“'Final Destination' keeps fans coming with $15.4M - Delaware County Daily Times” plus 4 more

'Final Destination' keeps fans coming with $15.4M - Delaware County Daily Times
Off to see `The Wizard' for free at Netflix Oct. 3 - Beaver County Times
Private investment in charter schools - Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Venice festival fans treat Chavez like star of Stone's documentary - Arizona Daily Star
Extras sought for movie about Secretariat - WBIR

'Final Destination' keeps fans coming with $15.4M - Delaware County Daily Times

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 01:54 AM PDT

By David Germain, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Movie audiences are continuing to visit "The Final Destination" as the fright flick took in $15.4 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend to remain the No. 1 box-office draw, according to studio estimates Monday.

Released by Warner Bros., "The Final Destination" raised its 11-day total to $50.6 million.

Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic "Inglourious Basterds" ran a close second with $15 million from Friday to Monday. The Weinstein Co. tale lifted its total to $95.2 million in its third weekend.

Debuting at No. 3 with $13.9 million was 20th Century Fox's romantic comedy "All About Steve," starring Sandra Bullock on a cross-country trek pursuing the man of her dreams.

Among the weekend's other new releases was Lionsgate's thriller "Gamer," which pulled in $11.2 million to finish at No. 4. "Gamer" stars Gerard Butler in a tale about real humans controlled by players in deadly games.

Opening at No. 10 with $5.3 million was Miramax's comedy "Extract," starring Jason Bateman as a businessman whose personal life heats up just as he's trying to sell his flavor-extract company to General Mills.

The Labor Day weekend is traditionally a slow one at theaters, with audiences preoccupied by outdoor activities and a new school year. But with Hollywood fresh off a summer revenue record of $4.25 billion, theaters did solid business over the holiday, with receipts for the top-12 movies at $102.6 million, up 10.5 percent from Labor Day weekend last year, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"It's been a huge summer," said Bert Livingston, 20th Century Fox distribution executive. "Especially when the economy has been the way it is, our business is thriving, because people want to escape and go and lose themselves for a couple of hours."

For the year, Hollywood revenues are running at a record pace of $7.4 billion, 7.8 percent ahead of 2008 ticket sales. Factoring in higher ticket prices, admissions for 2009 are up 4 percent compared to last year's, according to Hollywood.com.

"We couldn't be in a better position heading into the fall," said Paul Dergarabedian, Hollywood.com box-office analyst. "We've got momentum with us."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "The Final Destination," $15.4 million.

2. "Inglourious Basterds," $15 million.

3. "All About Steve," $13.9 million.

4. "Gamer," $11.2 million.

5. "District 9," $9 million.

6. "Halloween II," $7.1 million.

7. "Julie & Julia," $7 million.

8. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $6.7 million.

9. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $5.5 million.

10. "Extract," $5.3 million.

On the Net:

http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

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Off to see `The Wizard' for free at Netflix Oct. 3 - Beaver County Times

Posted: 07 Sep 2009 11:10 PM PDT

Anyone with a computer and Internet connection can be off to see "The Wizard of Oz" for free next month, courtesy of Netflix Inc.'s movie-streaming service.

The free showings will be available throughout the U.S. for 24 hours beginning at 9 a.m. EDT Oct. 3.

It's part of a publicity stunt to draw attention to the film's 70th anniversary. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is celebrating the occasion by selling a special edition of the movie on Blu-ray and DVD beginning Sept. 29.

While Time Warner Inc.'s home video unit is trying to drum up more sales, Netflix is hoping to introducing more people to the convenience of streaming movies over the Internet. The technology already has helped Netflix _ the leading DVD-by-mail service _ attract more than 4 million subscribers since the company unveiled its streaming service in 2007.

Netflix's 10.6 million subscribers will be able to watch "The Wizard of Oz" in high-definition during the free promotion if they have a flat-panel TV and one of the many gadgets compatible with the company's streaming service. Customers just have to remember to add the movie to their queues.

Non-subscribers should be able to watch the movie for free on their computers by going to http://www.netflix.com/wizardofoz.

Netflix is also staging a free concert in New York's Central Park on Sept. 29, headlined by Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, performing songs from film. After the concert, the movie will be shown on an inflatable screen in Central Park. (Unfortunately for those into "The Wizard of Oz" psychedelic lore, there are no plans to play Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of The Moon" during the public showing.)

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Private investment in charter schools - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 01:26 AM PDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Charter schools, already seeing a surge in students, are getting attention from another group private investors.

Entertainment Properties Inc., known mostly for sinking its money into movie theaters and wineries, recently bought 22 locations from charter school operator Imagine Schools for about $170 million. The real estate investment trust acts as landlord, while Imagine operates the schools and is using the investment to expand its chain of 74 locations.

They really are an effective source of long-term financing that we can rely on and enables us to do what were best at, which is running schools, and do what theyre best at, which is long-term real estate ownership, said Barry Sharp, chief financial officer for Arlington, Va.-based Imagine. Its a good fit.

Charter school supporters hope the move by Kansas City-based Entertainment Properties is the first of many such partnerships as they deal with increased interest from parents but not more money to build or expand their facilities.

In the past decade, the number of U.S. charter schools has tripled to 4,618, while the number of students enrolled has almost quadrupled to more than 1.4 million, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

While charter schools are publicly funded, they often dont have the same access to bonds and other financing available to mainstream public schools. That forces many to operate in places like storefronts or church basements, said Todd Ziebarth, vice president of policy for the alliance.

I think its probably the biggest challenge facing charters, not only finding space but once you find it how do you pay for it, particularly if youre going to buy it, Ziebarth said. I think its limiting their growth and its limiting the expansion of existing schools.

Charter school supporters say the need for construction funding is high, and the entry of a for-profit player like Entertainment Properties signals that theyve gone from being an educational curiosity to being seen as a future significant part of the educational landscape.

David Brain, chief executive of Entertainment Properties, said he initially was skeptical of investing in charter schools. But he said he looked deeper and determined that most of the charter school operations that had failed either never opened or were independent operations with little experience.

Focusing on large players who know how to operate schools, hire teachers and develop a curriculum, he said, provides the company a more dependable return.

Were not speculators, were investors, so I have to invest in property making money for me and my customers today, said Brain, whose trust oversees a $2.6 billion portfolio. The charter public schools offer lenders/leaseholders a dependable revenue stream backed by a government payer. Its a very desirable equation.

While charter advocates welcome the interest of private investors, they wish the focus was less on the larger networks and more on the vast majority of independent schools that could use help.

Jeanne Allen, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform, said states and individual school districts ultimately must change how they allocate funds, either allowing charters to use bonds or give them more money to build their own facilities.

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Venice festival fans treat Chavez like star of Stone's documentary - Arizona Daily Star

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 12:07 AM PDT

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Extras sought for movie about Secretariat - WBIR

Posted: 08 Sep 2009 02:16 AM PDT

Lights, cameras and plenty of action are in store for Kentuckians who want to be a part of the upcoming movie "Secretariat."

Extras are being sought for the movie being made by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Filming in Kentucky will last about two weeks beginning at the end of September.

Casting calls will be held in Louisville at Churchill Downs on Thursday and in Lexington at Griffin Gate Marriott Resort on Saturday. Those attending should bring a non-returnable photo of themselves.

Secretariat won horse racing's Triple Crown in 1973. He set a track record at the Kentucky Derby before going on the win the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.