We Were Soldiers, which stars Mel Gibson, lead an upheaval at the box office this weekend, capturing $20.2 million in ticket sales while opening against two other war films still in theaters. 40 Days and 40 Night, starring Josh Hartnett and buzz girl Shannyn Sossamon, opened with a strong date flick take of $12.5 million, and John Q. jumped up to number three with a solid $8.4 million gross, for a $51.1 million total.
The journals and jottings of late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain have been sold to Riverhead Books in a seven-figure deal. Twenty three notebooks containing an estimated 800 pages of Cobain’s personal writings and drawings were discovered while author Charles Cross was doing research for his best selling Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven. Riverhead Books has set a release date for late October or November.
Rumors are circulating that David Letterman is in talks to move his show from CBS to ABC, where it would replace the longtime hard news staple Nightline hosted by Ted Koppel. ABC apparently wants a late night show that will generate more advertising dollars by attracting a younger demographic, while the head of ABC News was taken off guard when a reporter informed him of the discussions.
The anticipated success of Wesley Snipes’ vampire actioner Blade 2 has given its screenwriter, David Goyer, a very edgy idea for a third installment. Goyer has mentioned in several publications that he would like to make a follow-up in which the franchise’s antagonistic vampires after they have succeeded in wiping out the human race and taking over the planet.
The April 30 major label release from San Francisco rap group Blackalicious will boast an expansive list of guest artists and cameos including Ben Harper, DJ Shadow, poet Saul Williams, and former lead singer of Rage Against the Machine Zach De la Rocha. De la Rocha’s solo album will drop later on this year and reportedly has a drum ‘n’ bass oriented aesthetic similar to his collaboration on Roni Size’s last album In the Mode.