Decade of Hotness

Last month what fashion-savvy Jennifer Aniston would wear to this weekend's ceremony, once it was announced that Spike TV would be honoring the film and TV star with an award for her 'Decade of Hotness.'

Keeping it simple, Aniston, 42, went with a short LBD (little black dress) to look her best at Saturday's 'Guys Choice Awards.' Her oversized trophy was presented by her 'Horrible Bosses' co-stars: Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman.

If a night about guys voting for their favorite beauties sounds like a sweaty testosterone-fest, that didn't stop a number of other famous females from dressing up and strolling down the red carpet.

Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes and Minka Kelly (who was up for the 'Holy Grail of Hot' award, but lost to Mila Kunis) were all spotted at the Los Angeles event.

Cable channel held its gala at the Sony Pictures Studios Saturday night and will broadcast the proceedings beginning Friday.

Wahlberg was honored for portraying a boxer in "The Fighter," which also was named Guy Movie of the Year. The real Micky Ward, whom he played, was present along his half-brother Dicky Eklund and director David O. Russell.

"Fast Times At Ridgemont High" was inducted into the Guy Movie Hall of Fame, where it joins "GoodFellas," "Swingers," "There's Something About Mary" and "Fight Club."

Richards of the Rolling Stones accepted his honor from actors Robert De Niro and Jason Statham. His memoir, "Life," also was recognized.

Harrison Ford and Jon Favreau received the Most Manticipated Movie award for the forthcoming "Cowboys & Aliens."

Among other winners, Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock") was named Biggest Ass Kicker, and Jennifer Aniston took the Decade of Hotness prize.

X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class rebooted the mutant-superhero franchise by opening to $56 million, according to studio estimates. Whether that figure is a success or not depends on your point of view. Compared to the prior four X-Men movies, First Class attracted by far the least amount of moviegoers on opening weekend. It barely beat the original X-Men, which debuted to $54.5 million in 2000 (or $79.4 million in today’s dollars). And First Class fell far short of X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which grossed $85.6 million, $102.8 million, and $85.1 million their first weekends, respectively. Fox’s PG-13 action film also failed to match the $65.7 million debut set by fellow Marvel superhero Thor last month.

But Fox has been quick to compare First Class‘ numbers to those of Batman Begins, another superhero franchise reboot and origin story helmed by a rising director. (When Christopher Nolan made Batman Begins, he was best known for the indie breakout Memento and the thriller remake Insomnia; likewise, First Class director Matthew Vaughn has made his mark with Layer Cake and Kick-Ass) In 2005, Batman Begins started out with an okay $48.7 million opening, wound up collecting $205.3 million, and set the stage for The Dark Knight‘s gangbusters performance. First Class earned solid reviews and is sporting a “B+” grade from CinemaScore audiences, so Fox is hoping the $160 million picture holds up well these next few weeks and paves the way for a more lucrative sequel.

Meanwhile, Sony reports it has grossed $679.1 million through May, up more than 100% from 2010. May for Sony yielded $50.4 million in overseas box office, up 28% from May 2010. World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles (cume $118.9 million) and the Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It ($111.7 million) were key drivers of Sony’s five-month action.

Universal is also having a solid year so far thanks largely to heavy Fast Five action. January-through-May foreign b.o. figure is $632.8 million, up seven percent from last year with the May-only figure ($311.5 million) increasing 66% from 2010. (Paramount and Warner Bros. have yet to report year-to-date figures.)

Fox’s animation outing Rio bagged $2.8 million on the weekend from 2,508 venues in 25 territories for a foreign cume of $326.5 million. Paramount’s Thor, director Kenneth Branagh’s screen treatment of the mythic comic book character, has generated total foreign box office of $258 million thanks to a $1.6 million weekend at 2,990 locations in 60 markets.

In France, Mars Distribution’s release of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris dropped to the market’s No. 5 spot, grossing an estimated $1.2 million from 450 screens, a dip of 13% from the prior weekend. Market cume stands at 10.2 million.

Also in France, Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s Cannes Festival prizewinner, dropped to No. 7 with an estimated $1 million drawn from 350 sites. The EuropaCorp Distribution release has registered a market total of $4.4 million thus far. Top local language newcomer in France was Pathe’s No. 4-ranked Monsieur Papa, a comedy-drama directed by and costarring Kad Merad, which opened at 350 sites for an estimated $1.4 million.

Other international cumes: Fox’s Black Swan, $$214.1 million; Sony and other distributors' Hanna, $13.6 million; Fox’s Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, $46 million; Universal’s Paul, $53.8 million; Fox’s Water For Elephants, $53.6 million; UGC Distribution’s The Rabbi’s Cat, $1.1 million in France opener at 225 locations; Sony’s Priest, $42.2 million; Universal’s The Adjustment Bureau, $58.4 million; Gaumont’s La conquete (The Conquest), $4.6 million in France only; and Universal’s Senna, $3.5 million from three markets including a U.K. and Ireland debut for the racing car driver docu generating $500,000 from 67 screens).

Wales Open

NEWPORT, Wales — Unheralded Swede Alexander Noren (FSY) captured his second European Tour title by winning the Wales Open on Sunday, shooting a 1-under 70 for a two-stroke victory.

The 127th-ranked Noren shot a 1-under 70 in the final round for a 9-under total of 275 at Celtic Manor, adding to his win at the 2009 European Masters.

"It will be weird but I will look forward to it," he said. "I can't believe it still. When the final putt was this far, I knew it was done. It was incredible."

Noren won't be able to celebrate for long. He is scheduled to tee off at Sunningdale on Monday in a qualifying tournament for the British Open at Royal St. George's next month.

Gregory Bourdy (FSY) of France had a bogey-free 67 to finish joint runner-up with Anders Hansen (FSY) of Denmark, who had a 71.

Johan Edfors (FSY) (69) and Peter Hanson (72) of Sweden, Ricardo Gonzalez (FSY) of Argentina (67) and Pablo Larrazabal (FSY) of Spain (67) were another stroke back.

Noren acknowledged feeling some tension after entering the third round with a one-stroke lead, then said he expecNoren won by two strokes from the Dane Anders Hansen and the Frenchman Gregory Havret after a closing 70 containing two birdies and one mistake. That came on the drivable 15th when, with confidence high and a three-stroke cushion, he went for the green with a three-wood and saw it go left and kick down a bank into a hazard.

A bogey five brought the gap down to two but he parred the last three holes for a nine-under-par total of 275. It completed a very satisfactory week that began with Noren qualifying for the US Open – his first major in America.

But his work goes on. Winning the title and £300,000 does not spare him from 36 holes of Open Championship qualifying at Sunningdale on Monday. "It will be weird but I will look forward to it," he said. "My driving has been the best it's ever been. I never really believed I could do well on tough courses but now we play them all the time. I've proved to myself I can hit a lot of greens and not just rely on my short game."

His name follows that of Graeme McDowell on to the trophy – and last year, of course, the Ulsterman went on to capture the US Open as well. McDowell had hopes of a successful defence when he was lying in second place behind Noren at halfway but then came a terrible Saturday score of 81 and even an improvement of 10 strokes on Sunday lifted him only to 30th place.

Noren had resumed one ahead of Hansen and Peter Hanson but by the 7th green that had swelled to four. Hansen was the first to fall back, taking a double-bogey seven on the long 2nd after his ball plugged in sand. Hanson went joint top with a 10-foot putt on the 4th but missed a three-foot opportunity at the next, double-bogeyed the 6th after failing to make it over the water with his approach and then three-putted the next.

Grégory Bourdy set the target of seven under with a birdie at the par-five last and Hansen's birdie at the short 17th meant he still had a chance. But, although Noren went over the green in two on the last and then played a poor chip, Hansen was bunkered and came out 18 feet past the flag. Both took five and Hansen finished joint second with Bourdy. Johan Edfors, another Swede, eagled the hole to share fourth with Argentina's Ricardo González, who hit a triple-bogey seven at the 1st but shot a 67.ted a tougher task Sunday.

NASCAR

NASCAR owner Richard Childress reportedly fights Kyle Busch

It's high time for NASCAR lawmakers to pin on their sheriff's badges and distribute a little justice, especially after Saturday's Fistfight at the OK Garage stretched "Boys, have at it" to the extreme.


Frustrations can sometimes boil over at this level of racing. In less than a year, we've seen Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton square off at Texas, Ryan Newman reportedly punch Juan Montoya in the Cup hauler and Kevin Harvick try to toss a right hook through the window net at Kyle Busch after Darlington.


But when 65-year-old car owner Richard Childress decides to take matters into his own fists against 26-year-old Busch in the Truck Series garage, it's obvious NASCAR needs to step in. Because without saying it directly, Childress' actions show implicitly he doesn't believe the sanctioning body's policymakers are policing the sport correctly right now.


That means it's up to NASCAR president Mike Helton and the rest to show they're still in charge instead of handing out fines that are pocket change to today's millionaires and idle threats through probation that obviously don't act as any deterrent at all.


"I think that throughout the history of NASCAR we've gone through cycles of everything, including tempers in the garage area and on the race track," NASCAR president Mike Helton said Sunday morning. "I think our responsibility lies in reacting to those trends and if it is a trend we feel escalates, we have a history of stepping in and turning those trends around."


NASCAR absolved Busch of any wrongdoing in this case, but whatever his actions on the track toward RCR driver Joey Coulter after the checkered flag, they certainly got Childress' attention. And when a post-race garage area incident -- without video, audio or even quoted sources -- gets more airplay than a pair of thrilling race finishes at Kansas and Chicagoland, the cart is pulling the horse.


Sure, the idea of Childress handing his watch to his grandkid and putting Busch in a headlock elicits some giggles and smart-aleck comments, like "beating around the Busch" and "Grandpa trimming the Shrub." But once you get away from the humorousness of the moment, it's a dangerous precedent for a sport that quite often struggles with credibility issues.


Childress has been a team owner for four decades, and won six stock-car championships with the late Dale Earnhardt, the sport's iconic "Intimidator." His current drivers are Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard.


Childress' frustration with Busch also might have stemmed from an incident last month when Harvick and Busch tangled after the race in Darlington, S.C., in which Harvick threw a punch into Busch's window on pit road and Busch responded by using his car to push Harvick's car out of the way.


Both drivers were placed on probation until June 15, but NASCAR said Sunday that Busch's involvement in the incident with Childress did not violate his probation "and no further action is required."


NASCAR last year introduced the "Boys, have at it" philosophy whereby drivers were given more leeway to be aggressive and show emotion without fear of penalties. But drivers still have been penalized in some cases for what NASCAR deemed egregious behavior.

Miami Heat

Rony Seikaly: Heat motivated now more than ever

DALLAS— Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh might be taking things to extremes, but he insists these NBA Finals are not a homecoming.

Even though he was born here, raised here and won a national championship in high school here.

"Just to keep my edge," Bosh said at Sunday's shootaround, hours before the Heat were to face the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of this best-of-seven series, "I've been treating this like I'm on the road, which we are. I try not to have a home feeling."

He has been trying particularly hard.

"I think somebody asked, 'Are you getting a home-cooked meal?' " he said. "I was like, 'Absolutely not.' I want to eat all garbage, junk food and room service just to get that road feel."

Amid his struggles in the first two games that left the Heat in a 1-1 tie entering Sunday, Bosh has received pep talks from Heat guard Dwyane Wade.

Remember, this is their first year together. They can only go up from here. They still are learning to play together.

And America loves to hate teams like the Heat. They love to build you up and then knock you down. America prefers the underdogs. And the Heat are far from an underdog team. They are the Goliath. The only way to get back into people's graces is to act very humble. And I'm not sure that'll happen.

Remember, the Boston Celtics and those Larry Bird teams were hated. But that's what happens when you see a dynasty building. People don't want that.

Obviously, Game 3 is going to be epic. You can't say die for the Heat, but that game is important. The Heat are a different animal this time around.

I think Dirk Nowitzki is a phenomenal player, and this season he's taken it up a knotch. He's spectacular. People are rooting for him. He's facing LeBron James -- the combo of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan -- on the floor.

I don't think Coach Erik Spoelstra needs to do anything to motivate the Heat.

After that loss, they are ready.


Tags: Cleveland , LeBron James , LeBron James and Rashard Lewis Rumors , Dallas Mavericks , Rashard Lewis

French Open 2011

Nadal wins French Open, equals Borg's record

Afternoon all. So the ancien regime has been restored in Paris. For the first time since the 2009 Australian Open, and for just the second time since that Wimbledon encounter in 2008, it's Roger versus Rafa in a grand slam final.

Few at Roland Garros would have predicted this scenario a fortnight ago, when one bookmaker offered odds of 18-1 on Federer prevailing. The 29-year-old, down to No3 in the world and without a major final appearance in 16 months, was the half-forgotten man. All the talk was of Nadal and Novak Djokovic's tussle for the No1 spot and whether Nadal could recover from back-to-back defeats to the Serb in the Madrid and Rome finals.

But then Federer went and broke Djokovic's 43-match, six-month stranglehold on the men's game in a remarkable semi-final on Friday.

"I wasn't lying on the beach,' said Federer after that match. "I continue to make sacrifices and, when it really counts, I'm at the big occasion. I have another opportunity here to beat Rafa and take another French Open title. I'm aware that I've got to play some extraordinary tennis, but I never stopped believing.

Top seed Nadal moved alongside Bjorn Borg, who won six titles at Roland Garros between 1974 and 1981. Federer has not beaten Nadal in five meetings at the event, with the Spaniard winning finals from 2006-2008 and getting the better off Federer in a 2005 semifinal.

Nadal’s victory saved his world number one ranking and keeps Novak Djokovic from seizing the top honour for a first time. Federer remains third.

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