New Moon debuted last night to record-breaking box office numbers amid mixed reviews.

The Twilight saga’s second installment grossed $72.7 million on Friday, breaking the single day sales record of $62.2 million previously held by “The Dark Knight.”

The vampire movie also eclipsed “Star Wars — Episode III:  Revenge of the Sith” as the Top Advance Ticket Seller of All-Time.

Summit Entertainment estimates the film, starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, earned $26.3 million from midnight screenings alone, overtaking “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which earned $22.2 million at late-night screenings earlier this year.

Meanwhile, reviews were mixed.

Ty Burr for The Boston Globe:

“‘New Moon’ pales in comparison to ‘Twilight’.”

Kenneth Turan for the Los Angeles Times:

“The movie misses Robert Pattinson…and Catherine Hardwicke”

Kurt Loder for MTV:

“Thanks to Lautner and newly-recruited director Chris Weitz, “New Moon” is a notable improvement over “Twilight.”

Roger Ebert for Chicago Sun-Times:

“The characters in this movie should be arrested with intent to moan.  Never have teenagers been in greater need of a jump-start.”

Claudia Puig for USA Today:

“Werewolves inject life into “New Moon” but the sequel still sputters.”

Have you seen New Moon?  Leave us your feedback in the comments section below, and on our Facebook fan page New Moon discussion.

View photos from the Los Angeles premiere of New Moon.

Actor Danny Devito has always wanted to do something a bit edgier in his career and he finally got his chance.

His show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has been working on a Christmas Special on DVD, A Very Sunny Christmas.  When you think Christmas…don’t you think beautifully decorated evergreen tree, warm fire, Christmas carols?    Almost never do we conjure up Devito bursting out of the couch cushions in a naked state.

Devito said, “I’ve been doing It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for, like, four years now…and I am so excited about it…In the beginning…I said to them (co-writers and cast), ‘There’s no holds barred; I wanna do it.  If we’re going to do a show that’s got that kind of edginess and craziness…I wanna pull out all the stops.”

Was Danni nervous about taking it all off?  He admitted it was a little strange, “I got there and there’s, like, 100 background extras; they’re all standing there, I’ve never seen them before (and) I walk in (looking) like a greased pig.”

Watch a promo for the Christmas DVD below.

The marketing group at Universal came under fire after they modified their strategy for the promotion of Couples Retreat in the UK and other international markets.

The updated posters rearranged the position of several of the couples who are standing in the tropical waters.  Totally eliminated from the scene were the black couple who have a prominent role in the film and appear on U.S. posters.  Their names were also removed from the list of actors.

The Mail jumped all over the slight to actors Faizon Love and Kali Hawk, causing Universal to express their regret for causing offense.  A spokesman said the revised advertisement plan has been abandoned, and said their goal had been “to simplify the poster to actors who are most recognizable in international markets.”

View more photos of the displaced couple below.

Actresses Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow have both signed on to appear in a controversial film entitled The Danish Girl.  The screenplay is based on the 2000 David Ebershoff novel, a true story, that delved into one of the first sex change operations in 1930.

Paltrow will play Kidman’s wife Gerda Wegener.  Besides portraying a man who later becomes a woman, Kidman has taken on the additional task of producing the film.  The project will see a 2010 release in Australia and New Zealand but won’t premiere in the U.S. until 2011.

The lead character, Einar Mogens Wegener, becomes Lili Elbe.  She endured five surgeries over a period of two years, dying tragically just months after undergoing an operation that would have enabled her to have a baby.

Initially, actress Charlize Theron had signed on to play opposite Nicole but has since backed out.  No word on why she withdrew from what is likely to be a riveting film.

Chaz Bono, daughter of Sonny Bono and Cher and formerly known as Chastity Bono, is currently going through a sex change.  Check out her ongoing transition here.

Check out the original Wegener before and after photos.

More archive photos of the Wegener’s here.

Top Photos:  WENN

Please girl’s–don’t send us hate mail because these were Robert Pattinson’s own words, not ours.  Busy promoting the latest installment of the popular vampire series Twilight: New Moon, Robert has been answering many personal questions about his life.

On top of the list are inquiries about his love life.  Everyone wants to know how he would treat a girl.  Rob actually considers himself wimpy.  He said, “I can’t think of a single romantic thing that I have done.  I would never serenade someone to be romantic – you have to have so much balls to do that.  I put a flower in someones locker when I was 15 years old, this girl named Maria.  She thought that it was someone else, and the guy claimed it as well, which is great.”

Rumored to be dating his Twilight costar Kristin Stewart, Robert is overly private and calls himself “obsessive and possessive”.  He acknowledges that he can take things to extremes and at times it can be ridiculous.

Pattinson will not allow anyone to call the shots in his life.  He said, “I don’t listen to anyone else.  That’s why I don’t have a publicist – I can’t stand it if someone is trying to tell me to do something which might be a mistake.”

Girls and women of all ages are “in love” with Robert and/or his character Edward Cullen.   Alixis Smith wrote in to tell us about her love for Robert and we gotta say, she is pretty much right on the mark with her observations, which seem to mirror the way Pattinson describes himself:

“Most people love him as Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga books.  I however love him for who he is.  He is the “typical” boy next door, who admits he is not perfect.  He is just a normal guy who probably doesn’t want to have so much attention drawn to him.  Besides being an excellent actor, he is a talented musician who writes his own music, sings and plays many musical instruments.  I like the normalness of how you see him in the media and how he doesn’t have to pretend to be somebody he’s not.  So I basically love him a lot, as a whole package.”

Hey check out Alixis dressed up as Bella for Halloween here, scroll down to the fourth tier of photos.

More photos of Robert below.

Photos:  WENN

Director Kenny Ortega has given the world a glimpse into the final phase of the late Michael Jackson’s life with his documentary This Is It. The film was slated for a short run of two weeks in theaters but because of high demand, Sony has since announced that the movie will remain viable at least through Thanksgiving weekend.

Topping the box-office over the weekend (Fri-Sun) at $21.3 million, the project has thus far amassed $101 million in ticket sales.

Here are the weekend box office leaders:

1. Michael Jackson This Is It, $21.3 million
2. Paranormal Activity, $16.5 million
3. Law Abiding Citizen, $7.3 million
4. Couples Retreat, $6.1 million
5. Saw VI, $5.6 million

Check out the trailer and star-studded photos from the premiere of This Is It.

Find out who Papa Joe Jackson is partnering with in his latest business venture.

Sony Pictures debuted Michael Jackson’s This Is It in 17 cities around the world Tuesday night.

Movie reviews, for the most part, have been glowing.

From MTV News:

What “This Is It” offers is something you can get nowhere else: a look at MJ’s last days and the knowledge that as much as he lost, the man was still a genius to the end. As he announced after one song and, as no one could possibly argue otherwise, “We’re sizzling! We’re sizzling!”

From Time magazine:

For a modern entertainer who dies before his time, immortality is measured in residuals — the money from commemorative projects like this. Michael Jackson will have no resurrection — in the end, that was that — but the movie does earn him a redemptive legacy. It proves that, at the end, he was still a thriller. Fans and doubters alike can look at the gentle, driven singer-dancer at the center of this up-close document and say, admiringly: This was him.

From People magazine:

What does come through is that Jackson worked hard, really hard. He looks a tad thin, but otherwise appears healthy and energetic. We see him sweat through difficult dance routines, reach again and again for high notes, and go through complicated production numbers repeatedly until he nails them. He clearly had a vision, and he gently coaxes his musicians and dancers to make it into a reality.

From the Guardian U.K.:

It’s a bit much to claim it’s any kind of viable substitute for the live show, and since Jackson avoids conversation as much as is humanly possible it’s also a bit much to claim we get to know anything more about how he ticks. But This Is It is a testament of a kind, and one that is no disgrace to his memory.

From the Telegraph:

As This Is It progresses, the focus shifts to Jackson’s struggle to stay on top of this hugely demanding show. At times, when he performs Billie Jean and Man in the Mirror, his authority and remarkable stage presence carry the day.

Even Elizabeth Taylor, who attended an early screening last week, Tweeted that This Is It was “the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen.”

With the release of the film, PopEater has unveiled a MUST WATCH video compilation of the greatest Michael Jackson covers of all time, including the brilliant Chris Cornell performance of “Billie jean,” which was the inspiration behind last year’s American Idol winner David Cook’s rendition.

View Michael Jackson “This Is It” star-studded movie premiere photos from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and movie trailer below:

photos: Jody Cortes/ WENN.com

Last Thursday night Jackie Jackson watched Michael Jackson’s much anticipated movie This Is It.  While most family members have said they will not attend the film, Jackie spoke with TMZ and shared his thoughts on the movie.

“My brother’s film ‘This Is It‘ is truly riveting.  Michael is electrifying!  We get a glimpse of a true genius at work.  His passionate message for healing the world, saving the planet and our children’s futures is something he was always striving for in his lifetime.”

The movie is 111 minutes long and will only be seen for only two weeks in theaters.  The footage is a documentary made from 80 hours of footage shot while the King of Pop was rehearsing for his upcoming 50 date tour.

Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson is staying strong and indicates she has no intentions of watching the movie.  Michael’s children plan to view the film.

Watch the trailer for This Is It below.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” movie hits theaters for two weeks only on October 28, 2009.  As a reminder, tickets go on sale this Sunday, September 27th at the ThisIsIt-Movie.com website.

The film features never-before-seen footage of Jackson’s rehearsals for his “This Is It” tour.

The official movie trailer for the  documentary premiered at the 2009 MTV VMAs, and it still gives me chills when I watch it.

Click here to watch the official Michael Jackson “This Is It” movie trailer.

Click here to purchase Michael Jackson “This Is It” movie tickets.

Comedic actor Robin Williams is busy promoting his upcoming movie The Greatest Dad and is set to resume his comedy tour Weapons of Self-Destruction.

Williams was a guest on The Jay Leno Show last night.    He spoke about his latest film project, a dark comedy that has been well received by the critics.  In the film Robin has a nude scene and Leno asked why it took Robin so long to finally do a nude scene and he responded, “Saving the best for last.”

Weapon’s of Self Destruction Tour will resume on Sept. 30th in Bloomington, Indiana.  The 30-date gig will wrap on November 28th – view tour schedule here. He had to curtail the tour earlier this year when he underwent major surgery to replace a heart valve.

Robin’s website addressed a rumor that the comedian was planning to play singer Susan Boyle in an upcoming movie.  No truth to this one, which undoubtedly got its start because of Williams previous role as Mrs. Doubtfire.

Watch Robin’s interview with Leno below.

Photo:  WENN