NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘The Grey’ tops box office with $20 million

NEW YORK

Liam Neeson’s “The Grey” topped the weekend box office with $20 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Last week’s box-office leader, “Underworld: Awakenings,” Sony’s Screen Gem’s latest installment in its vampire series, came in second with $12.5 million.

Rounding out the top five were: “One for the Money,” $11.8 million, third ; “Red Tails,” $10.4 million, fourth; and “Man on Ledge,” $8.3 million, fifth place.

Madonna charity plans 10 schools in Malawi

NEW YORK

Nearly six years after it was created, Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity is set to break ground on the construction of schools in the impoverished country, but they will be run by the local community, not the superstar’s organization.

According to organizers, work on the first school will start March 30, and all of the schools should be built by June 2013. Raising Malawi is providing $300,000 to the nongovernmental organization buildOn to develop the schools. They’ll serve about 1,000 boys and girls in the southern African nation.

Lambert delays show

Nashville, tenn.

Miranda Lambert has rescheduled her concert in Tallahassee, Fla., to attend the funeral of a close friend.

A news release Sunday says Lambert’s childhood friend Mark “Tex” Adams was killed in a traffic accident in Florida last week. He was sideswiped by a vehicle after he had pulled over to help another driver. It’s the second loss in recent weeks for Lambert, whose father-in-law, Dick Shelton, died Jan. 17.

Lambert’s “On Fire” tour will stop in Tallahassee on May 17.

Associated Press