War of the Worlds overwhelmed the domestic box office over the weekend, earning more money than all of the other top-ten movies combined. The Steven Spielberg sci-fi film starring Tom Cruise debuted with $77.1 million Friday through Monday, light years ahead of second-place Batman Begins, which took in $19.3 million.

The top ten films over the four-day weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. War of the Worlds, Paramount, $77,061,953, 1 Wk. ($112,744,353 -- from Wednesday); 2. Batman Begins, Warner Bros., $19,339,432, 3 Wks. ($154,800,369); 3. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 20th Century Fox, ($12,723,583, 4 Wks. ($146,082,474); 4. Bewitched, Sony, $11,076,523, 2 Wks. ($40,583,013); 5. Herbie: Fully Loaded, Disney, $10,762,050, 2 Wks. ($37,093,838); 6. Madagascar, DreamWorks, $6,701,584, 6 Wks. ($172,131,077); 7. Rebound, 20th Century Fox, $6,003,237, (New); 8. Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, 20th Century Fox, $5,031,463, 7 Wks. ($366,502,577); 9. The Longest Yard, Paramount, $4,004,317, 6 Wks. ($148,692,427); 10. Land of the Dead, Universal, $3,255,585, 2 Wks. ($16,750,380).

Demonstrating that movie audiences will still migrate toward good entertainment even when it fails to offer sex (human sex, anyway), violence, or special effects, a critically praised documentary about the migrating habits of emperor penguins earned more money per screen last weekend than any other film -- the box-office leading War of the Worlds included. According to the final tally, March of the Penguins earned $26,269 per screen versus $19,719 for Worlds. To be sure, Penguins played on just 20 screens, just 0.5 percent of the 3,900 screens showing Worlds. But it should also be pointed out that Penguins cost only $8 million to make, just 4 percent of the estimated $185-million budget of Worlds. Moreover, Greg Laemmle, president of the Laemmle Theatres art-house chain, told today's Los Angeles Times, "Penguins appears to be getting the kind of word of mouth that will enable it to play through Labor Day." Added Steven Friedlander, executive vice president of Warner Independent Pictures: "Some people, internally and externally, thought it was counterintuitive to release a film about penguins in the summer. ... We viewed it as quintessential counter-programming." It will expand to 55 theaters next weekend.

Ernest Lehman, best known for his screenplays of such classics as Sweet Smell of Success, North by Northwest, West Side Story, The Sound of Music and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, died Saturday, his wife Laurie disclosed Tuesday. He was 89. In an interview appearing in today's (Wednesday) Daily Variety, writer/producer Mel Shavelson remarked, "Ernie Lehman was one of the last and greatest screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. The only special effects in his brilliant screenplays were human beings."

The latest addition to the menu at McDonald's outlets in five cities has apparently proved to be so popular that it was added over the holiday weekend to three more areas. The addition is movies, which can now be rented from Redbox vending machines in the fast-food outlet's stores throughout the state of Utah (they were previously being tested only in Salt Lake City), Eastern Nevada and Western Wyoming. They have also been installed in Denver, Houston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Hartford, and Washington, D.C. DVD rentals cost less than a Big Mac in those markets -- just $1.00 per night -- and can be returned to any McDonald's displaying a Redbox vending machine.

Analysts are puzzling over the pitiful ratings for ABC's primetime special of the Live 8 concerts on Saturday, which drew an average of just 2.9 million viewers between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., making it the least-watched original program on ABC in the time slot since the Latino Alma Awards on June 1, 2002. In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television, concluded that "there's not a broad-enough appeal" in rock concerts. "A good portion of the broadcast audience doesn't know who or what Coldplay is," he remarked. Nevertheless, he said, ABC will be able to promote the telecast as a goodwill gesture. "They'll be able to bring it up when they need to apologize for other things," he said.

Appearing to borrow a page from 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt's style book (Hewitt's autobiography is titled Tell Me a Story) the CBS Evening News plans to revamp its format this summer with more in-depth features and investigative reports, and less emphasis on recapping the news of the day, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Wednesday), citing unnamed CBS news staffers. According to the newspaper, CBS News President Andrew Heyward met with a team of correspondents and producers who are developing the approach last Thursday and again on Tuesday and plans to present details of the revamped format to CBS Chairman Les Moonves in the coming months. One unnamed employee who attended the meetings told the Times: "What people walked away with was that we still have a commitment to news -- we just have to package it differently."

While many dramatic TV serials offer a recap during their season premiere, ABC will be offering viewers of its hit series Lost a chance to watch all of the episodes of the past season on DVD. Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment announced Tuesday that Lost: The Complete First Season, featuring a making-of documentary, comments from the cast and creators, and outtakes, will be available at DVD outlets on Sept. 6. The second season of Lost, starring an ensemble cast led by Matthew Fox, is scheduled to launch on Sept. 21.

Jim Verraros, the openly gay finalist on the first-season of America Idol, has indicated that some of his fellow contestants have had a difficult time making the transition from overnight fame to everyday life again. Verraros, whose debut CD, Rollercoaster, is selling reasonably well (it recently hit No. 21 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart), told the online edition of TV Guide: "It's tough to hang out with or talk to old friends of mine who were on the show. It's such a battle for all of us. It's such a roller coaster. A lot of people hit rock bottom and it feels bad. You were once so hot on the show, and now you're struggling. People from my season are broke and have moved back in with their families." Verraros indicated that Fox has done little to ease the transition. "While you're on the show, you're treated well," he said, "Afterward, it's, 'See ya.'"

Details are beginning to emerge about the "premium product" that CNN plans to unveil on its website to supplement the free content that it recently began offering. The website TVNewser said that the service will be called CNN Pipeline and that it will offer some of the same live feeds that CNN producers have access to from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time each day, presumably concentrating heavily on news conferences and briefings.

Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, has congratulated "the people of London" after the International Olympic Committee, meeting in Singapore, selected their city to host the 2012 Olympic Games. In an interview appearing in today's (Wednesday) New York Times, Ebersol indicated that each of the final contenders presented "no issues with hotels or television infrastructure" and that although the time difference between the U.S. and London would likely mean that few if any events would be presented live during primetime, the main contests in swimming, gymnastics and track would have been held for primetime even if they were held in the U.S. "because that's where the audience will be." Ebersol also predicted that by 2012 NBC would no doubt be expanding its wireless and Internet coverage of the Games.

Tonight's (Wednesday) final competition on Dancing with the Stars, in which John O'Hurley and partner Charlotte Jorgensen square off against Kelly Monaco and partner Alec Mazo, is expected to draw the biggest primetime ratings of the summer. The finale will be preceded by a rerun of last week's episode, in which Joey McIntyre, of New Kids on the Block, and his partner, Ashly DelGrosso, were eliminated.