SATC2 is going to make a lot of money

Sex And The City 2 is currently at 14 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. But it ain't gonna matter. Deadline has this story:

"FRIDAY 8:20 AM UPDATE: Sources are saying Thursday gross was $14.3 million for Sex and the City 2, a strong number going into the weekend. After giving itself an extra day, Warner Bros will be looking for Friday business to stack up against the $26.7 million the original did on its opening Friday night.
FRIDAY 5:30 AM UPDATE: Sources say the Warner Bros sequel made a very strong $17.5 million on its rare Thursday opener (including $3M midnight showings in about 2,000 venues). That compares very favorably to the original's $26.7M opening Friday as well as Indiana Jones' pre-Memorial Weekend $25M Thursday debut. So now estimates have Sex And The City 2 earning $60+M for the 4-day weekend, and $75+M for the 5-day holiday. The original did $57M for its 3-day weekend.
THURSDAY 8:30 AM: The midnight showing of Sex and the City 2 turned in an estimated $3 million gross. That is 20% better than the $2.5 million midnight performance of the first film. It puts Warner Bros in strong position for a strong holiday opening for the film, despite the negative reviews the film has received. The film is open today on 3,445 theaters.
The original SATC surprised the studio when it turned in $2.5 million during its midnight opening. That pic turned in a $26.7 million opening day, which set it on course for a $57 million opening weekend on 3285 screens. The sequel is expected to do at least $60 million for the weekend, with more screens."

(... and, completely unrelated: a crack team of many hamsters appear to have recovered my lost work, which is good news for me and my weekend.)

I want this cake

I'm having a very bad day. First a bird defecated on me (and don't give me that nonsense about it being good luck) as I was walking to work and then some technical bleepery caused all my work for Sunday's paper to disappear into the great void of nothingness. I may have to reconstruct the whole thing. Or perhaps just curl up in a ball on the floor and rock gently from side to side. You know what would really help? A cake that has Batman fighting Darth Vader while they're both riding sharks.

(Via buzzfeed.)

Ben Kingsley channels Heidi Montag

Remember Heidi's awesome audition for Transformers 3?

The Lohan war is over

Lindsay's parents, Michael and Dina, have ceased all hostilities, according to Radaronline. Maybe the thought of soon-to-come profit if Lindsay actually gets that Linda Lovelace film going united them. Or maybe they just felt it was time to stop being obnoxious. (Meanwhile, Lindsay tweeted this: "can CHANEL please help me out by getting me some stickers to put on my scram bracelet so that i can at least wear a chic dress?! maybe!? x")

"Peace is at hand - finally. Lindsay Lohan’s feuding parents Michael and Dina had a lengthy meeting together Thursday with their attorneys in New York, RadarOnline.com has confirmed. According to Michael, he and his ex-wife reached an agreement on their long-running child support dispute and also reached a mutual understanding on how to support their troubled daughter Lindsay. “Everything is fine,” Michael told RadarOnline.com, in an exclusive interview. “Dina and I are finally on the same page and there are 15 pages to prove it.” Dina confirmed the peace talks, in an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com. “First of all, I never had a hatchet to bury and as far as Lindsay, he went on a media brigade and spun it all out of proportion,” she said. “As far as child support, he did not pay for a year and was facing jail time if he did not comply. He had to step up and pay.” Michael would not elaborate on the exact details of the agreement or what he and Dina resolved to do over Lindsay, who a court has ordered to refrain from drinking or doing drugs. Previously the outspoken patriarch has been at odds with Dina over the direction of Lindsay. He steadfastly claimed the 23-year-old needs to enter rehabilitation; Dina, on the other hand, has been insistent that she doesn't."

What in the holy name of crazy hats is that thing on your head?

REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

Erm ... so, yeah, I guess you hated the result?

This lady was a tad upset over the Idol results. I think there may be some bad words in there somewhere, but I'm not entirely sure. It's a bit difficult to hear amidst all the incoherence. (Thank you, Garnet).

While you were sleeping

... brought to you by the poster for Lindsay Lohan's upcoming movie, Inferno. A movie that, is has to be pointed out, hasn't started production yet. But whatev. Details.

Gary Coleman in serious condition "Gary Coleman is facing his third medical emergency this year. The Diff'rent Strokes star, 42, is currently listed in critical condition in a Provo, Utah, hospital. "I can confirm Mr. Coleman is a patient here at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center," hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank tells People. "He's listed in critical condition. He was admitted Wednesday. We are not confirming what department he's in or any further details." Coleman's brother-in-law told TMZ.com that the actor suffered a head injury after a fall."

Spawn "Following much speculation, a rep for the Grammy winner confirms to UsMagazine.com that Keys, 29, and producer beau Swizz Beatz are expecting a baby and are engaged to be married later this year. A pal tells Us, "They are very happy."  It's the first child for the singer; Beatz, 31, is father to sons Kaseem Jr. and Prince, both from prior relationships." That sounds like a keeper.

Maybe spawn "Mariah Carey abruptly pulled out of her role in Tyler Perry's new film this week, People has learned, sparking renewed speculation the singer/actress is pregnant. Carey, who won acclaim for her work in Precious, was set to appear in the adaptation of Ntozake Shange's 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Filming was set to start next month. But on Tuesday Carey abruptly withdrew from the project. "I'm not at liberty to discuss her personal life at this time," Carey's spokeswoman Cindi Berger says, declining to give a reason for Carey's withdrawal."

Dates locked in for big Warner releases "Warner Bros. has scheduled "Sherlock Holmes 2" for a mid-December 2011 release and is getting close to giving the go-ahead for a movie about beloved DC Comics superhero "Flash." The Dec. 16 release date next year for the "Sherlock" sequel was shown on a slide during a presentation here Thursday by Warner chairman and CEO Barry Meyer. His appearance was part of TW's investor day. Meyer said the 2011 film slate will have roughly 25 movies. As other big releases already set, he mentioned: Red Riding Hood: April 22, 2011; The Hangover 2: May 26; Green Lantern (3D): June 17; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (3D): July 15; Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 (3D): Sept. 23; Happy Feet 2 (3D): Nov. 18." THR. 

Alias reboot? From Kristin at E!: "Is the TV world ready for another Sydney Bristow? Nothing is even close to being anything official yet, so don't go dying your hair bright red in celebration or anything, but: A reliable insider at ABC tells me that there is talk of the network doing a "reboot" of one of the greatest TV series of all time, J.J. Abrams' Alias. How? When? Where? Why? Again, it's only very initial talk at this point, but I'm told that the development folks over at the Alphabet network are considering doing a new version of Alias that would borrow some elements of the original series that starred Jennifer Garner (and Michael Vartan, Victor Garber and some guy named Bradley Cooper who must have slipped into oblivion since). But the series would most likely not include any sort of complex mythological throughline such as the Rambaldi prophecy (a storyline that lost some of the fans). According to this source, ABC is hoping to hold onto its lost Lost audience."

People who like babies may like this

As you know, I'm not one of those people, so I can't really say whether this is cute or not.

The least surprising thing I've ever read about Tom Cruise

The Enquirer claims that Tommy has started referring to himself in the third person. I kinda always assumed he was the type who would do that. As in, "Tom Cruise needs his extra-special in-soles. Right NOW!" and "Tom Cruise needs his mail-order bride to smile. Right NOW." It just seems right.

"Tom Cruise - desperate for a blockbuster hit - snapped while filming his latest movie, sources say. The fading burrrrrrrn superstar's bizarre behavior on the "Knight and Day" set rocked his marriage to Katie Holmes, and crew members feared he was cracking up, according to insiders. "No one has ever seen Tom so close to the edge," an insider told The ENQUIRER. The 47-year-old actor startled crew members with his weird tics, and insisted on changing the movie's score just weeks before its June 25 release, said the insider. "Tom developed this bizarre habit of referring to himself in the third person," the source said. "He'd say things like, 'Tom Cruise is an action star - he'd never have salsa music in a film!'" And with her husband manic on the set, Katie crumbled, said the source. "At one point, she cried, 'Tom's so stressed out that I don't know him anymore. I just don't know how much more I can take,'" said the insider.

Awww ... not only did Crystal Bowersox lose to some bore ...