'Star Wars: Episode III' tops box office
HOLLYWOOD, May 22 (UPI) -- Fox's "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" grossed $158 million in its debut week, topping the U.S. box office, estimated boxofficemojo.com.
New Line's "Monster-in-Law" made $14 million last week for a total box office of $44 million, while Universal's "Kicking and Screaming made $10.5 million for a total box office of $34 million.
"Crash," distributed by Lion's Gate, made $5.5 million for a total box office of $28 million.
"Unleashed" earned $3.8 million for a total box office of $18 million, while "Kingdom of Heaven" collected $3.3 million for a total box office of $41 million and "House of Wax" made $3.3 million for a total box office $27 million.
"The Interpreter" collected $2.8 million for a total box office of $65 million, while "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" made $2 million for a total box office of $47 million and "Mindhunters" made $909,000 for a total box office of $3.5 million.
China funds Kunqu Opera
BEIJING, May 22 (UPI) -- Chinese officials are planning to spend about $1.2 million annually from now through 2009 to revitalize the Kunqu Opera.
A government source said the investment would be mainly used to collect traditional librettos, create new plays, support public performances, save rare materials, promote the opera distribution, and train and reward professionals, the Guangming Daily reported.
In addition, four Kunqu Opera programs will be created for composers and researchers, according to the National Kunqu Opera Preservation Project, which was recently initiated by the Ministry of Culture.
Public financial support of Kunqu Opera has revived the ancient opera form in some areas such as Shanghai and Jiangsu Province, reported Xinhua, China's main government-run news agency.
The aim of the national Kunqu Opera program is to effectively preserve and develop the ancient opera across the country, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Celebrities do tribute using pope's words
CUPERTINO, Calif., May 22 (UPI) -- A Los Angeles-based company is offering a tribute to Pope John Paul II: recordings of celebrities reading the pope's inspirational words, poems and prayers.
OnQ Digital is releasing a video to share the thoughts of Pope John Paul II as conveyed by celebrities including Britney Spears, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Danny Glover, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Deepak Chopra, Kirk Franklin, Vince Gill, James Earl Jones, Monica, 'N Sync, Edward James Olmos and Brooke Shields.
The producer of "Tribute to Pope John Paul II" asked celebrities to share the words of Pope John Paul II that most inspired them.
The video is being made available by OnQ Digital for purchase in 23 countries at http://popejpii.navio.com.
