4 aprile : Un po' di news!

	Don't bet on "Even Money" AUSTIN, Texas (Hollywood Reporter) - Shouldn't an overwrought drama about the life-shattering effects of gambling addiction make some effort, before delivering its moral, to show why people gamble in the first place? Even back in the days when Hollywood demanded that vice must always end in tears, audiences usually had some vicarious fun before the other shoe dropped. Not so in "Even Money," where the first scene offers an unconvincing Kim Basinger, mumbling anxiously to herself, pulling a slot machine's lever and despairing at the outcome. The film's main stab at capturing gambling's allure is a few candy-colored shots of casino action. Because many less glamorous scenes also are drenched in barely justified colored lights, one assumes that this is less a narrative device than a predilection of the cinematographer. With so little fun and such unconvincing pathos on hand, it's hard to imagine much box-office potential. Like Basinger, most of the protagonists in this ensemble cast are up to their necks in something, but the script has little notion how to generate an appropriate level of drama. Forest Whitaker is in hock to his bookies so badly that he's willing to beg his beloved kid brother (a basketball star in the making) to shave points and throw games so he can win some dough back. Grant Sullivan plays one of the bookmakers in question, doing fine financially but about to lose his new girlfriend because, as bookies tend to do, he hurts people who owe him. Ray Liotta suffers indirectly, as his wife (Basinger) neglects him in favor of the slots. Circling among these losers are outsiders: Kelsey Grammer, who wears a prosthetic chin the size of Nevada and has been told he's the lead gumshoe in a film noir, and Tim Roth, a gambling entrepreneur who may or may not be the elusive kingpin "Ivan." Roth chews the scenery, or rather nibbles it and licks his fingertips, in a Eurosleaze performance that is the film's most entertaining ingredient. Somewhere in there is Danny DeVito, a washed-up magician who does sleight-of-hand for tips from retirees and might just inspire Basinger to write the novel she has been pretending to work on for months. With Dave Grusin's maple-syrup jazz chords doing their best to build tension, director Mark Rydell shows each protagonist trying to fix his or her predicament. We have a hard time identifying with their problems, as we weren't along for the fun part of the ride and it's clear from the start that their solutions will fail. Overlong and overstuffed with cliches -- ever heard the one about the bookie who swills Pepto for his ulcer? -- the movie doesn't seem to realize how close it comes to comedy. First-time screenwriter Robert Tannen evidently has big ambitions here, hoping to wrap his Big Issue up in a "Crash"-style tapestry of interwoven plots. Suffice to say that "Crash" producer Bob Yari, whose logo also adorns "Even Money," won't be suing anybody for credit come Oscar time next year.
	SEE KIM DO IT FOR MIU MIU - KIM BASINGER's first ads for Miu Miu have appeared in the latest issue of Vogue. The 52-year-old actress looks characteristically sultry in the ads, and is among a selection of elder generation actresses who have starred in high profile advertising campaign for spring/summer 2006: Halle Berry for Versace, Julia Roberts for Gianfranco Ferre and Drew Barrymore for Missoni.
	CELLULAR premieres at Fun Republic - E-City Films is all set to release the Hollywood blockbuster CELLULAR, in India on the 3rd March ‘06. E-city Films also plans to release it in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages apart from the original version. This fast-paced suspense thriller features Chris Evans in his Debut opposite Oscar winner Kim Basinger along with Jason Statham and William H. Macy. Directed by David Ellis, the story is based on a high-stakes race against time to save human life. The movie Enthusiasts were on high spirits at the Premiere of the Hollywood Blockbuster CELLULAR that premiered at Fun Republic in Andheri. An array Celebrities from Film, TV and Fashion fraternity turned out in considerable numbers to get a load of the action. Among the many faces present at the Pre screening cocktail bash were director of CHOCOLATE Vivek Agnihotri, actor Vikas Bhalla, the sultry Meghna Naidu, Nausheen Ali Sardar, model Candice Pinto, Kishwar Merchant, Bobby Darling, Amir Ali, Soniya Kapoor, Deepshika. Tisca Chopra, Raeev and Delnaz Paul, Rakesh Paul, Model & actor Saif Ahmed Khan, Pawan Shankar, Karan Razdan and Dolly Sohi. The tone was certainly electrifying and the high-energy dance numbers spun by the DJ kept everyone on their feet.

20 aprile : Un po' di news!

	Douglas: 'Sex no longer sells at the cinema' - Movie star Michael Douglas blames Desperate Housewives for the failure of Basic Instinct 2 - because on-screen sex and nudity is no big deal anymore. The actor pulled out of plans for the sequel, but still feels bad for pal Sharon Stone after the film flopped at the box office last month. He feels sex no longer sells at the cinema. He says, "Regardless of how Basic Instinct 2 was executed, I think it's really hard for sex in the cinema now because it's 15 years later and you've got all these cable outlets and the internet. "You've got shows like Desperate Housewives where even the network standards have changed so dramatically so there really isn't that titillation factor that you had a number of years ago." Meanwhile, Douglas reveals Kim Basinger was the original choice for Stone's Basic Instinct vamp Catherine Tramell, but she passed on the role because it was too raunchy. He adds, "Not a lot of stars wanted to go into the area that the director, Paul Verhoeven, and I wanted to go."
	A Glimpse into the Private Life of Kim Basinger - It's the very private Kim Basinger on the record about her bitter custody battle, the nasty tabloid headlines, protecting her daughter and even plastic surgery. So how does the gorgeous 52-year-old star feel about going under the knife? "You ought to do what makes you feel best," she said. "I'm not against anything. I hope to God you get a good surgeon!" But aside from the laughs, the Oscar winner told "Extra" that Hollywood's obsession with beauty can be scary. "So much talk about plastic surgery and Botox and everything that is becomes," she said. "A frightmare. It's really is. A total frightmare." Kim stars as America's first lady in the new political thriller "The Sentinel." But she fiercely protects her privacy outside the glare of Hollywood's unforgiving spotlight. The sole thing she wants to protect? Her daughter: "The only one I want to protect from anything is my daughter." Kim said it's been hard to keep her daughter, Ireland, away from all the ugly headlines about her bitter custody battle with ex-husband Alec Baldwin. "We talk very openly. We have a very close relationship," Kim said of her daughter. "I've said, ‘Ireland, you will see this stuff, hear it,' and I said, ‘We will discuss what bothers you.'" The Academy Award winning actress said, "She loves being a mom." But her other love at the moment is her latest role. Kim revealed there's only one reason she took the part: co-star and "The Sentinel" producer, Michael Douglas. "I knew it would be a good, good ride," Kim said. And the ride includes a red-hot love scene with Michael. So will she kiss and tell? "They all ask me, ‘How was it to kiss Michael Douglas?'" Kim revealed, before admitting, "It was phenomenal. Yeah. But that's Catherine's department!" Check out Kim as the first lady when "The Sentinel" opens April 21.
	Kim Basinger: Sadly crazy or just eccentric? - Watched "The Tonight Show" last night. I turned it on because Sen. John McCain was a guest on the program, and I love to listen to that man talk. It makes me realize what a mistake this country made when he couldn't get the GOP nomination in 2000. But that's neither here nor there .... The first guest of the evening was Kim Basinger, who was there to push her new movie "The Sentinel." But first, Jay had to tease out her crazy side. OK, there wasn't a whole lot of teasing. Kim dove right in.  Apparently Kim Basinger, Oscar winner and former wife of Alec Baldwin, has a thing for boxes and bags. Not expensive hat boxes and great handbags like most celebs, but boxes that you pack your stuff in to move and bags that they give you at the grocery store or at Bath & Body Works. Seriously. The woman evaluated some bags and boxes that Jay had his staff collect. And Kim Basinger, beautiful actress, compared and contrasted the bags and boxes and declared if they were good or "a piece of s***" as she called the box from U-Haul. All of this without irony.  I was sorely tempted to turn to "Showgirls" on VH1. But I was entranced. Who cares that deeply about bags and boxes? And why? It was more than a little strange. And why would you share it on national television? Maybe Alec Baldwin doesn't seem like such a schmuck for calling it quits. The thing is, she's a celebrity and beautiful to boot, so it seems that Jay thinks it's just an adorable quirk. But if she was old and withered and lived next door to you with her four cats and her box/bag fetish, we'd just call her crazy.
	Kim Basinger in 24? - L'attrice potrebbe far parte del cast della prossima stagione della serie tv. Kim Basinger potrebbe far parte del cast della prossima stagione di 24: l'attrice di Nove settimane e mezzo ha rivelato di essere una grande fan della serie interpretata da Kiefer Sutherland con cui ha recitato nell'imminente The Sentinel. Sutherland ha ammesso che le farebbe piacere avere l'attrice tra i protagonisti della serie, nella prossima stagione, e tra l'altro la Basinger non sarebbe l'unica star cinematografica apparsa in 24, considerato che in passato anche Sean Astin e Julian Sands hanno fatto parte del cast.
	Kim Basinger nel telefilm "24"? - Kim Basinger potrebbe recitare in "24": la notizia arriva direttamente dagli Stati Uniti, dove pare che l'ex stella di "9 settimane e 1/2" abbia confessato a Kiefer Sutherland il suo desiderio di poter prendere parte a qualche episodio della popolare serie TV. I due si sono conosciuti sul set di "The Sentinel", l'ultimo film di Clark Johnson ("S.W.A.T") atteso nelle sale USA per venerdì. E sembra che proprio durante le riprese della pellicola, l'attrice originaria della Georgia avrebbe confidato a Jack Bauer tutto il suo amore per il telefilm. Da par suo Sutherland si è gia detto entusiasta dell'idea e vorrebbe la Basinger al suo fianco non solo per qualche episodio ma addirittura come presenza fissa all'interno del cast. Se l'ex icona sexy degli anni Ottanta riuscirà a conquistare ache i produttori di "24" sarà la prima attrice donna di Hollywood a recitare nel telefilm: prima di lei ci sono riusciti Sean Astin ("Il Signore degli Anelli"), Julian Sands ("I delitti della luna piena") e Arnold Vosloo ("La Mummia 2"). (Francesco Sillo - redazione)
	BASINGER DIVIDED ON PLASTIC SURGERY - Actress KIM BASINGER is shocked by the rising popularity of plastic surgery procedures, but insists people should do whatever they want if it makes them feel good. The 9 1/2 WEEKS star believes a lot of people become addicted to changing things about themselves, but is not opposed to having work done in the future. She explains, "I think you should do what you want to do to make yourself feel better. I don't care what. "I think you should do anything to make yourself feel confident and good and hope you get a really good surgeon. " It's crazy, it's gone nuts with Botox and everything else, it's like wildfire with people having to have surgery all the time. "But I do think that there are cases where people feel more confident and better about themselves if they do a little something."
	BALDWIN ATTACKS BASINGER OVER DAUGHTER'S INJURY - Movie star ALEC BALDWIN has lashed out at ex-wife KIM BASINGER again for not letting him know about their daughter's latest injury. The angry actor, who has constantly fought Basinger for custody for their daughter IRELAND, claims he wasn't told when the 11-year-old fractured her foot at a friend's house. But Basinger's attorney insists, "This is yet another attack by Alec Baldwin over something that was previously resolved by the court."
	Friday 21 NEW IN THEATERS DISTRIBUTOR RELEASE American Dreamz Comedy Universal 1,500 The Sentinel Action Thriller Fox 2,819 Silent Hill Horror Sony 2,926
	20th Century Fox has recently updated the official site for the upcoming thriller The Sentinel. Trailers, download and stills are just a few of the features you can expect to find on the flash website. Though I would normally be pretty geeked on a mystery/thriller involving the Secret Service, it is hard not to see 24 all over this baby with Kiefer Sutherland playing the exact same role he has been doing for the past five seasons. I am also worried that I will like Douglas as the comedic CIA agent from The In-Laws better than the mysterious agent presented in The Sentinel. Being a bit too worrisome? Likely, but even the movie stills give me deja vu. With the alert of the active site we have also received an updated synopsis for the film that is almost the length of the Bible. Pete Garrison is a U.S. Secret Service agent who saved a president's life by jumping in front of a hail of bullets, over twenty years ago.  Well-liked and respected by his colleagues in the Secret Service, Garrison is a career agent who now heads the First Lady's detail. He lives in a high-level, orderly world of hierarchical structure, plans, maps, motorcades, code names, lingo and procedures. It's a universe that makes sense, until secrets begin to tear it apart. Pete's fellow agent and friend, Charlie Merriweather, hints at wanting to share critical and confidential information. Before that can happen, however, Merriweather is shot dead at his house in a crime that is made to look like a botched robbery. The investigation falls to the Secret Service's top investigative agent, David Breckinridge, a volatile combination of by-the-book and hothead, Garrison's protégé, and, until recently one of Garrison's best friends. Breckinridge follows the evidence and only the evidence and scrupulously tries to avoid working from his gut. That's what being a great investigator requires. Garrison, as perhaps the greatest protective agent in the service, often has to work from gut, from pure instinct. In protective work that is often all you have.  Garrison's and Breckinridge's recent falling out was triggered by Breckinridge's mistaken belief that Garrison was having an affair with Breckinridge's now ex-wife. Yada, yada, yada. The entire synopsis is available on the film's Movie Page. The cast of The Sentinel includes Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria and Kim Basinger.
	'The Sentinel' BY ROGER EBERT Michael Douglas is a skilled actor who often works within a narrow range, as he does in "The Sentinel." Once again, he's a skilled professional who finds himself with problems on two fronts: the romantic and the criminal. Half of his movies, more or less, have involved that formula; the others show a wide variety, as in "Wonder Boys," "Traffic," "Falling Down" and "The War of the Roses." I might object when I see him wearing the suit and tie and juggling adultery and danger, but you know what? He's good at it. In "The Sentinel," he is a Secret Service agent named Pete Garrison, who in 1981 took a bullet during the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, and is still guarding the president 25 years later. The movie doesn't identify President Ballentine (David Rasche) as belonging to either major party, although somehow his wife, Sarah (Kim Basinger), looks to me like a Democrat. She also looks like a dish, and is having a passionate affair with, yes, Agent Garrison. As the movie opens, another agent is shot dead after telling Garrison he wanted to talk to him. Did he know something about an assassination attempt? Garrison thinks so after meeting with a seedy informer who tells him there is a mole in the Secret Service -- a turncoat agent on the White House detail who will set up the president for assassination. That this informer would know the secrets involved in this particular conspiracy seems unlikely, but then Clay Shaw never seemed like a likely suspect either, maybe because he wasn't one. Without describing too many plot details, I can say that every agent assigned to the Office of the President is required to take a lie detector test, and that only Garrison flunks. We know why: Asked if he has done anything to endanger the president, he naturally thinks of what he has done to endanger the president's marriage, and the needle red-lines. That makes him a suspect, and brings him into the cross-hairs of David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland), an ace investigator who used to be Garrison's best friend, until, uh, Garrison had an affair with HIS wife. With the entire Secret Service looking for him, Garrison busts loose, goes underground, and uses all of his skills as an agent to stay free while trying to contact his informer and single-handedly stop the plot to kill the president. A deadline is approaching because Ballentine is scheduled to attend a summit in Toronto, where he might be a prime target. Since the presidential helicopter was shot down by a rocket while leaving Camp David a few days earlier (not with the president on board), and since the service knows it has a traitor, you might think the wise decision would be to skip Toronto and stay at home, maybe in a Panic Room. But no: Ballentine goes to Toronto, along with Garrison, Breckinridge, Sarah, the terrorists, and everybody else in the plot. "The Sentinel" involves a scenario that is unlikely, I hope. But it's told efficiently and with lots of those little details that make movies like this seem more expert than they probably are. (Did you know that agents are trained to disengage the safety lock on their handguns as they draw them, instead of after, as cops do?) The Douglas character does a lot of quick thinking, and Sutherland is brisk, cold and efficient as a super-sleuth. Eva Longoria plays Jill, his new assistant, whom he prefers to a veteran agent because she's still fresh and hasn't been worn down by the job. I was able to spot the mole almost the first time he (or she) appears on the screen by employing the Law of Economy of Characters, but his (or her) identity is essentially beside the point. There comes a point in "The Sentinel," as there did in Harrison Ford's "Firewall," when you wonder how a guy in his early 60s can run indefinitely, survive all kinds of risky stunts, hold his own in a fight, and stay three steps ahead of the young guys in his strategy. You wonder, and then you stop wondering, because hey, it's a movie. As I so wisely wrote about the Ford movie, "Nobody can do anything they do in thrillers anyway, so why should there be an age limit on accomplishing the impossible?" This is the second theatrical feature (after "S.W.A.T.") directed by Clark Johnson, an actor who has also done a lot of work on television, mostly on shows that would be useful preparation, like "Homicide," "Law & Order," "The West Wing" and "The Shield." Have I seen movies like "The Sentinel" before? Yes, and I hope to see them again. At a time when American audiences seem grateful for the opportunity to drool at mindless horror trash, it is encouraging that well-crafted thrillers are still being made about characters who have dialogue, identities, motives and clean shirts.
	Basinger to join 24 cast? - Kim Basinger is set to join the cast of hit drama 24 after confessing to star Kiefer Sutherland that she's a huge fan. Basinger has just played opposite Sutherland in thriller The Sentinel and is now considering joining the cast of his TV series for its next season. She says: "I love that show. That would be cool." Sutherland admits he's delighted at the thought of Basinger becoming a regular: "I'm gonna hold her to that." If she signs up for a guest spot, Basinger won't be the only movie star to appear in 24 - Lord Of The Rings actor Sean Astin, Julian Sands and The Mummy villain Arnold Vosloo have joined the cast in the past.
	Who Wants To Kill The President? Star-Studded 'Sentinel' Cast Won't Tell The blockbuster cast of Michael Douglas' new action thriller wants to keep you guessing. The president of the United States is in danger! Someone in his immediate circle is an assassin! What will agent Pete Garrison do? And more importantly, how are audience members supposed to figure out who the villain is, as they sit in movie theaters. Michael Douglas, the above-the-title name playing Garrison in the new action flick "The Sentinel," insists that such star-studded suspense is what makes his whodunit a uniquely interactive experience. "You will not have [any idea] who the bad guy is," the veteran actor and "Sentinel" producer recently promised. "It's really hard to figure out who it is." Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria and Kim Basinger, along with Douglas, portray characters who might have reason to murder the president. Sutherland, cast as David Breckinridge, a former Secret Service agent whose wife succumbed to Garrison's advances, said that, as in all good thrillers, the plot gives everyone a motive. "These are the movies that I loved to see when I was younger," the "24" star explained. "They don't make very many of them now." "It's like a hot potato — 'You catch it!' 'No, you catch it!' " said Basinger, whose character, the president's wife, seems to be (at the very least) guilty of cheating on her husband. "It's all so quick, and you don't land on anyone long enough to really think it is them." None of the stars of "The Sentinel" are letting on as to which one of them actually plays the assassin. During an intense cross-examination, however, they did not object to testifying against their co-stars.  "We know what kind of girl she is on 'Desperate Housewives,' " Douglas slyly implied of Longoria, who plays the newest Secret Service agent. "Someone wouldn't trust her alone with their husband for two seconds. In 'The Sentinel,' she comes in supposedly as the rookie — obviously, she's not in the appropriate uniform for a Secret Service agent," he chuckled. "Her pants are a little too tight, I'd say." "[My character] is the only one that hasn't been jaded by a personal history with these men," Longoria explained, in her own defense. "And I don't think she has enough knowledge to pull something like this off." "Eva can handle a gun," Basinger shot back. "Where did she get that training from? It's really kind of eerie, and she doesn't have a problem shooting anybody or anything." Basinger grinned and narrowed her eyes. "So, it could be her." Pointing the finger right back at her co-stars, Longoria insisted that Sutherland would be any filmgoer's prime suspect. "Kiefer has always played bad guys. When you see him on a big screen you think, 'He did it; that was him,' " she reasoned, thinking back to movies like "The Lost Boys" and "Eye for an Eye." According to Longoria, Sutherland portrays "probably the most uptight person in the movie. He's very strict, he doesn't break the rules, and because of that you kind of go, 'Hmm ... something is weird with him.' " "Don't you think Kiefer always looks like he has a secret?" Douglas added. "He's so paranoid, believing that I'm having an affair with his ex-wife and trying so hard to convince everybody that it might be me who's cooking up this plot. Something smells wrong."  Basinger, for once, came to a co-star's defense, saying that Sutherland can't be the killer for one very important reason.  "Kiefer can't be the bad guy, because I am too much of a '24' girl and I'm crazy about him," she laughed. "I don't want him to be the bad guy." Sutherland admitted to being cursed with the cinematic bad-guy stereotype of squinty eyes, but offered a simple explanation if audiences find his eyes even more so in "The Sentinel." "He kept putting me in the sunlight," the actor said of Douglas. "That's what happens when you start acting with the producer of the film. I think he wanted to make sure he didn't squint, so he had his own back to the sun." Maybe, just maybe, sticking his co-stars into direct sunlight wasn't the only dirty trick up Douglas' sleeve. "Look at my history in films, I'm always the good guy," he said, attempting to defend himself. At the risk of tampering with the jury, however, we had to remind him of his roles in "Falling Down" and "Wall Street." "Oh, well, there might be little acts of indiscretion here or there, but no. I don't know how anybody could say that [I'm the villain]. Besides, I'm the producer." "Michael's been nuts in movies before," Basinger reasoned. "Maybe something happened between him and the president." Naturally, Douglas responded that it could, in fact, be Basinger who is guilty. "In 'L.A. Confidential' I found her very, very seductive. I think most people forget their best intentions when they're around her," he said. "She's got that prissy little blue dress that you wanna rip off all the time. I'd be careful of an ice-pick to the back." "She is married to the president," Sutherland agreed, reasoning that it's got to be Basinger. "She has a bad marriage, and she wants to get rid of him." "Just remember," Eva Longoria chimed in. "Every first lady is a desperate housewife."
	The Sentinel Reviewed by Gregory Kirschling Looking back, 1993 was a golden age for thriller cinema. That was the year Hollywood hatched both In the Line of Fire and The Fugitive, the two obvious and way superior antecedents for the very humdrum B-movie mash-up The Sentinel. It was also the year of Falling Down, a borderline-nuts drama that Michael Douglas tore through, playing a far less safe, far less boring role. Here, rotely returning to screen (although he does look hale) for the first time since 2003's The In-Laws, Douglas plays Pete Garrison, a veteran Secret Service agent who uncovers, as Clint Eastwood once did, a plan to kill the president. And like Harrison Ford before him, Garrison's gotta run for his life while he clears his name. He's been framed as the mole who's in cahoots with the bad guys. Who are borschty-accented Russians. The movie smells faintly of 1983 as well. Tracking Douglas in the Tommy Lee Jones role is Kiefer Sutherland, who should have graduated from these chintzy by-the-numbers movies to better material by now, given his award-winning success on 24. (The movie's one rousing scene has Sutherland and Douglas barking at each other in Douglas' living room. These are two actors fun to watch at their highest decibels.) Eva Longoria is the first-day-on-the-job rookie Sutherland improbably takes on as his partner. Her presence is the only irrefutable confirmation that this musty movie was indeed shot in the 21st century.
	Solid 'Sentinel' relies on brisk pace Thriller coasts on movie stardom of Douglas, Sutherland Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas, right) confronts David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland), who suspects Garrison of plotting to assassinate the U.S. president in "The Sentinel." The film opens Friday at Bellis Fair Cinemas.  There's a torch being passed in "The Sentinel." Watch carefully and you'll see the hand-off. Michael Douglas, a reliable, Oscar-winning leading man, equally at home as heroes or villains, up for the occasional comedy - lights up his scenes with Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland, for those missing "24," is the new Michael Douglas - earnest, tough, vulnerable and very cool. One of the great pleasures of movie-going these past 20 years has been watching Sutherland age and grow into the kind of rough-hewn lead his old man never was. And when he and Douglas square off in the shouting-at-the-same-time rages in "The Sentinel," it's more than just a Secret Service protege challenging his mentor (Douglas), a grizzled vet who "took a bullet for the Old Man" (Ronald Reagan). It's an actor who's paid his dues, re-launched his career on TV, staking a claim for all that Douglas has been on the big screen all these years. "The Sentinel" is a solid Secret Service procedural built into a tale of an under-explained plot to kill the president, one involving a too-obvious "mole" in the Service. None of the moustache-twirling villainy or pinned-to-your-seat suspense of "In the Line of Fire," Clint Eastwood's superior cat-and-mouse Secret Service thriller of years back. This is solid genre filmmaking that makes up for a lack of surprises with superior performances, excellent depictions of tradecraft (shades of "CSI") and whiplash editing and pacing. Actor-turned-director Clark Johnson ("S.W.A.T.") has figured out that a thriller doesn't have to be that thrilling to work. It does, however, have to move, and "The Sentinel" does. There's a tip that someone is going to make an attempt on the president (David Rasche). There's a complication involving the first lady, and since she's smartly played by Kim Basinger, you can guess where that leads. Agent Pete (Douglas) is suspected by Agent Dave (Sutherland). Eva Longoria, hot TV "housewife" du jour, gets in the middle of the tug of war. Agents at every pay grade are running hither and yon, tracking leads, sniffing for "the mole" and trying to outsmart somebody "who knows what you know, who knows how you think," as Sutherland's Tommy Lee Jones-ish character growls. Everybody yells "Go go GO!" a lot. And 108 minutes later, you get the resolution you pretty much figure out at the 40-minute mark. But Douglas and Sutherland make it interesting. Look past the Secret Service sunglasses, the ear-pieces, and the ever-present microphone-up-the-sleeve. You just might see a torch, and a very deft handoff from a movie star we've embraced for 20-plus years, to his 39-year-old heir apparent.
	WEAVER AND BASINGER TOP GROSS SCENES POLL SIGOURNEY WEAVER's 'brief encounter' in ALIEN and KIM BASINGER's 9 1/2 WEEKS staircase sex scene have topped a new internet poll of unnecessary movie nudity. The actress' saucy scenes join ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER's naked time travelling moment in THE TERMINATOR and hairy ROBIN WILLIAMS letting it all hang out in THE FISHER KING in a new MSN.com list of 10 Revealing Scenes We Didn't Need To See. The not-so-hot list also includes MELANIE GRIFFITH vacuuming in her lingerie in WORKING GIRL, JULIE ANDREWS going topless in S.O.B. and JACK NICHOLSON and KATHY BATES' naked jacuzzi scene in ABOUT SCHMIDT.
	Weekend Box Office (April 21 - 23, 2006) THIS WEEKEND Another video game-inspired thriller hits theaters and leads a trio of new releases at the North American box office. Sony unleashes Silent Hill, an R-rated horror picture starring Radha Mitchell as a woman searching for her missing daughter in a mysterious town full of strange creatures. The creepy chiller could cast a wide net this weekend pulling in older teens and young adults who like fright flicks, gamers curious to see the big-screen version, and even a slightly older adult audience drawn in by the mother-daughter story. This year has seen many horror titles open in the high teens and low twenties. Silent Hill could be headed for that range too. Marketing materials have been excellent and the one-sheet with the girl with no mouth has brilliantly grabbed the attention of the target audience. Plus with no big scary movies in recent weeks, that crowd should be pumped up for one last ride before the action sequels of summer come crashing into theaters. Silent Hill opens in 2,926 theaters and could spook its way to about $19M this weekend. The Secret Service's most decorated agent is framed and must prove his innocence in the new political thriller The Sentinel. Michael Douglas headlines the PG-13 film and is joined by Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, and Kim Basinger. Driven by starpower, mature adults will make up the core audience here and healthy appeal to both men and women is there. Fox will be going after the same moviegoers who earlier this year spent $13.6M on the opening of Harrison Ford's Firewall and $11.9M on the bow of 16 Blocks starring Bruce Willis. Douglas is the right man for the job in Sentinel and the Oscar-winning actor still sells in the right picture. He's not being terrorized by some crazy woman - his bread and butter - but an action film with a political plot certainly interests older moviegoers. Competition will not be too fierce as the marketplace is curently being dominated by films appealing to those worried about their report cards. Debuting in 2,819 locations, The Sentinel might collect around $13M this weekend. An all-star cast unites for the satirical comedy American Dreamz, the new comedy from director Paul Weitz who previously collaborated with Universal on American Pie, About a Boy, and In Good Company. This time, he brings a story of an out-of-touch U.S. President who goes on a wildly popular American Idol-type program to be a celebrity judge hopefully becoming one with the people again. Hugh Grant stars as the Simon Cowell-esque host, Dennis Quaid plays the Commander-in-Chief, Willem Dafoe is the Chief of Staff, and Mandy Moore is the bright-eyed superstar wannabe. Thank You for Smoking is proving that there is a sizable market right now for smart films that poke fun at today's politics. The Aaron Eckhart hit will also be a direct competitor as well this weekend. American Dreamz has appeal to an upscale adult audience, but it also possesses breakout potential with teens and young adults who could be in the mood for a playful take on their favorite singing contest. The studio is not going too wide this weekend opting to debut in a modeate number of locations hoping to pack the houses and generate some positive buzz. The marketing has been clever and the starpower should be enough to at least get it some notice. Audiences in the U.K. and Australia will also get a taste of Dreamz this weekend as it bows in the major English-speaking parts of the world simultaneously. Stateside, American Dreamz opens in over 1,400 theaters on Friday and could gross about $8M over the weekend. Scary Movie 4 launched with some big numbers last weekend and will have to work hard if it plans to stay atop the charts for a second straight week. The Weinstein Co. release should see a steep decline given that the bulk of its built-in audience came out upfront. Plus this frame won't have the benefit of Easter weekend and the Good Friday holiday like last weekned did. A 55% fall would give Scary 4 about $18M for the frame and $67M in ten days. With no new competition for kids, Ice Age: the Meltdown looks to hold strong. A 40% decline would leave Fox with $12M for the weekend and a stellar $166M overall.
	CELLULAR premieres at Fun Republic E-City Films is all set to release the Hollywood blockbuster CELLULAR, in India on the 3rd March ‘06. E-city Films also plans to release it in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages apart from the original version. This fast-paced suspense thriller features Chris Evans in his Debut opposite Oscar winner Kim Basinger along with Jason Statham and William H. Macy. Directed by David Ellis, the story is based on a high-stakes race against time to save human life. The movie Enthusiasts were on high spirits at the Premiere of the Hollywood Blockbuster CELLULAR that premiered at Fun Republic in Andheri. An array Celebrities from Film, TV and Fashion fraternity turned out in considerable numbers to get a load of the action. Among the many faces present at the Pre screening cocktail bash were director of CHOCOLATE Vivek Agnihotri, actor Vikas Bhalla, the sultry Meghna Naidu, Nausheen Ali Sardar, model Candice Pinto, Kishwar Merchant, Bobby Darling, Amir Ali, Soniya Kapoor, Deepshika. Tisca Chopra, Raeev and Delnaz Paul, Rakesh Paul, Model & actor Saif Ahmed Khan, Pawan Shankar, Karan Razdan and Dolly Sohi. The tone was certainly electrifying and the high-energy dance numbers spun by the DJ kept everyone on their feet.

21 aprile : KIM BASINGER URGES NEWARK MAYOR TO BAN ABUSIVE CIRCUS WEAPON
Newark, Del. — Actor Kim Basinger has faxed a letter to Newark Mayor Vance Funk III urging him to demand that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—which is scheduled to perform in the city in May—either leave the steel-tipped bullhook used to manipulate and threaten elephants outside Newark’s city limits or not bring the elephants into the city at all. Basinger reminds the mayor that bullhooks are cruel training tools that are used to puncture, prod, poke, and jab elephants’ sensitive skin.
"[E]lephants in circuses have no freedom and … are beaten with bullhooks and forced to perform ridiculous and, to them, stressful and confusing tricks," writes Basinger. "Ringling is currently the subject of four investigations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: one for an alleged incident … in which two elephants ran amok inside an arena, one of whom reportedly sustained a bone-deep gash; one for the death of a lion from apparent heatstroke; one for the death a baby elephant, who was killed after he fell off a circus pedestal and was injured; and one for the excessive use of a bullhook on a chained elephant."
Basinger goes on to point out that circuses reveal nothing about the true nature of elephants, who in the wild walk many miles a day in large herds. She continues, "[U]nweaned babies are even taken from their mothers and sent on the road by this business. As a mother, just the thought of someone taking away my child and enslaving her brings me profound grief." In the wild, a female elephant will stay with her mother and herd for her entire life.
Circus workers train elephants by striking them with bullhooks or digging them into the most sensitive parts of the animals’ bodies. Ringling issues false statements to the media in each city that it visits, claiming that its animals are well treated.
Kim Basinger’s letter to Mayor Vance Funk III is available upon request. For more information about the cruelty of circuses, please visit Circuses.com.

22 aprile : Elvis has left the building è uscito in DVD in Argentina col titolo "Amame tiernamente".

23 aprile : Dati provvisori del box office americano per THE SENTINEL.

TW LW Title Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N Silent Hill Sony $20,200,000 - 2,926 - $6,903 $20,200,000 $50 1 2 1 Scary Movie 4 Dim. $17,034,000 -57.7% 3,674 +72 $4,636 $67,697,000 $45 2 3 N The Sentinel Fox $14,650,000 - 2,819 - $5,196 $14,650,000 - 1 4 2 Ice Age: The Meltdown Fox $12,800,000 -36.1% 3,540 -333 $3,615 $167,863,000 $80 4 5 4 The Wild BV $8,050,000 -16.9% 2,854 - $2,820 $21,958,000 $80 2 6 3 The Benchwarmers SonR $7,300,000 -26.4% 3,094 -188 $2,359 $47,145,000 $33 3 7 5 Take the Lead NL $4,250,000 -37.3% 2,413 -596 $1,761 $29,556,000 - 3 8 N American Dreamz Uni. $3,690,000 - 1,500 - $2,460 $3,690,000 $17 1 9 6 Inside Man Uni. $3,668,000 -42.9% 2,021 -456 $1,814 $81,233,000 $45 5 10 15 Friends with Money SPC $3,551,000 +380.1% 991 +949 $3,583 $5,333,000 - 3

Friday - Saturday - Sunday Estimates: 3 THE SENTINEL Fr 21st $4,800,000 -- / $1,703 $4,800,000 / 1 Sat 22nd $6,200,000 29.2% / $2,199 $11,000,000 / 2 Sun 23rd $3,650,000 -41.1% / $1,295 $14,650,000 / 3