entertainment
HOROSCOPES
Because the stars know things we don't.
Aries (March 21-April 19)
Today is an 8
Call a favorite friend or sibling just to say you care.
Push for a raise, or promote your project ... the listening's favorable. Sell it.
Taurus (April 20-May 20)
Today is an 8
Think over what you want.
Talk a little. Define your
terms. Review the logical
steps. Sell it privately. Your
fortunes increase and you
make it look easy.
Gemini (May 21-June 21) Today is an 8 You're strong and creative for the next two days, comfortable in your own skin. Try again at something you've failed at before. You have new talents now.
Cancer (June 22-July 22)
Today is an 8
Choose for comfort and
beauty. Elders are in a good
mood so stay connected. Talk
to a partner tonight, and
discover what they want.
Write up your thoughts.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is an 8
The job's more fun than you expected. A long distance communication brings great news. Write it all down, and edit to the juicy goodness. Send your message out.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Today is an 8
Get more than you asked for in a particularly tender moment. Review your plan, write it down and prepare in private. Let go of expectations. Follow logic.
MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Today is an 8
Today's good to go over finances and to work on projects that require concentration. Make time to feed your creative soul. Poetry, anyone?
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Today is a 7
Write down your financial goals with the help of an expert. Dig around and find more value. The answer is right in front of you. Listen to suggestions.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec.21)
Today is a 9
There's plenty of work, and that's the fun part. Prepare well and go through the tasks with ease and confidence. Accept a well-earned acknowledgment.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan.19)
Today is a 9
You're exceptionally artistic and cute now. What will you create with your vision? Don't get lazy, you have so much to express. Share happiness and inspire.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.18)
Today is an 8
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Today is an 8
Explore new territories with your partner. You never know what you're going to get, but you can adapt to the changes. Leave investments in a safe place.
Projects may pile up quickly unless you bring organization. Delegate what others can do better or those things you don't enjoy. No need to be overwhelmed.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 7
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
BOSS
1 — -Wan Kenobi
4 Health resort
7 Recording
11 Swimming venue
13 Lummox
14 Thing
15 Opposed to
16 Buddy
17 Options list
18 Rife with foliage
20 Tooth-paste container
22 Hearing organ
24 Shoe without laces
28 Sleep-wear
32 Trap
33 Verve
34 Wrinkly-faced dog
36 Faucet problem
37 Gives temporarily
39 "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim
41 Birdcage attachment
43 Swab the floors
44 Way out
46 Stretchy candy
50 Pop singer Lady —
53 To and —
55 Col. Mustard's game
56 Settled down
57 Legisla-tion
58 Into the sunrise
59 Big party
60 Storm center
61 Next-to-last Greek letter
DOWN
1 October birth-
stone
2 Skeletal com-
ponent
3 Tiny amount
4 Weep
5 Role
6 In a state of conflict
7 Ontologists' concerns
8 Dined
9 Corral
10 Flight-
less bird
12 Vitally importan
19 Sweet potato
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'Hunger Games' racks big dollars
BOX OFFICE
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — Box-office receipts are about to shoot into the stratosphere this weekend thanks to "The Hunger Games", putting a phenomenal finish on what has been a surprisingly strong first quarter of moviegoing.
21 Derek and Diddley
23 Knock
25 Gambling game
26 Ms. Brockovich
27 Agents, for short
28 Riches
29 Sheltered
30 Tarzan's wife
31 Dine
35 Leg, slangily
38 Gender
40 Deterioration
42 Winchester or Springfield
45 Salver
47 Envelope part
48 Commo-tion
49 Bigfoot's cousin
50 Talk on and on
51 Chicken — king
52 Our soldiers
54 Have hills
It would also be a coup for Hollywood at large because movie theater attendance has already grown 19 percent compared
The adaptation of Suzanne Collins' bestselling young-adult book is expected to have a blockbuster opening of $125 million to $150 million, according to pre-release audience surveys. That would not only make it the highest-ever debut for a non-sequel (not accounting for ticket price inflation), but a hugely profitable success for independent studio Lionsgate, which financed the movie for a little more than $80 million after tax credits.
with the same period in 2011, according to Hollywood.com. If "The Hunger Games" lives up to industry expectations, that figure could jump to 22 percent.
Many in the film industry are pleased that fears of an unstoppable decline in movie-going fueled by digital distribution alternatives and changing consumption habits have been at least temporarily halted.
That would make it the biggest first-quarter increase for domestic box-office receipts in recent memory. The surge comes after a dismal 2011, during which attendance dropped 4 percent to the lowest level in 16 years.
There's one variable that's difficult to quantify, but some say is the simplest explanation: a more diverse and appealing mix of movies.
Film industry professionals point to a variety of explanations for this year's boom.
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MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
SMALL PETS | PATIO/BALEONY | POOL | WALK IN CLUSTERS | BUSHOUTES
Hit movie still affects culture
3/26
NEW YORK — Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" turns 40 this weekend, a surprisingly ripe old age for a movie that hasn't aged a bit.
One of the great American movies, "The Godfather" hasn't stopped influencing popular culture since the day it was released. Martin Scorsese owes much of his career to it, "The Sopranos" wouldn't have made sense without it, and VH1's reality show "Mob Wives" is a winking travesty of it.
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The film's alluring portrait of the mob as Old World charmers with ice-cold hearts appears again and again in crime films, comedies, video games, comic books, hip-hop videos — the list goes on. In fact, nearly anything that focuses on organized crime, corporate gamesmanship or the glories of patriarchy — from HBO's "The Wire" to AMC's "Mad Men" — seems unable to escape the long, broad-shouldered shadow of "The Godfather."
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FILM
But for all its heavy themes (immigration, politics, business, the American dream), "The Godfather" is also vastly entertaining. It's a grand, macho soap opera full of unfettered ids, violently settled scores and men wearing enviable suits. And talk about a bromance: Have you ever seen so many guys hugging and kissing in a Hollywood movie?
On the 40th anniversary
weekend of the film's release, here are three reasons to love "The Godfather."
1. Marlon Brando's accent: At the time, Brando's cotton-cheeked portraital of Don Corleone came in for some mockery, not unlike Tom Hardy's barely audible villain Bane in the previews for "The Dark Knight Rises." Nevertheless, Brando's hoarse, mumbling, world-weary Don — "What have I ever done to make you treat me so disrespectfully?" — remains one of the most memorable figures in moviesom.
2. The one-liners: If you know any colorful Mafia slang, chances are it came from "The Godfather," which gave us gems like "sleepes with the fishes" and "an offer he can't refuse." It even turned the commonplace phrase "it's strictly business" into a quoteworthy line (usually uttered after taking down a friend or co-worker). And don't forget the ultimate hit-man mantra: "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."
PAGE 4A
3. Those crazy Corleone kids: There's Connie (Talia Shire), who marries an abusive bum; Sonny (James Caan), the arrogant first-born with no impulse control; Fredo (John Cazale), a nice boy but soft in the head; and Michael (Al Pacino), Daddy's favorite who eventually takes over the business. Mafia families — they're just like us!
TELEVISION
NBC renews hit drama 'Smash' for new season
LOS ANGELES — NBC's theatrical drama 'Smash' is getting a curtain call.
The show, which follows the production of a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe, has been renewed for a second season.
"Smasm" made its debut in early February and is averaging about 7.7 million viewers. However, it is the network's highest rated drama among adults 18-49 and attracts desirable audience for advertisers.
The show's stars include Debra Messing, Katherine McPhee and Jack Davenport.
McClatchy Tribune
RADINGS
Given that the show's producers include Steven Spielberg and that, it is a pet project of NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt, the renewal was not really a surprise.
MPAA sees an increase
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
LOS ANGELES — When the Motion Picture Assn.of America voted to uphold the R rating for "Bully" several weeks ago, the documentary's distributor, Harvey Weinstein, kicked up a dust storm of protest and publicity. But it's not just Weinstein keeping the appeals board busy this year — the group is facing a significant increase in the number of filmmakers seeking to overturn the initial ratings for their movies.
The MPAA, which administers the ratings system via its Classification and Rating Administration, has already heard eight appeals for films scheduled for release this year. That's double the number the group heard for movies released in 2011 and surpasses the seven appeals it heard for 2010 films.
The MPAA is a trade organization composed of the six major Hollywood studios, but most of the appeals are from companies that are not members of the group: Seven of this year's appeals came from smaller studios and distributors such as the Weinstein Co., Lionsgate and Relativity Media.
The initial ratings are assigned by a group of paid MPAA employees.