newsmakers

newsmakers

‘Apes’ rises to No. 1 with $54 million

LOS ANGELES

Apes have climbed to the top rung of the weekend box office.

The 20th Century Fox action thriller “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” took in $54 million to open as the No. 1 movie, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That was about $15 million to $20 million more than analysts expected for the “Apes” prequel, though well below the $68.5 million opening of Tim Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” remake 10 years ago.

Featuring James Franco, Freida Pinto and Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” tells the story of how lower primates began evolving to take over Earth from humans.

Sony’s family tale “The Smurfs” remained at No. 2 for the second-straight weekend with $21 million, lifting its domestic total to $76.2 million.

Universal’s sci-fi Western “Cowboys & Aliens,” which debuted at No. 1 a week earlier, narrowly ahead of “The Smurfs,” fell to third with $15.8 million, raising its total to $67.4 million.

Selena Gomez gets 5 Teen Choice Awards

los angeles

Selena Gomez conjured five wins at the Teen Choice Awards.

The star of “Wizards of Waverly Place” was selected as choice TV actress, female hottie and music group with her band The Scene. The group also was awarded the choice single trophy for “Who Says” and love song for “Love You Like a Love Song,” which the 19-year-old actress-singer performed at Sunday’s ceremony at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Gibson Amphitheatre.

Other winners included Ellen DeGeneres as choice comedian, Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene from “The Twilight Saga” as choice scene movie stealers and Ashton Kutcher as choice romantic-comedy movie actor for “No Strings Attached.”

Family questions ‘pizza bomber’ movie

PITTSBURGH

When the comedy “30 Minutes or Less” opens in theaters Friday, one small group of people will be sure to avoid it.

That would be the surviving family members of Brian Wells, the 46-year-old pizza-delivery driver who was killed when a metal bomb collar he was forced to wear while robbing a bank exploded in Erie, Pa., eight years ago.

The movie’s handlers acknowledge the screenwriters were “vaguely” aware of Wells, but say the movie — in which two ne’er-do-wells force a pizza driver to rob a bank while wearing a time-bomb vest — isn’t based on the infamous Pennsylvania collar-bomb case, and especially Wells’ grisly, tragic death.

Still, Wells’ sister, Jean Heid of Erie, said the movie isn’t funny — whether or not it was inspired by her brother’s sad fate.

“It’s hard for me to grasp how other human beings can take delight and pride in making such a movie and consider it a comedy,” Heid said in an emailed response to The Associated Press. Heid asked to respond by email because she wanted to choose her words carefully. “I don’t think it’s funny to laugh at the innocent who are victimized by criminals, who care nothing for human life.”

“Neither the filmmakers nor the stars of ‘30 Minutes or Less’ were aware of this crime prior to their involvement in the film,” Steve Elzer, the senior vice president who handles media relations for Sony Pictures’ Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “The writers were vaguely familiar with what had occurred and wrote an original screenplay that does not mirror the real-life tragedy.”

It’s official: ‘Housewives’ is facing final season

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

Wisteria Lane is facing a dead end. ABC is confirming reports that “Desperate Housewives” will be starting its eighth and final season come fall.

“We want to make sure it has its victory lap,” ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee said in making the announcement Sunday.

“Desperate Housewives,” a glossy prime-time soap opera with an ensemble cast including Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria, made a pop-culture and ratings splash when it premiered in 2004 but has since seen a fall-off in the ratings.

In a separate announcement, ABC said the celebrity cast for the new season of “Dancing with the Stars” will be unveiled live Aug. 29 during ABC’s airing of “Bachelor Pad.” The dancing competition returns for its 13th round Sept. 19.

Associated Press