HOLLYWOOD

Arnold Schwarzenegger

HOLLYWOOD — When Arnold Schwarzenegger said “I’ll be back” in the first “Terminator” movie, he wasn’t kidding. He’ll be back as the Terminator in the fifth movie in the series. The first “Terminator” (1984) cost $6.4 million and grossed $78 million. In 1991, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” cost $100 million and earned $519 million, while 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” was made for $200 million and took in $433 million. Even though Schwarzenegger wasn’t in 2009’s “Terminator: Salvation” (he was still the governor of California), Christian Bale and “Avatar’s” Sam Worthington took the $200 million production to $371 million at the box office.

Why would Arnold want to do another “Terminator” film? This year’s “Sabotage” cost $35 million but only mustered $18 million from ticket buyers. His latest film, “Maggie,” with Abigail Breslin, out in November, may miss its mark. You can bet the $200 million-plus “Terminator: Genisys,” with “Doctor Who’s” Matt Smith and J.K. Simmons, will propel him right back to the top. It’s set for release July 1, 2015.

Meanwhile, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which cost $170 million to make, earned $184 million in its first week. Yes, there is a sequel planned for July 2017.
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Dr. Noah Drake meets “The Iron Lady.” Rick Springfield, who soared to stardom on the daytime soap “General Hospital” and with the hit song “Jessie’s Girl,” starts shooting “Ricki and the Flash” in October opposite Meryl Streep. Streep is Ricki, who chased her dreams at the price of her family and is given one last chance to make things right. Rick plays one of her band members, who has a crush on her. Rick’s been touring the country doing concerts and guested last season on “Hot in Cleveland.” “Ricki” will be released in June.
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Since 1988, A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters” has toured the world with various name actors and actresses. Now the show is getting a splashy Broadway production with BIG NAME stars. Among those signed are Carol Burnett, Brian Dennehy, Mia Farrow, Alan Alda, Candice Bergen, Stacy Keach, Diana Rigg, Anjelica Huston and Martin Sheen. “Love Letters” is the story of a lifelong correspondence between a man and a woman who may or may not be the love of each other’s life.

The two-actor cast needs hardly any rehearsal time, thus big name stars can rotate in and out of the show at will. Most of these stars will play one or two months each, so if you’re planning a trip to New York, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime show to catch. Since most people today don’t read books or write letters anymore, this certainly is a NOVEL idea for a show.