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July Fourth went off like a dud at the box office, as the Michael Bay sequel ‘‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’’ and the Melissa McCarthy comedy ‘‘Tammy’’ led the weakest summer holiday weekend in at least a decade. The North American box office was down a striking 44 percent over the July Fourth weekend last year, when ‘‘Despicable Me 2’’ and ‘‘The Lone Ranger’’ opened. ‘‘Transformers’’ led all films with an estimated $36.4 million, while ‘‘Tammy’’ had a below expectations Friday-to-Sunday haul of $21.2 million. Paramount’s ‘‘Transformers,’’ the fourth in the series, opened the previous weekend with the year’s biggest debut with $100 million. The movie, with a rebooted cast led by Mark Wahlberg, dropped considerably (63 percent) in its second week of release despite relatively little competition. New Line’s R-rated, Midwest road trip romp, ‘‘Tammy,’’ boasts one of the most bankable stars in movies — McCarthy — but is a smaller, homespun movie made for just $20 million and directed by McCarthy’s husband, Ben Falcone. Despite being savaged by critics, the Warner Bros. release made $32.9 million in five days since opening Wednesday. The only other new wide release was the horror flick ‘‘Deliver Us From Evil,’’ which had no blockbuster ambitions. The Sony Screen Gems release, starring Eric Bana, opened in third with $9.5 million. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday. (AP)

Paul McCartney returned to a concert stage Saturday after being sidelined for two months because of a virus, spinning out songs from the Beatles, Wings, and a solo career that has spanned more than 50 years of rock ’n’ roll. ‘‘It’s great to be back,’’ said McCartney, who turned 72 two weeks ago. He looked none the worse for wear, putting on a show of just under three hours with 38 songs before finishing with the three-song medley that ends the ‘‘Abbey Road’’ album. McCartney (inset) was briefly hospitalized in Tokyo in May because of the viral infection. The illness forced him to cancel a Japanese tour and a concert in South Korea and reschedule half a dozen June dates in the United States before resuming his ‘‘Out There’’ tour in Albany, N.Y. Before his illness, McCartney last performed May 1 in Costa Rica. McCartney opened with the Beatles’ ‘‘Eight Days a Week.’’ He wore black jeans and a sky-blue blazer. When he took the jacket off four songs in, he joked that it was the only wardrobe change of the evening. (AP)

Former ‘‘Scandal’’ actor Columbus Short has been arrested in Dallas for public intoxication. Dallas police said Short, 31, was arrested at 2 a.m. Saturday at the Katy Trail Ice House, a popular beer garden and restaurant. A message left at the restaurant on Saturday was not immediately returned. It is not the first time Short has had trouble with the law. In May, he pleaded not guilty to felony battery for a fight that seriously injured a man at a West Hollywood restaurant. And he faced a misdemeanor spousal battery case. Short announced in April that he wasn’t returning to the ABC hit drama series ‘‘Scandal’’ for its fourth season. The actor’s agent, manager, and lawyer did not immediately respond to messages Saturday. (AP)

Source:

www.bostonglobe.com

The young actress talks about the film, family and her own transformation from tomboy to “sexy babe” in a Q & A with Michele Manelis.

How did you land the role in Michael Bay’s Transformers reboot, Age Of Extinction?

I auditioned and then I didn’t hear anything so I assumed nothing of it. A few months later, Michael Bay called me and told me that I got it. I was over the moon. I was with my mum in the car and I was freaking out. My mum said, “Are you sure it wasn’t a prank call?” I didn’t want to call him back and say, “Are you sure?” It would have been terrible if it was a prank call.

You’ve been in The Last Airbender and have a regular gig on Bates Motel — but what did your family think of you following in the Transformers footsteps of such beauties as Megan Fox, Isabel Lucas and Rosie Huntington-Whitely?

Well, my little brothers thought I became a little cooler. Not much, but a little bit. But as for my older brothers, they’re just very disappointed that Megan Fox isn’t in the movie.

That’s family for you. But you’re not the only eye candy in the movie; there are also some really great looking cars. Are you a woman who appreciates a nice car?

I love looking at beautiful cars but I don’t know anything about them. I know they go fast but my brothers know everything there is to know about cars. I’ll tell you a secret; I don’t have my licence, which is terrible.

Were you a fan of the franchise?

Yes, I was a huge fan of Transformers. I knew everything about it because I have six brothers and they’re all such big fans of the trilogy. I was so excited to just be able to audition for it and now to say I am in the fourth one is amazing. I feel so lucky.

What do you like about this one?

I love that it has such a beautiful human element to it. It’s a beautiful family story and it has so much heart in it. The girl who I play is really strong and she totally gets to kick some butt.

Tell me more about your butt kicking. Did you do your own stunts? What did you have to do?

I definitely get my butt kicked 90 per cent of the time but there’s 10 per cent where I get to kick a little butt myself. Michael Bay wanted me to do as many stunts as I could. I loved it because I used to play ice hockey and I wanted to be a professional player when I was younger, so I love athletics. It was so much fun to go on wires and do jumps and run.

Most of what we see in Transformers is CGI but did you have some practical robots on the set as well so you could actually see or imagine what you were working with?

There’s definitely a lot of CGI in this film and the technology now is so impressive and insane, but Michael really blows things up. All that is real, all the explosions and also when I’m running through fire, I really did that. People don’t think it’s real and my friends are like, “I don’t believe you.” But I promise you, it’s real. That’s me. It was so fun, it was so insane. Michael said to me 30 seconds before we shot it, “Can you run fast?” And I said, “Yeah.” And he was like, “OK, go!”

Were you scared? Other actors who have worked with Michael have said they’ve felt his sets can be dangerous. Did you experience that?

No, never. They are so safe on set and it was a dream to be able to do that. I want to do it more.

Did you do some training?

Yes, Boot Camp. I was boxing and running and just totally working out. And with heels.

Since you almost became a pro ice hockey player, do you regard yourself as a tomboy?

Yes, definitely. I had no choice growing up with all my brothers.

As a former tomboy, how do you feel about being the sexy babe in the movie?

I don’t know. Michael shoots women so beautifully and he does the Victoria’s Secret commercials, which are insane. I just feel lucky to be in this film.

How does your character differ from previous heroines?

Well, my character is 16 years old and it’s a father/daughter story so it’s different.

Mark Wahlberg plays your dad. Did he show any paternal feelings towards you?

Definitely. He teased me a lot, too. I have very long hair in the movie from hair extensions and he thought it was funny that I’d have to pull them out every day. It wasn’t fun for me.

He’s over protective of you in the movie. Do you have a similar experience with your own father (Nelson Peltz is a billionaire businessman)?

Yeah. With brothers, a sister plus a protective dad, to bring a boy into my house is pretty terrifying.

Sounds like you’ve done that before?

Yeah, I have done it before, and yeah, it didn’t go so well.

Did you have any favourite actor growing up?

Cate Blanchett. She is just killer.

■ Transformers: Age of Extinction is now showing

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News Source: www.cinemablend.com