'Lakeview Terrace' opens at No. 1
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- "Lakeview Terrace" led four new movies into the Top 10 rankings in U.S. theaters this weekend, Box Office Mojo said Sunday.
The Samuel L. Jackson thriller pulled in an estimated $15.6 million in gross gate receipts to claim the No. 1 spot. Last weekend's top movie, "Burn After Reading," was at No. 2 with $11.3 million.
Coming in at Nos. 3-4 in their debut weekends were "My Best Friend's Girl," the romantic comedy starring Kate Hudson and Dane Cook, at $8.3 million, and "Igor," an animated fable featuring the voice of John Cusack for the title character, at $8.01 million.
Next were "Righteous Kill" with $7.7 million in estimated ticket sales, "Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys" at $7.5 million and "The Women" at $5.31 million.
Debuting at No. 8 was "Ghost Town," a fantasy comedy starring Greg Kinnear, at $5.17 million.
"The Dark Knight" remains in the Top 10 in its 10th week in U.S. theaters at $2.95 million for ninth place, followed by "The House Bunny" at $2.8 million.
Bumped out of the top tier were "Tropic Thunder," "Death Race," "Traitor" and "Bangkok Dangerous."
New deal frees Spielberg from Paramount
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Paramount Pictures says Steven Spielberg's ties to the Hollywood studio are cut as the famed director has signed a new deal with an Indian film group.
A statement from Paramount said the studio allowed certain provisions in Spielberg's initial Paramount contract to be waived so the Dream Works official could sign a $1.2 billion deal with Reliance Big Entertainment, the Financial Times reported Saturday.
The Indian studio's purchase of Dream Works, which Spielberg co-founded with producer David Geffen, comes years after Paramount purchased the movie group for $1.6 billion.
While Spielberg and his fellow Dream Works minds will not produce movies through Reliance, he will remain entitled to profits from certain upcoming Paramount releases.
The Times said Spielberg will get 50 percent of the profits from Paramount projects in which he was involved, but that will not include the upcoming "Transformers 2.
While an unidentified source said Paramount's move has left some Dream Works officials confused, Paramount appeared conciliatory regarding Spielberg's departure, Variety reported.
"It has been an honor working closely with him and the DreamWorks team over the last three years, and we expect to continue our successful collaboration with Steven in the future," a studio statement said.
Doctor: Barker will recover from injuries
AUGUSTA, Ga., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker will fully recover from burn injuries he suffered in a jet crash in Columbia, S.C., a doctor said Sunday.
Dr. Fred Mullins of the Joseph Still Burn Center in Georgia said Barker and disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein should recover fully from injuries incurred in Saturday's crash, UsMagazine.com reported.
"I think these patients are going to make a full recovery," Mullins said.
The Learjet carrying Barker and Goldstein plummeted shortly after take-off at a Columbia airport. TMZ.com said the accident left both men with second- and third-degree burns while killing four others on board.
Meanwhile, those close to Barker told People.com Sunday they were shocked to hear the news about the former Blink-182 star.
The mother of Shanna Moakler, a former Playboy Playmate who is Barker's ex-wife, said her family was "crushed" by the news.
"They may be divorced, but they're still very close," Gail Moakler told People.com, noting they had two children together. "She spends a lot of time with him. Their priorities are their kids."
Michael allegedly found with crack cocaine
LONDON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- George Michael was allegedly in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana when the pop star was arrested in a London public bathroom, police say.
An unidentified Metropolitan Police spokesman said a suspect thought to be the singer was arrested in a men's bathroom in the Hampstead Heath park area after police allegedly found drugs on him, The Sunday Mirror reported.
"A 45-year-old man was arrested at 2 p.m. on Friday on suspicion of possession of drugs," the spokesman said. "He was taken to a North London police station where he was interviewed and cautioned for possession of a Class A and a Class C drug."
The Mirror noted Michael admitted in 2007 he was addicted to marijuana and prescription drugs. That public confession came after the pop singer pleaded guilty to a charge of operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, the newspaper said.
