I certainly underestimated the power of “Twilight,” but perhaps that’s because I heard of its bad reviews and thought that might influence audiences. I was wrong. The teenyboppers were in full force over the weekend as “Twilight” brought in just over $70 million with its debut and has lead its studio to immediately green light the sequel, “New Moon,” for production.

The other new release, “Bolt” from Disney, seemed to be hit by the audience overlap of “Twilight” as it earned a still impressive, but lower than expected, $27 million. After “Madagascar 2″, another animated kids’ movie, opened with over $63 million just two weeks ago it seemed the scene was set for a similar performance from “Bolt.” I’d watch for studios to avoid any overlaps with the “Twilight” sequels in the future.

Domestic box office movie earnings this weekend, Nov 21 - 23, 2008:

1. “Twilight” $70.5 million [$70.5M total]
2. “Quantum of Solace” $27.4 million [$109.4M total]
3. “Bolt” $27.0 million [$27.0M total]
4. “Madagascar 2″ $16.0 million [$137.4M total]
5. “Role Models” $7.2 million [$48.0M total]
6. “Changeling” $2.6 million [$31.6M total]
7. “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” $2.0 million [$86.8M total]
8. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” $1.7 million [$29.3M total]
9. “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” $1.6 million [$2.6M total]
10. “The Secret Life of Bees” $1.2 million [$35.6M total]

Last night on Saturday Night Live, Tim McGraw stopped by to host. Here are a few of the best skits from the show:

Turkey Day survival:

James Bond casino showdown:

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Just seven weeks after its second season debut, ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” has been canceled, reports series executive producer Bryan Fuller. I’m extremely disappointed by this news as “Daisies” had become my favorite new show from last season for its Roald Dahl-like stories and Tim Burton-esque settings.

Fuller is taking it better than I am, as he told E!:

“To be honest,” Fuller tells me, “I’m really not feeling very boo-hoo about it. I am so proud of the show. We put together 22 really good episodes, and there is a lot to be proud of. I’m sure I’ll be working with a lot of these people again, and I would love to do so.”

E! also caught up with Daisies’ Olive Snook, played by Kristin Chenow, just after she had heard the news:

“I just found out about an hour ago,” she said. “Pushing Daisies will probably forever be one of my most happiest times of my career. I loved being a part of that show, such quality, and I’m very sad.”

As for all the storylines that will be left hanging, Kristin says, “We don’t really have a closure. It’s going to leave a lot of our friends wondering.” So would she do a movie? “I hope [Bryan Fuller] does it, because there’s nothing like his mind. I often ask him if his brains hurt because there are so many ideas inside of his head. I would love to do a movie.”

I think I’m most disappointed that the series won’t have the chance to nicely wrap things up. There were 13 episodes ordered which will all air, but there won’t by an additional finale material created. I had been hoping for some sort of magical resolution to Chuck and Ned’s (Chuck is a girl, for the uninitiated) predicament of no touching alas she’d go back to being dead. Sigh. I think I’ll go wallow in some pie.

Source: E!

Another goodie for Lost fans today with a new promo video featuring a new single from “The Fray” entitled “You Found Me.” Yeah, aren’t they clever for teaming that up w/ “Lost.”

The music video for “You Found Me” can be “found” after the break.

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From the creative minds of IMAGI, the same folks who brought TMNT to life in CGI form, comes “Astro Boy”, the 50’s Japanese comic. I never followed Astro Boy or his helmet hair adventures, but I’m sure someone out there is excited about this.

Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist. Our hero embarks on a journey in search of adventure in a netherworld of robot gladiators before he returns to save Metro City.

Astro Boy movie trailer:

I’m not a big fan of Justin Timberlake and could have easily gone without his “Weekend Update” bit this weekend on SNL. But mix him with Andy Samberg and Paul Rudd to be Beyonce’s back-up dancers and you’ve got my attention.

Check out this backstage video of the guys goofing off:

Lost season 5 premieres January 21, 2009 on ABC and today we get the final poster for the upcoming season. I’m pretty psyched for the story to start back up as we know the Oceanic 6 will be heading back to the island, where ever it is now. If you haven’t seen the trailer for Lost season 5 I’d highly recommend it.

Interesting observation on the poster below. The group on the left features 7 characters, all but 2 of which were on the crashed flight. The group on the right features 6 characters, all but 2 of which were not on the crashed flight. That’s leaving a lot of pressure on Locke and Sawyer to carry the original story back on the island.

Well that was short lived. “Valkyrie”, the WWII era story of Germans who turned against Hitler, has suffered a series of bruises in its road to release and just when things seemed to have improved it all came crashing back down. After being bumped from its original date of February 2008 after terrible reviews the film went back for edits in an attempt to make it come out as an action thriller in December 2008. It looks like director Bryan Singer was only successful in making that transition with the trailer.

Previews of the film left audience members with a far less than favorable reaction:

“It’s an unsettling scene but you almost start to laugh. His character is resisting it but you never forget it’s Tom Cruise saying ‘Heil Hitler.’ It’s funny and shocking at the same time.”

It doesn’t get much better with another viewer:

“It was disgusting,” said another who saw the film. “It was like watching someone pluck their contacts out. The film just isn’t a thriller at all. It’s a bunch of white guys in Nazi uniforms. It’s too bad. And Tom doesn’t speak with a German accent, though they did add a voice-over of him speaking German to the beginning of the film. Still, it’s as if he could say ‘I complete you’ at any time. This is not his Oscar moment.”

Damn. I was getting psyched for “Valkyrie” but I’m not completely turned off yet because Kidman and Urban can be real jerks when they’ve been drinking at the movies.

Source: Snark Food

Don’t get too excited as this first look at Jessica Biel in “Powder Blue” seems to be much more focused on the dude in the foreground rather than the half-naked lady in the back. Nuts. The good news is that Biel is ready to break her “no nudity” pledge with her role as a stripper, no doubt with a heart of gold, who is raising money to save her child.

Q: I assume you’re still sticking to your policy of no nudity in the film? I heard you picked out your own body double for Nailed.

JB: “Yeah I did pick out my own body double. That was bizarre, that was very bizarre. It’s very hard to be a woman and sort of be looking at women kind of like they’re just objects. I was like, ‘I’m kind of having a male experience right now.’ It was weird. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever done. Anyway, I actually didn’t stick to that policy in this other film I did called Powder Blue.

Oh, and that dude in the picture, I think that might be a very odd looking Patrick Swayze though IMDB does list Patrick’s younger brother, Don, as a bouncer in the film as well.

Source: BadandUgly

Shocktillyoudrop has landed the first look at the Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycan “one-sheet” (why can’t they just call it a movie poster?). Instead of featuring the very lovely Rhona Mitra, who has taken over for Kate Beckinsale, Sony has chosen to feature Bill Nighy. Fail. Watch the Underworld 3 trailer here.