“Olympus Has Fallen” kicked off the week in entertainment news with a surprising performance at the box office, but the biggest story unfolded behind the scenes of one of TV’s most popular shows when a “Breaking Bad” script was stolen out of Bryan Cranston’s car.
And Jon Hamm, another popular AMC star, complained about the public’s intruding fascination with his private parts. “Pretty Little Liars,” the most popular series on ABC Family, is getting a spinoff show called “Ravenswood.”
Also read: Tops on TheWrap Last Week: Obama & Satan, Leno & Fallon, Yoko & Lennon’s Bloody Glasses
Tom Cruise made headlines, too. Despite ongoing private mediation of a $50 million defamation lawsuit, the movie star is planning to take gossip magazines In Touch and Life & Style to court for claiming he’s a bad parent.
Speaking of movie stars, TheWrap noticed that Hollywood’s old breed are an endangered species, and highlighted a handful of actors and actresses who are thriving through unconventional career strategies.
How ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Pulled Off the Year’s Biggest Box-Office Surprise: The first of two 2013 president-in-peril movies beat box-office projections by about $10 million, scoring $30 million domestically last weekend. That’s more money than what the fifth “Die Hard” movie debuted to in February. And it’s way more than what Sylvester Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head,” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “The Last Stand” and Jason Statham’s “Parker” made their first weekends in release. Find out how Film District and Millennium Films surprised the industry by marketing this action movie to perfection.
CBS Apologizes for Filming ‘Amazing Race’ Near Crashed B-52 in Vietnam: Following the outcry of angry veterans and offended Americans who watched “The Amazing Race” use a B-52 Memorial in Vietnam as a prop in the televised international scavenger hunt, CBS began last Sunday’s episode with an apology. The network owned up to the the “insensitive” moment and it worked. Vietnam War veteran and American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz, who commandeered the public’s demand for an apology, applauded CBS for doing so.
Tom Cruise Lawyer on ‘In Touch’ Lawsuit: There Won’t Be a Settlement (Exclusive): Despite ongoing private mediation to sort out a $50 million defamation lawsuit Tom Cruise filed against the gossip magazine publisher Bauer Publishing Company, the “Oblivion” star doesn’t want to settle. The actor’s attorney, Bert Fields, told TheWrap that they’re moving toward trial because they “want the record made absolutely clear with some prominence” that In Touch and Life & Style’s stories about Cruise abandoning his daughter, Suri, after his divorce from Katie Holmes were “not true.”
‘Pretty Little Liars’ Spinoff ‘Ravenswood’ Greenlit: Following the annual “Pretty Little Liars” special Halloween episode in October, “Ravenswood,” will premiere. The series focuses on five strangers who find themselves connected to a deadly curse haunting the titular Pennsylvania town, which isn’t far from Rosewood, the town where “Liars” is set.
‘Breaking Bad’ Script Stolen From Bryan Cranston; Arrest Made: New Mexico thief Xavier McAfee smashed through actor Bryan Cranston’s car window to steal a shoulder bag which happened to contain a script of an upcoming “Breaking Bad” episode. Following McAfee’s mistake of openly bragging about the heist at a bar, he was arrested, but the script is still out there, meaning potential spoilers are, too.
The New Movie Stars: How Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain and Ryan Gosling Are Redefining Stardom: With big-budget, wannabe studio tentpoles like “John Carter,” “Battleship” and “Jack the Giant Slayer” failing at the box office — and failing to launch their young actors into stardom — today’s up-and-coming crop are taking different approaches to find success.
Jon Hamm: Don’t Talk About My Penis: In light of media reports on the “impressive” size of the “Mad Men” star’s reproductive organ — allegedly “distracting” even underneath his suit pants on set — he made it perfectly clear to Rolling Stone that he doesn’t appreciate the compliments. “They’re called ‘privates’ for a reason,” Hamm insists.
FX Announces New Network, FXX: FX is giving birth to a new network this fall which will house programming geared toward a younger audience. FXX will be the new home of the 10th season of the hit “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the sixth season of “The League,” and the second season of “Legit,” along with syndicated comedy series “Mike & Molly” and “Parks and Recreation.” FX will remain home for hit dramas like “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Americans,” targeting the 18-49 demographic, while FXX will aim to attract viewers 18-34.