Hollywood's hot-to-trot on Colton Harris-Moore, the "Barefoot Bandit" whose capture in the Bahamas capped a manhunt for the alleged serial burglar.

But according to the January profile in Outside magazine -- grist for the book proposal behind the film -- it's not exactly a feel-good story.

Reporter Bob Friel, who lives in an area that saw break-ins later attributed to Colton, mentions facts you won't see in the breathless news coverage of this latter-day outlaw.

"Colton was first suspected of theft in 2001, when he was ten years old," says Detective Ed Wallace, of the Island County sheriff's department, which has been chasing Colt almost constantly ever since. Born March 22, 1991, the young outlaw tended toward the childish in his criminal tooth-cutting—petty thefts and malicious mischief. ...  According to court records, when confronted by the principal, Colt said he "could not stop stealing and didn't know why." In sixth grade, the kids at school began calling him Klepto Colt.

But wait, there's more:

After reading a couple hundred pages of Island County court documents concerning Colt's childhood, I got the impression that, at times, this place had been anything but a haven for him. Reports name a dozen Child Protective Services referrals dating from the time he was one. They also reference "numerous" reports that "Colton's mother has been heavily affected by alcohol abuse throughout his formative years" and state that his father was gone by the time Colt was four, though back for at least one family barbecue, which ended with Colt calling 911 and the father being chased through the woods and arrested on outstanding warrants. The court documents state that Colt's stepfather was a heroin addict.

It's not exactly a feel-good story. And, for the Bandit and his family, there may not even be a happy ending: Prosecutors are reportedly seeking to deny Harris-Moore or his mother any profits from the book or film projects. Instead, they want that money redistributed to the victims of the crimes.

Santa Monica, Calif. - July 7, 2010

Lightstorm Entertainment Inc. and 20th Century Fox today announced that a dispute with Crack Creative relating to certain "Virtual Production" technology developed for the film "Avatar" has been resolved.  In collaboration with James Cameron, Rob Legato and others, Crack Creative was involved in early research and development on the Virtual Production process and Virtual Camera technology during 2005. 

The Virtual Production process and Virtual Camera technology allowed Cameron to shoot scenes interactively as if he was actually on location on Pandora with real Na'vi actors standing in front of him.  He was able to see what the computer generated characters were doing as the live actors did it, adjust camera work in reaction to performances and interact with the virtual environment of another planet.  The technology also allows for computer generated actors to be integrated into live action photography on set in real time.  The Virtual Production process helps filmmakers by giving more creative control, optimizing the workflow with visual effects facilities, and opening up a whole new world of filmmaking possibilities.

Under the supervision of then-Virtual Production Supervisor Joshua Kolden, Crack Creative worked on research and development of the Virtual Production technology in 2005.  Although Crack Creative did not participate in the production of “Avatar”, James Cameron, Jon Landau, Lightstorm Entertainment, and 20th Century Fox would like to acknowledge Crack Creative’s contribution to the development of the Virtual Production technology used to make “Avatar”.

For more information about Crack Creative, go to crackcreative.com

BY BILL HIGGINS

Thursday, after a Chinese Theater screening that had its fair share of explosions, Fox had the after-blast at the Hollywood Roosevelt for "The A-Team" premiere.

In what might be a good trend for execs, co-topper Tom Rothman said he preferred to be quoted using writer-director Joe Carnahan's line: "If you don't like a tank flying out of a plane, then you just don't like summer movies."

For himself, Carnahan said, "You're working with something that's had 25 years in the zeitgeist, four years on the air, and you've got two hours to satisfy fans and create a new experience for the current audience." He then added that "zeitgeist" is his new favorite word.

Party was poolside with a crowd that included Brett Ratner, Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Minnie Driver, producer Ridley Scott and Fox co-topper Jim Gianopulos who said, "With a property like this with such affection equity, you have to deliver on a higher level."

(Photos: Top, Sharlto Copley and Bradley Cooper make a grand entrance at the Hollywood premiere. Right, Fox co-topper Jim Gianopulos and thesp Liam Neeson)