"Mamma Mia" To Become A Movie

The smash hit musical "Mamma Mia" will be turned into a film, with Tom Hanks one of the producers. In typical hyperbole, the British press said the film -- which has no talent signed on yet, much less a distributor, a script or a start date for filming -- could be out "by the end of the year." Uh, Christmas of 2007 is far more likely. People used to think a movie would kill the box office for a stage show. But in the last decade, whether the film has been a hit ("Chicago") or a flop ("The Phantom of the Opera," "Rent") the main result has been a BOOST in ticket sales for the stage production.