The Steve Carell-fronted Universal animated feature, Despicable Me, blew into the lead by a long shot this weekend, raking in just over $60 million in its debut bow, against a production budget of $69 million. Not bad!

Last week’s champ, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, fell off as expected following its very early in the week debut. Still, the teen angst vamp flick drew enough blood out of moviegoers to add another $33.4 million to its coffers domestically. That brings the flick’s total so far to $237 million domestically. Add in another $219 million from foreign markets as you have a tidy $456 million take on around 12 days, which isn’t bad for a movie that had a comparatively modest production budget of $68 million.

Predators was predictably disappointing, drawing only $25.3 million. Fortunately, they kept the budget to $40 million, which means it should make money for the studio. And after a month in release, Toy Story 3 finally slowed down a bit, falling to fourth place and drawing $22 million for the week. They’ve grossed $340 million domestically, $553 million with foreign sales added in, against a $200 million budget; not bad at all.

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender came in with $17.1 million, good enough for fifth place, and reached $100 million domestically. With foreign markets adding in only an additional $10 million, unless something picks up soon, the studio will be lucky to break even on this $150 million budgeted movie.

The Adam Sandler-fronted Grown-Ups also managed to do respectably, adding $16.4 million for a total of $111 million against an $80 million budget.

Behind that, nothing else cracked the $10 million mark; Knight and Day remains a spectacular failure, drawing under $8 million this weekend and earning nearly $62 million to date against a $117 million budget that they’ll probably never quite make back, until DVD/Blu-Ray sales get added in.

Coming this weekend is the interesting-looking Inception, directed by Dark Knight’s Christopher Nolan; as well as Disney’s “ehh… whatever” release, Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Let’s face it: the best of the summer movies are pretty much already out, and we’re now into late-summer fare; there will be some nice mild hits, but I think most of the blockbusters are on the table already, along with a cozy box of Swisher Sweets. Overall, not a terrible summer; though many of the best-performing movies were not necessarily the ones everyone was looking toward.

Nothing else even came close.

Toy Story 3, in 3D at many locations, simply destroyed all competition this week at the box office, hauling in a mammoth $110 million in its debut… and that was just domestically! Add in worldwide box office totals and the flick that cost Pixar $200 million to make has already made most of its money back, with $184 million already in its coffers. That’s not bad at all, and proof that G and soft PG-rated family fare is still the best way to make money in Hollywood.

Whether watching it in a theater or on a Samsung smart phone, Toy Story 3 was seen by a LOT of people already, and it’s unlikely to slow down much any time soon.

Karate (Kung-Fu) Kid came in with an additional $29.8 million in its second week, bringing its 10-day total to around $107 million… not bad for a flick that cost only $40 million to make. A-Team finished third but continued to disappoint, drawing in a mere $14.4 million and finishing nearly 50 percent behind Karate (Kung Fu) Kid for the second straight week.

Yet the biggest bomb of the week was Jonah Hex, the DC Comics-inspired western that featured Josh Brolin in the title role and recently-fired-from-Transformers-3 chick Megan Fox in support, barely made a blip on the radar, coming in at seventh place overall with only $5.3 million in its opening weekend against a $47 million budget; even Prince of Persia: Sands of Time beat it, and that film’s been out for a month now.

Speaking of Prince of Persia, while the $200-million-budget film has only grossed about $82 million domestically, expect a sequel; the film’s going crazy overseas and has grossed around $295 million when global receipts are added in. Outstanding!

Can Toy Story 3 stay on top? I think so; Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are unlikely to open Knight and Day strong enough to stunt Toy Story 3′s momentum, and Grown-Ups just isn’t going to be a big-open film. The real test will come at the end of June, when both M. Night Shyamalan’s take on The Last Airbender, and the much-anticipated third Twilight Saga film, Eclipse, both open.

Come July 30, there will be winners and losers galore. No telling which will be which till we get there, though. It’s that kind of summer.

Every once in a while, a show comes along that captures the imagination and benefits everything else that’s on the same network. MONK, however, is gone. Still, USA continues to show a commitment to character-driven shows such as Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, In Plain Sight, White Collar and, now, Covert Affairs.

As one of those in the blogesphere selected to see the debut episode of this Piper Perabo vehicle before it debuts on July 13, I have a chance to give you the early word on whether Covert Affairs is destined to make it to my DVR Subscribe list, or if it’s more likely to follow in the footsteps of the well-intentioned-but-dreadful The Starter Wife.

Perabo plays a gal who traveled the world, fell in love on the beach with a near-stranger, and in the wake of his disappearance from her life, decides to pursue a career as… a medical assistant school professor!

Oops, no, wrong show. Actually, Perabo’s Annie Walker decides to get into the spy game, applying to the CIA. The show opens as she has a month left on her training, and without giving away too much in terms of spoilers, let’s just back off from the narrative and say that the script follows a true-to-formula pattern established at least as far back as novelist Thomas Harris’ novel and director Johnathan Demme’s movie adaptation, The Silence of the Lambs.

Which means? Well, of course, Annie’s special skills with foreign languages are “needed right now” for a “special assignment” and she’s called to Washington. It’s a bit of a stretch to believe and even a top-flight foreign language student would have no peer or superior already working in the CIA, but of course this is Big Government and all is not as it appears, right?

In addition to Silence of the Lambs, JJ Abrams’ Alias also casts a bit of a shadow over Covert Affairs, setting up expectations for how the show is going to go, while even Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be credited to a limited degree as inspiration.

Turns out Perabo can handle herself capably as a tough-girl spy, and while it’s hard to judge off one episode whether she has the chops to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jennifer Garner and Jodie Foster, she does at least seem to be at ease in the role.

Joining Perabo is Christopher Gorham, whose blind CIA agent becomes a mentor and pal to Perabo almost immediately; although Gorham’s role is as a straight man, his vision impairment seems to relegate him to the now-too-common role on romantically non-threatening “gay best friend.” Which is a shame because Perabo and Gorham ooze screen chemistry… which is exactly what the producers want us to see, I suspect. Much like Sam Merlotte is Sookie Stackhouse’s best romantic prospect but she never recognizes it on HBO’s True Blood, Gorham’s Auggie Anderson is designed the be her “perfect match right in front of Annie, who she never really notices ‘in that way.’”

Of course, this is just my opinion on Auggie’s intended role in the series, the impression I picked up from the first episode. We’ll see where they take it… if anywhere.

Like Burn Notice and In Plain Sight, Covert Affairs is a light drama with some mild comedy tossed in; don’t look for the hard-hitting seriousness of Law and Order: Criminal Intent or the darkness that surrounds Showtime’s Dexter here; it’s thankfully nowhere to be found. Yet this is not quite a comedy in the spirit of Monk or Psych, either. It’s definitely in the same ballpark as Burn Notice and In Plain Sight… only without (so far) In Plain Sight’s too-often-potty-mouthed scripts.

Speaking of the script, Covert Affairs does well on the plot twists, but does stumble on the details in some notable places. For example, in what seems like a very out-of-character moment, Annie, who is described in the pilot as being 28 years old, grouses about another character’s sudden disappearance, making a comparison to the “midnight move” of the then-Baltimore Colts out of Baltimore.

This clearly is a case of the writer inserting their own generational memories into a script; the Baltimore Colts played their final home game in Baltimore in 1983; so 28-year-old Annie would have been all of about one year old when the Colts moved, yet she speaks of it like its an experience that affected her personally, even though her character shows no other signs of being a significant sports fan.

It’s akin to the way many filmmakers today have teenage characters set in 2010 idolizing the Beatles, when John Lennon was already dead before they were even born … rather than talking about a musical act their generation could actually relate to from personal experience.

That kind of sloppiness and inside, self-referential indulgence in the script aside, however, the material may be aware of its shadows and influences, but manages through unique and appealing characters to put a fresh take on the material; this is no Chuck… it’s a bit more serious than NBC’s light spy-drama… Covert Affairs, through its unique cast, keeps the somewhat familiar plots fresh through character slant.

And that’s what USA is all about, right? Characters.

My one concern is that, at the moment, there’s really no “big bad” in the script; a foe who, but rising up to the challenge of taking him or her down, makes Annie Walker’s character seem more significant through victory over them. The debut episode has her taking down a “world-class assassin” who is … well, let’s just say he’s taken out a bit too easily.

What ennobled Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling was the significance of the threat posed by Hannibal Lecter; what made Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy a force to be reckoned with was that her “big bads” got bigger and badder with each successive season.

If Covert Affairs is to become great television … not just watchable (which it is) but a show that rises to the standard set by Buffy and Alias, for example … then it needs to develop an opposite number for Annie, a foe who can seem to be far beyond her ability to even annoy, so that when she finally tumbles him or her from their fiefdom, it will be a significant achievement. Let’s hope Covert Affairs reaches for greatness and doesn’t just settle for “case of the week” episodic-only payoffs to their story arcs.

One final note: a tip of the hat to the producers of Covert Affairs for excellent musical taste; their use of Brandi Carlile’s “Before It Breaks,” fresh off her latest disc, “Give Up the Ghost,” was effective and an excellent episode cap. Carlile’s studio take didn’t seem to be the one used, however; it sounder more acoustic and raw than the disc cut. With any luck, USA and Carlile will team up to provide a special single of the acoustic take of “Before It Breaks” through iTunes on premiere week.

Don’t know if they will, mind you; they’d just be wise to do so!

In the Glee season finale, Emma revealed to Will that she was over him and dating her dentist now. Spoiler alert, but rumors all around the internet are that former “Uncle Jesse” actor John Stamos has been pegged to join Glee next fall as said dentist.

Stamos should prove a worthy rival to Schuster; even if he plays the role with a hint of villainy and is closer in age to Sue Sylvester than Emma, he still comes off with the charm of a guy who’s spent hours in the gym after downing some particularly effective vitamin supplements.

Could a sing-off between the two suitors be far behind? This is Glee… what do you think?

In the battle of 80s nostalgia at the box office this weekend, it appears Kung-Fu Kid… er, I mean Karate Kid will sweep the leg of the A-Team this weekend; on Friday Karate Kid opened with $18.8 million at the box office, while the A-Team did well enough to secure a strong second place finish, but still only half as good as the Jackie Chan-Will Smith’s kid pairing.

This 1-2 punch of 80s remakes seems poised to finally knock down Shrek Forever After, which only posted $4.4 million on Friday to take a distant third behind the A-Team, and everything else was even worse than that. It’s likely that the stronger dose of profanity may have been the key to holding back the A-Team from competing more evenly with the Karate Kid, especially since the Karate Kid maintained the PG-rated level of the original film that inspired the remake.

Hopefully, this pair of movies will help lift the box office out of the toilet it’s been in the past week or two, with several hot summer blockbusters fizzling out of the gates, and some unexpected hits coming out of nowhere to post weak, but better than expected, results (see Get Him To the Greek, last weekend).

Word is that Karate Kid is expected to haul in around $50-60 million in its opening weekend, which will almost ensure a sequel with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. The A-Team could be a different story, however; after a decade in development hell, 20 writers and a huge production budget, let’s just say an opening weekend that could dip below $30 million is far less than what most were expecting.

Doctor Who has undergone an unexpected creative renaissance this season, despite the exit of show runner Russell T. Davies and longtime Doctor actor David Tennant. Under the direction of new showrunner Steven Moffat, new Doctor Matt Smith and new companion Karen Gillan, the show is feeling fresher than it has since perhaps David Tennant’s first season as Doctor.

Now comes word from Amy Pond actress Karen Gillan that the forthcoming two-part season finale will be “very emotional.” According to various Web reports, Gillan has said viewers will need “tissues” to endure the final scenes of her first season on the show.

“I’m going to say the word ‘horses’ and that’s it,” Gillan is quoted as saying. “The second part of the finale was the most difficult because it’s a big climax for Amy and her story that’s been building through the series. And it just required a lot of kind of concentration and emotion.”

No word on whether Gillan is on board for a second season, though hopes are high she will be. If not, the promise of an “emotional” finale is sure to bring to mind the final episode between David Tennant’s Doctor and Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, the most memorable episode ever for incurable Doctor Who romantics.

One thing’s sure about Moffat’s first season as showrunner is that absolutely no weight loss products have been needed; it’s tight, emotional storytelling at its best.

Box office chaos seems to be the order of the summer; last week, Shrek stood strong against the double threat of Prince of Persia and Sex and the City 2, and now this week, early indicators are that a pair of movies no one gave a chance to crack the top three look like they might do just that.

Indications from Friday’s box office returns are that Shrek is maintaining a thin lead over everything, but the big surprise is the modestly-budgeted Judd Apatow comedy, Get Him To the Greek, which is currently in second place and breathing down Shrek’s neck. Killers, expected by many to be the best of the new films this weekend, is currently indicated to place a somewhat weak third place.

Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia are vying neck-and-neck for the fourth and fifth place spots in the race, and if it gets much tighter, no one involved in either production will need Apidexin any time soon.

Markmaduke opened weak, as expected, barely edging the durable Iron Man 2. It will be interesting so see how the horse race finishes when everything is said and done. Conventional wisdom says that next weekend, The A-Team and the Jackie Chan-powered Karate Kid remake will vie for the top spot in the box office, but given how unpredictable things are, who knows? Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Undead could surprise us all!

Shrek Forever After, billed as the animated series’ final chapter, maintained clear box office dominance despite challenges from a videogame franchise and a much-anticipated chick-flick redux. Last weekend (when HollywoodIdiocy.com was on a much deserved vacation), despite the presence of box office fat-burners like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Sex and the City 2, it was the jolly green ogre who continued to reign supreme.

Shrek pocketed a hefty $57 million, bringing its 10-day total to $146 million domestically; add in another $60.6 million from foreign markets and Shrek has more than made its $165 million budget back. Meanwhile, the videogame-inspired Prince of Persia powered its way to a second-place finish, bringing in $37.8 million, while Sex and the City 2 disappointed most expectations with a close third-place finish, drawing $36.8 million, though that pace was slowed by an early opening day for Sex 2, which had a four-day total of $51.0 million starting from Thursday’s opening.

Only Killers looked to threaten this top three going into this weekend.

Scripter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven are together again for SCREAM 4, and while most people now know that Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox – the survivors of the previous trilogy – will likely appear, it will only be to hand things off to a next-gen cast.

Now, it appears that some of the actors on the Williamson-Craven wish list are becoming apparent. Included in the rumor mill are HEROES alumn Hayden Panettiere, Twilight’s Ashley Greene, Boy Meets World graduate Rory Culkin, and Surface/Boston Legal survivor, Lake Bell.

All this is intriguing, but a Lipofuze review might be more interesting until more is known about the plot. Alas, it’s largely under wraps… at least for now. Let’s hope it’s a case of talent well-used, not wasted.

The first season isn’t even over, the second season hasn’t even gone before cameras, and already Fox has decided it’s so hot on the musical comedy Glee that they have approved it for a third season; Glee’s second-season renewal came late in 2009.

But that’s not all; the producers are also reportedly negotiating with Fox to expand Glee’s future seasons from the standard 22 episodes to 25-episode orders. The reason behind this has more to do with merchandising that storytelling, however.

You see, each of Glee’s soundtracks have become instant iTunes best-sellers and the physical CDs even sell well enough to impact the top of Billboard album sales charts. Glee recently also surpassed a record held by U2 for the most charting singles in history… or something like that.

By expanding a season order of Glee from 22 episodes to 25, producers figure to add an additional soundtrack release to each season of Glee they produce in the future.

This season has seen Glee spawn three volumes of musical soundtracks based on season one, as well as a standalone EP-sized soundtrack for the special “Power of Madonna” episode. A volume four soundtrack is expected over the summer, sometime after the season finale airs.

That’s four full-sized soundtracks, plus one Madonna-power EP soundtrack. By adding three additional episodes, that number could expand from five to as many as six or even seven soundtrack releases per season, counting special EP releases in the vein of the Power of Madonna EP.

The point is, the multimedia approach to Glee is helping both the producers and the network make money hand-over-fist through non-traditional revenue streams, and an early green-light on the third season helps keep costs low before stars and producers start asking for improved contracts. Of course, if the ratings are still strong mid-way through the third season, producers can always avoid expensive re-negotiations with most of the cast by the very nature of the show: Glee’s biggest breakout star, Lea Michele, portrays a high school sophomore in season one, so a season four would be unlikely anyway; so long as new cast members are added every season and current stars are cycled out as they “graduate,” the show can avoid becoming overly expensive to produce by constantly being a launching pad for new talent, rather than a long-term showcase for any one star… even Lea Michele.

Setting Glee in high school among the Acneticin-needing crowd, therefore, was a wise way for producers to structure the show for long-term success.

Of course, the fact that Glee’s ratings significantly improved in the second half of the first season, following American Idol, played no small part in securing that third season renewal early. If all goes well, Fox may even have Simon Cowell’s new musical talent showcase, X-Factor, to pair with Glee in the fall!

While Shrek Forever After, which has been billed as the final installment of the series, did well at the box office, the $70.8 million weekend it posted domestically is actually below expectations for the long-running feature series. While wholesale diamonds used to be less valuable than a Shrek installment, the weekend take will only go partway to paying off the $165 million production budget. There is no worldwide box office numbers to add in yet, making the situation even grimmer; most analysts were hoping the film would tip the $80 million mark in its opening bow, but while nearly $71 million isn’t bad, it does put the film behind pace to make its investment back and reach profit mode.

At least Shrek Forever After, however, fared better than the SNL-inspired movie, MacGruber, which cost a measley $10 million to make, but struggled to pull in a mere $4 million over its debut weekend, finishing out of the Top 5 in sixth place.

Iron Man 2 was good for second place, adding another $26 million to its domestic haul; the $200-million budget film has made $506 million worldwide to date. Robin Hood still trails Iron Man 2, drawing $18.7 million domestically to bring its 10-day total to a mere $66 million. A healthy $125 million overseas puts the film Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe actioner close to making its $200 million back, but is a clear disappointment domestically.

Letters to Juliet added $9 million in its second week, but nothing else even came close to cracking $5 million below that.

Business is sure to pick up this coming weekend, however, as men will be drawn to the videogame-inspired action flick, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, while women will be looking forward to Sex and the City 2, sequel to the uninspired hit of two years ago, though this time word is the sequel cracks a sharper wit.

Robert Downey Jr. is hands-down a better actor than Russell Crowe, and now there’s proof to back up that opinion, it seems; Downey’s Iron Man 2 may have a weaker plot than the first flimic adventure of the Golden Avenger, but his performance has staying power; early returns on this weekend indicate Iron Man 2 has the early lead on Crowe’s boorish, politically-correct Robin Hood reboot, besting the Merry Men by a take of about $15 million to $13 million.

That puts Iron Man 2 on track for at least a $40-45 million weekend, while Robin Hood seems destined for come in under $40 million, and perhaps well under that benchmark. That would be an incredibly poor open for a film that cost quite a bit more than that to make.

I don’t need my old Acer Aspire desktop to calculate that Downey will again have an Iron-clad reason to be cocky about his box office clout, while Crowe will be eating his namesake after this weekend.

Of course, nothing’s official yet. Let’s see what the rest of the weekend brings.