Transformers

Star of the Transformers trilogy Shia LaBeouf says Megan Fox was too into "woman-empowerment" stuff to fit Michael Bay's movie-making style, specifically, that his films appeal to a "16-year-old sexuality." So, says LaBeouf, the director chose Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to take over the film's love interest role because she was willing to show some skin while also providing LaBeouf's character with her nurturing, maternal instincts. Apparently Megan also being a sexy underwear model wasn't enough, since Shia adds that Bay wanted a "domestic, eggs-in-the-morning" style over Fox's "cold biker chick" character.

I'll take this with a grain of salt since it's LaBeouf, not Bay, making the comments. But there are a lot of interesting takeaways from these little nuggets. Namely, that "sexiest woman alive" Megan Fox wasn't game for reprising the standard boobs-out action movie love interest role that made her famous, and that Bay was essentially looking for a Stepford wife character in the flick. What do you make of all this?

When I noticed that the first teaser for Transformers: Dark of the Moon was out, I got excited for a glimpse of Shia LaBeouf vs. the Robots, round three. I would have even settled for a montage of explosions and pointed looks set to epic music with no dialogue. Unfortunately, the preview doesn't have any footage of LaBeouf, or any of the franchise's major actors. Instead, it's two and a half minutes explaining what "really" happened when Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where the trailer is going: apparently Armstrong actually discovered the first transformers and never told anyone about it.

Obviously, the premise is absurd, but nobody's expecting realism from a Transformers movie. What I was hoping for was something to get me preemptively excited for a film that won't hit theaters until next Summer, but this trailer is a letdown. Maybe I'm being too harsh though; check it out for yourself and tell me how you feel about it when you read more

Tom Cruise takes Katie Holmes and Suri to Broadway before leaving NYC, Lindsay Lohan debuts a new hairdo, and Jesse James talks about time spent with new mom Sandra Bullock.

It may be darker than ever, but Harry Potter still brings the magic at the box office. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince worked its wizardry on audiences to the tune of nearly $160 million for its first five days in the theater, with $79.5 million of that coming over the weekend.

That's not quite as strong as the five-day opening for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen last month (that movie pulled in $201.2 million in its first five days), but it's the best tally yet for a Harry Potter movie.

The other big story of this weekend's box office is the fall of Bruno. Last weekend's box office winner pulled in just $8.4 million this week, finishing in fourth place. That put it behind second-place Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which brought in $17.7 million. Transformers kept up the pace with a third-place tally of $13.8 million.

In indie news, 500 Days of Summer had a solid debut with almost $840,000 from just 27 theaters. It'll be interesting to see how that movie holds up when it expands into many more theaters this weekend.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Check out hotties Megan in Herve Leroux, Blake in Roberto Cavalli, and Rihanna in Alexander Wang looking sexy to the max in mesh flesh frocks. There's something about mesh inserts that evoke a daring, mysterious vibe and I like it. This detailing isn't for the faint-hearted; when donning such a bold embellishment, brace yourself for hard stares and the occasional catcall. You ready?