OTG Daily News

WASHINGTON, December 26, 2011 — For many department stores, today marks a kind of “Black Monday” as staffers gear up for the inevitable onslaught of Christmas gift returns. But for Hollywood, the entire month of December 2011 has been a kind of black hole into which year-end releases fall while rapidly losing escape velocity. Aside from the Tom Cruise thriller, “Mission Impossible—Ghost Protocol,” which topped this weekend’s box office numbers at the number 1 spot with $26.5M in domestic receipts (first-weekend full release), most of the remaining holiday-release films on the docket failed to win much traction. (UPDATE: Today, Reuters updated figures for the four-day weekend MI take to an even more impressive $46.2M.) The Cruise action flick gained a near-perfect score from the online reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes where it's described as “Stylish, fast-paced, and loaded with gripping set pieces,” further noting that it is “big-budget popcorn entertainment that really works.” ...

Jennifer Hudson has revealed she turned down the title role in " Precious " because she didn't want to pack on weight to play the abused single mom. Fresh off her Oscars victory in " Dreamgirls ," director Lee Daniels approached the singer/actress and asked her to consider playing Precious -- but she wasn't interested. In her new memoir "I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down," Hudson writes, "As much as I was moved by this film, I wanted to try a role that had nothing whatsoever to do with my weight." Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe eventually won the role as Precious, while Hudson became a weight loss icon and WeightWatchers spokesperson.

" Think Like a Man " gets its first trailer available for viewing pleasure. A courtesy of Yahoo! Movies , the promo video centers on a group of men who have a problem in the way they treat their girlfriends. It additionally shows a funny scene where R&B star Chris Brown is in bed with Meagan Good before he tiptoes out and steals her coffee when she goes into the bathroom. The comedy film follows four men who have their love lives turned upside down as their ladies begin to take advice from Steve Harvey's best-selling book "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man". As those guys find out about that, they decide to turn the tables on their girlfriends and take matters into their own hands. Directed by Tim Story, "Think Like a Man" is set to open wide in U.S. theaters on March 9, 2012. Joining Breezy and Meagan in the cast ensemble are Kevin Hart , Kelly Rowland , Taraji P. Henson , Michael Ealy , LaLa Vazquez and Arielle Kebbel . aceshowbiz

Recently, there has been some talk in Hollywood about a possible new Friday movie being in the works. In a statement to TMZ , Ice Cube's Cube Vision production company confirmed they are working on the 4th installment of the movie: “Absolutely yes the studio is in the process of getting the entire original cast to do another 'Friday.'" The statement continues, "[Ice Cube] is very excited about this and has every intention to make it happen.” TMZ has previously spoken with Tiny Lister who plays Deebo and John Witherspoon who plays Ice Cube's father, Willie Jones, and they are also down to do the fourth Friday movie. Lets just hope that this new movie gets done quickly. I wonder if they will get Ezal in the movie too? vibe

WENN A poster for "Final Destination 5" has been banned in the U.K. by officials who ruled it was "likely to cause fear and undue distress to children." A gory promo picture for the film, starring actress Emma Bell, was used on buses and in the London Underground, but the shot upset some passers-by, who complained to the Advertising Standards Authority. They claimed the graphic image of a skull being shattered by steel rods driven through its mouth and eye sockets was unsuitable for public display, and chiefs at the advertising watchdog have agreed with them. ASA bosses ruled the offensive advert must not appear again in its original form, adding, "We considered the image was likely to catch the attention of children, especially because it was shown on a poster on the Underground, where it was an untargeted medium. "Because very young children might view this ad depicting violence, it was likely to cause fear and undue distress to children."...

" Batman Begins " star Christian Bale is hanging up his cape for good -- his upcoming superhero movie will be his last. The actor took on the role for the first time in 2005's "Batman Begins," before returning to the part for the acclaimed "The Dark Knight" in 2008, which pulled in more than $1 billion at the global box office. Bale has donned the Caped Crusader's cowl for a third time in director Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated "The Dark Knight Rises," which will see him fight both Bane and Catwoman, played by Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway, respectively. But Bale star insists the next installment will be the last time fans see him play Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego. He tells the Philippine Daily Inquirer, "I wrapped (filming) a few days ago so that will be the last time I'm taking that cowl off. "I believe the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it's all done. Everything's finished. It's me ...

Disney's anticipated film reboot of " The Muppets " enjoyed a solid $6.6 million debut Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. But it was the continued strong play of Summit's " Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 " that continued to rule the box office, grossing $12.4 million, according to rival-studio estimates. The fourth "Twilight" movie is on pace to gross close to $60 million over the five-day holiday period, which would give it a domestic total of well over $200 million by the end of the weekend. Debuting at 3,440 theaters, Disney's "The Muppets" could come close to $50 million over the same five-day period, which beat pre-release estimates. While "The Muppets" will manage to carve a niche at a box office flooded with PG films, Paramount/GK Films' " Hugo " and Sony/Aardman's " Arthur Christmas " had a quieter time getting established Wednesday. "Arthur Christmas" debuted...

Two actors who made names for themselves playing ‘doctor’ in a popular TV series called ER, George Clooney and Noah Wyle are battling it out to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic by Sony Pictures. I reported a while back that Sony was interested in seeing a script from Aaron Sorkin , the guy who made the screenplay for “The Social Network”. Whether or not Sorkin will be writing the film adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s biography of the Apple co-founder, it is now being reported that two actors from ER are being courted to play the role of Steve Jobs - George Clooney and Noah Wyle. I can see why Clooney would make a good choice for the old Steve Jobs - the man is charismatic and intelligent-looking, he has the appropriate grey hair and he plays with passion, especially when it comes to robbing banks. Wyle, on the other hand, actually portrayed Jobs once in a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book “Fire in the Valley: The Making of The P...

A big screen adaptation of the iconic 1970's TV show " The Six Million Dollar Man " is reportedly being in the works. The Weinstein Co. is closing a deal with Universal Pictures to develop the project with " Valkyrie " helmer Bryan Singer being lined up to direct. According to Latino Review, Singer is eyeing Leonardo DiCaprio to tackle the lead role. DiCaprio is expected to play bionic man Steve Austin, a character that was made famous by Lee Majors in the original television series . However, it is said that he would not seal any deal before he read the screenplay, which will be written by Christopher McQuarrie. The " Inception " actor is currently filming Baz Luhrmann's high-profile film project " The Great Gatsby ", which also stars Tobey Maguire , Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton . His upcoming project includes " Django Unchained , which will open in the U.S. on December 25, 2012, the same day when "Great Gatsby"...

Bosses behind Michael Jackson 's estate are in talks to transform the late superstar's extraordinary life into a big screen blockbuster. John Branca, the executor of the King of Pop's estate, has started negotiations with Montecito Picture Company bosses Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock about possibly producing a biopic. The studio usually focuses on comedies, and has previously released " Road Trip ," " Old School " and " I Love You, Man ." Pollock confirms to Variety.com that talks have taken place. Jackson has hardly been out of the headlines since his tragic death in 2009. His personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for administering the fatal dose of anesthetic propofol last week. wenn

By Brent Lang It's getting a little cheaper to go to the movies. The average ticket price fell to $7.94 over the third quarter, the National Association of Theater Owners announced on Tuesday. That's down from the $8.06 ticket buyers spent on average during the second quarter of this year. That passed the previous high of $8.01, set in the fourth quarter of 2010. The third quarter's slide is possibly attributable to the decline in the number of 3-D films released from second-quarter months May and June to July. Year to date, the average ticket now stands at $7.96. thewrap

Tom Cruise fearlessly climbs up the world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, without using any body double in "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol". The stunt has been teased in a new featurette for the upcoming film that gives a look at the scene set in Dubai. In the video, 49-year-old Tom is seen dangling off the skyscraper which height is not less than 2,723 feet. He is also seen bravely running up, down and sideways on the exterior of the building. "This is just another day at work on 'Mission: Impossible'," so director Brad Bird says in the video. Scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on December 21, "Mission Impossible 4" is set at the time when the IMF is shut down as it is implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Tom's Ethan Hunt and his "Ghost Protocol" team must go undercover to clear their organization's name. They have to do the mission with no help, no contact and off the grid. Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simo...

After months of searching, Quentin Tarantino has found the female lead for Django Unchained. The director has chosen Kerry Washington to star opposite Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio in his latest drama. Quentin Tarantino has found his leading lady. The director has hired For Colored Girls star Kerry Washington to play Jamie Foxx 's long-suffering wife in Django Unchained . The period drama is headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio and centers on a ruthless plantation owner who kidnaps a former slave's wife. Foxx stars as Django , a slave-turned-bounty-hunter, who's on a mission to rescue his ladylove Broomhilda (Washington) from the evil Calvin Candie (DiCaprio) . According to Deadline , Washington was Tarantino's first choice for the Broomhilda role but he wanted to weigh his options before making a final commitment. In the end, his long and tedious casting search eventually brought him back to the actress. Washington previously worked with Jamie Foxx in 2004...

Will Smith was spotted on the set filming the anticipated movie, 'Men in Black III'. The Fresh Prince is aging well, and looks in top shape for the movie.  (click to enlarge) We hope it's as funny as the first two...and relevant. The movie is set for release May 25th, 2012. Will you go see it?