The Latest in Theaters: Music in the Night

Amongst all the somber fall dramas and spooky Halloween horrors in theaters this week is the squeaky-clean Disney musical sure to perk up the tween set (not to mention the box office):

• High School Musical 3: Senior Year: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and the rest of the East High gang are back for their first big screen outing, directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega.
• Changeling: Angelina Jolie stars and Clint Eastwood directs this based-on-a-true story period drama about a mother who takes on the corrupt LA police department when her child goes missing.
• Synecdoche, New York: Oscar winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman makes his directorial debut with this quirky dramedy about a theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who has one heckuva set.
• Saw V: Yup, #5 brings more torture, traps and lots and lots of blood and guts. Were you expecting anything else?
• Pride and Glory: Edward Norton and Colin Farrell are cop brothers in the Big Apple ... and on opposite sides of a scandal.
• I've Loved You So Long: Kristin Scott Thomas is earning the best reviews of her career in this French language drama about a woman who must adjust to everyday life following a prison sentence for murder.
• Let the Right One In: Boy meets girl, girl is a vampire in this Swedish import that already has a Hollywood remake in the works.
• Passengers: A grief counselor (Anne Hathaway) for plane-crash survivors finds herself in a mystery when they start to disappear. Patrick Wilson, Dianne Wiest, Andre Braugher and David Morse co-star.
• The Universe of Keith Haring: Documentary about the influential New York new wave artist; includes interviews with Madonna, Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono.
• Roadside Romeo: Bollywood gets animated: a cocky mansion-dwelling mutt named Romeo finds himself stripped of the high life after being accidentally left behind on the streets of Mumbai.
• Fear(s) of the Dark: Another non-traditional toon: Several scary black-and-white animated segments in different styles aim to prey on our collective [insert title here].
• And finally: check in later for Chris' full review of Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom, including an exclusive interview with Noah's Arc creator Patrik-Ian Polk.

To find out what films are playing in your area, visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

Hostess With the Most-est

And as you can see, the most-est well-known assets of our favorite "Mistress of the Dark" are on ample display with this Elvira Premium Format Figure, now available for pre-order from Sideshow Collectibles.

Fairies, High Schoolers, Robots and One Nasty Serial Killer

All the latest in movie-themed entertainment at a theme park near you:

- Fairies of all kinds can meet their ilk at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom starting tomorrow as Tinker Bell's Pixie Hollow opens to the public. The Mickey's Toontown Fair walk-through/meet and greet attraction is (conveniently) timed to coincide with the debut of the new Tinker Bellmovie on DVD and Blu-ray next Tuesday.

- Also opening tomorrow at Walt Disney World, this time at Disney's Hollywood Studios, is a brand new "street-tacular" live show based on High School Musical 3: Senior Year, also conveniently timed to open on the same day as the movie.

- And any day now you can expect to see the crime-fighting critters of Disney's next animated feature Bolt to be wondering around the various parks. Conveniently, the movie opens November 21. Ah, Disney Synergyⓒ at work.


- Moving from the G-rated kiddie (and kid-at-heart) fare to the realm of PG-13 sci-fi and R-rated horror: Universal Studios will be launching an attraction that is "more than meets the eye" in its Hollywood and Singapore parks come 2011. Based on the popular Transformers movie, the ride will utilize state-of-the-art 3-D technology to immerse riders in a battle between the friendly Autobots and evil Decepticons.

Meanwhile, over in merry ol' England, Surrey's Thorpe Park will be unleashing the psychotic fury of Jigsaw next year with Saw: The Ride. The torturous rollercoaster will include three inversions and a "beyond vertical" drop of 100-degrees from a height of 100 feet. Yikes.

UPDATE: LaughingPlace.com has video and pictures for both the new HSM3 parade at Disney's California Adventure and the new Pixie Hollow attraction at the Magic Kingdom.

Women We Love: Joan Collins

Object of our affection: Joan Collins, actress/author.

- Her uncredited film debut was, fittingly, as a beauty contestant in Lady Godiva Rides Again. Other notable films she has starred in include The Virgin Queen, The Opposite Sex, Island in the Sun, The Bravados, The Road to Hong Kong, Tales from the Crypt, Empire of the Ants and, based on her sister Jackie's novels, The Stud and The Bitch.

- She has made many memorable TV guest appearances over the years, most notably as Edith Keeler in the classic Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever". She also appeared in Batman, Police Woman, The Love Boat, Roseanne, The Nanny, Pacific Palisades, Will & Grace, The Guiding Light and Footballers' Wives.

- She became an instant icon of the extravagant 80's as Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan in the camp classic primetime soap Dynasty. The role earned her a Golden Globe (out of six nominations) and an Emmy nomination. She returned for the Dynasty: The Reunion TV movie; other TV movies she has starred in include Paper Dolls, Making of a Male Model, Her Life as a Man and These Old Broads.

- Her stage career has included several Noël Coward plays, including Private Lives in both London and New York. She also co-starred with her Dynasty cast mate Linda Evans in a national tour of Legends!

- Following in her sister's footsteps, she has written several bestselling novels, as well as five lifestyle books and three memoirs.