'College' DOA, 'House Bunny' holds steady

As expected, College was an universal box office bomb this Labor Day weekend. The film, which starred Season 5's 11th-place finalist, Kevin Covais, only mustered $2.1 million from 2,123 theatres nationwide for the traditional 3-day weekend and only $2.6 million for the extended 4-day weekend according to studio estimates on BoxOfficeMojo.com. It came in on the charts at #15 and likely suffered due to the over saturation of comedies in the marketplace.

As for its critical reception, College currently has an awful 14% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes.com, taking into account its total of only 14 professional reviews. User reviews are a little more kind, as it currently has a B- from 376 users on Yahoo!Movies.

Katharine McPhee's The House Bunny was another story, as the hit comedy showed staying power for the weekend as it dropped from #2-4 with $8.3 million for the 3-day and $10.2 million for the 4-day. Its total now sits at $29.8 million, which is a great number all things considered. It dropped 42.9% weekend-to-weekend and averaged $3,058 from its 2,714 theatres.

The overall weekend box office was nothing special, so it will most likely be even worse this coming weekend taking into account the fact that it is not a holiday weekend.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Kevin Covais: "I am feeling great!"

Season 5's 11th-place finalist, Kevin Covais, posted an update on his official site in which he says he is "feeling great." The message reads:

"Hey everybody! I am happy to announce that I am currently at home and I am feeling great! I just wanted to say thank you and send my love to all of you who have showed concern over the past few weeks, and let you know that all is well! I can’t tell you how excited I am for everything going on in my life right now, including the release of my first feature film "College" which hits theaters nationwide this Friday, August 29th!"

IDOL LIVE is glad to hear Kevin is in good spirits and is recovering from his mystery illness. As for his film debut, College, it will open in 2,123 theatres on Friday and is expected to make $8.4 million among registered users on BoxOfficeMojo.com and $6 million according to Gitesh Pandya at BoxOfficeGuru.com for the four-day weekend.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Kevin Covais' mystery illness saga continues

As reported earlier this month by IDOL LIVE, Season 5's 11th-place finalist Kevin Covais was admitted to a hospital for an undisclosed illness. Rumors began swirling that Kevin had possibly had a stroke, but his publicist, Cindy Collins later brushed them off, instead insisting he had suffered complications from his diabetes.

The story regained traction yesterday when TMZ.com reported that Kevin was "cooped up in the hospital" with Bell's palsy, a condition that results in partial paralysis of the face. But Kevin's publicist once again tried to disspell that report. According to a story from Newsday, Collins

"...would not say what was ailing the 19-year-old. 'We cannot officially say either way until tests are done,' Collins said from Los Angeles.

The TMZ story reported that the illness was brought on 'because of the stress of his press tour' for the raunchy comedy flick. But Collins said, 'For the record, Kevin was not stressed out. It was a blast, it was the highlight of his week.'"

This obviously is not the last we've heard of Kevin's mystery illness. Whatever the true cause is, IDOL LIVE wishes him a quick and painless recovery.

College enters theatres nationwide on Friday. It also stars Drake Bell and Andrew Caldwell.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Kat finishes second...again

After months of anticipation, Katharine McPhee's major studio acting debut in Sony's The House Bunny finally hit theatres across the nation this weekend. Although McPhans never doubted the hilarity of the movie's subject matter, its box office performance was much more unpredictable.

But fans were elated to discover that Bunny in fact beat most experts' expectations, as it posted a solid $15.1 million weekend according to early estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com. Despite the higher than expected figure, it was only good enough for a No. 2 finish, as estimates are giving Tropic Thunder a $1 million advantage and a second week at the top. When actuals are released tomorrow afternoon, however, it is possible that Bunny could squeak out a win.

Bunny, which had a production budget set at $25 million, looks to become a late summer hit. On the ratings front, the film is averaging a 41% on RottenTomatoes.com, as it received 28 positive reviews out of a total of 68. This score led those of the three other films that received wide releases for the weekend. As for user reviews, the film currently has a B+ from a total of 831 ratings on Yahoo! Movies.

Although one film cannot determine an up and coming actor's future success, it looks like Katharine at least began her film career on a positive note. As for Kevin Covais' debut in this coming week's College, one can only guess what the outcome will be.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Update on Kevin Covais

It was reported last week that Kevin Covais was rushed to the hospital last Sunday after suffering a seizure, causing him to miss a scheduled show in New Jersey. According to his publicist, Cindy Collins, Kevin is now doing fine. In an e-mail received Saturday night, Collins said of the health scare:

"It was a diabetes related matter and wasn't serious."

IDOL LIVE is glad to hear that Kevin is doing well and that the matter was not as serious as previously believed. Kevin's publicist also said Kevin is preparing for his MGM press tour in promotion of College and will sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the New York Mets and the New York Jets within the next month.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Kevin Covais hospitalized, misses show

Season 5's 11th-place finalist, Kevin Covais, was hospitalized yesterday morning for unknown reasons and missed a scheduled show at the Burlington County Amplitheater in Westhampton, N.J., with fellow Season 5 contestant Ayla Brown and singer Gabrielle Howarth. Gabrielle posted a blog entry this morning on her official music MySpace page:

Opened up for American Idol Season 5, Ayla Brown. It was fun time! Sang 7 song set!! Unfortunately, Kevin Covais was hospitalized yesterday morning so he was not with us as scheduled. Thoughts and prayers with him.

Kevin is starring in the upcoming feature film College (Aug. 29), which also stars Drake Bell. IDOL LIVE wishes Kevin a speedy recovery.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...

Keeping up with Kevin Covais

Although he only managed to finish in 11th place on the fifth season of Idol, Kevin Covais is taking his brush with popularity to new heights as it has opened the door to acting. Kevin, now 18, will star alongside Drake Bell and Andrew Caldwell in the upcoming film College, which is set for a nationwide theatrical release on Aug. 29.

A few days ago, Kevin updated fans on his Web site on a role he will play in the upcoming film Labor Pains. Below is per Kevin himself:

Hey there everybody! I am very excited to announce that I have landed a role in a new film! The movie is called “Labor Pains” and I will be appearing alongside Lindsay Lohan, Chris Parnell, and Cheryl Hines in this romantic comedy. I will begin shooting shortly, and you can all look for more updates on the movie straight from me in the weeks to follow!

In the meantime, Kevin will perform with fellow Season 5 alum Ayla Brown in at the Burlington County Amplitheater in Wethampton, N.J., on Aug. 2 in the Big Break Meets American Idol showcase concert.

[+/-] Show Full Post...

[+/-]Hide Full Post...