12A
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTH'he Charlotte Post
Thursday, March 13, 1997
Shock jock Howard Stem mles weekend
box office with ‘Private Parts’ biopic
By Lynn Elber
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES - The self-
proclaimed “King of all Media”
Howard Stem was also king of
the weekend box office.
After a promotional blitz
that saw Stem on magazine
covers and TV talk shows,
Stem’s autobiographical come
dy “Private Parts” led movie
ticket sales with $14.6 million.
The film ended the domina
tion of George Lucas’ re-
released space adventures,
“Star Wars” and “The Empire
Strikes Back,” which had com
bined to shut new films out of
the No. 1 spot for five weeks.
' Rob Friedman, vice chair
man of the Paramount
Promotion Picture Group, said
the success of “Private Parts,”
with a star known for his
raunchiness, was not assured.
“Believe me, we saw it as a
risk,” he said.
In second place was “Jungle
2 Jungle,” which.^n^d $^.8
million in its debut. The film
drew mixed reviews but had
the advantage of 'Tim Allen’s
connection with his popular
ABC-TV sitcom “Home
Improvement.”
“'The Empire Strikes Back”
(1980) dropped to No. 3 in its
third week with grosses of $8
million. “Star Wars” (1977)
remained vigorous with $3.9
million in its sixth week, com
ing in at No. 6 for the week.
Together, “Star Wars” and
“Empire” have grossed more
than $182 million in re-issue.
Both movies are expected to be
in theaters when “Return of
the Jedi” is re-released on
Friday.
The top 20 movies at North
American theaters Friday
through Sunday, followed by
studio, gross, number of the
ater locations, receipts per
location, total gross and num
ber of weeks in release, as
compiled by Exhibitor
Relations Co. Inc.;
1. “Private Parts,”
Paramount, $14.6 million,
2,138 locations, $6,836 aver
age, $14.6 million, one week.
2. “Jungle 2 Jungle,” Disney,
$12.8 million, 2,316 locations,
$5,532 average, $12.8 million,
one week.
3. “The Empire Strikes
Back,” Fox, $8 million, 2,116
locations, $3,804 average,
$51.7 million, three weeks.
4. “Donnie Brasco,” Sony,
$7.8 million, 1,593 locations,
$4,916 average, $23.4 million,
two weeks.
5. “Booty Call,” Sony, $4.1
million, 1,272 locations, $3,193
average, $13.8 million, two
weeks.
6. “Star Wars,” Fox, $3.9 mil
lion, 2,037 locations, $1,912
average, $130.6 million, six
weeks.
7. “Absolute Power,” Sony,
$3.7 million, 2,816 locations,
$1,318 average, $42.1 million,
four weeks.
8. “Dante’s Peak,” Universal,
$3.2 million, 2,279 locations,
$1,415 average, $56.8 million,
five weeks.
9. “Vegas Vacation,” $2.39
million, 1,873 locations, $1,274
average, $30.6 million, four
weeks.
10. “Marvin’s Room,”
Miramax, $2.37 million, 1,158
locations, $2,043 average, $8.7
million, 12 weeks.
11. “Fools Rush In,” Sony,
$2.3 million, 1,701 locations,
$1,353 average, $24.6 million,
four weeks.
12. “Jerry Maguire,” Sony,
$2.2 million, 1,174 locations,
$1,834 average, $138 million,
13 weeks.
13. “The English Patient,”
Miramax, $2 million, 1,004
locations, $1,999 average,
$57.5 million, 17 weeks.
14. “Shine,” Fine Line, $1.9
million, 991 locations, $1,962
average, $28.8 million, 16
weeks.
15. “Rosewood,” Warner, $1.8
million, 841 locations, $2,097
average, $9.8 million, three
weeks.
16. “Sling Blade,” Miramax,
$1.3 million, 268 locations,
$4,742 average, $4.8 million,
15 weeks.
17. “Scream,” Miramax, $1
million, 806 locations, $1,256
average, $84.7 million, 12
weeks.
18. “That Dam Cat,” Disney,
$913,700, 1,643 locations,
$556 average, $15.6 million,
four weeks.
19. “Rhyme & Reason,”
Miramax, $853,600, 280 loca
tions, $3,049 average, $1.1
million, one week.
20. “Michael,” New Line,
$844,000, 1,007 locations,
$838 average, $88.5 million,
11 weeks.
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Death Row founder sa
he’s not linked to deaf
T
THE ASOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES - Calling the
late rapper 'Tupac Sh'akur'his
best friend. Death Row
Records co-founder Marion
“Suge” Knight said it was
“crazy” to speculate that he
had anything to do with
Shakur’s death in Las Vegas.
“I loved ‘Pac then. I love ‘Pac
now. He loved me. That’s my
little homey and it’s always
going to be that way, you know,
and nothing’s going to change
that,” Knight said in his first
jailhouse interview with Fox’s
TV show “America’s Most
Wanted.”
Last month, Knight was sen
tenced to nine years in prison
for violating his 1995 proba
tion.
The judge said Knight violat
ed his probation by taking part
in a fight at the MGM Grand
Hotel in Las Vegas hotel on
Sept. 7. Hours later, Shakur
was shot in a drive-by attack
as he rode in Knight’s car.
Shakur died six days later.
Knight was stmck in the head.
The case remains unsolved.
“September 7th is a part of
history. It’s a sad day. It’s an
educational day,” Knight told
the TV show in an episode
broadcast Saturday night.
Asked about rumors that
Shakur was going to leave the
rap label, Knight said there
was no friction between he and
Shakur.
“If you look at any interview
that Tupac did, if you look at
any video, any TW show he did,
one thing he always did was
praise Death Row and me and
him praised each other,”
Knight said.
Common sense should tell
homicide investigators that he
didn’t shoot Shakur, Knight
said.
“Just shoot me in my head,
make sure you hit me in my
head for it can look good.
That’s crazy,” he said.
Knight said police have
already questioned the man he
beheves is responsible for the
shooting.
Knight also defended his
actions just after the shooting.
He immediately made a u-
tum, away from any hospital.
“How many people you know,
would get shot in the head,
where it fractures their skull,
and instead of just taking off
driving and thinking about
their buddy to make sure
they’re ialright, do you think
any person who got shot in the
head is going to say, ‘Well,
lemme see the quickest way to
get to the hospital’? The aver
age person I think would be
dead.”
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