A Minute With: Director Tim Burton Showcases Drawings, Calls Movies His ‘Troubled Children’

US filmmaker Tim Burton poses at the Mole Antonelliana landmark building in Turin, Italy, 10 October 2023, on occasion of the exhibition 'The World of Tim Burton'. Tim Burton will receive the Stella della Mole Award. (EPA)
US filmmaker Tim Burton poses at the Mole Antonelliana landmark building in Turin, Italy, 10 October 2023, on occasion of the exhibition 'The World of Tim Burton'. Tim Burton will receive the Stella della Mole Award. (EPA)
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A Minute With: Director Tim Burton Showcases Drawings, Calls Movies His ‘Troubled Children’

US filmmaker Tim Burton poses at the Mole Antonelliana landmark building in Turin, Italy, 10 October 2023, on occasion of the exhibition 'The World of Tim Burton'. Tim Burton will receive the Stella della Mole Award. (EPA)
US filmmaker Tim Burton poses at the Mole Antonelliana landmark building in Turin, Italy, 10 October 2023, on occasion of the exhibition 'The World of Tim Burton'. Tim Burton will receive the Stella della Mole Award. (EPA)

Oscar-nominated director Tim Burton says he has no favorites when it comes to his movies, describing them all as "troubled children".

Known for films including "Edward Scissorhands", "Frankenweenie" and "Corpse Bride", Burton has also been showcasing his drawings and models in exhibitions.

In an interview, Burton reflected on the show's latest incarnation, the "The World of Tim Burton", which opened on Wednesday at the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, Italy.

Below are excerpts edited for length and clarity.

Q: How involved have you been with the exhibition?

Burton: "It started with the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) show (in 2009) which took a couple of years to curate. This (show in Italy) is sort of an offshoot of that."

Q: What is it like seeing your work?

Burton: "When I first saw it (the show in New York), it did feel like laundry hanging on the wall. I felt quite exposed. I feel that way with films, I like making them but then I get sort of terrified of showing them."

Q: How important are your drawings to your movie making process?

Burton: "When I first started out I didn't really communicate very well, some people say it remains to this day, but I always felt drawings were a way for me to get ideas out. (For example) I'd just draw like a Jack Skellington character (from 1993 film "The Nightmare Before Christmas") and I didn't even know what it was for. Drawing brought out my subconscious."

Q: How did the strikes in Hollywood affect production on "Beetlejuice 2"?

Burton: "I've got two days of shooting left. I know exactly what we need to do, as soon as the strikes are over, take off the pause button and go do it."

Q: Do you have a favorite of your own films?

Burton: "I have no favorites. They're all your troubled children."



Heavy Metal Memorabilia on Offer at Julien’s ‘Music Icons’ Auction

 Executive director and Co-founder of Julien's Auctions Martin Nolan poses with Kiss original lead guitarist Ace Frehley's #1 1974 "Budokan" Triple Pickup Gibson Les Paul Custom, Cherry Sunburst guitar at the Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, in London, Britain, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Executive director and Co-founder of Julien's Auctions Martin Nolan poses with Kiss original lead guitarist Ace Frehley's #1 1974 "Budokan" Triple Pickup Gibson Les Paul Custom, Cherry Sunburst guitar at the Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, in London, Britain, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Heavy Metal Memorabilia on Offer at Julien’s ‘Music Icons’ Auction

 Executive director and Co-founder of Julien's Auctions Martin Nolan poses with Kiss original lead guitarist Ace Frehley's #1 1974 "Budokan" Triple Pickup Gibson Les Paul Custom, Cherry Sunburst guitar at the Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, in London, Britain, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Executive director and Co-founder of Julien's Auctions Martin Nolan poses with Kiss original lead guitarist Ace Frehley's #1 1974 "Budokan" Triple Pickup Gibson Les Paul Custom, Cherry Sunburst guitar at the Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus, in London, Britain, March 24, 2026. (Reuters)

From an ‌array of guitars to stage-worn costumes, memorabilia from the world of heavy metal is on offer in Julien's Auctions upcoming "Music Icons" sale and on display in London over coming weeks.

Items belonging to Ace Frehley, the original lead Kiss guitarist, are among the highlights, including a 1977 tour jacket.

The star lot is the 1974 Gibson ‌Les Paul ‌Ace #1, used on stage and in ‌the ⁠studio by Frehley, ⁠who died last year. It has a price estimate of $400,000 - $600,000.

"He was tremendously attached to this guitar... it’s part of his history," Martin Nolan, executive director and co-founder of Julien's Auctions, told Reuters at ⁠a press preview on Tuesday at London's ‌Hard Rock ‌Cafe in Piccadilly Circus.

"And sadly, he's no longer ‌with us. So the guitar and ‌the items of clothing that he wore are the conversation pieces that keep that legacy alive, keep that memory alive."

Guitars played by Metallica's ‌Kirk Hammett and Motley Crue co-founder Mick Mars among others are ⁠also ⁠on offer in the auction.

A selection of the lots will be on display in the windows of London's Hard Rock Cafe in Piccadilly Circus until April 13, before going on show at Hard Rock Cafe Tokyo on April 27.

The "Music Icons" auction, which Nolan said features more than 700 items across genres, will take place May 29-30 at Hard Rock Cafe Times Square in New York.


Now a True Pop Star, Miley Cyrus Returns to her 'Hannah Montana' Roots to Fete Anniversary Special

Miley Cyrus attends the world premiere for the television show "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special" in Los Angeles, California, US, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Miley Cyrus attends the world premiere for the television show "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special" in Los Angeles, California, US, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
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Now a True Pop Star, Miley Cyrus Returns to her 'Hannah Montana' Roots to Fete Anniversary Special

Miley Cyrus attends the world premiere for the television show "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special" in Los Angeles, California, US, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Miley Cyrus attends the world premiere for the television show "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special" in Los Angeles, California, US, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Sporting that “Hannah Montana” blonde hair and bangs, Miley Cyrus went back to her roots — celebrating 20 years of the TV show that launched the career of a real-life pop star.

Cyrus reunited with cast members of “Hannah Montana” in Los Angeles Monday evening for the premiere of the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.”

Cyrus told The Associated Press that the milestone has given her a chance to see the character and series from “a new perspective.” Cyrus, who began the Disney Channel show at age 13, played Miley Stewart, a tween and middle-schooler hiding her secret life as a famous pop singer.

“Getting to be on the outside now, getting to be grown and be a part of it in a way that I couldn’t when I was in the middle of it before, and all the chaos and the schedule and the performing of it all,” Cyrus said, “now it just gets to be a celebration. So it is a new perspective. I love that.”

The anniversary special, which started streaming Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu, celebrates 20 years since the show’s premiere. Filmed in front of a live audience, it features music, archival footage and an interview with Cyrus — now 33 and a genuine pop star — conducted by podcast host Alex Cooper.

Addressing the audience at the premiere, Cyrus paid tribute both to fellow cast members and fans. “Without you all, this show would have never been what it is, and I love saying what it is, not what it was,” she said.

“Tonight isn’t about looking back into the past, but it’s about what it means to us still tonight,” she said.

Jason Earles, who played Miley’s brother Jackson, told the AP that watching the show now highlights how much time has passed.

“I think if you go back and you watch the episodes, there’s enough dated references like old flip phones and stuff that you go, ‘Oh no, no, this show was a little while ago,'” he said.

Cody Linley, who played Miley’s on-and-off boyfriend Jake Ryan, reflected on the impact of portraying a teen heartthrob.

“It’s hard to believe that there were girls that had pictures of me with my shirt off in their locker and they would have me sign it,” Linley said. “And it’s hard not to let it go to your head, because you have to remember that it’s an image that they are seeing. It’s not you.”

Also attending the premiere was country singer Lainey Wilson, who recalled working as a “Hannah Montana” impersonator early in her career.

“From 8th grade to 12th grade, five years of my life, I would open up the show as Lainey Wilson, I would run behind a tree and put on my ‘Hannah Montana’ get-up,” the singer said. “I did birthday parties, fairs, festivals ... I was hitting the roads.”


'Project Hail Mary' Rockets to Top of N. America Box Office

Ryan Gosling arrives for the premiere of "Project Hail Mary" at Lincoln Center in New York City, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Ryan Gosling arrives for the premiere of "Project Hail Mary" at Lincoln Center in New York City, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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'Project Hail Mary' Rockets to Top of N. America Box Office

Ryan Gosling arrives for the premiere of "Project Hail Mary" at Lincoln Center in New York City, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Ryan Gosling arrives for the premiere of "Project Hail Mary" at Lincoln Center in New York City, US, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Amazon MGM's sci-fi adventure flick "Project Hail Mary" debuted at the top of the North American box office this week with an astronomical $80.5 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Ryan Gosling stars in the film as a teacher-turned-astronaut who awakes on a spaceship with a mission to save Earth from a sun-dimming phenomenon.

It is adapted from a novel by Andy Weir, the author behind 2015 hit "The Martian" starring Matt Damon.

"Weir wrote the story as a standalone, but the weekend figure is more than double the average for a series launch -- that's how strong this is," analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said.

Directed by filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the movie marks "Amazon MGM's first big hit" since the retail giant acquired the storied studio in 2021, Gross noted.

Falling to second place after two weeks on top was animated hit "Hoppers," with $18 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The latest original film from Disney's Pixar tells the story of a young animal lover who uses technology to transfer her consciousness into a robotic beaver so she can better communicate and protect wildlife.

It has now taken in $242 million globally, according to Exhibitor Relations.

Third place went to Hindi-language spy thriller "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" with $9.6 million.

"Depending on where the final figure comes in on Monday, this is a record-breaking opening for a Bollywood film in the US," said Gross, potentially besting 2022 hit "RRR."

Released just three months after the original aired in North America, "Dhurandhar" continues the story of an Indian spy infiltrating Pakistani crime syndicates and politics, seeking to dismantle a terror network.

Considered political propaganda by some of India's neighbors, it has been notably banned in Pakistan.

With $9.1 million, fourth place went to Searchlight's "Ready or Not 2," a follow-up to the 2019 original comedy horror in which a bride must survive a deadly game of hide-and-seek with her new in-laws, AFP reported.

Australia's Samara Weaving reprises her starring role in the sequel, which sees her forced once again to run a gauntlet, this time against multiple families.

"This is a solid opening for the 2nd episode of a low-budget horror comedy series," Gross said. "This opening is up over the first picture, and that's rare."

Fifth place went to Universal's romance film "Reminders of Him," with $8 million.

It is the latest adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover and stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers.