'Rio' makes nest atop the US box office

AFP, LOS ANGELES, April 26: Audiences swarmed theaters for tropical bird comedy "Rio," which nestled into its perch at the top of the box office for a second week, industry data showed Monday.

The 3-D cartoon about pet macaw Blu voiced by "Social Network" star Jesse Eisenberg, which bolts from chilly climes to the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, made $26.3 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

After last week scoring the best debut weekend of the year, the film has made just over $80.8 million since its opening.

In second spot was the latest comedic offering from Tyler Perry, with the critically-panned "Madea's Big Happy Family" that made $25.1 million in its opening weekend.

In third place, starring British heart-throb Robert Pattinson and Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, was the Depression-era romance "Water for Elephants," taking in $16.8 million also on its debut.

Easter romp "Hop," the real-action-animation hybrid about the wayward son of the Easter Bunny and which had spent two weeks at the top, earned another $12.2 million on the Easter weekend for a domestic total of just over $100 million.

"Scream 4," the latest in director Wes Craven's irony-drenched horror-comedy franchise, slipped three spots to fifth in its second week with $7 million.

In sixth, also on its debut, was Disney nature flick "African Cats," narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, which documents the lives of a number of big cats on the African savanna, making $6 million in box office receipts.

The weekend box office hit list put "Soul Surfer" in the seventh spot with $5.4 million, telling the true story of church-going teen surfer AnnaSophia Robb who returns to the ocean after losing an arm in a shark attack.

Thriller "Hanna," about a teenage assassin raised in the wilds of North Finland, earned $5.3 million for eighth spot, while horror flick "Insidious," about a family in a haunted house, picked up $5.2 million in ninth.

Rounding out the top ten was Jake Gyllenhaal's acclaimed sci-fi thriller "Source Code," about a government experiment to find the bomber of a commuter train, which took $5.1 million.

Email: Commander lacked info on Sheen escort in DC

AP, WASHINGTON, April 26: A D.C. police commander who oversees police escorts apparently was unaware of details about an escort given to Charlie Sheen last week and demanded answers from his subordinates, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press on Monday.

In the email sent Wednesday afternoon to other police officials, and in response to questions from the media, Commander Hilton Burton demanded details about the escort given to Sheen on the way to his performance Tuesday at DAR Constitution Hall. Sheen, who flew into Dulles International Airport, was running late for the show after attending a child custody hearing earlier in the day in Los Angeles.

Burton is commander of the department's Special Operations Division, which generally is responsible for providing police escorts.

Sheen posted on Twitter that he had received a police escort to the show and included a photograph of a speedometer registering about 80 mph. His promotional company has repaid the city $445 for the escort.

His post read: "In car with Police escort in front and rear! Driving like someone's about to deliver a baby! Cop car lights (hash)Spinning!"

In response to a series of written questions about the escort, Burton told subordinates in the email, "This is why we should not do escorts for any and every body." Burton also demanded to know the cost of the escort, the "law that allows us to do it," where the escort came from and whether security was provided during the show. He also asked if Sheen was given an escort after the show.

Burton also asked, "Who approved it?" However, it was unclear if he was referring to security at the show or the escort.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier said on Friday that escorts were generally reserved for the president, vice president and visiting heads of state, though exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis. She also said Sheen's escort appeared to violate police protocol.

The department's internal affairs division is investigating the escort.

Reached by the AP on Monday, Burton referred questions to police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump. She also declined to comment on the email.

'Rio' nests at No. 1 with $26.3M second weekend

AP, LOS ANGELES, April 26: Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg's animated hit "Rio" remains perched at No. 1 with a $26.3 million second weekend, coming in just ahead of the $25.1 million debut for "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family."

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Rio," Fox, $26,323,321, 3,842 locations, $6,851 average, $80,806,562, two weeks.

2. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family," Lionsgate, $25,068,677, 2,288 locations, $10,957 average, $25,068,677, one week.

3. "Water For Elephants," Fox, $16,842,353, 2,817 locations, $5,979 average, $16,842,353, one week.

4. "Hop," Universal, $12,185,905, 3,616 locations, $3,370 average, $100,224,905, four weeks.

5. "Scream 4," Weinstein Co., $7,030,747, 3,314 locations, $2,122 average, $31,035,010, two weeks.

6. "African Cats," Disney, $6,003,200, 1,220 locations, $4,921 average, $6,003,200, one week.

7. "Soul Surfer," Sony, $5,436,868, 2,240 locations, $2,427 average, $28,502,151, three weeks.

8. "Hanna," Focus, $5,276,801, 2,384 locations, $2,213 average, $31,717,987, three weeks.

9. "Insidious," Film District, $5,207,622, 2,130 locations, $2,445 average, $44,001,416, four weeks.

10. "Source Code," Summit, $5,091,347, 2,363 locations, $2,155 average, $44,692,591, four weeks.

11. "Arthur," Warner Bros., $4,066,109, 2,770 locations, $1,468 average, $29,216,091, three weeks.

12. "Limitless," Relativity Media, $2,664,461, 1,363 locations, $1,955 average, $74,002,055, six weeks.

13. "The Conspirator," Roadside Attractions, $2,190,440, 849 locations, $2,580 average, $6,893,123, two weeks.

14. "The Lincoln Lawyer," Lionsgate, $1,789,519, 1,220 locations, $1,467 average, $53,381,451, six weeks.

15. "Your Highness," Universal, $1,706,590, 1,610 locations, $1,060 average, $19,764,545, three weeks.

16. "Win Win," Fox Searchlight, $1,107,961, 388 locations, $2,856 average, $6,630,650, six weeks.

17. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules," Fox, $933,540, 928 locations, $1,006 average, $50,290,531, five weeks.

18. "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1," Rocky Mountain Pictures, $881,034, 465 locations, $1,895 average, $3,096,815, two weeks.

19. "Jane Eyre," Focus, $782,372, 319 locations, $2,453 average, $7,913,203, seven weeks.

20. "Born to be Wild," Warner Bros., $652,739, 208 locations, $3,138 average, $3,075,211, three weeks. 

Mexican actress gets 30 days in marriage case

AP, LOS ANGELES, April 26: A Mexican soap opera star accused of entering a sham marriage to stay in the United States was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail after admitting she lied during an immigration proceeding.

Fernanda Romero and her husband, Kent Ross, were both expected to avoid serving time as a result of plea bargains in the case.

However, U.S. District Judge Manuel Real noted the seriousness of the crime — the two pleaded guilty to making false statements — and ordered both to start serving their sentences on weekends beginning in June.

Prosecutors recommended Romero pay a $5,000 fine and serve five years' probation. Real agreed with placing Romero and Ross, both 28, on probation but did not require either of them to pay a fine.

"It's disappointing," one of Romero's attorneys, Vicki Podberesky, said after the hearing. "Ms. Romero is remorseful for what happened.

The Mexican-born actress has had bit roles in U.S. films such as the 2009 horror movie "Drag Me To Hell," but is perhaps best known for appearing in the Mexican soap opera "Eternamente Tuya," which means "eternally yours."

Romero and Ross' lives for the past year have played out like a telenova, with federal agents arresting them last April on suspicion of duping immigration officials about their marital status.

The couple maintain they love each other, but say their marriage fell apart partially because their courtship was so quick. The couple are not divorced.

Several former acquaintances testified against the pair at a trial last summer. And federal prosecutors presented evidence that Romero and Ross lived in separate homes, contrary to information the two provided on immigration forms.

Prosecutors also said the pair dated other people and essentially lived separate lives.

A mistrial was declared in September after jurors reported deliberations had grown hostile. A retrial was set for February, and Romero and Ross each faced five years in prison if convicted of marriage fraud and other charges. The two ended up pleading guilty to the lesser false-statement charges.

According to court documents, Romero admitted lying when she claimed Ross and her mother "hung out all the time." Ross, a musician and restaurant worker, admitted he lied when he said he and Romero lived together. Prosecutors contended Ross was paid $5,000 to marry Romero so she could obtain permanent residency.

A tearful Romero apologized for her actions during sentencing.

"This has made me grow and made me a better person," she told the judge.

Her attorneys asked for home detention and noted she has some acting commitments. But Real used his discretion, which allowed him to give Romero and Ross up to six months in prison.

"I think it was a serious offense for both of them," the judge said.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Left said his office has charged people with marriage fraud before and cited extensive evidence against Romero and Ross as a reason for bringing charges against them.

Podberesky, though, said officials made an example of her client because she is an actress.

"There are thousands of these cases, and there aren't thousands of these cases in federal court," she said.

Romero is involved in an immigration hearing and could be deported depending on the evidence presented by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Levi Johnston to pen tell-all book on Palin family

AP, ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 26: Levi Johnston is promising to set the record straight about the Palin family.

Touchstone Publishing has a fall publication date for Johnston's book, "Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs."

Johnston fathered a child with Bristol Palin, the daughter of the former Alaska governor, when they were teenagers. The pregnancy was announced days after Palin was selected as the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate. The couple broke up after the birth of their son, Tripp, and reconciled briefly.

He's had a contentious relationship with the Palins.

Johnston says the book, first reported by People.com Monday, will "tell the truth" about that relationship, including his "sense of Sarah and my perplexing fall from grace." He says he's doing it "for me, for my boy Tripp and the country."

Fieri joins Calif. lawmakers to push family meals

AP, SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 26: Guy Fieri was back on the road Monday, this time not to find hole-in-the-wall eateries but to support California politicians telling parents to cook with their children every Sunday.

Standing outside the state Capitol, the celebrity chef lamented the rise of drive-thrus and microwave dinners in place of sit-down, home-cooked meals.

Fieri, known for his boisterous style in the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," said that by making cooking a shared activity, parents could bring their families closer together and encourage healthy eating habits in children.

"Let them stand there and work the saute pan, let them do the plate up, let them deliver it to the family," said Fieri, sporting his trademark platinum blond hair, cowboy boots and sunglasses worn on the back of his head. "Start them off slow. Educate them as you go."

He went on to visit the state Senate, which adopted a resolution urging the weekly meals, as well as the Assembly, where the resolution now awaits action.

The resolution by state Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, follows a 2008 initiative that Fieri helped draft to label the second Saturday in May "Cook With Your Kids Day."

Fieri owns several restaurants in California and hosts two shows on the Food Network and the NBC game show "Minute to Win It."