Movie-goers dig ‘National Treasure’

Los Angeles — Nicolas Cage’s treasure hunt soaked up more box-office cash than a cartoon sponge.

Cage’s “National Treasure” debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie with $35.3 million, coming in just ahead of “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” which opened in second with $33.5 million.

Tom Hanks’ Christmas adventure “The Polar Express” came in fourth with $15.2 million in its second weekend.

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

1. “National Treasure,” $35.3 million.

2. “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” $33.5 million.

3. “The Incredibles,” $26.8 million.

4. “The Polar Express,” $15.2 million.

5. “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” $10.1 million.

6. “After the Sunset,” $5.3 million.

7. “Ray,” $4.6 million.

8. “The Grudge,” $3.8 million.

9. “Seed of Chucky,” $3.1 million.

10. “Saw,” $3 million.

The show’s over

Rock star Ozzy Osbourne has said his family will not make any more episodes of reality TV show “The Osbournes.”

“At the end of it I didn’t like having cameras around the house all the time,” the Black Sabbath singer told reporters at the MTV Europe Awards in Rome.

His wife, Sharon, who also appears in the popular MTV show based on the Osbournes’ family life, agreed.

“Now everybody’s doing reality shows. He’s done it, he’s been there, he’s got to do something else,” she said.

Ozzy Osbourne said he had had enough of the work.

“When you watch a 25-minute episode, I’ve been filming all day,” he said.

McCartney tapped for Super Bowl performance

Paul McCartney will be the featured performer in the next Super Bowl halftime show, and organizers promised there won’t be any breast baring this time, Reuters reported Sunday.

Last February’s broadcast on CBS in which Janet Jackson’s breast was bared during a duet with pop star Justin Timberlake spurred thousands of complaints to federal regulators. Jackson blamed the incident on a “wardrobe malfunction.”

National Football League spokesman Brian McCarthy told Reuters on Sunday there won’t be any such malfunctions during the 12-minute performance, which will air on Fox. He said the Feb. 6 show would have wide audience appeal.

Modest Brad

Brad Pitt turned down the chance to star in critical chat show “Inside The Actors Studio” because he doesn’t think he’s experienced enough.

The modest Pitt was invited by host James Lipton to review his film career and discuss his acting methods on the Bravo program, when his blockbuster “Troy” came out this summer. According to

Pagesix.com, Pitt said he didn’t have a “sufficient body of work.”

Pitt needn’t have worried about his 27-movie portfolio: Recent Studio guests include Natalie Portman, who has 14 movies to her name, and Jennifer Lopez, with 16.

Hanks says he’s hesitant to commit to ‘Toy Story 3’

Los Angeles — The toys are back in town, but Woody may sound a little different.

Although Walt Disney Studios intends to begin developing a third installment to Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise, Tom Hanks may not return to lend his voice to the lead cowboy doll.

At a recent press conference, the Oscar winner expressed doubts about doing a third “Toy Story.”

“I don’t know. The creative team that put together the original ‘Toy Story’ movies was very specific and quite organic … to the success of the process — not that there aren’t other talented people that would be involved,” Hanks said. “That would be a bridge to cross when I come to it.”

With Pixar planning to end its distribution relationship with Disney — which holds the rights to make “Toy Story” sequels — after 2005’s “Cars” is released, Disney is looking for a way to continue the CGI-animated box-office magic.