3D "Lion King" rules box office for second week (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "The Lion King" fended off Brad Pitt to keep the box-office crown for a second straight weekend.

Walt Disney Co's 3D re-release of the animated classic rang up an estimated $22.1 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales over three days as families turned out to see lion cub Simba's return to theaters.

Baseball drama "Moneyball" starring Pitt took second and family film "Dolphin Tale" finished a close third, according to studio projections released on Sunday.

Ticket sales for "The Lion King 3D" have far surpassed industry expectations for a movie that debuted in 1994 and will soon hit stores on Blu-ray disc. The film has grossed $61.7 million in North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters since its release last weekend, plus $16 million in international markets, where it came out more than a month ago.

Combined, the "Lion King" re-release has brought in $77.7 million around the world. Disney will extend the planned two-week run in theaters, said Dave Hollis, executive vice president for motion picture sales and distribution at Disney.

"We are working to meet that demand," Hollis said.

Baseball and math didn't quite add up to a box-office win for "Moneyball," which finished in second place with $20.6 million domestically. Pitt plays real-life Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, who used unconventional statistical analysis to field a small-budget team of overlooked players to make an unlikely playoff run.

The movie won positive reviews from critics and received an A rating from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

The film was based on a nonfiction book by Michael Lewis and cost about $50 million to produce. Sales hit the high end of studio projections, said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Columbia Pictures, which released the film.

Close behind was another story from the animal kingdom. "Dolphin Tale" brought in an estimated $20.3 million to take third place, a strong showing for a family film against the mighty performance from "Lion King."

The movie, starring Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman, is based on the true story of a dolphin that loses its tail in a crab trap and is rehabilitated with a prosthetic tail. The real dolphin that inspired the story portrays the dolphin in the film.

The movie won a rare A+ rating from audiences polled by CinemaScore. Also offered in 3D, the film was produced by Alcon Entertainment for about $37 million.

'TWILIGHT' STAR FINISHES FOURTH

Action film "Abduction," starring and produced by "Twilight" heartthrob Taylor Lautner in his first major role outside the popular vampire and werewolf series, pulled in $11.2 million to take fourth place.

In "Abduction," Lautner plays a teenager on the run after he discovers his parents aren't who he thought they were and his life has been a lie. He pieces together the truth while being pursued by the FBI and killer assassins. The film cost Lions Gate Entertainment about $35 million to make.

Spy thriller "Killer Elite," starring Robert de Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Stratham, finished in fifth place with $9.5 million. The film is the first movie released by Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc.

The weekend also saw surprise summer hit "The Smurfs" crossing a milestone with more than $500 million in global ticket sales since the 3D live-action and animated family film debuted in July.

Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp, released "Moneyball" and "The Smurfs." "Dolphin Tale" was released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. Lions Gate Entertainment distributed "Abduction."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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Charts: Jay-Z & Kanye album on top for second week (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – In a week that saw other worldwide rulers being run out of their palaces, it was pretty clear that Jay-Z and Kanye West would be keeping their jointly held throne. And, sure enough, the rappers' collaborative album dominated the Billboard/SoundScan album chart for a second week, even with a 59 percent decline in sales.

"Watch the Throne" sold 177,000 units in its second week, after moving 436,000 the week before. The album probably would have sold even more the first week - and fewer the second week - if not for an odd release pattern that had the long-awaited set available only at iTunes for the first four days of its release.

The latest numbers reflect the first full seven-day frame where "Throne" could be found in retail stores as well as online.

Jay-Z and West certainly weren't facing any opposition from well-armed rebel forces. It could hardly have been a slower week for new album releases, with the only top 10 entries being a No. 6 bow for country's Eli Young Band, whose "Life at Best" entered with a career-best 35,000 copies, and a No. 8 debut for Blue October, which represented 27,000 in sales for the independent art-rockers' "Any Man in America."

Even less threateningly, a greatest-hits set from the band Breaking Benjamin came in at No. 22 with 14,000 units. Oscar winner Jeff Bridges' first post-"Crazy Heart" musical effort, produced by T Bone Burnett, came out of the box with a mountain of media attention but just 13,000 in sales to debut at No. 25.

Legions of Adele supporters should relish the news that her "21" album crossed the 3 million mark this week, one of the few times in recent memory that's been achieved by someone not named Taylor Swift. The disc registered yet another uptick in sales for the week, increasing 10 percent to move another 80,000 units and nudge the album back up two spots to No. 2.

For any serious debut action, you had to look over to the digital songs chart, where Lil Wayne had an instant No. 1 with "She Will," which sold 255,000 singles, knocking Maroon 5 to second place.

It didn't exactly own the chart, but the only other song to debut in the digital top 30 was Lady Antebellum's "We Owned the Night." The second single the country trio has released to tease their upcoming album came in at No. 22 on sales of 59,000.

Next week's album chart should be a little more interesting, with Twitter wiseguy The Game squaring off against Barbra Streisand, who has not been igniting any emergency-line flash mobs to publicize her new album, but taking the QVC route instead.

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Tina Fey gives birth to second child (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "30 Rock" creator and star Tina Fey gave birth to a girl on Wednesday, People magazine has reported.

Penelope Athena Richmond is the second child for Fey, 41, and her composer husband, Jeffrey Richmond, 50.

The Emmy-winning writer/performer and author of the nonfiction book "Bossypants," Fey first revealed her pregnancy to Oprah Winfrey in April.

Earlier, in an essay for the New Yorker, she had written about agonizing over having a second child. Fey and Richmond's first child, Alice, is 5.

Fey told Winfrey, "My husband and I really decided that we felt rather than risk having '30 Rock' end in several years and feeling like part of our family is missing that we were going to prioritize our family."

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UK watches year's second, low key, royal wedding (AP)

EDINBURGH, Scotland – Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter Zara Phillips married England rugby star Mike Tindall on Saturday — but Britain's second royal wedding of the year was largely a low-key affair, with only a hint of the glamor and excitement of Prince William's showstopping nuptials.

Phillips, 30, who is 13th in line to the throne but does not use a royal title, and Tindall, 32, were greeted by hundreds of flag-waving well-wishers and the sound of traditional bagpipes as they left their wedding service at Edinburgh's Canongate Kirk following a private ceremony.

The often publicity shy bride wore a traditional ivory silk gown and a full-length flowing veil, but posed only briefly for onlookers — and gave her husband a fleeting, modest kiss — as they left the 17th century church for a reception at the queen's Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Unlike William and Kate Middleton's spectacular ceremony in April, the wedding service led by Rev. Neil Gardner was not broadcast on television and crowds gathered in the Scottish city were warned by police there would be little for them to see.

Members of the public packed along Edinburgh's Royal Mile, the city's famed cobbled boulevard, cheered loudly for William and Middleton, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they arrived to join the congregation, traveling in a sleek black sedan with Prince Harry.

Middleton, wearing a biscuit colored coat, dress and large angled hat won a warm reception as she offered a wave, as did the queen and Duke of Edinburgh who arrived shortly before the bride.

While the details of Middleton's wedding gown were a closely guarded secret, Phillips — more commonly seen in jeans or sportswear — made an expected choice in choosing Stewart Parvin, a British designer favored by the queen. She also wore a Greek Key tiara lent to her by mother Princess Anne, and Jimmy Choo shoes.

Parvin also designed the queen's apricot wool coat and silk dress.

Peta Hunt, fashion director of You & Your Wedding magazine said the ivory gown hinted at the bride's quirky personality.

"Who else could go to a wedding and have their dress done by the same person who does their granny's? It allowed her to move with ease and grace, but had an element of fun and flirtiness," Hunt said.

The occasion was far removed from April's international spectacle at Westminster Abbey, but neatly reflected the couple's unflashy style. Tindall had even proposed in a modest setting, as he and Phillips curled up on a sofa at home watching a movie.

Before the ceremony, royal officials confirmed that Phillips will keep her maiden name rather than be known as Mrs. Tindall, largely because of her sporting career.

Phillips is known better for her sporting achievements than her royal heritage, as a world class equestrian who is likely to compete in the 2012 Olympics. Tindall — who Phillips met in 2003 in Australia during England's triumphant Rugby World Cup campaign — is a leading rugby player who has captained his country.

The ceremony was the first royal wedding held in Scotland since 1992, when Princess Anne — the mother of the bride — married her second husband, Timothy Laurence. Anne's elder child, Peter Phillips, married his Canadian partner Autumn Kelly in 2008.

Even the prospect of a brief glimpse of the royal family was enough to entice hundreds to Edinburgh for Saturday's wedding, including a few dozen stalwarts who camped overnight to win a front row view.

Waving a Canadian flag, Margaret Kittle, 76, said she had traveled from Ontario, Canada, and staked out a spot on Friday night. "I flew over last Saturday and have been here since last night. I started following the royals after I saw George VI and the Queen back home in Canada when I was 4 years old," she said.

Helen Sutherland, a 65-year-old from Muir of-Ord in the Scottish Highlands, was wrapped in a warm blanket as she waited for a glimpse of Britain's newest royal couple. "It got chilly through the night, but we want to see the bride and her dress. They seem to be a very happy couple," she said.

Phillips and Tindall hosted a glitzy cocktail party late Friday for relatives and guests aboard the former royal yacht Britannia, which they had hired for the occasion. The famous ship, once used by the queen to tour the world, was decommissioned in 1997.

But the party was a rare moment of public glamor for the couple, who are known for putting their devotion to sports ahead of their celebrity. The couple's honeymoon has been postponed because both are due to feature in major events next week — the bride in horse trials, and the groom in England's rugby international against Wales.

___

David Stringer in London contributed to this report.

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Yacht party on eve of Britain's second royal wedding (AFP)

EDINBURGH (AFP) – Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips and her fiance Mike Tindall threw a party on a yacht Friday on the eve of their wedding, with Prince William and wife Catherine among the guests.

Phillips and England rugby star Tindall hosted drinks on the Royal Yacht Britannia after a wedding rehearsal for Saturday's service in Edinburgh, which they ended with a brief kiss outside the church to the delight of well-wishers.

Among guests arriving at the party was Catherine, wearing a mid-length green dress, who headed up the red-carpeted steps followed by husband William, second in line to the throne, wearing a blue suit and red tie.

They are attending the wedding just three months after their own marriage on April 29, which drew worldwide attention.

Prince Harry, William's younger brother, was last to arrive at the yacht, bouncing up the steps two at a time and entering the party to a huge cheer.

Phillips, wearing a white one-shoulder dress with a blue print design, and Tindall mingled with guests on the outside decking area of the ship during the two-hour party, as a live band played and waiters served champagne and canapes.

The older generation of Britain's royal family was absent, with no sign of the queen, her husband Prince Philip or William's father Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

The yacht, permanently moored in Edinburgh's port of Leith, served the royal family for 44 years, carrying them on 968 official voyages all around the world before it was decommissioned in 1997.

Phillips' parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, honeymooned on the ship, cruising the Caribbean in 1973.

The queen adored the yacht and wept in public for the first time when it was retired.

Before the party, former eventing world champion Phillips and rugby World Cup winner Tindall arrived at Edinburgh's 17th century Canongate Kirk in a chauffeur-driven Jaguar for one last run-through of the service.

The couple, both dressed in jeans, spent about 50 minutes inside, along with the Reverend Neil Gardner, who will conduct the ceremony, and Tindall's best man Iain Balshaw, his former Bath and England colleague.

At William and Catherine's wedding, more than a million people lined the streets of London and an estimated two billion more watched on television.

Phillips' wedding, a much more intimate affair, is not being televised but filming equipment was seen being moved into the church.

Canongate Kirk holds up to 400 people and is about 400 metres away from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch's official residence in Scotland, where the reception will be held.

The last royal wedding in Scotland was that of Anne and her second husband Timothy Laurence.

They married in 1992 at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, the queen's private estate in Scotland.

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Michelle Obama leaves for Africa, second solo trip (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – First lady Michelle Obama left for Africa on Sunday, embarking on her second official solo journey abroad with a goal of advancing U.S. policies on education, health, and democracy.

The first lady will arrive on Monday in South Africa, where she will make stops in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Later in the week she will visit Botswana.

Her trip will be rich with imagery.

As the wife of the first black U.S. president, Mrs. Obama's travel on the continent adds a different symbolic heft than previous first ladies' trips there have had.

In South Africa she will meet Graca Machel, the wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela. She will also visit the island where Mandela was imprisoned under apartheid.

In Botswana she will meet with President Ian Khama and with women leaders. She will also see a nature reserve.

Her trip comes as the United States starts gearing up for the 2012 presidential election, when her husband, President Barack Obama, hopes to hold on to the White House. Pictures of Mrs. Obama in Africa could appear in the campaign to appeal to black voters, a critical voting bloc for Obama's Democrats.

White House officials said her visit would advance her husband's foreign policy goals.

"This trip by the first lady is very directly connected to the president's agenda in Africa and the Obama administration's foreign policy in Africa," Ben Rhodes, President Obama's deputy national security adviser told reporters last week.

"It's no coincidence that she would be visiting countries that have embraced democracy, (and) in many respects, have shown that not only does their democracy deliver for its citizens, but it can provide a positive example for the neighborhood that these countries are in as well."

The first lady's previous official solo sojourn abroad was to Mexico.

She is joined on this trip by her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, as well as her mother.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)

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J-Lo undecided on second season on 'American Idol' (AP)

LONDON – Jennifer Lopez may come back for a second year as a judge on "American Idol." Or she may not.

"You know, this is the question of the hour. I don't know, I don't know," Lopez said Tuesday in an interview with Scott Mills of the BBC.

Lopez and another new judge, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, brought a gentler attitude to the top-rated show following the departure of Simon Cowell.

"I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it but I have a lot of other things happening and it's gonna come down to making a choice of really what I want to do for the next year," Lopez said.

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J-Lo undecided on second season on 'American Idol' (AP)

LONDON – Jennifer Lopez may come back for a second year as a judge on "American Idol." Or she may not.

"You know, this is the question of the hour. I don't know, I don't know," Lopez said Tuesday in an interview with Scott Mills of the BBC.

Lopez and another new judge, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, brought a gentler attitude to the top-rated show following the departure of Simon Cowell.

"I had an amazing time doing it and I loved it but I have a lot of other things happening and it's gonna come down to making a choice of really what I want to do for the next year," Lopez said.

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Second death at Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival (Reuters)

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) – A second person has died at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, Coffee County Sheriff's Deputy Toby Alonso confirmed on Monday evening.

Alonso, the ranking officer at the command center during the festival cleanup on Monday, said he didn't know much about the latest death.

Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves was unavailable for comment, but was quoted by local media earlier as confirming the death of a young man and attributing it to hyperthermia, and saying he was awaiting toxicology reports.

The Coffee County Sheriff's dispatcher said a news release would be issued on Tuesday morning.

A statement released by Bonnaroo officials said: "The safety of our patrons is our No. 1 concern, and we are deeply saddened by this."

It was the second death at the 10th annual festival, held on 700 acres of former farmland in Manchester, about 85 miles southeast of Nashville.

The body of Beth Myers, 32, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was found by friends late on Thursday night, Graves had said.

"We are unsure if heat exhaustion or any type of heat-related illness played a part in it," said Captain Frank Watkins of the Coffee County Sheriff's Department, after that death first was reported.

Autopsy results have not been released.

Heat -- temperatures stayed in the 90s almost the whole four days of the fest -- was an issue, as about 1,500 of the 80,000 attendees were treated for heat-related illnesses, officials said.

There also were hundreds of drug citations issued.

The festival ended Sunday night with a performance by Widespread Panic.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)

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Kate Middleton's Change of a Dress: See Her Second Look

You didn't expect the Duchess of Cambridge to wear the same dress to her reception as she did to her wedding, did you?

Of course not.

Kate Middleton changed from her Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen ceremony gown to another Burton designed garment for the evening's festivities.

Earlier this morning, Middleton wed Prince William and the world watched as the pair kissed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Click below to see both of Kate's beautiful dresses.

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Kate Middleton's Change of a Dress: See Her Second Look

You didn't expect the Duchess of Cambridge to wear the same dress to her reception as she did to her wedding, did you?

Of course not.

Kate Middleton changed from her Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen ceremony gown to another Burton designed garment for the evening's festivities.

Earlier this morning, Middleton wed Prince William and the world watched as the pair kissed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Click below to see both of Kate's beautiful dresses.

Popeater

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Tina Fey Announces She Is Pregnant With Her Second Child

'30 Rock' star Tina Fey has announced that she is pregnant and expecting her second child.

PEOPLE is reporting Fey revealed the big news during a taping of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' on Wednesday, where she was the guest. The show will be aired next week.

Soon after, Fey's rep confirmed the news and mentioned that the actress was five months along.

This will be the actress' second child. Fey and her husband, composer Jeff Richmond, already have a 5-year-old daughter named Alice Richmond.
Fey was recently honored for her role in the movie 'Date Night' at the inaugural edition of the Comedy Awards.

She has also won an Emmy for her work on 'Saturday Night Live.'

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Let’s all take a second to gawp at Charlie Sheen. Again.

We’ll be honest, we’re not entirely sure of how to report on this news story. And that’s mainly because WE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT CHARLIE SHEEN IS ON ABOUT. Yet again.

The nut is now trying to trademark 22 of his catchphrases. Which would mean, we assume, he would own the sole right to those phrases. Riiiiiight.

A big, fat, important company who deal with Charlie called Hyro-Gliff has filed trademark applications for nearly 2 dozen of the stars most famous sayings and are waiting to hear whether they’ve been successful.

And as well as a load of weirdo

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Let’s all take a second to gawp at Charlie Sheen. Again.

We’ll be honest, we’re not entirely sure of how to report on this news story. And that’s mainly because WE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT CHARLIE SHEEN IS ON ABOUT. Yet again.

The nut is now trying to trademark 22 of his catchphrases. Which would mean, we assume, he would own the sole right to those phrases. Riiiiiight.

A big, fat, important company who deal with Charlie called Hyro-Gliff has filed trademark applications for nearly 2 dozen of the stars most famous sayings and are waiting to hear whether they’ve been successful.

And as well as a load of weirdo

View the Original article