Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee scored the best opening of their careers on Sunday, as the heist thriller “Inside Man” grabbed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office in North America with estimated ticket sales of $29 million.

The film, which also stars Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, was the top picture overseas as well, with sales of $9.6 million from 18 countries, including No. 1 openings in Britain and Germany, according to distributor Universal Pictures.

Washington’s previous best bow was the kidnap thriller “Man on Fire,” which opened with $22.8 million in April 2004. Lee’s best was the comedy concert “The Original Kings of Comedy,” with $11 million in August 2000.

“Inside Man,” which cost about $45 million to make, revolves around a cat-and-mouse game between a bank robber (Owen) and a New York cop (Washington). Foster plays an intermediary with her own agenda.

Universal said exit polling indicated that 68 percent of the audience was aged 30 and older, and that male viewers comprised 54 percent. Three-quarters of respondents said Washington was their main reason for going. Universal Pictures is a unit of General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal Inc

Serial partier and teen queen Lindsay Lohan was on the hunt recently in New York and striking out, according to one published report. Fortunately for Lohan her British Knight was there for a rescue and Clive Owen, the star of ‘Derailed’ came to her aid.

A Clive Owen Rescue

The NY Post borrows a line from ‘American Idol’ judge Simon Cowell in a snarky item detailing La Lohan’s search for someone - anyone.

The NY Post gossip column sees it this way:

Man-eating minx Lindsay Lohan is at it again. After hanging out with Matthew McConaughey and George Clooney at Bungalow 8 on Wednesday night, the teen queen hit the Piaget-sponsored after-party for the new Salma Hayek/Colin Farrell romp, “Ask the Dust,” at the SoHo Grand on Thursday.

Double-L wasted no time asking about Farrell, with whom she’s been linked in the past

“She was intent on finding him,” said one guest. Told that Farrell was filming elsewhere, she pouted with her girlfriends, perking up only when British heartthrob Clive Owen chatted her up.

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Lohan is doing something right. Getting “chatted up” by event the very married Clive would pretty much cheer any gal up.