Lionsgate did not screen The Eye for critics -- apparently assuming that they would loathe it. As it turned out, they were right. Not only did they not like the movie, several did not even like Jessica Alba, whose cover image has sold millions of men's magazines. Peter Howell in the Toronto Star warned: "Strapping lads who flock to The Eye hoping to lay peepers upon a bikini-clad Jessica Alba are in for a cruel disappointment." Jan Stuart in Newsday suggested it's a disappointment in more ways than one. He calls her "a vapid beauty with a singular gift for making bad acting look effortless. What the movie really wants," Stuart commented, "is someone with the personality quirks to make a dopey script look credible." Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel faulted her for giving "a flat, utterly unaffecting performance." And Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe commented, "As a performer, Alba still seems to be figuring out what she's good at."

The only thing harder than a Super Bowl ticket to get hold of over the weekend was one to a screening of Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. The movie, which played on only 683 screens, took in an estimated $29 million, or an average of $42,500 per theater. Analysts could not recall any film opening in fewer than 1,000 theaters performing as well. It was also the best opening for any film over a Super Bowl weekend. The box office take was boosted by the near-doubling of ticket prices and the elimination of children's discounts in many theaters. Moreover, Disney announced that it would (as expected) extend its run through Valentine's day -- and said that it expected repeat business. Media by Numbers President Paul Dergarabedian told Bloomberg News, "It's amazing to witness the incredible box-office clout of young women. Girls rule this Super Bowl weekend." Debuting in second place, Lionsgate's horror film The Eye, starring Jessica Alba, brought in about $13 million. However, Over Her Dead Body, the only other movie to open wide over the weekend, tanked with just $4.6 million, failing even to make the top ten. Last week's winner, Meet the Spartans, plummeted to fifth place in its second weekend, with just $7.1 million. With a combined take of $102 million for the top 12 films, the box office was up more than 40 percent from last year's Super Bowl weekend. Thus far for the year, sales are up 15 percent; attendance, 10.8 percent.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, $29 million; 2. The Eye, $13 million; 3. 27 Dresses, $8.4 million; 4. Juno, $7.5 million; 5. Meet the Spartans, $7.1 million; 6. Rambo, $7 million; 7. The Bucket List, $6.9 million; 8. Untraceable, $5.4 million; 9. Cloverfield, $4.9 million; 10. There Will Be Blood, $4.8 million.

Rumors began circulating through the Internet over the weekend that a "breakthrough" had been achieved in negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. By late Sunday, the speculation had been picked up by several newspapers, wire services and trade publications, leading WGA officials to issue a message to their members saying, "Please disregard rumors about either the existence of an agreement or its terms. ... Picketing will resume on Monday. Our leverage at the bargaining table is directly affected by your commitment to our cause." The message did not spike the speculation about a settlement. The Los Angeles Times, citing three people close to the talks, reported that a final contract was likely to be presented to the WGA board as early as Friday. Likewise, the Associated Press and Daily Variety reported that a deal might be announced "within a week." Several reports credited the intervention of Disney CEO Robert Iger and News Corp CEO Peter Chernin for breaking the deadlock in the dispute, which has kept writers on the picket lines since last November.

Subscribers to Cablevision, which primarily serves the New York City area, will be able to watch Universal and Warner Bros. movies via the cable-TV system on the same day they are offered for sale on DVD. But there's a catch. They'll also have to buy the DVD. Cablevision has partnered with Popcorn Home Entertainment in the deal, which requires customers to sign up via the Internet. They can then order movies via Cablevision's video-on-demand service using the remotes on their TV sets, watch the movie via the cable system, and receive the DVD a few days later. Ordinarily movies are not available on video-on-demand systems until 30-45 days after their release on DVD.

The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men raised its Oscar odds over the weekend by winning the Producers Guild of America's best feature film award. Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen added the Darryl F. Zanuck producer of the year award to a shelf-full of other top prizes, including those from the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. Michael Moore's Sicko received the PGA's award for best documentary, while Disney-Pixar's Ratatouille won the award for best animated film. Meanwhile, ABC News reported that No Country for Old Men has emerged as the Oscar favorite among overseas gambling websites. (Such sites are not legal in the U.S.)

The unreleased Kings of the Evening, set in the Depression era, dominated the San Diego Black Film Festival awards Sunday. The film won for best film, best director (Andrew P. Jones), and best supporting actor (Glynn Turman). Turman also received the festival's Award of Merit. J. Neil Schulman's Lady Magdalene's, starring Star Trek veteran Nichelle Nichols, won the award for "best cutting-edge film."

The New York Giants' stunning upset defeat of the New England Patriots was watched by 97.5 million viewers, the largest audience ever to watch a Super Bowl, according to Nielsen's "fast nationals" results released this afternoon (Monday). The figure was considerably higher than Nielsen's overnight figures released earlier in the day, which did not include several prominent markets. The "fast nationals" figure is likely to be revised yet again on Tuesday when Nielsen announces final results. The game surpassed the previous Super Bowl record of 94.08 million viewers set in 1996. In Nielsen's record books, only the final episode of M*A*S*H*, which was watched by 106 million people in 1983, had a larger audience. However, in pre-Nielsen days, CBS's 1957 broadcast of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was reportedly seen by 107 million. (Some TV historians put the figure at 120 million.) Last night's telecast averaged a 43.3 rating and a 65 share, which was topped by several previous games when fewer TV sets were in use. (Ratings are based on audience percentages.) The ratings record is held by the 1982 Super Bowl which recorded a 49.1/73. The half-hour of House that aired in primetime between 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. in most of the country recorded a 23.1/36. The half-time show featuring Tom Petty aired without controversy. The Associated Press remarked, "There were no wardrobe -- or any other kind of -- malfunctions." Commercials were mostly humorous and/or satirical, "a welcome contrast to the angry, off-putting tenor of too many spots in last year's Super Bowl, which were filled with crude and cartoonish violence," commented New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott. However, TV Guide's Matt Roush remarked that the telecast presented "a parade of silly ads, only a few of which are likely to be remembered in a day, a week, let alone a year from now." Meanwhile, CBS announced today (Monday) that it has landed New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning as a guest on David Letterman's show (which originates in New York) tonight. Hillary Clinton is also scheduled for the show.

CNN's telecast of the January 21 Democratic debate was the most-watched presidential primary debate ever broadcast, the cable network said Friday. It was watched in 3.6 million households, according to Nielsen research.

Cable TV and newspaper accounts that al Qaeda in Iraq had used two women with Downs syndrome to carry out suicide bombings in Baghdad on Friday were being questioned over the weekend by the New York Times and the Associated Press, which said that the reports were based on the appearance of one of the heads of the alleged bombers recovered after the blast. The two news outlets indicated that the head's deformities may have been caused by the blast itself. As reported by Editor and Publisher, the McClatchy newspapers observed that Iraqi authorities have made similar claims in the past about using Down's victims and that authorities have not even determined whether the recent explosions were caused by suicide bombers and might have resulted from hidden bombs. E&P was critical of the news media for reporting the story of the "mentally disabled" bombers "as fact, rather than [as] wild speculation."

Spectacular footage of the Rhode Island nightclub fire in which 100 people died may have been obtained by a television cameraman who blocked an exit while filming, thereby preventing patrons from fleeing. Families of survivors have reached a $30-million settlement with the station, WPRI-TV, its owners, LIN-TV, and the cameraman, Brian Butler, the Boston Globe reported Saturday. Butler had strenously denied the charges. Ironically, Butler had been filming a report on nightclub safety at the time the fire broke out. Even more ironically, his footage is being used by other plaintiffs in lawsuits against the owners of the nightclub, who include Jeffrey Derderian, a reporter for WPRI-TV.

In Friday's edition we erroneously identified the British soap opera EastEnders as an ITV program. It is broadcast by the BBC.