Cloverfield Film is a monster hit

Cloverfield a low-budget Godzilla-style horror movie, scared up a monstrous $41 million opening at the weekend box office in North America, almost twice the tally of the new romance “27 Dresses.”

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, “27 Dresses” opened at No. 2 with $22.4 million, while last weekend’s champ “The Bucket List” fell to No. 3 with almost $15.2 million. The top-10 contained one other new release, “Mad Money,” which opened at No. 7 with just $7.7 million.

“Cloverfield,” a $25 million movie with a no-name cast from Paramount Pictures, set a record for a January release, surpassing the $35.9 million reissue of “Star Wars” in 1997.

It will also set a record for the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. “Black Hawk Down” earned $33.6 million during the four-day period in 2002. Paramount said its movie will earn more than $47 million after the Monday holiday is included.

Box office observers had expected “Cloverfield” to open in the $20 million range for the three-day period, a little ahead of “27 Dresses.” They largely discounted Paramount’s unusual forecast last week that the order would be reversed.

While the two movies appeared to target completely different audiences delineated by gender, the positively-reviewed “Cloverfield” played more broadly than expected.

Paramount said men comprised 60 percent of the audience, and 55 percent of moviegoers were aged under 25. The audience for “27 Dresses” was three-quarters female, Fox said.

RAMPAGE ACROSS NEW YORK: “Cloverfield” marks a reunion between director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams, the creators of the cult TV show “Felicity.” Seen exclusively through the lens of a camcorder, it follows a group of youngsters on the run from a monster rampaging across New York. Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc, employed a word-of-mouth marketing campaign for the film, highlighting the image of a beheaded Statue of Liberty.

Fox spent the previous two weekends holding sneak previews of “27 Dresses,” which stars “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Katherine Heigl as a perennial bridesmaid. The News Corp-owned studio said the opening was “fantastic.” The film held at No. 1 in Australia for a second week, it added.

Critics ripped both “27 Dresses” and “Mad Money,” which also targets female moviegoers. “Mad Money” stars Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes as masterminds of an unlikely bank heist. It marks the debut release of Overture Films, a unit of Liberty Media Corp.’s cable TV operator Starz LLC. Overture said the movie would be profitable, especially after DVD sales are factored in.

Elsewhere, the total for Warner Bros. Pictures’ comedy “The Bucket List,” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, rose to $42.7 million.

Fox Searchlight Pictures’ teen-pregnancy comedy “Juno” slipped one to No. 4 with $10.3 million, taking its total to $85.4 million. The film began its international campaign in Australia, opening at No. 5, the studio said.

“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” fell one to No. 5 with $8.1 million. Walt Disney Co’s Nicolas Cage adventure movie has earned $198 million to date.

Woody Allen’s thriller “Cassandra’s Dream” opened poorly in limited release, earning $400,000 from 107 theaters. It was distributed by the Weinstein Co, which is run by Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein. ~ by Dean Goodman

• Cloverfield Film Review Photos and Trailers: http://www.boxist.com/2008/01/08/cloverfield-film-review-photos-and-trailers/

Ashley Tisdale new nose !

“High School Musical” star Ashley Tisdale doesn’t regret her surgery, but regrets singing weeks later.  Ashley Tisdale says she was somewhat distressed when she first saw her new profile after her recent nose job. She “kind of freaked out,” the 22-year-old actress-singer tells People magazine in its Jan. 28 issue. “I was so swollen, I was like, `Oh my gosh, is it going to stay like this?’”

Tisdale says she doesn’t regret having the surgery but is sorry she decided to sing in public two weeks later.

Since performing at last month’s Z100 Jingle Ball concert in New York, she has suffered a backlash from fans who say they barely recognize the actress they loved as scene-stealing Sharpay in the Disney Channel TV movie “High School Musical” and its sequel.

“People were saying I was `unveiling my look,’ but I was still recovering! That’s not what I look like right now,” she tells the magazine.

Tisdale says her face looked “practically paralyzed” in photos of the Dec. 15 event but she is now able to make facial expressions and even scrunch up her nose.

“I think I still look like me,” she says. Tisdale had surgery Nov. 30 to correct a deviated septum that worsened over the years and contributed to breathing problems. She says her nose had changed shape and “was leaning in a different direction” after being fractured twice. She begins shooting the “High School Musical 3″ feature film in April.

Tisdale says she decided to talk about her surgery because she “didn’t want to play a game of denying it or being coy.”, “I wanted my fans to know because I don’t take plastic surgery lightly,” she says.

• Ashley Tisdale Wallpapers and Photos:  http://www.snoron.com/ashley-tisdale/
• Ashley Tisdale Biography: http://www.snoron.com/ashley-tisdale/biography.html

10 most popular Dog breeds

Bulldog back on top 10 dog list after 75 years

Bolstered by its popularity with celebrities and families, the Bulldog is back on the list of the 10 most popular purebred dogs after a 75-year absence, the American Kennel Club announced on Wednesday.

The Bulldog ranked 10th in the Kennel Club’s annual ranking of popular dogs from the 157 different breeds it recognizes.

Topping the list of most popular dogs was the Labrador Retriever — top dog since 1991 — followed by the Yorkshire Terrier, the German Shepherd, the Golden Retriever and the Beagle, the Kennel Club said.

The broad-shouldered, stocky Bulldog with its characteristic under-bite and pugnacious gait has long been a mascot of sports teams and military units.

But their docile, even-tempered personality that belies their tough-guy image makes them good pets for families with young children, dog breeders say.

“Their personality is unlike any other dog. They are so expressive. If you look in their eyes you can almost see what they are thinking,” said Tammy Hollock, 36, a part-time Bulldog breeder from Delran, New Jersey.

Bulldogs have been growing in popularity with celebrities including U.S. actors Adam Sandler and George Clooney, adding to their public appeal, Hollock said. The breed is the second-most popular dog in Los Angeles, the Kennel Club said.

The growing popularity of the Bulldog has a downside, according to Hollock and officials from the Kennel Club. Bulldogs can suffer from breathing problems and should only be treated by experienced veterinarians.

They are also unable to swim and breeders typically use artificial insemination and Caesarean sections when breeding the dogs to reduce the high risk of injury caused by the large size of the dog’s head in proportion to its hips.

The elaborate precautions required when breeding Bulldogs puts the cost of a typical purebred bulldog puppy at $2,800, Hollock said. Coming in at No. 6 on the Kennel Club list is the Boxer, followed by the Dachshund, the Poodle and the Shih Tzu.

Dogs Breeds by Letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Links:

• The Wonderful World of Bulldogs: http://www.westlord.com/bulldog/

• Bulldogs Breed at HeyDogs: http://www.heydogs.com/breeds/b/bulldog.html

• Heydogs All Dog Breeds List: http://www.heydogs.com/dog-breeds.html

Brad Renfro Biography

Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor. A native of the state of Tennessee, he made his movie debut in 1994 in The Client at the age of 11 years old.

He acted in 24 movies and several television episodes during his career. In 2006, he spent 10 days in jail for conviction of driving while under the influence and attempted heroin possession.

Brad Renfro was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of Angela and Mark Renfro, who works in a blueprint factory. He was raised by his grandmother, Joanne Renfro, a church secretary.

Renfro was ten when he was discovered by Mali Finn, a casting director for Joel Schumacher. Cast by Finn for Schumacher’s The Client, Renfro acted alongside Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie was based on the bestselling John Grisham novel and became one of the top-grossing films of 1994. In 1995, he won Hollywood Reporter’s “Young Star” award, and was nominated as one of People magazine’s “Top 30 Under 30.”

In 1996 he was cast as the young Michael Sullivan for the movie Sleepers based on the novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra. The book Sleepers reportedly tells the story of Carcaterra’s own childhood in Hell’s Kitchen (NYC) and the highly traumatic time he spent in a juvenile detention centre. Michael Sullivan as a grown up was portrayed by Brad Pitt. The film Sleepers was directed by Barry Levinson and also starred Robert de Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Patric.

Renfro went on to act in other films, including 2001’s Ghost World and Bully and 2005’s The Jacket with Keira Knightley and Adrien Brody. He also played Huck Finn in 1995’s Tom and Huck with Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Renfro also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Recently, he completed filming his role in the upcoming movie The Informers.

Death: Renfro was found dead on January 15, 2008 in his Los Angeles apartment, after he had reportedly spent the previous night drinking with friends. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

Brad Renfro Dies at 25: Actor Brad Renfro has died at age 25, Renfro died Tuesday at a Los Angeles apartment where he spent the night with friends, Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles county coroner.

Renfro was heard snoring overnight, but found not breathing later Tuesday morning, and the friends called 911. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene at about 9 a.m., Harvey says. A cause of death was not immediately determined, but Renfro had a history of drug problems.

Drug overdose is a “possibility considering his history, but right now all we have is the history of his drinking the previous night,” Harvey says. “All that we have is that he was last known to be alive during the morning hours and he was snoring.”

The actor, who starred in The Client and Apt Pupil, had recently completed a movie with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton.

Discovered at Age 12 Film director Joel Schumacher discovered Renfro at age 12 and cast him in the 1994 John Grisham movie The Client (which also starred Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones). The following year, PEOPLE named the young screen hopeful one of its “Top 30 Under 30.” The actor’s other credits include Tom and Huck, Ghost World and Deuces Wild.

But Renfro had a troubled life off-screen, going back to 1997 when he was sentenced to two years of probation after he tried to steal a yacht.

In 2005, Renfro was busted again, this time in a police sting in which he was charged with a felony count of attempting to possess heroin. In a separate incident, he was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and two counts of driving with a suspended license.

In January 2006, he entered a rehab program. At the time, Renfro’s attorney, Richard Kaplan, told the Los Angeles Times that his client was doing well and “looks forward to doing whatever is necessary to take care of his personal and legal issues.” Renfro eventually plead guilty to the heroin charge and was sentenced to three years’ probation.

Most recently, in June 2007 Renfro was found to have violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program. A judge warned him that if he violated probation two more times, he could be sentence to a live-in rehab program or to jail time.

Matthew McConaughey Going to Be a Dad

Matthew McConaughey is going to be a dad. The actor and his girlfriend, Brazilian model Camila Alves, are expecting a baby, publicist Alan Nierob said Tuesday.

McConaughey made the announcement on his Web site. “Got some blessed news … a celebration of life and bounty … a newborn concieved (sic) … yes, my girlfriend Camila and I made a baby together,” McConaughey wrote.

Alves, who is three months along, is doing well, the actor wrote. “We are stoked and wowed by this miracle of creation and this gift from God, and so excited for the adventure that will come in raising this child, being a mother and a father,” he said.

McConaughey goes on to say, “Wish us the best, keep us in your prayers, and God bless evolution.” McConaughey, a Texas native, has appeared in films including “The Wedding Planner” and “Sahara” and was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2005. His latest film, “Fool’s Gold,” is to be released next month.

• Matthew McConaughey:  http://www.westlord.com/matthew-mcconaughey/