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Anthrax In Name-Change Dilemma
12 October 2001 (WENN)
Thrash-metallers Anthrax are considering changing the name of their band after the recent biological warfare scares in America. The rockers, who recently appeared on the soundtrack of John Carpenter's Ghosts Of Mars, have become more than a little uncomfortable since the disease after which they are named has become the country's number one fear. Lead singer Scott Ian says, "It's as though it's 1937 and I'm a bandleader named Freddie Hitler. Maybe we should change the name now. A friend suggested Basket of Puppies." Ian, who came up with the name 20 years ago in a high school biology class, continues, "People keep coming up to me and saying, 'Hey, wouldn't it be funny if you got anthrax?' I'm like, 'Oh, that would be hilarious.'" He's even stocked up on Cipro, the antidote for the germ, and adds, "I will not die an ironic death."

Statham Loses Starring Role To Rapper
29 August 2001 (WENN)
British actor Jason Statham's first starring role in a Hollywood film has ended in humiliation - after he was replaced by rapper Ice Cube. The Snatch star had been hoping to "do a Vinnie Jones" by making the jump from Guy Ritchie's gangster movies to stardom in Tinseltown. Statham was sure he had got the big break he needed when he was sent a script by director John Carpenter. The movie-maker - best known for lensing Halloween and Escape From New York - wanted Statham to play the lead role in his new sci-fi horror pic, Ghosts Of Mars. Jason was set to feature as heroic James "Desolation" Williams, in the big budget chiller opposite sex symbol Natasha Henstridge. But just as cameras were ready to roll, studio bosses financing the film got cold feet and decided that Statham wasn't a big enough star to top the billing and ensure good box office returns. They re-cast the lead role to Ice Cube and relegated Statham to a much smaller part as sidekick cop Jericho Butler. Jason said, "John Carpenter saw me in Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and set up a meeting. He wanted me to play the prisoner the cops have to transport in Ghosts of Mars, but the studio insisted he cast a higher-profile actor."

A Third Helping Of Pie
28 August 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Moviegoers turned up their noses at new fare and headed straight for the dessert to make American Pie 2 their favorite choice for the third week in a row. The Universal film grossed $12.5 million, to bring its total past the $100-million mark. New Line's Rush Hour 2 remained close behind in second place with $11.6 million. Of a slew of new releases only Miramax/Dimension's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back performed reasonably, earning $11 million. Disney's Bubble Boy, on the other hand, barely eked out $2 million and failed even to make the top-ten list.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. American Pie 2, Universal, $12,517,475, 3 Wks. ($109,337,940); 2. Rush Hour 2, New Line, $11,582,818, 4 Wks. ($183,421,781); 3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Miramax/Dimension, $11,018,543, (New); 4. The Others, Miramax/Dimension, $8,565,868, 3 Wks. ($46,146,680); 5. Rat Race, Paramount, $8,110,038, 2 Wks. ($25,437,381); 6. Summer Catch, Warner Bros., $7,018,593, (New); 7. The Princess Diaries, Disney, $6,602,516, 4 Wks. ($82,391,618); 8. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Universal, $4,005,815, 2 Wks. ($14,092,095); 9. John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, Sony, $3,804,452, (New); 10. Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox, $3,586,225, 5 Wks. ($167,842,258).

Another Slice Of Pie
27 August 2001 (StudioBriefing)
A slew of new releases failed to take off at the box office over the weekend, as American Pie 2 held on to the top position for the third week in a row (only the third release to do so this year, after Hannibal and Spy Kids). The movie earned an estimated $12.8 million, to bring its total to $109.6 million. Rush Hour 2 remained in second place with $11.4 million, bringing its four-week total to $183.2 million. Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back opened in third place with $11.1 million, while the new Freddie Prinze movie, Summer Catch, placed sixth and John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars opened ninth. Two other newcomers failed to make the top-ten list at all. Disney's Bubble Boy tanked with just $2 million, while Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, which debuted on only 903 screens, earned a so-so $2.5 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. American Pie 2, $12.8 million; 2. Rush Hour 2, $11.4 million; 3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, $11.1 million; 4. The Others, $8.6 million; 5. Rat Race, $8.3 million; 6. Summer Catch, $7.5 million; 7. The Princess Diaries, $6.7 million; 8. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, $3.9 million; 9. John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars, $3.8 million; 10. Planet of the Apes, $3.5 million.

Movie Reviews: Ghosts Of Mars
24 August 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Mars, which fared poorly with critics and audiences alike in its recent film appearances (Mars Attacks!, Mission to Mars, Red Planet) is not doing much better with John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars. "Occasionally veering into that so-bad-it's-good category," Liam Lacey comments in the Toronto Globe and Mail, "mostly Ghosts of Mars is just so bad." Many critics simply found the movie boring. "It's like a zombie picture directed by one of the undead," Elvis Mitchell writes in the New York Times. "We knew Mars was a dry planet, but this dry?" Jay Carr remarks in the Boston Globe. Steven Rea in the Philadelphia Inquirer disagrees -- sort of. "While this cheesy, heavy-metal melange of horror, space hooey and cowboy shoot-'em-ups isn't exactly dull," he concludes, "it isn't anything to write home about either. In fact, it's hardly worth writing a review."

Natasha Henstridge Plunges Into Sci-fi Role
2 August 2001 (WENN)
Actress Natasha Henstridge was completely traumatized by the task of replacing Courtney Love in the sci-fi movie Ghosts Of Mars. According to the film's director, John Carpenter, Henstridge performed brilliantly when the role was thrust upon her at the last minute. Carpenter says, "She came in at the last possible moment, just a week before production began. She hit the ground running and was literally in every scene. It was like an endurance test for her." But although Henstridge impressed all of those around her, the experience was a harrowing one for the star. She explains, "It was horrendous. We were working in New Mexico, over gypsum mines. Every night we were coughing, and it was literally coming out of our noses." Carpenter meanwhile, refuses to comment on reports that Love left the project because her boyfriend's ex-wife ran over her foot in a Volvo while she was training for the picture. He states, "I can't really talk about it at this point. It simply needed to be done." Ghosts of Mars is set for release on August 24th.