Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” Projected to Make $250 Million in 5 Days

I thought the idea of a Michael Jackson concert film based on rehearsal footage from his planned run of London shows was ghoulish and exploitative when first announced. The trailer for This Is It didn’t change my mind, but a great many people evidently see only the Michael Jackson of old. We already know the film has had remarkable pre-sales, with Fandango reporting it as #1 in ticket sales now, two weeks before opening. Now a report from AEG, the concert promoter and the film’s financier, claims that Sony is already in the black thanks to the pre-sale numbers. Furthermore, the same report pegs the film’s eventual gross as genuinely massive, but maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

Nikki Finke has the AEG report, which predicts that This Is It will gross $250 million within 5 days. That’s a seriously insane claim; if the movie does that well it will, as an insider quoted by Finke put it, be in Spider-Man and Harry Potter territory. (And remember, it’s folks with a vested interest in the movie making the claim.) The idea of such success would be utterly outlandish if this was any figure other than Michael Jackson. But global audiences remain crazy for all things MJ, so the film is certainly going to bank well. Whether it banks ‘all-time’ numbers is another question.
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Ne-Yo ready for “Battle: Los Angeles”

R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo is suiting up with Ramon Rodriguez, Taylor Handley and Cory Hardrict for “Battle: Los Angeles,” a sci-fi war movie.

Jadin Gould, Bryce Cass and Joey King also have joined the cast, which includes Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan and Michael Pena.

Jonathan Liebesman (”The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning”) is directing the Columbia feature.
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Eminem returns to film with ‘Funny People’

Eminem has revealed he has returned to acting with a cameo role in the upcoming Judd Apatow film Funny People.

The 8 Mile star told Vibe magazine: “I just did a cameo a few months ago with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen in a Judd Apatow-produced film. It’s called Funny People.

“I kind of do a little cameo in that, which was fun by the way. And 8 Mile was not a fun movie to shoot.”
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50 Cent is Out, Terry Crew Replaces Him In “The Expendables”

Earlier this week it was reported that Forest Whitaker had to drop out of The Expendables due to a scheduling conflict. Then it was immediately reported that 50 Cent would be replacing Whitaker as Hale Caesar in Sylvester Stallone’s up and coming project. And now, Ain’t It Cool is reporting that Sylvester Stallone himself has said 50 Cent is out and the role will go to former San Diego Charger and actor Terry Crews.

In an exclusive interview with Stallone Ain’t It Cool said:
“For quite some time, the role belonged to Forest Whitaker, but a push in the schedule made it impossible for the Ghost Dog to continue with the film. Then I received a call, informing me that rapper, 50 CENT aka Curtis Jackson, had stepped into the role. Then Sly sent me an email regarding that casting, that I updated the story with. Well… today, I get woke up with a very enthusiastic call from Stallone, who has recast the role of Hale Caesar for a final (hopefully) time.”
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