Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” held tight Wednesday for a second week at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. The hard rock band’s first album in five years sold 337,000 copies in the United States during the week ended September 21, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Warner Bros. release debuted with 490,000 the previous week after just three days of sales. (It was released worldwide on a Friday. Albums usually come out on a Tuesday in the United States, and a day earlier everywhere else.)
New names, familiar ones top poll of 25 young stars
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - They range from big stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Miley Cyrus to relative unknowns such as Gemma Arterton of new James Bond flick “Quantum of Solace,” but one thing they have in common is being young and hot in Hollywood, according to an online poll released on Wednesday. AOL’s Moviefone.com offered its list of top 25 stars under age 25, and among popular celebrities including Oscar-nominated Keira Knightley, 23, and young Dakota Fanning, 14, there were up-and-comers such as Christopher Mintz-Plasse, 19, a.k.a. McLovin of last year’s movie comedy sensation, “Superbad.”
Clay Aiken acknowledges he’s gay
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former “American Idol” contestant Clay Aiken has acknowledged he is gay, confirming in an interview with People magazine what most of his fans have suspected for years. Aiken, 29, a born-again Christian who forged a successful career after being named runner-up in the 2003 “American Idol” television talent show, said he decided to come out after becoming a father in August.
Rekindled Beatlemania greets McCartney in Israel
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Paul McCartney arrived in Israel on Wednesday for an historic concert, flashing a V-sign for peace and making a surprise West Bank visit to the delight of Palestinian fans. “It is me,” McCartney told photographers at a Tel Aviv hotel hours after touching down for one of the biggest rock concerts in the Jewish state that shunned the Beatles 43 years ago as a “corruptive influence.”
Nicholas Sparks finds atmosphere key to romance
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, who has seen three of his romantic novels turned into films, celebrates as the third, “Nights in Rodanthe“, hits theaters and this month and a fourth, “Dear John” goes into production in South Carolina in October. “Nights in Rodanthe”, a mid-life love story of two strangers who become stranded together at a seaside inn during a storm, stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane and opens September 26.
Music groups agree online music royalties deal
(Reuters) - Record labels, music publishers, songwriters and online music services have reached an agreement on how to compensate music creators for online distribution of their content, they said. The agreement is designed to settle how the industry calculates royalty rates for limited downloads and music that is streamed online, including when it is provided by subscription and advertising-supported services.
Thurman signs on for “Letters to Santa”
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Uma Thurman and “Law & Order” alum Jesse L. Martin have joined the cast of NBC’s holiday special “Letters to Santa — A Muppets Christmas.” “Letters” is set on a Christmas Eve when Kermit and company mistakenly avert three letters en route to Santa Claus, which triggers a race against time to bring a happy Christmas to the kids whose wishes were lost in the mail.
“Made of Honor” takes the cake on DVD chart
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Two films that grossed about the same at the box office battled it out for the top spot on the national video sales chart, and the one with the significantly lower production budget won. “Made of Honor,” a Sony comedy that earned $46 million in theaters, bowed at No. 1 on the Nielsen VideoScan sales chart for the week ended September 21, while Warner’s “Speed Racer,” which made $43.9 million at the box office, landed at No. 2 on its debut. “Speed Racer” cost an estimated $120 million to make, three times as much as “Made of Honor.”
Affleck eyeing good “Company” of real-life drama
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Ben Affleck is in talks to star in “The Company Men,” and John Wells will direct the timely drama about a man whose life is up-ended by a financial downsizing. Producer Wells is writing the screenplay about a man who is laid off and must cope with the financial consequences and the fallout at home.
Ford to run ad using film from Web contest on NBC
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co on Wednesday will run an ad featuring a short film that won an online competition, reflecting how companies are seeking to cut costs while boosting their brand awareness. The 60 second ad shows two aspiring filmmakers and snippets of their film, “Numskull,” the winner of the “Mustang Stories” short-movie contest run by online video site Filmaka in conjunction with WPP Group Plc’s JWT Team Detroit ad agency and Ford.