BBC - Films - High Noon - 25th October 2004

		Holding A Grudge Sarah Michelle Gellar's house of horror flick The Grudge scared up $40m (£21.7m) across the pond this weekend, knocking fish tooner Shark Tale into runner-up position with $14.3 (£7.7m). Meanwhile Ben Affleck comedy Surviving Christmas opened in seventh place with a Scrooge-worthy $4.5m (£2.4m) - and some of the worst reviews since, well, Gigli. On home shores, Jude Law vehicle Alfie notched up an estimated £1.3m, lagging behind sci-fi smackdown Alien Vs. Predator (£2m) and Shark Tale - still holding a firm grip on the top spot with £3m.

		Kidman's Labour Pains Nicole Kidman has been talking to Moviehole about the controversy surrounding her upcoming drama Birth, in which she stars as a woman convinced that a ten-year-old boy is the reincarnation of her dead husband. An intimate bathtub scene between Kidman and her young co-star Cameron Bright sparked the brouhaha, although the Oscar-winning actress can't see what all the fuss is about. "It's a very gentle film that is not about shocking, or trying to exploit and take advantage of something to be shocking," she says. "I think it's very philosophical, very languid and very deep, and I think what you see is a really great director in the making, from Sexy Beast to this." That's Jonathan Glazer, folks. Decide for yourselves when the film opens on 5th November.

		Cool J Books Holiday LL Cool J has signed to star opposite Queen Latifah in a remake of British comedy Last Holiday for director Wayne Wang. The 1950 original starred Alec Guinness as a lowly sales clerk who learns that he is dying, sells all his worldly possessions, and books himself into a luxury resort to live out his final days. Putting a female spin on the story, Latifah will take on the Guinness role while LL Cool J (we assume) plays the love interest. Instead of a holiday resort, Latifah's character embarks on a European vacation. Production begins next month in New Orleans before moving to Prague.

		Queen Dethroned? According to Stuff.co.nz, director Vincent Ward has bailed out of Samantha Morton vehicle River Queen, currently filming in New Zealand. No official reason has been given, but the film's producers are staying the course, telling local reporters: "Filming will continue with all the existing cast and crew remaining in place. A further announcement regarding the production arrangements will be made in due course." This is the latest in a long line of production mishaps, which include Morton's hospitalisation after a bout with the flu (wimp), co-star Cliff Curtis doing himself an injury after driving his car into the lounge of someone's house (mobile phone), and an extra getting trampled by a horse. This all follows a cryptic newspaper notice issued by a Maori group in July that warned cast and crew of impending disaster. Cue The Twilight Zone music...

		Greg Grins And Bears It And you know it's a slow news day when we report that Greg Kinnear has joined the line-up for baseball comedy remake The Bad News Bears. Billy Bob Thornton will reprise the role originally played by Walter Matthau (in 1976) as a grumpy (natch) old coach who's charged with turning a group of misfits into a winning team. Gee, we wonder how it ends? School Of Rock helmer Richard Linklater will be flogging this particular dead horse.