Most of The News here is from Filmforce. Such a great site...
Weekend Box Office: The Grinch is Golden!
Mon, Nov 20, 2000 01:47 PM EST
The Grinch wasn't the only thing green at the box office this weekend. The other source of that dominate color was the piles and piles of money that the live-action retelling of the Holiday classic raked in. When it was all said and done The Grinch accumulated an estimated $55.1 million. According to data provided to The Hollywood Reporter, that whopping weekend tally is a career best for star Jim Carrey and director Ron Howard. It's also the best non-holiday debut in November, the biggest opening for a non-sequel, and the eighth-biggest weekend gross of all time. Impressed? You're not the only one. A spokeswoman for Universal told the Reuters news agency that Carrey is "extraordinarily happy"' with the film's performance. His previous best opening was 1995's Batman Forever which opened with $52.7 million.
World Premiere for The Grinch
Fri, Oct 27, 2000 11:36 AM EDT
Universal Pictures has let the word go forth that How the Grinch Stole Christmas will have its world premiere Wednesday, November 8th at the Universal Amphitheater. Sponsored by VISA, the event will benefit the Screen Actors Guild's First Book and BookPALS program. The co-chairs for the premiere are Jim Carrey, Brian Grazer & Gigi Levangie, Ron & Cheryl Howard, the founder of FirstBook Kyle Zimmer, the President of FirstBook Michael Clark, Universal Pictures chairman Stacey Snider & Gary Jones, and Universal Studios chairman Ron Mayer & Kelly Chapman.
Over at the official site, a few new items have been added. Now open for business is Farfingles' Outlet, identified as a place to get "cool Grinch stuff you can't find anywhere else." And over in the Who-ville Post Office a section called "Who Buddies" is now operative. The links direct visitors to sections at sponsor sites Kellogg's (an "Ask the Grinch game"), VISA, Universal's Seuss Landing and Seussical the Musical.
On the subject of music, the Grinch soundtrack (song compilation) will hit records stores on November 7th. The disk will feature tracks from Faith Hill, Busta Rhymes & Jim Carrey, Barenaked Ladies, Smash Mouth and 'N Sync.
Faith Hill's track "Where Are You Christmas?" was written with Will Jennings and composer James Horner and will be the central theme music for the film. The recently completed music video, featuring Taylor Momsen (Cindy Lou-Who) and Max the Dog, was directed by Paul Hunter. A veteran music video director whose name has been attached to the proposed Hellblazer film, Hunter’s recent videos include Eminem's "The Way I Am," Busta Rhymes' "Fire," Jay Z's "Hey Papi" (from Nutty Professor 2) and Macy Gray's "Why Didn't You Call Me?"
And one more item. Concerning the forthcoming Grinch (November) issue of American Cinematographer, "Thing One" pointed us in the direction of Jim Carrey Online. The webmasters have obtained the cover of the issue.
Note: I hate Rap. It isn't even music.
American Cinematographer and Cinefex to Feature The Grinch
Tue, Oct 17, 2000 12:05 PM EDT
Just wanted to give you all some advance warning. Some major "making-of" coverage for How The Grinch Stole Christmas will soon hit the magazine racks. First, word has it that the November 2000 issue of American Cinematographer will feature The Grinch as its cover story. Among the multiple Grinch articles, the issue will feature interviews with cinematographer Don Peterman (Cocoon, Men in Black) and director Ron Howard. And second, Cinefex will grant the Grinch the cover of issue number 84. Their coverage will of course detail the efforts of Digital Domain and the make-up work of Rick Baker and Co.
Over at the official site, MeanOne.com, although the sections for Mt. Crumpit and Farfingles Outlet haven't opened, the webmasters have added a few new items. You can now download a Grinch browser, a Grinch screenmate and create custom post cards. The Grinch Game interactive demo will be available for download November 1.
And lastly, Molly Shannon (Betty Lou Who) recently offered a few comments to Mr. Showbiz about the make-up requirements for her character. According to the article, the early call times weren't something to get excited about. Her response: "Yecch. On Grinch, I would be called in at 4:45 in the morning for three-and-a-half hours of prosthetics and make-up every day."
The Grinch's New Trailer, New Ads and New Promotion
Thu, Sep 21, 2000 09:50 PM EDT
Be sure to check the new second trailer for How The Grinch Stole Christmas. At the moment, it appears AOL has the exclusive on it, and they're only offering it in RealMedia format. Hopefully it'll soon be widely available in QT4, etc.
Concerning the trailer, Universal announced today that it will premiere in theaters tomorrow, September 22, attached to the preview screenings of the Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller comedy Meet The Parents. Universal Pictures chairman Stacy Snider comments, "Seeing this trailer on the big screen will not only give audiences another look at the genius of Jim Carrey's phenomenal performance as the Grinch, but a look at the overall scope of the entire production. The filmmakers have assembled the very best people working in movies today in every field, from set design to costumes, from special effects to cinematography, from sound to music, in order to transport the viewer to the incredible fantasy world that is Whoville."
On the merchandising front, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group has entered into an agreement with Toys 'R' Us, the nation's largest toy retailer, to launch an exclusive retail promotion for The Grinch. The promotion will kick off on November 1.
Universal's Tom Rother states, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a beloved holiday tale that has been embraced by over 700 Toys 'R' Us stores in the U.S. and Canada. I am pleased with the level of execution and commitment that Toys 'R' Us has demonstrated in support of The Grinch."
Toys 'R' Us Executive VP Warren Kornblum adds, "The well known recognition and popularity of The Grinch makes it the ideal property for Toys 'R' Us to use as a cornerstone to launch our holiday season. Beginning in November, we will be transforming our stores into 'Whobilation Headquarters,' with the most aggressive visual merchandising display in our company's history. Customers who shop at Toys 'R' Us are going to be 'wowed' from the moment they enter the store by the unbelievable displays and visual elements featuring The Grinch."
The re-created in-store Whovilles will offer customized signage and banners with imagery from the film. The merchandise will include figurines, candy, ornaments, plush dolls, and interactive games. The Toys 'R' Us location in NYC's Herald Square will feature floor-to-ceiling themed window graphics of the film's main characters. And 8-foot-high, three-dimensional film characters from The Grinch will be featured at the stores' entrances.
Elsewhere in NYC, a recently spotted billboard for The Grinch features a cross promotion with the Olympics. On the ad, an Olympic relay runner hands off a baton to the Grinch. The tag line below reads "Let the Games Begin. November 17." Another version of the Olympic/Grinch display is featured in an editorial by Smilin' Jack Ruby.
James Horner Conducts His Score for The Grinch
Fri, Sep 08, 2000 11:45 AM EDT
New York Today writer Rick Lyman recently had the opportunity to meet with composer James Horner and visit the studio during one of his recording sessions for the How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The article offers a few quotes from Horner, but it mainly describes the activity on the recording stage. He writes...
"During the lunch break, Mr. Horner walked through the crowded scoring stage, picking his way through the tangle of cellos and electronic synthesizers to a line of oddly twisted plastic hoses resting on the floor. Each of the peculiar objects was a musical instrument, created by Mr. Horner's team to make the kind of odd sounds that might come from the Baroque-meets-Dali instruments drawn by Dr. Seuss for his Whoville town band. He picked one up and energetically blew into it, producing a vibrating honk that sounded at once plaintive and hostile. 'We had one that had a slide on it, like a trombone, but it took two people to work it,' Mr. Horner said."
Commenting on the symmetry of the music with the onscreen activity and sound effects, Horner says, "It's like being a tightrope walker with one foot in the air at all times. My feeling is that the funniness is going to come through whatever, so I tend to err on the side of making things emotive."
The article is no longer offerred online by New York Today, but you can check it out over at The New York Times. Fair warning: The article does contain a possible spoiler, as it describes a scene being scored which takes place near the end of the film.
A New Poster for The Grinch
Thu, Sep 07, 2000 01:15 AM EDT
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Coming Attractions scored a major exclusive, unveiling the new poster for How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Maybe we should now just refer to the film as The Grinch, since that's the title that appears on both posters. However, Universal's press releases for the film have referred to it as How the Grinch Stole Christmas. So which is it, How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Grinch?
On the subject of new photos, Mr. Takagi checked in to let us know that French version of Premiere magazine has posted some Grinch photos. A couple of the new images are pictured below.
Anthony Hopkins to Narrarate The Grinch
Thu, Sep 07, 2000 01:15 AM EDT
Ain’t It Cool News had the initial word on this bit of casting. Sir Anthony Hopkins will indeed lend his narrative talents to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A press release from Universal Pictures now confirms the report.
Beyond verifying Hopkins' involvement, the only other new information Universal’s press release offers is a comment about the narrator’s dialogue. It’s a “combination of dialogue from the book and original narration.”
The Ottawa Citizen has published an article regarding the possibility that The Grinch could be somewhat frightening to younger viewers. According to the article by Bev Wake, Jim Carrey has changed the character into something “even scarier than Dr. Seuss imagined.” Seuss biographer Ruth MacDonald offers, “I think Jim Carrey is absolutely perfectly cast.” But she adds, “[Carrey has] a zany side to him that can be very threatening to children. You only have to see him in Batman to realize that. Certainly the Grinch seems evil enough, but he doesn't have much power. He doesn't harm anyone, and even though he breaks into homes he comes down the chimney just like Santa. It's the same kind of nastiness and evil in Harry Potter as in The Grinch. It's sort of unmotivated and unnecessary."
Having read the script, I think the “scare factor” shouldn’t be that bad for younger viewers. Some kids could be scared at first, but they’ll no doubt end up liking the Grinch, and laughing, with and at him, quite often.
Grinch Toys!
Sunday, August 05, 2000
Pictures of The Grinch toys have hit the net! You can view them by Clicking Here!
The Grinch Teams with Busta Rhymes
Mon, Jun 05, 2000
Things are coming together for the song compilation soundtrack for How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Rolling Stone and MTV are reporting that Busta Rhymes will record the yet-to-be-named title track. Q-Tip and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst will collaborate with Busta Rhymes on the track, which will also feature dialogue from Jim Carrey. MTV also adds that Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera will provide tracks for the album.
Positioning The Grinch Trailer
Mon, Jun 05, 2000
USA Today has published a short article about Universal’s positioning of the trailer for How The Grinch Stole Christmas in front of Mission: Impossible 2. The article succinctly states Universal plan; in addition to directly encouraging theater operators, Universal bartered with Paramount. The deal is that in return for Paramount allowing The Grinch to be shown in front of M:I-2, Universal agreed to attach a Paramount trailer in front of Universal’s The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Warner Brothers also entered into a similar agreement for M:I-2 concerning their trailer for The Perfect Storm.
Note: I didn't see The Grinch trailer when I saw Mission: Impossible 2
