'Beowulf' prevails at box office

"Beowulf," a battlefield epic based on a medieval text, slaughtered its rivals at the weekend box office in North America, according to studio estimates issued yesterday. Director Robert Zemeckis's effects-heavy adaptation of the old English poem, which has long bedeviled schoolchildren, sold about $28.1 million worth of tickets during its first three days, said domestic distributor Paramount Pictures. Jerry Seinfeld's animated "Bee Movie" slipped to No. 2 with $14.3 million, while "American Gangster" was down one to No. 3 with $13.2 million. Both movies were in their third weekend. "Beowulf," a $150 million film starring British actor Ray Winstone as a dashing warrior around the 6th century A.D., is a hybrid of animation and live action. About 20 percent of the prints were screened in theaters equipped with 3-D technology, and those locations accounted for more than 40 percent of sales, Paramount said. The holiday comedy "Fred Claus" slipped one place to No. 4 with $12 million in its second weekend, for a total of $35.8 million. The fantasy drama "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium," starring Dustin Hoffman as a toy impresario, opened at No. 5 with $10 million. (REUTERS)

A week after his mother's death, Kanye West returned to the concert stage Saturday night in Paris, only to dramatically break down in tears, audience members tell People. Nearing the end of the more than 60-minute performance, with the riff of "Hey Mama" beginning, West (inset) attempted to introduce the tribute to a sold-out crowd at Le Zénith in Paris, saying "This song is for my mother . . ." "He said the word, 'Mother' and just couldn't go any further," Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire said. "A backup singer, the DJ, and a guitar player came over to console him. It looked like he might collapse. He just couldn't continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying while the band continued playing." After a few moments of stunned silence, Magloire said, the audience of 5,000 reacted by offering calls of encouragement, which grew into applause. The band restarted the song, but West left the stage, returning after 10 to 15 minutes to conclude the concert with a rousing performance of "Stronger." "He was very nervous, seemed to have gathered himself up, and had a lot of energy," Magloire said. "He kept shouting out to the audience, 'I need you . . . I need you right now' and the public was screaming back. It was magic." (PEOPLE.COM)

Broadway stagehands and theater producers met again yesterday, the second day of intense negotiations to find a solution to a strike by Local 1 that has kept 27 plays and musicals closed for more than a week. The two sides held a marathon 12-hour-plus session Saturday in a Theatre District hotel. The union and the League of American Theatres and Producers would not comment on the resumption of the talks. Pressure has mounted for a solution to the work stoppage, which began Nov. 10, because today marks the start of the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday week, which is one of Broadway's best weeks of the year. The stagehands, who include scenery and prop handlers, carpenters, electricians, and lighting and sound technicians, have been working without a contract since the end of July. Negotiations have focused on work rules - how many stagehands are required to open a Broadway show and keep it running. (AP)

It wasn't live from New York as usual. About 150 audience members in a tiny Manhattan theater were the only folks in the world to witness a totally new "Saturday Night Live" episode, starring guest host Michael Cera and musical guest Yo La Tengo. Anyone who tuned into NBC was subjected to a two-week-old rerun, featuring Brian Williams and Feist, thanks to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. "It was everything that's never been on the show before," cast member Kenan Thompson told The Associated Press after the show. The "SNL" cast and writers collaborated on staging the special "Saturday Night Live - On Strike!" event at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre to benefit the behind-the-scenes staff affected by the strike. The live performance was not officially sanctioned by NBC, but "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels, who celebrated his 63d birthday, did attend. The performance included all the trappings of a typical "SNL" episode, such as a host monologue, musical performance, "Weekend Update" news segment, and several comedy sketches - without commercial interruption. "It was a little dirtier than usual," audience member Birch Harms said. (AP)

Oprah Winfrey, kicking off a series of shows highlighting towns across the United States, concluded a taping in Macon, Ga., Saturday by doling out gifts large and small to audience members. Under the theme "Oprah's favorite things," she showered the crowd with presents, ranging from refrigerators to camcorders to wrapping paper. The show will air tomorrow. Winfrey also toured downtown Macon and stopped by Nu-Way, a well-known hot dog restaurant, Friday afternoon. Afterward, she proclaimed the hot dogs her favorite thing about the visit. Macon spent as much as $20,000 to ready City Auditorium for Winfrey's arrival. Her company, Harpo Productions, has offered to reimburse the city for some of the improvements to the historic building. (AP)

Martha Stewart 's mother, Martha Kostyra - who was known as Big Martha - has died at age 93. Kostyra, who died Friday, often appeared with her daughter on TV, offering expert cooking instruction. Martha Stewart, 66, called her "my favorite guest" and said she led an "amazing life." (PEOPLE.COM)