'Jones' earns $25 million in first day
HOLLYWOOD, May 24 (UPI) -- The Hollywood blockbuster "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has earned $25 million in its first day of release, Nielsen EDI says.
The Hollywood Reporter said Friday that the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie, which was officially released nationwide Thursday, posted the impressive opening thanks to midnight screenings and an appearance in 4,260 U.S. theaters.
Nielsen EDI said the early screenings alone brought in between $4 million and $5 million based on initial estimates.
The film, starring actor Harrison Ford in the title role of the action adventure, will eventually open 12,000 additional screens worldwide.
The Reporter said despite the strong initial earnings, "Skull" will likely not break the five-day opening record set by "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."
"Sith" earned $173 million nationwide during its initial five-day 2005 release thanks, in part, to its record Thursday opening of $50 million, the Reporter said.
Jolie wants to give birth in France
NICE, France, May 24 (UPI) -- Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has crossed the ocean as part of her goal of giving birth to her twin children in France, the Daily Mail says.
The British newspaper said Jolie and her companion, actor Brad Pitt, are at the French Riviera resort of St. Jean Cap Ferrat preparing for the imminent birth of their two children.
The "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" stars, who are staying at the elegant Florentine-styled palace in southeastern France, already have a number of contingency plans for the twins' births.
Included in these plans are a helicopter and military-trained pilot who can fly the couple to the nearby Princess Grace Hospital for the births.
The 32-year-old actress also has two private nurses, a gynecologist and a midwife on hand in France for the occasion.
The Daily Mail said Jolie, who wants to honor her Gallic descent by giving birth in France, has endured gestational diabetes, painful swelling and low blood pressure during her pregnancy.
Gibson helping Spears through troubles
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, May 24 (UPI) -- Hollywood star Mel Gibson is helping pop singer Britney Spears deal with her personal issues while on vacation in Costa Rica, sources say.
One unidentified source said the 52-year-old actor and his wife Robyn have been helping the "Toxic" singer since February when she was admitted to the psychiatric unit of the University of California-Los Angeles' Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
While Gibson has drawn his own share of media coverage for his outspoken religious beliefs, the source said the personal assistance was not focused on spirituality.
There was no religious overtones," the source told the Times, "no endgame other than trying to show her there's a way to live your life without being in the fishbowl, and learning how to raise kids that way."
The newspaper said as a temporary reprieve from her highly publicized custody battle and floundering musical career, the "Passion of the Christ" star took the 26-year-old singer to Costa Rica.
Gibson and his wife have a second home in Costa Rica and the vacationing celebrities spent the time looking at area properties, the Times reported.
Lohan seen kissing female friend
CANNES, France, May 24 (UPI) -- U.S. singer-actress Lindsay Lohan reportedly spent time intimately kissing a friend, Samantha Ronson, at a recent yacht party in France.
The "Mean Girls" actress was seen kissing the sister of British music producer Mark Ronson during a party Thursday in Cannes, the Daily Mail reported Friday.
The two women were first romantically linked last year and the media had reported the singer kept in contact with Ronson during her highly publicized stint in a rehabilitation center.
The British newspaper said Lohan also was seen during the party on board a yacht owned by rapped Sean "P Diddy" Combs wearing a ring on her engagement finger.
The newspaper said the appearance of the ring comes as Lohan, who previously has been linked to actors Jude Law and Colin Farrell, is not immersed in any publicized romantic relationships.
