Sequel

Being part of a film franchise is the closest thing to having job security in Hollywood these days, so perhaps that's why so many folks in the creative community are engaging in wishful thinking regarding their upcoming or recent movies' sequel prospects. The current spate of sequel hopefuls started with Anne Hathaway's recent appearance on "Access Hollywood," in which she told her interviewer about her deep connection to the character Selina Kyle (a.k.a. Catwoman), who she played in this summer's "The Dark Knight Rises.

"The Collection" is an effective if ultimately disappointing sequel to the 2009 grunge-horror flick "The Collector," both films directed by Marcus Dunstan and written by Dunstan and Patrick Melton. (The new film's poster brags that the duo wrote "Saw" sequels 4-to-7. Make of that what you will.) Here, a superhuman psychopath wreaks havoc on a city, spiriting away victims for crude experiments. When he abducts a rich man's daughter (Emma Fitzpatrick), a team of hired guns grab Arkin, the only guy who's ever escaped from the killer, to help rescue her. Josh Stewart reprises his role from the first film, but he's also familiar from a small, standout role as a henchman in "The Dark Knight Rises.

UCLA cornerback Aaron Hester is confident in his preparation for Friday's Pac-12 championship game against Stanford, a team the Bruins played only last Saturday. No problem with a quick turnaround? "I have done this before," Hester said. In eighth grade, Hester said, his Gardena Mohicans played the Banning Pilots in a Pop Warner game on a Saturday and then again five days later, winning both. The scenario, and stakes, will be a lot different when UCLA visits Stanford Stadium for a game that will determine the Pac-12's representative in the Rose Bowl.

"Cory & Topanga 4Ever" is no longer a silly scribble in a notebook. Disney Channel confirmed Tuesday that it's developing a spinoff of the '90s ABC comedy "Boy Meets World" -- and that the original show's central couple will be back. After weeks of rumors (that had twentysomethings squealing), the network acknowledged that it is working on a pilot called "Girl Meets World," a sequel to the popular sitcom that aired from 1993 through 2000. "I'm going to be a father! Well, on TV at least.

Adding another marquee pop-culture property to its roster, Walt Disney Co. has agreed to pay $4.05 billion to acquire the company that controls the blockbuster "Star Wars" franchise -- allowing Disney to exploit the brand through film, television, consumer products and theme parks. With the purchase of Lucasfilm Ltd., Disney plans to churn out new "Star Wars" movies every two or three years beginning in 2015 with "Star Wars Episode 7," Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said in conference call with analysts late Tuesday.

A sports drama, a teen comedy, a horror flick and a multi-century epic are all hitting theaters this weekend, but none look like they will be a major draw for moviegoers. Of the four films debuting, "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" seems to have the best shot at No. 1. The sequel to a 2006 movie based on a popular video game is expected to start off with a decent $15 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. The big-budget "Cloud Atlas," based on the critically acclaimed 2004 novel by British author David Mitchell, will likely open with a disappointing $13 million.

Six-year-old Jericho Rodriguez sprinted into Toys R Us like a cheetah chasing its prey. "Mommy, Skylanders! Skylanders!" he yelled as he ran through a crowd gathered around the biggest display in the store, larger even than ones for Legos and Marvel superheroes such as Iron Man. Jericho and other young boys were gathered in Atwater Village early Sunday morning for the new video game "Skylanders: Giants" and dozens of action figures associated with...

Rumor has it that Lady Gaga has been offered a role in Ben Stiller's upcoming "Zoolander" sequel. [The Cut] Vogue has published an excerpt from creative director Grace Coddington's forthcoming memoir, and it looks as juicy as one could want. It tells of the flame-haired beauty's early modeling days in the late 1950s and early 1960s, a time of glamour, jet-setting, handsome (though feckless, of course) lovers and more. The downside: Models back then had to do their own hair and makeup.

Even at their best, the films in the unlikely "Paranormal Activity" franchise are never exactly thrilling, but they have cannily managed to wring more scares out of empty rooms than previously thought possible. The newest film in the found-footage horror series, "Paranormal Activity 4," continues that tradition, picking up in story terms where the second film left off. (The third movie was set in the 1980s and hinted at the origins of the demon bedeviling an unfortunate family.) A brief recap of that film's finale - in which the possessed Katie (Katie Featherston)

Ken Follett's historical novel "World Without End," a less beloved sequel to his much beloved historical novel "The Pillars of the Earth," has become a miniseries - a sequel itself to the 2010 miniseries "Pillars" became. Set in the 14th century in the fictional English market town of Kingsbridge - there is an actual Kingsbridge, but it is not this place - as well as in France and Italy, it follows the matter of the first book by more than a century, but hits some of the same themes in the same ways.