Will Moviegoers Go Ape Over Latest Planet?

How much of a rise will 20th Century Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes give the box office? Not an especially big one, according to box-office forecasters, who were notably way off in their calculations last week, when they predicted that Universal’s Cowboys & Aliens would do much more business than it did and that Sony/Columbia’s The Smurfs would do much less business than it did. They figure that this weekend, the Apes prequel will do around $30-35 million in business, while the latest gross-out comedy, Universal’s The Change-Up, will bag about $10-15 million. The big question is which movie will come in at No. 2? Cowboys & Aliens will be hoping for strong word-of-mouth to keep it from shedding a big share of its original take. On the other hand The Smurfs has been enjoying terrific midweek business, coming in well ahead of Cowboys every day of the week.

Update:

Daily Variety reported on its website today (Saturday) that the Planet of the Apes prequel grossed $19.5 million on Friday and is expected to double that figure through Sunday.

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Minnelli's Photoshoot In Handcuffs And Leather

Liza Minnelli has stunned fans after posing in handcuffs and leather for a provocative new magazine spread.

The Cabaret star can be seen wearing thigh-high leather boots and flashing her middle finger at the camera in the shoot with fashion photographer Terry Richardson.

Minnelli also channels the Statue of Liberty as she puffs on a cigarette with a green robe draped across her body and her hair styled in spikes.

In another shot, the actress/singer appears to be topless and handcuffed, with just a bouquet of red roses to protect her modesty.

The dramatic pictures appear in the latest issue of Britain's Love magazine.

Moss Swaps Partying For The Quiet Life

Wild child Kate Moss has swapped partying for bingo and playing children's games, according to her best friend Sadie Frost.

The British supermodel is famous for her hellraising antics, and has been a firm fixture of the London social scene since she hit the bigtime in the 1990s.

The beauty married her rocker beau Jamie Hince last month, and her actress pal Frost reveals Moss has opted for a more relaxed lifestyle since her big day.

She tells Britain's Metro, "We still have a really good time, doing things normal grown-ups do with their children, playing games.

"On Saturdays we cook lunch for our kids and hang out in the garden. I had a great time on Saturday night playing bingo at home with the children.

"She is a huge inspiration. She's godmother to (my daughter) Iris, and (her daughter) Lila is my godchild."

Reynolds And Theron End Brief Romance - Report

Ryan Reynolds and Charlize Theron have ended their rumoured relationship after just two months, according to a U.S. report.

The actors were first linked in June, after Reynolds' motorcycle was spotted outside Theron's Hollywood home.

Representatives for the South African beauty fuelled the claims last month by refusing to confirm or deny she was dating Scarlett Johansson's ex-husband, but it appears the romance has already fizzled out.

According to Us Weekly magazine, Reynolds called off the fling in late July.

A source says, "They're both too busy. And they were hardly ever together anyway."

Reynolds' divorce from Johansson became official on 1 July.

Coppola And Mars Will Marry In Historic Village Palace

Filmmaker Sofia Coppola will marry singer Thomas Mars on the historic grounds of the picturesque Palazzo Margherita in southern Italy later this month.

The Lost in Translation director will exchange vows with Phoenix frontman Mars in a civil ceremony on 27 August on her dad Francis Ford Coppola's lavish estate in the small village of Bernalda.

Francis Ford Coppola's great nephew Gaetano Russo tells wwd.com, "The ceremony will mark the end of renovations at the palace, which will soon be inaugurated as a resort, open to the public."

And the Coppolas plan to turn the nuptials into a celebration for the whole village - they will screen scenes from films by both Sofia and her famous father on the walls of 10 buildings around Bernalda.

Coppola's representative confirmed the engagement in May. The couple has two young daughters together.

Davis' Weight Gain Wasn't Enough For The Help

Actress Viola Davis piled on 25 pounds (11.34 kilograms) for her role as a middle-aged maid in new movie The Help - but still had to wear body pads to appear thicker than she was.

The usually-svelte Oscar nominee stars alongside Emma Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard in the big screen adaptation of author Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel, about the 1960s racial divide between middle class white families and their African-American maids in Jackson, Mississippi.

Davis indulged in fatty fried Southern foods to bulk up for the part, but her weight gain wasn't quite enough.

She says, "I had to gain 25 pounds during The Help and then I was padded. I gained weight by eating Mississippi food. They fry the butter before they put it on the bread and then they fry the bread!"

Swinton Didn't Know Importance Of Oscar Win

Actress Tilda Swinton had "no idea" how prestigious it was to win an Academy Award because she doesn't own a television and has never been interested in Oscars news.

The British star was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2007 drama Michael Clayton and it was Swinton's first time attending the biggest event in the Hollywood calendar.

The actress acknowledges the professional clout that came with landing such a coveted honour, but insists it is "not really" of any personal significance for her or her kids - who couldn't care less about the Oscar statuette.

She tells W magazine, "I have to admit that I'd never seen the Oscars on television and really had no idea that it was so important. It was a very long show, but it did move me up from the children's table, professionally, in Hollywood.

"When I brought my Oscar home and showed the children, nobody knew what it was. The thing sat on the kitchen table for two weeks. It was kind of meaningless to them."

Swinton decided against capitalising on her new-found status in Hollywood and instead chose to return to the smaller, independent films that she was more moved by.

She adds, "After winning, I went straight to Milan (Italy) and started I Am Love. Since then, I haven't done another Hollywood film."