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Universal and Focus Features’ Fifty Shades of Grey kicked off its North American release at 2,830 engagements last night, racking up the second-highest Thursday night preview ever with $8.6M. The record holder for an R-rated preview belongs to Warner Bros. The Hangover 2, which made $10.4M in midnight previews before its Memorial Day weekend 2011 release.

MONESSEN, Pa —At least five students at a Westmoreland County middle school were given word puzzles based on the erotic novel and movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" this week, and school district officials said they are investigating how it happened. James Carter said the word search, filled with explicit sexual terms, was passed out Monday to his son and other students in his eighth-grade class at Monessen Middle School. "I asked my son who passed it out, and he said the teacher passed it out," Carter told said. "I don't think this is what they should be doing in the...

It may have been touted as the steamiest thing in Hollywood - but movie critics rounded on Fifty Shades of Grey for being too light on the sex. In a barrage of reviews published on Tuesday night, most of those who sat down with the raunchy adaptation ahead of its 13 February release date lamented its 'run-of-the-mill' lovemaking. One critic pointed out that sex only makes up 15 minutes of the two-hour runtime. Another pointed out that there are no visible genitals, no orgasms - and not that much nudity.

Like Fifty Shades of Grey's Anastasia Steele, Sam Taylor-Johnson was a wide-eyed innocent—she'd directed only one feature, 2009 indie Nowhere Boy—when she got hired to direct the much-anticipated big-screen adaptation of EL James' phenomenally successful erotic novel. But during an 18-month whirlwind ride, Taylor-Johnson explored the world of S&M, overcame casting troubles (Dakota Johnson stars opposite Irish actor Jamie Dornan, who replaced Charlie Hunnam) and endured daily battles with the book's highly opinionated author. Ahead of the film's Feb. 11 premiere at Berlinale, the 47-year-old British director and mother of four (she's married to actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson) reveals all the...

February 9, 2015 "Fifty Shades of Grey" will debut in some theaters on February 13; it opens wide on Valentine's Day. The movie is based on the best-selling book by that name, authored by British writer E.L. James. It features a young woman who submits to being beaten by a man. Bishop Richard J. Malone, Chairman of the Bishops' Conference Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, says that while the book and film "are marketed as a romantic story," it is really nothing more than a "graphic portrayal of a young woman agreeing to be abused and degraded...

Fans of Fifty Shades Of Grey, you've been warned: leave those whips and riding crops at home on your way to the movies next week. AMC, Regal Entertainment and Cinemark have banned movie goers from bringing naughty props to the cinema in anticipation of the hotly awaited world premiere of Fifty Shades Of Grey. The film adaptation of EL James' steamy best-selling erotic romance starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele hits the big screen on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Attention Target shoppers, check out the display of bondage gear in aisle 12! The nation’s second biggest general merchandise retailer is raising shoppers’ eyebrows – and possibly their wrists above their heads – by carrying a line of Fifty Shades of Grey sex gear. Items from “The Official Pleasure Collection” include the Fifty Shades Yours and Mine Vibrating Silicone Love Ring (“the silicone ring stretches to accommodate his girth,” the description assures) and the No Peeking Soft Twin Blindfold Set (“take it in turns to sink into submission”).

It's one of the most talked-about movies of the year. But fans hoping to see Fifty Shades of Grey in Malaysia will be left disappointed, as the on-screen adaptation of the book has been deemed unacceptable for viewing. The racy flick was due to have its official cinema release in the Southeast Asian country on February 12, but that has now been cancelled.

It is one of the most hotly-anticipated films of the year. Which might explain why Fifty Shades of Grey fans have been treated to a second clip from the forthcoming 'bonkbuster'. In tense, sexually-charged moments from the first story-line arc, Jamie Dornan's infamous character can be seen making his first moves on Dakota Johnson's alter ego in the fateful interview scene. Looking plain and nondescript, Johnson's Anastasia Steele can be seen getting hot and shifty in the flirtatious exchange with Christian Grey. Wearing a floral blouse with a teal-coloured cardigan, she is - at first glance - an unlikely match...

The CBS Sunday Morning Show broadcast a five-minute segment this Sunday featuring an elderly female pornography author complete with readings and graphic sex demonstrations with dolls. All this during a time in the morning when young children and families are either watching television or getting ready for church. Reporter Bill Geist traveled to 'small town America' in the Texas hill country to interview 76-year-old Desiree Holt (a pen name) about her prolific 'mommy porn' books (over 140 in the past six years.) The segment features Holt reading sex passages from her book with the worst language bleeped, but obvious.Holt was...