Movie News & Gossip

NASHVILLE, Tennessee - Billy Ray Cyrus has been preparing his whole life for the role of Daniel Burton in the Hallmark Channel movie "Christmas in Canaan."

"I started digging through like old boxes of stuff and finding old Polaroids of my dad from 1964," he said. "I thought, if I can become my dad — if I can be Ronald Ray Cyrus in 1964 — then that's this guy. Just go be your dad."

LOS ANGELES - Brittany Murphy was a hardworking actress who was juggling multiple movie projects in the months leading up to her unexpected death.

While none of the films boasted the big budgets of Murphy's "8 Mile" or "Sin City," directors who recently worked with the 32-year-old actress say she was dedicated, insightful and happy as she wrapped two indie thrillers and prepared to start shooting a romantic comedy next month.

BEIJING - Hollywood director James Cameron urged China to open its doors to more foreign films, arguing it would boost the local cinema industry after the WTO ruled Beijing was illegally restricting movie and other media imports.

In Beijing to promote his latest sci-fi extravaganza, "Avatar," Cameron said Wednesday that China's breakneck economic growth meant it no longer needed measures to protect its film industry.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Randy and Evi Quaid finally appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to felony charges of defrauding an innkeeper.

The couple skipped previous court hearings without explanation after being accused of using an invalid credit card to defraud San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito of more than $10,000.

LONDON - Poor Dr. Watson. Always the sidekick, never the star.

Jude Law hopes to rectify that situation with his charismatic performance alongside Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes," making the detective's right-hand-man a handsome action hero in his own right. He's just not that comfortable with his new nickname: "Hotson."

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood is crossing a new milestone as domestic revenues top $10 billion for the first time.

Box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com projected that 2009 receipts would pass that mark Tuesday.

- Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" — a movie that offers exactly two big laughs for its kiddo audience — one involving passing gas, the other a shot to the crotch. In the considerable gap between these two bits of comic invention, you have plenty of time to ponder why the movie turns on the idea of Dave (Jason Lee) sending Alvin, Simon and Theodore to high school. Do chipmunks, particularly world-famous rock star chipmunks, really need a diploma? Aren't they already smarter than Dave? While there's no story, the movie does double the number of rodents, introducing the girl group, The Chipettes. Alvin and the boys compete against The Chipettes in a talent show, while that darned Ian (David Cross) tries to kidnap the ... oh, why bother going into detail? Just know there's twice the chipmunks and about half the laughs of the 2007 holiday hit. 89 minutes. One star out of four.

LOS ANGELES - Coroner's officials are looking into how the celebrity Web site TMZ obtained details on prescription drugs contained in an investigator's report on the death of Brittany Murphy.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Tuesday he didn't know how TMZ obtained the confidential report, and that he was concerned other aspects of the investigation could be leaked.