Redford says film festival close to being ‘out of control’

New York – The Sundance Film Festival is too intense for Robert Redford, who says he wasn’t around for all of it this year.

“To the outside world, it’s a big fat market where you have people like Paris Hilton going to parties. Now, she doesn’t have anything to do with anything. I think the festival is close to being out of control,” the festival’s creator told Newsweek.

This month, Redford can be heard providing commentary on a two-disc edition of the remastered DVD for “All the President’s Men.”

City’s decision to name road after Merle Haggard appealed

Bakersfield, Calif. – A dispute is brewing over which of two central California communities should be the first to honor country music legend Merle Haggard.

Bakersfield planning commissioners voted last week to turn a stretch of road into Merle Haggard Way. That didn’t sit well with Oildale native Tom Clark, who appealed the decision Friday.

Clark said Haggard grew up in Oildale and that the small community should be the first to honor the singer.

“This is a great problem to have,” said Don Jaeger with the Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve got people fighting over honoring Merle.”

Bakersfield wants to honor Haggard as part of a driving tour of sites around the city important to the history of the Bakersfield sound. Jaeger said he’s open to speaking with Clark, and community officials will speak before the Bakersfield City Council takes up Clark’s appeal.

‘Pink Panther’ strikes again with $21.7 million debut

Los Angeles – Inspector Clouseau bumbled his way to the top of the box office as Steve Martin’s “The Pink Panther” debuted with $21.7 million to lead a rush of new releases.

New Line’s horror sequel “Final Destination 3” ran a close second with $20.1 million, followed by Universal’s animated “Curious George” at No. 3 with $15.3 million and the Warner Bros. thriller “Firewall” starring Harrison Ford in fourth with $13.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The overall box office rose slightly despite the Winter Olympics and a Northeast snowstorm, both of which kept many movie-goers at home. The top 12 movies took in $106.8 million, up 3 percent over the same weekend last year, when “Hitch” opened as the No. 1 movie with $43.2 million.