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Rachel Roberts Baby Joy
24 December 2002 (WENN)
Sexy star Rachel Roberts is expecting a baby. The blonde model who appeared in Simone is expecting the baby of writer boyfriend Andrew Niccol. He directed her in the movie, which brought them together two years ago, although they were both married at the time. A rep for Roberts says, "It's not an affair. They are deeply in love and both their separations were very amicable. The divorce proceedings began a long time ago."

Pacino Blasts Celebrity
22 October 2002 (WENN)
Hollywood superstar Al Pacino has accused modern Hollywood actors of being problematic and causing tension of set. The Godfather star was promoting his new film Simone when he made the comments. In the film, Pacino plays a film director who hires a digitally-created actress because of the increasing attitude problems of real-life stars. And it's a drastic measure that the Serpico star can fully understand. The 62-year old star says, "The world of celebrity has gone mad. It is very scary, because it happens when you are on a tightrope. You are up there, trying to make a part happen, when someone starts being difficult. This is not good. The whole thing is about trusting each other, as if we are in an orchestra trying to create good harmonies. But I am not going to name names. They know who they are."

Worst Summer Weekend in Four Years
27 August 2002 (StudioBriefing)
In its dreariest weekend of the summer -- or of any summer since 1998 -- the box office took in just $62 million for the top 12 films. Disney's Signs returned to the top spot, earning $14.3 million. Sony's XXX slipped to second place with $13.3 million. Three new films, Serving Sara, Undisputed, and Simone, debuted weakly, earning less among all three of them than the four-week-old Signs did on its own. Continuing to amaze, however, was My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which added some 200 additional theaters and saw its revenue rise in its 19th week to $7.3 million, 27 percent above what it earned a week ago. The movie also produced the highest per-theater gross, averaging $5,464 on 1,329 screens.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Signs, Disney, $14,285,028, 4 Wks. ($173,107,735); 2. XXX, Sony, $13,258,453, 3 Wks. ($106,264,055); 3. Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, Miramax, $7,588,890, 3 Wks. ($58,579,227); 4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, IFC Films, $7,261,842, 19 Wks. ($63,690,730); 5. Blue Crush, Universal, $6,542,510, 2 Wks. ($26,491,250); 6. Serving Sara, Paramount, $5,758,236, (New); 7. Austin Powers in Goldmember, New Line, $5,543,029, 5 Wks. ($193,875,866); 8. Undisputed, Miramax, $4,548,750, (New); 9. Simone, New Line, $3,813,463, (New); 10. Blood Work, Warner Bros., $2,840,880, 3 Wks. ($20,209,097).

Few Sell-Out 'Signs' at Box Office
26 August 2002 (StudioBriefing)
In a weekend that confounded box-office analysts, moviegoers showed they were a choosy lot, returning a film that opened four weeks earlier to the top spot (Signs), showing little interest in two new films (Serving Sara, Simone), pushing a movie that opened 19 weeks ago into fourth place (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), and giving a film that opened primarily in urban markets a far bigger payday than anyone had predicted (Undisputed). But mostly, they stayed home -- there were 25 percent fewer admissions than there were during the same weekend last year and 22 percent less revenue. In an allusion to the top film, the Associated Press commented in its box-office report: "The signs are everywhere that summer blockbuster season has ended." Daily Variety called the total take of $63.9 million for the top 12 films "measly" and commented that the box office "is suffering a nasty case of the vapors." Particularly disappointing was the performance of Serving Sara, starring Matthew Perry, and Simone, starring Al Pacino. The former foundered in sixth place with just $6.1 million. The latter tanked in ninth place with $4.1 million. On the other hand, the indie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, now being called "the little film that could," continued to amaze as it added theaters and took in $7.6 million in the process, bringing its 19-week total to $66.3 million. Also, the urban boxing movie Undisputed, starring Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, which opened in only 1,100 theaters, nevertheless took in $4.7 million, more than what Miramax paid for it.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Signs, $14.4 million; 2. XXX, $13.7 million; 3. Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, $7.8 million; 4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, $7.6 million; 5. Blue Crush, $6.5 million; 6. Serving Sara, $6.1 million; 7. Austin Powers in Goldmember, $5.6 million; 8. Undisputed, $4.7 million; 9. Simone, $4.1 million; 10. Blood Work, $2.9 million.

Movie Reviews: 'Simone'
23 August 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Most box-office analysts are predicting that XXX will become the first film of the summer to hold the No. 1 spot for three consecutive weeks. The primary new competition comes from two relatively low-budget films, one starring Al Pacino; the other, Matthew Perry. The Pacino movie -- about a computer programmer who creates a "virtual" actress, the "Simone" of the title, and passes her off as real -- is receiving mixed reviews. "It's fitfully funny but never really takes off," Robert Ebert writes in the Chicago Sun-Times. Jonathan Foreman's reaction in the New York Post is similar: "Simone staggers between flaccid satire and what is supposed to be madcap farce," he says. So is Elvis Mitchell's in the New York Times, who writes that the movie is "like the punch line to a joke that's been going around for years. It has been told better, and been funnier, elsewhere." On the other hand, Steven Rea in the Philadelphia Inquirer observes that "Simone, for all its flaws, offers an enjoyable look at the machinations of moviedom and fame, and a look into a future where what is real and what isn't becomes scarily blurred." Claudia Puig in USA Today reaches an almost identical conclusion: "There are some very funny moments in Simone," she remarks. "So many movies lampoon Hollywood and mine little real humor. Simone is a worthy, if flawed, piece of entertainment." Eleanor Ringel Gillespie in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution also finds a lot to like and dislike about the movie, but concludes: "Simone is a smart and funny, albeit sometimes superficial, cautionary tale of a technology in search of an artist."

Car Trouble for Pacino
15 August 2002 (WENN)
Al Pacino was forced to hail a cab on his way to the premiere of his new film Simone in Los Angeles on Tuesday night when his limousine broke down. The movie star arrived at the premiere with his 12-year-old daughter Julie in the back of a taxi. He said, "My limo just conked out. It just stopped in Santa Monica. Those things happen to me all the time." Pacino had another surprise in store for fans on the red carpet - he has gone blond. He added, "They dyed my hair grey for a part I was playing. They actually bleached it and when it hits the sun it just goes blond. I actually like it." Meanwhile, producers paid extras to stage a fake demonstration about the digitalization of Hollywood - the theme of his film - outside the cinema before Pacino arrived.