Does After Earth end the reign of Mr Box Office?

Plus: Reed says he's 'bigger and stronger' after liver transplant; fashion world applauds de la Renta - and Clinton; Pitt says Muse provides perfect soundtrack to film; Sopranos listed best-written US TV series.

Will Smith, left, and his son Jaden star in Columbia Pictures' After Earth. Photo by Frank Masi

Does After Earth end the reign of Mr Box Office?

It used to be that if a summer film starred Will Smith, it was a guaranteed moneymaker – first place at the box office, maybe even a franchise in the making. But the 44-year-old actor's latest film opened with a thud. After Earth, a futuristic -adventure co-starring Smith's 14-year-old son, Jaden, debuted in the US at third place, collecting a disappointing US$27.5 million (Dh101m) over the weekend. "It's tough because we're proud of the film," said Sony's president of worldwide distribution, Rory Bruer. M Night Shyamalan's sci-fi tale, which cost an estimated $130m to make, was deemed "rotten" by RottentTomatoes.com, with only 12 per cent of critics offering praise. – AP

• Look out for our review of After Earth on Thursday

Fashion world applauds de la Renta and Hillary Clinton

The big winners at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards (CFDA) on Monday were Proenza Schouler for womenswear, Thom Browne for menswear and Phillip Lim for accessories, but the crowd seemed to have the most love for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton received a standing ovation at the Lincoln Center ceremony before she presented the CFDA's highest honour, the Founder's Award, to Oscar de la Renta, whom she called "a dear friend". De la Renta joined her on stage and said: "She might not like me to say this but I think she's going to be our next president." The annual award show draws a mix of the fashion world and Hollywood: among the celebrities present were Jessica Chastain, Rose Byrne, Dan Stevens, Kerry Washington, Sofia Vergara and Rooney Mara. – AP

Sopranos listed as best-written American TV series

The Sopranos was listed as the best-written American TV series, ranking above Seinfeld in a list compiled by the Writers Guild of America. The guild's list of the 101 best-written TV shows was based on a poll of its members. Only one top 10 entry, The Twilight Zone (third place), predated the 1970s. Nearly half of the entire list aired in the past decade. Comedies joining Seinfeld high in the poll included All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H and Cheers. The West Wing, The Wire and Mad Men rounded out the top 10. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 17 placed highest among series outside the scripted comedy or drama format. Coming in 43rd was Downton Abbey, the highest-ranked non-American series. – Reuters

Brad Pitt says Muse offer perfect soundtrack to film

Brad Pitt says that while making the zombie flick World War Z, he wanted the film's soundtrack to have songs reminiscent of those made for the cult horror movie The Exorcist. Enter the British band Muse, who recorded the instrumental track Isolated System for the movie. Pitt says the pairing of the band with the film was "nice kismet". He says the band members were actually reading the World War Z book when they were recording their latest album, The 2nd Law. World War Z is scheduled for release on June 21. – AP

Lou Reed is ‘stronger’ after liver transplant

Lou Reed says he is "bigger and stronger than ever" after a life--saving liver transplant. "I am a triumph of modern medicine, physics and chemistry," Reed, 71, said on his website. "My Chen Taiji and health regime has served me well all these years," he said, referring to a martial arts style. "I look forward to being on stage and writing more songs to connect with your hearts and the universe well into the future." Reed's wife Laurie Anderson told The Times of London on Saturday that Reed "was dying" before a liver transplant in April. – Reuters

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