‘The Last Samurai’ tops box office

Los Angeles — “The Last Samurai” came in first at the weekend box office as the Tom Cruise war epic cut down the competition with $24.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

In the film, Cruise plays a downtrodden Civil War veteran who reclaims honor by forging a bond with samurai warriors.

Other estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.:

2. “Honey,” $14 million.

3. “The Haunted Mansion,” $9.5 million

4. “Elf,” $8.1 million.

5. “Dr. Seuss’ the Cat in the Hat,” $7.3 million.

6. “Bad Santa,” $7 million.

7. “Gothika,” $5.3 million.

8. “The Missing,” $4.4 million.

9. “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” $3.8 million.

10. “Love Actually,” $3.7 million.

Bachelorette no more

Palm Desert, Calif.– “The Bachelorette” lovebirds Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter have tied the knot, but the event might not seem real until it airs on television.

They were married Saturday at the Lodge in Rancho Mirage, a resort near Palm Springs, according to the hotel’s public relations firm, Solters & Digney. The hotel reopened Sunday after being closed to the public for four days to accommodate the large-scale production.

The wedding is scheduled to air Wednesday on ABC.

“The Bachelorette” was a spin-off of ABC’s popular reality TV show “The Bachelor,” in which Rehn was the runner-up the year before.

Grammys bought back from IRS auction

Atlanta — Friends of Peabo Bryson stepped in to help the award-winning singer keep some of his prized possessions, including at least one of his two Grammys.

Bryson’s Grammy Awards for “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World” were auctioned during the weekend to help pay his $1.2 million tax debt. The Internal Revenue Service seized all of Bryson’s property from his Atlanta home in August.

A woman who cast the winning $9,400 bid for one of the Grammys identified herself and her associates only as “very close friends of the family.”

“We’re giving it back to him,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Bryson, 52, won a Grammy in 1992 for his recording of “Beauty and the Beast” with Celine Dion and another in 1993 for “A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme)” with Regina Belle.

Some still like it hot

Beverly Hills, Calif. — A sequined, strapless pant-outfit and shawl worn by Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch” sold for $58,750 at a charity auction.

Actress Debbie Reynolds auctioned off nearly 400 movie costumes and props to raise money for a permanent museum for the rest of her Hollywood collection. Saturday’s auction was conducted at Le Meridien Hotel in Beverly Hills, with bids also taken online at eBay and by phone.

Monroe’s outfit and its accompanying pink satin shawl were worn briefly in the 1955 film. The bidder, who purchased the item by phone, requested anonymity.