And the Number One Movie is... Four Christmases. Sigh.

This is the problem with Hollywood.

I haven't seen Four Christmases, but it has gotten some of the most god-awful reviews of any major Hollywood movie that has come out for a long time.

And yet it made an estimated $46.7 million over its first 5 days.

Because, sadly, this is exactly the kind of movie Hollywood wants to make. High concept tales that can be described in a sentence, that seem fun, and that stars A-list actors who seem fun too.

The kind of movie where EVEN IF IT SUCKS it'll still make a lot of money.

Sadly, that's probably the best advice to give anyone who is looking to sell a screenplay: write a movie that's high concept actor bait, that will draw an audience even if it sucks.

Even if, at the end of the day, you might not actually want it on your resume.

*******

TWILIGHT, BOLT and QUANTUM OF SOLACE finished 2-3-4 for the holiday weekend. AUSTRALIA only did about $20 million for the 5 days, while TRANSPORTER 3 did $18.5.

*******

I ate a lot of my mother-in-law's turkey, did a little work, and pondered what I'm going to write next.

Then I wound up swapping with an ailing writer to bring 25 pages into group tonight, so I'll bring the almost-last chunk of my violent thriller in, and force two actors to read the sex scene.

Then I'm going to write something that my parents can actually go see.