Hollywood Digest

'RELOADED' ALREADY MAKING A LOAD OF MONEY

"The Matrix Reloaded" is heading for box-office record territory, according to a report in Daily Variety.

The paper reported Friday that the sequel to the 1999 blockbuster "The Matrix" scored record grosses for a sneak preview Wednesday night, and posted "unprecedented numbers" for matinee shows on its official opening day Thursday.

"It's become an event," said Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman. "The numbers I'm looking (at) on an hourly basis -- nobody has seen anything like it before."

Citing industry trackers, Variety reported that "Reloaded" grossed well over $10 million Wednesday night. The previous record for a similar one-night play was $3.1 million, set by "Jurassic Park" in 1993.

"Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" grossed $30.1 million when it opened on a Thursday in May 2002, and went on to take in another $80 million from Friday through Sunday.

Variety said "Reloaded" seems "highly capable" of topping the numbers for "Clones." But box-office analysts could not tell yet whether the Keanu Reeves-Laurence Fishburne sci-fi action picture is in position to threaten "Spider-Man's" record Friday-Sunday gross of $114.8 million, set last May.

FUNERAL PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR JUNE CARTER CASH

Country singer-songwriter June Carter Cash will be buried Sunday at a private funeral for family and friends, her manager said Friday.

Lou Robin, who also manages Johnny Cash, announced that the funeral will be held at First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn. Viewing will be held on Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Hendersonville Funeral Home on Johnny Cash Parkway in Hendersonville.

June Carter Cash died Thursday in Nashville from complications associated with heart surgery that she had undergone on May 7. She was 73.

The daughter of country music pioneer Maybelle Carter won Grammys with Johnny Cash for "If I Were A Carpenter" and "Jackson." She won a Grammy in 2000 for her solo album "Press On," and co-wrote one of Johnny Cash's biggest hits, "Ring of Fire," in 1963.

June Carter Cash also had an acting career. She co-starred with Johnny Cash in several TV movies -- including "Gospel Road" (1973), "Murder in Coweta County" (1983) and "Stagecoach" (1986). She co-starred with Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall in the 1997 theatrical feature "The Apostle."

On TV, June Carter Cash appeared in several episodes of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." In the 1950s she appeared on "The Edge of Night."

CELEBRATING A GREAT YEAR FOR MOVIES

Turner Classic Movies will celebrate 1939, a banner year for Hollywood, by airing 19 of the year's top films on Saturday nights throughout July.

In recent years, critics have complained about the quality of Hollywood's product. It isn't likely similar complaints were heard in 1939 -- a year in which Hollywood turned out such classics as "Gone with the Wind," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Stagecoach" and "The Wizard of Oz."

Those were just four of the 10 nominees for the Best Picture Oscar -- which went to "Gone with the Wind."

Some pictures that have become classics did not even make the Oscar nominee list -- such as "Gunga Din," "The Women" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." All three will be telecast over TCM during July.

The schedule also calls for airing "The Roaring Twenties," "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," "Stagecoach," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "Wuthering Heights" and "Love Affair."

CALLING ALL WINE TASTERS

Writer-director Alexander Payne ("About Schmidt") is casting for his upcoming movie, a comedy about two guys on a wine tasting trip in central California.

If Payne follows his normal practice, that could mean acting roles for people who live at or around the location he eventually chooses.

"I've always cast non-actors in my films," said Payne, who also wrote and directed "Election" (1999) and "Citizen "Ruth" (1996). "I want to get the real thing."

When Payne filmed "About Schmidt" in his hometown -- Omaha, Neb. -- he used real Omaha police officers to play cops. When he filmed "Election," he used actual Omaha high school students and teachers.

Isn't it taking a chance to hire a lot of people with no experience in front of the camera? Payne has a system for minimizing the risk.

"Audition them first," he said. "See who's bulletproof."

COURT RULING IN DOORS TRADEMARK SUIT

A Los Angeles judge has denied a request for a preliminary injunction, part of John Densmore's trademark infringement suit against his former Doors band mates.

Densmore filed the suit in February to prevent keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robbie Krieger from performing as the Doors. The suit claimed that the band's current reunion project is a trademark infringement that undermines the legacy of the classic '60s and '70s rock group.

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that the ruling in which L.A. Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Alarcon denied Densmore's request for an injunction also contained a provision that Manzarek and Krieger must call their new band the Doors of the 21st Century.

Manzarek and Krieger told the paper they would still be happy to have drummer Densmore join them and new singer Ian Astbury on their current Doors tour. Densmore could not be reached for comment.