DATE=9/30/2002

TYPE=ENGLISH FEATURE

NUMBER=7-36770

TITLE=HOLLYWOOD HIGHLIGHTS 2002-40a (Top 5 Films)

BYLINE=ALAN SILVERMAN

TELEPHONE=619-1024 (editor)

DATELINE=HOLLYWOOD

EDITOR=vicki swaney

CONTENT=

( INSERTS AVAILABLE FROM AUDIO SERVICES; VOICED VERSION 4:58vo, 9:34mo )

Intro: Petite blonde power beats the world's top martial arts star at North American movie theaters this week; Reese Witherspoon and Jackie Chan star in the two new entries leading the box office chart. Alan Silverman lists the top five films starting with a nostalgic comedy at number five:

CUT ONE "THE BANGER SISTERS" CLIP

"SO NOW WHAT DO WE DO?"

"ANYTHING YOU WANT." (LAUGHS)

TEXT: "THE BANGER SISTERS" stars Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon as rock music groupies in the '70's who manage to renew their friendship three decades later, even though their lives have taken sharply different turns. Also featuring Geoffrey Rush, "THE BANGER SISTERS" rocks on at number five.

After almost half a year at theaters, "MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING" is touching and entertaining bigger audiences than ever. Star Nia Vardalos wrote the movie based on her real life experience when she brought a non-Greek boyfriend (and later husband) into her traditional Greek-American family:

/// OPT /// CUT TWO VARDALOS

AT THE FIRST TABLE READ [REHEARSAL] WHEN I SAW THE CHARACTERS COME TO LIFE BEFORE MY EYES, THAT'S WHEN I REALLY THOUGHT 'OH MY GOD, WE HAVE SOMETHING HERE.' BUT AT THE MONTREAL COMEDY FESTIVAL WE DID A SPECIAL SNEAK PREVIEW AND THEY LAUGHED SO HARD. THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED THAT THIS TINY MICROCOSM OF MY WORLD THAT I'D SQUISHED INTO A MOVIE WAS ACTUALLY LAID OUT THERE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. /// END OPT ///

CUT THREE "MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING" CLIP

"OKAY, TULA, MAYBE YOU ARE HAVING A LITTLE ROMANCE; BUT END IT NOW."

"I LOVE HIM."

"OH TULA, EAT SOMETHING, PLEASE."

TEXT: "MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING" is in fourth place.

"BARBER SHOP," set during one day at a black neighborhood barber shop, is a comedy hit; but it's sparked off-screen controversy over one character's irreverent jibes at civil rights movement icons like bus boycott pioneer Rosa Parks:

CUT FOUR "BARBER SHOP" CLIP

"N-O-T ONLY IS WHAT YOU ARE SAYING N-O-T TRUE, IT IS WRONG AND DISRESPECTFUL FOR YOU TO DISCUSS ROSA PARKS IN THAT WAY."

"HOLD ON HERE. IS THIS A BARBER SHOP? IF WE CAN'T TALK STRAIGHT IN A BARBER SHOP, WHERE CAN WE TALK STRAIGHT? THIS IS NOTHING BUT HEALTHY CONVERSATION."

"YOU SHOULDN'T TEAR ROSA PARKS DOWN."

"NOBODY IS EXEMPT IN A BARBER SHOP, YOU KNOW THAT. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT WHOEVER AND WHATEVER WHENEVER YOU WANT IN A BARBER SHOP."

TEXT: /// OPT /// Eddie, the character whose lines offend some community activists (notably Jesse Jackson), is played by comedian Cedric the Entertainer:

CUT FIVE CEDRIC

HE'S JUST A COMBINATION OF OLDER GENTLEMEN THAT I'VE KNOWN THROUGHOUT MY LIFE. I JUST STARTED TO FIND EDDIE THE MORE I READ THE SCRIPT AND DECIDED HOW TO HANDLE SOME OF THE SUBJECT MATTER HE WAS GOING TO APPROACH. I JUST WANTED TO HAVE HIM A REALLY KIND OF STERN 'OLD SCHOOL' CAT THAT'S GOING TO SAY WHAT HE'S GOING TO SAY AND EVERYONE HAS TO TAKE IT. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: After two weeks at number one, "BARBER SHOP" drops to third place, bumped from the top by two new entries:

CUT SIX "THE TUXEDO" CLIP

"NEVER TOUCH MY TUXEDO."

"THAT'S DEFINITELY N-O-T A RENTAL." (MUSIC)

TEXT: "THE TUXEDO" stars Jackie Chan as a hapless cab driver who gains remarkable martial arts skill when he puts on a secret agent's high tech tux. /// OPT /// The action-comedy uses more special effects than fans of superstar Chan are used to; and he says he wants to try different things:

CUT SEVEN CHAN

I'M ALWAYS INTERESTED IN SPECIAL EFFECTS. WHEN I SEE "SUPERMAN," "BATMAN" AND "SPIDER-MAN" I SAY 'OH, I WANT TO DO THIS KIND OF THING.' IN THE COMING YEARS I WANT TO TRY SOMETHINGS NEW. I WANT TO DRAMA. I WANT TO BE A MULTI-TALENT. SO NOW I'M LOOKING FOR SCRIPTS. PLEASE, SOMEBODY GIVE ME SOME SCRIPTS THAT ARE LIKE SLOW MOTION ON THE BEACH KISSING SOME GIRL, SINGING A SONG . . . I WANT TO DO ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. THAT'S MY DREAM. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: "THE TUXEDO" opens up in second place; but number one belongs to romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon as a New York fashion designer who returns to the small town where she grew up in "SWEET HOME ALABAMA:"

CUT EIGHT "SWEET HOME ALABAMA" CLIP

"AS I LIVE AND STRUGGLE FOR BREATH."

"DID THEY RUN OUT OF SOAP DOWN AT THE PIGGLY-WIGGLY SINCE I LEFT? DON'T EVEN PRETEND Y0U SPENT ALL THIS TIME MISSING ME."

"OH, I MISSED YOU ALL RIGHT; BUT AT THIS RANGE MY AIM IS BOUND TO IMPROVE."

TEXT: /// OPT /// Along with gentle fun poked at redneck style and its 'you can't go home again' theme, Witherspoon says the film reflects attitudes she learned growing up in Tennessee:

CUT NINE WITHERSPOON

SOMEBODY SAID TO ME THE OTHER DAY 'ISN'T ALL THAT SOUTHERN POLITENESS JUST ELITIST AND ISN'T IT REALLY A SNOBBERY?' I SAID 'CLEARLY YOU'RE N-O-T SOUTHERN, BECAUSE IT'S N-O-T.' I WAS REALLY RAISED TO RESPECT EVERYBODY I GREW UP WITH AND TO VALUE PEOPLE ENOUGH TO SAY 'PLEASE' AND 'THANK YOU,' 'YES MA'AM, NO SIR' AND RESPECT YOUR ELDERS. I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ALL SOUTHERN PEOPLE. I JUST SPEAK TO MY OWN EXPERIENCE. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: The romantic comedy co-stars Josh Lucas and "SWEET HOME ALABAMA" has a big opening weekend to debut as the new most popular movie at North American theaters. (signed)

MUSIC by George Fenton from "SWEET HOME ALABAMA" soundtrack