Russians love Raymond. Da?

Just ask Phil Rosenthal. Having struck comic gold with Everybody Loves Raymond in the US, this writer-director assumed his hit sitcom about a dysfunctional US family had global appeal.

"I had to assume that," he says, on the line from New York. "Our show was about families and we all have families. It's a universal subject. But when I got to Russia, that wasn't necessarily true."

Exporting Raymond - a laugh-out-loud highlight at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival - is about Rosenthal's attempt to make a Russian version of Raymond.

Cameras follow him to Moscow's decidedly insalubrious TV studios and from his first meeting there is a gaping cultural divide.

A scriptwriter wonders why Ray (renamed Kostya) is bossed around by women. A costume designer imagines a wardrobe big on bling. And when Rosenthal asks for a live studio audience, he is told there are no chairs.

"I was very shocked at how hard it was going to be," Rosenthal admits.

Even when he visits the famous Moscow Art Theatre in the hope of "borrowing" one of its best actors, he is stonewalled by the company's tsar-like chief.

"Nothing was manipulated," he insists.

But Rosenthal can take comfort knowing new versions of Raymond are taking root in India, Egypt, Israel and Poland.

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/russians-love-raymond-da/story-fn7euh6j-1226099671206

Jolie tops list of Hollywood's richest women

Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker have topped the list of Hollywood's highest paid actresses, with each earning an estimated $US30 million ($28 million) this year, according to Forbes magazine.

Forbes's blogger Dorothy Pomerantz, said Jolie's success stemmed from her ability to handle action, drama and directing, and her fortunes were boosted by earnings from In the Land of Blood and Honey, Salt and The Tourist.

Parker's fortune, on the other hand, was almost exclusively tied to the success of Sex and the City, said Pomerantz.

Trailing behind Jolie and Parker were Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who each earned $US28 million. Julia Roberts came fifth on the list with $US20 million in annual earnings.

"Aniston has had more than her share of flops, like 2009's Management, which earned less than $US1 million at the US box office. But lately, even films that looked like they were going to flop [The Bounty Hunter and Just Go With It] have turned out to be hits," said Pomerantz.

Less fortunate was Witherspoon with How Do You Know earning only $US50 million on a budget of $US120 million.

The annual list is made up of earnings estimates suppled by agents, lawyers, producers and other industry insiders.

Overall, the top 10 female earners made a total $US218 million between May 2010 and May 2011, said Forbes.

Source http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/luxury/jolie-tops-list-of-hollywoods-richest-women-20110706-1h21h.html?from=smh_sb