Box office wrap-up: “Transformers” sequel blows up real good: The news this week is about as simple and unsurprising as you can get: “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” has done some pretty spectacular business, netting an estimate of $201.2 million, just shy of the all-time record $203.8 million “The Dark Knight” earned on its initial five-day release. Could that $2.6 million difference be the [Continued at Premium Hollywood. Comments?]

Shameless commerce with “I Sell the Dead”: I usually like my horror best when it’s well mixed with comedy. Moreover, this LAFF selection has gotten some good responses elsewhere, but I’m sorry to say that “I Sell the Dead” was my first real disappointment of the festival. It’s a fairly classic example of the kind of film where the cinematic “frosting” is [Continued at Premium Hollywood. Comments?]

Box office mini-preview, part II: Weirded out Hollywood agrees: “Transformers” sequel smashes puny humanity (updated): In the face of the death of Michael Jackson right after the very sad news of the passing of Farrah Fawcett, it’s a weird day in Hollywood — and just a bit weirder and louder in news-chopper infested Westwood, where I happen to be, perhaps just a few thousand yards from the hospital room where [Continued at Premium Hollywood. Comments?]

And, now, the latest hit single from “True Blood”…: If you caught my blog of this week’s episode of “True Blood,” then you saw my shout-out to the character of Amanda Jane and her bid for Christian pop superstardom via the potential hit single, “Jesus Asked Me Out Today.” When they announced the title of the track, I laughed out loud, but you have [Continued at Premium Hollywood. Comments?]

“Branson” and the world outside LAFF: There’s an idea out there that documentary filmmakers require more good luck to make a successful project, and though Brent Meeske took some three and half years to complete his work after another film died aborning, he clearly made some remarkable luck for himself with “Branson.” It starts out somewhat slowly, but what emerges is [Continued at Premium Hollywood. Comments?]