BY SEAN O’CONNELL

Hollywood is a busy town. Movers bump into shakers on their way to the next power meeting. You have to move quickly if you want to keep up.

HollywoodNews.com is here to help. Our interview feature, “Hollywood In Five,” showcases the creative individuals responsible for the movies we love, and corners them for five quality minutes. Or, at least, as close to 5 minutes as we can manage!

Click here to listen to our interview with “The Crazies” director Breck Eisner.

Breck Eisner, son of Hollywood executive Michael Eisner, cut his teeth directing psychological thrillers (2003’s “Thoughtcrimes”) and big-budget, tentpole vehicles (“Sahara,” with Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz). This weekend, audiences will see a different side of the storyteller as he tackles a stripped-down, chilled-to-the-bone adaptation of George A. Romero’s 1973 horror fave, “The Crazies.”

The film follows the denizens of a quiet, Midwestern farm community who must fight for their survival once a toxin in the water turns townfolk into malicious zombies. Eisner spoke to HollywoodNews.com on his way to the airport on the day his movie hits theaters.

- Overture Lets Loose Crazy Comics, Games

- A night to remember for “The Crazies”

By SEAN O’CONNELL
Pitchers and catchers start reporting to spring training camps on Feb. 18. But video game enthusiasts know the season doesn’t officially begin until the 2010 baseball games arrive in stores. And on that front, we have news to report.

Spike TV’s program “Game Trailers TV” recently hosted the newest trailer for Sony Computer Entertainment’s “MLB 10: The Show.” The baseball simulation game, developed by Sony’s San Diego division, will be released on March 2 and promises a host of new features, including a Catcher’s Mode and a coveted Home Run Derby. There will be single- and multi-player modes, as well as online play. If you missed the new trailer, here to check it out.

Meanwhile, 2K Sports’ own baseball franchise, “MLB 2K10,” also has been teasing its game ahead of a March 2 release – nothing like a little head-to-head competition to get the juices flowing. The game is being developed by Visual Concepts, and will be available on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PS2 and Nintendo DS. Head over to 2K’s official site for clips with Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander and shots of this year’s cover athlete, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria.

By SEAN O’CONNELL
Lost in the hoopla over “Avatar’s” staggering box office is the quiet success of Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes.” Based on weekend estimates posted by Box Office Mojo, the literary franchise reboot has taken in $204.3 million at the domestic box (on top of an additional $203 million overseas), making it one of only 10 films release in 2009 to cross the $.200 million mark.

For most of the talent involved, this shatters previous records. Ritchie’s highest grossing film before “Sherlock” was “Snatch.” It earned $30 million. Jude Law, who plays the esteemed Dr. Watson, was part of the $118-million-grossing “Lemony Snicket” … as the narrator. As for Holmes himself, Robert Downey Jr. has only one film that has outgrossed “Sherlock,” and that’s Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man.” Expect this summer’s “Iron” sequel to top both “Holmes” and the original “Iron” adventure.

Speaking of sequels, talk of a “Sherlock” second act has circulated. The Hollywood Reporter recently wrote that Brad Pitt – who worked with Ritchie on “Snatch,” has “had discussions” about playing Moriarty in the next film. But on the L.A. Times’ blog, “Holmes” producer Joel Silver was quoted as saying, “Well, I mean, we talked about that at one point, but you know as of right now we’re not sure what we’re going to do. We’ll see what happens.”
We certainly will.

BY SEAN O’CONNELL
Look! Up on the Warner Bros. lot! It’s … Christopher Nolan, swooping in to potentially save another DC Comics franchise that has lost its way.

Deadline Hollywood has reported that Nolan – fan-fave director or “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” – has been approached by Warner to serve as a guiding “Godfather” on a planned “Superman” reboot. It’s unlikely Nolan would direct the picture, as the article also states that Nolan has “hatched an idea” for a third Batman movie and probably would move on to that project instead.

The story does it make it clear, however, that the new Superman movie would not be a sequel to Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns,” which was well-received by critics and fans but considered a financial disappointment thanks, in part, to its lofty budget. This would be a complete reboot, a la Batman when Nolan first took over or the current reboot on Spider-Man, Daredevil and countless other superhero characters. It’s a good time to be in the comic-book business. More on the Superman story as it develops.

By SEAN O’CONNELL

Fans of James Cameron’s “Avatar” can have Pandora. True fantasy geeks know where the real action will be at this month: Rapture, the crumbling, underwater paradise that houses the award-winning first-person shooter game “Bioshock” and its anticipated sequel.

“Bioshock 2” doesn’t arrive in stores until Feb. 9, but 2K Games announced today that more than 2,500 GameStop and Best Buy stores will open their doors when the clock strikes midnight to the hordes of fans hungry to get their hands on and devour the sequel. In addition, those who pre-ordered the game through GameStop will receive two bonus characters – Blanche the Actress and Zigo the Fisherman – to use in the game’s multiplayer mode.
The road to the launch of “BioShock 2” kicks off tonight, with the debut of a 3 minute 15 second trailer during the first commercial break of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Early reviews, meanwhile, have surfaced on the Web. In the follow up, playesr will assume the identity of a Big Daddy – those dome-headed and drill-handed protectors of Rapture. The game, designed by 2K Marin and 2K Australia, promises bigger enemies, new maps and larger weapons. And of course, the game’s trademark art deco design … a true selling point for gamers who appreciate attention to detail.

According to Matt Peckham of PC World, however, the ocean lair that surrounds Rapture will play a larger part in the new adventure, as the thin glass shielding our heroes from the watery mix often gives way to submerge the action. Thank goodness Big Daddy’s can breathe underwater.

PSM3, meanwhile, rated the game at 93 percent and said it “tops the original in terms of storytelling an combat.”

We hope to play “Bioshock 2” in the near future, and will bring you our immediate response. In the meantime, “Bioshock 2” is available for pre-order at all major outlets, and will be in stores on Tuesday, Feb. 9.