986 after a wild night of drinking in a hot tub.  

The romantic comedy/action adventure “The Bounty Hunter” earned fourth with an estimated $12.4 million, bringing its two week domestic total to around $38.8 million. Rounding out the top five, the family film “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” with $10 million.

“Alice in Wonderland” is still packing them in at the movie theaters, especially at the big 3D complexes. Tim Burton’s live action/animated fantasy adventure of the classic tale delighted audiences to the tune of about $34.5 million this weekend. “Alice” easily held onto the title of the number one film in the U.S. for the third straight week. The domestic total for this mega-hit has reached $266 million.

Several new movies opened and two managed to do okay. The family flick,”Diary of a Wimpy Kid, ” debuted better than expected with around $21.8 million. Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron star in the adventures of a middle school kid and his best friend during a school year. The film is based on a book of the same title in a popular illustrated series by Jeff Kinney.

Close behind in third place,”The Bounty Hunter,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. It’s about a struggling bounty hunter who gleefully sets out to bring in his ex-wife who has jumped bail. “The Bounty Hunter” captured an estimated $21 million, which is in line with expectations.

In fourth, the new Jude Law and Forest Whitaker action/thriller “Repo Men.”  It’s set in the future where repo men repossess body organs when patients miss their payments. It earned a meager $6.1 million. Rounding out the top five, the R-rated romantic comedy, “She’s Out of My League” with around $6 million.

Hollywood is tapping a new source for movie ideas — blogs!  I have heard of other projects based on websites, but this latest one, being developed for Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, sounds like a real winner. Over on the deadline.com/New York site, Mike Fleming is reporting that Columbia Pictures has made a deal with blogger/author Ree Drummond for a romantic comedy, ”The Pioneer Woman.”

Drummond is known as ”The Pioneer Woman” who writes a popular blog with the same title,   http://thepioneerwoman.com/  The website description says she’s “plowing through life in the country  …one calf nut at a time.” Drummond is a self-confessed city girl who fell in love with a cowboy and is now making a lot of hay, ah, money writing and blogging about her life on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma. 

 Last year Drummond’s cookbook, “The Pioneer Woman Cooks, recipes from an accidential country girl,” came out and became a New York Times bestseller.

Next Valentine’s Day, William Morrow will release, “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels,” Drummond’s story of love and adventure in the country. On her website, Drummond describes the book as “… the complete saga (to date) of the rip-roaring true story of how I met my husband, Marlboro Man, and how I went from spoiled city girl to domestic ranch wife in the blink of an eye.”

Spec script season in full swing

Some interesting spec scripts making the rounds of the production companies and studios lately. Literary manager Kathy Muraviov is shopping, “The One” by Stan Evans, according to the Spec Chaser site. This is a romance about a woman who gets the ultimate choice: one week with her “soul mate” or a lifetime with a man she cares about, but who is not “the one.”  

Also, spec scripts are being snatched up and bought. On the Spec Chaser, the spec screenplay “Ruthless,” by Cooper Layne, is marked sold!

“Ruthless” is a crime thriller about an ex-con who shows up suddenly in a small Louisiana town and begins to cause havoc by exposing the secrets of the town folks. The script sold to Double Nickel Productions.

A super opening for the latest teaming of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. The suspense thriller, “Shutter Island” debuted with an estimated $40.2 million this weekend at the domestic Box Office, to become the number one film in the country.

“Shutter Island,” set in the 1950s, is about the investigation of a murder and some bizarre medical practices at a hospital for the criminally insane. This is the film version of Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same title. Lehane’s novels,”Gone, Baby, Gone (1998),” and “Mystic River (2001)” were both turned into successful movies.  ”Shutter Island” is the fourth movie hook-up for Scorsese and DiCaprio. They also worked together on “Gangs of New York” (2002), “The Aviator” (2004),  and “The Departed” (2006).

As for the rest of the weekend contenders, the romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” came in a distant second with about $17 million. Last weekend, “Valentine’s Day” was sitting pretty in the top spot. No matter, in two weeks the star-studded comedy has raked in around $87.4 million at the domestic Box Office.

The blockbuster hit, “Avatar” landed in third, earning $16 million. The 10 week domestic total — $687 million! The adventure fantasy, “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” scored $15.3 million. And rounding out the top five,  the horror drama “The Wolfman” with $9.8 million.