Family musical The Lion King has surpassed The Phantom of the Opera as Broadway's highest grossing show of all time, according to new box office estimates.

The production has raked in a total of $853,846,062 since its 1997 debut - over $700,000 more than Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom.

And President of Disney Theatrical Productions, Thomas Schumacher, is thrilled by the amazing feat, telling the Associated Press, "This accomplishment belongs to our audiences, millions of whom are experiencing their first Broadway show at The Lion King. Surely, introducing so many to the splendor of live th...

It’s beginning to look at lot like...Santa’s Coming!!! Actually, that’s just an inane Christmas rant from Will Ferrell via "Elf." (Sorry – it had to be done!) But seeing as it is getting towards the time when gifts must be purchased for kith and kin, we here at Starpulse wanted to help out – cinematically that is! So we’ve put together a small list of some of coolest, grooviest and kookiest Blu-ray’s in various categories guaranteed to put a smile on the face of the one you love this joyful season. (Or maybe the one you secretly hate and wish would put their teeth back in and go home!) ...

Can’t ‘Wait to be King’? Ready to get your ‘Circle of Life’ going? Ready to ‘Be Prepared’ with a relaxed ‘Hukuna Matata’ attitude? Well then check out the review of the lush looking ‘Diamond Edition’ of the Blu-ray release for the Disney classic “The Lion King” below! (Will it ‘feel the love tonight’ – stay tuned!)

Title: "The Lion King" (Diamond Edition)

Grade: 4 1/2

Cast: Voices of Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons

Director: Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff

Rating: G

Runtime: 88 minutes

Release Company: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Website: www.DisneyBlu-ra...

On the heels of the phenomenal success of The Lion King 3D - which will cross the $80 million mark at the domestic box office today - The Walt Disney Studios has announced limited theatrical engagements for four of its classic films for the first time in 3D. The following titles from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios will be released in 2012 and 2013:

-Beauty and the Beast - January 13, 2012
-Finding Nemo - September 14, 2012
-Monsters, Inc. - January 18, 2013 (Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, arrives in theaters in Disney Digital 3D on June 21, 2013)
-The Little ...

Family drama "Dolphin Tale" has stunned movie experts in America by landing at the top of the box office in its second week on release.

The surprise hit, about a dolphin with a prosthetic fin, has netted over $37 million in 10 days - more than most film pundits expected the Harry Connick, Jr. movie to make in its entire run.

With takings of over $14 million from its second weekend on release, the film toppled "The Lion King 3D" and stepped ahead of Brad Pitt's baseball drama "Moneyball" to claim the top spot.

Cancer comedy "50/50" landed the highest debut at four with $8.8 million.

Newl...

The 3D re-release of Disney classic "The Lion King" has chased off competition to remain top of the box office - the animated film raked in $22.1 million over the weekend.

Brad Pitt's baseball drama "Moneyball" slid into second place with an impressive opening of $20.6 million, narrowly beating Morgan Freeman's family movie "Dolphin Tale," which came in a close third with takings of $20.3 million.

Taylor Lautner's new action movie "Abduction" ($11.2 million) came in at four and Robert De Niro's thriller "Killer Elite" ($9.5 million) rounded out the top five.

The 3D re-release of Disney classic "The Lion King" has roared to the top of the box office chart, grossing $29.3 million.

The animated family film, which features the voice of teen idol Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a young Simba, was originally released in 1994, when it opened with takings of more than $40 million, and it's proved a big hit the second time around, too.

"The Lion King 3D" knocked last week's number one, the star-studded outbreak thriller "Contagion," into second place with $14.5 million.

Ryan Gosling's "Drive" enters at three, followed by "The Help" at four. The remake of 1...

For those who appreciate talent and presence with their beauty, Moira Kelly is a major actress of note. With her diverse body of work, from portraying the girl-next-door in David Lynch’s "Twin Peaks" film follow-up "Fire Walk With Me" to playing dual roles opposite Robert Downey Jr. in "Chaplin," Kelly has amassed quite an impressive amount of credits in a very short time. Moving away from the movie industry to follow a different passion (namely that of being a full-time stay-at-home mom!) for the last few years, Kelly recently surfaced to talk about the latest resurgence of her former ad...

Disney has had some hits and misses with animated films in recent memory. Sure, the mighty house of mouse made “Beauty and The Beast” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” but “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was sad, “Pocahontas” was oddly animated, “Hercules” was grotesque, and “Mulan” was lacking in song quality. The less said about “Home on The Range” the better.

So Disney went to CGI animated films and tried to play catch up to Pixar. The results thus far have been mixed. “Meet the Robinsons” was cute, “Bolt” was adorable, “Chicken Little” was middling, and nothing really captured the 90's magic...

The Titanic theme My Heart Will Go On has been named the best film song of all time, according to a new poll.

Celine Dion's ballad, which won the Best Original Song Oscar in 1997, saw off competition from Rule The World by British pop stars Take That, which was used in 2007 adventure movie Stardust.

Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing, featured in 1998's Armageddon, came third in the survey, decided by listeners of U.K. radio station Magic.

Three songs from Dirty Dancing made the list - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' Time of My Life was at four, while Patrick Swayze's She's Like ...

Kenny Ortega gives us some insight on what it took to put together the 'This Is It' documentary. What is was like working with Michael Jackson through the years and how Michael wanted to bring the best artist in the world to go with him his journey and inspire them to new levels.

Did your Hocus Pocus background help reinvent Thriller?

It didn't hurt. It didn't hurt but it also came from my background of loving Michael Jackson's Thriller and being a huge fan of all of his short film work. But it was one of the first ideas that Michael and I talked about was let's create a 3-D experienc...

King Kong, among the screen’s most powerful and enduring icons, will re-emerge on the famed and newly upgraded Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour in summer, 2010 as a thrilling and ground-breaking 4-D multi-sensory marvel, a new signature attraction for Universal Studios Hollywood.

The new King Kong attraction, based on the Oscar®-winning 2005 Universal Pictures film, will combine thrilling visceral effects with the world’s largest Surround Digital projection system to create a next-generation theme park experience.

Larry Kurzweil, President and Chief Operating Officer, Unive...

Animated movie Shrek has topped a poll of kids films most loved by adults.

The 2001 animated adventure beat out competition from Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean and Pixar/Disney movie Finding Nemo, which claimed second and third places respectively. Tom Hanks-starring Toy Story earned the fourth spot, while the top five was rounded out by Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

A spokesman for the onepoll.com survey says, "Shrek is a great film if you are four or five. The adult humor keeps the older generations happy."

Other movies to garner a mention include Mrs...

'Tis the season to slaughter turkeys. Did anybody not see former Vice President wannabe Sarah Palin hold a Q&A downstage of a turkey’s obvious death? (Go HERE if you didn't.)

On a more cheerful note, here are a few gems from Hollywood made for the animal lover in all of us:

Best All-Around Animal Film

The Adventures of Milo and Otis

The film is the best all-animal movie, with March of the Penguins coming in as an understudy. A documentary showing a death of a cute baby penguin? Definitely going to lose against a Japanese (yes, really, Japanese) movie with Dudley Moore as a...

Acclaimed British songwriter Tim Rice is to be honored with the 2,375th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Oscar winner Rice will be inducted into the famous Tinseltown landmark by Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook on November 20.

Rice has contributed lyrics to hit Disney movies Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King - and was named a Disney Legend in 2002 - but he enjoyed much of his success with theater impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The two Brits first teamed up to pen the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the late 1960s.

As lyricist behind...

Fans of movie musicals know that most of their favorites, like "Grease," "West Side Story," "The Sound of Music," and "Oklahoma!" were adapted from popular Broadway plays. However, the trend in recent years has been to flip that formula around by taking a big-screen hit and trying to turn it into a small-stage sensation.

Disney has had great success with its theatrical adaptations, starting in 1994 with the critically-acclaimed "Beauty and the Beast." The hits kept coming with stage productions of "The Lion King," "Mary Poppins," and, most recently, "The Little Mermaid."

VIDEO: T...

On April 22's episode of American Idol, renowned composer and lyricist Andrew Lloyd Weber stood patiently trying to teach a blank-eyed Jason Castro the song, "Memory" from one of history's most popular musicals, "Cats." Smiled the clueless Castro, "I didn't even know a cat was singing it."

Quell'horror! Is this the extent of musical theater knowledge possessed by today's generation? In fairness, Castro is from Texas, not exactly around the corner from Broadway. Perhaps had there been a big-screen version of "Cats," more people under the age of 30 would be hip to the magic and majesty...

With Easter coming up this Sunday many Christians will rejoice, not only because their religion tells them to but also so they can once again indulge in the activities they gave up for Lent. These activities are extremely variable - ranging from serious sacrifices like chocolate and sexual intercourse (40 Days and 40 Nights, anyone?) to simple activities such as playing video games or watching TV.

Not only average Joes give up things for Lent, so do celebrities! Well, at least they do in our March Madness-inspired fantasy celebrity Lent sacrifice bracket. Here are seven celebrity and e...

Disney has produced some huge animated hits (The Lion King, Aladdin, Lady and the Tramp) and extremely popular live-action flicks (Pirates of the Caribbean, High School Musical, National Treasure). But the studio that brought us Pocahontas also subjected Mickey Mouse fans to Snow Dogs. Here's our list of the top 10 worst Disney films:

10. The Haunted Mansion

Oh, Eddie Murphy, what were you on when you agreed to do a movie based on a Disneyland ride? I wonder what the execs at Disney were thinking: "Let's put Eddie Murphy in anything, he can sell it! We could have a whole movie of...

"I don't want to know who he's been with or how many (women). I do want to know that my man is not a virgin, because I want to know that he knows what he's doing. But I don't need to know how he's learned it." Heroes actress Dania Ramirez on what she looks for in a man.

"Originally we wanted (girl group) L7 to be the cheerleaders; instead I think they got porn stars." Dave Grohl on the idea behind the cheerleaders in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video.

"A good friend suggested I use The Lion King to explain the circle of life when our second dog passed away." Actor Blair Un...

Disney's The Lion King has become the ninth longest-running show in Broadway history after playing its 4,098th performance on Tuesday night. That show broke Miss Saigon's top 10 record. The Lion King will officially celebrate its 10th anniversary on November 11.

Oscar winner Jamie Foxx is taking classical lessons from a Los Angeles Philharmonic cellist for his upcoming movie The Soloist, in which his character masters the instrument. Foxx isn't deaf to the classics - he's a trained pianist.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)

Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, Twentieth Century Fox, Gracie Films, and Extreme Music are proud to announce the CD release of Zimmer's original music for The Simpsons Movie. The album features Zimmer's interpretation of the classic theme music from the popular TV series, along with music from his score that captures the fun and satirical spirit of the movie. Also included on the album is a special remix that will soon be heard nationwide on commercial radio and in clubs, featuring The Simpsons music as you've never heard it before.

The Simpsons Movie brings Homer's stupidi...

(May 10, 2007- Burbank, CA) – Walt Disney Records will release the soundtrack for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End on May 22, 2007. The third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, At World's End features music by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who also wrote the music for the second film, Dead Man's Chest and composed original themes for the first, The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End finds our heroes Will Turner (Orlando Bloom)and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate...

The musical adaptation of Walt Disney movie The Lion King is to be performed in Africa for the first time this summer. The explosive stage show, which tells the story of lion cub Simba in an African wilderness, is set to open in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 6th.

The Lion King opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997, before being transferred to Broadway in New York a few months later, and has gone on to be one of the most successful musical productions ever.

The show's co-producer Lebo Morake says, "I am overwhelmed. It is a historical moment. I want it to be a South Afric...

U2 stars Bono and The Edge have confirmed that they will pen the soundtrack for new Broadway show Spider-Man: The Musical.

The rockers will work with Tony-Award winning Lion King director Julie Taymor for the theatrical extravaganza.

A spokesperson for Marvel Studios says, "This project will delight Spider-Man fans."

Auditions for the main roles of Spider-Man Peter Parker, Mary Jane, spider-woman Arachne, villain The Green Goblin and Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson will begin this July.

-U2 Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News N...

Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson perfected her singing talents on the high seas - crooning Disney showtunes on cruises. The former American Idol star was a star on the Disney cruise ship, where her standards included Lion King hit "Circle Of Life" and she narrated "Hercules: The Musical."

But the Oscar-nominated star admits she quickly became sick of the sea. She recalls, "I was on the ship six months, and after a while everything begins to feel like Groundhog Day - you're going to the same places every cruise and you're doing the same things."

(This news article provided by World...

Top musical talent from ABC's daytime dramas "All My Children," "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" will perform a selection of holiday songs to be recorded for the first time ever on a new CD entitled "A Holiday Affair," it was announced today by Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group.

The CD will feature classic holiday tunes chosen, interpreted and performed by ABC daytime's talent. "All My Children's" Susan Lucci will headline the CD with "I'll Be Home for Christmas." The final track is an ensemble rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." The CD wil...

Walt Disney Records will release the soundtrack to one of the summer's most highly anticipated blockbuster movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, on July 4, 2006. Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer (The Da Vinci Code, The Lion King), who produced the soundtrack to the first movie in the Pirates trilogy, returned to compose the rousing score for Dead Man's Chest, and Dutch DJ Tiësto remixed the theme "He's a Pirate" into a progressive epic trance anthem which is featured on the disc as a bonus track. Also on July 4, nine more remixes from the score will be released exclusively ...

Elton John's latest Disney collaboration has been mysteriously scrapped by movie executives. All animators working on animated musical Gnomeo & Juliet have been reassigned, and the project is no longer in production at Walt Disney Feature Animation, according to a studio release.

John was producing the quirky adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" and was slated to write the film's songs. Gnomeo was set to be Disney's second collaboration with the rocker following 1994's The Lion King, which featured John and lyricist Tim Rice's Oscar-winning "Can You Feel The Love Ton...

Steven Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster ET: The Extra-Terrestrial has been named the best family film of all time by British TV network Channel 4. Animated hit Shrek came second in the top 100 countdown. Disney classic Mary Poppins claimed the third spot.

The top ten is as follows:

1. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial

2. Shrek

3. Mary Poppins

4. Pirates of the Caribbean

5. Toy Story

6. The Lion King

7. Back to the Future

8. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

9. Star Wars

10. The Wizard of Oz

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)