NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘Immortals’ reigns with $32M opener

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The gods of ancient Greece have extended their rule to the weekend box office with a No. 1 debut for the action tale “Immortals.”

The story of Greek hero Theseus took in $32 million domestically, while Adam Sandler’s comedy “Jack and Jill” opened at No. 2 with $26 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The new movies bumped the animated hit “Puss in Boots” to the No. 3 spot after two weekends at the top. “Puss in Boots” earned $25.5 million, raising its domestic total to $108.8 million.

At No. 4 was “Tower Heist” with $13.2 million.

Director Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” a film biography starring Leonardo DiCaprio as longtime FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover, played in narrower release and opened at No. 5 with $11.5 million.

Oscars honors given at Governors Awards

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After a tumultuous week that saw the departure and replacement of the Oscar show’s host and producer, the film academy enjoyed a night of good vibes Saturday at its third annual Governors Awards. You might even say the force was with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Armed “Star Wars” stormtroopers ensured guests were in their seats and paying attention as Darth Vader opened the evening honoring James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey and makeup artist Dick Smith.

At Saturday’s untelevised Governors Awards, Jones, Smith and Winfrey accepted Oscar statuettes in front of a starry crowd that included John Travolta, Alec Baldwin, Woody Harrelson, Sharon Stone, Seth Rogen, Sidney Poitier and Tyler Perry, among others.

Honoring Redgrave

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Vanessa Redgrave was hailed at a Hollywood film academy tribute Sunday, praised as an actress and an activist by A-list friends including Ralph Fiennes, Meryl Streep and James Earl Jones.

More than 30 years after she shocked the Oscars ceremony with a fiercely political acceptance speech, Redgrave was the subject of an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences retrospective — its first to an actor in Europe.

The 74-year-old actress has been nominated for six Oscars and won for her supporting role as an anti-Nazi activist in 1977’s “Julia.”

Associated Press