Hottest Hollywood Headlines: May 15, 2006

— ”Poseidon” failed to knock “Mission: Impossible III” from the top of the box office this weekend, selling just $20.3 million in its opening weekend. “MI3” held on to the top slot with another $24.5 million, bringing its 10-day total to $84.6 million. The Robin Williams comedy “RV” came in third with $9.5 million. (Reuters)

— Sony reportedly expects ?The Da Vinci Code? to earn about $60 or $70 million its first weekend out, and to gross $125 million through Memorial Day weekend. (LAWeekly)

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— ?M:I:III? may not be screened in China after media there have speculated that flashes of underwear and other ?inappropriate? images in the China scenes might jeopardize the mainland release.  (Reuters)

— Evangelical Christians in the US are seeing the upcoming movie release of “The Da Vinci Code” as a chance to capitalize on the movie’s widespread publicity, by releasing videos about the Bible with titles like “The Da Vinci Delusion” and “The Da Vinci Deception Experience”. (Reuters)

— The latest addition to the lengthening list of spin-off merchandise from the gold mine that is “The Da Vinci Code” is an album by a Dutch songwriter called “Music Inspired By Da Vinci”. Experts say the cottage industry springing up, dubbed “Da Vinci Inc”, could spawn sales of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of “DVC” related merchandise. (Reuters)

— Philippine hawkers are repackaging a documentary on the ?The Da Vinci Code? as an authentic version of the new movie, cashing in on public interest ahead of its release. (Reuters)

— According to the Wall Street Journal, Sony is reportedly using a $300 million budget for ?Spider-Man 3.? (Variety)

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— Roger Friedman reports Michael Jackson is supposed to be in New York next week to answer questions about his parenthood in the ongoing visitation/custody case with Debbie Rowe. (FoxNews)

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— Johnny Depp and George Clooney top ?Autograph Collector? magazine?s list of the best signers, while Cameron Diaz is the worst. (USAToday)

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— Aras Baskauskas, a 24-year-old yoga instructor from Santa Monica, won the 12th edition of ?Survivor? and the $1 million payoff last night. (AP)

— Susan Sarandon joined a Mother?s Day protest against the Iraq war, joining Cindy Sheehan in Lafeyette Park, across the street from the White House. (AP)

— NBC will put the new Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin comedy, “30 Rock,” on its primetime schedule next season, while ABC also made many scheduling decisions. (Variety)

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— Chris Rock to star and direct the comedy ?I Think I Love my Wife,? a script that he co-wrote about a happily married man and what happens when an old flame reenters his life. (HR)

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— Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards agreed Friday to extend a temporary restraining order requiring the actor to stay away from his estranged wife, and to have supervised visits with the pair’s two young daughters. (abcnews.com/AP)

— Britney Spears posted a one-line message on her website on Friday, that said: “I no longer study Kabbalah, my baby is my religion.” She didn’t specify whether she meant son Sean Preston or her unborn child, or why she was ceasing her studies of ancient Judaism. (britneyspears.com)

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— Reese Witherspoon told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday morning that she wants survivors of Hurricane Katrina to know that they’re not forgotten. Witherspoon toured the storm-ravaged areas last week with a delegation of women that included Jennifer Garner and Cicely Tyson. (newsday.com/AP)

— Alice Cooper got the key to the city of Alice, North Dakota yesterday. The small town consists of only 60 people. (AP)

— Billy Joel got a standing ovation from nearly 5,000 Syracuse University        students in upstate New York Sunday after he serenaded them and urged them to do what they love in life. (newsday.com/AP)

— Jerry Lewis is set to return this summer to the Orleans Hotel & Casino for his first live Las Vegas performance in six years. Lewis, 80, is booked for a four-night comeback engagement from July 13 to 16, after ill health kept him in and out of hospitals in recent years. (Reuters)

— Jewel will appear May 31 on the CBS daytime soap opera “The Young and The Restless”, performing at a fundraiser to promote her new album, “Goodbye Alice in Wonderland”. At the end of the episode, the singer-songwriter will appear in a PSA for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. (newsday.com/AP)

— After seven years, “The West Wing” went off the air on Sunday evening. (Reuters)

— After a series finale clouded with uncertainty last week, the long-running WB drama “7th Heaven” will make the move to the new CW network for an 11th season this fall. (hollywoodreporter.com)

— Metallica front man James Hetfield fought back tears Friday night as he spoke at a Hollywood fundraiser for the MusiCares MAP Fund, which helps provide addiction recovery and rehab to members of the music community. Hetfield spoke of his own addictions, and asked for a moment of silence “for the people who didn’t make it, that aren’t with us, who could be and I think should be.” (Reuters)

— Johnny Carson’s former Malibu home is about to go on the market for nearly $42 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. Carson purchased the Point Dume property for about $9.5 million in 1984, a then record amount. (AP)