Belafonte: Hollywood won't yield to those of color

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harry Belafonte says Hollywood has yet to explore the breadth of black experience and that the industry will "never ever yield to the needs of people of color."

The 84-year-old entertainer made the remarks at a presentation on artists and activism held Wednesday during the 102nd annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Convention.

Actor Louis Gossett Jr., actress-singer Tatyana Ali, actor-author Hill Harper and members of the Black Stuntmen's Association appeared alongside Belafonte at the panel discussion. He urged the NAACP to form a group of artists and thinkers to inspire the kind of "radical thought" necessary for change, and he called on black actors and filmmakers to "come together and create some institutional base that's ours."

"It seems to me that long ago we could have put together black studios, put together a black distribution center," Belafonte said. "Maybe we couldn't reach 100 million, but we could reach 100,000, and have 100,000 exposed to a great truth. I'd rather have that than 100 million exposed to something vacuous and inaccurate."

Belafonte said that "in pursuit of ego, in pursuit of large, ridiculous sums of money, we have sold our birthright that somehow we are more victim than we are responsible."

Though he was the most outspoken of the panelists, the other actors agreed that black artists and consumers are responsible for changing the way the entertainment industry represents people of color.

"It's very hard to find roles that I can be proud of," said Ali, 32. "The archetypes for black women specifically have not fully been explored."

Alex Brown and Willis Harris, representing the Black Stuntmen's Association, talked about their experience fighting for change: They created the BSA in 1966 to end the exclusion of black stunt performers from Hollywood productions. Until then, white stuntmen were "painted" to perform stunts for black actors.

The performers all said that activism and education are essential to advancement in Hollywood. Belafonte said "radical thought" is critical.

"You're not going to find solutions until you're willing to embrace radical thought," he said. "Every time black people moved ahead in the history of this country is because somewhere in this nation, a group of people dared to think radically and do radical things."

The six-day NAACP Convention ends Thursday.

Pesci sues over Gotti biopic role; claims disputed

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joe Pesci claims the makers of a biopic on the Gotti family have made him an offer he can refuse — a lesser part in the movie and a $2 million salary cut.

The actor sued Fiore Films on Wednesday, seeking the $3 million he said he was promised to play the role of a childhood friend and enforcer of crime boss John Gotti Sr.

Pesci claims the company used his name and likeness to promote the movie and attract investors, but now doesn't want to honor its original offer to him. He has been offered a lesser role for a $1 million payday, the lawsuit stated.

Fiore CEO Marc Fiore rejected the claims, saying he received correspondence months ago from the actor's representatives telling him Pesci was pulling out of the project until the original director, who left the project, was replaced. "Before we had a deal, Mr. Pesci walked away," Fiore said.

Pesci's attorney Brandon Tesser called Fiore's statement false, saying no one informed Pesci of a reduced role until recently. The actor's lawsuit stated Pesci gained 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) to play the role of a trusted Gotti Sr. adviser, Angelo Ruggiero.

Pesci cited his roles in mobster films such as "Casino" and his Oscar-winning role in "Goodfellas," and his lawsuit said he was fully committed to playing Ruggiero in "Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father."

The movie focuses on the experiences of John Gotti Jr., who has rejected his mob ties.

Pesci had been named as a prominent cast member in the film alongside John Travolta, who is scheduled to play Gotti Sr., along with Al Pacino and Kelly Preston. The actor's role was announced at an April press conference. His lawsuit said that helped lend the film credibility, garnered it publicity and helped attract investors and other actors.

Shortly after the announcement, director Nick Cassavetes withdrew from the film.

Fiore said Pesci's representatives then told him that the actor didn't want to discuss anything with filmmakers until a new director was chosen. He said that he had tried to work out a deal with Pesci's New York attorney and that he and new director Barry Levinson had reached out to the actor recently, but the efforts were rebuffed.

Tesser said Fiore was welcome to contact him to try to resolve the matter, but it was clear that there was an agreement for Pesci to star in the Gotti film.

Pesci's lawsuit claimed that a written contract was never signed, but that Fiore's actions in announcing his name at the press conference and in other promotional materials made it clear that an agreement had been reached. The agreement called for Pesci to be paid $3 million provided he was willing and able to act in the film.

"Defendant has no intention of paying (Pesci) $3 million or having him portray Ruggiero in the film," the lawsuit claims. "Rather, plaintiff secretly planned to use (Pesci's) name and likeness to promote the film and then to later concoct some pretext for terminating the contract so as to avoid paying plaintiff anything for the substantial publicity and 'buzz' that was generated."

Fiore said agreements had been reached with most of the other high-profile actors, including Travolta, Pacino and Preston. Shooting on the film was scheduled to begin on Jan. 3.

He predicted a tough fight for the Pesci case, saying he may countersue the actor. "He's wasting his time and everybody else's time," Fiore said.

"I might be a newbie in town," he said. "This newbie is not going to get bulled around."

Jennifer Aniston's Horrible Bosses May Get a Sequel

Horrible Bosses has grossed $82.6 million domestically since its July 8 debut, and now director Seth Gordon is toying with the idea of reuniting the all-star cast back for a second installment.

"W

e're talking about it," Gordon tells USA Today. VIDEO: Watch Jennifer's raunchy scene from Horrible Bosses

In the original film, Jennifer Aniston, 42, played a sexually aggressive dentist who harasses one of her male employees (Charlie Day). Meanwhile, Kevin Spacey, 52, portrayed a tyrannical corporate executive who's determined to make his subordinates' lives hell.

The only potential problem? The third boss, Colin Farrell's cocaine-loving, macho-man character Bobby Pellitt was -- spoiler alert! -- gunned down in the first movie. "I feel like it would be a shame not have Bobby Pellitt," Gordon says. "Maybe in some sort of dream sequence."

Adds Farrell, 35: "Bobby Pellitt, kung-fu master extraordinaire. So much fun. I love watching the film because I'm in it for three f**king minutes. It wasn't ruined for me. I could just enjoy it. I can't remember having such fun designing the physical world of a character as I have with that guy, down to the car that he drove, the fact that he loved karaoke. All of it."

'True Blood' Hunk Alexander Skarsgard & Kate Bosworth Split

Alexander Skarsgard may be on the hunt for some new "Blood."

The actor, 34, and Kate Bosworth have called it quits after nearly two years of dating, according t

o Us Weekly. PLAY IT NOW: Comic-Con 2011: Alexander Skarsgard - ‘True Blood’ Has Been ‘So Much Fun’ This Season

"It was very mutual," a source told the mag. "And it happened a while ago."

Alexander -- who plays ruthless (although recently amnesiac) vampire Eric Northman on the HBO hit series, "True Blood" -- and Kate were spotted getting cozy as recently as April, when the two were photographed holding hands and chatting with friends at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, Calif.

The now-former couple will soon be seen together on the big screen (alongside James Marsden and Dominic Purcell) in the upcoming thriller "Straw Dogs" - due out in theaters on September 16.

Kate, 28, dated former "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Orlando Bloom for four years and was also previously linked to British model James Rousseau, while Alexander is rumored to have briefly dated "Letters to Juliet" beauty Amanda Seyfried, as well as his "True Blood" co-star Evan Rachel Wood.

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ROLL CALL: 'Horrible Bosses' Sequel In Works; Will Jennifer Aniston Return?

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans

More "Horrible" Jen? : Will Jennifer Aniston's raunchy "Horrible Bosses" character live on to sexually harass another day? "Horrible Bosses" director Seth Gordon told USA Today that a sequel is being considered. "We're talking about it," he told the paper. SPOILER ALERT... it's possible for Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey's characters to come back, but what about Colin Farrell's Bobby Pellitt character (who met his demise in the film)? "I feel like it would be a shame [to] not have Bobby Pellitt [back]. Maybe in some sort of dream sequence," the director added. Would you be game for more "Horrible Bosses?"

PLAY IT NOW: Jennifer Aniston Talks ‘Horrible Bosses’ & Visiting ‘Inside The Actors Studio’

New Couple Alert? : Does Lauren Conrad have her eyes on a "Teen Wolf" hunk? According to Us Weekly, the reality star-turned-author got friendly with "Teen Wolf" star Colton Haynes recently at the HTC Status phone launch. "She was into him, and vice versa. They went to a club afterward," a source told the mag. No word if the moon was howled at or not!

"New Year's Eve" Is Coming! : Ready for another holiday-themed star-studded big screen ensemble? Zac Efron, Lea Michele, Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers, Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank, Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Jon Bon Jovi, Sarah Jessica Parker and many, many more appear in the upcoming "New Year's Eve," which hits

theaters on December 9. Check out the trailer, HERE! VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood’s Best Hairdos

Mama Monster Perks Up! : In attempt to outdo herself, Lady Gaga has resorted to... nipple studs!? The fashion-forward singer stepped out in Los Angeles on Tuesday in a Thierry Mugler suit, Christian Louboutin pumps and chest adornment that could put an eye out! Check out Gaga's sharp ensemble, HERE!

Fox Searchlight moves up "The Descendants" to November 23

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Fox Searchlight will bring Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" to theaters a month earlier than expected -- on November 23.

It'll be a limited release.

The movie, originally slated for a December 16 debut, stars George Clooney, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges, Matthew Lillard and Robert Forster.

The film revolves around an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past when his wife suffers a boating accident off Waikiki.

Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash wrote the movie. Payne, Jim Taylor and Jim Burke produced.

"Killer Elite" producer hit with lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Palomar Pictures and producer Sigurjon Sighvatsson have been slapped with a breach of contract suit by a film executive who claims he's owed credit and money for his work on the upcoming action film "Killer Elite."

(The film is not a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1974 movie "The Killer Elite.")

In a suit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Jay Burnley, a former development executive for Sighvatsson, says he helped shepherd the Jason Statham and Clive Owen film to the big screen. In return, he says he was promised a co-producer's credit and a $50,000 fee for his seven years of work, but the film's producers never made good on his deal.

Burnley says there was an oral contract in place, but that Sighvatsson refused to sign a written agreement. At one point, Sighvatsson screamed at Burnley, according to the complaint, telling him he would not give the producing credit or pay the fee.

Soon after Burnley obtained a lawyer, Sighvatsson fired him via email.

"Burnley spent seven years working diligently with Gary McKendry, a writer/director Matt Sherring, a writer, and the defendants to successfully adapt 'The Feather Men' into a viable motion-picture script and project later entitled 'Killer Elite,'" the suit reads. "Burnley's seven years of work on the Picture greatly exceeded the tasks required of him as the defendants' development executive."

In addition, Burnley is also charging Sighvatsson and Palomar with fraud, saying they never intended to honor the contract, holding out a false promise of future compensation and credit.

According to Burnley's suit, he met repeatedly with the director and writer, supervised script revisions, helped secure talent for the film, shopped the screenplay, advised on casting and engaged in "story calls" with the film's Australian producers.

"Killer Elite" hits theaters on September 23, 2011. In addition to Owen and Statham, Robert De Niro co-stars. Open Road is handling domestic distribution.

"The lawsuit speaks for itself, and I'm completely confident Jay will be vindicated," Jordan Susman, an attorney for Burnley, told TheWrap.

Sighvatsson could not be reached for comment.

In addition to the credit and damages, Burnley is seeking attorneys' fees.

Besides "Killer Elite," Sighvatsson was a producer on films such as "Brothers" and "K-19: The Widowmaker."

Burnley is now an employee of ItsOnTheGrid.com, a subsidiary of TheWrap.

Ryan Gosling takes on comedy to cure the blues

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ryan Gosling claims that after his last film, the moody "Blue Valentine," it took him several months to "acclimate out of the experience" and he paid a visit to the doctor.

"He wrote me a prescription and I looked at it and it said, 'Do a comedy'," the 30-year-old Canadian actor said, adding the story he has been repeating to reporters while promoting his new comedy, "Stupid, Crazy, Love," is absolutely true.

It's hard to tell at times when Gosling is joking, telling such stories while wearing a perpetual, evasive smirk. Yet he is transparently playing for laughs in his first comedic role opposite "The Office" star Steve Carell that has gained strong buzz ahead of its release in the United States on Friday.

The reason for the turnabout for an actor who has so far mostly stayed away from big-budget Hollywood movies after impressing critics with serious indie dramas, was Carell, he said.

"He makes everyone funny. So selfishly I knew that if I was going to ever do a comedy, if I was going to lose my comedic virginity, I wanted to lose it to Steve," a softly-spoken Gosling told Reuters in an interview.

"Crazy, Stupid, Love" shows off Gosling as a suave seducer of women who tries to help the despondent, shabby character played by Carell regain his machismo after separating from his wife, played by Julianne Moore. Also co-starring Emma Stone and Marisa Tomei, the romantic comedy is a big box office summer hope for studio Warner Bros.

Gosling described himself as "nervous" to act in what he sees as his first real comedy, spending much of the film dropping unsubtle lines to women in bars, dressing in designer clothes and even ripping off his shirt to reveal a body so appealing it leaves Stone exclaiming it must have been digitally enhanced.

"It's like a James Cameron program called Avatar and you wear a motion-controlled suit," he joked, explaining his impressive abdomen for the scene. But he did not use a body double. "I had to exercise a lot."

Initially, he said, he wanted to base the role on Mike "The Situation" Sorrento from the TV reality show "Jersey Shore". But producers balked at the idea -- "I thought it would be funny, and they thought it wouldn't be."

He also claims he figured out how to play this character -- and indeed each role he plays -- by working out "the percentage of Bugs Bunny versus Daffy Duck."

He explained: "Like Dean in 'Blue Valentine' was 80 per cent Daffy and 20 per cent Bugs. And with this (role) I finally got to just play Bugs Bunny -- that helped me to think of it in those terms. And Steve was Daffy."

CHOOSING FILMS LIKE DANCING

Cartoon characters aside, Gosling, who is now regarded as one of the top actors of his generation, speaks seriously about why he didn't cash in on his Oscar nomination for "Half Nelson" in 2006 or the popularity of the romantic drama "The Notebook" in 2004 with a big Hollywood movie.

"I felt like I was cashing in, but just not financially. I was able to get more freedom in each next part that I played. So I just kind of gravitated toward that freedom. Money gives you freedom too, it's just what kind of freedom you want."

He did take home a bigger paycheck for "Stupid, Crazy, Love," but "my reasons for wanting to do it were the same. It's like when a song comes on, you want to dance and you don't know why. It just makes you want to dance. That's how I feel and I felt that way about 'Blue' and I felt that way about this."

After starting out at an early age as a dancer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" variety TV show alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake -- Aguilera was then the most impressive, he said -- he landed parts in a number of TV shows, including one with Carell that was canceled.

He went on to observe acting titans such as Denzel Washington in his first small movie part in "Remember The Titans," but says Carell has been one of the best.

That may soon change. He will soon be seen in the George Clooney film, "The Ides of March" among several upcoming titles, but said he doesn't have any serious career plan.

"I just try to take it one step at a time," he said.

Sony Classics acquires Lawrence Kasdan's "Darling Companion"

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Sony Pictures Classics, believing that Lawrence Kasdan's movie about a dog is not a dog of a movie, has acquired domestic rights to "Darling Companion," the company said Wednesday.

The movie is about Beth, who saves a mess of a dog she sees on the side of a freeway in Denver. Because Beth, played by Diane Keaton, is struggling with her marriage and her empty home, she grows extremely close to the animal. As tends to happen in movies, her husband loses the dog after a wedding at their vacation home. Beth, distraught, gets the wedding guests to help her search for her beloved dog.

The movie stars Keaton as Beth and Kevin Kline as her self-involved husband, Joseph. Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins, Elizabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, Ayelet Zurer and Sam Shepherd also star.

Meg Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the movie and Lawrence Kasdan directed. Anthony Bregman produced for Likely Story, Lawrence Kasdan produced for Kasdan Pictures and Elizabeth Redleaf produced for Werc Werk Works.

Sony expects to release the movie in 2012.

Stormtrooper costume designer wins UK copyright

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - In what a Lucasfilm spokesman told the BBC is an "anomaly of British copyright law," prop designer Andrew Ainsworth won the rights to sell replicas of the original "Star Wars" Stormtrooper helmets, which he designed.

The 62-year-old London-based designer triumphed in a local court on grounds that the costumes were "functional, not artistic works, and so not subject to full copyright laws," according to the BBC report.

British Supreme Court judges upheld a 2009 Court of Appeal decision, which allows Ainsworth to continue producing and selling his replicas in the UK.

"Art is like a Rodin sculpture, film production is an industry, and that's what these products are, they were always industrial designs," he told the BBC.

The court also ruled, however, that Star Wars and Lucasfilm creator/founder George Lucas' copyright had been violated in the U.S. But the add-on is not too big of a concern for Ainsworth, who told the BBC he no longer sells his works in the U.S. anyway.

The plastic helmets and armor are replicas from the original 1977 film. Ainsworth has sold the works, commanding upwards of $2,500 for each helmet, for over eight years in the same Twickenham studio where he made classic movie's original costumes.

The BBC reports Lucasfilm filed a $20 million lawsuit, claiming Ainsworth could not sell the replicas at all because he did not hold their intellectual property rights that the U.S. court upheld. The judgment, however, moved to the UK because the designer no longer sold his works in the states.

The case made its way to Britain's High Court in 2008 after Lucas accused Ainsworth of copyright infringement. It then made its way a year later to the Court of Appeal, and to the UK's highest court, the Supreme Court, earlier this year, according to the BBC.

The Supreme Court drew the line between functional and artistic works, ruling that the helmets are not considered artistic sculptures, rendering their 15-year copyright protection to have expired.

A Lucasfilm spokesman told the BBC that the company "remains committed to aggressively protecting its intellectual property rights," adding that such protections would have been granted in "virtually every other country in the world."

How Mike Medavoy got the rights to the Chilean miners story

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) When 33 Chilean miners were rescued from months-long entombment in a collapsed mine in October 2010, it was the biggest story on or below the surface of the earth.

So how did producer Mike Medavoy get the rights to tell the tale, in a deal that was finalized this week?

"It was two things. The fact that I lived in Chile had something to do with it. And the fact that 'Black Swan' and 'Shutter Island' happened last year, that we're shooting a movie now -- I have had a pretty good career," acknowledged Medavoy in an interview with TheWrap.

That he has. The legendary producer and film executive ("Black Swan," "Zodiac,") lived in Chile for 10 years, from age seven to 17. He speaks Spanish fluently and understands the culture intimately.

When he sat down with a group of the miners, who had come to Los Angeles on a religious mission, it is not that surprising that they connected.

"The clock could've been turned back in my life to the time I was 17 years old and all the Chileans that were part of my life," he told TheWrap. "It reminded me of the kind of generosity of spirit and humor that Chileans have. It showed up again. There it was -- generous, funny, enjoyable, knowledgeable."

But as much as he wanted to make the movie, that meeting showed him that it would be complicated.

"As I got into the story deeper and deeper, I realized it was much more than we initially thought," he said. "It's a big story. I really had to figure out, where's the movie?"

The 33 miners were trapped underground in a collapsed mine for 69 days as the Chilean nation -- and then the rest of the world -- watched, riveted by the spectacle. The Chilean president Sebastian Pinera more or less declared that the miners would not be abandoned.

Engineers worked for days on end to dig their way to the miners. The world tuned in as they miraculously were drawn from the ground, one by one, in a televised rescue. About 8.5 million viewers in this country alone watched coverage.

Medavoy, who also watched the live rescue, said that the story encompasses the miners, their families and their country. He described the story as a combination of "Apollo 13" and "How Green Was My Valley."

"It's a triumph of survival," he said. "How do you survive under those conditions? There was a whole people trying to pull out these guys."

Below the ground, the miners were wondering if they'd ever see their children again. They prayed a lot.

Above ground, "one of the wives worried about -- how would they come back?" Medavoy said. "In boxes, or some form other than that?"

The government of Chile, however, decided the miners would emerge alive.

In order to make the story work, Medavoy and screenwriter Jose Rivera ("The Motorcycle Diaries") agreed, the movie has to focus on just a few of the miners. (Nonetheless, the working title of the project is "The 33.")

"We can't do a story of 33 guys," Medavoy said. "We're going to get into the most interesting ones."

That means the miners below ground and their families above; it would surprise no one if Sean Penn, a friend of Medavoy's who has been in other films he has produced, including "All the King's Men," were offered a role.

In the meantime, a script has been fast-tracked, with a book by Hector Tobar racing along in parallel.

Medavoy hopes to be shooting by next year. He is also busy with other projects, having just started shooting on another project with a sprawling, multi-star cast, Lionsgate's upcoming comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting."

UK man wins fight to make "Stormtrooper" helmets

LONDON (Reuters) - A British prop designer who makes replicas of the menacing Stormtrooper helmets featured in Star Wars films won a legal battle Wednesday against director George Lucas, who took him to the High Court in 2008 over copyright infringement.

The Supreme Court ruled that the replicas were not covered by copyright law because they were not works of art, the Press Association reported.

But the court also ruled that the director's copyright had been violated in the United States.

Judges said 62-year-old Andrew Ainsworth is free to continue making the helmets in his studio in Twickenham, southwest of London, although he cannot export them to the U.S.

"I am proud to report that in the English legal system David can prevail against Goliath if his cause is right," Ainsworth said in a statement. "If there is a force, then it has been with me these past five years."

Ainsworth, who made most of the helmets in the original Star Wars film uses original moulds and tools to make replicas for fans.

"We don't export to the US, so it doesn't affect us. We export everywhere else: Australia, Singapore -- we're looking at that side of the world," he said.

Both the UK Court of Appeal and the High Court had already ruled in Ainsworth's favor in his battle with Lucas's production company Lucasfilm, who had successfully sued him in the U.S. for $20 million before taking their legal battle to Britain.

After Wednesday's judgment, Lucasfilm vowed to continue defending its property rights.

It said in a statement it was committed "to aggressively protecting its intellectual property rights relating to Star Wars in the UK and around the globe through any and all means available to it, including copyright, trademark, design patents and other protections afforded by law."

It added it encouraged recent efforts by the British government to modernize copyright and design laws and added that film props are protected by the law in "virtually every other country in the world."

Fox scores movie rights to ESPN's oral history book

By Brent Lang

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - As Keith Olbermann settles into life on a significantly smaller stage, ESPN, the network that made his name, may be heading to the big screen.

Fox has optioned the film rights to "ESPN: Those Guys Have All the Fun," James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales' oral history of the sports media empire, TheWrap has confirmed.

The pair interviewed everyone from hosts such as Chris Berman to columnists such as Bill Simmons to come up with their behind-the-scenes look at the early days of ESPN. There's also a lot of space devoted to the temperamental Olbermann's antics, which could make the role of the newly-minted Current TV anchor a plum part for any star.

Michael De Luca, Trigger Street's Dana Brunetti and Julie Yorn will produce the film. De Luca and Brunetti collaborated on last year's Best Picture nominee "The Social Network," while Yorn produced "Red Riding Hood" and "Unstoppable."

Studio sets release date for Jason Reitman's "Young Adult"

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Paramount has set a December 9 limited release date for Jason Reitman comedy "Young Adult."

The movie will go into wide release on December 16, 2011.

"Young Adult" is about a fiction writer who, after her divorce, goes back to her small Minnesota hometown. There, she tries to get back together with her ex-boyfriend, now a married father.

Diablo Cody wrote and produced the movie, which stars Charlize Theron and Patrick Wilson.

Theron, Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith also produced the film.

"Captain America" shoots down "Harry Potter"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Superhero movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" triumphed at the U.S. and Canadian box offices with $65.8 million in weekend ticket sales as the magic faded from the final "Harry Potter" film's record-breaking debut.

The strong opening for "Captain America" topped expectations in its battle against the hugely successful "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," which saw its massive opening-weekend audience from last week shrink by 72 percent.

The final installment in the popular "Potter" series took in $48.1 million over its second weekend in domestic (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, plus $121.3 million internationally, distributor Warner Bros. said on Sunday.

Romantic comedy "Friends with Benefits" starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, took the No. 3 spot over three days with $18.5 million domestically, a solid start for a film that cost about $34 million to produce, according to Sony Pictures studio.

"Captain America" drew a 64 percent male audience to the film set in the 1940s, about a scrawny, bullied orphan transformed into a muscular superhero thanks to a serum developed by the government. He is the latest Marvel comic book character to hit the big screen before the superheroes join forces in next year's film "The Avengers."

The success against the "Harry Potter" finale "was well beyond what anybody was expecting," said Don Harris, executive vice president of distribution for Paramount Pictures, which released "Captain America." The film drew positive reviews and "had a retro look to it" that appealed to moviegoers even after a summer filled with superhero flicks, he said.

For the eighth and final "Harry Potter" movie in the series about a British boy wizard battling against evil, sales dropped sharply, as expected, after avid fans had rushed to see the movie when it debuted. The film broke records around the world including best opening weekend ever in the domestic and international markets.

The film's total ticket sales now stand at $274.2 million in domestic theaters and $560.4 million internationally, for a combined total of $834.6 million.

Other top films for the weekend were big-budget Hollywood film "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" at No. 4 with $12 million, and adult-oriented comedy "Horrible Bosses" at No. 5 with $11.7 million.

"Captain America" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" were released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, distributed "Deathly Hallows - Part 2" and "Horrible Bosses." "Friends with Benefits" is from Screen Gems, a unit of Sony Corp.

Animated "Oz" brings Patrick Stewart to Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO (TheWrap) - Patrick Stewart has boldly gone where he had not gone before: to the Comic-Con convention.

The man who played Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" finally made his way to the annual geek-fest on Saturday to participate in a panel on the upcoming animated musical "Dorothy of Oz," but of course the first question to address was: How could he have not attended the convention, where he's pretty much revered as a god, in the past?

"First of all, can I just point out that I'm a Broadway girl too?" Stewart quipped, referring to his "Dorothy" co-star, "Wicked" veteran Megan Hilty, who was also on the panel.

"You see, I thought I'd been here already; it was my publicist who told me I wasn't," Stewart joked. "I must've come down here for a party, and thought I was at Comic-Con."

Stewart's maiden voyage to Comic-Con turned out to be a memorable one, and not just for the adoring audience that greeted him with a standing ovation in the packed Hall H. During the panel, Hilty led the crowd in serenading Stewart -- who turned 71 years-old on July 13 -- with a rendition of "Happy Birthday."

As for "Dorothy of Oz" -- which was written by "Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum's great-grandson Roger S. Baum and boasts a star-studded cast that includes Lea Michele, Kelsey Grammer, Dan Aykroyd and Martin Short -- Stewart noted that the fact that it's an animated feature held great appeal for him.

"Right now my feeling is that the greatest innovations in cinema are being made in the world of animation. There's such a diversity of work that's being done," Stewart, who provides the voice of Tugg in the movie, enthused. "So when there's a chance to take part in this new wave of great filmmaking, I like to take part in it."

Plus, Stewart quipped, "I haven't done many iconic pieces of work in my life, so to be associated with those two letters -- O-Z, as we say in England -- is a huge compliment."

Stewart went on to note that the field of animation is especially suited to his acting style.

"I've always thought of myself as a stage actor who occasionally does movies and television, so when I get in front of a film camera, invariably the director is saying to me, 'less,'" Stewart noted. "In my experience, in animation the directors always want, 'MORE! MORE!'"

Surely, the worshipful audience at the panel shared in that sentiment. http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/patrick-stewart-makes-comic-con-debut-dorothy-oz-panel-29397

"Cowboys & Aliens" premiere brings out the big guns

SAN DIEGO (TheWrap) - For the premiere of his new shoot-'em-up epic "Cowboys & Aliens," Jon Favreau presented a screening almost as big and bombastic as the movie itself, invading the San Diego Civic Theater with a horde that included Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard.

"In case you don't like the movie, I'm gonna say that this is how you felt about the film," Favreau said in reaction to the thunderous applause that greeted him, before dragging the aforementioned assemblage onto the stage and launching into a heartfelt assessment of the evening.

"We have all the people who've been working on the movie interacting with the fans," Favreau noted. "These are real people who've been working really hard on this, and they're on pins and needles waiting to find out what you think."

The results of their collective labor, "Cowboys & Aliens," is pretty much summed up by the title -- despite its fantastical premise, it's an action flick, from head to tentacle.

Based on the 2006 graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the film (out July 29) stars Daniel Craig as Jake Lonegan, a robber with a past that's an enigma even to him, after an alien abduction that leaves him with a fuzzy memory and a mysterious bracelet on his wrist.

Stumbling into a nearly abandoned mining town, he finds himself joining with the local townsfolk to fend off an invasion of aliens intent on blowing the place up and abducting its remaining citizenry -- "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" meets "Independence Day," in a nutshell.

Palin doc headed for PPV as ticket sales plummet

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - With its Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated" increasing its playdates by 40 percent this weekend, only to watch box office revenue decline by more than 63 percent, distributor Arc Entertainment announced Sunday that the film will soon be available on pay per view.

The movie played in 14 Tea Party-friendly locations this weekend -- up from the 10 in which it opened last week -- but grossed just $24,000.

Starting September 1, subscribers to DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner can see the true Horatio Alger story of an Alaska woman's rise from self-described "hockey mom" to gubernatorial dropout to conservative cable news bastion talking head, all in the comfort of their own home.

In addition, the film will launch on DVD October 4 with a shipment of 250,000 units.

As for the theatrical run, the distributor insists it will continue through August and September.

A "special edition" DVD containing additional new content will be sold only in Walmart stores.

Written and directed by Stephen K. Bannon and produced by Victory Film Group co-founder Glenn Bracken Evans and Dan Fleuette, "The Undefeated" was independently financed by Victory Film Group and its partners.

The film debuted theatrically to multiple sold-out runs and enthusiastic audience support with weekend per-screen averages above $11,000 in top markets. The film was rushed to select digital theaters in only three weeks, and was marketed entirely through social media and grassroots efforts with virtually no traditional media spend.

The film includes leading prominent political commentators Mark Levin, Tammy Bruce and Andrew Breitbart as well as conservative activists Kate Obenshain, Sonnie Johnson and Jamie Radtke. Additionally, the film features interviews with Alaskan civil servants, elected officials and advisors who were involved in Alaskan politics during Governor Palin's tenure. http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/sarah-palin-doc-undefeated-bottoms-out-24000-distributor-opts-pay-view-29410

Mike Medavoy making movie about Chilean miners

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - The Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days last year have sold their life rights to producer Mike Medavoy, who will begin production on a movie about the 33 men this year.

Jose Rivera, who wrote the screenplay to "The Motorcycle Diaries," is attached to write.

"Like millions of people around the world, I was completely engrossed watching the rescue at Copiapo. At its heart, this is a story about the triumph of the human spirit and a testament to the courage and perseverance of the Chilean people. I can't think of a better story than this one to bring to the screen," Medavoy said in a written statement.

In the statement, one of the miners, Juan Andros Illanes said, "We consider this to be a great step toward the realization of a film based on our experience in the mine. This is the only official and authorized film about what we lived in the San Jose mine. Much of our story has never been told."

Medavoy and the vice president of his Phoenix Pictures, Edward McGurn, will produce through Medavoy's new company, Half Circle.

Medavoy, who was born in Shanghai, China in 1941, lived in Chile from 1947 to 1957.

The 33 miners are represented by WME and the law firm of Arent Fox in the United States and Carey y CÌa in Chile. Jose Rivera is represented by ICM.

Production on the film is scheduled to start in 2012.

"Animal House", raunchy '80s comedies get Blu-ray debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Four classic comedies make their Blu-ray debut in the next two weeks, reminding moviegoers that raunchy comedy was alive and well long before "The Hangover" franchise, and films like "Bridesmaids."

But "Animal House" (1978) and "The Blues Brothers" (1980) starring the late John Belushi, and high school comedies "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) and "Dazed and Confused" (1993) have more than just sentimental appeal.

Hollywood casting director Paul Ventura believes these films have become funnier and more popular 30 years on, partly because of the fortunes of many of their young, fledgling actors.

"All these movies brilliantly represented their times, but you can look back on them today and realize they hold just as many truths now as they did back then," Ventura told Reuters. "They had comic stars who could pull off social anarchy and still be lovable."

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High", set to be released on August9, had three future Academy Award winners among its cast -- Nicolas Cage, Forest Whitaker, and Sean Penn in a rare comedy turn as the quintessential stoned surfer dude Jeff Spicoli.

"Animal House", out on July 26, provided an early glimpse of Kevin Bacon, while "Dazed and Confused" (set in the mid-1970s) gave the first major screen time to three other upcoming stars: Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich and Matthew McConaughey.

And then there was Belushi."

Belushi's "Animal House" screen debut earned him the cover of Newsweek magazine, and his iconic status was cemented with his dark-suited, dark sunglass-clad prisoner-turned-singer in "The Blues Brothers".

Belushi died in 1982 at age 33 of heroin and cocaine poisoning.

"It's ironic that John didn't do drug-oriented humor. During the making of 'The Blues Brothers' John's drug abuse was scary in the amount of his intake," John Landis, who directed both "Animal House" and "The Blues Brothers", told Reuters.

"John was an excellent actor who always needed strong direction. Without his drug problem he could have done anything, from heart-touching drama to the crazy, zany comedy Jackie Gleason did," Landis said.

"As for the legacy of these movies I can only answer with a quote from the great filmmaker John Huston, who wisely said 'Motion picture directors, prostitutes and buildings get respectable with age.'"

Andrew Garfield Feels Weight Of 'Spider-Man' Responsibility: He's 'Meant So Much To Me' Since Childhood

Andrew Garfield will soon light up the big screen as "The Amazing Spider-Man" and the 27-year-old actor said stepping into the shoes of his childhood hero means an incredible deal to him -- so much so that the attention he's already receiving for the role makes him feel "overwhelmed and scared."

"I don't take it lightly. I wish I could, but I don't," Andrew told Access Hollywood's Scott "Movie" Mantz of playing the beloved web-slinger, during an interview at the 2011 Comic-Con in San Diego, Calif., on Friday. "This character's meant so much to me since I was 2 years old and I had my first Halloween and I wore my first Spider-Man costume.

"Ever since I saw him in the comics through New York City, I was mesmerized," he continued. "And he's affected my life in every different period I've gone through."

The former "The Social Network" star said he became immediately aware of the gravity of the role as he donned Spider-Man's iconic red and blue suit for the first time.

"As soon as I put on the suit for the camera test in this movie, I felt that weight -- but much like I feel Peter Parker feels it too," he told Scott, recalling the famous line from 2002's "Spider-Man" (starring Tobey Maguire), "With great power comes great responsibility." "I just felt like that was part and parcel of the job.

"Let me just put it this way," Andrew explained. "It was much more fun watching Tobey do it than it was doing it myself!"

The charming actor is acutely aware that he's not the only fan who has been inspired by the superhero for most of his young life, and said he worked tirelessly to explore all aspects of the "fascinating" character, especially Spider-Man's physicality, so as not to disappoint his fellow comic book fans.

"I'm so exited to be assuming this symbol that is more than me, more than you -- it's everybody's, and I feel so lucky and privileged to be able to explore what that is," he told Scott. "I wanted to make something very authentic, imagining what it would be like to have spider DNA in your body."

Catch Andrew, along with Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans and Denis Leary, when "The Amazing Spider-Man" hits theaters in July 2012.

Beavis and Butthead' set to return to MTV in fall

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nearly two decades after their heyday, Beavis and Butthead are coming back.

Creator Mike Judge says the ever adolescent, trash-talking duo will return to MTV in the fall.

Judge came to Comic-Con to talk about the reboot of his beloved animated characters and offer a peek at the new season, which is set to premiere in October.

In their new incarnation, the two perennial teens — still wearing their AC/DC and Metallica shirts — riff on music videos, YouTube submissions and MTV shows such as "Jersey Shore" and "Teen Cribs."

"They're also watching UFC fights," Judge says.

The 48-year-old writer, who also voices many of his characters, says that besides Beavis and Butthead, he hopes to tackle live-action dramas in his creative future.

Rodriguez announces 'Sin City,' 'Machete' sequels

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Robert Rodriguez waited until Comic-Con to announce that he's planning sequels to "Sin City" and "Machete."

He says a script for "Sin City 2" is being refined, and he hopes for two sequels to last year's "Machete" — at least one of which will bring the blade-slinging star into space.

"Even if we don't get to three, I'm at least making the trailer for three because it's so good. I would put it even before part two," Rodriguez said. "Machete goes into space! It's like 'Moonraker.'"

The 43-year-old filmmaker made the announcements Thursday in front of 6,500 fans at the San Diego Convention Center, then celebrated the news at an intimate party at the Hard Rock Hotel across the street.

He also discussed his latest film, "Spy Kids 4," which is set to release in "4-D" next month.

Playing in both 2-D and 3-D, the fourth dimension is "smell-o-vision." Rodriguez explained that moviegoers will receive a card when they come into the theater that has eight numbers on it that hold scents that correspond with the film.

"When a number flashes on screen, you scratch that number and you smell it, and whatever they're smelling on screen, you smell in the audience," he said. "There's sweet smells and bad smells — because we have a baby and we have a dog — and it's really fun."

Rodriguez also announced three new partnerships: He plans to develop games and movies with the "Heavy Metal" franchise, create a museum and other media around the fantasy artwork of Frank Frazetta and inspire computer hardware for filmmaking with the tech company AMD.

He says a full plate makes him more productive: "You get more done when you're busy. It almost helps you focus on something more when you don't have too much time to overthink it."

Rodriguez said he kept these announcements quiet until Comic-Con out of his natural identification with pop-culture fans.

Serkis rouses Comic-Con fans with a new great ape

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Andy Serkis left no doubt in the minds of Comic-Con fans that he's the king of the apes.

With footage from "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," Serkis also showed an audience at the fan convention Thursday why he's the king of performance-capture, in which an actor's dramatic essence makes up the foundation of a character that is layered over with digital effects.

The British actor pioneered the technique as the gnarled little fiend Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" films, a role he is reprising for "The Hobbit" prequels, and later as the towering ape in "King Kong," all for director Peter Jackson.

Now Serkis delivers the main simian role for the "Apes" prequel, playing a chimpanzee leading an ape revolution against oppressive humans. The film debuts around the world beginning the first week of August.

Though he's playing another being created through digital technology, Serkis said his "Planet of the Apes" role as chimpanzee Caesar is worlds away from Kong or Gollum.

"People said to me, 'Why are you choosing another ape character, why are you playing another monkey?'" Serkis said at a presentation to show off footage from the film. "With Kong, he was a huge technical challenge, because he was a 25-foot gorilla. Gollum's a three-and-a-half foot ring junkie. With Caesar, I actually believe it was even more of a formidable challenge."

Caesar has a sprawling, tragic emotional arc to his story, said Serkis, who is developing his own performance-capture production company for film and video games and has had live-action roles in such movies as "13 Going on 30" and "24 Hour Party People."

Inheriting high intelligence from his mother, a chimp treated with a test drug to cure Alzheimer's, Caesar is raised in a loving human home by a researcher (James Franco) and grows up feeling like part of the family.

"Then at a certain point, he realizes that he is not the same as the human beings that he's been brought up by. He feels like a freak. He's treated like a Frankenstein's monster. He's then taken away from the people, his parents, his family, and thrown into a sanctuary, which is full of apes, and it's kind of like a hard-core prison," Serkis said. "Then he brings this disparate group of apes together and then leads them to revolution. And then, oh, by the way, he's an ape. It's an amazing journey."

The Comic-Con footage included a scene in which Caesar rushes ferociously to defend Franco's ailing father (John Lithgow) and another in which he sets fellow captive apes on the path to higher intelligence.

The "Apes" prequel uses similar technology used to create Gollum, Kong and the towering blue aliens in James Cameron's "Avatar," with actors wearing skintight suits covered with dots as reference points for digital cameras to capture their motions and body language. As Cameron did with his "Avatar" actors, Serkis was fitted with a camera rig on his head to record his facial expressions, too.

The big evolution in the technology this time is that the performance-capture shoot was done on live-action sets, with Serkis interacting with Franco and the other human characters. Previous performance-capture shoots have been done on mostly bare soundstages, with sets and other details filled in later through elaborate computer animation.

The film's director, Rupert Wyatt, said that advancement helps demonstrate why Serkis is not only a great performance-capture actor, but also simply a great actor.

"People forget that. They always say, 'Oh, he's leading the forefront of performance-capture technology as a performer,' but the reason he does that is he's just a phenomenal actor," Wyatt said. "When you're dealing with jumping around in a gray leotard, and you've got your face-capture camera on your head, and you're trying to play and personify being a certain character, it's quite hard to push all the technology to one side. It's the mark of a true actor that you're able to do that."

Charles Dutoit pushes for inter-Korean orchestra

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Philadelphia Orchestra chief conductor Charles Dutoit was a longtime friend of Isang Yun, a composer jailed and then exiled by his native South Korea for visiting the North.

Now, 16 years after Yun's death, the 75-year-old Dutoit is working to realize a dream inspired by his friend: an inter-Korean youth orchestra.

The Swiss maestro held talks in North Korea late last month and says cultural officials there support the idea. South Korea says it's willing to review the plan. Dutoit hopes to hold an inaugural concert on Aug. 15, the anniversary of a then-unified Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

Nearly 60 years after the Korean War ended with a fragile armistice, the two Koreas are technically still at war. Despite the animosity, analysts say both Koreas could find it difficult to reject such an apolitical event organized by a non-Korean, as neither side would want to be blamed for making ties even worse.

"There is a 50-50 chance for this orchestra project being realized," said Haksoon Paik, a North Korea analyst at the Sejong Institute, a think tank near Seoul.

Dutoit, who conducted the North Korean state symphony on his visit, said he was further inspired by a teary-eyed airport farewell from orchestra members.

"They just didn't (want to) let me to go," he said in a telephone interview from Switzerland. "They wanted to keep me a little longer."

The experience "made me think it would be wonderful to have some little adventure and music together and go over all the problems," he said. "I have to do music to put together these people and to have more comprehension between them."

He says his motivation comes from Yun, one of a handful of figures respected in both Koreas.

Yun became world famous in the late 1960s when he was kidnapped by South Korean agents in Germany after an unauthorized trip to North Korea in 1963. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released and returned to Germany two years later following protests from around the world.

Yun, who became a German citizen in 1971, visited North Korea periodically but was never allowed to return to the South. He died in Germany at age 78 in 1995.

The avant-garde composer, known for about 150 pieces combining Eastern and Western traditions, believed an inter-Korean orchestra could ease animosity.

Dutoit conducted Yun's work and often heard his friend speak of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, and a music institute there that was named after him.

He first visited Pyongyang in 2002 and was impressed with the skill of the musicians at the institute as they played one of the late composer's works.

Several years later, Dutoit was a conductor for a music festival in Seoul, where he shared with organizers his dream of forming a joint youth orchestra.

The project was set back as tensions rose after North Korea allegedly torpedoed a South Korean warship and killed 46 sailors in March of last year. The North also fired artillery shells on a South Korean border island in November that killed four people.

But Paik, the analyst, said that North Korea now wants to improve its international image, while South Korean President Lee Myung-bak may seek better ties with the North before he leaves office in early 2013.

The South Korean Unification Ministry says it is willing to review the orchestra project after a formal request is made. Dutoit's South Korean partner, Lindenbaum Music Company, plans to file one in coming days. His long-term goal is for the orchestra to perform regularly in Pyongyang, Seoul and the Korean border town of Panmunjom.

He isn't the only one using music as a tool to help ease tension on the Korean peninsula.

Renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim plans to hold a peace concert at the South Korean border town of Imjingak on Aug. 15 with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which brings together young musicians from Israel and Arab countries every summer. The New York Philharmonic also held a concert in Pyongyang in 2008.

Sarajevo Film Festival kicks off in Bosnia

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — German director Wim Wenders and actress Charlotte Rampling will be among the guests at the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival that kicks off Friday evening.

Over eight days, some 100,000 viewers will get to see some of the 200 films from dozens of countries.

This year, the event will open with the screening of the "Le Havre" by Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki. Organizers expect over 40 artists and politicians from the region to attend the screening of a Bosnian movie, "The Orchestra" — the biography of a pre-war rock group famous in the former Yugoslavia.

Andrew Garfield calls Spider-Man a role for life

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - He may change his mind later, but right now Andrew Garfield says the role of comic book superhero Spider-Man in the upcoming reboot of the hit film franchise is a part that could last a lifetime.

"I could play this character for the rest of my life," an enthusiastic Garfield, 27, told Reuters at Comic-Con on Friday, where the first few clips of the film were revealed to fans.

Comic-Con International, an event where tens of thousands of fans of comics and science-fiction stories gather annually, has become a major launch pad for Hollywood studios promoting movies, and the makers of "The Amazing Spider-Man" delighted them on Friday with a look at its new crime fighter, Garfield.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" will land in theaters in 2012, and it has been pitched to fans of Peter Parker -- a.k.a. Spider-Man -- as a franchise reboot that takes the boy back to his roots as a gawky teenager who acquires the web-spinning capabilities and super strength of a spider.

The first three movies, starting with 2002's "Spider-Man" and directed by Sam Raimi, took in a whopping $2.5 billion worldwide, but the makers decided that to continue thrilling loyal fans, the franchise needed a fresh start.

So, they hired the little-known Garfield (who since then made a name for himself in Facebook film "The Social Network) to portray Parker and director Marc Webb (independent film "500 Days of Summer") to breathe new life into the series.

"I think Marc wanted to make it as authentic as possible ... what happens to this kid? What happens to a kid if he really truly gets these superpowers? But also what the real struggle it is to be a teenager" Garfield told Reuters.

The new star got off to an impressive start at a Comic-Con panel for the upcoming movie. He posed as a rogue fanboy dressed in a Spider-man costume and stood in the audience at a microphone where fans ask questions of stars on stage.

"Peter Parker has inspired me to be stronger," he read from a piece of paper. "He inspired Andrew, me, to be braver."

Then, Garfield delivered a line worthy of any comic book character who had been helped by the amazing boy with spider-like attributes.

"He saved my life," Garfield said.

And the Comic-Con crowd was caught in his sticky web.

Whether "The Amazing Spider-Man" can save the franchise in theaters awaits next year's film release, but there is a precedent for success.

When Warner Bros. wanted to revive its Batman film franchise, the studio hired Christopher Nolan -- at the time a relatively little-known director of hit indie movie "Insomnia" -- to direct 2005's "Batman Begins."

The result of the reboot? "Batman Begins" was a smash hit that led to another blockbuster, "The Dark Knight," and a third movie in the works.

Garfield knows that the pressure to perform is on him and Webb to do the same for Spider-Man.

"This is really a lot of responsibility," he told Reuters, "and I feel the responsibility of the symbol I was given to portray."

Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. & Chris Hemsworth Talk 'The Avengers'

It was Chris Evans' night on Monday at the premiere of "Captain America: The First Avenger," and his fellow superhero co-stars assembled on the red carpet where they opened up about filming next summer's highly anticipated "The Avengers."

"We are in New Mexico, Albuquerque and off to I think Cleveland next week," Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, told Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos. "Then New York, so [to] be around the country a lot, it's good."

The Aussie actor, who portrays the Norse God, warns that Earth's Mightiest Heroes might also have some of Earth's biggest heads on their shoulders.

"They all kind of have the same kind of attitude or same kind of egos," he explained of the rest of the Avengers, which includes Captain America (Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). "That's what certainly makes a story interesting is that tension and conflict."

Chris also hinted at a showdown between Thor and Captain America.

"He's got a shield, I've got a hammer and one's a god, one's a human," he said. "One's probably a bit more battle smart than the other, but it'll be a interesting match. I think we'll get to see some of it in 'Avengers.'"

Robert Downey Jr. told Maria that he was having a blast suiting up as Iron Man for a third time.

"It's always a pleasure. I'm a lucky guy... such a fun character," he said on the red carpet. "It's really great too working with new folks, like getting to know Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans and [Mark] Ruffalo."

Robert also hinted at a superhero showdown amongst the Avenger ranks.

"Some of these characters are really are full of themselves," he explained. "As we know, Tony has become humbled somewhat... [the story] is really smartly thought out... I suspect [fans] might enjoy it."

As for the man of the hour and "The First Avenger," he was just trying to get through his big premiere.

"I just want to get done with this week and I'm in the clear," Chris Evans told Maria about his movie opening while he films "The Avengers." "It's a lot of work right now... you just gotta try and power through it."

"Captain America: The First Avenger" hits theaters on Friday, and "The Avengers" is slated to debut in May 2012.

Jen Aniston Dazzles in Sparkly Cocktail Dress

Jennifer Aniston switched from the racy black leather number she wore earlier on Wednesday to a demure shimmery cocktail dress for the evening premiere of Horrible Bosses in London.

The 42-year-old actress left her beloved collection of LBDs at home, opting for an embellished halter design by Valentino that hit at the knee (as opposed to her usual thigh-grazing hemlines). She accessorized with a pair of Tom Ford peep-toe heels.

Aniston has been getting a lot of buzz for her role in the flick, in which she plays a dentist who sexually harasses a male employee.

"I had a blast. I got to be as crazy as a loon and not worry about the repercussions. I loved getting to play an absolutely insane crazy sexual character," she tells Us Weekly.

Matt Damon: Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Forced To Live 'Like Prisoners'

Matt Damon would not like to trade lives with his "Ocean's" franchise co-star and longtime pal Brad Pitt!

"I have friends who are like prisoners. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for instance," Matt told G

erman television TELE 5 over the weekend, according to People. PLAY IT NOW: Access Extended: Brad Pitt’s ‘The Tree Of Life,’ LA Premiere

"They can't just go someplace," he continued. "If they go for a walk, it turns into an international incident."

Matt might be a box-office mega star just like his famous pals, but says he's been able to live a somewhat normal life.

"I'm really lucky, because I have the best of both worlds. I do the work that I love and need, but don't need paramilitary troops to protect me when I walk out my front door," the 40-year-old said.

The star's main focus is now his family - wife Luciana and his four daughters - who try to live outside the far-reaching spotlight of Hollywood.

"Ever since I found my wife and we had children, my whole life revolves around that. It gave my life a dramatic change in direction," the Oscar winner continued. "I'm not as crazy as most of the other stars. I don't really know why, probably because I married a woman who isn't an actress. And we live in New York, as long as we don't show up in typical tourist spots, we can walk the streets without being noticed. New Yorkers are very cool, they don't flip out if they see me."

"Friends" Kunis, Timberlake have fun getting naked

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whenever a major Hollywood movie calls for its two main stars to go nude for large chunks of the film, then get up close and personal in steamy sex scenes, they usually exit stage left, running, protesting and quickly sending in body doubles.

Not Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. And not for their new romantic comedy, "Friends with Benefits," opening on Friday.

The pop singer-turned-actor, hot off acclaimed turns in "The Social Network" and "Bad Teacher," and the actress who is still trailing smoky sex appeal from "Black Swan," not only embraced the nudity and sex, they insisted on more of both.

The movie looks at what happens when two attractive but emotionally burned young professionals decide to embark on a casual sex-with-no-emotions relationship.

"We all workshopped it, which is unheard of, and they (the film's makers) also gave us a lot of leeway to make it our own," Timberlake told reporters at a recent news conference. "So we all worked on it, and it was through those rehearsals that we all re-polished it."

"I think we both wanted to make sure the script was in a place where we felt safe, and stood by it regardless," added Kunis. "And if the script hadn't got to that place, neither one of us would have done the film. So through all the rewrites we felt comfortable and believed in what we had."

The result is a film that, while it mines material similar to such recent comedies as "No Strings Attached" starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, prides itself on being an "ultra-real, generational comedy," as Timberlake put it.

The two main characters' families -- Jenna Elfman plays his sister, Richard Jenkins his Alzheimer's-afflicted father, while Patricia Clarkson appears as Kunis' flaky mother -- help drive the plot. As does the often brutally honest comedy.

HUMOR IS "A LOT OF US"

"A lot of the humor is a lot of us, and that's why we originally committed to it," said Timberlake. "When we first met, we found out..."

"We share the same sick sense of humor," Kunis said, finishing his thought and laughing. "It's exactly the same."

Timberlake joked that when he first found out Kunis would be naked in the movie, he "was like gross, eeew!...but I did it, because I'm a professional."

But there wasn't much kidding around when it came to getting in shape for the cameras.

Faced with a large number of bedroom scenes featuring extensive nudity, the stars approached their workout regimens somewhat differently. Timberlake said he likes to play basketball and golf, so he felt he was in pretty good shape.

"I mostly stopped drinking beer and eating sweets," he said.

For her part, Kunis said she doesn't play sports and, given that she was coming off her ballerina role in "Black Swan," she was actually putting on weight.

"I went to the gym," she said. "I had my trainer, and I did some sit-ups."

Ultimately, Kunis said she "suffered" for two weeks between the sheets, shooting the sex scenes. Timberlake said he "suffered for four."

To keep things fresh when shooting the bedroom scenes, the pair said they improvised "quite a bit" of the dialogue and situations.

"Daily there were some added 'What funny scenarios can we do?'" said Kunis. "The sneezing in the face scene was added on the day."

"We were actually going for laughs," Timberlake said. "That made us feel more comfortable as we were trying to come up with most awkward scenarios. So originally, there was no scene with me having to urinate while having sex. That whole scene just got added."

Chris Brown will "Think Like a Man" in film project

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Chris Brown is attached to co-star in the upcoming romantic comedy "Think Like a Man," an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

An adaptation of the 2009 nonfiction book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man" by Steve Harvey -- who'll be co-executive producing -- the movie will center on a relationship expert whose own personal life is in shambles.

With Brown's casting, that won't be the only ironic element of the romantic comedy -- the 22-year-old "I Can Transform Ya" singer's personal life famously hit a bumpy road in 2009 when he was charged with felony assault for beating his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna, following a pre-Grammys party.

Brown was sentenced to five years' probation, a year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service for the beating.

Though primarily known for his music, Brown has had several notable acting roles, including in the 2010 film "Takers" and in 2007's "Stomp the Yard."

"Think Like a Man," starring Gabrielle Union and produced by Rainforest Films, is slated for a 2012 release.

Redford, LeBeouf team up for political thriller

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Robert Redford famously played investigative reporter Bob Woodward in "All The President's Men," but for his next project, he'll be running from a journalist.

Voltage Pictures and Redford's Wildwood Enterprises announced said Tuesday that they are teaming Redford with Shia LaBeouf in "The Company You Keep," a thriller about a former Weather Underground militant who has been living under a fake identity for 30 years.

A journalist, played by LaBeouf, learns his true identity and Redford's character goes on the run.

Redford is also directing the movie, which Lem Dobbs ("Haywire," "The Limey") wrote based on Neil Gordon's novel.

The movie is in preproduction and will film in Vancouver in September.

Peter Jackson says no "Hobbit" at Comic-Con

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film director Peter Jackson on Wednesday threw some cold water on the hopes of 'Hobbit' fans heading to Comic-Con International in San Diego this week when he said there will be no surprise presentation of his films at the pop culture gathering.

In a posting on his Facebook page, Jackson said it was too early to show any film clips of the widely-anticipated movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" at Comic-Con, as had been speculated.

"Bad news is that we won't be doing any 'Hobbit' presentation," Jackson wrote. Movie studios "New Line and Warner Bros. were very happy to support a presentation, but I declined, simply because I felt it was too early. There's so much more of the films still to shoot."

Jackson, of course, directed the three "Lord of the Rings" movies and in the process won an Academy Award for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." He also built a huge fan base who would do just about anything for an early glimpse of "The Hobbit" movies, which are currently being filmed.

There will be two films based on the Tolkien novel. The first is set for release in 2012.

Jackson did have some good news for fans, however. He has posted a new link for his video blog on making the films, and it can be seen at: http://www.facebook.com/PeterJacksonNZ#!/video/video.php?v=10150326323406807

"At least you don't have to travel to San Diego to see it," Jackson wrote in his posting.

Comic-Con, which officially begins on Thursday, is a huge convention attended by lovers of comic books and sci-fi movies and TV shows, and it is widely used by Hollywood studios to promote future films.