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Movie News

• 'Crocodile Dundee' to return to US amid tax fray (AP)

  AP - Actor Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" movie trilogy, has been cleared to return home to the United States after he was barred last month from leaving Australia because of a disputed tax bill, his lawyer said Friday.

• Vivid Entertainment: A new business model for porn (Reuters)

  Reuters - If the new "Date Night" DVD had sold only 25,000 copies, there would have been hell to pay for studio executives. But for Steven Hirsch -- or anyone else in the adult entertainment business, for that matter -- that figure represents a blockbuster.

• Liam Neeson, "A-Team" director reteam for drama (Reuters)

  Reuters - Liam Neeson is in negotiations to reteam with his "A-Team" director Joe Carnahan for the survival drama "The Grey."

• French 'Spider-Man' in Sydney court over climb (AP)

  AP - A French skyscraper climber nicknamed "Spider-Man" pleaded not guilty Friday to charges related to his bare-handed climb up a 57-story building in downtown Sydney.

  
  

• "Black Sheep" a strong debut for Italian raconteur (Reuters)

  Reuters - Most of Ascanio Celestini's theater productions consist of him sitting in a chair, captivating audiences with monologues that combine great wit, historical commentary and genuine despair over a range of social injustices.

• Beautiful people look good in "Norwegian Wood" (Reuters)

  Reuters - The fact that "Norwegian Wood" is based on Haruki Murakami's 1987 international best-seller should encourage many viewers to give this long, elegantly shot, sporadically involving Japanese film a try.

• Schnabel ponders Palestinian conflict in "Miral" (Reuters)

  Reuters - Sure to excite curiosity thanks to the reputation of director Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") and its controversial topicality, "Miral" dramatically but unevenly explores the lives of four Palestinian women during the years of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

• Dolphins caught, not killed, in Japan cove (AP)

  AP - Dolphins have been herded into a cove as part of an annual hunt in the Japanese seaside town made famous by an Oscar-winning documentary about their slaughter, conservationist group Sea Shepherd said Friday. A town official said none were killed.

  
  

• Olsen twins' sister to star in indie drama (Reuters)

  Reuters - Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the Olsen twins, is set to star in the indie drama "Martha Marcy May Marlene."

• Toronto film fest boss stays cool under pressure (Reuters)

  Reuters - The famously unflappable Cameron Bailey is looking a touch puzzled, and has for weeks.

• Stranded actor Paul Hogan in Australia tax deal (Reuters)

  Reuters - Actor Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" movies, has struck a deal with Australia's tax office which will allow him to return home to his family in Los Angeles, his lawyer said on Friday.

• Box Office Preview: 'Machete' should dominate (AP)

  AP - Twentieth Century Fox's "Machete" is set to slice up the competition as director Robert Rodriguez's star-studded extravaganza will likely dominate the weekend with a Friday through Monday total of around $16 million.

  
  

• 'Gone with the Wind' child actress dies at 76 (AP)

  AP - Cammie King Conlon, the former child actress who portrayed the doomed daughter of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind," has died at the age of 76.

  
  

• 9/11 musical "Clear Blue Tuesday" adds to tragedy (Reuters)

  Reuters - Want to experience the worst sort of theater without the bother or expense of heading to New York? Take in the new indie film "Clear Blue Tuesday," a 9/11-themed musical -- that's not a typo -- representing the sort of egregious fatuousness and self-indulgence that is all too endemic to off-Broadway stages.

• Jury struggles with actress' marriage fraud case (AP)

  AP - A federal jury weighing whether a Mexican-born actress committed marriage fraud has ended a second day of deliberations without reaching any verdicts and has expressed discord in its ranks.

  
  

• Capsule reviews: 'The American,' 'Machete' (AP)

  AP - Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

• Zeta-Jones 'furious' at late cancer diagnosis for Douglas (AFP)

  AFP - Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is "furious" that doctors failed to diagnose her husband, actor Michael Douglas's throat cancer earlier, she said in an interview published Thursday.

  
  

• Natalie Portman earns early awards buzz for ballet drama (Reuters)

  Reuters - Critics are queuing up to praise Natalie Portman in her latest movie "Black Swan," the opening picture at this year's Venice film festival, with one review saying the performance "elevates her ... to a major star."

• Schnabel movie chronicles Mideast conflict (AP)

  AP - The latest movie by Julian Schnabel couldn't have been more timely.

  
  

• Summer box office ending on soft note (Reuters)

  Reuters - The summer box-office season wraps this weekend with three unheralded, adult-targeted new releases struggling to topple reigning champ "Takers."