NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘Hunger Games’ nabs $155M at box office

LOS ANGELES

“The Hunger Games” has filled fan appetites with a $155 million opening weekend that puts it near the top of the domestic-record book.

The huge haul marks the third-best debut ever in terms of revenue, behind the $169.2 million opening for last year’s “Harry Potter” finale and the $158.4 million opening of 2008’s “The Dark Knight.”

“Harry Potter” and “Batman” were well-established franchises. “The Hunger Games” set a revenue record for a nonsequel, taking in more than twice what the first “Twilight” movie did with its $69.6 million opening weekend.

These movies fell into place behind “Hunger Games”: “21 Jump Street,” $21.3 million, second; “Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax,” $13.1 million, third; “John Carter,” $5 million, fourth; and “Act of Valor,” $2.1 million, fifth place.

Aretha Franklin celebrates her 70th

NEW YORK

Aretha Franklin has a lot more than her 70th birthday to celebrate: She’s reuniting with one of her musical mentors, Clive Davis, for a new album.

In an interview at her swanky birthday party Saturday, Franklin said she and Davis, who helped engineer her comeback in the 1980s, would be working on new music.

“I have re-signed with Clive Davis, so I’m recording with Clive again,” said Franklin of the music mogul, who is associated with Sony Music Entertainment.

Franklin said that after Davis’ birthday next month, “we’re going to sit together and decide what it is we’re going to record.”

Davis sat next to Franklin for most of the night at the soiree at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel, which included a sit-down dinner, a dance performance and a miniconcert that featured rising jazz pianist Kris Bowers.

Other guests included Diane Sawyer, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Willie Wilkerson, Franklin’s longtime companion and for a short time this year, fianc .

Cameron reaches deepest spot on Earth

HONOLULU

Hollywood icon James Cameron has made it to Earth’s deepest point.

The director of “Titanic,” “Avatar” and other films used a specially designed submarine to dive nearly seven miles, completing his journey a little before 8 a.m. today, according to Stephanie Montgomery of the National Geographic Society.

He planned to spend about six hours exploring and filming the Mariana Trench, about 200 miles southwest of the Pacific island of Guam.

“All systems OK,” were Cameron’s first words upon reaching the bottom, according to a statement.

His arrival at a depth of 35,756 feet came Sunday evening on the U.S. East Coast, after a descent that took more than two hours.

The scale of the trench is hard to grasp — it’s 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon and more than a mile deeper than Mount Everest is tall.

Cameron made the dive aboard his 12-ton, lime-green sub called “Deepsea Challenger.”

Associated Press