Movie News & Gossip

LOS ANGELES - The vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" put the box office into orbit with a $142.8 million opening weekend. The sequel took in twice as much as "Twilight" in its first three days a year ago.

It was the third-best opening weekend ever.

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans

Kris Allen Is Blowing Up!: Kris Allen might be an "American Idol," but he's not exactly living the high life - at least not yet. "Furniture," Kris told People when asked what's missing in his life. "We don't have any furniture in the house yet, but we are trying to find it. We don't have time... so that's why we are sleeping on a blowup mattress right now." We can only assume his Aero bed sits on a pile of "Idol" money.

Miley Cyrus turns 17 today, but the teen star got a jump star on her big day with an '80s themed surprise birthday bash in New York City last week.

According to People, Miley celebrated with family and friends - including rumored boyfriend and "The Last Song" co-star Liam Hemsworth - at New York City's Canal Room.

ATHENS (Reuters) - 20th Century Fox will make a profit with James Cameron's 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar," Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman Jim Gianopulos said in an interview, and dismissed reports the movie cost $500 million as "ridiculous."

Blending computer-generated characters and live actors, Avatar tells the story of a former Marine who infiltrates the native Na'vi people on a far-away planet to help corporations extract a mineral, but ends up fighting for the alien race.

ATHENS, Greece - The chief executive of Fox Filmed Entertainment said Monday the U.S. should join France in cutting off the Internet connection of users who repeatedly download copyright-protected films.

CEO Jim Gianopulos said Internet piracy is the single biggest threat to the film industry worldwide, and independent films are the hardest hit.

Anthony Peckham has been hired to work on the script for the DreamWorks Studios action project "Deep Sea Cowboys."

The "Invictus" screenwriter will bring his take to adapting Joshua Davis' Wired article about a salvage crew trying to save a capsized Japanese cargo ship. The real-time action scenario will explore how a tightknit crew races to save the ship's dangerous cargo and claim its reward.

Screen Actors Guild deputy national executive director Pamm Fair will step down from her post at year's end, the guild announced Nov. 20. Fair, a guild staffer since 2002, will stay with the organization through Dec. 31.

"During her time with the guild, Pamm directed key efforts ranging from communications to high profile outreach," SAG national executive director David White said in a statement. "Over the last several years she has been engaged in redefining the guild's new media initiatives, organizing efforts and legislative advocacy on key Guild issues. Her contributions to the guild have been varied and significant and I thank her for her dedicated service. I know I speak for all of us in wishing her continued success in this next phase of her journey."

Gravity Films has attached Katherine Brooks to direct "Freak," based on the life of jockey Julie Krone.

Brooks also adapted the screenplay from Krone's autobiography, "Riding for My Life," which details her history as the only woman to have won a Triple Crown race (the 1993 Belmont Stakes) and be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Krone is the most successful female jockey of all time, with nearly four thousand career wins and over $90 million in purse earnings.