HollywoodNews.com: The Weinstein Company announced today that they will feature a live Q&A session with director Michel Hazanavicius, and star Bérénice Bejo live online, beginning at approximately 1:30PM PT/4:30PM ET. The event will feature the director and actress, just days after the film was named BEST PICTURE by the Producers Guild of America and the Golden Globes.

The Q&A will be streamed online at www.theartistmovie.net and www.facebook.com/theartist.twc allowing film fans across the world to submit questions and participate in a discussion with the cast and crew on the making of the film. The Weinstein Company hosted a similar event with the ensemble cast of THE ARTIST earlier this month as well as last year with the film, THE KING’S SPEECH and had over 20,000 questions submitted in a 30 minute period during the Q&A. The Artist has been nominated for three SAG AWARDS including Best Ensemble Cast and Best Supporting Actress for Bejo.
Hollywood 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), it seems the sky is the limit – major movie stardom awaits. THE ARTIST tells the story of their interlinked destinies. The film opened in U.S. theaters on November 25th.

Directed by Michel Hazanavicius THE ARTIST stars Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, James Cromwell, Missi Pyle, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Beth Grant, Joel Murray, Ken Davitian and John Goodman. It is written by Michel Hazanavicius and produced by Thomas Langmann.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as SCREAM, SPY KIDS and SCARY MOVIE. Together TWC and Dimension Films have released a broad range of mainstream, genre and specialty films that have been commercial and critical successes, including Tom Hooper’s THE KING’S SPEECH, winner of four 2011 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as GRINDHOUSE; I’M NOT THERE; THE GREAT DEBATERS; VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; THE ROAD; HALLOWEEN; THE PAT TILLMAN STORY; PIRANHA 3D; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; A SINGLE MAN; BLUE VALENTINE; THE COMPANY MEN; MIRAL; SCRE4M; SUBMARINE; DIRTY GIRL; APOLLO 18; OUR IDIOT BROTHER; I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT; SARAH’S KEY; and SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D. Currently in release are MY WEEK WITH MARILYN; THE ARTIST; THE IRON LADY and CORIOLANUS. Upcoming is W.E.

TWC is also active in television production, with credits including the Emmy® nominated and Peabody Award winning reality series Project Runway, the VH1 reality series Mob Wives, and the critically acclaimed HBO comedy/crime series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency which also received a Peabody Award. The company is currently producing After The Runway, Project Runway All Stars and Project Accessory. The company currently has 17 series in different stages of development, including Marco Polo, a scripted historical series about the great explorer; and The Nanny Diaries, being adapted for ABC by Amy Sherman Palladino (Gilmore Girls).

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HollywoodNews.com: The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have joined forces with TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein to create a new TWC label to bring new films and other specialty entertainment to audiences simultaneously across multiple digital and traditional platforms. Quinn and Janego will serve as Co-Presidents of the yet-to-be named label, which will be based in New York. The announcement was made by TWC COO David Glasser.

Quinn and Janego were among the first in the film industry to explore the potential of emerging digital platforms and were in the vanguard of developing new strategies for alternative distribution during their tenures at Magnolia Pictures, where they were Senior Vice President and Head of Legal & Business Affairs, respectively. In 2005, Magnolia became one of the first distributors to implement the day/date releasing, premiering Steven Soderbergh’s BUBBLE and Alex Gibney’s ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM simultaneously in select theaters and on DVD. Over the next several years they expanded on the premium VOD/theatrical platform model with such films as James Gray’s TWO LOVERS, Neil Marshall’s CENTURION, Takashi Miike’s 13 ASSASSINS, Alex Gibney’s CLIENT 9 and FREAKONOMICS, the documentary based on the bestseller, enabling these specialty and independent releases to compete alongside studio content.

The new label makes TWC the first studio to premiere select titles across multiple platforms via immediate-access digital and traditional media and will bring TWC’s unique, high-quality films to larger audiences than ever before. As Co-Presidents, Quinn and Janego will develop content and distribution strategies that move beyond the on-demand model, with a goal of establishing the new label as a marquee destination. Quinn and Janego will oversee acquisitions, productions and distribution of label content. Both will report to Harvey and Bob Weinstein and David Glasser in New York.

Quinn and Janego will be on-site at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival to begin scouting titles for the fledgling label. It is anticipated that the label will release its debut title in the first half of 2012.

Said Quinn and Janego, “Our experience in digital distribution has been eye-opening and inspiring; we see it as a new frontier for studios and for independent filmmakers of every stripe. It makes perfect sense that the godfathers of modern independent cinema, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, would be the first studio chiefs to launch a business dedicated to these new platforms, and we are thrilled to be working alongside them in this new venture. We can’t wait to get going.”

Commented Harvey and Bob Weinstein, “It’s an exciting time in filmmaking; technology has made film a more democratic medium than ever, for artists and audiences. There are just so many great movies being made all over the world, and the new digital platforms make it possible for more people than ever to see them. We are thrilled about launching this new label with Tom and Jason at the helm: not only are they innovators with a deep understanding of all things digital, they’re two guys who love movies like we do. In a lot of ways, this label is an expansion on the work we’ve been doing for more than 20 years, and with Tom and Jason aboard we think it will chart a path into the future.”

Added Glasser, “My tenure with TWC has coincided with seismic changes in the cinema landscape, particularly with respect to the digital revolution and the advent of new platforms for watching movies. Our new label represents a forward-thinking approach to an evolving marketplace, and is a natural step for us as a studio built on specialty films. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a realistic and exciting way to grow TWC as a studio while staying true to the love of film that is so strong in Harvey and Bob, and in our new partners, Tom and Jason.”

Previously, Quinn spent more than seven years at Magnolia Pictures as SVP and Head of Acquisitions. He created Magnet Releasing, Magnolia’s genre arm, the Six Shooter Series, as well as the annual Oscar Shorts Program. He’s acquired and distributed over 100 films including ONG BAK, MAN ON WIRE, THE HOST, WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN, JESUS CAMP, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, and WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED. His recent films include: PAGE ONE, MELANCHOLIA, 13 ASSASSINS, HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, TROLLHUNTER, FREAKONOMICS, CENTURION, I AM LOVE, MONSTERS, and FOOD INC. His productions include: OUTRAGE, COCAINE COWBOYS 2, SPLINTER, and ABC’S OF DEATH. Quinn is also a programmer, having worked for Philadelphia, Atlanta, Woodstock, and ActionFest, a festival he was instrumental in creating. Prior to joining Magnolia, he was at Samuel Goldwyn for seven years, eventually becoming VP of Acquisitions, where he was responsible for acquiring RAISING VICTOR VARGAS and SUPER SIZE ME. Quinn’s first industry job was working in domestic film publicity for Nancy Willen at Dennis Davidson Associates.

Prior to joining TWC, Janego had his own consultancy and legal practice focusing on the development of innovative strategies for the production, financing and distribution of content in all areas of the entertainment business. In his career as an executive, lawyer, consultant, and producer’s representative, Janego has been involved with over 250 films. Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer at Big Beach Films, a New York-based production company whose credits include AWAY WE GO, IS ANYBODY THERE and SUNSHINE CLEANING. Before joining Big Beach, Janego was Head of Business & Legal Affairs for Magnolia Pictures, Magnolia Home Entertainment, and Landmark Theatres, all of which are subsidiaries of the vertically integrated media company Wagner/Cuban Entertainment. Janego has also worked at Miramax Films and with the film sales company Cinetic Media. Earlier in his career, he was employed as an attorney in the legal department of the NBC television network and with Artemis Records. He also serves on the Committee on Film at the Museum of Modern Art.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as SCREAM, SPY KIDS and SCARY MOVIE. Together TWC and Dimension Films have released a broad range of mainstream, genre and specialty films that have been commercial and critical successes, including Tom Hooper’s THE KING’S SPEECH, winner of four 2011 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such film as GRINDHOUSE;I’M NOT THERE; THE GREAT DEBATERS; VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; THE ROAD; HALLOWEEN; THE PAT TILLMAN STORY; PIRANHA 3D; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; A SINGLE MAN; BLUE VALENTINE, THE COMPANY MEN; MIRAL; SCRE4M. Currently in release are OUR IDIOT BROTHER and SPY KIDS 4:ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D. Upcoming releases include DIRTY GIRL, I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, THE ARTIST, THE IRON LADY and BUTTER. Recently wrapped is COGAN’S TRADE.

TWC is also active in television production, with credits including the Emmy® Award-winning hit reality series “Project Runway,” the new VH1 reality series “Mob Wives,” and the critically acclaimed HBO comedy/crime series “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.” The company is producing three “Project Runway” spinoffs, “Project Runway All Stars,” “Project Runway: Masters” and “Project Runway: Accessories,” which are expected to debut in 2011. The company currently has 17 series in different stages of development, including: “Marco Polo,” a scripted historical series about the great explorer; “The Nanny Diaries,” based on the hit book; and “The Mad Ones,” adapted from the Mafia novel of the same name.

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By Greg Hernandez

HollywoodNews.com: Funny, I’m just so not tired of writing about ‘The Kids Are All Right’ getting award nominations!

We just don’t have many films about same-sex parents and their children – especially any that reach a mainstream audience, make some decent money at the box office and get all kinds of awards attention.

‘Kids’ stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a longtime couple raising two children whose lives are turned upside down when their daughter, about to leave for college, tracks down her sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo).

The cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award earlier this week for best ensemble, the SAG Awards equivalent of a best picture nod. They compete against the casts of ‘Black Swan,’ ‘The Fighter,’ ‘The King’s Speech’ and ‘The Social Network.’

Prediction: ‘The Social Network’ unless ‘The Fighter’ comes on strong.

Miss Bening, who won the SAG Award for ‘American Beauty,’ is nominated for best lead actress. In what must be a recurring nightmare for her, the competition includes Hilary Swank for ‘Conviction.’ Swank beat Bening both years where she was considered a front-runner for the Oscar when she was up for ‘Beauty’ and ‘Being Julia.’

But this time around, it is Bening who has more momentum as Swank was a surprise nominee. The rest of the field was expected, however: Nicole Kidman for ‘Rabbit Hole,’ Natalie Portman for ‘Black Swan,’ and Jennifer Lawrence for ‘Winter’s Bone.’

Prediction: It will come down to Bening and Portman. Bening is deserving and due but Portman is in the role of a lifetime. Still, my pick to win is Bening.

To read more from this article go to Greg In Hollywood.

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hollywoodnews.com: Following a hearing this afternoon, The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced that it has won a unanimous appeal of the NC-17 rating initially given to its feature film Blue Valentine by the Motion Picture Association of America. The MPAA’s Classification and Rating Administration had bestowed the NC-17 due to one scene, a sexually intimate sequence between a married couple trying to repair their broken relationship.

The rare unanimous decision by the appeal board strengthens the ability of the film to reach audiences as an acknowledged award-season contender, already nominated for a Gotham Award and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. It has also received wide kudos from critics such as Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger, who wrote, “If there’s any justice, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams will both earn Oscar nominations for their raw, arresting performances.”

“All of us – the filmmakers and cast – were united in our support for the film in its original form. After presenting our case to the MPAA appeal board today, they were convinced of the artistic nature of Blue Valentine and recognized that it was consistent with the kind of movies for which The Weinstein Company is known. We appreciate their decision to give the film an ‘R’ rating,” stated TWC Co-Chair Harvey Weinstein, who led the appeal with a team of attorneys including Alan R. Friedman and David Boies.

“Every so often you get to stand up for something that you believe in. We believed in presenting relationships and sexuality with an honesty and truthfulness often lacking in the grand tradition of Hollywood sensationalism,” stated Derek Cianfrance. “I am thankful the MPAA saw the light and were humble enough to reverse their decision, and I am also thankful for all the support from the industry and fans of Blue Valentine. This is a victory for free speech and artistic integrity.”

“I am so appreciative that the MPAA was gracious enough to reconsider their rating of the film,” offered star Ryan Gosling. “I can’t express how grateful I am to those in the media who stood up for the film and put their reputations on the line in using their voices to support something they believed in. This is a film that was created for the audience, to reflect how complex they are and to involve them in a dialogue that Derek Cianfrance has been trying to engage them in for twelve years. We’re over the moon to have the opportunity to finally be able to share it with those for whom it was intended.”

“It is amazing to be a part of this historic decision,” said Blue Valentine producer Jamie Patricof. “While this has been a frustrating distraction from the film, the outpouring of support from the industry, journalists and film fans has been truly moving. We are ecstatic, that the MPAA was able to see the honesty that Derek was able to achieve in this film and overturned the original rating, so the film can now be seen all across the world.”

Directed by Derek Cianfrance, written by Cianfrance, Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, and produced by Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell and Alex Orlovsky, Blue Valentine will be released December 31, with plans to expand nationwide in January.

About The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as Scream, Spy Kids and Scary Movie. Since its launch, TWC and Dimension Films have also released such films as Grindhouse, Lucky Number Slevin, 1408, I’m Not There, The Mist, The Great Debaters, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Reader, The Road, Clerks II, Factory Girl, Halloween, A Single Man, The Pat Tillman Story, Piranha 3D and such recent Oscar nominees as Nine and Inglourious Basterds.

Currently in release is Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. Upcoming films include John Wells’ feature directing debut Company Men, starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Rosemary DeWitt, Maria Bello and Chris Cooper. Recently wrapping is My Week with Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson and Julia Ormond, with new installments of Spy Kids 4 and Scream 4 currently in production.

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hollywoodnews.com: In response to the ratings given to two of its upcoming films, The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that it has engaged a formidable legal team to challenge the NC-17 rating for ‘BLUE VALENTINE’ and the R rating for ‘THE KING’S SPEECH’ given by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), according to TWC Co-Chair Harvey Weinstein.

“While we respect the MPAA, I think we can all agree that we are living with an outdated ratings system that gives torture porn, horror and ultraviolent films the same rating as films with so-called inappropriate language,” explains Weinstein.

In mounting the challenge, TWC has assembled a team of top attorneys including David Boies, who serves as legal advisor on both films, Bert Fields, who is overseeing the appeal for ‘THE KING’S SPEECH,’ and Alan R. Friedman, the lead attorney for ‘BLUE VALENTINE.’

‘THE KING’S SPEECH’ drew an R rating due to its multiple occurrences of strong language, even though it is used in a non-aggressive, non-sexual, therapeutic way. Director Tom Hooper states, “I hope that language can be judged by its context just as violence is currently judged in context. The f-word in ‘The King’s Speech’ is not being used in its sexual sense, or in its aggressive sense, but as a release mechanism to help a man overcome a stammer in the context of speech therapy, in a scene that is also very funny. This was a technique that David Seidler, the writer, encountered as a boy in the 1940s – discovering he didn’t stammer on curse words was hugely helpful to him overcoming his speech problems. Fortunately in the UK we have been granted a 12A, and the on screen certificate will explain that there is some bad language “used in the context of speech therapy”. I hope that in the light of this context the R rating for the movie can be reconsidered.”

Prompted by the decision from the British Board of Film Classification to lower the rating of ‘THE KING’S SPEECH’ to 12A, the equivalent of our PG-13, and to use the specific warning: “Contains strong language in a speech therapist context,” as well as the outcry from parents, teens and educators who have already seen the film, TWC has requested what is referred to as a Special Hearing with the MPAA. The Special Hearing is necessary because the film is now within 25 business days of its theatrical release. “We were so encouraged by the British Film Board’s decision to lower the rating in England that it motivated us to fully support the Special Hearing that TWC has requested. We feel that school kids in America would otherwise miss out on the opportunity to see this film which at its core is a film about overcoming adversity, based on moral themes of friendship and self belief,” comments Iain Canning.

Not only has the film received support from filmgoers, but also from a chorus of key journalists, including Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times, Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly, and countless other editors and writers. The other motivation for proceeding with the 11th-hour appeal is in response to audiences who believe the current powder-keg issue of childhood bullying, and its effects long into adulthood, subtlety illustrated in the film, should reach pre-teen and teenage viewers.

Attorney Fields adds, “This rating for ‘THE KING’S SPEECH’ is arbitrary and irrational. In my view, it violates The Weinstein Company’s right to freedom of speech under the state and US constitution. It should strike fear in the heart of every director and producer.”

‘BLUE VALENTINE,’ starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, in a film already acclaimed by critics, tells the honest and personal story of a troubled marriage, and yet apparently drew an NC-17 due to one scene, a sexually intimate sequence between a married couple trying to repair their broken relationship.

Gosling comments, “You have to question a cinematic culture which preaches artistic expression, and yet would support a decision that is clearly a product of a patriarchy-dominant society, which tries to control how women are depicted on screen. The MPAA is okay supporting scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual torture and violence for entertainment purposes, but they are trying to force us to look away from a scene that shows a woman in a sexual scenario, which is both complicit and complex. It’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s sexual presentation of self. I consider this an issue that is bigger than this film.”

“The MPAA’s decision on ‘Blue Valentine’ unmasks a taboo in our culture, that an honest portrayal of a relationship is more threatening than a sensationalized one,” says Williams. “Mainstream films often depict sex and violence in a manner that is disturbing and very far from reality. Yet, the MPAA regularly awards these films with a more audience friendly rating, enabling our culture’s desensitization to violence, rape, torture and brutality. Our film does not depict any of these attributes. It’s simply a candid look at the difficulties couples face in sustaining their relationships over time. ‘Blue Valentine’ opens a door for couples to have a dialogue about the everyday realities of many relationships. This film was made in the spirit of love, honesty and intimacy. I hope that the MPAA will hear our pleas and reconsider their decision.”

In order to appeal, TWC is forced to accept the NC-17 rating for now, the first step in the appeals process. Initially TWC sought to go outside of the ratings board, and release the film unrated, however in the last 10 days so much support of the film has been garnered that TWC has decided to move forward with an official MPAA appeal. “Over the past year I have witnessed audiences all over the world personally relating to the story and characters, so brilliantly and bravely performed by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams” states director, Derek Cianfrance. He adds, “The one positive to come out of this miss-directed decision, is the passionate outpouring of support from the industry, the media, and the fans of the film. I have yet to meet someone who has seen the film who agrees with this ultra-conservative decision.”

“Stamping this film with the rarely used NC-17 is a travesty,” says attorney Friedman. “That rating is out of sync with R ratings awarded to films for sexual conduct, where the scenes in question are far less sensitively handled. The scene, consistent with the entire film, like all of ‘BLUE VALENTINE,’ was shot with great care and tact. In fact, the NC-17 suggests a coarseness of content that is nowhere to be seen. I look forward to providing the appeal board with the chance to correct this mistake by lowering the rating to an R.”

As both films are slated for an end of the year release and are considered by many to be leading awards contenders, TWC hopes to come to a resolution on an expedited timetable.

‘THE KING’S SPEECH,’ starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter is directed by Tom Hooper, written by David Seidler and produced by Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, will have an exclusive Thanksgiving release.

‘BLUE VALENTINE,’ directed by Derek Cianfrance, produced by Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell and Alex Orlovsky, will be released on December 31 and expands nationwide January 2011.

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HollywodoNews.com: The Weinstein Company has acquired “Apollo 18,” the sci-fi thriller based on the screenplay by Brian Miller, winner of the inaugural Astana International Action Film Festival screenplay competition, founded by “Wanted” director Timur Bekmambetov. Trevor Cawood is set to direct the project.

Bekmambetov and Michele Wolkoff, President of Development for Bekmambetov Projects Ltd. (BPL) will produce the film.

Set to be shot documentary style, the film unearths lost footage from Apollo 18’s undocumented and covert mission to the moon, revealing disturbing new evidence of other life forms.

Bekmambetov announced the contest this spring, in conjunction with Kazakhstan’s first film festival held in Astana, Kazakhstan July 27-July 1, 2010. Five finalists from the United States, France, Kazakhstan, and the UK attended the film festival, which was a celebration of international action films. As part of the competition, Miller was awarded a cash prize and a development deal with BPL.

The film is slated to begin production this December for a March release date.

About The Weinstein Company

The Weinstein Company (TWC) was created by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. TWC is a multimedia company that officially launched on October 1, 2005. Dimension Films, the genre label that was founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, is also included under the TWC banner. During the Weinsteins’ tenure at Miramax Films, the company released some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful independent feature films which received 63 Oscar wins and 274 Academy Award nominations and have generated billions of dollars in worldwide box office receipts and billions more in home video sales. In its history, Dimension Films has released some of the most successful franchises including Scream, Spy Kids and Scary Movie.

Forthcoming releases include Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, John Wells’ (“ER,” “The West Wing”) feature directorial debut Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Rosemary DeWitt, Maria Bello and Chris Cooper, as well as the highly anticipated new installments of Spy Kids 4 and Scream 4, to be released in 2011.

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By Greg Hernandez

HollywoodNews.com: Big-time movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie ruled at the box office this weekend with “Inception” and “Salt,” respectively.

But a movie that cost a lot less to make is gathering steam and it’s a drama about a lesbian couple (Annette Bening and Julianne Moore) whose lives are turned upside down when their two kids track down their sperm donor daddy (Mark Ruffalo).

The film expanded from 28 theaters to 201 on Friday and grossed an estimated $2.6 million over the three days. That may sound small compared to the $43.5 million grossed by Salt but the real success is in the per theater total. “Kids” grossed an average of $13,174 on each screen it played which was higher than any other movie.

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By Greg Hernandez

HollywoodNews.com: Yeah, “The Twilight Sage: Eclipse” and “Toy Story 3″ are still making gobs of money and the new animated flick “Despicable Me” had a stunning $60 million debut this weekend, but I’m more interested in the box office returns of “The Kids Are all Right.”

This movie has gotten the kind of acclaim that Oscar hopefuls dream about. It opened in just seven theaters and managed to gross a stellar $505,000. That means each theater showing the film grossed an average of $72,127 over the weekend – the highest per theater average of any movie released so far in 2010.

“Kids” stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (both four-time Academy Award nominees) as a longtime couple raising two children. Their lives are turned upside down when their daughter, about to leave for college, tracks down her sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo).

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HollywoodNews.com: Lady Gaga has never followed the rules and always painted her own road toward success. So it’s not surprise that she’s once again breaking the barriers, only this time she’s managed to outrage a good handful of people.

She recently performed in Manchester, England and simulated a murder scene on stage, being attacked by her dancers before collapsing to the floor in fake blood. She’s now taking some heat for the performance because her act came on the same day a cab driver in England went on a rage and killed twelve people before taking his own life. In addition, only three days before her concert, a man was charged with murdering three prostitutes.

A fan at the show told UK’s The Sun, “I’m a huge fan but was shocked like everyone else. It was sick, especially after what happened in Bradford and Cumbria. It was just over the top and gory.”

A father who took his daughter to the show added, “I’m absolutely sickened at what I saw. We know Lady GaGa is not exactly mainstream for all the family, but she crossed the line this time. It was extremely tasteless to see her pretend to be attacked in such a gory way, especially in front of kids.”

It looks like Gaga’s got some explaining to do to her little “monsters.”

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