The biggest attraction of Fool's Gold, A.O. Scott of the New York Times suggests, may be "the tawny limbs and perfect bellybuttons of the stars, Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson." Other than that, Scott indicates, the film exhibits a "frantic creative desperation that tries to pass itself off as giddy comic exuberance." Actually, Scott's is one of the better reviews of the movie. Most of the critics lambaste not only the film's plot but its stars as well. Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News refers to them as "blond tanning prodigies." Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News suggests that McConaughey's "heart clearly isn't in acting right now, so when it was time to make Fool's Gold, he asked his abs to do the job for him." Similarly, Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe comments that when his mind wandered during the film, "I thought about admiring the hard work McConaughey did for this picture and how all that work appears to have gone into his abs." Lou Lumenick in the New York Post begins his review by remarking, "The title of the excruciatingly lame and laughless romantic comedy/adventure Fool's Gold surely deserves some kind of an award for truth in advertising." And Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer ends her review by commenting, "I can't think of why anyone would want to endure this soggy mess."

Like most of Martin Lawrence's films, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins is receiving mixed notices from critics. But Kyle Smith of the New York Post, who has never given a Lawrence film a positive review, comments, "Bouncing off the subterranean floor of my expectations, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins turns out to be formulaic and broad but also skillfully paced and big-hearted." On the other hand, Kevin Crust in the Los Angeles Times writes somewhat grudgingly, "Drawn in extremely broad strokes with an enthusiastic cast vying for most-over-the-top honors, this rude family comedy throws so many jokes and gags at the screen, a few are bound to stick." The film is expected to perform strongly in African-American communities, but Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe, one of the country's few black movie critics, remarks: "This is one of those your-roots-are-showing family circuses where just about everybody seems like a clown." Desson Thomson in the Washington Post finds much to like about the movie but overall also regards it as formulaic. "A wickedly talented comedian, Lawrence has leaned all too easily on the tried and trite," he writes.

It's still playing in only 683 3-D-equipped theaters, but Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour could still give the latest newcomers a run for the money in its second week. Few box-office forecasters are hazarding a prediction on how well the movie will do. "There's really no precedent for the pic," commented Daily Variety, presumably meaning that no other 3-D concert film with a huge tween fan base -- many of whom have already seen the film several times since it opened last week -- has ever hit theaters before. It also has no direct challenge. Without Hannah in the picture, the most likely winner would have been the romantic adventure flick Fool's Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, which is opening in 3,125 theaters a week ahead of Valentine's Day (but is receiving an arrow through the heart from critics). It's expected to earn $19-23 million. Another strong challenge is expected to come from Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, starring Martin Lawrence. Also opening in limited release is the Sundance Film Festival favorite In Bruges.

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT: Although some critics have complained that Daniel Day-Lewis's performance at the conclusion of There Will Be Blood reels completely out of character, Day-Lewis himself said today (Friday) that he supported writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's decision to end the Oscar-nominated film the way that he did. "I was cheering Paul before I even met him to take the story to that conclusion," he told a news conference at the Berlin Film Festival, where he said that "the deal was done" for him to appear in the movie from the moment he read the script. Nevertheless, he said, he worried that the controversy surrounding the ending might dim the film's prospects for award nominations. Fortunately, he said, the Coen Brothers produced a rival film with a "more controversial ending than ours. Our controversy has been eclipsed by theirs!" he remarked. Anderson disclosed that the scene was filmed in a private bowling alley located in the Greystone Mansion, the largest estate ever built in Beverly Hills, CA and the onetime residence of oilman E.L. Doheny. He said that the film company refurbished the bowling alley, bringing it back to its original condition. (Although the grounds of the mansion are a favorite tourist attraction, the interior is closed to the public.)

Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are expected to put the finishing touches on a new three-year contract today (Friday), several publications reported, citing sources close to the negotiations. Only one seasoned Hollywood mogul spoke on the record. Former Disney chief Michael Eisner said during an interview on CNBC, "I know it's over. They made the deal. They shook hands on the deal. It's going on Saturday to the writers in general" for a membership vote. An informational meeting of the WGA-West is expected to take place on Sunday at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the onetime site of the Academy Awards presentations. Significantly, if the strike is called off, the Oscars show would be able to take place as scheduled on February 24, although producers may have to work overtime to bring all of its elements together.

Ratings for the season debut of the latest Survivor series may have been down considerably from previous years, but they were good enough to beat all the competition Thursday night. For its premiere, Survivor: Micronesia recorded a 7.9 rating and a 12 share, to win the 8:00 p.m. time period. Nevertheless, the results were off nearly 20 percent from a year ago. ABC's Lost took the 9:00 p.m. hour, scoring the highest numbers of the night -- a 9.0/14. Still, those numbers, too, were down -- some 7 percent from a year ago. A repeat airing of CBS's Without a Trace took the 10:00 p.m. hour with a 7.4/12. During the same hour, ABC's Eli Stone suffered a ratings tumble in its second week and settled for second place 5.9/10.

Singer Amy Winehouse will not be performing at Sunday night's Grammy Awards telecast following the rejection of her U.S. visa application by the U.S. embassy in London. Winehouse was recently fined in Norway last year for possession of marijuana and was recently videotaped showing her apparently smoking a crack pipe. Stills from the video were posted in the London tabloid, The Sun.Reporting on the U.S. decision, entertainment reporter Colin Peterson said on the BBC Thursday, "The Grammys was the carrot her family and record company used as a way to persuade her to get into rehab. Now they're going to have to find another way to motivate her."

Seemingly following the advice "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," the Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday that it will develop an attraction at its theme park in Florida where visitors will be able to audition for a spot on Fox's American Idol. Disney owns the rival ABC network, which is routinely trounced in the ratings by the Fox talent show. Asked by Britain's Press Association how the deal came about, Disney spokesman Duncan Wardle replied, "It's a cultural phenomenon which has crossed all boundaries. ... American Idol is about making dreams come true and Disney Parks is where dreams come true." Simon Fuller, the producer who created Idol, added, "Disney's new attraction perfectly captures what we at American Idol feel is the heart and soul of this brand; real people getting a shot to make their dream a reality."

A House committee investigating what it claims are "false and misleading statements and the use of celebrity endorsements of prescription medications," indicated Thursday that it is looking into claims that the makers of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor used stunt doubles for its TV commercials featuring Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart. The investigation came to light after the New York Times reported on Thursday that although Jarvik was shown supposedly participating in the strenuous sport of sculling in a Lipitor ad two years ago, the actual rower was Dennis Williams, a member of the Lake Washington, WA Rowing Club. Jarvik, the Times said, does not row.

Apparently concerned that many Americans with analog-only TV sets will suddenly find themselves without images on them come February 17, 2009, when the switch-over to digital television takes place, NBC is asking Nielsen Research to move next year's February sweeps up two weeks, so that they would begin on January 15 and end on February 14, the Hollywood Reporter reported today (Friday). While it is unknown how many Americans in general might remain unaware of the switch, it may be hard to imagine that Nielsen would not inform those participating in its audience research that the switch will take place.