Want to meet Kristen Stewart? You might, with this week's announcement of a series of Twilight conventions. That, and details about Kate Winslet, Sarah McLachlan, Rosario Dawson and news of a TV adaptation of St. Elmo's Fire topline this installment of the Hollywood Trade Roundup, a collection of the week's Hollywood hotties in the headlines from The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety.
The week opened with Sienna Miller and Channing Tatum's G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra learning that they were no match for aliens as the Peter Jackson-produced District 9 toped the boxoffice with a $37 million take. Rachel McAdams' The Time Traveler's Wife finished third, collecting $19.2 million and sending Meryl Streep and Amy Adams' Julie & Julia to fourth with $12.4 million for the weekend.
In Twilight news, distributor Summit Entertainment has partnered with Creation Entertainment — the promoter behind the Star Trek Conventions — for more than 20 Twilight conventions to be held over the next three years. Starting Aug. 28 in New Jersey, the weekend Twilight conventions will feature onstage appearances by Twilight stars, screenings, panels, musical performances, trivia, signings, photo-ops and more. Conventions are set for Chicago, Miami, Seattle, Nashville, San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Boston, Portland and more.
Meanwhile, Julia Jones (ER) has joined the cast of Eclipse, the third film in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga. Jones will play Bella's (Kristen Stewart) friend Leah Clearwater. Eclipse hits theaters June 30, 2010, while the second film in the series, New Moon, arrives Nov. 20.
More on next page...
\\\
(continued)
In a bid to find the next Friends, ABC has green-lighted a TV remake of cult hit St. Elmo's Fire, the 1985 film that starred Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Andrew McCarthy as a group of friends navigating the real world after graduating from Georgetown University. Among the new incarnation's producers are Topher Grace (That '70s Show).
Kate Winslet will star in Mildred Pierce, a miniseries adaptation for HBO where she will play a bored housewife who gets into the restaurant business. The adaptation of the James M. Cain novel was turned into the 1945 film that earned a best actress Academy Award for Joan Crawford.
Lilith Fair founder Sarah McLachlan will perform Sept. 15 at the first Cinema Against AIDS benefit gala during the Toronto International Film Festival, a prime launching pad for many films that wind up being the talk of the town come Oscar time.
Carey Mulligan (Public Enemies) has been cast as Gordon Gekko's daughter in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps. She joins the Michael Douglas starrer as a love interest to Shia LaBeouf's stockbroker. Shooting for the sequel to the hit 1987 film starts next month in New York.
More on next page...
\\\
(continued)
Bound's Jennifer Tilly has joined Justin Kirk (Puccini for Beginners, Weeds) in 30 Beats, an indie film exploring the encounters of 10 people in Manhattan.
Robert Redford will direct the story of Mary Surratt, who was convicted of abetting the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. The Conspirator will tell the tale of the woman who sympathized with the Confederates and allegedly supplied Wilkes Booth with weapons.
More than 2.8 million viewers tuned in to catch the hotness of January Jones, Christina Hendricks and Emmy nominee Elisabeth Moss for the Season 3 premiere of AMC's Mad Men. It set a ratings record for the drama with a leading 16 Emmy nominations.
More on next page...
\\\
(continued)
And because no Trade Roundup is complete without a drop of True Blood, the HBO drama set yet another ratings record as the vampire saga scored 4.5 million viewers to watch Godric meet the sun as Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) looked on.
Rosario Dawson (Rent) will star opposite Denzel Washington in Unstoppable, the runaway train drama directed by Tony Scott.
Natasha Henstridge will star in Family Gathering, a Hallmark Channel telefilm centering on a woman who returns to her family farm and finds new purpose training a sheep dog. She stars opposite Harry Hamlin (L.A. Law). The TV movie premieres next year.
On the Billboard album charts, Sugarland debuts at No. 1 with its Live on the Inside album, while Taylor Swift's Fearless holds steady at No. 9.
Looking to the weekend at the boxoffice, Quentin Tarantino's Nazi-era war drama Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt, bows against some wicked counterprogramming in the form of comedy Post Grad (starring Alexis Bledel and Carol Burnett), the family adventure Shorts and X Games 3D: The Movie.
Check back next week to see how Pitt fared against District 9 and more headlines from Hollywood.
Read past Trade Round-Ups and other entertainment stories from Lesley here!
