The second Saturday morning of 2010. That's when that weekend's first-day box-office grosses should be in, and when we should have answers to a couple of intriguing questions.
One, can Miley Cyrus open a movie without Hannah Montana?
And, two, can a Hollywood movie open with Chris Brown's baggage?
Disney has pegged Cyrus' The Last Song for a Jan. 8, 2010, opening, opposite the Brown-featuring Takers, the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations noted on its site today.
The films aren't expected to compete for the same business. They are expected, however, to make things interesting.
Written by novelist Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook), The Last Song is a father-daughter drama—or, considering Cyrus is the star, a daughter-father drama. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced. Shooting is scheduled for the summer.
"This is definitely a departure from Hannah Montana," Exhibitor Relations' Jeff Bock said in an email, "one that will allow the industry to gauge Miley's fanbase, and allow her to evolve as an actress."
Takers is an in-the-can ensemble cops-and-robbers movie (formerly titled Bone Deep) with Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Hayden Christensen, T.I. and Brown. Following Brown's arrest for his alleged assault of Rihanna, there was a report the film's studio intended to "erase" the entertainer from its promo campaign. T.I., who's also an executive producer, denied a Brown-out plan was in the works.
T.I., of course, has his own issues. The rapper has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison on a weapons charge. It's unknown if he'll be available, as it were, for the premiere.
Brown's troubles came as the 19-year-old, once wholesome enough for the "Got Milk?" campaign, was picking up more film work. At 16, Cyrus already has two No. 1 movies on her resume: ast year's Hannah Montana concert movie, and, yes, the still-running Hannah Montana comedy.
Brown and Cyrus were both supposed to perform at this past year's Grammys. In the end, only Cyrus sang. Brown ended up being otherwise engaged.
Now, the teen idols' summit will be staged at the box office.
In a fiery statement to TMZ, Mathew Knowles, who's also Bey's manager, says his daughter was set up. It's one of the best statements we've ever gotten.
"If no one took the time to look at the biggest Inauguration in the history of America then shame on them.
If no one took the time to listen to Beyonce sing 'America the Beautiful' and 'At Last' at the Neighborhood Ball for the first dance of President Obama and the First Lady, and they question Beyonce's vocal ability, they've gotta be an idiot.
At 12 years into her career, the last thing someone should be questioning is her vocal ability.
That would be like questioning if Kobe Bryant could shoot a jump shot. The vocals were obviously altered."
The 20-year-old's career definitely has legs.
Cops in India claim they have no evidence that the father of 9-year-old Rubina Ali -- one of the child stars from "Slumdog Millionaire" -- was trying to sell his daughter.
Rafiq Qureshi was accused of trying to sell Rubina for roughly $290,000 by a British newspaper that had set up an undercover operation to try and buy the young girl.
A senior police officer in India told Reuters, "So far there is no evidence of any offence, hence there is no registration of complaint and no arrest."
