Entertainment [3]

Blending digital with traditional hand-drawn effects, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is an action-filled adventure flick that will undoubtedly appeal to younger audiences. However, it doesn't ascend to the lofty heights achieved by other Disney classics, where the film enchants adults as much as it does children.

With crazy/beautiful, Kirsten Dunst obviously wanted to break away from the squeaky-clean teen image formed by the type of pompom-toting characters she's played in films such as Bring It On (2000).

An author takes a big risk in attempting to tell a novel-length inside joke. There's a chance that readers who don't get it will resent being left on the outside. And even those readers who do get it might take umbrage at being the butt of the jibe.

(CNN) - Before picking up Down and Dirty, Jake Tapper's tale of the 2000 presidential campaign, the first question the reader must ask is: Do I want to go through it all again?

You'll be hard-pressed to find a review of Evolution -- an intentionally silly special effects comedy starring David Duchovny and Julianne Moore -- that doesn't refer to Ghostbusters (1984) or Men in Black (1997).

The Fast and the Furious is exactly what you'd expect it to be: fast, furious -- and senseless. This movie is aimed like a heat-seeking missile at Hollywood's most coveted demographic, males between 17 and 24, who have proven that -- given the right material -- they will see an action movie again and again. This, probably, will be one of them.

The Wind Done Gone By Alice Randall Houghton Mifflin & Co. Fiction 208 pages

The title of Martin Lawrence's new picture, What's the Worst That Could Happen?, is meant as a rhetorical question. But it only takes about 10 minutes of Lawrence lumbering around in especially heavy-lidded, thick-tongued style before the unavoidable answer strikes you: The worst that could happen is this crummy movie.

Angelina Jolie's calculated image as a sexy, knife-loving wild woman perfectly suits the role of Lara Croft, the thrill-seeking heroine of yet another big budget action assault, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She's a dead ringer for the woman who millions of computer nerds have come to know and love, and she throws herself into action scenes with charismatic abandon.

At the very least, you can believe the title of Dr. Dolittle 2: Eddie Murphy, reprising his role as the good doctor, definitely does little -- except make faces and pretend to talk to a series of wise-cracking animals. The actors playing his family do little more.

Here are some things you probably know about Swordfish: It features some wildly exciting action sequences. John Travolta is not wearing dreadlocks or platform boots. Yes, Halle Berry goes topless -- and so does Hugh Jackman. There's a nice twist at the end of the film.

<p><I>Staying Tuned: A Life in Journalism By Daniel Schorr Pocket Books Nonfiction/Memoir 368 pages</p></I>

Is it possible that Artemis Fowl isn't Ireland's answer to Harry Potter, or whatever he's been called by every book reviewer this side of Atlantic?

If you're a fan of animated films, this summer could be the Golden Age of the art form, a convergence of old and new, art and technology.

What do you get when you combine Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg?

Hank Ketcham, the man who created the wildly popular Dennis the Menace comic strip, has died at the age of 81.

It's the end of an era on General Hospital. Or is it?

Rick Schroder has turned in his badge.

They may be the reviews that live in infamy.

Forty-one years after its release, fans of the movie Psycho still think twice before taking a shower.

Many women say Sex and the City strikes a chord they don't find on network TV.

Actor Anthony Quinn is dead. He was 86.

Carroll O'Connor, whose portrayal of the intolerant, word-mangling bigot Archie Bunker on All in the Family helped change not only American television but possibly America itself, died Thursday of a heart attack, his publicist's office said. He was 76. The actor died around 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET) at Brotman Hospital in Los Angeles with his wife, Nancy, at his side. The couple would have celebra...

Oscar-winning actor Jack Lemmon died Wednesday night at USC/Norris Cancer Center.

Actress Imogene Coca died Saturday in her Westport home at the age of 92.

Alice Randall's latest book is The Wind Done Gone, a parody of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. It was scheduled for publication by Houghton Mifflin, but the Mitchell Trusts have petitioned the court to prevent publication, claiming that Randall's book is an infringement of copyright and that the parody would hinder efforts to license more sequels of Gone With the Wind. Randall joined the ...

Carroll O'Connor got a final standing ovation Tuesday, from friends, family and colleagues who came to say a last farewell to a beloved actor.

Two pieces of prized Beatles history are to be sold over the Internet.Copies of the original score of Yesterday will be auctioned to raise funds for British colony Montserrat and the childhood home of John Lennon will be sold after the current owner died last month.

John Lee Hooker, whose growling voice and spare guitar helped define the American blues, died Thursday at age 83.

Detectives investigating the possible murder of a man found unconscious in a swimming pool at the home of a UK television comedian have arrested the star and two other men.

Police probing a suspicious death released UK television comedian Michael Barrymore on bail without charge Wednesday.

A radio station joked that pop star Britney Spears died in a car accident Tuesday night, setting off an international flurry of rumors.

Family, friends and fans gathered Saturday to say farewell to two-time Oscar-winning actor Anthony Quinn, whose vital screen presence gave life to a host of characters, including the career-defining earthy and worldly wise Zorba the Greek.

Rock-and-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis was in good condition Saturday at a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital.

Latin jazz composer, conductor and band leader Arturo Chico O'Farrill, who produced about two dozen albums and played with musicians ranging from Count Basie to David Bowie, has died, family members told CNN on Thursday. He was 79.

Liverpool is to name its airport after one if its most famous sons.

Pop diva Madonna donned a Scottish kilt to begin her European tour in Spain.

Don't race off to the multiplex if you want to catch the latest Madonna flick.

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and his girlfriend Heather Mills have launched a new campaign to rid the world of landmines.

Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has spoken of his admiration for controversial American rapper Eminem.

Online music-sharing service Napster has signed a licensing deal with more than 150 independent music labels in Europe.

In a world where movie fans are so hungry for new information on George Lucas' Star Wars series, the latest comments from Samuel L. Jackson probably looks like a full-course meal.

Billy Collins has been named the 11th U.S. poet laureate, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has announced.

Model Niki Taylor has had a miraculous upswing in recovery over the past two weeks from injuries suffered in a nearly fatal car accident two months ago, allowing doctors to move her out of an intensive care unit, her agent said Friday.

For Hollywood, the summer -- traditionally a time of action-adventure blockbusters -- got an early start, with the first summer releases coming out three weeks before the traditional Memorial Day kickoff. CNN Showbiz Today Reports correspondent Paul Vercammen checks in with a report card.

So, was it an unauthorized leak? Or some hocus-pocus to create hype?

Peter Buck, guitarist with rock group R.E.M., has been ordered to appear in court on charges relating to an alleged air-rage incident.

What's the definition of corny romantic to Angelina Jolie?

George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace will be released on DVD this coming fall, Variety reports.

Anne Heche has found a man she wants to marry, and now she wants to find a TV show she can commit to, as well.