Shrek

If he can work with the puppets of "Avenue Q," surely he can work with an ogre. "Avenue Q" director Jason Moore has been picked to direct a stage musical based on the "Shrek" franchise, to be produced by DreamWorks in collaboration with director Sam Mendes. Developmental readings of the new musical are planned for next year. David Lindsay-Abaire ("Kimberly Akimbo," "Fuddy Meers") is writing the script, but a composer hasn't been announced.

DreamWorks' animated film "Shrek 2" got off to a strong start Wednesday, promising a happily ever after for the studio at the end of the weekend. The sequel to 1999's $482.6-million worldwide-grossing "Shrek" took in $11.8 million in 3,737 theaters its first day, including midnight Tuesday previews.

Walt Disney Co. is teaming up with John Williams, a producer of DreamWorks SKG's blockbuster movie "Shrek," to produce a slate of animated feature films. The partnership will include four low-budget computer-generated animated films produced by Williams' Vanguard Films. First up is "Valiant," the story of a wood pigeon that aspires to be a messenger homing bird for the Royal Air Force during World War II. It is scheduled for release in fall 2004.

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the studio run by Jeffrey Katzenberg, said third-quarter profit soared on sales of "Shrek the Third," this year's second-highest grossing U.S. film. Profit jumped to $47 million, or 47 cents a share, from $10.5 million, or 10 cents, a year earlier, Glendale-based DreamWorks said Tuesday. Sales almost doubled to $160.8 million. "Shrek the Third" has earned $321 million in U.S. ticket sales, second only to Sony Corp.'s "Spider-Man 3," according to Box Office Mojo.

The Hebrew version of "Shrek 2" has been redubbed after an Israeli singer famed for his falsetto voice complained it implied he had been castrated, a representative for the movie's producers said. In its original Israeli dub, the hit animated comedy had one character threaten to emasculate another by saying "Let's do a David Daor on him" -- referring to the contralto who represented the Jewish state at the Eurovision song contest this year.

"Shrek the Third" proved to be a charm for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., contributing nearly half of its revenue in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday. The Glendale-based studio said it had net income of $61.8 million for the three months ended June 30, or 60 cents a share, compared with net income of $13.7 million, or 13 cents, in the same period last year. Revenue soared to $222.5 million, compared with $74.9 million a year earlier.

Tom Kane hates the ads for Mercedes-Benz. It's not the car. It's Jon Hamm. Mercedes uses the "Mad Men" star as the voice of its television and radio commercials. "Even if it is a terrific spot - which it isn't - people don't have a clue who that is," grumbled Kane, a professional voice actor who's done animation, movie trailers and commercials for two decades. QUIZ: Who's that voice? As brand-name advertisers fight for attention in a cluttered media landscape, they are turning increasingly to celebrities such as Robert Downey Jr. (Nissan)

DreamWorks' animated feature "Shrek" sold more than 7 million VHS and DVD units in just three days of release over the weekend. More than 2.5 million DVDs were sold, making "Shrek" the fastest-selling feature in the digital format's history. In the three days, "Shrek" generated a total $110 million in retail revenue.

Galvanized by the success of "Shrek the Third," Jeffrey Katzenberg says the tale of the green ogre who married a princess will continue. "More Shreks are coming!" said producer Katzenberg, flanked by "Shrek" stars Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake at a news conference Friday in Berlin, where the computer-animated film opens June 21. Katzenberg said there will be a half-hour animated TV special, "Shrek the Halls," featuring the Shrek characters' versions of holiday traditions.

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the studio run by Jeffrey Katzenberg, is planning a fifth and final chapter of its "Shrek" films. The company plans to produce the last movie of the series about a grumpy green ogre after the fourth "Shrek" film is released in 2010, Katzenberg said at the Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. But DreamWorks Animation so far has committed only to a fourth film, spokesman Rich Sullivan said in an interview.