House Bunny

Universal Pictures is gunning for No. 1 at the box office this weekend with the high-octane thriller "Death Race." Focus Features, the studio's specialty arm, just hopes to rev up some buzz for "Hamlet 2," its irreverent comedy opening in limited release. Produced for $45 million, the R-rated "Death Race" is a loose remake -- "re-imagining" is the term Hollywood types favor -- of the violent, futuristic 1975 B movie "Death Race 2000." It stars Jason Statham, who is building a following playing rough-edged heroes in the McQueen-Bogart-Projector mold, and the ever-classy Joan Allen as you've never heard her before, cursing a blue streak.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS SERIES Wife Swap: It's Mrs. Manners versus Mud Mom in this new episode where a mother who runs an etiquette school swaps homes with a mother whose daughters enjoy mud racing and — horrors! — don't care if their socks match their outfits (8 p.m. ABC). Whale Wars: When the Shonan Maru 2 barrels through the speedboat Ady Gil, Capt. Swift launches a rescue mission in response to the international incident (9 p.m. Animal Planet). Man, Woman, Wild: A former Special Forces survival expert and his wife (Mike Hawke and Ruth England)

Who says you have to suffer for your art? The unofficial Karen Lutz/Kirsten Smith manual states that nothing makes writing fun faster than a partner, a pool and a couple "bottles of Woo!" Lutz and Smith ("10 Things I Hate About You," "Legally Blonde," "Ella Enchanted") are one of the most successful female writing teams in movies today. And they attribute this success, at least partly, to working hard to make work seem like a vacation. So on a recent weekday afternoon -- at the 2 p.m.

Nicolas Cage's "Bangkok Dangerous" topped the worst weekend for movie ticket sales in five years as Hollywood's fall season started with a whimper. Sales in the U.S. and Canada, Sept. 5-7: -- Industry totals -- Movie (studio) 3-day Total(millions) Venues Averageper venue Weeks gross (mill ions) 1 Bangkok Dangerous $7.8 $7.8 2,650 $2,937 1 (Lionsgate) 2 Tropic Thunder 7.2 96.5 3,446 2,098 4 (DreamWorks/ Paramount) 3 The Dark Knight 5.5 512.0 2,575 2,142 8 (Warner Bros.

The boys narrowly beat the girls at the box office as DreamWorks' "Tropic Thunder" held on to the No. 1 spot for another weekend. The Hollywood spoof starring Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. pulled in $16.1 million, according to studio estimates, and has now rung up $65.7 million in its two-week run. It became only the third film in a blockbuster-packed summer to stay on top for two weekends in a row, along with "Iron Man," which also...

ON A hot summer afternoon in the Valley, "American Idol" finalist Katharine McPhee talks about her recent switch from singing to acting and boils down her role in "The House Bunny," which opens Friday, to two words: preggie suit. "That's what they call it," she says, laughing at the memory of playing Harmony, a very pregnant hippie throwback who totes around a tub of peanut butter, spoon at the ready, and wears flower-child dresses. Directed by Fred Wolf, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer, the movie stars Anna Faris as Shelley Darlingson, a Playboy bunny who gets kicked out of the mansion, left with her tan and the platform shoes on her feet, and becomes "house mother" to the un-cool Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority.

"Tropic Thunder" remained No. 1 at the box office, with only a 37% second-week drop. "The House Bunny" fared best among several new movies. Sales in the U.S. and Canada, Aug. 22-24: -- -- Movie 3-day gross Total Venues Average Weeks (studio) (millions) (millions) -- per venue 1 Tropic Thunder $16.3 $65.8 3,352 $4,854 2 -- (DreamWorks -- /Paramount) 2 The House Bunny 14.5 14.5 2,714 5,355 1 (Sony) 3 Death Race 12.6 12.6 2,532 4,985 1 (Universal) 4 The Dark Knight 10.5 489.4 3,163 3,333 6 (Warner -- Bros.

THE WEEKS before Labor Day at movie theaters tend to be a dumping ground for critical duds. But when it opened Friday, "The House Bunny" won surprisingly strong notices for star Anna Faris. Although reviews of the movie were mixed overall, critics singled out Faris' turn as a bubble-headed Playboy bunny, praising her as a worthy heir to such dizzy dames as Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday. And giving audiences a reason to go back to the movies once more before fall. For Faris, playing dumb has been a smart move.

"Being a centerfold is the highest and most prestigious honor there is," uber-blond Shelley earnestly declares. "It says, 'I'm naked in the middle of a magazine. Unfold me!' " Such is the glazed-eyed charm of "The House Bunny," which is factory made, nothing new . . . and really funny. The familiar plot finds a misfit sorority about to lose its house unless it can suddenly become popular. Enter Shelley, a sweetly vacant exile from the paradise called the Playboy mansion, who is just spunky and sexy enough to solve everyone's problems.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS SERIES Wife Swap: It's Mrs. Manners versus Mud Mom in this new episode where a mother who runs an etiquette school swaps homes with a mother whose daughters enjoy mud racing and — horrors! — don't care if their socks match their outfits (8 p.m. ABC). Whale Wars: When the Shonan Maru 2 barrels through the speedboat Ady Gil, Capt. Swift launches a rescue mission in response to the international incident (9 p.m. Animal Planet). Man, Woman, Wild: A former Special Forces survival expert and his wife (Mike Hawke and Ruth England)

THE WEEKS before Labor Day at movie theaters tend to be a dumping ground for critical duds. But when it opened Friday, "The House Bunny" won surprisingly strong notices for star Anna Faris. Although reviews of the movie were mixed overall, critics singled out Faris' turn as a bubble-headed Playboy bunny, praising her as a worthy heir to such dizzy dames as Carole Lombard and Judy Holliday. And giving audiences a reason to go back to the movies once more before fall. For Faris, playing dumb has been a smart move.

The boys narrowly beat the girls at the box office as DreamWorks' "Tropic Thunder" held on to the No. 1 spot for another weekend. The Hollywood spoof starring Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. pulled in $16.1 million, according to studio estimates, and has now rung up $65.7 million in its two-week run. It became only the third film in a blockbuster-packed summer to stay on top for two weekends in a row, along with "Iron Man," which also...

"Being a centerfold is the highest and most prestigious honor there is," uber-blond Shelley earnestly declares. "It says, 'I'm naked in the middle of a magazine. Unfold me!' " Such is the glazed-eyed charm of "The House Bunny," which is factory made, nothing new . . . and really funny. The familiar plot finds a misfit sorority about to lose its house unless it can suddenly become popular. Enter Shelley, a sweetly vacant exile from the paradise called the Playboy mansion, who is just spunky and sexy enough to solve everyone's problems.

Universal Pictures is gunning for No. 1 at the box office this weekend with the high-octane thriller "Death Race." Focus Features, the studio's specialty arm, just hopes to rev up some buzz for "Hamlet 2," its irreverent comedy opening in limited release. Produced for $45 million, the R-rated "Death Race" is a loose remake -- "re-imagining" is the term Hollywood types favor -- of the violent, futuristic 1975 B movie "Death Race 2000." It stars Jason Statham, who is building a following playing rough-edged heroes in the McQueen-Bogart-Projector mold, and the ever-classy Joan Allen as you've never heard her before, cursing a blue streak.

ON A hot summer afternoon in the Valley, "American Idol" finalist Katharine McPhee talks about her recent switch from singing to acting and boils down her role in "The House Bunny," which opens Friday, to two words: preggie suit. "That's what they call it," she says, laughing at the memory of playing Harmony, a very pregnant hippie throwback who totes around a tub of peanut butter, spoon at the ready, and wears flower-child dresses. Directed by Fred Wolf, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer, the movie stars Anna Faris as Shelley Darlingson, a Playboy bunny who gets kicked out of the mansion, left with her tan and the platform shoes on her feet, and becomes "house mother" to the un-cool Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority.

Who says you have to suffer for your art? The unofficial Karen Lutz/Kirsten Smith manual states that nothing makes writing fun faster than a partner, a pool and a couple "bottles of Woo!" Lutz and Smith ("10 Things I Hate About You," "Legally Blonde," "Ella Enchanted") are one of the most successful female writing teams in movies today. And they attribute this success, at least partly, to working hard to make work seem like a vacation. So on a recent weekday afternoon -- at the 2 p.m.

Actors Anna Faris and Chris Pratt have listed their home in Hollywood Hills West for sale at $2.295 million. The Midcentury Modern-style house features an open floor plan and walls of glass that open to gardens and a swimming pool area with fire pits and a fountain. There are three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2,563 square feet of living space. The nearly acre property includes a boccie court and trails and steps through Zen-inspired landscaping. PHOTOS: Grandest pool around?