DATE=9/29/2003

TYPE=ENGLISH PROGRAMS FEATURE

NUMBER=7-37896

TITLE=HOLLYWOOD HIGHLIGHTS 2003-39a (Top 5 Films)

BYLINE=ALAN SILVERMAN

TELEPHONE=260-1623 (Editor)

DATELINE=HOLLYWOOD

EDITOR=FAITH LAPIDUS

CONTENT=

( INSERTS AVAILABLE FROM AUDIO SERVICES; VOICED VERSION 4:53vo )

INTRO: Hollywood's newest action star rocks into first place on the box office chart with an energetic adventure set in the steamy Amazon. Also new this week: a romance set in sunny Italy. Alan Silverman lists the top five films starting with an uplifting comedy (set in the American south) at number five:

AUDIO CUT ONE "THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS" CLIP

"To my only surviving relative, on the condition that Darren gets the choir accepted into the annual gospel competition. . ."

"I'm n-o-t leading some small town choir."

". . . 150 thousand dollars."

"I was just kidding about that small town stuff." (music)

TEXT: Cuba Gooding Junior finds redemption and purpose for his life when he goes from the big city back to his small hometown in "THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS." Singer Beyonce Knowles co-stars and goes from seedy nightclubs to the church choir and, along the way, rekindles a romance with Gooding's character. "THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS" end up in fifth place.

"SECONDHAND LIONS" stars Michael Caine and Robert Duvall as cantankerous old uncles who help 14-year-old Haley Joel Osment come of age in the heartwarming comedy:

AUDIO CUT TWO "SECONDHAND LIONS" CLIP

"Listen, kid, do us a favor. If you come back to the house and stay a while our relatives are going to hate it. I'll bet they hate it so much they go away and leave us all alone."

"It's crazy enough that it must might work."

"Sure."

TEXT: The film is written and directed by Texas-born filmmaker Tim McCanlies:

/// OPT /// AUDIO CUT THREE MCCANLIES

I started circling the idea that honor and courage and manhood are, perhaps, higher standards you hold yourself to even if all around you people are getting ahead by n-o-t adhering to those rules. More and more I kind of came up with the idea that you should believe in things even if they're n-o-t true because they're things worth believing in. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: "SECONDHAND LIONS" is a solid audience favorite, but slips a bit this week to number four:

AUDIO CUT FOUR "UNDERWORLD" CLIP

"The war itself had become more perilous. The weapons had evolved, but our orders remained the same: hunt them down and kill them off one by one." (MUSIC)

TEXT: It's an epic confrontation between vampires and werewolves for domination in their "UNDERWORLD." Kate Beckinsale stars as a vampire warrior:

AUDIO CUT FIVE BECKINSALE

She's a death dealer, which is a vampire whose job it is to kill as many werewolves as possible. She's been very affected by her family having been killed by werewolves and she's been on a revenge mission for several hundred years now. /// END OPT ///

TEXT: Scott Speedman co-stars as the werewolf she loves and "UNDERWORLD" sinks to third place, bumped from the top by the debuts of two new films.

"UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN" stars Diane Lane as an American divorcee who travels to the Italian wine country where she impulsively buys a villa to start a new life overlooking the irresistibly romantic countryside:

/// OPT /// AUDIO CUT SIX LANE

You can't capture it on camera. It's like the leaves when they change in Canada or a fire when you photograph it. It just doesn't convey. It doesn't do it justice. It truly is amazing to me. You breathe better there. It's a unique place that way. /// END OPT ///

AUDIO CUT SEVEN "UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN" CLIP

"It's a nice little villa. Are you going to buy it?"

"The way my life has been going, that would be a terrible idea."

"Terrible ideas: don't you just love those."

TEXT: Inspired by the best-selling novel by Frances Mayes and adapted for the screen by director Audrey Wells, "UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN" opens up in second place: especially impressive considering it is showing at only half the number of theaters as the action-packed adventure that debuts on top of the chart "THE RUNDOWN," starring pro wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson (better known as "The Rock") as a no-nonsense bounty hunter:

AUDIO CUT EIGHT "THE RUNDOWN" CLIP

"The name is Beck."

"What can I do for you Mr. Beck?"

"I need you to make a choice: option A or option B."

"What's option A?"

"Well, option A is you and I walk out of here nice and easy, we get in my jeep and we drive back to the airstrip. Then we begin the long journey back to Los Angeles. There will be no blood, no broken bones . . . no problems."

"What's option B?"

"Pretty much the opposite of option A. I wouldn't recommend that one."

TEXT: /// OPT /// "The Rock" says he gets a kick out of a brief cameo by the previous top action star, bodybuilder-turned-political candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger:

AUDIO CUT NINE ROCK

He said he was in the area and wanted to stop by and have lunch. I said 'cool.' He came by, we were having lunch and I said 'do you want to be in the movie?' He said 'I'll do it right now. Let's go shoot it.' Within 15 minutes we're on the set in the bar and all these extras are saying 'look, it's Arnold.' It was surreal. He wanted to say 'have fun.' I asked him where that came from and he said 'well, you're going where I have been.' So I said 'great . . .thank you.' /// END OPT ///

TEXT: Christopher Walken and Seann William Scott co-star and "THE RUNDOWN" rocks into first place: the new most popular movie at North American theaters. (signed)