Some media items of note.

Sailing along. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Walden Media’s third release based on C.S. Lewis‘ Christian-themed fantasy saga The Chronicles of Narnia, fell to third place in the domestic box office results this weekend, after opening in the top spot last week. The film brought in $12,400,000 bringing its total domestic gross so far to $42,764,000.  That’s a fall off of just over 48%. It was topped, BTW, by Tron Legacy (opening at $43,600,000) and Yogi Bear ($16,705,000).

However, it’s worth noting that 2006’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the hugely-successful first edition of the franchise dropped over 51% in its second week (after opening at #1) before really finding its legs for a lengthy 22-week run in theaters and a total gross of nearly $292 million.

Also of note, Treader continues to float atop the international box office, repeating in the #1 position with a worldwide take of nearly $30 million.

Larry King goes out on top. The suspendered one got a warm send off as he ended his long-running CNN talk show with 2.25 million viewers. That’s nearly double his usual audience take as he even beat usual time-slot winner Sean Hannity.

One thing you gotta give Larry is that he made the show about his guests and not him. That’s a quality that’s harder and harder to find among the current universe of too-often ego-driven hosts. He’ll be missed.

Fox Network to air family films. The broadcast network known for edgier fare will turn over a Saturday night in January (1/8, specifically) to air Change of Plans, the latest family film sponsored by a partnership of Procter & Gamble and Walmart.

Change of Plans stars singer Brooke White (who placed 5th in Season 7 of American Idol) making her acting debut as Sally Danville who, along with her husband (Joe Flanigan of Stargate: Atlantis), adopts the four children of her best friend, a Peace Corps worker killed in a tragic accident. Three of those children were previously adopted by the deceased friend from impoverished countries

The film (and potential series) will explore cultural differences and understanding within the microcosm of the Danville family.

Also in the cast is Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) as the social worker who helps the Danville’s keep it all together.

The previous three Family Movie Nights (Secrets of the Mountain, The Jensen Project and A Walk in My Shoes) aired on NBC to respectable ratings.

Brooklyn Story garners Hollywood attention. First-time novelist Suzanne Corso‘s new book (published by Gallery Books) goes on sale December 28th and is already in development as a movie attracting the attention of director Penny Marshall and top-flight performers Lorraine Bracco, Olympia Dukakis and Armand Assante.

The story takes place in the summer of 1978 and tells the story of Samantha Bonti, a half-Jewish/half-Italian 15-year-old living in Bensonhurst with her cynical mother and encouraging grandmother. The plot thickens as Samantha becomes involved with Tony Kroon, an older mobster wannabe who threatens to draw the young aspiring writer into a destructive lifestyle that threatens to shatter her dreams. Will she listen to her grandmother’s advice and write herself out of Tony’s life before it’s too late?

Good luck to Corso. It’s always nice to new talent break through.