Gold Circle Films

Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson and actress-writer Nia Vardalos have sued one of the producers behind the 2002 hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" for an unspecified amount of money they allege they are still owed. The suit, filed Monday in Los Angeles, alleges that producers Hanks, Wilson and Gary Goetzman and writer-star Vardalos are owed their percentage "share of net profits" by Gold Circle Films, which helped develop, finance and produce the movie.

A lawsuit brought by Nia Vardalos regarding profits for the movie she wrote and starred in, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," was referred Monday to mediation. Vardalos and her co-producers, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, maintain that Gold Circle Films, co-financier of the hit 2002 film, owes them a share of profits that they claim have gone unpaid. If they can prove fraud, they also are entitled to seek punitive damages. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos told them to try mediation but set a trail date of Jan. 20 in case that fails.

A lawsuit brought by Nia Vardalos regarding profits for the movie she wrote and starred in, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," was referred Monday to mediation. Vardalos and her co-producers, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, maintain that Gold Circle Films, co-financier of the hit 2002 film, owes them a share of profits that they claim have gone unpaid. If they can prove fraud, they also are entitled to seek punitive damages. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos told them to try mediation but set a trail date of Jan. 20 in case that fails.

Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson and actress-writer Nia Vardalos have sued one of the producers behind the 2002 hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" for an unspecified amount of money they allege they are still owed. The suit, filed Monday in Los Angeles, alleges that producers Hanks, Wilson and Gary Goetzman and writer-star Vardalos are owed their percentage "share of net profits" by Gold Circle Films, which helped develop, finance and produce the movie.

Both sides claimed victory in the settlement of a copyright infringement lawsuit over the authorship of "Sonny," Nicolas Cage's directorial debut. In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in August, veteran TV writer Robert Dellinger ("Starsky and Hutch," "Kojak") claimed he had co-written the script -- and three others -- with John Carlen, the credited screenwriter, at a federal prison in the 1970s.

Linda Goldenberg, 57, movie marketing and publicity executive who worked on such films as "The Crying Game," "Return of the Jedi," "Aliens" and the "Ace Ventura" comedies died Monday of cancer at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital in Woodland Hills. Beginning her career in Philadelphia, Goldenberg was a publicist for Budco Theaters and did work for local branches of Columbia Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

In an unusual move to build word of mouth for a film that's not aimed at critics or awards voters, Universal Pictures will open the a cappella singing comedy "Pitch Perfect" in limited release Sept. 28, ahead of a previously planned nationwide debut Oct. 5. Such "platform releases" are typically used for prestige independent films like "The Artist" or "Moonrise Kingdom," which start off in major cities and use positive reviews to springboard into nationwide distribution. For mainstream commercial films, studios typically rely on advertising to get audiences excited and then open a picture simultaneously in more than 2,000 locations across the country.

There's not a lot of voice-over narration in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." But what little there is convinces you that the original stage monologue by Nia Vardalos would have been a hoot to hear. You don't have to be Greek to chuckle at the affectionate jabs Vardalos aims at her loving, smothering family.

In his rousing concert film "DysFunKtional Family," comedian Eddie Griffin takes the stage like the Midwestern tornado he is and keeps his audience laughing until the very last second. Griffin is a protean talent with razor-sharp wit who has already made his mark in movies and on TV in addition to moving to the front ranks of stand-up comics. He is set to star as Sammy Davis Jr. in a film bio of the legendary entertainer.

“Pitch Perfect” hit a high note at the box office this weekend, as the a cappella comedy did brisk business even though it premiered in only a limited number of theaters. Playing in 335 theaters in 125 cities, the film about a college singing group collected a robust $5.2 million over the weekend, according to an estimate from distributor Universal Pictures. After early word-of-mouth screenings at cheerleading camps and college campuses generated an exceptionally positive response, Universal decided in September to open the film in 335 locations a week before its nationwide expansion on Oct. 5. It was an unusual move for a major studio with a commercial film, but one that seems to have paid off. Those who saw the movie this weekend -- a 74% female crowd -- loved it, assigning it an average grade of A, according to market research firm CinemaScore.

For three seasons on Comedy Central, Jiminy Glick, Martin Short's fat, obsequious, know-nothing celebrity interviewer, bombarded his guests with relentless salvos of inanity.

At first glance, Paul Brooks doesn't appear to be a wild-eyed lunatic about to embark on a crazed kamikaze mission. The 43-year-old London-born producer drives a VW Golf, wears sensible shoes and is happily married to his high school sweetheart. And yet, after spending the last decade running a tiny British distribution company and producing modest art-house movies, he's about to do something really nuts -- start a new independent distribution company.