Fan Fare

Hollywood apprenticeships? No Sorcerers here.

Nic Cage sold popcorn. Jerry Bruckheimer worked in a mail room, Alfred Molina in a morgue and Jay Baruchel screamed like a girl!!!

Disney movie “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” debuts on Friday telling of a modern-day, master sorcerer (Cage) named Balthazar Blake who recruits an apprentice named Dave (Baruchel) to help him battle his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath ( Molina). Disney asked the film’s stars and mega-producer Bruckheimer (the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and “CSI” TV shows) what their first jobs were — if they ever were apprentices — and below is what they had to say. One hint: in each case, we can pretty much guarantee, it’s better to be a movie star!

Nicolas Cage

My first job was selling popcorn and candy at the Fairfax movie theater in Los Angeles. I would watch movies there and try to figure out how I was going to go from the popcorn stand to the screen.

Jay Baruchel

When I was a very skinny, strange looking 12-year-old boy I was murdered. Yup. That’s right, murdered. By an orange gelatinous monster in a swimming pool. During the mid 1950s. If any of this sounds insane it is because my first job ever was appearing in an episode of the Nickelodeon show “Are You Afraid of The Dark?” entitled “The Tale Of The Deadman’s Float.” It was awesome but I won’t lie—I reeked of chlorine for a long time. And I screamed like a girl. A very skinny, strange looking girl—with a super high voice.

World TV viewers tune in for … “CSI”

Crime really does pay, according to the latest ratings for the world’s popular TV shows from Eurodata TV Worldwide. “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” has again topped the list with the highest world ratings in 2007. “CSI,” which takes place in Las Vegas, drew 83.9 million viewers beating its sister show “CSI: Miami” and hospital drama “House” as the world’s most popular TV drama series.

(That’s Jerry Bruckheimer in the picture at left. His company produces the “CSI” shows.)

In the comedy category, “Desperate Housewives” attracted 61.5 million viewers, beating “Monk” and “Ugly Betty,” according to the ratings which take in viewers in 51 countries.

“The Bold and The Beautiful” with 26.2 million viewers worldwide in 2007 was the most popular soap, against two Mexican telenovelas “Destilando Amor” and “Marina.”

The same three programs came top of Eurodata’s list for the most popular TV shows in 2006.