author nicholas sparks talks about his latest movie "the lucky one" and why he has been so lucky as a writer. >>- q. -- >> and can "the hunger games" hang on to the top spot? >> and you can save money on air conditioning for the inland communities. the temperatures are coming down tomorrow. we have the fog and the drizzle coming in from the coast. and i will have your accu-weather seven-day forecast. we are talking about rain as >>> i don't go out with guys that don't open the door for me. >> really? >> really. >> oh man. >> "battle of the sexes" knocks" hunger games" out of the top spot "think like a man" had millions in ticket sales" the lucky one" was number two. after four weeks on top "the hunger games" drop to third place. "chimpanzee" debuted at number four and" the 3 stooges" are the top five movies. >>> "the lucky one" was written by nicholas sparks who grew up in the sacramento area. >> and seven of his novels have been made into movies. sparks talked to brian copeland about the latest project and how he finds time to write all of those books. >> "the lucky one" is about a m

not a spoiler if you know anything about nicholas sparks.on't think this movie is going to reach basically the men as per usual, but i think ladies are going to like it, because if you like any of his other movies, this is the same thing. >> okay. this is my first segment doing with you. you give it a thumbs up, a, b, c, d. >>> how do you grade this thing? >> well, i'm like a naughty school teach perp i love giving grades and i give this one a c, because i thought that -- especially with nicholas sparks, average. but zac efron is great. >> all through school. c's not bad. still passing. speaking of men, this next movie, "think like a man." quickly, let's watch a clip from that one. >> steve harvey's a trainer. >> look. mama's boy chapter seven is you. >> i'm not a mama's boy. >> you don't think that, do you? >> listen to this. men respect standards get some. >> i prefer my women not have standards. it's brainwashing. >> trying to push me towards my dreams. >> that one's about men, how they're thinking. don't necessarily want those secrets to

up next, novelist nicholas sparks sat down with movie reviewer kevin mccarthy.e'll have the interview coming up. stay with us. >>> welcome back. if you've had a good cry at the movies in recent years, chances are nicholas sparks has something to do with t more than half a dozen of his books from a walk to the remember to the notebook, i cried that the that one, have been made into movies that are nearly guaranteed to make awed yeps teary-eyed. >> his novel, lucky one, the latest to get the big screen treatment. nicholas sparks spoke with kevin mccarthy about the process of transforming a novel into a movie. >> i always wanted to ask an author this question because you write books all the time. if you hypothetically could throw yourself into the world of one of your favorite books of all time and live in that world, what book would it be and why? >> all of them are really set in the region where i live, so to speak. maybe something hike the notebook because, in the end, you know, you know they've been happy their entire lives. but really, they are all set in east

it's nicholas sparks movie so you will see the drama involved.ust so tired of directors using multiple montages in movies. it is almost like a lazy thing that a lot of time is pass nation short period of time but there are so many of them. it is like dude, air being lazy. let us feel for these characters. i felt like zac efron, he has no character arc whatsoever. the same person we meet at the tbipping is the exact same person we meet at the end. -- at the beginning is the exact same person we meet at the end. i understand what they're going for. i didn't feel that the movie connected with me. i'm fine with romantic films. i thought the notebook was a great movie. i don't think the lucky one achieves that emotional scale that i wanted it to. did you ever watch a movie where you feel like it is scripted. i felt like the dialogue was being read off a people. >> you didn't feel like the actors didn't mesh well. >> blythe danner is great in the movie. it is the side characters that are more interesting. there is a little boy in the movie who is fanta

zac efron's nicholas sparks movie.hunger games" moved off the mantle. >> the zac efron movie did very well. didn't have the greatest reviews but a lot of people obviously love, love seeing him. right? >> well, any -- you know, nicholas sparks is just like a machine for these like weepy movies. and yet another one. and they always do well. >> tyler perry is unreal. >> he's unbelievable. he's really amazing. >> midas touch. >> he's got it. >> maureen, good to see you. >> next, "joy fit club" members who took it off and kept it off. they're going to share a secret in a special book. right after this. greetings from the windy city of chicago. people here sure are friendly but some have had a hard time understanding my accent. so to make sure people get every word of the geico savings message i've been practicing how to talk like a true chicagoan. switching to geico could save you hundreds of dollars on car insurance... da bears. haha... you people sure do talk funny. geico®. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent o

. >>> the lucky one starring zac efron in an adaptation of nicholas sparks' romance novemberle took in $33 million. >>> and "the hunger games" dropped down to third. it took in $14.5 million. >>> the documentary chimpanzee opened impressively in fourth with $10 million. >> the reviews are great. >> it looks adore joobl on the other box office note, "battle ship" which opened here may 18 ruled overseas for the second sfrat weekend earning $58 million. making certain it will take in $200 million before opening in one american theater. not bad. >>> finally variety reports taylor smith may get her first big dramatic roll playing singer joanie mitchell. >> that's a tough one. >> she sings so bub employ and cheery. >> you're saying joanie mitchell is not bubbly and cheery? reading through the lines, lynn ber berry. >>> and this comes to us from koib eyewitness news in new mexico where in nearby santa fe, they'd like you to help a real fat cat whose name is me you. and he may have had one too many meals hchl's a bus one. the plus size pet ways 33 pounds, more than three times heavier than a 2

"the lucky one" starring zac efron in an adaptation of nicholas sparks' romance novel opened second with almost $23 million. and after four weekends at number one, "the hunger games" took in $14.5 million. it slipped to third. the nature documentary "chimpanzee" opened impressively in fourth with over $10 million. on the other box office note, "battleship," which opens here may 18th, ruled overseas for the second straight weekend, earning $58 million, making it virtually certain that the film will take in over $200 million, even before opening in a single american theater. i suppose it's good. and, finally, "variety" reports taylor smith may be getting her first big dramatic role, playing singer joni mitchell. very interesting. in nearby santa fe, they would like you to help a real fat cat. his name is meow and he may have had one too many meals. the plus size pet weighs 39 pounds, more than three times heavier than a normal 2-year-old. an animal shelter is looking to give meow a new home but only after they trim down the big guy. they are going to put him on a diet and plan to update hi

nicholas sparks will join us. join us on facebook or twitter or e-mail. see you tomorrow.the got an opinion share it, send us a tweet or write on our wall. visit twitter or facebook now. the word is swapportunity. can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. can you use it in a sentence? mmm. swapping a 300 calorie donut for this 110 calorie strawberry shortcake is a good swapportunity. that's not a real word. oh haha it's real. [ female announcer ] delicious, creamy, yoplait light. over 30 flavors each around 100 calories. do the swap today. seconds. postscript pass. >> powerful thunderstorm is lighting up the bay area tonight. it's the kind of weather we don't see here very often. >> no. pitch fork of lightning stab the sky and strong wind and a lot of rain. good evening. >> lease get writ to sandy who is tracking the storm with life doppler 7 hd for us. sandy it >> it has been one intense night. i'll show you live continue to. we see lightning strike across the bay area. close in here. it all started this

. >>> nicholas sparks is not a hollywood guy but seven of hits books have -- >> he's tender. >> he'sand what he thinks of the 90-day rule and a lot more. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. >>> i like philosophy. >> really? yeah, i like to read. >> quote your favorite philosopher. >> sometimes the questions are complicated and answers are simple. >> don't tell me. voltare? it is, isn't it? >> it's dr. seuss. >> the new movie "the lucky one" is based on a nicholas sparks best seller, a marine searching for a woman he believes was his good luck charm serving in i iraq. >> he writes the kind of love stories translating well onto the big screen. he

>> great movies opening today we have the lucky one based on the nicholas sparks novel stars zach efronrine sergeant returning from a tour of duty. also starring tailor schilling. she is working at her family's kennel and that will be a tear jerker. think like a man based on the steve harvey book. it will be a battle of the sexes. >> lots of women in the makeup room read that book and said it was great. >> a little bit different we have champanzee a nature documentary featuring the adventures of oscar a chimp in the african forest and he was adopted by his mom. >> any one who owns a dog or cat you can relate to these movies. you see a little bit of your pet personality. >> thank you so much. great to have you here. happy friday. >> after 33 years a possible major break through in a haunting major cold case. one of the first faces to appear on the milk carton vanished when he was 6 years old on the way to the bus. a fresh investigation led police to a new york city basement. wnyw reporter robert moses joins us with the details. >> good morning to you. good morning everyone. investigators

. >>> author nicholas sparks has mastered the art of romance novels.one" adapted into a major hollywood film and it is a steamy romantic story about fate and destiny. >> yes! zac efron played a tough contender u.s. marine who returns home safely from iraq, and taylor shilling plays zach's good luck charm but she doesn't know it. >> hi, kids. you made this film like a year ago in new orleans? >> yes. >> you're just seeing each other again after all of that time? >> we see each other every once in a while. >> we haven't been completely out of touch. >> i wouldn't think so after the steamy scenes we saw. i would want to keep in touch. >> there is a lot of chemistry between you two. >> it is not a disney movie. >> i know. >> no, it's not. >> that was on purpose for you, right, zac? it's time to find more mature roles and leave the disney image in the -- you have to. >> it is. without a doubt. it's sort of been in a transition the last couple of years and this was just a fantastic role. i got to play a marine. he's very much a hero. yeah. i was a lot more g

. >>> nicholas sparks is not a hollywood guy but seven of hits books have -- >> he's tender. >> he'se thinks of the 90-day rule and a lot more.,, >>> i like philosophy. >> really? yeah, i like to read. >> quote your favorite philosopher. >> sometimes the questions are complicated and answers are simple. >> don't tell me. voltare? it is, isn't it? >> it's dr. seuss. >> the new movie "the lucky one" is based on a nicholas sparks best seller, a marine searching for a woman he believes was his good luck charm serving in i iraq. >> he writes the kind of love stories translating well onto the big screen. he joins us here, broadcast house. it's good to see you. >> good to see you. >> it's like old home week here. >> it really is. >> i don't know if you heard steve harvey talking about the 90-day rule. as someone who writes about love stories, did you hear the 90-day rule? >>dy. >> okay. you know what my next question is for you, charlie rose, speak into the microphone. >> you're going to the wrong person. >> okay. the 90-day rule he says, when you're dating, that the 90-day rule should be o

. >> nicholas sparks is known for writing romance nols, movies like "the notebook" and "dear john" have done deal. your favorite? >> yeah, and now "the lucky one" goes from the page to the sound stage. we take a look at that and the rest of the weekend's releases in the box office preview. >> it was in the morning after a night raid. i just found it. >> a photo saved the soldier in "the lucky one." zac is a marine on duty in iraq when a picture of an unknown woman takes him out of harm's way and he vow toss find her after his tour is over. he tracks her down where he's hired as a helper, but he can't summon the courage to tell her why he's there. "the lucky one" is rated pg-13. >> until you understand the mindset of a man, you are never going to win much >> single ladies get info in "think like a man." tired of getting the runaround, four men find a man manual in the form of a book, but when they use the advice to turn the tables on their date, the men fight back with some tricks of their own. "think like a man" is pg-13. a young primate becomes an orphan in "chimpanzee." disney went de

. >>> nicholas sparks is not a hollywood guy but seven of hits books have -- >> he's tender. >> he'sd what he thinks of the 90-day rule and a lot more. >>> good morning. in the past hour we have seen quite a wind coming up. you got -- you got to have something going here to take that flag on top of federal hill and move it towards the east almost straight out. i think we could say we have got a north-northwest wind -- west-northwest wind at about 20 going now, 68 degrees going to be the high, increasingly windy, yeah, it will blow stronger through the afternoon. mixture of clouds and sun later and we can't rule out passing late afternoon,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> i like philosophy. >> really? yeah, i like to read. >> quote your favorite philosopher. >> sometimes the questions are complicated and answers are simple. >> don't tell me. voltare? it is, isn't it? >> it's dr. seuss. >> the new movie "the lucky one" is based on a nicholas sparks best seller, a marine searching for a woman he believes was his good luck charm serving in i iraq. >> he writes the kind of love stories translating well ont

tracks down the stranger in the picture, this is the fourth film based on a best selling novel by nicholas sparks also wrote "the notebook." >> disney has a new movie called "chimpanzee." it's a documentary following the real life saga of a chimp named oscar. we becomes on a -- he becomes an orphan but is adopted by another chimpanzee. >>> another nature film -- >> showing at the smithsonian's i max theater at the museum. it is called "to the arctic." it follows a polar bear and her two 7-month-old cubs. >>> it's another film. it's called "mar lee." this is a long documentary about bob marley, but critics say it's incredibly thorough covering rise out of poverty in jamaica to superstardom. it includes interviews with other family members. >>> well, thank you for watching 9news now at 6:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >> friday is here, you're going to have a great day, i'm mike hydeck, thank you for joining us, here's monika samtani. >> and howard bernstein is here, he has ariettes first and is mike -- he has weather first and is mike right? >> i paid attention. >> thank you very much and it is going t

. >> a photo turns out to be a life-saver for a soldier in the latest nicholas sparks' adaptation, "the." zac efron finds the picture of a woman that takes him out of harm's way while serving in iraq and he vows to find her after his tour is over. but when he lands a job at the woman's family-run kennel, he can't build up the courage to tell her why he's there before a complicated relationship ignite. the "lucky one" is rated pg-13. >>> single ladies learn to think like a man, four women find a man manual written by steve harvey and they use his advice to turn the tables on their dates. but when a group of men find out, they also use the book's insider information to get back with some tricks of their own. "think like a man" is rated pg-13. and disney's annual earth day documentary "chimpanzee" disney went deep into the african bush to shoot the true story of a chimp's life. it follows little oscar who is left to survive on his own when a rival band scatters his pack. "chimpanzee" is rated g. >>> well, wedding bells will be ringing on "news4 midday" next week. we're going to help you pl

another sappy love story by nicholas sparks who is, obviously, the author of "the notebook."aylor schilling, he has just finished serving his third tour in iraq. and he goes to search for a photo of this woman. he has no idea who she is. traces her down to north carolina but basically this photo helped get him through the war and help get through -- get through those three tours of duty. here's a sneak peek. >> i know some people. i can make a couple of calls and get you something worthy of a veteran. what do you think? hey! you ought to listen to me. you don't know who you're dealing with. >> i've known guys like you my whole life. you think a gun and a badge and a name make you something. >> you better watch your mouth. >> why didn't we show the girl in the clip? >> seriously. 27% favorable rating. it has zac efron in it. san francisco chronicle says it's lazy. sappiest line, rob, you should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute. >> oh, paula, i have dreamed of this moment. >>> this next one is based on the 2009 book by steve harvey. "act like a lady, think like a m

. >> reporter: in the movie based on a novel by nicholas sparks, curiosity about a stray photo of a womanact of finding the picture saves his life. he makes it his mission on to track her down and thank her for saving his life. >> reporter: one of the themes of the movie is that the smallest thing can change your life. has that happened to zac efron? >> without a doubt. i feel like half the reason i'm here is being in the right place at the right time. >> reporter: born and raised on the central california coast by parents who worked at a power plant, zac had a childhood he called pretty standard. >> my dad kept us pretty driven. my mom kept us very loved. >> reporter: did your parents see your talent before you did? >> i think so. i could sing any song, sort of memorize lyrics. it sounds like nothing special now. but, you know, to my dad who is not very musical guy he thought it was pretty outstanding. he decided to try and help me into dance classes and help me into piano. >> reporter: his piano teacher was the director of a local theater. it at age 12, zac landed part in gypsy. >> step

>>> author nicholas sparks has mastered the art of romance novels.>> you just seeing each ear again after all of that time? >> we see each other every once in a while. >> we haven't been completely out of touch. >> i wouldn't think so after the steamy scenes we saw. i would want to keep in touch. >> there is a lot of chemistry between you two. >> it is not a disney movie. >> i know. >> no, it's not. >> that was on purpose for you, right, zac? it's time to find more mature roles and leave the disney image -- you have to. >> it is. without a doubt. it's sort of been in a transition the last couple of years and this was just a fantastic role. i got to play a marine. he's very much a hero. yeah. i was a lot more grown-up. >> you had to buff up for this role? >> i did. physically there was a lot to do in this movie. >> and cut those gorgeous locks. great a lot of hearts. this had to be one of the most appealing roles for young actresses in hollywood. i'm sure everybody was trying to get this role. you're the love interest. how -- who did you sleep with in

zac efron who is starring in a show based on a nicholas sparks novel.lieve was a lucky charm during the war. before i talk to you about the movie, i was wondering why all these women back here were taking pictures of the back of my head. and then i realized they were actually shooting you over here. it's good to have you here. i like this choice in a role. it's different for you, isn't it? >> thanks. yeah, it is. it's a much more mature role than i've ever done before. and it was a great experience. >> you played a marine. i know you've done some research. you actually spent some times with some marines. what did you learn? >> i did. i started at camp pendleton. i can only imagine what they were thinking. who's this kid? i really made an effort to show them how much we cared and wanted to pay homage to marines and do them justice and portray them with honor. so they opened up and told me a lot of stories. i did a lot of physical training. i became a marine. >> you had to bulk up about 20 pounds. so what was that training regiment like? >> it was pretty

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