LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Western “True Grit” wrangled the top spot at North American box offices over the weekend, beating last week’s champ “Little Fockers” in a typically slow period for movie theaters after the New Year’s holiday.

The remake of the 1969 John Wayne movie about a teenage girl who hires a drunken U.S. marshal to search for her dead daddy’s killer, took in $15 million for the three days ended on Sunday, according to studio estimates.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. presidents aren’t the only ones who make surprise visits to troops in Afghanistan. “The Fighter” Mark Wahlberg made his own trek to the war-torn country in December, but with little media attention that typically follows dignitaries and Hollywood stars.

Dressed in jeans, leather jacket, bullet-proof vest and battle-ready helmet, Wahlberg stepped off military transport and into the former home of a Taliban drug lord who had been ousted by troops. There was no Hollywood-style shootout, although he says he might have felt better with a gun in his hand.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Film producers and writers on Tuesday jumped into Hollywood’s Oscar race with their choices of 2010′s best movies, including “The Social Network,” “The Fighter” and “Black Swan,” among others.

The Producers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, which represent their respective groups in the film and television industries, annually issue lists of best movies, and their picks are closely watched in the race for Oscars.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Discovery television network on Friday said it canceled plans to air a reenactment of the autopsy on Michael Jackson’s body, citing an upcoming court hearing and concern by the late pop star’s estate.

The show, “Michael Jackson’s Autopsy: What Really Killed Michael Jackson,” had been set to air in several countries of western Europe and in the United Kingdom on January 13.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Fans of Javier Bardem who think he can perform no better than in his Oscar-winning turn as a hitman in “No Country for Old Men,” can now think again.

This week, his drama “Biutiful” lands in U.S. theaters after playing overseas and earning the Spaniard a share of the best actor award at May’s Cannes film festival.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Film and television writer/director Blake Edwards, whose career spanned more than six decades and included “The Pink Panther” movies, has died from complications of pneumonia at age 88.

A spokesman for his wife Julie Andrews said Edwards died on Wednesday night at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica with Andrews and immediate family members by his side.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Screen Actors Guild on Thursday nominated the performers in “The King’s Speech” and “The Fighter” for four awards each, including best cast, boosting the films’ chances in Hollywood’s Oscar sweepstakes.

Joining those films among nominees for best ensemble cast, which is SAG’s top film honor, are the actors in “Black Swan,” “The Kids Are All Right” and “The Social Network.”

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Screen Actors Guild on Thursday nominated the performers in “The King’s Speech” and “The Fighter” for four awards each, including best cast, boosting the films’ chances in Hollywood’s Oscar sweepstakes.

Joining those films among nominees for best ensemble cast, which is SAG’s top film honour, are the actors in “Black Swan,” “The Kids Are All Right” and “The Social Network.”

BEVERLY HILLS (Reuters) – Drama “The King’s Speech” led the film nominations for Golden Globe awards on Tuesday with seven nods in key categories, including best film drama.

Close behind with six nominations each were boxing film “The Fighter” and Facebook movie “The Social Network,” which also claimed spots among the best film drama nominees.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – After more than four years of working tirelessly to make his movie, “The Fighter,” and more than four years of training in a boxing ring to fit the lead role, Mark Wahlberg has changed routines in life.

“My new regimen consists of a bottle of red wine and a lot of food,” the actor jokes, “and I’m enjoying myself, but my wife is, like, ‘you’re starting to look really bad.’”