'Ghost Protocol' top Cruise moneymaker
HOLLYWOOD, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The latest "Mission: Impossible" installment has become Tom Cruise's biggest hit, the latest worldwide box-office numbers indicate.
The Hollywood Reporter said "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" had reaped $603.5 million worldwide, topping the $592 million taken in by Cruise's blockbuster "War of the Worlds."
The newspaper said Saturday "Ghost Protocol" was turning into a big hit in China, where it took in $36 million in less than a week.
'Mean Joe' back for another Super Bowl ad
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman "Mean" Joe Greene says he will reprise his role as himself in a Downy commercial during Sunday's Super Bowl.
The football Hall of Fame member will be pitching Downy Unstoppables In-wash Scent Booster by accepting a clean and refreshing-smelling jersey from a small kid rather than the bottle of Coke he was given while he limped to the locker room after a bruising game in the classic Coca Cola ad 22 years ago.
"It didn't take much to convince me," Greene said in a written statement.
The Los Angeles Times said Downy received permission from Coca Cola headquarters to revive the character in the new ad, which will air during the Super Bowl pre-game show.
LA Reid coming back as 'X Factor' judge
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Epic Records Chairman LA Reid has signed up for another season as a judge on Fox's "X Factor," a source told The Hollywood Reporter.
Reid signed a new contract Friday, just four days after a big shakeup that saw host Steve Jones and fellow judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger let go.
The Reporter said Reid seemed to connect best with the audience, even though his willingness to quickly express his opinions about performances had many viewers seeing him and acerbic creator and fellow judge Simon Cowell as birds of a feather.
The Reporter said the search was continuing for another judge for Season 2. The newspaper's source said Mariah Carey is still under consideration, but rumors that Beyonce was a possibility have not panned out.
Rosie O'Donnell show being overhauled
NEW YORK, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The crew of "The Rosie Show" has been cut by nearly 30 as the Oprah Winfrey Network show undergoes a retooling, sources told Crain's Chicago Business.
The overhaul has included eliminating some regular segments of the show and downsizing to a smaller studio.
"With the new, more intimate studio, the show requires fewer staff to support the operation," explained Chance Patterson, spokesman for Harpo Studios, which produces the show.
Crain's said "Rosie" experienced a dive in the ratings after a strong debut in October. The number of viewers fell more than half to about 200,000 per show, but the situation appears to have stabilized in recent weeks.
Among the recent changes implemented are more one-on-one interviews with Rosie and guests without the audience present. Consulting Producer Scott Carlin said the new ambiance plays to O'Donnell's skills as an interviewer and is part of an evolutionary process most new TV talk shows undergo.
