News in Film...

Knowing tops box office, Richardson is honoured on Broadway, Betsy Blair succumbs to cancer, Beatty is sued over Dick Tracy

Alex Proyas' sci-fi thriller Knowing (starring Nicolas Cage) reigned supreme at the domestic box office, pulling in an estimated $24.8 million in its opening weekend (Friday-Sunday), while the R-rated comedy I Love You, Man (starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal) premiered as runner-up, with $18 million. Julia Roberts and Clive Owens' Duplicity debuted at #3 with $14.4 million, pushing last week's #1, Disney's Race to Witch Mountain, to the fourth spot, adding $13 million to its 10-day total of $44.7 million. Rounding out the Top 5 was Watchmen, which made just $6.7 million in week three for a total take of $98.1 million, far less than what Warner Bros. was hoping for. In just its second weekend The Last House on the Left slipped to #6 at the box office, with a 58% drop to $5.9 million, bringing its sum to $24 million. Box office numbers were down 5% from this same time frame last year.

The theaters of Broadway, in New York, dimmed their lights to pay homage to the late film and stage actress Natasha Richardson, who died last week following an accident on a Quebec ski hill. Richardson's husband, mother, and sister (actors Liam Neeson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Joely Richardson, respectively) were amongst the crowd at the rare Broadway tribute, which lasted for exactly one minute at 8:00 last Thursday evening. "Her theatrical lineage is legendary, but her own singular talent shined memorably on any stage she appeared," remembered Charlotte S. Martin, the Broadway League's executive director. The Tony-winning actress was just 45-years-old at the time of her death, which was caused by bleeding in the skull, as the result of a fall on a training hill.

New Jersey-born, London-based film and stage actress Betsy Blair died March 13th at the age of 85, following a battle with cancer. Blair (b. Elizabeth Winifred Boger) was still in her teens when she worked as a dancer at a New York nightclub, where she met choreographer (and later actor) Gene Kelly, 12 years her senior. The couple married in 1941, moved to Hollywood, and then divorced in 1957, but not before Blair earned an Oscar nod for her supporting work in 1955's Marty. Her strong left-wing beliefs eventually led to Blair being blacklisted in Hollywood, which stunted her acting opportunites almost altogether. In 1963 she wed Czech filmmaker Karel Reisz, and made her final appearance in the 1994 mini-series Scarlett.

Tribune Media Services has filed a lawsuit against Oscar-winning actor-director Warren Beatty, over the TV and film rights to the legendary Chester Gould-penned comic strip Dick Tracy. According to Delaware court documents Tribune--which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last December--claims that the rights should revert back to them, because Beatty, 71, has failed to make any "productive use" of them within a 10-year period. Beatty, who purchased the exclusive rights back in 1985, directed and starred in the 1990 motion picture Dick Tracy, which won three Academy Awards (Original Song, Makeup, Art/Set Direction) and co-starred Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Madonna. Beatty initially sued Tribune last November, claiming that he was working on a Dick Tracy television special, which would render Tribune's suit uncredited.

Natasha Richardson Dies In New York Hospital

Tony-winning stage and film actress Natasha Richardson has succumb to unspecific injuries she sustained during a skiing accident two days ago at a Quebec resort. The wife and mother of two was just 45.

"[Husband] Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha," affirmed a statement issued by Neeson's publicist earlier this evening. "They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."

The initial fall on a training ski trail seemed minor, as Richardson turned down medical advice, only to end up in a Montreal hospital. She was then transferred to a facility in New York, where she was pronounced brain dead and then deceased, with Neeson at her side.

The Mont Tremblant Ski Resort, located 80 miles outside Montreal, also issued a statement: "She did not show any visible sign of injury, but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor."

Richardson was part of a dynasty of award-winning movie and stage actors, including mother Vanessa Redgrave, father Tony Richardson, grandfather Michael Redgrave, aunt Lynn Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson, and husband Neeson. The late actress' work included films Nell (1994), The Parent Trap (1998), and Maid in Manhattan (2002), and stage productions Anna Christie (1993), Cabaret (1998), and A Streetcar Named Desire (2005). Her final film was a 2008 teen comedy titled Wild Child.

Actress Richardson Seriously Injured in Quebec

After what seemed like a minor tumble at a Quebec ski resort, 45-year-old British actress Natasha Richardson was hospitalized in Montreal for possible brain damage. On Monday, Richardson was skiing on the "beginner's" hill at the Station Mont Tremblant, about 80 miles northwest of Montreal, and was training without a helmet and under the supervision of a professional instructor.

Richardson seemed fine after her fall and twice refused medical attention in order to rest in her hotel room. When her discomfort failed to improve, Richardson--who has been married to actor Liam Neeson since 1994--was admitted to Montreal's Hospital du Sacre-Coeur, before transferring to a hospital in New York on Tuesday. The condition of the mother of two has flucturated according to the source, some claiming that Richardson may even have suffered permanent brain damage.

Richardson is best-known for roles in movies like The Handmaid's Tale (1990), Nell (1994/ with Neeson), The Parent Trap (1998), and Maid in Manhattan (2002/ with Neeson), and won a 1998 Tony Award for her work in Broadway's Cabaret. Her mother is Oscar & Tony-winning legend Vanessa Redgrave, and her late father Tony Richardson is an Oscar-winning movie director and producer, who had succumb to AIDS in 1991. Neeson left the Toronto set of the Chloe movie he is in the middle of filming to be with his wife of 15 years.