Posts By Sabrina Rojas Weiss

January 23rd, 2012 | 11:08 am by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Breaking Dawn Part 1 On Track To Be Highest-Grossing Twilight Pic

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was beloved by fans for a lot of reasons: the wedding, the honeymoon, the honeymoon, the honeymoon, and a whole lot of drama and blood and guts at the end. But it was still lagging behind its older Twilight siblings in box office numbers. New Moon had a bigger opening weekend ($142.8 million vs. $138.1 million), and both Eclipse and New Moon had bigger overall domestic box office grosses (Eclipse raked in $300.5 million, New Moon $296.6 million, Breaking Dawn Part 1 $280.3 million), according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.

But per Deadline, Summit announced that the global box-office gross for the fourth flick is $701.3 million so far, and once the final tallies are in, including the receipts from China and Japan, it will top New Moon’s $709.8 million worldwide gross. So is that a big vote for Bill Condon from the international audience? Does it reflect the gradual growth of Twilight fandom over the years (we imagine young kids catching onto their older sisters’ enthusiasm, friends giving into other friends’ relentless endorsements, etc.)? Is it the lure of Edward and Bella finally doing it? That extra foreign boost usually goes to big, explosive action movies that don’t need a whole lot of translation, and Eclipse was the movie with all the big battle scenes, so we’re curious about this number. Share your theories in the comments and on Twitter! And while you’re at it, let us know what you’re excited to rewatch when Part 1 comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on February 11.

[Photo: Summit Entertainment]

January 20th, 2012 | 5:09 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Ewan McGregor Is This Week’s Hotness!

To be honest, when we put Ewan McGregor up against Michael Fassbender for this week’s Hotness poll, we worried that Ewan might get crushed. Not that we dispute the Scottish actor’s hotness in the least, mind you. But Fassbender has all that buzz. And oh, yeah, all that full-frontal nudity, which inspired George Clooney to joke at the Golden Globes that he can play golf with his hands behind his back. Aaaanyway, Ewan certainly has the advantage of years of gathering devoted fans. Particularly a couple of them who live in the Ukraine and have apparently been hitting refresh nonstop for days. Well, give you clicking fingers a break, my friends, and watch both actors brutalized by Gina Carano in Haywire this weekend. Right after you celebrate your victory by looking at Ewan’s smiling face. Congrats!

January 20th, 2012 | 3:15 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Elizabeth Banks Is An OG Hunger Games, Maze Runner Fan

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We keep hearing how all the people involved in The Hunger Games movie were fans of Suzanne Collins’ books long before they were actually hired. Well, as fellow fans, we love to hear about how others discovered Katniss and her world. And that’s what we asked Elizabeth Banks yesterday, when she was in town to promote her latest movie, Man on a Ledge.

“I first got the book from a publishing friend,” said the actress, who plays District 12′s tribute handler Effie Trinket. “I had read a similarly themed book called The Maze Runner, also a great book, and someone said, ‘If you liked that, you’ll really like this upcoming book called The Hunger Games.’ ”

*Pause.* So, it sounds like she was a fan before the book was even out, back in September 2008. The Maze Runner, incidentally, is the first in a trilogy by James Dashner about a boy who wakes up in a box with no memory of his past and realizes he’s one of a group of boys forced to try to escape an ever-changing life-size maze. Catherine Hardwicke was attached to direct that movie, but we haven’t heard any news on it since January 2011. (Update: James Dashner just tweeted us that he doesn’t think Hardwicke is attached anymore. Boo!) OK, back to Banks and her Games obsession. *Unpause*
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January 20th, 2012 | 1:00 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Haywire Star Gina Carano’s 20 Hottest And Most Badass Looks

Some of us are just getting to know Gina Carano, as she makes her movie debut in Steven Soderberg’s Haywire, in theaters today. In the movie, she plays Mallory Kane, a private security contractor whose boss/lover turns on her. And naturally, to survive and exact revenge, she winds up kicking the ass of some rather delicious foes: Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Channing Tatum. She also happens to have done all of her own stunts. (At post-screening Q&A for the movie we attended back in December, she said she loves bruises and had to talk the stunt guys into hitting her for real.) Because before becoming an actress, she was a professional badass.

The Muay Thai kickboxer was one of the hottest MMA fighters in the biz before going on hiatus in 2009. (Here’s a little highlights video put together by a fan.) She was also #16 on the Maxim Hot 100 in 2009 and appeared as Crush on American Gladiators.

After seeing her defy the laws of physics in Haywire, we’re very eager for her to get back in the ring. Then again, it would be a loss to moviegoers if she didn’t stay in the acting game — despite the admission by Soderberg that he altered her voice for the flick; she doesn’t really talk all that much in the movie anyway. But we love seeing a female action hero with real muscle and fire in her eyes. Check out our 20 favorite pics of the lovely and deadly Gina below.

[Photos: Relativity Media]

January 20th, 2012 | 10:47 am by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Kobe Bryant, Kenny G, Avril Lavigne And More Breakup News

It’s January, the weather’s finally getting cold, and, sadly, some hearts are even colder. There are days when it’s too depressing to deliver celebrity breakup and divorce news, so we’re ripping off the Band-aid and giving it to you all in one shot.

» First, you might consider this happy news, if you’re Team Vanessa. Kobe Bryant’s soon-to-be-ex is getting $75 million in the divorce settlement, half of the NBA star’s estimated assets, according to TMZ. That includes all three of their houses in the Newport Beach area.

» Kenny G’s wife of 20 years, Lyndie Benson-Gorelick, filed for separation from the smooth-jazz sax-player, E! Online reports. The couple has two sons, Max, 18, and Noah, 14.

» Eva Longoria’s previous attempts to remove her “Nine” tattoo tribute to ex husband Tony Parker have been unsuccessful, so she’s going to amazingly named tat-erasing expert Dr. Tatoff, per TMZ.

» And contrary to rumors of their split, Avril Lavigne and Brody Jenner tweeted their love for each other: “It really upsets me to read all the FALSE!! stories. Avril has always been there for me and is the closest person to my heart. I love her,” Brody wrote on Tuesday, to which Avril replied, “luv u 2.” Still, those could also be interpreted as “just friends” declarations too.

Now, let’s get on with a happier Friday!

[Photo: Getty Images]

January 19th, 2012 | 6:34 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Elizabeth Banks Defends Bloodthirsty Masses Of Hunger Games, Man On A Ledge

While Hunger Games fans await our next glimpse of Elizabeth Banks as tribute handler Effie Trinket, the actress is busy promoting another role: She plays a police negotiator responsible for talking down the title character in Man on a Ledge, out next Friday (January 27). It’s a tense heist movie, also starring Sam Worthington and Jamie Bell, but we noticed a very big similarity between this movie and the upcoming Games. As Worthington decides whether to jump, 21 stories down an antagonistic crowd forms, eager for gruesome action, just the way we imagine the folks in Panem’s Capitol watching children kill each other on live TV.

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“It’s probably a direct line from this audience going ‘Jump, jump, jump,’ to the audience who watches the Hunger Games on those television screens in Panem,” Banks told TheFABlife. “Yeah, ’cause they’re definitely blood thirsty as well.”

But Banks doesn’t necessarily blame the crowds for wanting a good story.
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January 19th, 2012 | 6:00 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Sarah Burke Dead At 29, Mourned By Fellow Athletes

Just as the stars are arriving in a little Utah ski resort called Park City for the Sundance Film Festival, snow lovers the world over are mourning the death Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, who died today at 29 from injuries sustained in an accident on a half pipe in Park City last week. She suffered a ruptured vertebral artery, which led to a severe intracranial hemorrhage, a family spokesperson told Reuters.

Immediately after the news broke, the Twitterverse was flooded with messages of support for Sarah’s friends and family, with several messages coming from fellow X Games champs and Olympians.

“So saddened by the news about Sarah Burke. RIP my thoughts and prayers go out to all family and friends and the skiing community,” Olympic skier Julia Mancuso tweeted.
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January 19th, 2012 | 1:51 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

See The Hunger Games’ Jennifer Lawrence As The Girl About To Be On Fire

Here’s how The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen describes the most famous piece of clothing since Bella’s wedding gown: “A few hours later, I am dressed in what will either be the most sensational or the deadliest costume in the opening ceremonies. I’m in a simple black unitard that covers me from ankle to neck. Shiny leather boots lace up to my knees.”

Now, over at EW.com, you can see how Gary Ross and company have turned Suzanne Collins’ words into reality in an exclusive pic of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Lenny Kravitz. So far, so good, right? But there are a few things missing from the rest of her description:
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January 19th, 2012 | 1:10 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Jay-Z Compliments Warren Buffett’s Tie, And Other Imaginary Tales

Actually, the headline lies. We are really having a hard time imagining what really went down at the party celebrating the reopening of Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in New York City last night. It was Hov’s first public appearance since the birth of Blue Ivy Carter, and Beyonce understandably chose to stay home. The sheer variety of attendees would blow our mind if we weren’t already used to Jay’s wide scope of influence: Warren Buffet, Selita Ebanks, Spike Lee, Mob Wives star Renee Graziano and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia were there along with his more musical pals like Ashanti, Wale, Questlove and Irv Gotti. Head over to VH1 Blog for a gallery of the illustrious guests, and watch what Ashanti and Gotti had to say about the new parents in an interview with MTV News below.

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[Photos: Splash News Online, Getty Images]

January 18th, 2012 | 5:06 pm by Sabrina Rojas Weiss (@shalapitcher)

Michael Fassbender Vs. Ewan McGregor: Who Is This Week’s Hotness?

Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor: Both incredibly sexy men from across the pond, both very talented, both can wear the hell out of a scarf, both get their asses absolutely BEAT DOWN by Gina Carano in Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire, in theaters this Friday. Sorry, that was a tiny bit of a spoiler, except you know they wouldn’t cast an MMA fighter in a movie and have her sit in the drawing room sipping tea. More on Gina later this week. In the meantime, we would like to force you to choose between Fassbender — the 34-year-old Irish German who’s starred in just about every movie of 2011, from Jane Eyre to X-Men: First Class to Shame, where he got very naked — and McGregor, the 40-year-old Scot who weirdly won our hearts back when he played a heroine addict in Trainspotting and hasn’t lost them since. (We’re trying very hard to forget about his less-than-hot turn in those Star Wars prequels.) Who’s it gonna be, my friends? Peruse the gallery below and then vote. Poll closes at 2 p.m. ET on Friday.