Carell jokes about on-screen kiss with The Rock

Steve Carell, who plays Maxwell Smart in the upcoming spy comedy "Get Smart," says he had a scent-sational time kissing co-star Dwayne Johnson, who most might recognize as "The Rock"

"The Rock has softer lips. I guess I could say that," the 44-year-old actor told AP Television. "He smells like strawberry shortcake. For me, that's why they call him The Rock. He rocks people's worlds."

Johnson countered that he doesn't smell or taste like strawberry shortcake "strawberry shortcake with liver I think."

The 36-year-old wrestler-turned-actor said he was gung-ho about planting a kiss on Carell.

"It was just one of those things where I thought well, you know, `What could be the most entertaining and funniest moment that we could think of that would still make sense and still kind of root in reality?'"

"We came up with a great kiss," said Johnson, who plays Agent 23. "I thought if Jake Gyllenhaal can do it, Will Smith can do it, then I can do it, too. I'm going to own it. I was like, `Give me those lips right now. Right now.'"

Said Carell: "He is such a good guy. We just laughed that whole day. That was a total no-brainer in terms of that scene. There was never one moment of hesitation or awkwardness. He's game for anything, let me put it that way."

"Get Smart," also starring Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, is slated for release June 20.

Source: Movie Interviews

`The Rock' Gives $1M to Miami Football

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's biggest contribution as a Miami football player might have come in a game against Florida State, when he sacked Seminoles' star Charlie Ward to spark the Hurricanes. "Turned the game around for us," said Miami coach Randy Shannon, who remembers that play vividly.

More than a decade later, Johnson is still helping his alma mater.

The 35-year-old wrestler-turned-actor and his wife, Dany Garcia Johnson, announced a $1 million gift Tuesday to Miami's football facilities renovation fund the largest gift former Hurricane student athletes have ever made to the university's athletic department.

The Hurricanes' football locker room will be renamed in Dwayne Johnson's honor.

"Dany and I have always said that being a student athlete here at the University of Miami has always been a tremendous part of our lives," Johnson said. "The skill sets that we learned here as student athletes, talking about commitment, talking about sacrifice ... those skill sets are invaluable."

The Johnsons, who announced their separation in June after 10 years of marriage, met as Miami students. The couple say they remain close.

Dany Garcia Johnson was a rower for the Hurricanes, and is now an alumni trustee.

She graduated in 1992; he graduated in 1995. They made a $2 million gift last year to help fund the construction of an on-campus alumni center.

"They are committed to the university, to the success of the entire university, but today to the success of our football program," Miami President Donna Shalala said. "And we couldn't be more pleased."

Johnson plays a quarterback in his latest film, "The Game Plan," which debuted last weekend. His film credits also include "Walking Tall," "The Mummy Returns" and "The Scorpion King" Another movie, based on the TV show "Get Smart," is set for release next June.

"I have said it time and time again, that this program was a launching pad for my success," he said.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

The Rock Passes 'Kingdom' at Box Office

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had the winning game plan at the box office. Disney's "The Game Plan," starring Johnson as a football quarterback whose bachelor lifestyle is disrupted by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, opened as the top weekend flick with $22.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The weekend had looked like it would be a showdown between "The Game Plan" and Universal's Middle East thriller "The Kingdom" which stars Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner as members of a U.S. team investigating a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia.

But "The Kingdom" fell short, debuting at No. 2 with a solid $17.7 million. The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's action tale "Resident Evil: Extinction," fell a steep 66 percent from its opening-weekend gross, finishing in third place with $8 million and raising its total to $36.8 million.

Johnson was the latest action hero aiming to broaden his audience with a family film. With a PG rating, "The Game Plan" took advantage of a long dry spell for kid-friendly movies, as parents with children made up two-thirds of the audience.

"There was definitely pent-up demand for people who don't necessarily want to go to the heavy R-rated films," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "The entire general audience has been underserved lately."

"The Kingdom" faced heavy competition from other violent R-rated films, among them "3:10 to Yuma," "The Brave One" and "Eastern Promises." Though not an overtly political film, "The Kingdom" also had to test audience interest for action tales set against the war on terrorism.

"If you're going to tell stories like this, you're going to tell stories of what's actually going on in our world. It's very difficult, challenging subject matter," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "Either you're going to like this kind of movie or you're not."

In limited release, Fox Searchlight's "The Darjeeling Limited" opened strongly, taking in $140,000 at two New York City theaters on Saturday and Sunday, following its premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival.

Directed by Wes Anderson ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), the film stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman as brothers on an odyssey across India.

Focus Features' World War II saga "Lust, Caution" also did well in its debut at one New York City theater, taking in $61,688. From director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain"), the NC-17-rated "Lust, Caution" features scenes of explicit sex as a Chinese woman goes undercover in a plot to kill a man collaborating with invading Japanese forces.

Both films expand to more theaters Friday.

It was the second straight weekend that Hollywood business was down after a summer of record revenue. The top 12 movies took in $76.7 million, down 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Open Season" was the No. 1 movie with $23.6 million.

"What goes up must come down," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It would be really difficult to maintain three, four months of up box office, so this was kind of inevitable. It was quite a strong fall last year, so we're having a little trouble competing."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Game Plan," $22.7 million.

2. "The Kingdom," $17.7 million.

3. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $8 million.

4. "Good Luck Chuck," $6.3 million.

5. "3:10 to Yuma," $4.2 million.

6. "The Brave One," $3.8 million.

7. "Mr. Woodcock," $3 million.

8. "Eastern Promises," $2.9 million.

9. "Sydney White," $2.7 million.

10. "Across the Universe," $2.05 million.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

The Rock Could Conquer 'The Kingdom,' In Projection Booth

They say the best things in life are free, but don't tell that to several sentimental flicks opening this weekend, all of which will be clamoring for your hard-earned dollar at the multiplex. Love is all you need? Please. You're gonna need a lot more than that if you expect your film to come out at #1.How about the Rock? There's no denying that the artist currently known as Dwayne Johnson has the presence, but does he have the drawing power? "The Game Plan," which stars the Rock as a football player who suddenly learns he has a daughter, is the actor's sixth project as a leading man (see "The Rock Is On A Roll With 9-Year-Old 'Game Plan' Co-Star; 'Don't Knock' Leotards, He Warns"). Only "The Scorpion King," the prequel to the blockbuster "Mummy" franchise, opened north of $20 million. "Doom," "Walking Tall" and "Gridiron Gang," meanwhile, all opened at $15 million and below.

"The Game Plan," though, has something all those other films lacked: a little girl from the Disney Channel (Madison Pettis), which will make it the highest-profile family film currently in wide release (it's opening in 2,800 theaters). Beat that, Morgan Freeman.

His "Feast of Love," an adult meditation on love in all its funny, silly, tragic forms, opens this weekend in 1,200 theaters. Problem is, it's an adult meditation on love in all its funny, silly, tragic forms. The great Robert Benton ("Kramer vs. Kramer") directs a cast that also includes Greg Kinnear and Radha Mitchell. Also this: It has gratuitous nudity.

Odds are you're stuck between the Rock and a hard place, and they don't come harder these days than the Middle East. Opening in 2,700 theaters, "The Kingdom" stars Oscar winners Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper (and wife-of-an-Oscar-winner Jennifer Garner) as a team of agents sent to investigate the bombing of an American embassy. In a way, this film shows a lot of love too: the type of love you can have for your country, even when you don't approve of its policies — love strong enough to make you speak up when you think it's doing wrong. The type of love we used to call "tough."

Also opening in extremely limited release is Wes Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited."

The Predictions: We have nothing but love for our prognosticators, but what films this weekend will they show love for? Find out below.

What's the #1 flick? How much will it rake in?

Josh Horowitz, MTV Movies editor: "The Game Plan" ($22 million)
"Who doesn't love a flick pairing a ginormous action hero with a sassy, pint-size tyke? I'm guessing that's a nearly direct quote from a Disney boardroom right before they green-lit a movie starring the Rock and some girl who is not a Fanning (that's how I separate child actresses now: Fannings and not Fannings). I'm going with this family-friendly flick a smidgen over 'The Kingdom.' "

Larry Carroll, MTV News writer: "The Game Plan" ($25 million)
"Please remember: Just because I'm predicting it doesn't mean that I want it to happen. Two years ago, 'The Pacifier' was one of the most God-awful films I had ever sat through, and it opened to a stunning $30 million weekend. 'The Game Plan' is trying its best to be the exact same movie, will certainly appeal to the same crowd and couldn't possibly be any worse. So I'm predicting a $25 million opening for the Rock — and talk of a sequel by Monday morning."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com