‘New Moon,’ ‘Avatar,’ ‘Sherlock Holmes’ among this winter’s releases

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood loves money. So does Ebenezer Scrooge. So what better way to launch the holiday season than putting the old money-grubber at the head of the line to separate movie-goers from their cash?

The latest version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” features Jim Carrey as Scrooge. Coming on Ebenezer’s coattails will be everything from vampire romance (“The Twilight Saga: New Moon”) and end-of-the-world stories (”2012,” “The Road”) to epic science fiction (“Avatar”) and a new incarnation of the world’s greatest detective (“Sherlock Holmes”).

Presented in 3-D, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” is the latest from Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”), who presents Dickens’ London with the same performance-capture technology he used on “The Polar Express” and “Beowulf.”

Carrey and such co-stars as Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins worked on a bare soundstage, their bodies covered with sensors so digital cameras could record their performances in 360 degrees. Sets, costumes and other details were filled in later by computer animation.

The process allowed actors to take on multiple roles, with Carrey playing Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come that teach him the meaning of the season.

While Zemeckis loves Alastair Sim’s 1951 “A Christmas Carol,” he said previous adaptations never captured the full impact of Dickens’ surreal images. As he made “Beowulf,” Zemeckis realized he now had the tools to bring “A Christmas Carol” to the screen the way he imagined it on the page.

“It was the idea of being able to actually recreate London and not have any limitations whatsoever. Anything that existed at the time we could present,” Zemeckis said. “Then the idea that Jim could play Scrooge in all the different ages, and the ghosts, they could be his alter-ego, and he could play those. Everything just fell into place.”

Reinventing a classic detective
With “Sherlock Holmes,” Robert Downey Jr. and director Guy Ritchie also recreate old London while reinventing Arthur Conan Doyle’s brainy, monkish detective as an action hero, verbal quipster — and even a bit of a lover.

Downey’s Holmes fights with fists, clubs, pistols and hammers, trades odd-couple banter with best buddy and roommate Watson (Jude Law), and shares romantic moments with the only woman (Rachel McAdams) who ever got the better of him.

It was a nice change of pace for Downey after he leaped to the box-office A-list with last year’s comic-book blockbuster “Iron Man.”

“It was such a radical departure,” Downey said. “A period piece. A very, very established kind of iconic image comes to mind when you think of Sherlock Holmes. Whereas Iron Man was a relatively unknown quote-unquote second tier superhero … until last year.”

Enter the werewolves
Another series that jumped to blockbuster status last year was Hollywood’s take on author Stephenie Meyer’s love story between a sensitive schoolgirl (Kristen Stewart) and her immortal vampire boy toy (Robert Pattinson). The second installment, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” is a lesson in teen heartache as Pattinson’s Edward dumps Stewart’s Bella, realizing the danger he represents to his human girlfriend.

The brooding Bella finds solace with a school chum (Taylor Lautner) and his werewolf gang and eventually winds up pulling Edward out of a jam.

“Edward breaks up with Bella for her own protection, but Bella believes it’s because he doesn’t love her any more, and she goes into a terrible depression,” said “New Moon” director Chris Weitz. “In the end, there’s kind of a lovely turnaround whereby Bella has to go and save Edward, having been saved by him throughout their past.”

Can Cameron top himself?
Also in the fantasy realm, James Cameron is back with his first fictional film since 1997’s “Titanic” swamped Hollywood to become king of the Oscars and the biggest modern blockbuster. “Avatar” also marks Cameron’s return to his science-fiction roots and a reunion with “Aliens” star Sigourney Weaver, who joins Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana among the cast of the filmmaker’s 3-D epic about humans taking on the form of extraterrestrials as they explore a

distant world.

“What we have on the screen right now is 150 percent of what I imagined. The other 50 percent is the part I could not have imagined without having the actors there, without working with a team of artists who come up with all these amazing, outlandish designs,” Cameron said. “My job was really kind of herding the cats, getting the artists to kind of be cohesive about the aesthetic decision, so it was all one world, so it seemed like part of an evolutionary or ecological system.”

Hollywood has dozens of other films, big and small, coming before year’s end. Here’s the lowdown on some highlights:

Husbands, wives and lovers
“Chicago” director Rob Marshall orchestrates his latest musical with “Nine,” based on the Broadway adaptation of Federico Fellini’s foreign-language classic “8 1/2.”

It’s the story of a filmmaker (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his many, many women: His wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his mom (Sophia Loren), his film star (Nicole Kidman), his costume designer (Judi Dench), a lover from his youth (Stacy Ferguson), and a fashion journalist (Kate Hudson).

Singing in a recording studio was a new challenge for some of the cast, including Cruz.

“You feel very vulnerable, because you can’t hide anything,” Cruz said at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. “But it was so much fun. After you are there and you start singing and everything starts to come together, if you can really be in the moment and enjoy it, it’s an amazing experience.”

Also in the mood for love

“Did You Hear About the Morgans?” — A Manhattan couple (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) in a rocky marriage find new twists in their relationship after they see a murder and are hustled into witness protection.

“It’s Complicated” — A messy love triangle develops among a bakery and restaurant owner (Meryl Streep), her ex-hubby (Alec Baldwin) and an architect (Steve Martin) in the latest from director Nancy Meyers (“Something’s Gotta Give”).

Despite getting a pair of 10s, Aaron lands in the bottom two this week

This was to be another double elimination, just like last week’s: the lowest scorer would be sent straight home, and the next two would have a dance-off, with the judges choosing the victor.

The first couple in the bottom three was, unsurprisingly, Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer. Mark (with a fill-in partner) had the lowest scores Monday night. They were joined by Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova, but since Kelly Osbourne and Donny Osmond and their partners were already safe, that left only Joanna Krupa, Aaron Carter, and Mya as the celebrities who would take the last spot in the bottom three. It would be a surprise for any of them, considering Aaron’s two 10s last night and the two women’s strong records. It was, in fact, Aaron — who has apparently made few friends among audience voters — who landed in the bottom three.

Surprisingly, apparent crowd favorite Michael Irvin was the celebrity sent home without the chance to participate in the dance-off (which means, since his judges’ scores were higher than Mark Dacascos received, that Mark beat Michael in viewer voting). Michael has been running out of chances, but he left on a good note.

Friend dials 911 after women call seeking help, officials say

DICKINSON, N.D. - Three missing North Dakota college softball players were found dead Tuesday in a Jeep pulled from a pond, and police said they believed the women were in the vehicle when they made two desperate calls to friends for help.

Police Lt. Rod Banyai said officers are investigating the cause of the deaths and autopsies are planned. He said he believes the women were in the Jeep when they called for help, but he didn’t know whether it already was under water when those calls were made.

“At this time, foul play is not suspected,” Banyai said Tuesday night.

Authorities had been searching since late Sunday night for Kyrstin Gemar, 22, of San Diego; Afton Williamson, 20, of Lake Elsinore, Calif.; and Ashley Neufeld, 21, of Brandon, Manitoba.

The Dickinson State University students were believed to be in the white 1997 Jeep Cherokee with California plates when two of their friends received telephone calls before the lines went dead. Police described the first as a “very scratchy” call for help in which one of the women said they were near a lake and water.

Banyai said the 12-foot deep pond where the women were found is on a farm northwest of Dickinson, a city of 16,000 people about 100 miles west of Bismarck and 60 miles east of the Montana state line. Vehicle tracks were found leading into the pond Tuesday afternoon, he said.

“After that was located, the plane flew over the top and it could see that there was a white object in the water,” Banyai said. The submerged vehicle was pulled from the pond about two hours later.

Banyai said the vehicle will be checked for defects. He said authorities don’t know how it got into the pond.

Kyrstin Gemar’s parents, Lenny and Claire, said during an earlier news conference at police headquarters, before the bodies were found, that they had talked to their daughter late Saturday night. Lenny Gemar said it was not uncommon for his daughter and her friends to go star gazing on the spur of the moment.

The women’s families were not at the news conference where police announced the deaths.

‘We are very deeply saddened’
Students at Dickinson State, where the women were stars on the school’s softball team, led a prayer service Monday night that drew more than 300 people. Another service was scheduled at the 2,700-student school for Tuesday night.

Military: Vessel originated in Iran and was bound for Hezbollah militants

JERUSALEM - Israeli naval commandos seized a container ship Wednesday that defense officials said was carrying more than 60 tons of missiles, rockets and anti-tank weapons from Iran to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.

The pre-dawn seizure near Cyprus was a rare interception of a suspected arms shipment by Israel, which has long accused Iran of arming its enemies. Israel offered no evidence to support its claim that the weapons were meant for Hezbollah.

“There were Katyusha (rockets), whose purpose is to hit civilians,” Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai told Army Radio.

Other weapons found included anti-tank missiles. He did not give any quantities, saying the ship was still being unloaded in Israel. He said the crew was not aware of the cargo’s contents.

Asked if the weaponry had been earmarked for Hezbollah, Vilnai said: “Yes. It strengthens (the group) and improves its long-range firing capability into Israel.”

The commercial vessel operated under the guise of an aid ship, captained by a Pole and flying an Antiguan flag, Israeli defense officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the military had not officially released the information.

Routine patrol
Based on intelligence reports, a naval unit patrolling the area intercepted and boarded the vessel without incident, defense officials said.

The ship, the Francop, was towed to the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, where the weapons were being unloaded. The vessel is operated by United Feeder Services, a Cyprus-based shipping company that said it picked up the cargo in Damietta, Egypt.

An employee of the company’s chartering department who would not identify himself said the ship had been bound from Egypt to Cyprus and from there to Lebanon and Turkey. He said the company did not know what was inside the containers or where the cargo originated.

The employee asked that his name not be used because the company had yet to formulate an official response.

UFS’ niche is bringing cargo to small ports not called by big container ships.

A senior Lebanese army official refused to comment on the Israeli report, saying it happened outside Lebanon’s national waters. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations.

‘Another success’
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the interception “another success against the relentless attempts to smuggle weapons to bolster terrorist elements threatening Israel’s security.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the arms supply “was intended to hit Israeli cities.”

The vessel was the second major arms ship Israel has seized in its campaign to quash the smuggling of weapons to Palestinian and Lebanese militants.

In January 2002, Israeli forces stormed the Karine A freighter on the Red Sea, and confiscated what the military said was 50 tons of missiles, mortars, rifles and ammunition headed for Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Authorities from other countries, including the United States last month, have stopped ships suspected of carrying arms in the past.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been largely quiet since Israel and Hezbollah fought a fierce war in the summer of 2006. But Israel has long warned that Hezbollah fighters have been rearming and now possess some 40,000 rockets.

Bernanke and colleagues likely to note that economy has improved

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke addresses a meeting of the Chicago Economic Club, in this file photo. Bernanke and his colleagues are likely to note the country’s economic and financial improvements.

WASHINGTON - Faced with lurking dangers to the budding recovery, Federal Reserve policymakers are sure to leave a key interest rate at a record low to entice Americans to spend more and help the economic turnaround gain traction.

The economy started to grow again last quarter for the first time in more than a year, although there are uncertainties about the strength and staying power of the recovery, especially after government supports are removed.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues, wrapping up a two-day meeting Wednesday, are likely to note the country’s economic and financial improvements. But they’ll also warn that rising joblessness and hard-to-get-credit for many people and companies will restrain the rebound in the months ahead. Troubles in the commercial real estate market, where soured loans are contributing to bank failures, also remain a concern.

At its last meeting in late September, the Fed opted to stretch out into early next year a key program aimed at forcing down mortgage rates and providing support to the housing market. The central bank isn’t expected to veer from that course Wednesday.

Wanting to nurture the recovery, the Fed is widely expected to keep the target range for its bank lending rate at zero to 0.25 percent. If it does, commercial banks’ prime lending rate, used to peg rates on home equity loans, certain credit cards and other consumer loans, will stay at about 3.25 percent, the lowest in decades.

“I don’t think there is confidence at this point that the economy is firing on all cylinders by itself,” said Bill Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock Financial Services. “It is not ready to be weaned off the extra fiscal and monetary support.”

Against that backdrop, many economists predict the Fed will maintain a pledge to keep rates “exceptionally low” for an “extended period.” The hope is that super-low rates will spur consumers and businesses to spend more, supporting the recovery.

The Fed has leeway to do this because inflation has been low, economists said.

“The central bankers in the U.S. and Europe are considering the exit strategies,” said Sung Won Sohn, economist at California State University’s Smith School of Business. “Even the thought of an exit strategy could spook the financial markets and raise the bond and mortgage yields, hurting the economy.”

Still, there are differences of opinion within the Fed about when it might need to start boosting rates — and how aggressively — to fend off inflation.