1 maggio : Un po' di news!

	Da Box Office Guru: THIS WEEKEND Horror reclaimed the box office crown in North America as Silent Hill debuted at number one playing to a young adult audience. Older adults flocked to the Michael Douglas actioner The Sentinel which opened in third place while the satire American Dreamz was booed off stage in its arrival. Most holdovers stayed strong as the overall marketplace remained well ahead of last year's levels. Ticket sales are usually soft in April, but this month is turning out to be one of the best ever on record which bodes well for the start of the summer movie season which is just around the corner. Sony scored its industry-leading fourth number one of the year with Silent Hill which topped the charts with an estimated $20.2M this weekend. Based on the popular video game, the R-rated horror pic averaged a strong $6,904 from 2,926 theaters. In Hill, Radha Mitchell stars as a woman in search of her missing daughter in a creepy town full of mysterious creatures. According to studio data, the audience skewed towards young men which is understandable given the type of film. Males made up 55% of the crowd while two-thirds were under 25. After a sensational opening weekend, Scary Movie 4 crumbled 58% in its sophomore scare and settled for second place with an estimated $17M. After ten days, The Weinstein Co. release has taken in a stellar $67.7M. Although the decline was heavy, it was identical to the fall that Scary Movie 3 saw in Ocrober 2003 in its second weekend. That film absorbed 70% of its $110M total in its first ten days. Scary 4 should play out in similar fashion which would put it on course to reach $95-100M. Michael Douglas captured the number three spot for the weekend with the opening of his new political thriller The Sentinel which bowed to an estimated $14.7M. The PG-13 film about a Secret Service agent who is wrongfully framed and deemed a traitor infiltrated 2,819 theaters and averaged a solid $5,197 per location. Keifer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, and Kim Basinger co-star. According to Fox, the audience was 52% female and 72% were of age 30 or older. With no new kidpics opening this weekend, existing family films all witnessed healthy holds. The year's top grossing film Ice Age: The Meltdown dropped 36% in its second weekend to an estimated $12.8M and pushed its cume to $167.9M for Fox. Disney's rival toon The Wild eased a scant 17% in its second weekend grossing an estimated $8.1M. After ten days, the G-rated film has grossed $22M. The sports comedy The Benchwarmers slipped 26% to an estimated $7.3M giving Sony a solid $47.1M in 17 days. The Antonio Banderas dance drama Take the Lead fell 37% to an estimated $4.3M and put its total at $29.6M. Opening poorly in eighth place was the new satirical comedy American Dreamz with an estimated $3.7M from 1,500 theaters. The Universal release averaged a dismal $2,460. Reviews were mixed for the PG-13 film which starred Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore. Studio data showed that 62% of the audience was female and 51% was under the age of 30. The production budget was $17M. Dreamz also opened in the U.K. this weekend landing in the fourth spot with $1.3M from 354 sites. Also collecting an estimated $3.7M for the studio was the Denzel Washington-Jodie Foster thriller Inside Man which dropped 43% for a cume to date of $81.2M. Rounding out the top ten was Jennifer Aniston's indie film Friends With Money which expanded nationally from 42 to 991 theaters grossing an estimated $3.6M. After two weeks of muscular averages, Sony Classics saw its per-theater figure slump to a mild $3,583. Cume stands at $5.3M. Four films dropped out of the top ten this weekend. Indie hit Thank You For Smoking grossed an estimated $2.8M, off 39%, pushing its cume to $15.8M. The Fox Searchlight release might find its way to about $24M. The MGM actioner Lucky Number Slevin took in an estimated $2.4M, down 49%, giving MGM just $18.6M to date. Look for the Josh Hartnett pic to stumble to just $24M. Paramount's hit date movie Failure to Launch dropped 45% to an estimated $1.4M and raised its tally to $85.6M. The Matthew McConaughey flick joins The Pink Panther and Eight Below as the only new releases to spend six weeks in the top ten this year. A $88-90M final is likely. Warner Bros. has grossed about $68M with its sci-fi action title V For Vendetta and should complete its run with around $70M. The top ten films grossed an estimated $95.2M which was up 22% from last year when The Interpreter opened at number one with $22.8M; and up 20% from 2004 when Man on Fire debuted in the top spot with $22.8M as well. Compared to projections, both Silent Hill and The Sentinel opened very close to my respective forecasts of $19M and $13M. American Dreamz failed to reach my $8M prediction.
	Week End 21-23/04 1 N Silent Hill Sony $20,152,598 - 2,926 - $6,887 $20,152,598 $50 1 2 1 Scary Movie 4 Dim. $16,814,942 -58.2% 3,674 +72 $4,576 $67,478,181 $45 2 3 N The Sentinel Fox $14,367,854 - 2,819 - $5,096 $14,367,854 - 1 4 2 Ice Age: The Meltdown Fox $13,284,408 -33.7% 3,540 -333 $3,752 $168,348,135 $80 4 5 4 The Wild BV $8,332,068 -14.0% 2,854 - $2,919 $22,240,635 $80 2 6 3 The Benchwarmers SonR $7,256,143 -26.8% 3,094 -188 $2,345 $47,101,418 $33 3 7 5 Take the Lead NL $4,176,517 -38.4% 2,413 -596 $1,730 $29,482,613 - 3 8 6 Inside Man Uni. $3,748,955 -41.7% 2,021 -456 $1,855 $81,313,510 $45 5 9 N American Dreamz Uni. $3,667,420 - 1,500 - $2,444 $3,667,420 $17 1 10 15 Friends with Money SPC $3,179,025 +329.8% 991 +949 $3,207 $4,960,765 - 3
	Week End 28-30/04 1 N RV Sony $16,414,767 - 3,639 - $4,510 $16,414,767 $50 1 2 N United 93 Uni. $11,478,360 - 1,795 - $6,394 $11,478,360 $15 1 3 N Stick It BV $10,803,610 - 2,038 - $5,301 $10,803,610 - 1 4 1 Silent Hill Sony $9,336,399 -53.7% 2,932 +6 $3,184 $34,267,462 $50 2 5 2 Scary Movie 4 Dim. $7,805,568 -53.6% 3,418 -256 $2,283 $78,168,719 $45 3 6 3 The Sentinel Fox $7,787,208 -45.8% 2,851 +32 $2,731 $25,728,548 - 2 7 4 Ice Age: The Meltdown Fox $7,204,960 -45.8% 3,122 -418 $2,307 $177,863,073 $80 5 8 N Akeelah and the Bee Lions $6,011,585 - 2,195 +1,275 $2,738 $6,011,585 - 1 9 5 The Wild BV $4,799,676 -42.4% 2,605 -249 $1,842 $28,510,753 $80 3 10 6 The Benchwarmers SonR $4,385,855 -39.6% 2,695 -399 $1,627 $52,768,049 $33 4
	April 21-27 1 N Silent Hill Sony $24,931,063 - 2,926 - $8,520 $24,931,063 $50 1 2 1 Scary Movie 4 Dim. $19,699,912 -61.1% 3,674 +72 $5,361 $70,363,151 $45 2 3 N The Sentinel Fox $17,941,340 - 2,819 - $6,364 $17,941,340 - 1 4 2 Ice Age: The Meltdown Fox $15,594,386 -44% 3,540 -333 $4,405 $170,658,113 $80 4 5 3 The Wild BV $9,802,510 -29.5% 2,854 - $3,434 $23,711,077 $80 2

2 maggio : Aggiornamento quotidiano del box office americano.

	2 THE SENTINEL 2.819 21-04 $4,802,942 -- / $1,704 $4,802,942 / 1 22-04 $6,197,133 29% / $2,198 $11,000,075 / 2 23-04 $3,367,779 -45.7% / $1,195 $14,367,854 / 3 24-04 $923,540 -72.6% / $328 $15,291,394 / 4 25-04 $965,071 4.5% / $342 $16,256,465 / 5 26-04 $845,962 -12.3% / $300 $17,102,427 / 6 27-04 $838,913 -0.8% / $298 $17,941,340 / 7
	4 THE SENTINEL 2.851 28-04 $2,254,636 168.8% / $791 $20,195,976 / 8 29-04 $3,644,755 61.7% / $1,278 $23,840,731 / 9 30-04 $1,887,817 -48.2% / $662 $25,728,548 / 10 01-05 $524,198 -72.2% / $184 $26,252,746 / 11 02-05 $567,721 8.3% / $199 $26,820,467 / 12

3 maggio : Taiwan Box Office.

April 22–23, 2006 TW LW Movie Weekend Gross Change Theaters Change / Avg. Gross-to-Date Week 1 N The Sentinel $112,629 - 15 - $7,509 $139,851 1 2 N Slither $104,844 - 14 - $7,489 $137,998 1 3 N The Wild $95,302 - 19 - $5,016 $112,446 1 4 1 Eight Below $87,632 -50.0% 15 -2 $5,842 $813,087 3 5 2 Hostel $64,226 -62.0% 15 -1 $4,282 $391,361 2 6 3 Ice Age: The Meltdown $56,867 -60.3% 14 -4 $4,062 $1,563,997 4 7 5 Nanny McPhee $27,788 -44.7% 13 - $2,138 $104,593 2 8 N Daisy $21,325 - 14 - $1,523 $27,057 1 9 4 Basic Instinct 2 $14,157 -76.3% 5 -11 $2,831 $333,362 3 10 7 Tristan and Isolde $10,562 -57.9% 10 -3 $1,056 $58,386 2

April 29–30, 2006 TW LW Movie Weekend Gross Change Theaters Change / Avg. Gross-to-Date Week 1 N Silent Hill $361,874 - 16 - $22,617 $467,991 1 2 N Hostage $60,429 - 8 - $7,554 $71,714 1 3 3 The Wild $51,371 -46.1% 18 -1 $2,854 $194,834 2 4 4 Eight Below $50,423 -42.5% 14 -1 $3,602 $912,992 4 5 N Edison $44,640 - 12 - $3,720 $54,149 1 6 1 The Sentinel $44,188 -60.8% 15 - $2,946 $249,457 2 7 2 Slither $29,665 -71.7% 14 - $2,119 $220,175 2 8 6 Ice Age: The Meltdown $25,187 -55.7% 6 -8 $4,198 $1,625,710 5 9 5 Hostel $17,345 -73.0% 10 -5 $1,735 $446,993 3 10 N Election 2 (Hak se wui yi wo wai kwai) $13,301 - 7 - $1,900 $18,228 1

4 maggio : Un po' di news!

	Alec Baldwin -- Vexatious Litigant? New legal papers claim Baldwin has been fighting dirty. Kim Basinger wants a Los Angeles judge to contain Alec Baldwin. In legal papers filed Wednesday, Basinger's lawyer, Neal Hersh, asks that Baldwin be declared a "Vexatious Litigant." If the judge grants the request, Baldwin would have to seek the court's permission before filing any legal papers in his ongoing custody war with his ex-wife. In the papers, Hersh argues that Baldwin has filed a flurry of legal papers that contain "fabricated renditions of the events and circumstances that have transpired between the parties for the sole purpose of keeping the respondent's name (Baldwin) in the public limelight...." The papers accuse Baldwin of continuing "to misuse the judicial system for his own self-serving reasons." Baldwin's lawyer, Vicki Greene, says there is no legal or factual basis for declaring her client a vexatious litigant. Greene adds her client is currently proceeding to enforce his legal rights in the custody matter, and those proceedings will go forward.
	BALDWIN BATTLES BASINGER FOR 'MAKE-UP TIME' Actor ALEC BALDWIN will return to court to continue his bitter custody battle with ex-wife KIM BASINGER, whom he has accused of structuring her diary to obstruct his visits. The PEARL HARBOR star is fighting for an enforcement of a court order granting him 'make-up time' for visitation days he has lost while starring in theatre hit ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE. The show, which closes later this month (21MAY06), has left Baldwin hardly any time to spend with 10-year-old daughter IRELAND, and now the actor is desperate to compensate. Although he is entitled to extra visits, Baldwin insists his wife-of-nine years is making it difficult for him to set dates. He tells PageSix.com, "It never ends. You'll go to court and get a court order, but then you have to go to court again to enforce the order." A friend adds, "He gets just Mondays off, so he goes to Los Angeles literally for the day, takes his daughter to school, sees her at lunch and then flies back." Baldwin has already spent $1.25 million (GBP714,000) in legal fees and the drawn-out custody battle has prompted him to write a book about divorce procedure.
	Foreign Total as of May 1, 2006: $1,598,083 Indonesia 4/26/06 $115,899 5/1/06 Malaysia 4/20/06 $123,922 5/1/06 New Zealand 4/20/06 $193,055 5/2/06 Philippines 4/26/06 $208,683 5/1/06 Puerto Rico 4/27/06 $112,191 5/1/06 Singapore 4/20/06 $304,414 5/1/06 Taiwan 4/22/06 $519,239 5/1/06 Trinidad & Tobago 4/26/06 $20,680 5/1/06

5 maggio: Pare che Kim sarà la protagonista di questo progetto. NEWS RELEASE. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Gary Morgenstein. morgenstein@lifetimetv.com LIFETIME TELEVISION AND RANDWELL PRODUCTIONS SECURE RIGHTS TO SUE MONK KIDD’S NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING NOVEL, THE MERMAID CHAIR. Book to be Developed Into LIFETIME Original Movie. LOS ANGELES – Sue Monk Kidd’s bestselling novel, The Mermaid Chair, will take a seat at LIFETIME Television, it was announced today by Trevor Walton, Senior Vice President, Original Movies. The book currently resides at the top of the New York Times Best Seller List. “We are ecstatic to develop Sue’s popular novel as a LIFETIME Original Movie,” said Walton. “Readers from across the country have flocked to the bookstores to buy The Mermaid Chair, and we think our viewers will be equally excited to watch the movie.” Executive Producer Randy Robinson, from Randwell Productions, agrees. “Sue has only written two novels, the other being The Secret Life of Bees, and both raced to the top of the charts. Her talent is enormous and I can’t wait to bring this project to life on the small screen.” The Mermaid Chair explores the inner life of marriage and the rebirth of one woman’s soul. Set on a South Carolina barrier island, it tells the beautiful and haunting story of 42-year-old Jessie Sullivan, a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk and the crisis and self-awakening this ignites.
Even though she was described by her English teachers as a “born writer,” Kidd didn’t start writing until later in life. The Mermaid Chair, released in the spring of 2005, has already sold over 700,000 copies. The Secret Life of Bees, published in 2002, sold over four million copies, spent over ninety weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and is currently being adapted into a movie by Focus Films. Kidd serves on the board of advisors for Poets & Writers, Inc. and is a Writer in Residence at the Phoebe Pember House in Charleston, SC.
Rights to The Mermaid Chair were optioned by Randwell Productions for the development of a LIFETIME Original Movie for LIFETIME Television. Randy Robinson (LIFETIME’S “Lies My Mother Told Me”) will serve as executive producer. Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev of Nomadic Pictures will produce. Regina Dantas of Bossa Entertainment is the international distributor. Popular screenwriter, Suzette Couture, will write the teleplay. Couture wrote “Vinegar Hill,” “The Book of Ruth” and “Martha, Inc: The Story of Martha Stewart.” LIFETIME is the leader in women’s television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Launched in 1984, LIFETIME Television serves over 89 million households nationwide. In 1998, LIFETIME launched Lifetime Movie Network, now in more than 45 million homes, and in 2001, Lifetime Real Women. LIFETIME Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Radio for Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

19 maggio : Taiwan Box office.

	13-14/05: 16 8 The Sentinel $1,474 -78.3% 2 -8 $737 $294,527 4
	06-07/05 8 6 The Sentinel $6,778 -84.7% 10 -5 $678 $286,324 3

20 maggio : Box office non-Us per The Sentinel.

	China 5/11/06 $1,376,290 5/15/06
	Czech Republic/Slovakia 11/2/06 n/a n/a
	Indonesia 4/26/06 $168,156 5/15/06
	Jamaica 4/26/06 $30,197 5/14/06
	Malaysia 4/20/06 $137,972 5/15/06
	New Zealand 4/20/06 $212,437 5/14/06
	Philippines 4/26/06 $272,290 5/15/06
	Puerto Rico 4/27/06 $242,398 5/15/06
	Singapore 4/20/06 $324,683 5/15/06
	Taiwan 4/22/06 $565,446 5/15/06
	Trinidad & Tobago 4/26/06 $37,745 5/14/06

21 maggio : Aggiornamento quotidiano del box office americano.

	03-05 (4) $538,668 -5.1% / $189 $27,359,135 / 13
	04-05 (4) $490,694 -8.9% / $172 $27,849,829 / 14
	05-05 (4) $857,700 74.8% / -62% 2,343 / $366 $28,707,529 / 15
	06-05 (4) $1,448,027 68.8% / -60.3% 2,343 / $618 $30,155,556 / 16
	07-05 (4) $780,577 $3,086,304 -46.1% / -58.7% -508 / -60.4% 2,343 / $333 $1,317 $30,936,133 / 17
	Week end 5-7/05 11 6 The Sentinel Fox $3,086,304 -60.4% 2,343 -508 $1,317 $30,936,133 - 3
	08-05 (6) $248,579 -68.2% / $106 $31,184,712 / 18
	09-05 (6) $275,356 10.8% / $118 $31,460,068 / 19
	10-05 (6) $273,682 -0.6% / $117 $31,733,750 / 20
	11-05 (6)  $308,134 12.6% / $132 $32,041,884 / 21
	12-05 (15) $455,156 47.7% / $346 $32,497,040 / 22
	13-05 (15)  $670,252 47.3% / $510 $33,167,292 / 23
	14-05 (15) $408,730 -39% / $311 $33,576,022 / 24
	Week end 12-14/05 15 11 The Sentinel Fox $1,534,138 -50.3% 1,314 -1,029 $1,167 $33,576,022 - 4
	15-05 (15) $120,470 -70.5% / $92 $33,696,492 / 25
	16-05 (13) $143,573 19.2% / $109 $33,840,065 / 26
	17-05 (13) $123,204 -14.2% / $94 $33,963,269 / 27
	18-05 $134,789 $2,056,174 9.4% / -56.3% -1,029 / -51% 1,314 / $103 $1,564 $34,098,058 / 28

22 maggio : Un po' di news.

	Kim Basinger to star in Lifetime TV movie. Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Kim Basinger is making her TV movie debut in "The Mermaid Chair" for the Lifetime cable network. The Lifetime original movie based on Sue Monk Kid's bestseller will be directed by Emmy winner Steven Schachter, The Hollywood Reporter said Monday. Basinger will portray Jessie Sullivan, a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk.  The film is scheduled to make its debut in September.
	THE SENTINEL USCIRA' IN ITALIA IL 23 GIUGNO DISTRIBUITO DALLA "O1 DISTRIBUTION".
	Basinger Pulls Up a Chair. Oscar winner Kim Basinger will make her television movie debut with the Lifetime Original The Mermaid Chair. Basinger will take on her first TV movie with The Mermaid Chair for Lifetime Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger is making the leap to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Basinger, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for L.A. Confidential, has signed on to star in the Lifetime Original The Mermaid Chair, based on the bestseller by Sue Monk Kidd. In addition, Emmy winner Steven Schachter has joined the project as director, with the network looking to debut the film in September. Suzette Couture adapted the teleplay, which centers on Jessie Sullivan, a married woman who slowly falls in love with a Benedictine monk. The conflict within herself awakened by these emotions takes Jessie on a route of self-discovery. Randy Robinson will executive produce. Randwell Distribution and Nomadic Pictures are the production houses on the project. Basinger, repped by CAA, can currently be seen on screen with Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in The Sentinel. Her other recent outings include Cellular, The Door in the Floor and 8 Mile, while Schachter, who won Emmys for writing and directing TNT's Door to Door, has other credits that include The Wool Cap and Just a Walk in the Park, among others.
	Basinger to Star in The Mermaid Chair - Kim Basinger is set to star in the film adaptation of The Mermaid Chair. Set to air on Lifetime, the film is based on Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling novel of the same name. Kidd is also known for having written The Secret Life of Bees, which also held a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers List after its release in 2002.  If the film follows closely to the plot of the novel, expect an enchanting tale of a woman who, when spending the summer caring for her sick mother, comes to terms with certain aspects of her life. In true Lifetime form, emotions will surely be running high as this woman questions the strength of her marriage, the circumstances surrounding the death of her father and deals with her feelings for an almost-Monk (he hasn’t taken his vows yet) she meets that summer. She will begin to ask herself that age old question – Is it possible to have both passion and comfort in a relationship? This will be Basinger's first appearance in a made-for-TV movie since she starred in Killjoy in 1981.
	Ascolti tv di giovedì 11 maggio. I programmi più visti della giornata. Su Rai 1 Inter-Roma è stata vista da 6.873.000 spettatori con il 25,74% di share, su Canale 5 Karol un Papa rimasto uomo 6.003.000 (23,31%). Su Rai 2 Incantesimo 3.092.000 (11,68%), su Rai 3 L.A. confidential 2.065.000 (8,28%). Su Italia 1 C.S.I. 3.540.000 (12,88%) nel primo episodio, 3.241.000 (12,90%) nel secondo e 2.975.000 (18,97%) nel terzo. Su Rete 4 Io sto con gli ippopotami 2.348.000 (9,46%), su La7 Sfera 611.000 (2,76%).
	Battle Rages Between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. BUM Alec Baldwin has been granted extra visitation rights to his daughter by a US judge. According to AFP, Baldwin's visits to 10 year-old Ireland have been an ongoing issue between Baldwin and his ex-wife, actress Kim Basinger, after the couple split in 2000. They have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle over custody and visitation rights ever since. This latest ruling came after Baldwin asked the courts to grant him an additional weekend with his daughter, after she missed a scheduled visit because she was too ill to travel to New York, where Baldwin lives. Neither of the stars were present in court when the ruling was handed down, although the judge spoke to Baldwin by telephone.
	Baldwin, 48, the star of 2004's "The Aviator" and "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), won the round against "LA Confidential" actress Basinger in their latest skirmish played out through their lawyers in a Los Angeles court room. "She fights him tooth and nail in every single thing because she wants him to not have the time," said his lawyer, Vicki Greene, telling the judge that Basinger was attempting to keep Baldwin from seeing their child Ireland. "She's not only not being reasonable, she's not even being nice about it," Green said of the 52-year-old blonde movie star who became famous with her raunchy role in "Nine 1/2 Weeks" (1986). Greene said the actress' alleged inflexibility on letting Baldwin see their daughter "shows how far Miss Basinger will go to further put a dent in his visitation." Neither Baldwin nor Basinger was in court, but the actor spoke to Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Maren Nelson via telephone from his home in New York to request three extra days with his daughter. The judge granted Baldwin's request on the grounds he had missed out on three days of visitation when Ireland was ill earlier this year. Basinger's lawyer, Neal Hersh, had objected to any extension of the visitation days period beyond June 2. Under the terms of their divorce, both Baldwin and Basinger are required to make up any missed visits within 60 days. The couple, whose seven-year marriage ended in a December 2000 separation and a divorce a year later, have battled acrimoniously since at least 2004 over which of them should have custody over Ireland. Basinger's attorney, Hersh, accused Baldwin of using his acting career as an excuse not to make up the lost days before June 2. "Actors have to live by the rules, too," Hersh said. But the judge said that both parents were partly responsible for the difficulties in making up visitation time as both had very busy schedules. Last December, Baldwin accused Basinger of trying to alienate him from Ireland and asked the court to order Basinger to undergo a psychological evaluation and take parenting classes. At another court hearing last October, Hersh said Baldwin had "severe emotional problems" and noted that he has been accused of domestic violence in the past.
	BALDWIN WINS THREE DAYS WITH DAUGHTER LATEST: ALEC BALDWIN has been granted an extra three visiting days with his daughter, after accusing ex-wife KIM BASINGER of obstructing his visits. The PEARL HARBOR star, who spoke to Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner MAREN NELSON via telephone from his New York home, continues to fight for an enforcement of a court order granting him 'make-up time' for visitation days he has lost while starring in theatre hit ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE and while his daughter was ill. The show, which closes later this month (21MAY06), has left Baldwin hardly any time to spend with 10-year-old IRELAND, and now the actor is desperate to compensate. But Basinger, who split from Baldwin in 2000 has been accused of structuring her diary to obstruct his visits. Baldwin's lawyer VICKI GREENE says, "She fights him tooth and nail in every single thing because she wants him to not have the time. "She's not only not being reasonable, she's not even being nice about it." Under the terms of their divorce, Baldwin and Basinger are required to make up any missed visits within 60 days.
	Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award-Winning Actress Kim Basinger Makes Her Television Movie Debut in the Lifetime Original Movie 'The Mermaid Chair' Movie Based on Sue Monk Kidd's Best-Selling Novel to be Directed By Multiple Emmy(R) Award Winner Steven Schachter ('Door to Door,' 'The Wool Cap') LOS ANGELES, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award® and Golden Globe® Award-winning actress Kim Basinger ("L.A. Confidential," "8 Mile," "The Door in the Floor") will make her television movie debut in the Lifetime Original Movie "The Mermaid Chair," based on the #1 New York Times Best Seller, The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd, it was announced today by Trevor Walton, Senior Vice President, Original Movies. "The Mermaid Chair" is the passionate drama that tells the beautiful and haunting story of a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk and the crisis and self-awakening it ignites. "The Mermaid Chair" will premiere in September 2006 on Lifetime Television. "We are ecstatic to not only have the opportunity to bring this hugely popular novel to the small screen, but to also have Kim Basinger star in this magical film," said Walton. "We feel this talented actress is the perfect woman to portray the complicated and soulful role of Jessie." In the movie, Basinger plays Jessie Sullivan, a 42-year-old woman who finds herself restless in her life and 20-year marriage after her daughter leaves for college. She is forced to return to her childhood home on Egret Island when her mother commits an inexplicable act of violence. Jessie's return home reignites the volatile relationship she has with her mother and reawakens nagging questions about her father's death years before. Soon, she meets Brother Thomas, a Benedictine monk from the neighboring abby with whom she shares an immediate and powerful connection. As the relationship unfolds, Jessie unlocks the roots of her mother's tormented past and the secrets around her father's death while undergoing a spiritual, artistic and erotic awakening. Her experiences on the island lead Jessie to discover her true self and what she really wants from her life. Basinger has a long and varied list of film credits. She received the highest degree of public acclaim and professional recognition for her role in "L.A. Confidential," earning an Academy Award® and Golden Globe® for Best Supporting Actress. Additional film credits include "Hard Country," the James Bond film, "Never Say Never Again," "The Natural," "9 1/2 Weeks," "Batman," "The Marrying Man," "Cool World" and "8 Mile." More recent film credits include "The Door in the Floor" and "Cellular." She can also be seen in the new feature film, "The Sentinel" starring Michael Douglas. Sue Monk Kidd has written two novels. The Secret Life of Bees, published in 2002, became a genuine literary phenomenon. It has sold over 4.5 million copies, spent over 100 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and is currently being adapted into a movie. Kidd's second novel, The Mermaid Chair, released in the spring of 2005, has already sold over 1.5 million copies and has spent over 30 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. It was awarded the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction. "The Mermaid Chair" is co-produced by Randwell Distribution and Nomadic Pictures for Lifetime Television. Randy Robinson ("The Pact," "Lies My Mother Told Me") is the executive producer. Emmy® Award winner Steven Schachter ("Door to Door," "The Wool Cap") will direct. Schachter won two Emmy® Awards in 2003 for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for "Door to Door." He received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Made for Television Movie in 2005 for "The Wool Cap." The teleplay is by Suzette Couture ("Million Dollar Babies," "The Book of Ruth"). Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.
	Baldwin and Basinger reignite custody war Email Print Normal font Large font May 15, 2006 Hollywood star Alec Baldwin has accused his ex-wife Kim Basinger of trying to block him from seeing their 10-year-old daughter as the two reignited a bitter custody battle. Baldwin, 48, the star of 2004's The Aviator and The Hunt for Red October (1990), won the round against LA Confidential actress Basinger in their latest skirmish played out through their lawyers in a Los Angeles court room. "She fights him tooth and nail in every single thing because she wants him to not have the time," said his lawyer, Vicki Greene, telling the judge that Basinger was attempting to keep Baldwin from seeing their child Ireland. "She's not only not being reasonable, she's not even being nice about it," Green said of the 52-year-old blonde movie star who became famous with her raunchy role in Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986). Greene said the actress' alleged inflexibility on letting Baldwin see their daughter "shows how far Miss Basinger will go to further put a dent in his visitation." Neither Baldwin nor Basinger was in court, but the actor spoke to Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Maren Nelson via telephone from his home in New York to request three extra days with his daughter. The judge granted Baldwin's request on the grounds he had missed out on three days of visitation when Ireland was ill earlier this year. Basinger's lawyer, Neal Hersh, had objected to any extension of the visitation days period beyond June 2. Under the terms of their divorce, both Baldwin and Basinger are required to make up any missed visits within 60 days. The couple, whose seven-year marriage ended in a December 2000 separation and a divorce a year later, have battled acrimoniously since at least 2004 over which of them should have custody over Ireland. Basinger's attorney, Hersh, accused Baldwin of using his acting career as an excuse not to make up the lost days before June 2. "Actors have to live by the rules, too," Hersh said. But the judge said that both parents were partly responsible for the difficulties in making up visitation time as both had very busy schedules. Last December, Baldwin accused Basinger of trying to alienate him from Ireland and asked the court to order Basinger to undergo a psychological evaluation and take parenting classes. At another court hearing last October, Hersh said Baldwin had "severe emotional problems" and noted that he has been accused of domestic violence in the past. Battle Rages Between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger 15/05/2006 BUM Alec Baldwin has been granted extra visitation rights to his daughter by a US judge.  According to AFP, Baldwin's visits to 10 year-old Ireland have been an ongoing issue between Baldwin and his ex-wife, actress Kim Basinger, after the couple split in 2000. They have been embroiled in a bitter legal battle over custody and visitation rights ever since. This latest ruling came after Baldwin asked the courts to grant him an additional weekend with his daughter, after she missed a scheduled visit because she was too ill to travel to New York, where Baldwin lives. Neither of the stars were present in court when the ruling was handed down, although the judge spoke to Baldwin by telephone.
	BASINGER FIGHTS STAGE FRIGHT AS SHE CONSIDERS BROADWAY DREAM KIM BASINGER is desperate to conquer her stage fright so she can live out her dream of starring in a Broadway, New York play. The Oscar-winning LA CONFIDENTIAL star admits she's terrified of acting in front of a live audience but she's determined to conquer her fears. She says, "It's a fear of mine. I've been asked many times to come to Broadway... (and) I have a tendency to go toward anything I fear."
	Alec Baldwin Fights Kim Basinger For Compensation Days. Actor Alec Baldwin is going back to court to resume his morose custody battle for his 10-year-old daughter Ireland with his ex-wife Kim Basinger, who he accused of constructing her diary to get in the way of his visits, according to a published report.  The actor is trying to achieve a court order that will grant him visitation time for the days that he missed during the show 'Entertaining Mr. Sloane'. The show is ending later this month, but it left the 'Pearl Harbor' star very little time to spend with Ireland, and Baldwin would do anything to make up for their lost time together. While the actor is permitted to have extra visits with his daughter, he claims that Basinger is making setting dates to do so very difficult. Baldwin tells PageSix, "It never ends. You'll go to court and get a court order, but then you have to go to court again to enforce the order." A pal of the actor adds, "He gets just Mondays off, so he goes to Los Angeles literally for the day, takes his daughter to school, sees her at lunch and then flies back."
	Basinger pulls up 'Chair' for TV Oscar and Golden Globe winner Kim Basinger is set to make her TV movie debut in the Lifetime original movie "The Mermaid Chair," based on the best-selling book by Sue Monk Kidd. In addition, Emmy winner Steven Schachter has come on board to direct the movie, which tells the story of Jessie Sullivan, a married woman who falls in love with a Benedictine monk and the crisis and self-awakening it ignites. "Mermaid Chair" will premiere on the cable network in September. "We are ecstatic to not only have the opportunity to bring this hugely popular novel to the small screen but to also have Kim Basinger star in this magical film," Lifetime senior vp original movies Trevor Walton said. "We feel this talented actress is the perfect woman to portray the complicated and soulful role of Jessie."
	At the movies: The Sentinel Agent saves president; does even better with First Lady Let's state the obvious fact about The Sentinel right up front. Any movie with Kim Basinger in it is probably worth seeing. Throw in the fact that she plays a First Lady who is having an affair with her Secret Service agent, and you are probably halfway to a good time. The film starts with a lot of West Wing-like White House and Secret Service verisimilitude, which is probably only natural since the director, Clark Johnson, is a former actor who has appeared on that TV show (as well as Homicide and Law & Order). But we are soon into the murder of a Secret Service agent who has apparently got wind of a plot against the president. The dead agent had scheduled a meeting with another agent, Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas), presumably to tell him of his suspicions. Then it's off to the races, which eventually end up at a summit meeting in Toronto. Without going into the intricacies of the plot (the movie's that is), Garrison quickly becomes a suspect, hunted by his former colleagues, including super-sleuth David Brenkinridge (Keifer Sutherland), a former best friend who now hates him because he suspects Garrison slept with his wife. At this point, it's easy to understand why Secret Service agents have to stay in such tip-top shape. Garrison uses his considerable wiles to stay one step ahead of his ex-buddies, while also avoiding various gun-toting terrorists who are also out to clean his clock, and who are apparently blackmailing him with photos of his dalliance with First Lady Sarah Ballentine (the aforementioned Basinger). Oh yes, there is a mole in the Secret Service, working with the terrorists. It is the hunt for the mole that puts Garrison on the run, because he quite understandably fails a lie detector test when asked if has done anything to endanger the President. When he answered "no" to that question (remember, he is sleeping with the First Lady), I fully expected the machine to electrocute him on the spot, or at least start buzzing and smoking. It didn't, but the needles sure squiggled. Speaking of being on the run, Douglas is asked to do quite a bit of it. He's no Tom Cruise, but for a man of 60 or so, he does just fine. Some people have criticized the film because they think Douglas is too old for such nonsense. Haven't they seen In the Line of Fire? Clint Eastwood could be his father. Speaking of fathers, Michael is looking more like Kirk every day. Besides, wouldn't you run if Keifer Sutherland was chasing you with a gun? Have you seen 24? Jack Bauer cuts people's heads off, for gosh sake! The actors do a creditable job, especially Douglas, who has come a long way from The Streets of San Francisco, where he played a callow young detective who spent most of the time trying not to look at Karl Mauldin's nose. Even in a disjointed and contradictory movie such as The Sentinel, you have to take Douglas seriously. You can almost believe that the First Lady could fall for him. Basinger, by the way, fills the screen whenever she appears. A truly lovely actress. She really deserves better material. Eva Longoria is also in the film, playing a rookie agent. But despite her Desperate Housewives credentials, she should avoid appearing in any movie with Kim. It's no contest. A not-so-minor quibble. How is it possible that, with the Secret Service and the entire Toronto Police Department on high alert for a possible assassination, a band of terrorists, armed to the teeth, get close enough to the President of the United States to initiate a running gun battle reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan? At a summit meeting, no less. Oh well. I must admit it was refreshing to see Toronto used as Toronto in the movie. In half the movies made over the past decade, Toronto has been the stand in for the American cities allegedly shown in those films.
	Baldwin, Basinger continue custody drama American actors Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger have commenced a new round in their long battle over custody of their daughter. Baldwin, 48, has accused Basinger of attempting to blocking him from making up time he could not spend with his daughter when she was ill, and also due to his performance in the hit play Entertaining Mr Sloane. A Los Angeles court granted the actor three extra visitation days with ten-year-old Ireland, but it is evident that tension still exists between the couple. FemaleFirst quotes Baldwin's lawyer Vicki Greene commenting on Basinger: "She fights him tooth and nail in every single thing because she wants him to not have the time. She's not only not being reasonable, she's not even being nice about it." Basinger's lawyer Neal Hersh reportedly objected to the actor's claims as under the terms of the couple's divorce missed visits have to be made up within 60 days. The BBC also reports that Hersh accused Baldwin of using his career as an excuse to alter their agreement.

26 maggio : The village, a popular film location, is the site for Basinger's first foray into television movies. Hollywood actress Kim Basinger was in Brentwood Bay this week to film scenes for her upcoming movie, The Mermaid Chair. Filming took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 23 and 24, at Seahorses' Cafe and opposite the Brentwood Bay Lodge near the Mill Bay Ferry.  The made-for-television movie is based on Sue Monk Kidd's best-selling novel of the same name and marks Basinger's debut on the small screen. Basinger, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1997 film LA Confidential, will star as Jessie Sullivan, a woman who must choose between her family and eternal happiness after falling in love with a monk on return to her home town. The film is set on the fictional Egret Island off the coast of South Carolina. It is being directed by Emmy award-winning director Steven Schachter and is expected to air in September on Lifestyle Television. Ms Basinger, 52, was not available for interview.