Michael Jackson Bit Cut From 'Bruno' Movie

The sudden death of Michael Jackson on Thursday prompted a series of discussions at Universal Pictures that resulted in the studio cutting a Jackson-related sketch from "Bruno" only hours before its Los Angeles premiere.

Uni removed a scene in which Bruno, the flamboyant Austrian journalist played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviews an unsuspecting LaToya Jackson about a number of topics, including her brother.

Among the gags is a joke about the King of Pop's high-pitched voice, as well as a reference to his trademark white glove, all done in Baron Cohen's characteristically absurdist tone.

The scene played at press screenings earlier in the week, where it did not stand out as unusually outrageous in the context of Baron Cohen's other antics.

But after Jackson's death on Thursday, the studio and filmmakers decided to remove the scene for the premiere screening out of sensitivity to the Jackson family. The film now cuts directly from Baron Cohen's gonzo interview with Paula Abdul to a focus-group for his faux reality show.

Still, because many critics attended those earlier showings, its content could make its way into reviews. Indeed, removing the scene in a way calls more attention to it, though the studio clearly wanted to avoid even the perception of poor taste at any cost.

"We decided to take it out for tonight, and we'll reassess before the release whether to keep it out," said director Larry Charles at the premiere's afterparty. A spokesperson for Universal also confirmed that it had not come to any decision on future showings.

In a sense today's move was the easy part. The studio is going wide with the film in two weeks, and cutting the scene from every print could be a laborious and expensive process.

It's rare that a studio changes a movie in post because of current events, though in a slightly different vein, studios pushed back the release of films such as "Spider-Man" in the wake of Sept. 11.

CBS Announces 2009-2010 Premiere Dates

CBS has announced its 2009-2010 premiere dates:

CBS today announced dates for the fall premieres of its new and returning series, which include a pre-season debut for SURVIVOR: SAMOA and the launch of the new Sunday drama series THREE RIVERS in early October. The Network will introduce the majority of its schedule beginning Monday, Sept. 21, the official start of the 2009-2010 season.

SURVIVOR: SAMOA, the 19th installment of the hit reality series, will debut a week prior to the formal start of the season, on Thursday, Sept. 17 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS's new season rollout officially begins on Monday, Sept. 21 with HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT), the premiere of the new comedy ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT), the seventh season premiere of television's Number One comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN (9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT), the third season premiere of THE BIG BANG THEORY in its new time period (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the eighth season premiere of CSI: MIAMI (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

NCIS begins its seventh season on Tuesday, Sept. 22 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the new NCIS: LOS ANGELES spin-off (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the freshman drama THE GOOD WIFE (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS returns its Wednesday comedy block on Sept. 23 with the fifth season of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT) and sophomore comedy GARY UNMARRIED (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the fifth season premiere of CRIMINAL MINDS (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the sixth season premiere of CSI: NY (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION returns for its 10th season on Thursday, Sept. 24 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) followed by the time period premiere of last season's No. 1 new hit THE MENTALIST (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

The Network's top-rated Friday lineup returns on Sept. 25 with the fifth season premiere of GHOST WHISPERER (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), the Network debut of the popular drama MEDIUM (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by the sixth season premiere of NUMB3RS (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS's Saturday schedule premieres Sept. 26 with the return of 48 HOURS MYSTERY (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), preceded by two hours of CRIMETIME SATURDAY (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT).

60 MINUTES, television's highest rated news magazine, returns for its 42nd season on Sunday, Sept. 26 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT), followed by a special two-hour debut of the 15th edition of the multi-Emmy Award-winning THE AMAZING RACE (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) and the seventh season premiere of COLD CASE in its new time period (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT).

Premiering a week later on Sunday, Oct. 4 is the new drama THREE RIVERS (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT).

CBS's 2009-2010 Premiere Dates

Thursday, Sept. 17
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR: SAMOA (19th Installment Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 21
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (5th Season Premiere, OAD 9/19/05)
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (Series Debut)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN (7th Season Premiere, OAD 9/22/03)
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (3rd Season Premiere, OAD 9/24/07)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI (8th Season Premiere, OAD 9/23/02)

Tuesday, Sept. 22
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (7th Season Premiere, OAD 9/12/03)
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (Series Debut)
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (Series Debut)

Wednesday, Sept. 23
8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (5th Season Premiere, OAD 3/13/06)
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED (2nd Season Premiere, OAD 9/14/08)
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS (5th Season Premiere, OAD 9/22/05)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY (6th Season Premiere, OAD 9/22/04)

Thursday, Sept. 24
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (10th Season Premiere, OAD 10/6/00)
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (2nd Season Premiere, OAD 9/23/08)

Friday, Sept. 25
8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER (5th Season Premiere, OAD 9/23/05)
9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM (Network Debut, OAD 1/23/05)
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS (6th Season Premiere, OAD 1/21/05)

Saturday, Sept. 26
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY (Season Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 27
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES (42nd Season Premiere)
8:00-10:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE (15th Edition Premiere)
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE (7th Season Premiere, OAD 9/23/03)

Sunday, Oct. 4
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS (Series Debut)

Exclusive: Zack Snyder Talks 300 Sequel

Warner Bros. held a press meeting this afternoon to showcase the new immersive technology of their upcoming Watchmen and 300 Blu-rays. Zack Snyder, in addition to talking about the releases, chatted with ComingSoon.net/Superhero Hype! about his potential sequel to 300.

"I know for a fact that Frank [Miller] is writing right now," says Snyder, who explains that the plan is for Miller to create the story as a comic book first, "[He's] drawing away and seems to be knee-deep in it. I think he's going to head back to Greece again and do another reconnaissance."

With the first 300 having been created on a decidedly smaller budget than Watchmen, Snyder says that he probably wants the look and feel of a sequel to maintain that of 300, even though Miller's notes promise a grander scale.

"I think we would use the same technology... I don't want it to look too Star Wars-ian... Just from what [Miller] told me, it would be bigger as far as landscape and terrain. We're going to see Athens and the Aegean and other places. There would be an opportunity for bigger visions, though I'd hope for the same aesthetic. The tech we used for '300' was not a revolution. It's basically what the weatherman has. Look, instead of Accuweather it's Sparta... It's going to be the same way, but on crazier steroids."

Ryan Reynolds Gets Buried

Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will star in Buried, playing a civilian contractor who's kidnapped in Iraq and awakens buried in a coffin in the desert, armed only with a cell phone, a candle and a knife.

Rodrigo Cortes will direct a script by Chris Sparling; production will begin this month in Barcelona.

Peter Safran will produce through his Safran Co. with Adrian Guerra of Spain-based Versus Entertainment, which is financing the film. The picture will shoot entirely in Spain, which is home to Cortes.

Transformers Breaks Wednesday Record with $60.6M!

Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned $60.6 million its first day, easily breaking the opening day record for a Wednesday release at the domestic box office.

The previous record-holder was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which grossed $44.2 million in its first day.

The $60.6 million is the second-biggest single day at the domestic box office ever, trailing only The Dark Knight's $67.2 million and surpassing Spider-Man 3's $59.8 million.

"Revenge of the Fallen," playing in more than 4,200 theaters in the U.S., has a strong shot at surpassing the $152.4 million earned by Spider-Man 2 in its first five days. That film opened on the same Wednesday in 2004. The 5-day record is held by The Dark Knight, which made $203.8 million its first five days last July.

The opening day haul in the U.S. included $16 million in midnight runs, the best run ever for a film released on a Wednesday. And it's the third-best of all time after The Dark Knight ($18.5 million) and Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith ($16.9 million).

Report: Cavaliers close to trade for Shaq

The Cleveland Cavaliers are close to acquiring Phoenix center Shaquille O'Neal in a trade that would pair him with NBA MVP LeBron James, two people with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The Cavs and Phoenix Suns have reached an agreement in principle on the deal, which gives the Cavaliers two of the league's biggest superstars.

O'Neal will join Cleveland in exchange for center Ben Wallace, guard Sasha Pavlovic, a second-round draft pick (No. 46 overall in Thursday's draft) and cash, said the two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the league still must approve the deal.

Yahoo! Sports first reported the deal.

The trade, which the sides had been discussing for months, gives the Suns financial flexibility in the future. O'Neal has just one season left on a $20 million contract and Wallace, who ended last season saying he may retire, is in the final year of a $14 million deal.

The Suns save $10 million on the deal, half of it by lowering their payroll below the luxury tax limit. They plan to buy out Pavlovic, who has $1.5 million of his $4.95 million contract guaranteed.

Phoenix, which also gets $500,000 in cash from the Cavs, might save even more if Wallace decides to accept a buyout. The big center reportedly is considering retirement after battling injuries the last few seasons.

Owner Robert Sarver, whose banking and real estate interests have suffered greatly in the economic downturn, said last Saturday that he didn't mind paying a luxury tax for a good team. But Phoenix failed to make the playoffs, and the Suns are in the midst of what amounts to a rebuilding effort.

In Cleveland, O'Neal could be the missing piece for James to win a first championship.

O'Neal's addition also provides Cleveland with some much needed size in its frontcourt. The Cavs couldn't stop Orlando center Dwight Howard in the Eastern Conference finals, losing the series in six games and seeing a 66-win regular season and deep playoff run come up short.

Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry tried to acquire O'Neal before the trading deadline in February.

The Suns were a West-leading 34-14 when they acquired O'Neal in February 2008. He averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds last season and appeared in his 15th All-Star game, stealing the show with a goofy dance during pregame introductions at U.S. Airways Center.

Suns point guard and two-time MVP Steve Nash was asked Wednesday by NBA.com about the possibility of trading Shaq.

"I don't want to get involved in that," Nash said before a charity soccer match he co-hosted in New York. "Everything [Suns management does] has a financial connotation, so it's not even worth commenting on. No one can know what they're going to do, so I just hope everyone is happy."

Popular coach Mike D'Antoni, who reportedly pushed management to acquire Shaq, left at the end of O'Neal's first season. D'Antoni was replaced by Terry Porter, who was fired in midseason after a failed attempt to get the team to play better defense.

The Suns won one playoff game in O'Neal's 1 1/2 seasons -- and last spring they failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2004.

Soon after the season ended, speculation began to grow that the club was looking to deal O'Neal while his trade value was still high.

The Suns might not be finished with big trades. All-Star Amare Stoudemire, who can opt out of his contract, also is being mentioned prominently in potential deals.

With James' potential free agency looming after next season, the Cavaliers feel an even greater sense of urgency to win the city's first pro sports championship since 1964. By bringing in O'Neal, they have again demonstrated to the 24-year-old James that they're willing to make bold moves while keeping themselves in good financial position.

If the O'Neal-James pairing doesn't work out, the Cavs might be able to trade the perennial All-Star next February and would have more money to spend in the Summer of 2010 on what is being called the greatest free agency class in league history.

James and O'Neal have known each other for years. When James was a high school phenom in Akron, Ohio, O'Neal attended one of his games and the two have remained close. James has often wondered what it would be like to play with a center of O'Neal's stature.

He's about to find out.

Yao's broken foot still not healed, remains out indefinitely

Yao Ming's broken foot is not healed and the Houston Rockets said Wednesday the All-Star center is out indefinitely.

Yao suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot in the Rockets' second-round playoff loss to the Lakers on May 8. The team initially said Yao would miss eight to 12 weeks, but team doctor Tom Clanton examined Yao's foot in Houston and said the injury has not responded to the treatment program.

A bone scan conducted late Wednesday revealed the fracture had not healed. The team now says no timeline is set for Yao's return to basketball activities, though Clanton said Yao is experiencing no pain in his foot.

The team said the original treatment plan called for Yao to cease all physical training and to use a walking boot to immobilize the foot and promote healing.

Team spokesman Nelson Luis said late Wednesday that Yao and the Rockets will consult with doctors before proceeding with a new course of treatment.

Earlier Wednesday, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey called Yao the "cornerstone of the team" and said he had no intention of trading him, no matter what another team might offer. The Rockets have no picks in Thursday's NBA draft and Morey said he's trying to acquire one.

Yao's contract expires after next season, with a player option for the 2010-11 season.

He was the Rockets' leading scorer and rebounder in their first nine playoff games, but injuries have now cut short each of his last four seasons.

Yao missed 21 games in 2005-06 because of an infection in his left big toe, then broke a bone in his left foot in April. He broke his right leg in the 2006-07 season and sat out 32 games, then suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08 and missed the playoffs.

He played in 77 games last season before injuring the same troublesome foot again in Game 3 against the Lakers. Two days later, Yao was surprisingly upbeat and seemed confident this injury was not serious.

"I think I've been in harder situations before, much harder than this one," he said. "I believe that I can get through this one, too."

Yao returned to China after the playoffs and has spent time participating in charity events. His offseason was also scheduled to include a basketball camp in Beijing from July 30-Aug. 2.

Wizards send No. 5 pick to Wolves for Foye, Miller

The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to have one busy draft day.

A trade that brings the Timberwolves the No. 5 overall pick in Thursday's draft has been completed.

The Timberwolves and Washington on Wednesday struck a deal that gives Minnesota its fourth first-round draft choice, along with Wizards forwards Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov.

The Wizards receive guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller.

The teams first agreed to the deal on Tuesday night. Minnesota now has the fifth, sixth, 18th and 28th selections in the draft, giving them the resources to potentially trade up even higher and go after either Spanish guard Ricky Rubio or Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet.

New Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn declined comment through a team spokesman on Tuesday night, perhaps because he may not be finished trading.

Speaking after a prospect workout Tuesday morning before the deal had been reported, Kahn praised the 7-foot-3 Thabeet, who could give the team a sorely needed defensive presence next to Al Jefferson and Kevin Love up front.

"You could say that would complete our front line if we had somebody of that size and rim-protecting capability," Kahn said. "You could actually make an argument, and I'm not making that for me right now, but somebody could make that argument, that he would be the perfect fit."

Smoke screen? Difficult to say, given the Timberwolves have been searching for a formidable presence practically since they entered the league in 1989. Thabeet averaged 13.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks and was co-Big East player of the year.

The Wizards, unlike most lottery teams, feel they can afford to deal a high first-round draft pick because they're already adding a major impact player next season. Gilbert Arenas is expected to return at full strength after missing most of the last two seasons due to multiple knee surgeries, putting Washington in contention to return to the playoffs immediately despite coming off a 19-63 season that matched the worst 82-game record in franchise history.

The Wizards also have a plentiful supply of youngsters who are supposedly up-and-coming -- Nick Young, JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, Dominic McGuire -- and are in need of more veteran poise in the locker room rather than another developing rookie.

Plus the deal with the Timberwolves gives them a veteran shooter in Miller and a young combo guard in Foye, who may benefit from a change of scenery.

Foye has been dogged by comparisons to Portland star Brandon Roy ever since the two were swapped on draft night in 2006. Roy developed into an All-Star and one of the best young players in the game. Foye has been solid, but not spectacular, and missed most of his second season with a knee injury.

He picked up some of the scoring load when Al Jefferson went down with a knee injury in February. Foye averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists, but the Wolves had difficulty deciding whether to play him at point guard or shooting guard, and fans never let him forget he's been out-performed by Roy.

Miller came to Minnesota from Memphis nearly one year ago in a package that included Kevin Love in exchange for O.J. Mayo and a handful of retreads.

Viewed as one of the best perimeter shooters in the game, Miller played a far more passive game in his only season with the Wolves. He averaged a career-low 9.9 points per game.

Thomas has an opt-out clause in his contract that would allow him to become a free agent on July 1. He averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in just 26 games last season for the Wizards.

Songaila averaged 7.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 77 games last season.

Aldridge: Warriors deal Crawford to Hawks for Law, Claxton

The Golden State Warriors dealt with their troubled backcourt situation Wednesday by agreeing to deal guard Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks for guards Acie Law and Speedy Claxton, according to a league source.

The move solidifies the Hawks at a position where Atlanta had a potential problem this coming offseason, with incumbent Mike Bibby entering free agency.

The Hawks were leery about being able to re-sign Bibby this summer, expecting him to get an offer in excess of $7 million per year-more than they're willing to pay. Bringing in Crawford alleviates that potential problem.

Crawford can give the Hawks consistent backcourt offense, which will ease pressure on Joe Johnson.

The trade was first reported by ESPN.

Crawford, acquired from the Knicks last season in the Al Harrington deal, quickly fell out of favor with Warriors Coach Don Nelson. By the end of the season, Nelson demanded that Crawford exercise his out clause in his contract and become a free agent, or expect to be traded.

Crawford didn't mind being traded, as long as it was to a winning team.

Law, the 12th pick overall in 2007, never broke into Mike Woodson's rotation in two seasons in Atlanta.

The Warriors are expected to waive Claxton, who has been slowed by injuries in recent years.

Spurs acquire Jefferson from Bucks for three players

The San Antonio Spurs needed a scorer and they needed to get younger. They got both in one deal.

Milwaukee sent swingman Richard Jefferson to San Antonio on Tuesday for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto, taking three aging bench players with expiring contracts to unload Jefferson and the $29.2 million owed in the final two years of his contract.

Milwaukee then dealt Oberto to the Pistons for forward Amir Johnson. The trades give the Bucks more financial flexibility, the Spurs a proven scorer and the Pistons a veteran big man at a lower cost than Johnson.

Jefferson, 29, averaged 19.6 points in his one season with the Bucks. The trade gave both sides what they were after: Milwaukee needed to cut its payroll, and the Spurs needed and a young and healthy offensive threat after a long distinction as the NBA's oldest team.

"His age helps us transition our team into a new era," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said.

Spurs guard Tony Parker welcomed Jefferson into the fold, alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. San Antonio is coming off its shortest playoff run since 2000 and faded down the stretch with Duncan, 33, hobbled and Ginobili, 31, sidelined by injury.

Jefferson, in contrast, hasn't missed a game the past two seasons.

"He's a great wing," said Parker, speaking to reporters before the trade for Jefferson became official Tuesday. "It's something we don't have on our team."

Jefferson became the Bucks' best offensive threat after Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut went down with season-ending injuries, but the Bucks' tight financial situation made a move necessary.

Milwaukee does not want to pay the NBA's luxury tax, which last year hit teams dollar-for-dollar once they reach $71.15 million in total payroll.

Redd, Bogut and Jefferson are scheduled to make more than $41 million combined this season.

"The trade we made today provides us with much needed options in both the short and long-term planning for our franchise," Bucks general manager John Hammond said in a statement.

The trade was a shock to at least one Bucks player: Charlie Villanueva posted "RJ traded to Spurs. Wow" on his Twitter account before the trade was official.

Bogut also chimed in, wishing Jefferson the best.

"Sad to see RJ go. He was a fun guy to be around and could play. We are building for the future, slow and steady. Patience grasshopper," Bogut posted on Twitter.

The deal actually might allow the Bucks to keep Ramon Sessions or Villanueva, since both are restricted free agents.

Bowen and Thomas give the Bucks a veteran group, and neither is signed beyond the upcoming season.

Johnson, 22, is a young power forward and another option down low for Milwaukee. A second-round draft pick by Detroit in 2005, Johnson started 24 games for the Pistons and averaged 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. He is also in the final year of his contract, but makes slightly more than Oberto's $3.5 million, which is partially guaranteed.

Thomas, 36, is a 14-year veteran who averaged 4.3 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench last season. Oberto, 34, spent four years in San Antonio and underwent a procedure earlier this month to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Bowen was a key cog in helping the Spurs win three championships, relishing his role as a shutdown defender, assigned to the best player on the floor. But the 38-year-old lost a step and saw his minutes cut significantly.

Bowen lost the starting job he held for six seasons and didn't earn a spot on the NBA's all-defensive team for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Bowen said he still wanted to play but didn't know how many years he had left.

"I'm not looking for any five-year deals," Bowen quipped.

Jefferson gives the Spurs the additional scorer they craved in April, when the Dallas Mavericks ousted San Antonio the playoffs in five games. The Spurs were little more than a two-man show of Parker and Duncan, and coach Gregg Popovich said afterward that his team simply couldn't match firepower.

"This provides us an opportunity to have a pretty (darn) good three man on our roster," Buford said.

The Fray Hatching Plans For New Music

It's sophomore album is out barely five months, but the Fray is already hatching plans for its follow-up -- and may even come out with an EP before that.

Drummer Ben Wysocki tells Billboard.com that the latter is "only a rumor so far" but acknowledges that the Denver quartet has been talking about it. "There's some scraps left over from the studio," he says. "There's also already quite a handful of (new) stuff that we have, that we've started on the road and in our own little home studios. So we might take a week some time on this tour and hide away in a studio somewhere and hash those out just to see what happens.

"I think it's important to, instead of just shifting your gears totally -- now we're in studio mode, now we're in touring mode -- if you kind of stay in this and figure out how to stay in the middle of this equilibrium that we're people who create music and then perform it, you're better off creatively. We just love making music, and we love touring as well, but it's a balance."

Wysocki says the group started thinking about its third album "before we finished this one" -- "The Fray," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after its early February release and has been certified gold, with a second single "Never Say Never," climbing the charts. He says that there's "a pile of stuff already brewing," as well as a resolve to take things stylistically further afield the next time out.

"We're pretty excited," Wysocki says. "I think we are moving in some pretty exciting directions, and I think we're gonna push ourselves this next time to enter some possibly scary creative territory and maybe get some different people involved and just stretch ourselves and see what happens."

The Fray probably won't get to work on the next album in earnest until late 2010, however. The group is planning a long tour to promote "The Fray;" its current North American tour runs through Aug. 7 in Spokane, Wash., and overseas dates are expected to be announced soon for later in the year.

Daniel Craig awakes to 'Dream'

Latest Bond eyes psychological thriller at Morgan Creek

Daniel Craig can shake, but can he stir?

The latest James Bond has proved a critical and commercial success in his two turns in the iconic role, for "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace." But he has been deliberate in choosing his next live-action role.

Now comes word he is in early talks to star in "Dream House," a psychological thriller set up at Morgan Creek to be directed by Jim Sheridan, though principals stress that the two sides have not reached a deal.

In the David Loucka script, Craig would play a man who moves his family to an idyllic small town, only to find his house haunted by its former inhabitants, who were murdered there.

With a pedigreed director like Sheridan, the movie would accomplish the goal of branching Craig out into a more prestige direction post-"Quantum" while keeping him in the realm of the commercial.

Like other Bond actors, Craig has faced a crossroads coming off Bond hits. His two other roles, "Munich" and "Defiance," saw him essentially take on a more art house version of the Bond character of hit man and vigilante.

Craig already has shown interest in more boutique fare, recently signing for the Broadway drama "A Steady Rain." His name also surfaced in connection with "The Eagle of the Ninth," Kevin Macdonald's period pic for Focus Features.

Fox Hires Writer for Hitman Sequel

Agent 47 is coming back for a sequel to 2007's HITMAN!

IESB has confirmed that 20th Century Fox has hired writer Kyle Ward to pen the script for the sequel to Hitman!

The original Hitman movie was a bona fide hit released in 2007 with an estimated gross of 100 million dollars in worldwide box office receipts not including DVD sales and television broadcast rights. The film starred Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47 and launched Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) to stardom.

Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon will return as producers.

Ward is one of Hollywood's hottest, young writers. He wrote Kane and Lynch currently set up over at Lionsgate starring Bruce Willis with a potential start date of later this year. He also penned Fiasco Heights for Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes over at Universal.

In addition to the movie, the Hitman video games (Volumes 1-4) have sold millions upon millions of copies worldwide. We are told to expect Hitman 5 by the end of 2010 and that it will take Agent 47 in a whole new direction.

Kyle Ward is repped at CAA.

Weekly Ratings: 6/13 – 6/15

Ratings for Daisies' Swan Song, NBA Finals Finale and More

Recapping some recent ratings highlights:

• On Saturday night, NBC's Kings returned to an audience of 1.59 million total viewers, CBS' Harper's Island (3.17 mil) dropped 12 percent, and the series finale of ABC's Pushing Daisies delivered 2.24 mil. Coming this Saturday: The first of the last Eli Stone episodes!

• ABC's coverage of Sunday's NBA Finals drew 10.12 million viewers, the biggest audience for a Game 5 since 2004. On average, this year's Magic-Lakers series retained 95 percent of 2008's Celtics-Lakers finals.

• The CW's timely broadcast of the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three scored 2.15 mil.

Ratings: True Blood Vamps Up, Jon & Kate Not Great

Some recent ratings highlights:

• Sunday night's Season 2 premiere of True Blood drew 3.7 million total viewers, HBO's best audience for a piece of original programming since The Sopranos' June 2007 sign-off. True Blood's numbers represent a 157 percent increase over its series debut, and a 51 percent gain over the first season's finale.

• Jon & Kate this Monday welcomed a mere 2.9 mil into their tense little home. That marks a week-to-week drop of 33 percent and a whopping 70 percent plunge from the heralded season premiere.

• In Week 2, The Closer (6.5 mil) slipped 9 percent, while Raising the Bar (3.5 mil) dipped just 150K and retained a larger chunk of its lead-in.

• Elsewhere on Monday, The Bachelorette averaged 6.8 million viewers over its two-hour run (down 6 percent), while I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! delivered 4.94 mil — a drop of 140K from its most recent outing and its lowest rating for a Monday telecast.

Sandra Bullock Takes Down The Hangover Boys

The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend.

After two weeks of The Hangover dominating the box office, moviegoers finally selected another comedy as its weekend choice. The Proposal (Disney/Touchstone) pit Sandra Bullock against Ryan Reynolds in a high concept premise for the actress' return to the romantic comedy genre, and the effort paid off, as The Proposal became the actress' biggest opening movie to date grossing an estimated $34.1 million in over 3,000 theaters and averaging over $11 thousand per site. That would make it Bullock's highest opening movie ever, as well as her first movie to open over $20 million. Reportedly produced for just $40 million, The Proposal is another example of how making strong comedies for smaller budgets can pay off, as it's guaranteed to be profitable based on its solid opening. The romantic comedy was co-produced by the team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who also wrote J.J. Abrams' hit Star Trek and next week's big release, Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Even though it dropped to second place, Todd Phillips' R-rated comedy The Hangover (Warner Bros.) continues to do huge business, taking in nearly $27 million in its third weekend, off just 18% from last week. It crossed the $150 million mark over the weekend, well on its way to passing Ben Stiller's Night at the Museum to make it into the Top 5 highest-grossing movies of the year.

Disney•Pixar's animated-adventure Up dropped to third place with an additional $21.3 million and a running total of $224 million, pushing it past the amount grossed by Pixar's last two movies, WALL•E and Ratatouille, as well as making it the second highest grossing movie of the year so far.

Meanwhile, the other new comedy, Harold Ramis' biblical satire Year One (Sony), teaming Jack Black and Michael Cera, opened with just $20.2 million in 3,022 locations to settle for fourth place.

Tony Scott's action-thriller The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Sony), starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, dropped to fifth place with roughly $11.3 million, down 52% from last weekend. It has grossed $43 million in ten days.

20th Century Fox's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian dropped to sixth place with $7.3 million as it too crossed the $150 million mark.

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (Paramount) was the only returning movie to maintain its spot in the Top 10, remaining in seventh place with $4.7 million and a total gross of $239.4 million. It's still the highest grossing movie of the year, but it has Up nipping at its heels, as well as Michael Bay's "Transformers" sequel opening on Wednesday.

Universal Pictures' big screen version of Sid and Marty Kroffts' Land of the Lost, starring Will Ferrell and Danny McBride, dropped a whopping 56% in its third weekend, adding $4 million to its meager gross of $43.7 million, less than half what it cost to make.

Eddie Murphy's family fantasy Imagine That (Paramount) dropped 44% in its second weekend, making $3.1 million with $11.4 million total.

McG's Terminator Salvation (Warner Bros.) ended its run in the Top 10 with just $119 million, adding another $3 million in its fifth weekend. It's not looking likely that it will make back its reported $200 million production budget.

The Top 10 grossed a little less than $136 million, which is right on track with last year when Warner Bros.' Get Smart topped the box office with $38.6 million and Mike Myers' The Love Guru bombed with just $14 million.

Opening in nine theaters in New York and L.A., Woody Allen's latest comedy Whatever Works, starring Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood, grossed $281 thousand in its first weekend, an impressive per-theater average of $31 thousand per site.