The Michael Jackson Facebook page is now the most popular on the social networking site.

Previously, the most popular person on Facebook, with just over 6 million fans, was U.S. President Obama.

Over the past week, Jackson's page has grown from 80,000 fans to just over 7 million, generating the largest response on a Facebook page, the social networking site says.

He has continued to gain about 20 fans per second and even more during peak traffic hours, said social media commentator Nick O'Neill, founder of the

Social Times

Web site.

Michael Jackson: The Memorial

On Tuesday, join CNN, HLN and CNN.com Live for all-day coverage as the world celebrates the life of a worldwide pop icon, and don't miss our prime time coverage starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Free virtual versions of Jackson's famous glove are the most popular gift on the site, with more than 800,000 sent to members.

The huge following leaves the singer's heirs (and his record label) with a massive network to communicate with fans and continue the massive resurgence of interest in Jackson's music, O'Neill said.

"While Sony has not heavily engaged the fan base on Michael Jackson's page, they at least have a presence. If your fans are there, you should be there.

"This also provided an ongoing promotional channel for any future products that are released. It's simply not an option and will become a component of all marketing strategies."

There have been 2.6 million downloads of Jackson's music since his death. He has the top two albums on iTunes, as well as three of the top 10 singles.

In the United Kingdom, Jackson held 11 of the top 200 album positions and 43 of the top 200 singles, based on sales monitored by the Official Charts Co. for the week ended June 27.

His "Number Ones" album topped the OCC album chart after selling 46,400 physical copies and 10,000 downloads.

The surge for demand in Jackson's music looks likely to continue for several months: The fan page has a music player with some of Jackson's hits and an option to buy them through Amazon.

The son of Jewish immigrants from Hungary, Klein founded his firm Allen Klein & Co. in the late 1950s before the label evolved into ABKCO Music & Records in New York. The independent label holds the copyrights to music by the Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, the Animals, the Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Womack and hundreds of others.

Klein represented dozens of artists, including Sam Cooke, the Animals, Bobby Darin and Herman's Hermits. He changed the music industry when he represented Sam Cooke in negotiations with RCA, winning the artist control of his own master recordings.

Known for a tenacious and often blunt style in negotiations, Klein's greatest coups were inking contracts with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, though both relationships ended in legal battles.

ABKCO built up a catalog of copyrights to more than 2,000 songs, including much of the Stones' 1960s catalog. Klein retained ownership of those titles even after splitting with the Stones. In 1969, John Lennon persuaded the other

Beatles

that Klein should take over the group's business affairs, but Paul McCartney resisted the move and some music historians say the appointment hastened the Beatles' split.

Lennon later fell out with Klein, who was thought to be the target of the former Beatle's 1974 song "Steel and Glass."

Defending his tough style, Klein told Playboy magazine in 1971: "The music business is about 99 percent no-talent losers who can't stand a winner in their midst."

In 1971, Klein worked with George Harrison to organize the "Concert for Bangladesh" at Madison Square Garden, one of the first major benefit concerts of the rock era. Ringo Starr was among the all-stars who performed at the concert.

Late in his career, Klein agreed to license a sample of a

Rolling Stones

song to the British group the Verve for their hit single "Bittersweet Symphony." But after the song was released, ABKCO successfully argued in court that the Verve had used too much of the sample and won 100 percent of the song's royalties.

Klein is survived by his wife Betty, their three children and four grandchildren. Services will be held in New York on Tuesday.

"Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité"

A person´s selection of a "favorite film trilogy" reveals much about his or her character. Most people cling to their favorite trilogies because they discovered the movies during times in their lives when formative or memorable events occurred. You have fans of "Star Wars" Episodes 4 thru 6. You have fans of "Indiana Jones". You have fans of "Back to the Future". You have fans of "The Godfather". You also have fans of Peter Jackson´s "The Lord of the Rings" even though "The Return of the King" is still in the editing stage of its production.

Then there´s me. What´s my favorite film trilogy? Let me give you a hint–I´m reviewing it as you read this article. Yes, my favorite film trilogy is "Trois Couleurs–Bleu, Blanc, Rouge" ("Three Colors–Blue, White, Red"). Named after the French flag (comprised of vertical slats of the aforementioned colors) and inspired by the "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" ("Liberty, Equality, Fraternity") slogan of the French Revolution, "Trois Couleurs" is the crown jewel of Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski´s achievements.

Kieslowski began his career making documentaries. With his eye used to being trained on humanity as a subject matter, he turned to making fictional narratives that examined how people realistically faced challenges in contemporary societies. Kieslowski directed all ten episodes of "The Decalogue", an application of the Ten Commandments to contemporary Poland. He also helmed "The Double Life of Veronique", a movie about two women who share the same name, the same outward appearance, and the same health problems but who live on opposite ends of the European continent. Watching "Veronique" resembles reading those newspaper articles about twins who lead remarkably similar lives despite being separated at birth. By the time that he got to "Trois Couleurs", Kieslowski was ready to focus the life lessons that he learned from making "The Decalogue" and "Veronique" into a powerful thesis about the modern condition.

I first discovered "Trois Couleurs" while in high school right after the trilogy arrived on video. At the time, I was mostly interested in seeing the luminous Juliette Binoche in a movie (that would be "Bleu") that features a behind-the-scenes look at the art of composing music. I got hooked on Kieslowski´s ambitious look at life in fin de siècle Europe, so I rented "Blanc" and "Rouge" right after returning "Bleu" to the video store. As soon as the trilogy was available for sale to the general public, I bought the VHS box set. The trilogy spoke to me in a special way. During my tenth and eleventh grades, I was discovering a passion for literature and for writing. Philosophical and political ideas flooded my head, and "Trois Couleurs" showed me the importance of empathy, quite possibly the most profound discovery of my life. If you can relate to your surroundings, then you can accomplish much more than if you choose to live only for yourself.

–"Bleu" ("Liberté")–
"Bleu" conceptualizes "liberty" in a very pure, extreme form–that of disengagement. At the beginning of "Bleu", there´s a car crash that kills a famous composer and his daughter. His wife, Julie (Juliette Binoche) survives the tragedy and deals with the mourning process by not mourning at all. In fact, she dissociates herself from anything linked to her past.

However, Julie´s past continues to haunt her. Public officials and prominent figures in the classical music community hound her to finish her husband´s "Concerto for the Unification of Europe". At the local swimming pool, groups of children taking swimming lessons remind her of her daughter. Julie discovers that her husband had a mistress (who´s pregnant with his child) even though she thought that she was in a happy marriage. She also comforts a neighbor in her apartment complex, a woman who turns out to be a lonely girl who works as a stripper.

Julie is "free", of course, because she can do whatever she wants given her secure financial situation and sudden lack of responsibilities. She doesn´t have to answer to anyone or to anything other than her own desires. Yet, her liberty was dearly bought, and freedom from doing anything makes Julie feel empty. After a while, she feels compelled to re-connect with links to her past. In a sense, Julie has to be tied to something in order for her life to have meaning.

"Bleu" is a stylish, even glamorous, endeavor. Julie´s wardrobe can only be described as très chic, and it´s not hard to be seduced by the prospect of a clean start in life, especially when you can disentangle yourself from any worries. However, "Bleu" also feels cold and distant, matching psychological associations with the color blue. Of course, to be truly free means to be without ties to anything, and "Bleu" suggests that we must surrender some of our liberty in order to be able to live productively–which leads to the fraternity of "Rouge".

–"Blanc" ("Égalité")–
"Blanc" is the most accessible entry in the trilogy because it has the most straightforward narrative and has a comic tone that makes it easier to watch than the somber "Bleu" and the enigmatic "Rouge". In "Blanc", Dominique (Julie Delpy) divorces her husband, Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) because he´s been impotent since their marriage day. Humiliated and dispossessed of everything by French law, Karol returns to his native Poland. At first, he resumes his old job of cutting hair in his brother´s beauty salon, but then he becomes involved in various "easy money" schemes that make him a very wealthy businessman (Kieslowski´s commentary on the fact that everything is for sale in a newly democratic Poland–which isn´t necessarily a good thing since players can take advantage of people unaware of shifts in the economic climate). Soon, Karol has a business that has hands in numerous trades, and he begins to think about luring Dominique to Poland so that she can get her just desserts for throwing away their marriage.

"Blanc" unfolds with the old saying "everyone´s equal, but some are more equal" very much in mind. Yes, every individual has the same basic rights, but not every person has access to the same kinds of opportunities. Therefore, no matter how equitable a society may try to be, someone is always getting the shaft.

In order to be "more equal", Karol plays a game of one-upmanship against his ex-wife. However, by exacting revenge on Dominique, he actually risks losing her rather than re-gaining her love. Karol and Dominique will never be happy together if they try to gain any advantage over each other. In order to be happy, they must be equals. In order to be truly equal, they must make concessions to one another–they must surrender some of their liberty (shades of "Bleu") and also embrace the fraternity of their relationship (shades of "Rouge").

–"Rouge" ("Fraternité")–
"Rouge" begins with a fast-forward montage of a bunch of phone lines, and the montage ends with a blinking light and a beeping tone indicating a busy signal. Someone has failed to make a connection. However, the rest of the movie finds Valentine (Irene Jacob), a Swiss miss, making a connection with an old retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who sits at home eavesdropping on his neighbors´ phone calls. Long ago, the old judge stopped caring about the world. Valentine´s persistent appearance in his life re-kindles his desire to live. Meanwhile, Kieslowski also teases us with images of a young judge who lives across the street from Valentine. The young judge and Valentine seem to be unaware of each other´s existence, and the young judge and the old judge seem to be equally unaware of one another as well. Yet, as the young judge´s life unfolds before our eyes, we see that he´s re-living key events that happened in the old judge´s life.

Of the movies in the "Trois Couleurs" trilogy, "Rouge" is the most technically accomplished. By the time that he got to "Rouge", Kieslowski had already completed "Bleu" and "Blanc", so his mission was crystal clear to him and his collaborators. One of the most obvious displays of camera genius occurs in the film´s final act, during a scene in which the camera makes a sudden, breathtaking plunge from a seat high in a theatre down to the orchestra pit. There´s also an expert use of sound as seen in a music store, when the sound design samples different pieces of music as the camera drifts from one listener to another (some music from "Blanc" drifts into the moment). "Rouge" (and by extension, the trilogy) was so well-received in Hollywood that the film received three Oscar nominations–for Director, for Original Screenplay, and for Cinematography.

Given its title, it seems a given that "Rouge" would be the warmest film in the trilogy. Yet, that warmth is also a thematic one, not just a color-coded strategy. "Bleu" and "Blanc" involve isolationism and antagonism; "Rouge" breaks through those barriers (the old judge´s crusty exterior) in order to find the emotions that are buried within each one of us. The "we are not islands" message may seem corny, but it´s also very cozy.

For years, "Bleu" was my favorite because of its focus on creating music. (Mostly, I listen to classical music, and I used to play the piano and the violin.) However, now I see that all the roads in "Trois Couleurs" lead to "Rouge" and that the brotherhood of man is the trilogy´s main theme. "Rouge" is the culmination of both "Trois Couleurs" and a great artist´s work, and it is my new favorite of the three films.

–The Trilogy as a Whole–
If film is the ultimate collaborative art form, then "Trois Couleurs" is the masterpiece conceived by Krzysztof Kieslowski, co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, production designer Claude Lenoir, editor Jacques Witta, sound designer Jean-Claude Laureux, and music composer Zbigniew Preisner. The unity of purpose is actually rather intimidating. It´s remarkable that a group of people was able to create films about grand themes like liberty, equality, and fraternity without affect or preachiness. Instead, "Trois Couleurs" thoughtfully observes the rhythms that govern our existence.

Kieslowski and his cinematographers (different ones lensed different films) made sure that the colors of the French flag dominated their respective film. This exercise is most apparent in "Rouge". For example, in "Rouge", a bottle of pear brandy given as a gift is wrapped in red wrapping paper. Red symbolizes fraternity in Kieslowski´s scheme, and a gift symbolizes one person connecting with another–ergo, the gift has to be red. There´s also the red Jeep driven by the young judge–he´s the younger version of the old judge, and he´s the right man for Valentine, the one who will "fraternize" with her.

Jackson, here at a June 23 rehearsal, "was full of jokes, full of life," band vocal coach Dorian Holley said.

Michael Jackson was energetic and excited. He popped his signature moonwalk and dance spins that gave chills to some of those watching.

As he walked to his car, he put his arm around concert promoter Randy Phillips and — as Phillips later recounted — in his soft voice, whispered: "Thank you, I know we're going to get it there together. I know I can do this."

That was late Wednesday night, June 24. A few hours later, Jackson was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.

"All I know is that the Michael Jackson that hugged me and said 'goodnight' was a healthy, vibrant human being about to undertake the greatest undertaking of his life," Phillips said Thursday. "And something happened between 12:30 when he left us and the morning when I had to rush to the hospital when I got the first call."

Watch Jackson rehearse for London shows »

The death of the pop icon shocked the music world, not only because many fans were looking forward to his 50 sold-out shows in London, England, beginning in mid-July, but also because the 50-year-old singer — while a step slower than in his prime — was apparently healthy and up to the task of what has been described as a grueling show.

MICHAEL JACKSON The Memorial

Tuesday, join CNN for all day coverage as the world celebrates the life of a worldwide pop icon, and don't miss our prime time coverage starting at 8 ET.

"He was just like a kid in the candy store because he was seeing his vision come alive," said Dorian Holley, the vocal coach for Jackson's band, about the last rehearsal.

"He was just full of jokes, full of life," Holley said. He added that Jackson was due to be back at rehearsals again at 4:30 p.m. on the day of his death.

On Thursday, Phillips' promotion company, AEG Live, released a 1½-minute rehearsal clip that was shot two nights before Jackson's death.

In that clip, Jackson barreled through the song "They Don't Care About Us." As a guitarist played a riff, he danced next to her and then led eight backup dancers in a choreographed march, reminiscent of his breakthrough music video "Thriller."

The clip — shot at the Staples Center arena in Los Angeles, California, on June 23 — ends with a voice off stage saying, "Hold for applause, hold for applause … fade out."

Two days later, Jackson was dead.

Phillips said a doctor, hired by the tour's insurance carrier, examined Jackson before AEG proceeded with the rehearsals — and gave the singer the green light to continue.

"He examined Michael for about five hours at his house and I think they went somewhere for some other tests," Phillips said. "We are obviously not privy to the patient-doctor relationship with that information, but the insurance broker told us that he passed with flying colors."

The production pace in those final weeks was ferocious, some of the attendees said.

Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, told a radio interviewer that he discussed tweaking the strenuous two-hour format of the shows.

Don't Miss

"We were going to do one of two things," DiLeo told KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, last week. "We were either going to do so much in the beginning, take a half-hour break, then come back and do the second half of the shows. Or we were going to cut it down to 90 minutes."

The exacting rehearsals may have been taking a toll on Jackson, his doctor's lawyer has said.

"Michael Jackson didn't eat very much," said Edward Chernoff, the lawyer for Jackson's cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray. "He really didn't drink very much. He didn't hydrate very well. When he rehearsed, it was very strenuous exercise."

As authorities await toxicology reports to determine how Jackson died, fans around the world lamented the loss of a great performer whose ability to dazzle seemed intact, if inhibited, in the short video clip.

"He still moves better at 50 than I could at 15," said Stephanie Siek, a graduate student in Frankfurt, Germany. "But he also seems to be holding back in a way he never did in his older videos or other footage I've seen. I think it would have been a great show, but I think that a lot of people would have been disappointed, because he was so iconic in his prime. That's a very, very hard standard to live up to."

This report incorporates information from CNN broadcasts and interviews conducted Thursday for the shows "AC 360" and "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."

Depp is back as bank robber John Dillinger, revered in the Depression as a modern-day Robin Hood.

Now, Hollywood shape-shifter Johnny Depp is back as another unexpectedly charismatic outlaw: Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger, a character he says he's been drawn to since he was a boy.

"I sort of had a fascination with John Dillinger when I was about 10, 11 years old, for some reason," Depp told CNN. "I always kind of admired him, oddly."

Oddly, perhaps, because for a short but intense period between September 1933 and July 1934 Dillinger and his gang rampaged through the American Midwest, staging jail breaks, robbing banks, and killing 10 men and wounding seven along the way.

Dillinger's violent spree is the focus of gangster drama "Public Enemies," the latest offering from director Michael Mann, and also starring Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard.

Mann is known for his sympathetic portrayal of criminals, and Dillinger — whose acts on the wrong side of the law led him to become one of America's first celebrities — is the quintessential good hood.

In the 1930s, the United States was in the grips of the worst financial disaster in history — a time when many Americans watched their life savings disappear and became jobless and hungry.

Members of the public blamed banks for losing their money and politicians for failing to stop them. For many, Dillinger's exploits represented sticking it to the fat cats, and he was idolized as a modern-day Robin Hood.

J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director at the time, may have made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy No. 1, but the bandit was careful not to alienate the public.

There is a memorable moment where he drapes a coat over a female bank hostage during a raid to keep her warm. Also, it's said he never swore in front of women.

He was always courteous even as he tried to meet his target of robbing banks in under two minutes. Crucially, he never robbed the average guy, telling him to put his money away during robberies.

Don't Miss

It is this Dillinger that Depp captures: a captivating revolutionary with the gift of gab who lit the public's imagination, causing people to flock to cinemas to watch his exploits in weekly newsreels.

Review: Depp is great in 'Public Enemies'

Of course, the dark, violent side of Dillinger's psyche is unavoidable. Depp plumbed the depths of his own character to come up with those murkier elements.

That was something that took courage, according to Mann: "He had Dillinger in him; that's something I sensed. Deep in the core of Johnny there's a toughness."

Depp gained recognition throughout the 1990s for immersing himself in characters. He shook off an early reputation as a teen pin-up in movies like Tim Burton's 1991 Gothic tale "Edward Scissorhands."

He went on to cement his reputation for unusual film choices and quirky performances in films like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) and "Finding Neverland" (2004).

In pictures: Johnny Depp's iconic roles »

The 46-year-old actor says he felt a close affinity to Dillinger: "I related to John Dillinger like he was a relative. I felt he was of the same blood. He reminded me of my stepdad and very much of my grandfather.

"He seemed to be one of those guys with absolutely no bull whatsoever, who lived at a time when a man was a man."

"Public Enemies" was adapted by Mann from a nonfiction book of the same name by Bryan Burrough.

Is it sozzled Captain. Jack Sparrow or smooth Donnie Brasco? Tell us your favorite Johnny Depp character in the SoundOff box below.

The "Last of the Mohicans" director is known for fastidious research and attention to detail, which in this case included collaborating closely with the FBI to check facts — although Mann subsequently chose to gloss over some elements for the sake of the story.

Mann filmed in many of the locations where Dillinger's story took place almost 80 years ago, including the Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, where the bandit was finally shot dead by FBI agents as he came out of a Clark Gable movie.

The Screening Room

Bringing you the inside track on all aspects of the movie business around the globe.

They also shot at Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters in the far north of Wisconsin, the site of one of Dillinger's most famous showdowns with the FBI.

Dillinger was hiding out there after a botched robbery. When the feds finally caught up with him, two men were killed in the vicious gunfight.

"We were able to shoot not just in the actual place where this happened, but in his actual room," says Mann.

"There's a certain kind of magic for Johnny Depp to be lying in the bed that John Dillinger was actually in."

A lot of Dillinger's success was down to superior guns and getaway cars. Depp, who has experience shooting guns from previous productions, had to learn a completely different technique for the heavy guns of the time.

Depp says shooting the Thompson submachine gun was one of the highlights of the production: "When you've got a beast like that strapped to you and you're emptying magazines, a 50-round drum, it's a good feeling."

The ride may have been thrilling for Depp but he also recognizes that the Depression-era setting has some extra significance these tight-belted times.

"You know," says Depp, "We're in the middle of a recession, teetering on a depression. It's time to view the banks and grown-ups for what they are."

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN)

– Friends and family of actress Farrah Fawcett — including longtime partner Ryan O'Neal and their son Redmond, who was temporarily freed from jail for the service — gathered Tuesday to say goodbye.

Actress Farrah Fawcett, known for her blond mane and gleaming smile, died Thursday at age 62.

Fawcett, the blond-maned actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62, and had suffered from anal cancer off and on for three years.

Tuesday's service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles was private and closed to the media. The family did not release details about who would deliver the eulogy or how many people had been invited.

Fawcett's beauty — her gleaming smile was printed on millions of posters — initially made her famous. But she later established herself as a serious actress. She starred as a battered wife in the 1984 TV movie "The Burning Bed," and appeared on stage as a woman who extracts vengeance from a would-be rapist in William Mastrosimone's play "Extremities," a performance she reprised on film in 1986.

Other Fawcett films include "Logan's Run" (1976), "Saturn 3" (1980), "The Cannonball Run" (1981), "The Apostle" (1997) and the Robert Altman-directed "Dr. T and the Women" (2000).

But to many,

Fawcett

will always be best known for her red-swimsuited image on the pinup poster, which sold a reputed 12 million copies after its release in 1976.

Redmond O'Neal

, 24, was arrested in September when deputies found methamphetamine during a probation search at the Malibu, California, home of his father,

Ryan O'Neal

. The younger O'Neal was on probation for a 2008 felony drug conviction involving heroine and methamphetamine.

Don't Miss

Monday's court order allowed Redmond O'Neal out of jail for up to three hours for the funeral. A sheriff's deputy was to accompany him at all times, according to the order, issued in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

O'Neal was allowed to wear civilian clothes for the funeral.

He is undergoing what the sheriff's department has called an "intense drug rehabilitation program" in the Los Angeles county jail.

became global pin-ups for the resurgence in Mexican filmmaking after their memorable breakthrough in coming-of-age road movie "Y tu Mama Tambien."

"Rudo y Cursi" reunites Luna and Bernal, who became pin-ups for the resurgence in Mexican filmmaking with "Y tu Mama Tambien" in 2001.

Today, Luna and Bernal's on-screen chemistry has once again grabbed the public's attention, this time in Mexico, where their latest film "Rudo y Cursi" made box-office history.

It became the fourth highest-grossing film in the country's history when it was released at the end of 2008.

"Rudo y Cursi," approximately translated as Tough and Corny, tells the story of two rural banana farmers who, after being 'spotted' by a crooked talent scout, gain instant celebrity in the Mexican soccer league playing for opposing teams.

But, mesmerized by women and fast cars and unable to defy their demons, they look on powerless as the dream disintegrates in front of them almost as suddenly as it arrived.

The movie touches on fame, poverty and corruption, but for its makers, it is ultimately a tale of brotherhood.

It was written written and directed by Carlos Cuaron, and is the first release from groundbreaking new production venture Cha Cha Cha films.

Cha Cha Cha was established by Mexico's three leading directors who are also renowned internationally — Carlos' brother Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel") and Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth").

All three serve as producers on the film.

In pictures: Bernal and Garcia in "Rudo y Cursi" »

"Originally I wanted to make a fake documentary about a footballer from a humble background who made it big and then disappeared mysteriously," Carlos Cuaron told CNN.

"But I told this idea to Gael [Garcia Bernal] and Diego [Luna], and they both said they wanted to play the part. I had one part and two actors. So I made up another brother and forgot about the fake documentary."

Cuaron also cast Bernal and Luna — best friends since childhood in Mexico City who were so keen to do the film the signed up before they saw a script — against type and against their wishes.

Both had originally wanted to play the opposite character: Bernal the abrasive Rudo, and Luna the romantic Cursi. They were eventually dissuaded by Cuaron who said: "I don't want to make Y Tu Mama Tambien 2."

The idea behind Cha Cha Cha films was conceived by Cuaron senior, del Toro and Innaritu when the trio — a kind of all-stars of Mexican cinema — found themselves with a surprise 16 nominations and 4 awards at the 2007 Oscars.

The idea came out of a desire to pool their their rising bargaining power and maximize their clout in Hollywood — and, of course, out of friendship.

The company was "born out of friendship and sibling sympathies," del Toro told CNN. When Carlos was originally writing the script, his bother, Alfonso told him thought it was perfect for Cha Cha Cha.

The venture formalizes a working relationship del Toro, Innaritu and Alfonso Cuaron have had for years, but they freely admit they spend little time together. Rather it is a case of exchanging ideas and honing each other's writing over the phone and via email from all over the globe. Del Toro, for example, is currently in New Zealand directing Peter Jackson's follow-up to his wildly successful "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Hobbit."

It would appear that the Mexican trio have created an ideal creative environment for themselves, Cha Cha Cha has been criticized for forgetting their Mexican heritage in the rush to embrace Hollywood. It is not a criticism they take lightly.

Watch Cuaron, Bernal and Garcia talking about "Rudo y Cursi"

"I don't care about Mexican films, about indie films, about Hollywood films," says Alfonso. "Just good or bad movies.

"Yes, it's great that we have a common background as Mexican creators, but once you are a creator you have a common language with creators from all around the world."

For del Toro, the company will extend the influence of Mexican cinema not diminish it: "We want to give Mexican cinema, if you want to call it that, the credentials and right to exist in world cinema.

"People don't think twice when [Italian filmmaker] Bernardo Bertolucci is doing a movie about China called 'The Last Emperor.'

"But in your mind, Latin American filmmakers are only doing Latin American films. We're trying to show that it's important to have roots, but not borders."

The bittersweet drama has played to big laughs all over Mexico and the U.S., but for its makers, it is not simply a comedy.

"People talk about this film as if it's a comedy but I question that," says Alfonso. "The elements are very dramatic and actually very tragic, and the ending has a very bittersweet tone."

According to del Toro, the movie "says there's a way to be comfortable with failure, and finding you're emotionally more satisfied in failing."

Failure though, is not an issue overly burdening Cha Cha Cha's "three amigos," — their second film, "Biutiful," set in Barcelona, directed by Inarritu and starring Javier Bardem is currently being edited in Spain.

Alfonso told CNN his next movie would be shot in France and Scotland, and would be in French and English, though that too "will be a Cha Cha Cha film."

Carlos Cuaron is the only one who is unhappy, despite the unprecedented success of his directorial debut.

"For me it's difficult," he says. "Whenever I see the movie, I only see the flaws. Nobody else sees them."

"Not even your mother?" asks Bernal.

"No, not my mother," says the director. "She thinks I'm a genius."

Kids are scary. Steven King knows that. His SHORT story about some kiddos who find religion and decide adults need to die just proves how twisted Mr. Sunshine can be. But who knew Children of the Corn (1984, 92 minutes) would sprout into one of the more prolific horror franchises around? Almost 10 years later there’s Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1993) with a whole new batch of murderous young’uns and a poor old biddy in a wheelchair who gets launched through a plate-glass window. Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1994) takes the show on the road to Chicago when a couple of country killers are adopted and shipped to the Windy City where they raise corn and hell. In Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) the violence once again turns toward the medical community with a doctor who gets cut in half and a gal who gets crucified with hypodermic needles. It’s widely appreciated as the best of the iffy series. Next, nosey college students wander into town asking too many questions in Children Of The Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998). And finally, for the moment, John Franklin reprised his role from the first film in Children of the Corn 666: Isaac’s Return (1999, also available on DVD). But word is that Mulder and Scully-types will track a serial killer to Cornville in the yet to materialize Children of the Corn 7: Resurrection.

The movie: One day after church the children of Gatlin, Nebraska decide they’re not going to EAT their vegetables anymore, they’re going to worship them. And for some reason that means everyone older than 18 must be sacrificed to He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Cornrows, to be precise. Three years later, a doctor named Burt (Peter Horton) and his girlfriend Vicky (Linda Hamilton) are flying along the Nebraska back roads when — WHAMO! — they pancake a kid who staggers onto the road clutching his slit throat. Burt stuffs the flattened pedestrian into the trunk and heads to nearby Gatlin for help. But the town’s deserted except for the dried-up cornstalks the children insist on having strewn around. Things continue getting stranger, and rather than high-tailing it out of there, the dim-witted couple keep snooping around until a gang of knife-wielding youths finally decides to welcome them to Gatlin — permanently. They’re greeted by the group’s leader Isaac (Franklin) a screeching boy-pastor and his blood-thirsty enforcer Malachai (Courtney Gains). But Horton and Hamilton are so horrible in the film that it’s EASY to root for the homicidal religious zealots. CineSchlockers who’d like to see the diversity of Gain’s talent should check out Hardbodies which he made the same year. Gains was the flap-hatted goofus ogling a jiggling bevy of bikini babes.

Notables: No breasts. 10 corpses. Creepy Crayola drawings. Meat-slicer defingering. One dead dog. Possessed corn. Multiple explosions. Excessive wind machine footage. One rat. Multiple shots of light glinting off blades. Tremors-like dirt demon.

Quotables: Are we SURE this Burt guy went to medical school? He isn’t that observant, “There’s something very strange about this town … It’s a little weird here, but it’s safe.”

Time codes: Ms. Hamilton sings (8:25). Isaac delivers a chilling sermon (37:00). A major shift in the cult’s balance of power (1:07:50). Perhaps the WORST special effects in a mainstream Hollywood picture (1:14:50). Cornstalks animate and try to strangle our inept hero (1:21:45).

Audio/Video: Hazy, poorly defined widescreen (1.66:1) print. Night scenes get chunky, but even during bright sunlight an overall fog persists. Few if any artifacts. The nicely mixed Dolby Digital 5.1 track is a welcome surprise.

Extras: A 16-page “collector’s booklet” with nine blurry stills and an essay. Animated menus with audio. Insert card features original movie poster. Theatrical trailer.

Final thought: King’s premise is great, but somehow THIS can’t be the best interpretation of it. Still, it has legs. There’s no denying that. Recommended.