Johnny Depp, who was once relegated to relatively low budget films because producers thought him too outré to attract sizable audiences, was named Top Money Making Star for the second year in a row in the 76th annual Quickley Publishing Co. poll. Depp starred in 2007 in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The poll. which surveys motion picture exhibitors, put Will Smith (I Am Legend) in second place. Other top finishers: 3: George Clooney (Ocean's Thirteen, Michael Clayton); 4. Matt Damon (Ocean's Thirteen, The Bourne Ultimatum); 5. Denzel Washington (American Gangster, The Great Debaters).

The top-selling DVD over Christmas week was The Simpsons Movie, which held the top spot for the second week in a row, according to Nielsen VideoScan. Rush Hour 3 debuted at No. 2, while The Kingdom entered the field at No. 3. On the rental charts, Rush Hour 3 debuted in first place with $11.9 million, according to Home Media magazine. The Kingdom was close behind with $11.2 million. The Simpsons Movie slipped to third place in its second week with $10.6 million.

WGA negotiators have branded as a hoax a report that some A-list screenwriters are banding together to urge the guild to accept the contract provisions of any deal to be negotiated between the Directors Guild and the studios. The report appeared Wednesday on Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Today blog. However, on the WGA's WriterAction message board Thursday, John Auerbach, a member of the writers' negotiating committee, quoted a fellow negotiator as saying that Finke's report "was based on a prank played by a writer." Auerbach said that a member of the Writers Guild of America West board contacted Finke to inform her that she was the victim of a prankster. "Bottom line," wrote Auerbach, Finke's report was "utter bulls**t." Finke says that she stands by her reporting.

After already causing an uproar at the Berlin Film Festival for being screened without first being submitted to Chinese censors, the movie Lost in Beijing has been ordered withdrawn from further exhibition in China. Citing the film's "pornographic" content and the fact that it was shown at the Berlinale without state permission, Chinese officials also said that the film's producer will be barred from making films for two years. Although the erotic scenes were heavily edited for its theatrical showing in China, bootleg copies of the uncut version were widely distributed throughout the country and on the Internet. The filmmakers themselves were accused of being the source of the pirated material. Producer Li Fang denied the charge, telling the Associated Press: "Why would I give the movie to pirates and hurt my own movie? ... We are victims of piracy. We are the biggest victims."

Only one new film is scheduled to open wide this weekend, the Warner Bros. thriller One Missed Call. It was not screened for critics.

On the same day that Writers Guild of America West President Patric Verrone told the New York Times that he had "made it absolutely clear" to Jay Leno that writing for The Tonight Show constitutes a violation of the guild's strike rules, Leno once again delivered a self-written monologue on Thursday night's show. Meanwhile, L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke disclosed on her Deadline Hollywood Today blog that a meeting between Leno and Verrone took place on Dec. 31, in which Leno expressed concerns about being depicted as "the bad guy" for returning to work during the strike without his writers. However, a spokesman for the WGA told Finke that at the close of the meeting, Leno said, "OK, I'm going to do the show, and I'm going to do my monologue" and that Verrone raised no objection. The spokesman, who attended the meeting, added, "I don't believe I heard Jay saying he was 'writing' his monologue. I thought I heard him say he was 'doing' his monologue." However, one of Leno's writers who attended the meeting backed Leno, telling the New York Times: "Jay said, 'Let me get this clear: I'm allowed to write my monologue.' ... There was no way Jay could have misinterpreted what was being said." Meanwhile, overnight ratings for Wednesday night's show put Leno well ahead of Letterman, with Leno scoring a 5.3 rating and a 12 share (7.2 million viewers) and Letterman, a 4.3/10 (5.5 million). The audience for each of the talk-show hosts was up considerably over their season average. Also, Conan O'Brien, who did indeed appear to ad lib his way through his show, attracted 2.84 million viewers, his best numbers in more than a year.

In an embarrassing turn of events for the Writers Guild of America, employees of the East Coast branch, who are represented by the Newspaper Guild, are planning to go on strike, claiming that the WGA East has attempted to modify a contract that was ratified by members last October. "It's like a car salesman demanding that you sign a contract after he's changed all the numbers you had agreed upon," Newspaper Guild President Bill O'Meara told the New York Post. A Writers Guild spokesperson said that the dispute has been submitted to the National Labor Relations Board for resolution.

Nielsen Research got around to releasing ratings for Christmas week Thursday, and no network had much to boast about. CBS dominated the week with six of the top-ten shows, but its average 5.3 rating and 10 share was well off its season average of 7.4/12. NBC took the remaining top-ten slots, averaging a 5.1/9 for the week. Fox placed third with an average 3.6/7, while ABC trailed with a 3.3/6.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research: 1. NBC Sunday Night Football (Tennessee Titans vs. the Indianapolis Colts), NBC, 9.7/16; 2. NFL Saturday Night Special (New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants), CBS, 8.7/15; 3. 60 Minutes, CBS, 7.7/13; 3. NFL Special 12/29(S), NBC, 7.7/13; 5. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 7.0/12; 6. Without a Trace, CBS, 6.9/12; 7. Sunday Night NFL Pre-kickoff, NBC, 6.3/11; 8. CSI: NY, CBS, 6.0/10; 9. Amazing Race 12, CBS, 5.9/9; 9. Criminal Minds, CBS, 5.9/10; 9. Law and Order: SVU, NBC, 5.9/11.

News Corp's Fox Business Channel has been averaging only 6,300 viewers per day, according to figures from Nielsen research and published in today's (Friday) New York Times. By contrast, the cable network's chief rival, CNBC, averages 283,000 viewers per day. (Nielsen said that the figures for Fox were too low to reveal; the Times obtained them from sources at Fox and CNBC.)

CBS News, which set up the website Public Eye in 2005 "to bring transparency to the editorial operations of CBS News," is shutting the site down, according to the TVNewser website. There have been no new postings on the site since shortly after editor Matthew Felling was abruptly let go last month. A spokesperson for CBS Interactive told TVNewser, "We weren't able to find a sustainable business model for Public Eye. We are exploring ways to maintain a similar spirit of public discourse by engaging the CBSNews.com audience and building a community around multiple voices." Kevin Roderick, who oversees the L.A. Observed website, commented, "It's sad to see a project begun with such excitement (and such a budget, oy -- there were THREE editors at one time!) come to such a quiet and unlamented end, without even time for a whimper."

Britney Spears has been taken to a Los Angeles hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, according to reports. The troubled singer was taken from her house by paramedics in an ambulance to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, following a four-hour standoff at her Beverly Hills mansion where she refused to hand over her two sons to her former husband Kevin Federline. Federline is thought to have followed Spears to the hospital, arriving at 12:20am, according to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. She was discovered by cops at her home on Thursday evening "under the influence of an unknown substance," according to reports. All the emergency services - police, medical and fire crews - were present at the star's house during the incident, which is being referred to as a "family custody dispute" by the Los Angeles police. Spears refused to hand over sons Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, to Federline following a scheduled visit on Thursday - which was due to end at 7pm when Federline's bodyguard arrived to pick up the boys, although the boys were handed over to Federline at 11pm local time. Police were called to the scene around an hour later, although details of who made the call have not yet been released. Several police helicopters, cop cars, ambulances and fire trucks later arrived at Spears' home, with additional back-up vehicles and officers appearing throughout the ordeal.

Lindsay Lohan suffered an alcohol relapse while attending a New Year's Eve party in Italy - the troubled actress swigged champagne from a bottle. The Mean Girls star was in the European country to receive an honor for her contribution to the movie industry at the Capri Film Festival on Sunday, and went on to spend New Year's Eve in the city. In a video taken at the bash and posted on website Tmz.com, Lohan, who checked into rehab twice in 2007 following two arrests for driving under the influence, can be seen drinking from a bottle of champagne. Her lawyer Blair Berk says, "After being handed a champagne bottle while on a dance floor in Italy on New Year's Eve and drinking from it, the good news is that Lindsay stopped herself, called her sponsor, and got herself back on track. There is no magic cure here. The most unfortunate part of this is that Lindsay has to share her 'one day at a time' with the entire world."

High School Musical star Vanessa Anne Hudgens has thanked her mom for her immense support after saucy naked photos of the star were leaked online. Cellphone shots of the 19-year-old actress - intended for someone she was dating at the time - were posted on several websites in August last year, showing the star posing naked in a full-length mirror. Hudgens insists the ensuing period and press frenzy was difficult - but credits her mom's treatment of the situation with helping her through a tough time. She tells America's Seventeen magazine, "I was just open with her, and she was just so cute. She was like, 'Well, everyone can be naked if they want to.' My parents are very supportive of me. And they know I'm a teenager, and yes, kids do stupid things sometimes." But Hudgens admits she still doesn't like to discuss the matter, adding, "It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened... It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn't anymore, I'd still like to keep it as private as I can."

Hollywood actor Sean Penn is to head the jury at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, it has been announced. The 47-year-old star - who won an Oscar in 2004 for his role in Mystic River - confirms he's "very much" looking forward to participating in this year's event. He adds, "In the last few years there has been a rejuvenation of cinema building worldwide. The Cannes Film Festival has long been the epicenter in the discovery of new waves of filmmakers." The 61st festival begins on May 14, with the jury awarding the coveted Palme d'Or prize for best film on May 25.

Newlyweds Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley are discovering every aspect of married life for the first time - because they never lived together before their wedding last month. The couple, who tied the knot in Utah on December 23, chose to live apart until they became husband and wife. Heigl reveals, "We just bought a house and we have never lived together." But the couple loved the idea of waiting - so both their lives would change completely. Heigl adds, "It is great planning for the day after and a lot of the amazing stuff that goes along with being married."

Newlyweds Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds will marry for a second time in a legal ceremony when they return to America. The couple wed on a private island off Bora Bora in French Polynesia in front of 25 friends and family on Tuesday. As that ceremony carries no legal significance in the U.S., Murphy and Edmonds will enjoy a second wedding on their return home. Edmonds' spokesperson tells People.com, "As is typical when couples get married in foreign countries, a legal ceremony will take place when they return to the U.S. The wedding that took place in Bora Bora was a ceremony to bind Eddie and Tracey spiritually in the presence of family and friends. The couple plan a legal ceremony as soon as they return to the States." Murphy and Edmonds, who have been dating since 2006, have both been married before - Murphy divorced Nicole Mitchell in April 2006, while Edmonds ended her marriage to music mogul Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds in October 2005.

Lucy Liu is fed up with reporters asking her if her new TV drama Cashmere Mafia is in direct competition with upcoming show Lipstick Jungle - just because both programs star women and share links to Sex & The City. Liu's show is the new series from Sex & The City creator Darren Star, and follows four female executives struggling to balance careers with family in New York City. Lipstick Jungle, which stars Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price and is also set in New York, is an adaptation of Sex & The City writer Candace Bushnell's book of the same name. But Liu insists there is plenty of room on television for shows starring women - and that journalists would never ask male actors if their shows share a rivalry with other programs starring men. She says, "It's such a strange question. People ask, 'What do you think of these shows coming up, and is it your competition?' No. Why does it have to be your competition? Why can't there always be shows about women? No one asks a man if it's difficult to have another show about men."

Beyonce Knowles has been handed victory for a second time in a copyright infringement lawsuit over claims her 2003 hit "Baby Boy" was a direct rip-off of a song by an unsigned artist. A judge originally ruled in 2006 that there was no evidence to suggest the R&B superstar had copied a demo recording of a track by Jennifer Armour, who had sent in her tape to Knowles' manager-father Matthew and representatives at the star's record label, Columbia Records, in early 2003. Armour launched an appeal against the ruling last year, but in new legal papers it was discovered the majority of the writing and recording of Knowles' Grammy-winning "Baby Boy" had been completed before Armour claimed to have submitted her demo tracks. According to a statement released on Wednesday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit "upheld the 2006 trial court decision dismissing a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against Beyonce." And the "Irreplaceable" hitmaker is relieved the whole case is finally over: "It's unfortunate that we had to endure this long legal process, but I am hopeful this decision will allow all of us that were involved to finally move on."

Chinese film stars Tony Leung and Wei Tang spent two weeks filming sex scenes for Lust, Caution - because director Ang Lee found the experience "exhausting." Lee admits he was forced to halt filming several times as shooting the steamy scenes was too challenging. He explains, "If we were shooting a porno film, we would have done all those scenes in two days. After half a day, I'd have to call a stop because it's so exhausting. Physically it's not that difficult, but it's mentally exhausting."

Actress/singer Ashlee Simpson has denied rumors she is to wed rocker boyfriend Pete Wentz. The couple sparked rumors they were engaged after Simpson was photographed sporting a ring on her engagement finger in Miami, Florida, earlier this week. But Simpson's publicist tells Usmagazine.com, "Ashlee is not engaged." The couple has been dating since September 2006.