Reviews -- almost all, devastating -- are beginning to trickle in for Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio, which was not screened for U.S. critics. Nevertheless, some writers have seen either a subtitled version or were able to sneak into a special screening of the dubbed version in Los Angeles on Sunday. In his "On the Town" column in the New York Observer, Rex Reed calls the film "a noisy, exasperating take on the children's classic" and concludes by writing: "Lethal for kids and an unspeakable insult to adults, this unreleasable fiasco is a torture for all." David Rooney in Daily Variety calls this Pinocchio a "personal folly" for Benigni and remarks that it is "substantially lacking in personality, energy, magic and humor." Fox.com gossip columnist Roger Friedman describes the production as "terribly misguided" and advises: "Of all the things you might do with your kids on Christmas Day, seeing Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio should not be one of them."

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers amassed $62 million in its opening weekend, up from $47.2 million for last year's The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring. The New Line film earned $102 million between Wednesday, when it debuted, and Sunday -- versus $75.1 million for the comparable period a year ago. Another new film, Warner's Two Weeks Notice, took the second spot in the box-office race as it earned $14.3 million. Two other debuting films reported discouraging results. Miramax's Gangs of New York took in $9.5 million at 1,504 screens to average $6,314 per screen (second only to the per-screen average of The Two Towers). Paramount's feature cartoon, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, took in just $6 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, New Line, $62,007,528, 1 Wk. ($102,046,212 -- From Wednesday); 2. Two Weeks Notice, Warner Bros., $14,328,494, (New); 3. Maid In Manhattan, Sony, $10,712,011, 2 Wks. ($35256011); 4. Gangs of New York, Miramax, $9,496,870, (New); 5. Drumline, 20th Century Fox, $7,125,270, 2 Wks. ($22,359,766); 6. The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Paramount, $6,013,847, (New); 7. The Hot Chick, Disney, $4,576,225, 2 Wks. ($13,773,388); 8. Star Trek: Nemesis, Paramount, $4,415,081, 2 Wks. ($26,466,862); 9. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Warner Bros., $4,371,410, 6 Wks. ($228,821,682); 10. Die Another Day, MGM, $,4030,346, 5 Wks. ($138,494,620).

George Clooney has indicated that he has no illusions about the arc of his career in motion pictures. In an interview with the BBC to promote Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. a film that he directed and co-produced, Clooney said: "Let's look at the history of every [film] career ever. There are very few Paul Newmans in the world that get to do this when they're in their seventies. The truth is they will take all the toys away at some point. ... I'm not going to be allowed to be in front of the camera, and I won't be even allowed to direct or produce at some point, so while we're here and while we're in the position of power, we're gonna push it as far as we can."

The Walt Disney Co., saying that, given United Airlines' recent bankruptcy filing, it would be unable to recover its investment in UAL's aircraft leases, announced Monday that it will write off its $114-million investment for the quarter ending Dec. 31. The announcement comes less than three weeks after Disney said that it would reduce its quarterly earnings profits by 21 percent following the baneful results for its latest animated flick, Treasure Planet.

Cody Cluff officially resigned as president of the Los Angeles Entertainment Industry Development Corp., the organization that promotes filmmaking in Los Angeles and acts as a one-stop clearing center for film permits. Cluff's resignation occured even as a criminal investigation continues into allegations that he used funds from the agency to make political contributions to local officials, lavishly entertain film executives, and throw opulent parties at resort areas where film festivals were being held. Last month, Cluff defied an order by the EIDC's executive committee, which placed him on paid leave, then agreed to go "on vacation" while he negotiated his severance deal. Under terms of the deal, the EIDC has agreed to assume Cluff's legal fees up to $200,000.

Phil Donahue says that since MSNBC moved his talk show to New York and added an audience, he has steadily been picking up viewers, particularly for shows on hot topics (such as "angry white men") and those featuring celebrities like Andy Rooney. "Don't bury me yet," Donahue told the Philadelphia Inquirer Monday. "We feel very much alive. We are not naïve. We know this is a tough game." He noted that the Manhattan address allows a sizable audience to attend the tapings. "We have to turn them away. I bet we have at least 20 states represented on any night," he told the Inquirer.It also makes it easier to book guests onto the show, he noted.

With all of the other networks mounting only a half-hearted defense with a schedule of reruns, football dominated the ratings Monday night. ABC'S Monday Night Football game between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay averaged a 13.1 rating and a 20 share. The closest a competitor came was a 9.6/15 for Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00 p.m.

Billy Bush, currently a correspondent for Access Hollywood, has been signed to step into the shoes of Monty Hall for a revival of Let's Make a Deal. Bush, a first cousin of the president, was described in a news release as "a rising star" by NBC executive Jeff Gaspin, who indicated that Hall, now serving as an executive producer of the new Deal, had enthusiastically supported Bush's selection.

Charter communications, the cable company controlled by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, fired its chief financial officer and its chief operating officer on Monday. CFO Kent Kalkwarf and COO David Barwood were terminated as a grand jury investigation in Missouri continued to draw attention to what some authorities have described as the company's questionable accounting practices.

A documentary that questioned the historical accuracy of the biblical account of Christmas, speculating, for example, that Mary was probably about 13 when she gave birth, and raising questions about the three wise men and Jesus's birth in a stable, resulted in hundreds of protest phone calls to the BBC before and after it was aired on Sunday. The Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, the Right Rev. Crispian Hollis, complained that the documentary, The Virgin Mary, contained "crude and offensive speculation" and was "unscholarly." However, the program was defended by Alan Bookbinder, the BBC's head of religion and ethics, who said in a radio interview following the telecast that the documentary "shows a respect for the special place Mary has in the hearts of believers."

CSPAN has announced plans to carry every lecture that will be included in "The Clinton Presidency," a course being offered by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock beginning Jan. 16, in which guest lectuers will include Bill Clinton himself, former NATO commander Wesley Clark, and Clinton attorneys Bruce Lindsey and David Kendall.