By RUEBEN PEREIRA

Billions of blistering barnacles! Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s The Adventures of Tintin hits theaters Wednesday. Here are 10 things you should know about the world-famous adventurer before you catch the movie.

1. It’s spelled “Tintin,” not “Tin Tin” and certainly not “Rin-Tin-Tin.”

2. The Adventures of Tintin is based on a series of 24 comic books created by Belgian artist Hergé (real name Georges Remi) that follow a young reporter/detective named Tintin, his scrappy wire fox terrier Snowy and boisterous best friend Captain Haddock as they travel the globe, solving mysteries, seeking treasures and adventures. Think of him as a cross between a young Indiana Jones and James Bond, minus the womanizing, with a dash of the Hardy Boys thrown in for good measure.

3. The 24 Tintin titles, published between 1929 and 1986, have been translated into over 100 languages and have sold more than 200 million copies. Not bad for a series barely known in the United States. A large reason for Tintin’s timeless and worldwide appeal is attributed to Hergé’s meticulously researched stories and striking animation, which drew from numerous political and cultural events of the 20th century including colonialism, Nazism, archaeological discoveries, human rights, the space race, the Cold War and even UFOs.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, is currently scored at 97 percent fresh at the website Rotten Tomatoes. A “fresh” review is given when a critic gives a film a better-than-average review, while a “rotten” review happens when it’s scored as average or below.

Gary Thompson of the Philadelphia Daily News says the movie doesn’t suffer from what Part 1 may have – a lack of energy due to the intense set-up for the second half: “The split works out brilliantly for ‘Part Two.’ The inertia of exile is gone, and ‘Two’s’ condensed and lively plot allows it to function as a slam-bang action serial.”

Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter for the final time.

The final chapter of Harry Potter’s movie saga is pretty much getting positive reviews across the board.

Click here for theaters, showtimes for ‘Potter’ | Potter fan says final film a fitting ending | Dinner and a movie: Pairing Potter with Bogart’s Bar & Grille | See the trailer

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times says the film makes for a perfect capper for the series: “It … succeeds because the franchise has stuck to its conservative creative guns and seen them pay off.”
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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint reprise their roles one last time in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2'.

The second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows picked up right where the first part left off. (Read Sarah’s review of Part 1 here.)

Lord Voldemort has found the Elder Wand, a legendary wand believed to be the most powerful in existence, and one-third of the Deathly Hallows.

The legend of the Hallows, as we learned in part one, is that three objects (the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility) were given to three brothers by Death himself, and the possession of all three items will make the owner the master of Death — which is more than a little appealing to Voldemort, who seeks ultimate control and immortality.

Click here for theaters, showtimes for ‘Potter’ | Final Potter chapter getting near-universal praise from critics | Dinner and a movie: Pairing Potter with Bogart’s Bar & Grille | See the trailer

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron and Hermione continue in their search for horcruxes — magically enchanted objects, inside which, Lord Voldemort has concealed fragments of his soul. In order to finally defeat Voldemort, Harry and his friends must find and destroy all of the horcruxes.
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Harry Potter’s adventures are going digital – J.K. Rowling says the boy wizard’s adventures will be sold as e-books for the first time in October.

All seven novels will be available as audiobooks and ebooks in multiple languages through a new website, Pottermore.

Rowling also has written new Potter material for the interactive site.

The site immerses users in the boy wizard’s world, combining elements of computer game, social network and online store. Rowling says it includes “information I have been hoarding” about the books’ characters and settings.

Rowling unveiled the project Thursday in London. The site goes live July 31.

The last Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” was published in 2007.

Pirates Hurricane Holly Rogers, Capt. Dan Leeward and Caribbean Pearl fight over Capt. Sparrow's Jerk Chicken at Pirate's Well. (Taylor Jones / Palm Beach Post)

More: Trailer for ‘Pirates | Theaters, showtimes

The film: Captain Jack Sparrow is back in the fourth installment of the Disney series: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, in which Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush race against Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane in a search for the elusive Fountain of Youth.

The food: Get into the swashbuckling spirit by plundering the pirate-themed menu at fun-loving Pirate’s Well in Lake Park.

Choose from a treasure chest of options, including the Arrrrgh Attack Burger ($15.99) — topped with fried pickle chips, jalapenos, sauteed mushrooms and several other fixings — Blackbeard’s Baby Back Ribs ($14.99), Me Beauties Chicken Samich ($7.99) or Capt. Sparrow’s Jerk Chicken, served with black beans, rice and plantains ($9.99).

Open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Pirate’s Well serves food till 2 a.m.
Pirate’s Well, 9477 Hwy Alt. A1A, Lake Park, (561) 629-7020 | Restaurant Listing: Directions, invite friends, more

There was no way the commanders of “Pirates of the Caribbean” were going to make Penelope Cruz walk the plank off the franchise’s latest picture after she told them she was pregnant.

The filmmakers wanted her aboard so badly they charted a fresh course on the latest installment — “On Stranger Tides” — to accommodate Cruz’s condition so she could shoot the film, which has its Cannes Film Festival premiere Saturday before sailing into theaters worldwide starting Wednesday.

Carrying her first child with husband Javier Bardem a year ago, Cruz broke the news to “Pirates” star Johnny Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall not long before the shooting began.

“I just wanted to make the decision with them, with Rob and Johnny and Jerry,” Cruz said in an interview in Los Angeles before heading to Cannes, where she will join Depp on the festival’s grand red carpet. “They had been incredibly kind with their response and protective and generous and really caring at every single step of this, the process of making this movie.”

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Billy Bell isn’t the only local dancer making a splash this weekend. While the “So You Can Think You Can Dance” and Dreyfoos School For The Arts graduate prepares a local show today, Boynton Beach’s Kayla Marzullo prepares to ask America to vote her a winner for a project featuring another “SYTYCD” star.

Kayla, 17, a junior at Park Vista High School, appears in “The Magic Ribbon,” a short film by filmmakers Kristen Genszler and Jacqueline Reyno, an entry in Sprite’s online “Refreshing Films” contest. The 13-minute short follows two young dancers auditioning for a prestigious choreographer played by “SYTYCD” judge and Emmy winner Mia Michaels, and the titular magical hair accessory. Kayla says she heard about the Miami-based shoot from her manager, and got called back the day of her audition. She’s done small student film projects before, but this is her first with national exposure.

“I’ve been dancing since I was three,” explains Kayla, whose mother Stacy was also a dancer and is now a teacher at Southern Dance Theatre in Boynton Beach. She says that she enjoyed meeting Michaels – “She’s super nice, very inspiring. I got to talk to her on a personal level, and she gave us good advice.”

As for the film, it’s competing head to head with “Ceased and Deceased,” made by filmmakers from Los Angeles and starring former “Scrubs” star Donald Faison. And although Kayla would love you to vote for “The Magic Ribbon” – “I think it bring something different, from the producers and directors and all the different dancers” – she’s absolutely complimentary to all the others.

“I like theirs, too!” she gushes. “They’re all good!”

You can find “The Magic Ribbon” from today until May 2 at https://secure.sprite.com/refreshingfilms/film/miami.jsp and text the word “Miami” to 777483.

i think that its something diffenrt bings not only stalent from prouers adn directors but from differnt dancer,s alot of dances in this movie, gonna be good
i thin its realy goodcool how sporite is doing this
i like their too

Another child of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith is set to star in the remake of a Hollywood classic.

Ten-year-old Willow Smith is set to play the title role in “Annie.”

The film is being developed by Overbrook Entertainment, which the Smiths co-own, along with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Sony Pictures.

Last year, 12-year-old Jaden Smith starred in a remake of “The Karate Kid,” which raked in $343 million worldwide.

Sony’s Columbia Pictures first brought “Annie” to theaters in 1982.

The movie was based on the Broadway musical in which an orphan’s life is transformed when she goes to live with the wealthy industrialist Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks.

By JAY JONES

The occasional car crawls down 11th Street, its driver and passengers looking for a parking space not too far from their destination, a nondescript residence that is becoming a popular tourist destination in a working-class Cleveland neighborhood.

Visitors often recognize the mustard-yellow house, with its equally unattractive army-green trim, well before they spot the sign welcoming them to “A Christmas Story” House. This was home to the Parker family in the 1983 movie about 9-year-old Ralphie’s wish for a Red Ryder air rifle, despite cautions from adults — including a department store Santa — that “you’ll shoot your eye out.”

The film was a box-office flop. “Nobody went to go see it,” lamented Ian Petrella of Pasadena, who, as a child actor, played Randy Parker, younger brother of Ralphie, played by Peter Billingsley. “It got a ton of wonderful reviews, but nobody, I guess, was really interested in seeing it at the time. Movies like ‘Scarface’ (and ‘Terms of Endearment’) were coming out, so those were its competition.”

Click here for more from the Los Angeles Times.

Daniel Radcliffe (right) as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.

More: Locations, showtimes

Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a different kind of Harry Potter movie for a myriad of reasons.

For one, it’s the beginning of the end – which is not a thought that sits well with me. I read the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone when I was in the eighth grade. That was a lot of years ago but I’ve been hooked on HP ever since.

Another reason is that this movie is dark. It’s emotional, suspenseful and heavy – themes that are certainly present in the other films, but not to this extent.

In this movie, there is no Dumbledore to make things better at the end. There are no quidditch matches and no scenes with fresh-faced students marveling at the joys of being a wizard.
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