WEDNESDAY NIGHT: I did a personal survey of studio sources today, and they were unanimous in saying that the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 video game sensation that his the market on Tuesday, will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on the box-office performance of Iron Man (Paramount) this weekend.

Hello all, and welcome once again to Bard's Eye View, the place to come to alleviate some of the confusion you must feel when trying to pick the strongest possible lineup for your summer slates. Yes, that's right, I said summer! SUMMER! Hip hip hooray! Nice nice! Ya-boo! Phillips is a German and he have my pen! (BONG!) "Start again ..."

Warner Bros. and the Wachowski Brothers may need to call for a tow truck. Speed Racer, the big budget adaptation of the popular anime cartoon classic, remains in the "slow lane" according to the most recent industry tracking.

Greetings, Moguls! After a long, arduous winter/spring full of movies as flat as the Coke you left uncovered outside all day, summer is FINALLY here. It's time for another dose of superheroes, high powered sequels, and of course, the annual contribution from Pixar. The new May-July leagues have some very interesting prices, to be sure; whether you're in an Ultimate or Box Office league, it's possible to fit 2 or even 3 mega-blockbusters on your slate! But, in order to do that, you'll have to reach into the bargain basement for some potentially low-priced steals. Have no fear, however! As a special kickoff to the summer season, this week I am expanding my analysis to bring you: The Summer Bargain Basement Spectacular, a countdown of the best 10 films in each league type, Ultimate Movie Moguls and Box Office Moguls priced at $5 or less.

Indiana Jones is coming. So is Batman. So is that spaceship that looks exactly like Eddie Murphy (sweet, we just saved a pile of cash on special effects), as well as that Israeli assassin and hairstylist who looks like Adam Sandler (crap, we just spent a pile of cash on wigs) and that mysterious evil essence that says man's time on Earth is done, even yours, Marky Mark (wait, what did M. Night Shyamalan do with our pile of cash?). It's a great time to be a Fantasy Moguls player, and a time that reminds all of us here at Moguls Central that movies rule and this is heck of a way to make a living. If you've been playing since the first Moguls leagues hit the Web, then we're happy (and honored) to still have you aboard. Thanks for liking us. (If we were Julia Roberts or Sally Field, we'd keep right up on babbling until Gil Cates opened the trapdoor behind the podium.) If you're new to The Game (almost as cool as the one that ate up Michael Douglas), then we're pleased to meet you. Either way, we hope you'll enjoy a week's worth of special contributions from our regular Swamis of the Cinema.

It is time to get very serious about the first major summer blockbuster Iron Man (Paramount), which will debut Thursday night at 8 p.m. at multiplexes from coast-to-coast. My sources tell me that this Robert Downey Jr. vehicle about a hard-drinking billionaire who creates a fantastic iron suit is actually “out-tracking” last summer’s Dreamworks/Paramount smash Transformers.

Steve Mason is now on Facebook and on MySpace.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Hollywood is heading into its biggest season after a very solid weekend. Last year, on the weekend before the release of mega-blockbuster Spider-Man 3 (Sony), the top 12 movies generated $62.2 million. This year, on the three-day prior to the release of Paramount's Iron Man, the top 12 have scored an estimated $80.6 million. That's a 25 percent year-over-year increase, and four films will finish with $10 million-plus.

As of Monday night, I projected that Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo (Warner Bros.) would win this final pre-Iron Man (Paramount) weekend, and I'm standing by that, although I don't expect any new film or holdover to top $15 million.

Arthouse films usually rely on Festivals to build up a reputation. Set critics and audiences on fire in a key film festival, and your movie will multiply its chances of getting a theatrical distribution and finding success along the way. And, by this time next week, the most important Film Festival of the planet will have unveiled its 2008 selections. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival, on the sunny French Riviera.

Good day one and all, and welcome back to Bard's Eye View, your own person guidebook to the ultra-smashes, the mega-flops, and the unbelievably ordinary of upcoming cinematic developments. Whether you are a youngster taking a break from cramming for finals, a seasoned professional taking a gander on your lunch break, or super-intelligent chimp who banged just the right combination of keys to bring up this article, to you I say, in order, welcome, welcome, and eep ook aaa aaa ooo ooo gnaaa Heston had it coming. (Wink.)