Austin roasts Opie — by accident
Austin Powers in Goldmember is so loaded with gags that audiences drown many out. But one joke is getting extra, unintended, laughs.
As Scott Evil (Seth Green) begins to live up to his last name in the new spy spoof, he loses more and more of his red hair, more closely resembling his villainous bald dad, Dr. Evil (Mike Myers). That's the joke. But plenty of people are getting a second laugh when they realize that Scott's comb-over makes him look just like director Ron Howard.
"All the press has mentioned it," says Green, referring to reporters who saw advance screenings. "But it wasn't intentional."
Myers is loving it. "It is the most hilarious, inaccurate conclusion that I've ever heard in my life," he says. "We just wanted to have a funny device to illustrate the idea that he was turning into his father."
Howard, whose brother Clint is in Goldmember and whose business partner is producing Myers' movie The Cat in the Hat, hasn't seen the film. If Myers says it's not intentional, says a spokesman, Howard has no complaint.
'Red Rabbit' burrows into Cold War comfort
Jack Ryan returns in "Red Rabbit."
I Must Be Dreaming!
Have you ever had a dream about Celine Dion? Hav eyou ever wondered what it meant?
Foo Fighters not splitting up: Grohl
Dave Grohl has set the record straight on the status of the Foo Fighters.
The band, which had been on hiatus while Grohl toured with Queens Of The Stone Age, were rumoured to be splitting after Grohl postponed recording of the latest Foo Fighters album to hit the road, reports Britain's New Musical Express.
"There was never any talk of breaking up," NME quoted Grohl. "It was just personal life decisions."
However, Grohl did admit that they did have problems when they entered the studio last October, shortly after Foo's drummer Taylor Hawkins was hospitalized for "overindulgence" while on tour.
"After that went down it scared the shit out of everybody and we thought 'Let's stop for a while'," Grohl said. "Then we thought the one thing that could heal us was working on the record and honestly, I don't think we were ready to go in yet. After two and a half months of recording, it became a chore. We didn't feel like the luckiest people in the world like usual."
Grohl explained that his time off from the Foo Fighters made the new album "ten times better than it was six months ago".
The band are currently wrapping up their fourth album "1X1" (pronounced "One By One"), which is set to be released on October 22.
New U2 Single On The Way!
U2 has bolted back into the studio and recorded their brand new single, "Electric Storm".
The single will be released in October and will accompany their forthcoming 17-song "Best of" album in November.
A second new track on the "Best of" release will be "The Hands That Built America", written for Martin Scorsese's long-delayed epic, "Gangs Of New York".
"Electric Storm" will be released to radio on Sept. 16.
Meanwhile, a New York Post report says U2 are lined up to headline a massive concert in New York's Times Square on Sept. 5 - just six days before the September 11 anniversary -- to kick off the National Football League's new season.
The report also says the other top musical acts will perform at the show, which is expected to draw thousands of fans.
"Happy #@$%! American Thanksgiving!"
Scarier than Harvey Weinstein biting the head off of a bat, Miramax gleefully announced yesterday that they have acquired the rights to the first two seasons of MTV's smash hit The Osbournes for DVD and VHS release. With season one due this November, just in time for the network kickoff of season two, apparently the growing backlash due to the (over)exposure of MTV's most popular show ever doesn't seem to be fazing anyone involved. "As soon as I discussed this project with Harvey (Weinstein), I knew that Miramax was the right home for 'The Osbournes,'" said matriarch Sharon Osbourne. As for what fans can expect, Weinstein hinted "The show's incredible following, never-before-seen footage and other DVD extras will make The Osbournes a key addition to Miramax's family of DVD and video hits." Stay tuned for the full details...
WHO'S BITTER
The former wife of late Who bassist John Entwistle slamming her ex-husband in an interview with Australia's Melbourne Herald Sun. She said Entwistle was an emotional and financial mess, and that he and his bandmates (Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend) were not friends.
RISING TO THE OCCASION?
Bruce Springsteen telling London's Times that he thought the war in Afghanistan was "handled well" by the Bush administration. "It was deliberative, which I wasn't counting on," said Springsteen. "I expected a lot less from this administration."
Guns, Zeppelin Top Greatest Metal Albums List
This is one "greatest albums" list The Beatles did not make.
In the world of heavy metal, the genre that allows fans to blow off steam to deafening, bone-crunching music, honors for the greatest album of all time have gone to Guns N' Roses.
The short-lived U.S. rock band's 1987 debut release, "Appetite For Destruction," took pole position in Spin magazine's top 40 list, ahead of works by pioneering bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
Led Zeppelin's untitled 1971 release, commonly known as "Led Zeppelin IV" or "Zoso" was second, followed by Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (1971), Metallica's "Master of Puppets" (1986) and AC/DC's "Back in Black" (1980), Spin's editors decreed in the magazine's upcoming September issue.
"Appetite for Destruction," which includes such hits as "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine," has sold more than 15 million copies in the United States. Spin said it "sounds like Hollywood at 2 a.m., only genuine and dangerous and absolutely necessary."
The Led Zeppelin album was "the defining endeavor for the band and the genre it accidentally created," Spin said. The U.K. quartet's "Led Zeppelin II" (1969) took the No. 7 spot.
Fellow Brits Black Sabbath also appeared twice, with 1972's "Vol. 4" at No. 14. Additionally, frontman Ozzy Osbourne's 1980 solo album "Blizzard Of Ozz," recorded after he was fired from the band, came in at No. 26.
Carrey to Play Reporter in Comedy
Actor Jim Carrey will play a disconsolate TV reporter in the upcoming comedy, "Bruce Almighty," which will be shot on location in Buffalo and Niagara Falls in September.
Carrey's character, Bruce, exasperates God with his constant grousing to the point where he's given the chance to run the universe for a day.
Director Tom Shadyac, who also directed Carrey, 40, in "Liar Liar" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," said the actor watched Buffalo TV stations while growing up across the border in Canada and learned everything he needed to know for his role from local news broadcasts.
Bruuuuuuuuuce!
As you may have figured out by now I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen. His new CD comes out today and even though he will be all over the media anyway, there is extensive coverage of his new disc below.
The major link I want to share with you is the TIME MAGAZINE COVER STORY that many in Canada won't see.
Y'see Bruce is on the cover of the magazine for the first time since he was there in 1975 when Time proclaimed him "Rock's New Sensation." But here in Canada we have "our own" version of Time magazine and the cover story in the Canadian edition is about whether or not you will be able to retire.
So enjoy the story, pick up the CD and know that I have done the same!
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!!!!!!!!!!
Today's New DVD and Video Releases
The "biggest" titles on today's list of new releases features some stars who used to have it, then lost it. If you waste your time with these films, you will easily see why.
But then again, there is a Milla Jovovich movie to spend some time with. Mmmm...Milla!
Seriously though, who will be watching any movies tonight anyway?!?! There is a new Bruce Springsteen CD out!
UP FIRST, THE BIGGER TITLES
Resident Evil- An elite force combats zombies and mutants in secret lab. (Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius)
Collateral Damage- A firefighter tracks down terrorist that killed his family. (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri)
Dragonfly- A husband believes that his dead wife is trying to commune. (Kevin Costner, Kathy Bates, Kathryn Erbe)
Dinotopia- Two brothers find continent inhabited by dinosaurs and man. (Tyron Leitso, Wentworth Miller, Katie Carr)
Elvis: His Best Friend Remembers- Elvis' best friend recounts Elvis' life and final days. (Diamond Joe Esposito)
K-9: P.I.- Dooley and his dog, Jerry Lee, stop crooks again. (James Belushi)
Kylie Minogue: Live In Sidney- The complete Kylie Minogue concert from Sidney, Australia. (Kylie Minogue)
AND THEN THE REST OF THE PACK
1999
2002 U.S. Open Golf Tournament
Allies At War
Amazing Tales Of Wartime Escapes
Bible Songs
Big (Widescreen)
Bloody Fists
Butt Ugly Martians: Best Of The Bad Guys
Butt Ugly Martians: Boyz To Martians
Butt Ugly Martians: Hoverboard Heroes
Cantonen Iron Kung Fu
Carnival Of Souls
Catfish In Black Bean Sauce
Change Of Habit
Cleopatra (Collector's Edition)
Collateral Damage
Contract Killer
The Corpse Grinders II
Crypt Of The Living Dead
Dance Of Death
Deeply
Die Hard (Five Star Collection)
Die Hard - The Ultimate Collection (Ultimate Edition)
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (Special Edition)
Die Hard With A Vengeance (Special Edition)
Doors: Best Of The Doors (Collector's Edition)
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde
The Eagle's Killer
Ed Gein
Felicidades (Spanish)
Final Payback
The French Connection (Five Star Collection)
G-Men From Hell
Hellcats In High Heels
Ice From The Sun
If You Only Knew
Inbred Rednecks
K-9
Latina Girls Going Crazy 2
A Love Divided
M*A*S*H- Season Two
Man Beast
NHL 2002 Stanley Cup Championship
Once Upon A Time In China And America
Out Of The Cold
Premutos: Lord Of The Living Dead
The Principal
A Question Of Faith
Resident Evil
Rock Da Houze
Soulkeeper
The Sound Of Music (Special Edition)
Speed (Collector's Edition)
Speed (Five Star Collection)
Speed 2: Cruise Control (Full Screen)
Stricken
Toddler Tunes
Total Reality
Zombie Doom
Today's New CD Releases
A few weeks ago when I first heard the new CD "The Rising" from Bruce Springsteen, of who I am a huge fan, I was blown away! Easily it earned 5 stars our of 5. Then my good friend Bruce, a different Bruce, asked me if it was actually good or was I just a fan. I answered that it was good! That I loved it! My comment was that there was "...just something about how Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band sounds that makes this record special."
And now, after spending the past month listening to the CD, I must profess that I like it even more. I have been listening to this CD literally non- stop at home and at work since I first found it and the songs on this disc are so powerful that even after multiple, multiple listens they continue to move me. It is the perfect reaction piece to how we have all been feeling since last September. Angry, sad, empty, rejuvenated, passionate, etc.
To me, it is a masterpiece!
But will you like it?
Well, if you enjoy thoughtful, thought provoking, well written music that says something other that "It's Hot In Here" or "The World's Been Empty Without Me" then you will. If music can move you, then you will.
Otherwise, here's the rest of the CD's that are coming out today! And look, there is a Damn Yankees disc!
* 12 STONES 12 Stones (Sony)
* 28 DAYS Upstyledown (Linus Entertainment)
* 30 SECONDS TO MARS 30 Seconds To Mars
* A*TEENS Pop Til You Drop (Stockholm)
* BETH ORTON Daybreaker (Heavenly/Astralwerks)
* BIG L The Big Picture (Rawkus)
* BLACK STAR Black Star (Rawkus)
* BOA Twilight (Pioneer)
* BURNING SPEAR Fittest Of The Fittest (EMI)
* CECE WINANS Everlasting Love (Pioneer)
* COMPANY FLOW Funcrusher Plus (Rawkus)
* COUNTRY BEARS OST Country Bears OST (Universal)
* DA BEATMINERZ Brace 4 Impak (Rawkus)
* DAMN YANKEES The Essentials (Rhino)
* DARIUS RUCKER Back To Then (Hidden Beach/Epic)
* DAVID SANBORN The Essentials (Rhino)
* DR. JOHN The Essentials (Rhino)
* EMMYLOU HARRIS Roses In The Snow (Remaster) (Rhino)
* FEAR FACTORY Concrete (Roadrunner)
* FILTER The Amalgamut (Warner)
* GILLES PETERSON Worldwide Program 2 (Mercury)
* HARRY CHAPIN The Essentials (Rhino)
* ISYSS The Way We Do (Arista)
* JOE NICHOLS Man With A Memory (Universal South)
* JOHN ADAMS Native & Sentimental Music (Warner International)
* K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND The Essentials (Rhino)
* KNOC-TURN'AL L.A. Confidential Presents (Elektra)
* LAMYA Learning From Falling (J Records)
* LINDA THOMPSON Fashionably Late (Rounder)
* LINKIN PARK Reanimation (Warner)
* MARAH Float Away With The Friday Night Gods (Artemis)
* PAM TILLIS TBA (Pam TIllis) (Sony Nashville)
* RASCALZ ReLoaded (Vik)
* SINCH Sinch (Roadrunner)
* THE HIGH & MIGHTY Home Field Advantage (Rawkus)
* TODD RUNDGREN The Essentials (Rhino)
* YES In A Word: Yes (Box Set) (Rhino)
Oh, and if you want a second opinion of "The Rising..."
Springsteen's 'Rising' strikes right post-9/11 note
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
Songwriters grappling with Sept. 11 fallout did little to affirm music's power to heal and enlighten, instead burdening the airwaves with such flag-waving bombast as Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American) and Paul McCartney's clunky Freedom.
It took populist rocker Bruce Springsteen to get it right. The Rising (three and a half stars out of four).
Impressionistic rather than literal, Springsteen's commentary sidesteps specifics and instead seeps into universal tales of love and community, evoking haunting images of that dreadful day even in the pre-9/11 My City of Ruins' rumination on New Jersey's Asbury Park. The result is an emotionally vivid portrait of grief and renewal that encapsulates a nation's struggle for recovery and understanding.
Yet the album, out today, never forgets its role as entertainment. A shrewd marriage of message and muscle, The Rising rushes toward the morning after the mourning, the lively wake that celebrates survival and unity even in the midst of unbearable pain.
Springsteen's willingness to walk that fine line is a brave move, given that fans would have been content with a rote regurgitation of exhilarating E Street swagger. On this first album of originals since 1995's The Ghost of Tom Joad and first full studio record with the E Street Band since 1984's Born in the USA, Springsteen keeps one foot planted in his roots while the other kicks over new stones.
Lyrically, he confronts thorny territory with spectacular success (except in assorted repetitious choruses and the lazy cliche of Waitin' on a Sunny Day). Springsteen achieves new levels of grace and emotional intensity in Paradise, told from the viewpoint of a suicide bomber, and Empty Sky, a subdued but harrowing tale that could be about a lost lover or the skyline gap left by the fallen twin towers. The devastating Into the Fire is less ambiguous: "The sky was falling and streaked with blood/I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into the dust/Up the stairs, into the fire."
Musically, Springsteen fails to break new ground aside from the cautious use of electronica in The Fuse and the exotica of Pakistani qwali singer Asif Ali Khan in Worlds Apart. Mary's Place, a transparent throwback to Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), is an apparent concession to Boss diehards stubbornly stalled in the '70s.
Producer Brendan O'Brien, best known for his steady hand in Pearl Jam records, gives The Rising its richly textured soundscape and pulls Springsteen's commanding voice front and center. Though limited to its usual paces, the E Street Band struts with confidence, enhancing the tent-revival fervor Springsteen whips up as an antidote for psychic wounds.
After 10 Years, Peter Gabriel Looks 'Up'
It has been 10 years since Peter Gabriel's last studio set, "Us," but the artist has finally wrapped work on its follow-up, "Up," due Sept. 24 via Geffen. The 11-song set is led by first single "The Barry Williams Show" (which was not written about "The Brady Bunch" star of the same name). A diverse group of guest artists make appearances, including the Blind Boys Of Alabama, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, and bassist Danny Thompson (Talk Talk, David Sylvian).
"Up" does its best to make up for lost time, with the majority of the tracks stretching past the six-minute mark. Many songs have been previewed over the past few months on Gabriel's official Web site, while others have their basis in prior songs, including "I Grieve," which previously appeared on the soundtrack to the 1998 film "City of Angels" but has been heavily revamped.
A fall tour is in the works, with a Nov. 5 date in Atlanta already set and shows expected to run through mid-December. Gabriel will also perform with the band Slut at the KoniXXtreffer festival, set for Aug. 31 in Munich. Bryan Ferry, the Ark, and Reamonn are also in the bill.
Gabriel has released a lot of music since "Us," including the recent soundtrack to the Australian film "Rabbit Proof Fence" and a collaboration with rap act Naughty By Nature for its TVT album "iicons." The bulk of his catalog was also reissued this year via Geffen.
The 'Rising' Tide
Rock troubadour Bruce Springsteen returns this week with the incredible disc "The Rising" -- his first album of new material since 1995's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and his first full set with the legendary E Street Band since 1984's "Born in the U.S.A." Produced by Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam), the albums centers thematically on the events Sept. 11 and those affected by the attacks.
O'Brien manages to take Springsteen to uncharted waters on at least one song ("World's Apart") but for the most part the music doesn't sound particularly unlike the artist's most recent studio efforts. The album's best songs ("Into the Fire," "You're Missing," "Paradise") find Springsteen revisiting the contemplative mid-tempo rock of "Streets of Philadelphia," while a handful of less enjoyable numbers ("Countin' on a Miracle," "Let's Be Friends") rely more on an outdated '80s pop sense. The subtle lyrics and bare arrangements of the slower tunes (which ironically lack nearly any E Street contribution) seem to have a spark the more elaborate numbers lack.
Springsteen and company embark on a 46-city tour Aug. 7 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a run which is expected to extend well into 2003, with stops in Europe, Australia, and an eventual return to the U.S. Springsteen is also scheduled for a series of television appearances, including a segment Tuesday (July 30) on the "Today" show, two appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman" later this week, and an Aug. 29 performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Myers and Roach Talk AUSTIN POWERS 4
Nooo, baby! That's what director Jay Roach says when asked if "Goldmember" is really the last "Austin Powers" movie. "Yeah, it's true that it's been reported that 'Goldmember' is the last in the series," says Roach. "But I'll tell you that halfway through production of this film, Mike Myers and I looked at each other and said, 'What about Austin Powers 4?' "
Plot ideas? "Mike and I said, 'Hmmm, what if Dr. Evil goes into the future? I had ideas and Mike has a billion characters in his head.
"Suddenly, we were saying, 'What about Austin Powers in space?' " And one more idea that could happen? "I have an idea for a prequel," Roach says. "You'll see Dr. Evil as the ultimate cold warrior guy and, meanwhile, Austin Powers launches the British invasion."
Another shagadelic detail about the movie with the $71.5 million mojo at the box office this weekend: Getting Ozzy Osbourne and family for a cameo was rough. "It was a complex deal and happened at the last minute," Roach says. "Ozzy and Sharon didn't know if they wanted to do it until the last minute. We needed five hours from them. They gave us one. But they did it because they love Mike Myers who [was on the set] the day we shot their cameo even though he wasn't in the scene. Mike just stood there off-camera talking to their dogs and helping the Osbournes feel good about themselves."
PS: The actual shoot will be featured in the new season of "The Osbournes" on MTV.
And Dark Horizons had this from Mike Myers:
Mike Myers talked with ITV the other day about the possibility of another comedy adventure: "I would love to do more, Jay and I were apprehensive about doing a 3rd, then we felt that we had a good idea, we had a great time doing it, the response has been awesome, we’ve loved this whole experience. I think now we would love to do a 4th one, I don’t have an idea yet so if I come up with an idea - then yeah…I had so much fun".
UNBREAKABLE 2 a Possibilty
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan told SCI FI Wire that he originally wanted to do a sequel to his superhero film Unbreakable, but thought better of it when critics and audiences reacted lukewarmly to the movie. "I would have, but I just didn't feel enough love," Shyamalan said in an interview while promoting his next movie, Signs. "That's the true answer. Most people won't give you the true answer. I just didn't feel enough love."
Shyamalan added that he was a bit surprised by the negative reaction to the movie, which starred Bruce Willis as a reluctant hero. "I was mostly surprised at the lack of the acknowledgment of what at least we aspired to do, [which] was to do the classy, non-fighting [non-Green-] Goblins-on-the-roof version [of a comic-book story]. Spider-Man was the goblins on the roof. I liked Spider-Man a lot. And my favorite part of it was the first hour, again, becoming Spider-Man. That's what I like, and that's what I wanted to make a movie of. And yeah, I have other ideas for Mr. Glass [Samuel L. Jackson] and Bruce's character, but ... ."
Asked if he might be persuaded to do a sequel, Shyamalan said, "I don't know. There's a lot of [fans], like when we had the first screening of Signs, these Unbreakable fanatics came out in force. And I was like, wow. They all came out. They came out with the DVDs and the posters. I was like, holy moley. And there was one Sixth Sense DVD there. And everybody else was Unbreakable. And I was like, wow. I guess there is a little cult thing going on. But that was really sweet. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe." Signs, which stars Mel Gibson as a man who must deal with crop circles on his family farm, opens Aug. 2.
MODEL MOMMY
Claudia Schiffer is pregnant with her first child, her publicist confirmed Monday. The supermodel has reportedly made it through her first trimester--coincidentally three months after marrying film producer Matthew Vaughn.
MODEL MOMMY II
Supermodel Daniela Pestov gave birth to a daughter July 21 at New York Hospital. The girl, named Ella, weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and is the first for Pestov and boyfriend Palo Habera. She also has a six-year-old son, Yanick, from a previous relationship.
MOVING ON
The New York Post is reporting that All My Children actress Kelly Ripa, who also cohosts Live with Regis & Kelly, is planning to leave the soap opera when her contract runs out in December.
However, Ripa says, "All My Children has been and will continue to be a big part of my life. I hope to continue to appear as Hayley Santos for many years to come."
D'OH
Bugs Bunny topping TV Guide's list of 50 greatest cartoon characters, edging out Homer Simpson. Rocky and Bullwinkle check in at third, Beavis and Butt-head are in fourth and The Grinch is fifth.
Here's another review of Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," This One From E! Online
Our Grade: A-
Our Review: No one can capture the feelings of the post-9-11 everyman like Bruce Springsteen. That fact is proven over and over again on The Rising, the Boss' first recording with the E Street Band in nearly 20 years. Nearly every tune deals with the emotional repercussions of the terrorist attacks, both literally--as rescue workers head "Into the Fire"--and figuratively. Even with the emotional weight it shoulders, this is hardly a downer of an album. Producer Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam) livens up the proceedings for an inspirational journey that's in line with Springsteen's devoted optimism. Moments of classic raspy Springsteen ("Countin' on a Miracle") are surprisingly offset by experimentation, such as the Middle Eastern inflection on "Worlds Apart." Over the years, it might not stand up to classics such as Nebraska or The River, but the The Rising gives us something more important right now: a reason to believe.
Spears Abruptly Walks Off Mexico Stage, Ending Tour
Britney Spears ended her world tour on a controversial note as rain showers cut short her final show in Mexico City on Sunday night, adding insult to injury after she made an obscene gesture upon arrival here last week.
Concert organizers OCESA said in a statement on Monday that Sunday night's thunderstorm and lightning posed a significant enough safety concern to call off the show after less than five songs.
The 20-year-old pop princess sang four songs in the last show of her Pepsi-sponsored world tour, but during the set's fifth song, "Stronger," left the stage, saying only "I'm sorry Mexico. I love you. Bye," according to a report in local daily Milenio.
Boos and jeers rained down on the stage when a public announcement asked fans to leave the Foro Sol stadium. Some concert-goers began throwing pop diva paraphernalia and chanting "fraud, fraud," the newspaper reported.
OCESA also announced in its statement that beginning Thursday fans, who paid anywhere from $14 to $190 for tickets to Sunday night's show, could get a full refund.
In the organizers' statement, Spears said she was sorry the show was canceled. "The Mexican fans are some of the best in the world. However, for the security of my company and the audience, as well as for the show's quality, I had to suspend my performance," she said.
Mexico City was the last leg of a "world tour" that began in the United States and Canada.
Spears, who rocketed to fame with her 1998 hit "Baby, one more time," spent less than a week in Mexico City, but attracted plenty of attention during her visit.
The pop star was caught by cameras extending her middle finger in a universally recognized insult after she arrived last Tuesday night at an airport in Toluca, some 40 miles from Mexico City.
Spears later said the gesture was an angry response to paparazzi, who she said nearly caused a wreck with the vehicle in which she was riding.
Sept. 11 Inspired Springsteen Album
Bruce Springsteen did some research for his new album "The Rising," written largely in response to Sept. 11.
Two widows of men killed in the terrorist attacks told Time magazine that Springsteen, 52, called them to learn more about their husbands and their loss.
"When you're putting yourself into shoes you haven't worn, you have to be very ... just very thoughtful, is the way that I'd put it. Just thoughtful," Springsteen told the magazine.
"You call on your craft, and you go searching for it, and hopefully what makes people listen is that over the years you've been serious and honest," he said.
"The Rising" goes on sale Tuesday and is Springsteen's first work of entirely new material in seven years. His 46-city tour with the E Street Band starts Aug. 7.
Springsteen's home county, Monmouth, lost 158 people in the World Trade Center bombing, more than any other in New Jersey. He noticed from reading The New York Times obituaries how often his songs, from "Thunder Road" to "Born in the U.S.A.," were played at memorial services.
"This was one of those moments when the years that I've put in and the relationships that I've developed and nurtured with my audience — this was one of those times when people want to see you," he said.
Shizzo To My Nizzo!
What up! Shout out! Get up-to-date on the current hip-hop slang! Everything from "cheddar" to "Fo'sheezy."
Washington Takes Villain Spot For Bad Sounding Ford Flick
Isaiah Washington (EXIT WOUNDS) is in negotiations to play the villain in the untitled buddy-cop movie starring Josh Hartnett (BLACK HAWK DOWN) and Harrison Ford (K-19) for Revolution Studios. Hartnett and Ford will play two cops that moonlight in acting and real estate, respectively. Somehow they become involved in a crime in the music business. Washington would play rapper Sartain, a record mogul who has arranged the deaths of several rappers under him when they wanted out of their contracts. The film will be directed by Ron Shelton working from a script he co-authored with former cop Robert Souza.
SOLARIS Rises Earlier
Fox has announced that Steven Soderbergh's SOLARIS, starring George Clooney, has been moved up from December 13 to November 27, thanks to a three week-early wrap to the film. The sci-fi thriller will be the only adult-targeted film that weekend. "Nov. 27 is a great date, but from what Steven has been showing me of the rough cut, SOLARIS is going to be such a landmark of science fiction filmmaking that it doesn't really matter when it is released," said producer James Cameron (TITANIC). In the film, Clooney plays a scientist sent to investigate odd probe readings on a station orbiting the planet Solaris.
... And Continue To Party Every Day ... Literally
Rock band Kiss has announced that their current "farewell tour" will not, in fact, be their last. "People change their minds," said band member Paul Stanley. "Am I doing this for the money or the fans? Both, and let's not forget, I'm doing this for me. That is the reason I originally started playing; because I wanted to, and only I can decide ultimately when to stop. As you know (assuming that you have a job), it is great to have both the appreciation of those around you and to be compensated financially." The band will soon be promoting their new album THE VERY BEST OF KISS COLLECTION, which drops August 27.
Celebrate Along With Them
Though silver and gold are the colors most often associated with big anniversaries, the entertainment industry is seeing green as it embraces the 25th anniversary of "The Muppet Show." In addition to a host of video releases, Rhino has compiled the album "The Muppets 25th Anniversary Celebration -- Who Let the Frogs Out," for a Sept. 17 release. The 27-song disc contains original songs from "The Muppet Show" and Muppets feature films, some of which have never been released on CD and/or have been out of print for almost a decade.
Columbia, which picked up rights to the Jim Henson Co. home entertainment library in 1997, will bring two "Best of the Muppet Show" collections on VHS/DVD to retail for the first time Sept. 3. Until now, the titles -- which contain three classic episodes each -- have been sold only via direct response as part of a TV campaign orchestrated by Time-Life. Featured episodes include appearances by Julie Andrews, Elton John, Mark Hamill, and Paul Simon.
"The direct-response campaign was a really successful one for Time-Life, and the videos have had so much exposure on television. So we thought it was the right time to bring them to retail," Columbia director of marketing Suzanne White says. "They really remind consumers of the great nostalgia of the show, and they have a variety of appeal to several markets."
Is This The Star Wars- Attack Of The Clones DVD Date?
A number of retail sources are being told the official street date for "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" on DVD and video.
Look for the 2-disc set to hit store shelves on November 12th, 2002. I expect official details to be leaked or announced in the next couple of weeks.
NEW DVDS THIS WEEK
Okay, so there isn't much coming out on DVD this week that you have to own, except for M*A*S*H if you are a fan, but that's okay! THE SIMPSONS SEASON 2 is due next Tuesday. But if you MUST spend money, here are the "big" new titles due on DVD and video tomorrow.
DINOTOPIA- This miniseries - which also served as the most expensive pilot in TV history - is coming out at a commendably low price just in time to promote the series launch Thursdays at 8 on ABC in the fall. (Opposite "Friends" and "Survivor"? Dinosaurs will probably be extinct again sooner than they wish.) The setup is the same - young men who look like models are stranded on an island where dinosaurs and humans live in harmony. But don't get too attached to any of the actors. While I found Wentworth Miller perfectly watchable in a square-jawed, soap-opera sort of way, he and almost everyone else have been replaced for the show. That's no big deal, since the real stars are the dinosaurs: this may be really, really, really lacking in the drama department, but the effects here are top-notch.
M*A*S*H SEASON 2- NBC's sitcom "Scrubs," which I love, is in exactly the same position "M*A*S*H" was in 1973. Both are critically acclaimed shows with low ratings, an unusual mix of comedy and pathos that keep viewers off balance and have uncertain futures. In its second season, "M*A*S*H," starring Alan Alda, was moved to Saturday nights right behind the smash hit "All in the Family." Its humor no longer shocks the way that classic still can, but they certainly didn't pull any punches. The accidental shelling of a village followed by a cover-up; Amerasian babies; a soldier beaten to a pulp by his buddies because they think he's gay - "M*A*S*H" certainly wore its (bleeding) heart on its sleeve. They wisely crafted the first episode of the season to serve as a second pilot that reintroduced the characters to all the new viewers that would be tuning in to the 4077th for the first time. Undoubtedly, "Scrubs" will do the same now that it's being moved to Thursdays at 8:30 right behind "Friends."
WHERE TO CATCH BRUCE
While we Springsteen fans celebrate the release of the Boss' first studio album with the E Street Band since 1984, the man himself will be quite visible this week and throughout August, performing live and appearing on TV. Here's where he'll be:
Monday
9 pm- MTV2 premieres "The Bruce Springsteen Artist Collection."
Tuesday
7 am- Bruce and the E Street Band join the "Today Show" summer concert lineup, live from Asbury Park, N.J.
11:35 pm- The Boss and his band appear on "Nightline."
Thursday and Friday
11:35 pm- Bruce and the E Streeters go on the "Late Show with David Letterman" both days.
LeAnn Rimes Announces Eighth Album
LeAnn Rimes has announced that her eighth album, TWISTED ANGEL, will drop on October 1. Rimes executive produced and wrote four of the thirteen songs on the album. "I listen to everything -- rap, rock, country, old R&B, jazz," said Rimes. "It's all come together on this record for me. It reflects where I am right now and where I've been." The first single, "Life Goes On," will hit airwaves August 5.
Britney Spears Says Her Middle Finger Was Not Meant for Mexico Fans
Pop diva Britney Spears, under fire for making an obscene gesture shortly after arriving in Mexico City for the last stop on her world tour, said on Friday she was only reacting to intrusive paparazzi.
Spears was caught by cameras extending her middle finger in a universally recognized gesture on Tuesday night as she left the airport in Toluca, some 40 miles from Mexico City.
"I'm human too. I get mad like everyone else," Spears told reporters, saying photographers and camera crews were driving recklessly around her vehicle, nearly causing a wreck as she left the airport.
Spears is slated to finish her world tour at Mexico City's Foro Sol baseball stadium on Saturday and Sunday in front of 52,000 fans, her biggest crowd yet.
"The fans are so amazing, the 20-year-old pop princess said. Dozens of fans braving rain outside the posh Four Seasons Hotel where she is staying did not seem fazed by Spears' initial greeting in Mexico.
Bush to Chat About Sept. 11 with '60 Minutes II'
U.S. President George W. Bush has granted an exclusive set of Sept. 11-related interviews to "60 Minutes II" correspondent Scott Pelley. The discussion will appear on the CBS newsmagazine on the first anniversary of the attacks.
Pelley said the White House didn't set down any parameters for the conversations, which will also include senior members of the administration.
"There are no ground rules and or understandings about how the interview will be conducted," said Pelley, the network's former chief White House correspondent during the Clinton administration. One interview will take place on Air Force One, the other in the Oval Office.
The announcement comes after a nine-month effort by Pelley to persuade the White House to participate in the documentary project.
Pelley recalled two conversations in which he conversed briefly with fellow Texan Bush, whom he last interviewed when Bush was president-elect. "He pretty much said 'sounds great, sounds like the kind of thing we want to do."'
During primetime, special versions of "60 Minutes" and "60 Minutes II" will run against a set of ABC documentaries that will feature a reconstruction of events surrounding the attacks, an examination of national security and a look at post-traumatic stress disorder.
NBC's primetime will feature "Concert for America," a Sept. 9 event that first lady Laura Bush will attend. While the network says it can't confirm the president's schedule that night, the president is likely to attend.
In what seems like a counter-programming move, the deliberately lighter, Tom Brokaw-hosted event will come at the end of what will be an emotionally draining day.
With coverage beginning on the morning of Sept. 8, CBS will have an hourlong version of "Face the Nation" and later that day will repeat the documentary "9/11," seen by 39 million viewers when it aired last March. NBC also will begin its coverage early with a two-hour version of "Dateline" on the eve of the 11th.
The Bush White House has been dividing access equitably among the three networks, with interviews granted to NBC's Brokaw and ABC's Barbara Walters and Claire Shipman.
But it was only a few months ago that Bush was photographed carrying a copy of the Bernard Goldberg book "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News." In the bestseller, the author takes aim at networks for what he perceives as their liberal slant.
"I was in Afghanistan last December and saw that photo on the cover on the International Herald-Tribune," recalled Pelley, who was in the midst of lobbying the White House for access back then. "I thought, oh, no. This going to sink our proposal. As it turns out the president was more evenhanded than that."
Town Prepares for Springsteen Show
Public works crews, a nightclub owner and even a fortune teller are busy making sure everything is just right when The Boss comes home.
Bruce Springsteen returns Tuesday to the shabby seaside city where he got his start. This time, he'll be belting out tunes to some 6.2 million fans as he headlines a three-hour remote broadcast of NBC's "Today" from the boardwalk with co-hosts Matt Lauer and Katie Couric.
The rocker is promoting the Tuesday release of his new CD, "The Rising," by performing four songs live at Convention Hall.
"We always try to make the city look good, but now it's especially important, with all the Springsteen fans coming in and the `Today' show," said public works director Gary Giberson.
Crews have been sodding and planting flowers near Convention Hall. They've already spruced up the marquee and painted the trim on the Boardwalk-level glass doors.
Just down Ocean Avenue, at the Stone Pony nightclub, owner Domenic Santana is bracing for an onslaught of out-of-town fans.
Even Madame Marie is coming out of retirement. The fortune teller, who once ran a Boardwalk booth, was immortalized on Springsteen's second record, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle."
Go, Enjoy!
For the record, here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Austin Powers in Goldmember," $71.5 million.
2. "Road To Perdition," $11 million.
3. "Stuart Little 2," $10,7 million.
4 "Men In Black II," $8.7
5. "K-19: The Widowmaker," $7.3 million.
6. "The Country Bears," $5.2 million.
7. "Mr. Deeds, "$4.2 million.
8. "Reign of Fire," $3.3 million.
9. "Minority Report," $3.1 million
10. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," $3 million.
Madonna visit ends new '007' shoot
It's better late than never for 007 and Madonna.
Filming of the forthcoming James Bond epic "Die Another Day", has been completed, ending with Madonna's visit to the set to shoot her cameo.
Madonna was joined on the final day of filming by Justin Llewelyn, son of the late Doug Llewelyn, who played gadget-maker Q. Justin spent the day working as an extra in the film.
Pierce Brosnan told reporters earlier in the year that filming was set to wrap in June. "Die Another Day" is scheduled for release on November 18, 2002.
Yes, May I Have 2 Scoops Of...
To help promote its fall season, NBC has joined forces with Baskin-Robbins to create ice-cream flavors based on its shows. Soon you will be able to buy scoops of Fear Factor Sundae, Will & Grace's Rocky Road of Romance and Stuckey Bowled-Over Brownie.
NBC Premieres
Here are all of the premiere dates and times for NBC's fall schedule:
American Dreams - Sept. 29. 8 p.m.
Boomtown - Sept. 29. 10 p.m.
Crossing Jordan - Sept. 23. 9:30 p.m.
Ed - Sept. 25. 8 p.m.
ER - Sept. 26. 10 p.m.
Fear Factor - Sept. 23. 8 p.m.
Frasier - Sept. 24. 9 p.m.
Friends - Sept. 26. 8 p.m.
Good Morning Miami - Sept. 26. 9:30 p.m.
Hidden Hills - Sept. 24. 9:30 p.m.
In-Laws - Sept. 24. 8 p.m.
Just Shoot Me - Sept. 24. 8:30 p.m.
Law & Order: CI - Sept. 29. 9 p.m.
Law & Order: SVU - Sept. 27. 10 p.m.
Providence - Oct. 4. 8 p.m.
Scrubs - Sept. 26. 8:30 p.m.
Third Watch - Sept. 30. 9 p.m.
The West Wing - Sept. 25. 9 p.m.
Will & Grace - Sept. 26. 9 p.m.
NBC Plans THREE'S COMPANY Movie
Do you picture yourself as a John Ritter-type? Well now's your chance to play him, as NBC is developing a tv movie about THREE'S COMPANY.
Fans of '70s TV will be interested to know that come Aug. 6, Hollywood will be hit with a wave of John Ritter, Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt wannabes. It's an open casting call for "Three's Company Revisited," producer Stan Brooks' NBC movie about the behind-the-scenes intrigue on the ditzy hit sitcom. A theater for the auditions has yet to be announced. Brooks notes that Ritter, Somers and DeWitt "were unknowns who became big stars. Now we're looking for unknowns to play them."
Brooks also reveals that DeWitt will serve as narrator of the flick, which is targeted for a late August production start. According to descriptions of the script, it'll show the "greed, manipulation and avarice of Hollywood managers and network producers when they get their hands on a runaway hit." Says the producer, "It's based on interviews and research, with all of us involved being big fans of the show. I actually was friends with Don Knotts' son when I was growing up, and I'd go to the 'Three's Company' Friday night tapings." Knotts, you may recall, played the ever-harried Mr. Furley on the show.
Stewart Preps For X2 and NEMESIS
Patrick Stewart told the British DreamWatch magazine that X2—the upcomimng sequel to X-Men—will hinge on his character, Professor X, according to a report on Cinescape Online. "The story goes in a direction that I thought was quite unexpected, which is always a good thing," Stewart told the magazine. "It involves my character a good deal more than the other movie did. Unlike the first X-Men, where he was just out of the movie for a big chunk of time, he is consistently active. I think it's looking really promising."
Stewart also said that the upcoming 10th Star Trek movie, Nemesis, will combine many of the elements fans have been looking for. "I think it's possible that there might be more to anticipate and to be excited about with Nemesis than with any of our previous movies, including everybody's favorite, First Contact," Stewart said. "I think we've got the mix right, in terms of a strong story. ... There are two storylines running side by side, interconnecting at different times. We have a very strong action base as well for this, which means that the dialogue scenes are broken up with really quite effective sequences of action. It has romance in it—in fact, it's probably the sexiest movie we've done in some respects, although unfortunately none of this involves me. It has a psychological aspect to it, too, which is interesting and potent. And there are surprises—the kind of surprises that, while we were shooting it, we were licking our chops with glee at the thought of these things that were going to surprise people." Nemesis opens Dec. 13; X2 is currently in production for a 2003 release.
Can 'Austin' Power Box Office?
Last weekend's threadbare box office looks likely to prove a one-weekend shortfall if New Line Cinema strikes the kind of motherlode that's predicted for "Austin Powers in Goldmember."
The studio bows its third-in-a-franchise spy spoof in 3,613 theaters Friday, with industryites forecasting a three-day haul comfortably above $50 million.
And that could be good news for more than just New Line, as conventional wisdom says buzz generated from such big bows has a beneficial effect on other current releases.
"It gets people wanting to go to the movies," said DreamWorks distribution president Jim Tharp, whose reigning champ "Road to Perdition" is entering its third weekend.
The original "Austin" debuted with $53.9 million in May 1997 and the first sequel opened at $54.9 million in June 1999.
"You always want to do better than the last one," said New Line distribution president David Tuckerman. "So that's our expectation."
New Line offered 2,416 "Austin" sneak peeks Thursday night, but those grosses won't be reflected in weekend totals.
Also bowing in wide release Friday is Disney's kids-and-parents affair "Country Bears," tagged for 2,553 locations. It will compete for the same crowd as Sony's "Stuart Little 2," which opened disappointingly last weekend.
Meanwhile, Paramount will try to salvage a decent sophomore session from its sub drama "K-19: The Widowmaker" after a poor launch last weekend. The modestly budget horror picture "Eight Legged Freaks" (Warner Bros.) will seek to avoid a drop from the top 10 in its second frame.
And DreamWorks adds about 100 engagements -- for a total 2,250 -- for "Road to Perdition." The studio appears well validated in its strategy of adding playdates this week and last after securing a solid second-place bow over the July 12 frame. Gripping but dark, the mob-themed adult drama finished No. 1 last weekend and now seems headed north of $100 million domestically.
"Country Bears" is a modestly budgeted live-action adaptation of a Disney World theme-park attraction of the same name. Never intended as a box office behemoth, "Bears" will likely remained caged in the single-digit millions over its opening weekend.
Sony marketing and distribution president Jeff Blake expressed hope that "Stuart Little 2" would follow the trajectory of its 1999 predecessor, which ended up with an impressive $140 million tally after opening with $15 million. The costly sequel opened with $15.1 million, just behind "Perdition," but has out-performed the market each weekday since then.
"But as always, we'll have to wait to see how it does this weekend," Blake said.
Industrywide, the box office was off 18% last weekend from the same frame in 2001. But 21 of the preceding 22 weekends had seen year-over-year upticks, and industryites are hoping the frame was a mere aberration.
"It's my impression that it was just a one-weekend thing," DreamWorks' Tharp said, noting mid-week grosses have shown signs of renewed vigor. "But people aren't really sure why that was last weekend."
It is definately better the second time.
My thoughts on AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER after I saw it the first time are easily summed up in Roger Ebert's review. He may be no Gene Siskel (RIP) but for the first time ever he crystalizes my thoughts exactly, after the first time I saw it that is.
I defer to something my friend Chris wrote about the movies to sum up my thoughts on GOLDMEMBER after my second viewing:
"I think these movies (the Austin Powers films) really get better with repeated viewings - I did laugh the most of all three movies (on first viewing)."
He is right. After 2 viewings, I can tell you it is hilarious. After one viewing, well you might agree with Roger Ebert's review.
Enjoy the popcorn and I'll see you at the movies, baby!
Shatner Praises One-Hit Wonders
William Shatner says musicians shouldn't take offense if they're featured on his new VH1 documentary show, "One Hit Wonders."
The "Star Trek" star, who has poked fun at his own cover versions of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Mr. Tambourine Man," said the show is a tribute to unforgettable tunes by artists who never repeated the same success.
"In the world that we inhabit, having one hit is a lot better than having no hits," Shatner told The Associated Press this week.
Despite the show's lighthearted approach, he added, it illustrates the difficulty of achieving success in the music industry.
"This show is about the kind of songs you like and can sing, but you can't remember the artist because maybe they never caught on again," Shatner said. "We give those artists some renown."
Derived from a five-part VH1 special, the new half-hour show will debut next Monday on the music channel with new episodes scheduled weekly. About four songs will be featured on each show. Special episodes will focus on disco, heavy metal, New Wave, TV themes, novelty songs and celebrity singers.
WTC Song Features Victims' Families
Several relatives of World Trade Center victims have recorded backing vocals and will be in a video for a hip-hop song about the Sept. 11 attacks.
The song, by the group Angels with Broken Wings, is called "Wake Up Everybody." Producer Terry Lewis said a portion of the royalties will be donated to a coalition of victims' families.
Bill Doyle, who helped organize the relatives who participated, said the money would be used for family members' health care costs and other needs.
Lewis also produced another song about the attacks, called "I Cried." Both songs are expected to be released in August.
REMEMBERING
NBC announcing plans to air a prime-time concert on the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Associated Press reports. First lady Laura Bush will appear on NBC's Concert for America at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., but no official word yet on who will be performing. ABC and CBS, meanwhile, are both planning news programming for that night.
GOODBYE RAYMOND?
Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal telling reporters that the upcoming seventh season of Ray Romano's CBS hit could be its last. "I love Les [Moonves, president of CBS], and they've been incredibly supportive," he told Daily Variety. "But when it's over, it's over. You don't want to get repetitive, and I've never seen a show get better after seven seasons."
IT'S OFFICIAL
Jennifer Lopez filing for divorce from her hubby of 10 months, Cris Judd. Lopez and Judd, who confirmed their breakup last month, have already filed their settlement agreement, and lawyers say all of their issues are resolved. The divorce becomes official in six months.
BEN'S TURN?
The New York Post reporting that Lopez and Ben Affleck "kissed, cuddled and made goo-goo eyes at each other" during her surprise 32nd birthday party Wednesday at the Park restaurant in New York.
Tennis Anyone?
Anna Kournikova seems to spend her life launching impassioned defenses of her sporting credibility.
007 to Austin Powers: "Laugh While You Can, Baby."
Springsteen Gives Lauer Hometown Tour
Bruce Springsteen gave "Today" show host Matt Lauer a taste of Asbury Park and briefly performed at a city restaurant as he prepared for his upcoming performance on the NBC morning program.
Lauer and The Boss cruised around the city, Springsteen's adopted hometown, in a blue Mustang convertible on Wednesday. They were accompanied by cameramen shooting footage to be used Tuesday, when "Today" will broadcast Springsteen's performance before an invitation-only crowd at Convention Hall.
Lauer also interviewed Springsteen at various locations around the city. Among their stops was the Stone Pony nightclub, where Springsteen has made surprise appearances over the years.
They also stopped at Sonny's Southern Cuisine, where Springsteen performed "My City of Ruins," a song of hope for Asbury Park's revitalization. He performed with a group of gospel singers, then played guitar as they sang the gospel number, "I've Got a Feeling (Everything's Gonna Be All Right)."
A crowd of about 100 people packed the restaurant for the performance, while dozens more waited outside, unable to get in.
"It was like seeing someone on VH1, unplugged," the restaurant's owner, Bill "Sonny" Wiley, told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Thursday's editions. "I tell you, he brought tears to my eyes. You could hear a pin drop in the room."
Sheen 'Heartbroken' Over Lowe Leaving
Martin Sheen said he is heartbroken over the impending departure of "West Wing" co-star Rob Lowe, who is quitting the Emmy-winning NBC series over a salary dispute.
"I was shocked and dismayed, frankly," Sheen told reporters. "And disappointed, but for selfish reasons because we keep talking about the next four years as the next administration."
But Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet on the Emmy-winning White House drama, isn't entirely surprised.
"We saw something coming but we didn't know it was such as it was, you know. We knew there were some contract disputes, but I never get into that with a fellow actor because frankly it's none of my business," he said. "Everyone's entitled to go for whatever they can get. I did, certainly."
Sheen recently renegotiated his contract to triple his salary to $300,000 per episode, according to Variety magazine.
But the show's producers, Warner Brothers, refused to increase Lowe's reported $75,000-per-episode salary. Lowe told The Associated Press Wednesday that the salary dispute spurred his decision to leave his role as White House communications director Sam Seaborn at the end of next season.
"We're all heartbroken and a bit concerned because we've become so close," Sheen said. "But with Rob and me in particular, I've known him since he was a boy. You know, he grew up with my family and I've become kind of a Dutch uncle to him all these years. And to have this last three years together, we've gotten extremely close."
Despite the recent conflict, Sheen believes Lowe's "West Wing" time will help his career.
"He's been brilliant on the show. I think it's the best work he's ever done. And he's elevated his image to the public to a great level. I just have to let him go and wish him the best. He's still young and has a big career in front of him," he said.
Cocaine Cited in Entwistle's Death
John Entwistle, the 57-year-old bass player for the rock band The Who, died from a heart attack caused by cocaine use, the Clark County coroner said Thursday.
Coroner Ron Flud ruled the death accidental and said it was not an overdose.
"The heart attack we believe was brought on by the significant amount of cocaine" that was in Entwistle's system at the time of death, he said.
The exact amount of the drug remains unknown.
"Cocaine is a different animal," Flud said. "It's not like alcohol. There's no way we can put a number on it. You've got a lethal drug on board at the time you have a bad heart. That's a bad combination."
Entwistle's body was found in his bed at the Hard Rock Hotel on June 27, one day before the band was scheduled to kick off a three-month nationwide tour at the hotel's concert hall.
Hotel officials declined comment Thursday, as did a spokeswoman with the band's record label, MCA/Universal Music Enterprises. District Attorney Stewart Bell said no criminal charges were anticipated.
"From a legal point of view, there isn't anything to be done because we don't have anybody else who might be responsible," he said.
Entwistle was one of the band's founders. Another original member, drummer Keith Moon, died in 1978 of a drug overdose at the age of 32. Authorities said he took too many pills prescribed to control his alcoholism.
Entwistle's death was caused when cocaine caused the contraction of coronary arteries that were already damaged by heart disease, Flud said.
After the death, a musician in Entwistle's own band said he had been on medication for a heart condition.
The Who, founded in London in the early 1960s, was part of the British rock invasion along with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Their parade of hits included "I Can See For Miles," "I Can't Explain," "Substitute," "Pinball Wizard," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Who Are You."
The group, which includes original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, is scheduled to play a show Friday in Mansfield, Mass.
Street date alert!
Bad news for Ed Wood fans...Buena Vista has just announced that the upcoming special edition of Tim Burton's Academy Award-winning comedy has been postponed until further notice. Originally scheduled for release on 8/13, no new date has been announced, but stay tuned...
Matthews' 'Stuff' Right for No. 1 Spot
The Dave Matthews Band arrived once again in a familiar place -- the top of the album sales list -- as the RCA act's disc "Busted Stuff" sold nearly 622,000 in the week ended Sunday, according to SoundScan statistics.
The opening numbers are lower than those for "Everyday," which sold nearly 750,000 copies in its first week last year and also debuted at No. 1. It's a considerable leap, though, from the band's two previous studio efforts, 1998's "Before These Crowded Streets" (422,000 sold) and '96's "Crash," which debuted at No. 2 on sales of 254,000.
The week was a good one for rock 'n' roll in general. "Highly Evolved," from Capitol's Australian import the Vines, hit No. 11 on sales of 64,000; Robert Plant's "Dreamland" (Universal) dropped in at No. 40, selling 25,000; and the Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" sold 22,000 to come in at No. 50. Other high-charting debuts were gospel duo Mary Mary at No. 22, selling 43,000 copies of "Incredible" (Columbia), and, one slot lower, country artist Darryl Worley's "I Miss My Friend" with sales of 42,000.
Last week's top nine all stayed in the top 10, with Nelly's "Nellyville" (Universal) dropping to No. 2 on sales of 305,000. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "By the Way" sold 140,000 plus -- almost exactly half of its debut week total.
Warners' soundtrack to "Austin Powers in Goldmember" made its debut at No. 56 on sales of 20,000.
Mike Myers Gets Star in Hollywood
Comedian Mike Myers of the "Austin Powers" films now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Wearing a black suit and shirt, the Canadian-born actor displayed his trademark self-deprecating humor Wednesday as he accepted the award in front of an adult gift shop.
"It's a long way from playing street hockey in Toronto to having a star in front of the International Love Boutique," he quipped.
Myers, 39, was accompanied by his wife, Robin Ruzan, his mother and two brothers. Celebrity guests included "Austin Powers" cast members Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling and Seth Green.
The ceremony took place two days before the nationwide release of "Austin Powers in Goldmember," the third installment of the spy spoof.
A crowd of 350 screaming fans interrupted Myers' speech several times by yelling "Yeah, baby!" The line is often used by his Austin Powers character.
Heather Locklear 'Scrubs' in for Guest Spot
When he was an executive producer of "Spin City," Bill Lawrence hired Heather Locklear to be part of the cast. He left the show, however, before her first appearance.
The two will finally work together this fall, when Locklear does a three-episode guest stint on Lawrence's current show, NBC's "Scrubs."
Lawrence casually announced Locklear's involvement in the show during a session Wednesday (July 24) at the TV Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Following the session, he elaborated on her role.
She'll play a "slutty pharmaceutical rep" who gets under the skin of Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), creating a sort of love triangle with Cox and his ex-wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, Lawrence's real-life wife). Locklear's episodes will air during November sweeps.
"She'll be doing very edgy stuff that I don't think she's done before," Lawrence says. "It should be fun."
Although their paths never crossed on "Spin City," Lawrence says he's gotten to know Locklear in recent years and says "She's a very sweet lady, and I thought it would be fun" to bring her on the show.
Lawrence also says that Miller may have a bigger role on "Scrubs" this season, as she's leaving ABC's "Drew Carey Show" after the first two episodes in the fall.
Remember..."Lower Your Expectations."
Oh No!
There is a space rock on a collision course with earth.
Some Big Stars Have Joined The New Muppet Christmas Movie
NBC has tapped several celebrities for the first ever tv muppet movie, A VERY MERRY MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE. In the movie, Kermit the Frog must try and save the Muppet theater from a Scrooge-like character. Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Cusack, David Arquette, Sir Michael Caine, William H. Macy, Snoop Dogg, Carson Daly, Kelly Ripa, Jon Stewart and Rachel Hunter will all appear in the Christmas movie.
'The West Wing' Lets Lowe Go
In the latest behind-the-scenes drama involving the NBC series "The West Wing," Rob Lowe is quitting his role as White House deputy communications director Sam Seaborn.
Barring some unforeseen twist, his character will be phased out in an episode to air next March, the result of an exit strategy that has already been agreed upon by both parties. The show has just wrapped its third season.
Sources on both sides paint the pending exit as amicable but clearly, money is at the heart of it. The prime reason, said sources, is that Lowe was stung by the unwillingness of the show's producers to even discuss raising his per-show price of $75,000. This comes right after they tripled Martin Sheen's salary to $300,000 per episode and last season doubled the salaries of Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer and Bradley Whitford after a protracted salary stalemate that ended when the quartet committed to a seventh season, each getting $70,000 an episode.
That left Lowe the only cast member to not get his first season salary bumped up. Warner Bros. TV, the show's producer, feels the show has evolved into Sheen's show, surrounded by an ensemble on equal footing. Sources on the show point out that all of the stars are Emmy-nominated this year except Lowe, who petitioned in the lead actor category, which is TV's toughest ticket.
They were unwilling to even open pay hike talks with Lowe's reps, Creative Artists Agency and veteran manager Bernie Brillstein. That left Lowe feeling hurt, after believing that his turn would come. Lowe is expected to wing his way back to features or star in another series. If he does the latter, Lowe, who got one Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations during his "Wing" run, will probably command a higher salary.
The show's makeup has changed since Lowe signed on for the pilot as the regular cast's most recognizable name. Back then, he cut a higher price quote that had been established in a previous Paramount TV deal. Sheen at the time was only supposed to serve as a diversion to the drama's core players on the White House staff. Sheen's participation grew while Lowe's scenes have progressively diminished.
Sources on both sides doubted this was another salary posturing exercise, and that the show would survive his exit, even if it does come as WB is working out a new license deal with NBC.
"From The Whatever Happened To?" File
One posed for Playboy, one battles a deadly disease, another drifts between dead-end jobs and another is a successful businessman. Its time to find out whatever happeend to The Waltons?
Springsteen to Appear Twice on 'Letterman'
Viewers of "The Late Show With David Letterman" will be getting a double dose of Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician, Bruce Springsteen and his E Street band in August.
Springsteen will be returning to the show as a guest musical act for the first time since 1995. Making up for lost time, he will be performing on consecutive nights: Thursday, August 1, and Friday, August 2.
Incidentally, Springsteen was the last musical guest on David Letterman's NBC show, "Late Night," on June 25, 1993.
Springsteen will be kicking off his international tour shortly afterward, beginning on August 7 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. He and the E Street Band are promoting their latest release, The Rising, their first all-new studio recording since 1984.
Fox Premiere Dates
If you are sick of Summer TV here are the premiere dates and times for all of your favourite Fox series:
The Bernie Mac Show: Sept. 18 8 p.m.
Boston Public: Oct. 21 8 p.m.
Cedric the Entertainer Presents: Sept. 18 8:30 p.m.
Fastlane: Sept. 18 9 p.m.
Firefly: Sept. 20 8 p.m.
Futurama: Nov. 10 7 p.m.
Girls Club: Oct. 21 9 p.m.
Grounded For Life: Sept. 17 9:30 p.m.
The Grubbs: Nov. 3 11 p.m.
John Doe: Sept. 20 9 p.m.
King of the Hill: Nov. 3 8:30 p.m.
Malcolm in the Middle: Nov. 3 9 p.m.
The Simpsons: Nov. 3 8 p.m.
That ‘70s Show: Sept. 17 8 p.m.
24: Oct. 29 9 p.m.
CHANGING THEIR TUNE
Variety is reporting that directors Joel and Ethan Coen are producing "Romance and Cigarettes," a new musical written by John Turturro.
The filmmakers are looking at an all-star cast for the film, eyeing James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Julia Stiles, Christopher Walken and Steve Buscemi, among others, for roles.
ON THE LINE
'N Sync popster Lance Bass signing a contract with the Russians to join them on an October Soyuz flight to the International Space Station. The move comes despite concerns raised by NASA over whether Bass has enough education and fluency in the Russian language.
Coming Soon On DVD
First Up, Spock Lives!
Just in time for the big screen debut of the latest Star Trek adventure Nemesis, Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a 10/8 street date for a new two-disc special edition of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Retail is $29.95, and stay tuned for specs.
Also just announced for a 10/8 release from Paramount is The Carol Burnett Show: Showstoppers, a 42-minute reunion special with clips of some of Carol's best skits. Presented in 4:3 full screen and 2.0 stereo, retail is $19.95. Finally, making its way to DVD is the recent limited theatrical release Lucky Break, starring Christopher Plummer. Presented in 1.85;1 anamorphic widescreen with English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, extras include the trailer. Retail is $29.95.
Mr. Sandler Goes To Washington
Quick! Preorder yours today before Winona steals it! The latest Adam Sandler comedy smash Mr. Deeds is coming to DVD on 10/22, complete in a new special edition from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. Presented in both anamorphic widescreen and full screen presentations with English and French 5.1 Dolby surround tracks, extras include an audio commentary with director Steven Brill and writer Tim Herlihy, two making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, a Dave Matthews music video, production notes, filmographies and trailers. Retail is $27.95.
Conan O'Brien to Host Emmy Awards
The job of Emmy host is going to Conan O'Brien instead of NBC's top late-night star, Jay Leno.
"We think it's Conan's turn to be seen by the biggest audience that will ever" see him, NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker said of the "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" host.
"Jay was thrilled with that," Zucker added. The network gave "Tonight Show" host Leno the "courtesy" of informing him that O'Brien was NBC's Emmy pick, Zucker said Tuesday.
The show has been on a four-network rotation for several years and is often used by the networks to showcase their own talent.
In addition to O'Brien, "Today" hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer will anchor an hourlong pre-ceremony show for the Sept. 22 Emmy Awards, Zucker told the Television Critics Association.
O'Brien, talking to reporters later, was asked if he was concerned that Leno might be hurt because he was bypassed.
"That guy has so many cars," O'Brien said, jokingly, then added that Leno had called him Friday to offer advice.
"I mean, he's the host of the 'Tonight Show,' and I'm sure he's thrilled to have me do it. It's a lot of work," O'Brien said.
A call to Leno seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Bryce Zabel, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which organizers the Emmys, said he looked forward to an emphasis on the awards and glamour after last year's disruptions.
The 2001 ceremony was twice delayed, first by the Sept. 11 attacks and then by U.S. strikes in Afghanistan. A subdued show was finally held Nov. 4.
"One of the things we want to do is return to normalcy for the Emmys ... which means it's a high-stylin' night," Zabel said. "It's a time for people to walk the red carpet" and celebrate TV excellence.
"Six Feet Under," HBO's funeral home drama, is the leading Emmy contender with 23 Emmy nominations, followed by "The West Wing," NBC's White House drama, with 21 bids.
BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN Is First In Line
Warner Bros. has decided that BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN will be the first out of the gate in a new generation of DC Comics superhero movies. WB is hoping that BVS will reinvigorate the primary two characters so that the market will be open for an McG-directed SUPERMAN film and Darren Aronofsky's BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Other projects on the plate for WB through 2010 include CATWOMAN, WONDER WOMAN, with George Miller possibly directing, and BATMAN BEYOND.
New On Disc And Tape
I am going to abide by the credo "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" with today's releases.
Except in the captions!
Here are the new video and DVD releases for Tuesday, July 23rd, 2002.
UP FIRST, THE "MAJOR" TITLES
The Time Machine- This is the crap remake of the H.G. Wells book. Sadly, it was Wells' own Grandson who is responsible. (Guy Pierce, Samantha Mumba)
Crossroads- Three woman set out on cross-country trip but there is (sadly) no nudity and (unfortunately) lots of bad acting. (Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoe Saldana)
Kung Pow!: Enter The Fist- A spoof on the great Kung Fu movies that is horrible, but its supposed to be. (Steve Oedekerk, Tad Horino, Joon B. Kim)
Comic Book Confidential- Cool comic-book culture, from 1930s to modern day. (Stan Lee, Robert Crumb, Kevin Smith)
M*A*S*H: The Complete Second Season- Do you really need me to write anything about this one?
Tarzan & Jane- The jungle couple from Disney's animated, and Oscar winning, "Tarzan" exchange anniversary gifts and memories. They also exchange voices as none of the original films cast is back. (Olivia d'Abo (voice), Michael T. Weiss (voice), John O'Hurley (voice))
AND THEN THE REST OF TODAY'S TITLES
Abbot White
Battle Queen 2020
The Best Man In Grass Creek
Betty
The Big Day
Big Red
Black Eyed Dog
The Black Hole (Widescreen)
Blood Theater
Body Parts (Conservative Box Art)
Body Parts (Wild Wrap)
The Brainiacs.com
Carried Away
Chloe In The Afternoon
Claire's Knee
Con Express
Con Games
A Crack In The Floor
Crackerjack 3
D.R.E.A.M. Team
Dagon
Daughters Of Darkness
Dead Heat
Delirium
Demons Of The Mind
Dirt Boy
Discovery: Raising The Mammoth
Elvis & June: A Love Story
Escaflowne: The Movie
Escaflowne: The Movie (Ultimate Edition)
Fallen Arches
The Florentine
The Fox And The Hound (Gold Collection)
Gleaners & I
Hell's Gate
High School Terrors
Hitchhike!
Hookers In A Haunted House
The Hunter's Moon
In The Line Of Duty: Mob Justice
In The Realm Of Passion
In The Realm Of Senses
Jacked Up
Lloyd
Luckytown
Mad Monster Party
Moby Dick
NBA 2002 Championship
Never Cry Wolf
Nosferatu The Vampyre
Orfeu
Paragraph 175
Plymptoons
Poetry In Motion
Pups
Replicant
The Rescuers Down Under (Gold Collection)
Return To Oz
The Saltmen Of Tibet
Seduced: Pretty When You Cry
Seductress
Sexual Chemistry (Unrated)
Sexual Intrigue
The Shark Hunter
Soul Survivors
Spy Kids
Straight On Till Morning
Tex
Thomas: Best Of Percy
Thomas: Cranky Bugs
Thomas: Races, Rescues And Runaways
Tiger Claws III
Twist
Vanaprastham
Vegas In Space
Wild Flowers
Willie Nelson: Willie
Today's New Releases
Okay, below you will see a list of the new CD's that are in stores today. But who really cares! Next week, July 30th, will see the release of the new CD "The Rising" from Bruce Springsteen. It is an awesome disc that you must own.
As for today's discs. Whatever!
See you next Tuesday!
Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, July 23, 2002:
* ABRA MOORE No Fear (J Records)
* ALEXANDRA SLATE Edge of the Girl (Hollywood/Universal)
* BELLAMY BROTHERS Redneck Girls Forever (Curb)
* BOYZ II MEN Full Circle (Arista)
* BRETT JAMES TBA (Brett James)
* CAPLETON More Fire (VP)
* DANKO JONES Born A Lion (Universal)
* DENNIS BROWN Love And Hate (VP)
* DIAMOND RIO Completely
* DIANA FOX Running On Empty (Isba)
* FOURPLAY Heartfelt (RCA)
* GARNETT SILK 100% Silk (VP)
* HAYDEN Live From Convocation Hall (Hardwood)
* HOLMES BROTHERS Righteous! The Essential Collection
* HOW WE ROCK How We Rock (Burning Heart)
* J-ZONE Pimps Don't Pay Taxes (Fatbeats)
* JULIAN AUSTIN Bulletproof (Civilian Records)
* JUNIOR KELLY Love So Nice (VP)
* KRAMDENS Quiet Collision (Sextant Records)
* LIL WAYNE 500 Degreez (Cash Money/Universal)
* MACK 10 Presents Da Hood (Navarre)
* MARIO Mario (J Records)
* MARK OLSON December's Child (Razor & Tie)
* PEPPER SANDS Pepper Sands (Universal)
* PLAY Play (Columbia)
* PUBLIC ENEMY Revolverlution (SlamJamz Records/Koch Entertainment)
* RON CARTER Stardust (Blue Note)
* SAFETY IN NUMBERS Build And Structure (BMG)
* SCHILLER Voyage (Popular)
* SOLOMON BURKE Don't Give Up On Me (Fat Possum)
* TOBY KEITH Unleashed (DreamWorks)
* TORTOISE TBA (Tortoise) (Thrill Jockey)
HE'S PHRASE-A-DELIC
HERE are some expressions Austin Powers has added to our vocabulary - and what they mean:
Bag: Something you like, as in, "It's my bag, baby!"
Hop on the good foot and do the bad thing: Shagging
Jubblies: A woman's chest (one of many such expressions)
S---- and giggles: The only possible explanation for doing something purely for the hell of it
Tops and tails: A full-frontal view of a naked woman
X zip it A: Shut up
Yeah, baby!: Austin's signature line
English Producer Gus Dudgeon Killed
Veteran English record producer Gus Dudgeon was killed when his Jaguar veered off a motorway and down an embankment in Berkshire, England, last night (July 22). A female passenger in the car, believed to be his wife, was also killed.
Dudgeon, 59, was best known for his productions during the 1970s with Elton John, which yielded such hits as "Your Song," "Rocket Man," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me." In a statement, John said he was "devastated" by the news, describing Dudgeon as "an incredibly talented producer and a very dear friend. I will miss him terribly."
Born in Surrey on September 30, 1942, Dudgeon began his career as a tea boy at Olympic Studios, and by his early 20s was an in-house engineer at Decca Records' studios in West Hampstead. Early sessions there included recordings for Marianne Faithfull with producer Andrew Loog Oldham and session guitarists Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin.
The first album on which Dudgeon was listed as producer was rock act Ten Years After's self-titled set on Deram. In 1969, he produced David Bowie's first hit, "Space Oddity," and, later, albums by such artists as Chris Rea, Lindisfarne, and XTC, for whom he oversaw 1992's "Nonsuch." He also served as producer for such one-off projects as the tribute set to John and Bernie Taupin, "Two Rooms."
Billboard contributor David Stark says Dudgeon was enthusing in conversation only last week about a new British band he had been working with called Slinky, and that he'd also done some work on a tribute album to erstwhile musical comedy act the Bonzo Dog Band. Contributions had been recorded for that set some time ago by both Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison.
Weezer Tangles With 'The Lion And The Witch'
Weezer is preparing a 7-song EP, titled "The Lion and the Witch," for limited U.S. release this summer. The disc, for which a release date has not been finalized, is a special promotion from the group's label Geffen, and will only be available in a limited pressing of 25,000 at select independent retail outlets.
According to Weezer's official Web site, the tracks for "The Lion and the Witch" were recorded live during the group's recent Japanese tour. The EP will also include a newly recorded studio version of the group's latest single, "Keep Fishin'." While a finalized track list has not been announced, the set will also feature at least one unreleased track which has been known as "Polynesia" on recent set lists, and will appear here as a "hidden" unlisted song.
Weezer art director Francesca Restrepo commissioned artwork and put together special packaging for the EP, which comes on the heels of the group's fourth album, "Maladroit." The set debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 last month and has sold 363,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "Keep Fishin'" is No. 27 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart this week.
The group's Enlightenment tour with Sparta and Dashboard Confessional hits Holmdel, N.J., tomorrow (July 23) and wraps Aug. 10 in Concord, Calif. Afterward, Weezer will on Aug. 23-24 play the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals.
New Bon Jovi Single 'A Big, Loud Rock Song'
Bon Jovi has set an Oct. 8 release date for its next Island album, "Bounce." The set will be preceded by the single "Everyday," described by the band's official Web site as "a big, loud rock song." A 30-second clip of the track is running in advertisements for the German TV station ZDF; it is due to hit U.S. radio outlets later this summer.
A video for "Everyday" was recently shot in Socorro, N.M., with the band performing amid the 27 satellites that make up the Very Large Array (VLA) radio observatory (seen in the Jodie Foster film "Contact"). The final aerial shot was jeopardized by a lightning storm, necessitating the evacuation of most of the crew. But the take was completed amid "torrential rain," according to a statement.
"Bounce" is due Sept. 11 in Japan and Sept. 23 internationally.
Blushing Bride Julia Says 'Born to Love' Moder
From "Runaway Bride" to blushing bride, Julia Roberts said on Monday that she was "born to love" her new cameraman husband Danny Moder, calling him "a man among men, unselfish and all-encompassing."
Roberts, speaking for the first time about her secret midnight wedding on July 4, told ABC television's Diane Sawyer that she and Moder planned to have children "in due course."
Roberts has broken off three engagements in the past and her first marriage, to country singer Lyle Lovett, lasted less than two years.
Her love life was so chaotic that she was dubbed the "Runaway Bride" even before making the 1999 movie of the same name.
She married Moder at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico just a year after he divorced his wife, in a ceremony held at midnight to avoid the media. The pair met on the set of "The Mexican."
"He is formidable. He is a man among men, unselfish and all-encompassing," Roberts said, blushing with pride. "He stands by the choices he made. He will never blame it on somebody else, and I have never seen anybody else do that."
Hollywood's highest paid female star said she and Moder were meant to be together.
"I hope there are some people who agree that I have done some good, some kind things in my life, but to really ultimately stand fully in a moment of realizing that I was born to love and to be the wife of this man," she said.
Roberts' romance with Moder began in spring last year, shortly after the end of her four year relationship with actor Benjamin Bratt. Bratt married actress Talisa Soto earlier this year and is expecting a child with her.
Roberts and Bratt have never spoken publicly about the reasons for their split, but Roberts said on Monday that Bratt had made his own choices. "All the better because he was unhappy and he left and moved along and found happiness," she said.
Eminem, Elliott, P.O.D. Lead MTV Noms
Rappers Eminem and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and the rock band P.O.D. lead the nominees for this year's MTV Video Music Awards with six each, the cable channel announced Monday.
Eminem's comic book-style clip for "Without Me," in which he dresses up as a version of Batman's sidekick, Robin, received nominations including video of the year, best male video and best rap video.
Elliott's "One Minute Man," which takes place in a hotel and features rappers Ludacris and Trina, is up for best hip-hop video. It also was nominated in several technical categories including best direction, editing and special effects.
"Alive" by P.O.D., which features an elaborate highway crash, was nominated in categories including video of the year and best group video. The band's other hit, "Youth of the Nation," was nominated for best rock video.
Also drawing multiple nominations is Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever." The Colombian singer was recognized in four categories, including best female video, best dance video and best pop video.
The garage band The White Stripes also has four nominations for "Fell in Love With a Girl." The clip, done completely in Lego animation, is up for video of the year, breakthrough video, editing and special effects.
Besides "Without Me" and "Alive," the other nominees for video of the year are "Gone" by 'N Sync; "In the End" by Linkin Park; and "One Mic" by Nas.
Jimmy Fallon of "Saturday Night Live" will be the host of the 2002 Video Music Awards ceremony, scheduled for Aug. 29 at Radio City Music Hall. Bruce Springsteen is among the scheduled performers.
'Road to Perdition' Tops Box Office
Tom Hanks' gangster tale "Road to Perdition" took in $15.4 million to win a close race against "Stuart Little 2" for the weekend box-office crown.
"Stuart Little 2," with Michael J. Fox providing the title character's voice, grossed $15.1 million.
The two films switched ranks since Sunday, when preliminary estimates had "Stuart Little 2" in the No. 1 spot, slightly ahead of "Road to Perdition."
The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. are:
1. "Road to Perdition," DreamWorks, $15.4 million, 2,159 locations, $7,139 average, $47.3 million, two weeks.
2. "Stuart Little 2," Sony, $15.1 million, 3,255 locations, $4,644 average, $15.1 million, one week.
3. "Men in Black II," Sony, $14.6 million, 3,641 locations, $3,997 average, $158.1 million, three weeks.
4. "K-19: The Widowmaker," Paramount, $12.8 million, 2,828 locations, $4,519 average, $12.8 million, one week.
5. "Reign of Fire," Disney, $7.32 million, 2,629 locations, $2,784 average, $29.2 million, two weeks.
6. "Mr. Deeds," Sony, $7.3 million, 2,823 locations, $2,590 average, $107.6 million, four weeks.
7. "Eight Legged Freaks," Warner Bros., $6.5 million, 2,530 locations, $2,563 average, $9.1 million, one week.
8. "Halloween: Resurrection," Dimension, $5.5 million, 2,094 locations, $2,636 average, $22 million, two weeks.
9. "Lilo & Stitch," Disney, $5 million, 2,127 locations, $2,338 average, $128.4 million, five weeks.
10. "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," MGM, $4.7 million, 2,525 locations, $1,849 average, $18.7 million, two weeks.
11. "Minority Report," Fox, $4.5 million, 1,672 locations, $2,666 average, $118.1 million, five weeks.
12. "Like Mike," 20th Century Fox, $4.4 million, 1,786 locations, $2,449 average, $41.3 million, three weeks.
13. "The Bourne Identity," Universal, $3.8 million, 1,629 locations, $2,335 average, $105.7 million, six weeks.
14. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," IFC Films, $2.5 million, 530 locations, $4,712 average, $30.9 million, 14 weeks.
15. "Scooby-Doo," Warner Bros., $1.5 million, 1,302 locations, $1,169 average, $148.5 million, six weeks.
16. "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," Fox, $1 million, 562 locations, $1,816 average, $295.6 million, 10 weeks.
17. "The Sum of All Fears," Paramount, $940,545, 913 locations, $1,030 average, $117 million, eight weeks.
18. "Windtalkers," MGM, $833,136, 1,285 locations, $648 average, $40.1 million, six weeks.
19. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," Warner Bros., $768,452, 572 locations, $1,343 average, $66.6 million, seven weeks.
20. "Space Station," IMAX, $674,941, 61 locations, $11,065 average, $15 million, 14 weeks.
Mmmmmmm....Beer
Like beer? So take the Beer Quiz!
I "Own" Most Of These Discs
A recently-posted list of 100 Albums You Should Remove from Your Collection has immediately garnered a bit of conversation (and criticism) lately.
Among the discs one guy urges you to discard: No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom, the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and — this one might spur some controversy — Nirvana's Nevermind.
Fallon to Host MTV Music Video Awards
"Saturday Night Live" star Jimmy Fallon will host the MTV Video Music Awards, while Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band are close to signing on to headline the Aug. 29 show.
Fallon, who co-anchors "SNL's" "Weekend Update" newscast with Tina Fey, will host the 19th annual New York kudocast solo; the comic-thesp fronted last year's MTV Movie Awards with Kirsten Dunst ("Spider-Man").
MTV has frequently turned to "SNL" talent to host its annual awards show/concert.
The first kudocast in 1984 was co-hosted by Dan Aykroyd (paired with Bette Midler), while ex-"Weekend Update" anchor Dennis Miller toplined the 1995 and 1996 festivities. Chris Rock hosted twice, in 1997 and 1999, while Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy both got a single at-bat for the gig, in 1992 and 1985, respectively.
Jamie Foxx hosted last year's VMAs.
As for Springsteen, MTV is expected to announce his performance and the names of several other performers as early as Monday. The Boss backed up the Wallflowers on the 1997 VMAs; he performed solo in 1994.
Springsteen and his band will be promoting their new album, "The Rising," which is awesome and hits stores next week. The group will perform a special concert from Asbury Park, N.J., on a special edition of NBC's "Today" show July 30; they'll also pop up on "Late Show with David Letterman" Aug. 31.
'Y Tu Mama' Helmer Gets Potter Film
Alfonso Cuaron, director of this year's Spanish-language hit "Y Tu Mama Tambien," has been picked to direct "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the third movie in the film franchise.
Production will begin in England early next year, with the film scheduled for release in summer 2004, distributor Warner Bros. announced Sunday.
All key cast members are expected to return, including Daniel Radcliffe as boy wizard Harry.
Cuaron will take over from Chris Columbus, who directed "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," last year's biggest hit, and is finishing "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," due in theaters this November.
Columbus will be a producer on the third film based on the book series created by British author J.K. Rowling.
Born in Mexico, Cuaron made his directing debut in 1991 with "Love in the Time of Hysteria," following with "A Little Princess" in 1995 and "Great Expectations" in 1998.
The "Harry Potter" tales have "captured the imaginations of many people, myself included, and I am so excited to join an amazingly talented cast and crew," Cuaron said.
Jackson Derides Rap Crossover Trend
Samuel L. Jackson doesn't think much of the trend that is turning rap singers into movie stars.
"To take people from the music world and give them the same kind of credibility and weight that you give me, Morgan Freeman, Laurence Fishburne, Forest Whitaker — that's like an aberration to me," Jackson said.
He won't even look at a script that gives a rapper a starring role.
"It's not my job to lend credibility to so-and-so rapper who's just coming into the business."
Jackson has appeared with rappers in supporting roles in films such as the upcoming "XXX," and he applauds Will Smith as a rapper who has won some credibility as an actor.
But overall, he dislikes the crossover trend, he told the Sacramento Bee recently.
"I know there's some young actor sitting in New York or L.A. who's spent half of his life learning how to act and sacrificing to learn his craft but isn't going to get his opportunity ... because of some actor who's been created," he said.
The Major New DVDs and Videos This Week THIS WEEK
The 2 biggest films coming out for home use tomorrow are both not very good. But since you may be curious to see them, and nothing I can say will change that, I'll preview them for you.
The complete list of new releases will appear tomorrow, but for right now, here's a look at the "major" releases for Tuesday, July 23, 2002:
CROSSROADS- Sometimes bad movies can be just what you want. Other times they are just bad. This title is the latter. The virginal Britney Spears goes on a road trip with her childhood friends right after high school graduation. One of them wants to compete in a rock 'n roll talent contest, though her blossoming pregnancy might be a barrier. Besides, the girl can't really sing and it's Britney who spends all her time writing "poetry" in a little notebook she carries around. The audience laughed when a hunky boyfriend asked if he could look at her notebook and set her words to music, thereby creating Britney's then-current hit single "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman." What were they expecting? I would have been shocked if that scene hadn't happened. The movie also has one of the most over-the-top melodramatic climaxes not seen since the heyday of the women's film in the '40s. By the way, she's actually not that bad an actress. And for the record, the Ralph Macchio movie called "Crossroads" was much better.
THE TIME MACHINE- After L.A. Confidential, Russell Crowe exploded into a major superstar, snagging one important role after enough. The equally compelling Guy Pearce took his own sweet time, finally delivering his first major role in an offbeat independent film . . . called Memento. So there was method to his madness. But Pearce's taste in mainstream movies isn't nearly as canny as Crowe's. He's since starred in a dull remake of The Count of Monte Cristo and this disastrously silly remake of Time Machine. He cuts a dashing figure, so there's no reason Pearce couldn't be an action star, I suppose. Pearce should scurry back to smart, independent moviemaking before what little box office pull he has left is squandered. Don't waste you time!
YEAH, BABIES: A TALE OF AUSTIN'S LEADING LADIES
If it weren't for the bodacious ladies he teams up with - both in the sack and on the crime-fighting front - Austin Powers would be nothing but a doofus with bad teeth and questionable style. Here's a rundown of the kittenish sidekicks who keep Austin powered.
Actress: Elizabeth Hurley
Character: CIA agent Vanessa Kensington
Movie: "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"
Most shagadelic moment: They playing Twister in their hotel room.
Wacky declaration: "Do I make you horny?"
Actress: Heather Graham
Character: CIA agent Felicity Shagwell
Movie: "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me"
Most shagadelic moment: They dancing to "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" at a London coffee shop.
Wacky declaration: "Felicity Shagwell - Shagwell by name; Shag-very-well by reputation."
Actress: Beyonce Knowles
Character: CIA agent Foxy Cleopatra
Movie: "Austin Powers in Goldmember"
Most shagadelic moment: When Foxxy flips open her badge, she tells Austin he has "the right to remain sexy," then kisses him on the cheek.
Wacky declaration: "You may be a cunning linguist, but I'm a master debater."
Everclear Returns with DAYDREAM
Everclear will makes its return to the Billboard charts on October 8 with SLOW MOTION DAYDREAM. Lead singer Art Alexakis says that the album is, "the most cohesive and most rock-sounding Everclear record since SPARKLE & FADE and SO MUCH FOR THE AFTERGLOW." He also said that many are saying it is the heaviest Everclear album yet.
Adds Alexakis, "Lyrically it's the best songs I've written, ever, and it's definitely the best collection of songs that fit together lyrically without trying to be MR. ROBOTO, like a concept record."
Fox Looks For Latenight
Fox is apparently looking to try again at a late night show, as top-level execs met yesterday to discuss various options for the timeslot. The network isn't fully committed to development, as they are still focused on developing the primetime slots. If a show is developed, it will not air before fall 2003, however. Fox has tried and failed miserably before with Joan Rivers show in 1986 and Chevy Chase in 1993.
Orlando Jones (THE REPLACEMENTS) is apparently the front runner to take over, however.
IF THEY MATED
Late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien is rumoured to have signed on to host the 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards September 22 on NBC.
Neither NBC nor O'Brien's reps are commenting.
Destiny's Child Star in 'Goldmember'
It must have been destiny.
Beyonce Knowles played it straight opposite comedian Mike Myers in her first audition for "Austin Powers in Goldmember."
But when the Destiny's Child singer got a callback, she was ready to show she could play Foxxy Cleopatra, a spy posing as a singer at a 1970s roller disco.
"I went back in wearing a Pam Grier-like catsuit, an Afro wig and had memorized every blaxploitation film ever made," Knowles told Newsweek magazine in editions on sale this week.
Myers, whose third installment of the spy-comedy series opens this week, says Knowles worked hard on the part.
"She came to the set prepared in every way, every day," he said.
Weekend Box Office
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.
1. "Stuart Little 2," $15.6 million.
1. "Road to Perdition," $15.57 million.
3. "Men in Black II," $15 million.
4. "K-19: The Widowmaker," $13.1 million.
5. "Mr. Deeds," $7.3 million.
6. "Reign of Fire," $7.1 million.
7. "Eight Legged Freaks," $6.7 million.
8. "Halloween: Resurrection," $5.4 million.
9. "Lilo & Stitch," $5.1 million.
10. "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," $4.8 million.
I Give Them 8 Months
How long will Julia Roberts' marriage last? Is the Sarah Michelle Gellar-Freddie Prinze Jr. union doomed to fail? Cast your vote at StarsInLove.com, a site dedicated to the odds of celebrity relationships.
Nostalgia fuels the fourth 'Indiana Jones'
No one involved with the three Indiana Jones blockbusters ever really considered the idea of a fourth until the American Film Institute threw a tribute dinner for Ford in 2001, says producer Frank Marshall. The film's principals "all saw each other backstage in tuxedoes, and it was a nostalgic moment where we got to talking and we found how much fun we had on these movies. But these days it takes us all a while to clear our schedules."
"It's going to be the same team: George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and me," Marshall adds. "We are working on the film as we speak. I think production will start in 2004 for release in the summer of 2005. There are certain elements that are in all three movies that we will strive to maintain: the archaeology aspect, the fun of the movies and a little bit of the supernatural."
Speaking of the supernatural, Marshall also is the producer of Signs, starring Mel Gibson and opening Aug. 2. Audiences won't know too much of the plot before it opens, Marshall predicts. Even Touchstone Pictures' advertising campaign for the latest film from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) is a red herring, he says. "It's not a straight-ahead science-fiction movie," Marshall says. "It's about a lot more things than the advertising suggests, which is that it is about crop circles," those mysterious rural images that are supposed to be UFO tracks but usually turn out to be hoaxes.
"Crop circles are really the tip of the iceberg," says Marshall, mixing his metaphors. "I will say that it's like Night's other movies because it incorporates elements of the supernatural."
Frakes Takes on THE THUNDERBIRDS
Jonathan Frakes (STAR TREK: TNG) has committed to directing a live action version of the 1960s "super-marionation" show, THE THUNDERBIRDS.
Set in 2065, the original show used puppets in the story of a top secret international rescue team comprised out of retired astronaut Jeff Tracy and his five sons, as well as several others.
The film has been in development hell for years, but recently Working Title Prods. took it back for reconceptualization to make it more like the original series. THE THUNDERBIRDS original episodes will begin airing on Tech TV on August 5.
Stones Roll 'Simpsons'
"The Simpsons" executive producer James L. Brooks is taking a trip to Springfield -- along with a slew of other celebs scheduled to make cameos next season.
Brooks will appear as himself in an upcoming episode of the Fox toon dubbed "A Star Is Born Again." Oscar winner Marisa Tomei will also lend her voice to the episode.
"The Simpsons" will start its 14th season on Sunday, Nov. 10, with an episode featuring Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, along with rockers Tom Petty, Brian Setzer, Lenny Kravitz and Elvis Costello. The episode is titled "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation."
The series will also mark its milestone 300th episode next year with a half-hour featuring skate god Tony Hawk and Blink 182. Its intriguing title: "Barting Over."
Other guest voices slated to pop up soon include the following:
= Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their roles as Batman and Robin, respectively, in Nov. 24's "Large Marge." Jan Hooks of "Saturday Night Live" fame will also appear.
= Good golly! Little Richard will pop up on the Dec. 15 episode "Special Edna."
= David Lander -- think Squiggy from "Laverne & Shirley" -- is set for the first episode of 2003. He'll play himself, not Squiggy.
= Elliott Gould will also play himself in "The Dad Who Knew Too Little," set to air Jan. 12.
Beauty News, eh?!?
It seems that Homer Simpson is Canadian.
Drainage Ponds Named for 'Simpsons'
The Minnesota Department of Transportation was having trouble keeping track of its several hundred drainage ponds at highway interchanges.
So it named some of them Bart, Barney and Milhouse.
Yes, TV's "The Simpsons" has come to stormwater runoff management, courtesy of state hydrologist Patrick McLarnon. "It's just something fun," he said, and a better naming scheme than the numbers and letters that used to be employed.
The Simpsons ponds — there's also Apu, Clancy Wiggum, Maggie, Itchy, Lenny, Quimby, Scratchy and Seymour — are all part of the Interstate 494-Highway 61 interchange project in Newport in the metro area.
McLarnon also has named ponds after "Happy Days" characters Richie, Joanie, Chachi and The Fonz along Interstate 94 and for "Star Wars" aliens along Highway 12.
None of the names appear on plaques at the ponds, but that's how they're designated in state databases to track water quality and runoff flows.
Other state planners use different naming schemes, McLarnon said. One had a project with five ponds, which he named for his five children.
What's next? "Maybe `South Park,'" McLarnon said.
IT'S OFFICIAL!
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences executive director Bruce David confirming Wednesday that the 2004 and 2005 Oscars will shift to February. The board had voted to change dates "as a two-year experiment," Davis tells Daily Variety, adding that "this is an experiment worth trying."
Oh, Baby! It Is A Big Movie Weekend
If you are looking for something new in the multiplexes this weekend, you are in luck! There's a submarine flick, a Little mouse movie and a totally freaky spider film!
Enjoy the popcorn and I'll see you at the movies!
Angelina Jolie Files for Divorce
Angelina Jolie, who recently admitted that she has not spoken to husband Billy Bob Thornton in at least a month, has filed for divorce, citing irreconciable differences.
The divorce papers were filed by Jolie on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The Oscar-winning couple, who have been married for two years, recently adopted an 11-month-old boy, Maddox, from Cambodia.
The papers were filed the same day Us Weekly's upcoming interview with Jolie was made public. In it, Jolie confirmed the couple was separated and was quoted as saying: "I'm angry. I'm sad. It's a very difficult and sad time."
Regarding the split, Thornton, 46, issued a statement Thursday that said only: "It's a sad thing." Representatives of Jolie, 27, refused to comment further.
The pair's wild love life has been media fodder since they married in May 2000. They bragged about their sex lives in interviews, and at one time, they wore vials of each other's blood around their necks.
Both are Oscar winners; she won a best supporting actress award in 2000 for "Girl, Interrupted," and Thornton won best screenplay honors in 1997 for "Sling Blade."
Jolie wed Thornton in Las Vegas after a whirlwind courtship. Thornton was dating actress Laura Dern when he became involved with Jolie. It was Thornton's fifth marriage and her second.
Jolie and Thornton have been separated since June 3, according to the court papers. The actress requested the right to keep miscellaneous jewelry and all of her earnings since they married.
Jolie told Us Weekly magazine in its July 29-Aug. 5 double issue, on newsstands Friday: "Sometimes, you don't see things coming, even though they are happening. It was a real deep connection, a deep marriage, so it's not that simple to say this or that one thing caused the problems."
Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations, has remained at home with 11-month-old Maddox after adopting him this spring. Jolie said her husband was more focused on his budding singing career; he recently went on tour to support his album, released last September.
George Michael Asked to Write Song for Olympics
British pop singer George Michael is considering a request from the Athens Olympic Committee to write a theme song for the 2004 Games, a spokeswoman for the artist said on Thursday.
The 39-year-old's Greek heritage is obvious in his original name, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, although he was born in north London.
"A request was made by the Athens Olympic Committee to write the theme song for the 2004 games," said the spokeswoman.
Michael, a former member of the 1980's duo Wham!, has been in the public eye in the past few weeks defending his upcoming single "Shoot the Dog."
The song's lyrics criticize British Prime Minister Tony Blair's relationship with President Bush, and an animated video features Michael in bed with Cherie Blair.
The Athens Olympics will be held in August 2004, and have been subject to their own controversy, with the organizing committee being accused of lagging dangerously behind schedule. Greek government officials told Reuters last month that the games are on track, despite minor problems.
Bad Boys 2 Is A Union Job
Gabrielle Union has signed on to play Sydney Burnett, Marcus Burnett's (Martin Lawrence) half sister, in BAD BOYS 2. Burnett is also the love interest of Will Smith's character Mike Lowrey. Lowrey's attempts to woo Sydney causes friction between he and Marcus. Although Sydney pretends to have a desk job, she is really an undercover cop that is pretending to launder dirty money.
Alexander, Short Hit Broadway
Jason Alexander (SEINFELD) and Martin Short, both Tony winners, have committed to Mel Brooks hit Broadway musical THE PRODUCERS. The first performance by the pair will be on May 2, 2003 and they star for eight months at the Pantages Theatre. Alexander will play producer Max Bialystock, and Short will play accountant Leo Bloom. Tickets go on sale August 5 for those shows.
"Six Feet Under" Leads Emmy Nominations
HBO's funereal family soap opera "Six Feet Under" led the field of prime-time Emmy Award contenders on Thursday with 23 nominations, including a bid for outstanding drama.
Last year's big Emmy winner, NBC's White House drama "The West Wing," was the second-most nominated show with 21 nods, also including one for best drama.
Those two shows were joined on the list of best drama nominees by CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," NBC's long-running legal series "Law & Order" and the breakout Fox espionage thriller "24."
Nominated as best comedy series were last year's winner in that category, HBO's "Sex and the City," along with CBS sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," NBC's smash hit "Friends," NBC's "Will & Grace" and HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
The HBO cable network, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., led the networks in nominations overall, snaring a total of 93, followed by NBC, owned by the General Electric Co., with 89. CBS, a division of Viacom Inc. was third with 50 Emmy bids, followed by Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC with 35, and Fox, owned by News Corp. Ltd. , with 33.
The 54th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, twice delayed last year due to the Sept. 11 attacks and the U.S.-led bombing of Afghanistan, will be presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in a live ceremony on CBS in September.
If you are interested in the complete list of nominees, well then...
HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY
The Ren & Stimpy Show returning to cable TV, with new episodes slated to debut on TNN next spring. The network also plans to run the previous 52 episodes of the animated cult favorite.
MUPPET UPDATE
PBS telling concerned Republican lawmakers that it has no plans of bringing an HIV-positive Muppet to Sesame Street in the United States. The new Sesame Street character, they said, was intended only for audiences in South Africa.
BYE, BYE, BYE
After months of talks, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency naming 'N Sync popster Lance Bass as the prospective third member of a crew scheduled to take a Soyuz flight to the international space station in October, according to published reports. However, contracts have not yet been signed, and Bass still has a number of steps to complete before being eligible for the flight.
Not so 'Heavenly'
Not much happening today in the land of DVD, so here's a few new street dates and spec updates to tide you over until the Next Big Announcement...
First up, specs have come in for three highly-anticipated Buena Vista September cult faves, all hitting DVD on 9/24. The Grifters features a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and English 2.0 Dolby surround track, plus an audio commentary with director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Donald Westlake, and actors John Cusack and Angelica Huston, two new featurettes "The Making of The Grifters" and "The Jim Thompson Story," "The Grifters Scrapbook" still gallery, and trailers. Swingers also features a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and tons of extras, including an audio commentary by director Doug Liman plus an "illustrated action commentary" with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, the "Making it in Hollywood," "Writing the Story," "Getting Swingers Made," "Swingers Culture" and "Life After Swingers" featurettes, deleted Scenes, outtakes, a bonus short "Swingblade," and trailers. Retail is $19.95 each..
Alas, while both Swingers and The Grifters look great, the Heavenly Creatures specs are a real disappointment. The film will be presented in full frame only and English 2.0 Dolby surround, with no extras aside from trailers. Let's hope Buena Vista comes to their senses, cancels this release, and produces the special edition this film really deserves. Sigh.
Rapper Nelly, Rockers Chili Peppers Top Pop Charts
Hip-hop star Nelly topped the pop album charts for a third consecutive week, while rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers enjoyed their highest ranking for an album in the group's 20 year history at No. 2, according to sales data reported on Wednesday.
The rap genre continued to reign supreme as Nelly's "Nellyland" held the top slot since the week ended June 30, when it toppled a five-week rule by rapper Eminem. Nelly's album sold 340,029 units in the latest week ended July 14, bringing the tally to about 1.5 million units, SoundScan said.
The Chili Peppers' new and eighth album, "By the Way," sold 281,948 units for the week ended July 14, knocking Eminem's "The Eminem Show," from the No. 2 position, where it had held steady for the previous two weeks.
The No. 2 ranking is the highest position ever attained by the Los Angeles-based rock group, which has been together since the early 1980s, having weathered the death of one member and the long absence of another, both linked to heroin.
"By the Way," released on July 9 by Warner Bros. Records, surpassed by way of ranking the Chili Peppers' 1999 hit comeback album "Californication," which peaked at only No. 3 but went on to sell an estimated 13 million units worldwide.
The band's disappointing "One Hot Minute" 1995 album peaked at No. 4, while the Chili Peppers' 1991 breakthrough 1991 release "BloodSugarSexMagik," peaked at No. 3.
One of the first acts in the 1980s to merge rap and funk with hard rock, the band's guitarist John Frusciante left in the early 1990s in what became a five-year exile to battle a heroin addiction. The Chili Peppers had already lost one guitarist, Hillel Slovak, who died in 1988 from a heroin overdose.
With the return of Frusciante on "Californication," the band turned more pop-oriented and critics have called "By The Way" the mellowest of the group's albums.
Meanwhile, Eminem's album, the third major-label LP from the foul-mouthed rapper (a.k.a. Marshall Bruce Mathers III), sold 231,000 copies in the week ended July 14, bringing its tally to about 4.1 million copies.
Nelly's No. 1 ranking is not the first for the hip-hop star, whose 2000 debut, "Country Grammar," opened at No. 3 with sales of 252,000 copies but ultimately spent five weeks at No. 1.
Teen pop newcomer Avril Lavigne's debut album "Let Go," moved up to No. 4 from No. 5, while the Counting Crows' new release "Hard Candy," ranked No. 5, sales data show.
"Hard Candy," the band's fourth studio release, started better than 1999's "This Desert Life," which opened and peaked at No. 8. But the band's first two studio albums both peaked at No. 1, according to sales data.
Rounding out the top 10 were hip-hop group Styles' album, "Gangster & A Gentleman" at No. 6 and "Irv Gotti Presents...The Inc.," a collection of hard-core and East Coast rap from various artists at No. 7 spot.
Two self-titled albums, one by pop singer Josh Groban and one by rookie R&B singer Ashanti, ranked No. 8 and No. 9, respectively, while veteran rockers Aerosmith's "Ultimate Greatest Hits," scored at No. 10.
Jolie Says She Split With Thornton
Angelina Jolie confirms that she has split with her actor-husband Billy Bob Thornton in an interview with Us Weekly, saying that she hasn't spoken to the Oscar winner in at least a month.
"I'm angry. I'm sad. It's a very difficult and sad time," Jolie told the magazine in its July 29-Aug. 5 double issue, on newsstands Friday.
"Sometimes, you don't see things coming, even though they are happening. It was a real deep connection, a deep marriage, so it's not that simple to say this or that one thing caused the problems."
Us Weekly said Thornton, whose recent movies include "The Man Who Wasn't There" and "Monster's Ball," declined to comment for the article. His publicist would only say, "They remain very married."
Jolie, 27, wed Thornton, 46, after a whirlwind courtship in Las Vegas in 2000, the same year she won a best-supporting actress Oscar for "Girl, Interrupted." Thornton was dating actress Laura Dern when he became involved with Jolie. It was Thornton's fifth marriage and her second.
Thornton won an Oscar in 1997 for best screenplay for "Sling Blade," for which he was also nominated for best actor.
The couple's wild love life has been media fodder; at one time, they wore vials of each other's blood around their necks. The couple recently adopted a son, Maddox, from Cambodia.
But while the article said Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations ( news - web sites), has been spending time with Maddox, Thornton, who also has released an album of his singing, went on tour.
"He's focused on his music career," says Jolie. "I'm focused on my baby."
Jolie and her 11-month-old are living in a hotel away from the couple's Beverly Hills, Calif., home; Jolie says she is unsure of where Thornton has been staying.
Yet Jolie, who has a Billy Bob tattoo on her left arm, says it's possible they could reconcile.
"We're not divorced yet," she says. "We're going through a difficult time. I'm not sure what will happen."
Bruce Keeps Lid on "The Rising?"
On his new album, The Rising, Bruce Springsteen grapples with such weighty topics as mortality, the mind of a suicide bomber, the tragedy of September 11 and the triumph of the human spirit.
But before its release on July 30, the Boss is dealing with a much different dilemma: Namely, keeping his album off the Internet.
With Columbia Records prepping the release of Springsteen's highly anticipated first studio album with the E Street Band in 15 years, the label is in heavy anti-piracy mode--attempting to ward off Internet bootleggers while still giving Bruce fans a taste of the new music.
For Springsteen's disc, the label has nixed almost all advance copies of the album (the New York Times reports that just 10 CDs were sent out as of early July) instead opting to invite journalists and critics to exclusive "listening parties" to hear the new tracks. Most everyone involved, from record company publicists to the critics themselves, hate the parties, which have been held for albums from David Bowie to Radiohead: After all, just one spin of an album (especially for an artist like Springsteen, who actually writes lyrics that people want to hear) often isn't enough to make a decent impression.
"I feel bad for the journalists that have to review it with the publicists standing right here," acknowledges Amy Welch, a publicist for DreamWorks Records. To truly develop a feel for an album, she says, "sometimes it takes two or three listens, especially if it's an important artist with something to say. But the bottom line is security. So I guess it's the lesser of two evils."
It's just one of many strategies being used by record companies to give the media and public a taste for new albums, without becoming targets for premature downloading. And labels have been forced to get inventive. Many have sent out advance discs with encryption designed to trace the source of MP3s, while other companies have ditched CDs altogether: A Radiohead album once arrived in the form of an audiocassette, placed inside a Walkman that couldn't be opened.
More recently, DreamWorks created a special advance-listening Website for Papa Roach's new CD, Lovehatetragedy. The only problem: Some critics with dial-up connections had a hell of a time listening to the whole disc. (One writer from Entertainment Weekly ended up spending a good portion of the review bitching about how he couldn't hear all of the songs.)
"Nobody liked it," DreamWork's Welch admits. "A lot of people didn't have DSL lines or good connections, so it was more of a hardware failure. But I think we'll be forced to do it again."
Meantime, she says there will be advance copies of the upcoming release from multiplatinum pop-rockers Lifehouse--but they won't include two bonus tracks from the actual album. (Whether that prompts another tirade from Entertainment Weekly--only time will tell.)
As for Springsteen, Columbia has teamed up with America Online to stream a new song on the Internet (not for download, natch) every few weeks leading up to the album's release. And so far, the Times reports that the title track, "The Rising," was streamed 755,000 times in two days.
Still, enterprising fans have managed to put the AOL promo tracks up on MP3-swapping sites.
The Rising, produced by Brendan O'Brien, marks Springsteen's first full-length rock album since 1992, and his first studio effort with the E Streeters since 1984's multiplatinum smash Born in the U.S.A. Springsteen and company kick off their tour August 7 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
I hope to see them September 29th in Fargo, N.D. You betcha!
Apple Unveils iPod Music Players for Windows PCs
Apple Computer Inc. Chairman Steve Jobs said on Wednesday that Apple will expand the audience for its popular iPod music player with new versions of the device designed to work with Windows-based personal computers.
Speaking to an audience of Apple loyalists at the bi-annual Macworld trade show, Jobs also said it was cutting $100 off the prices of the two existing iPod models that run on Apple computers.
Apple said it would offer its 1,000-song, five-gigabyte iPod for $299 and a 2,000-song, 10-gigabyte iPod for $399. It also said it would introduce a new $499 model capable of storing 4,000 songs, or roughly 20 billion bytes of data.
All three models will be available to run on both Apple and PCs running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system. The Windows versions will be available starting in late August.
"Isn't that cool?" Jobs asked the audience of Apple faithful repeatedly as he demonstrated new software features to be offered on the Internet-based music-playing device.
Batman Vs. Superman News
Will Christian Bale be the next Batman?
Opening The Bar Again?
Ted Danson, on the CBS tour to promote Becker (moved to Sunday this season), says he's not opposed to a Cheers reunion, even though he turned down a chance to reunite with George Wendt and John Ratzenberger on a recent Frasier.
"I got rid of my hairpieces. I had nothing to wear," joked Danson, who occasionally catches reruns of his "big hair" days on Cheers. "And just for the record," he says, "the first three or four years, that was mine."
Danson, who starred in Three Men And A Baby and Body Heat, was also asked if he was looking at any movie scripts these days. "I see some of them on (wife Mary Steenburgen's) side of the bed, but I don't actually read them."
Crank It Up!
There's not quite anything like Dictionaraoke, where you can hear unique versions of popular songs (everything from Cameo's Word Up to I Got You Babe). The site's gimmick, in case you haven't figured it out: It "features parodies of popular songs using karaoke-style backing music with vocals provided by audio pronunciation samples from online dictionaries."
'Once,' 'Sports,' 'Felicity' Get New Life on DVD
Less than a week after Fox announced it would bring last season's innovative drama "24" to DVD with unprecedented speed on Sept. 17, Disney said it would release the full seasons of acclaimed-but-short-lived ABC series "Once and Again" and "Sports Night," as well as "Felicity," all on Nov. 5.
Both "Felicity," which aired on the WB, and "Sports Night" were produced by the TV arm of Imagine Entertainment, which was based at Disney at the time. "Once and Again" was canceled last season after moving around the ABC primetime schedule for several seasons in an effort to expand on its small but passionate audience.
Each boxed set will be priced at $79.99. The "Felicity" and "Once and Again" sets include the first season and pilot episodes. The "Sports Night" set includes all episodes from the series.
Sharon Stone Warms to 'Cold'
Sharon Stone is in negotiations to play the female lead opposite Dennis Quaid in the Walt Disney thriller "Cold Creek Manor," her first major studio movie since the 1998 flop "Sphere."
"Manor," to be directed by English filmmaker Mike Figgis ("Timecode"), is about a city family that moves to the country, only to find the dream turn into a nightmare when the previous owner returns from prison to demand his house back.
Stone, will start work on "Manor" in early August and also is readying two indie projects. She is negotiating to join Rupert Everett in "A Different Loyalty," and then star in "Liar's Club."
Actress, who received an Oscar nomination in 1996 for her performance in Martin Scorsese's "Casino," pulled out of a deal to star in the sequel to her 1992 starmaking vehicle "Basic Instinct" last year after the troubled project went through several directors and male leads.
She recently appeared in Rosanna Arquette's documentary "Searching for Debra Winger," which unspooled at Cannes this year where she was a member of the competition jury.
STANDING TALL
Actor Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, who was paralyzed from the waist down last November in a motorcycle accident, returning full-time to acting after landing a role on NBC's Ed. Mitchell, who stars in Disney's upcoming The Country Bears (which he wrapped before his accident), will play Eli, a new employee at Ed's bowling alley.
HERE WE GO AGAIN
CBS premiering the fifth edition of Survivor on September 19 to get a one-week head start on NBC's Friends. The latest Survivor is set in Thailand.
STILL IN THE HUNT
Terminator star and Republican activist Arnold Schwarzenegger told the National Governors Association conference on Monday that although he declined to run for governor this past year, he's still up for the job. "It's something that I'm still interested in [for] the future. I think that the greatest thing you can do is serve the people," the 54-year-old actor said.
New Sketches and Gay Budgie for Monty Python Fans
Monty Python fans will be treated to something completely different this summer when three sketches by the irreverent British comedy troupe are performed in public for the first time.
The sketches, each lasting about four minutes and featuring characters including an overworked Messiah and a gay budgie, will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The sketches were written by the late Python star Graham Chapman and found in Los Angeles by his literary executor, the paper said.
Chapman died of cancer in 1989, aged 49.
Comedy group Sketch Club will face the task of capturing Monty Python's outrageous style when they perform the unmistakably Pythonesque skits in Scotland.
"They are very obviously by the same writer and they are very funny," Sketch Club producer Brian West told the paper.
Monty Python, a group of five talented British comedians and an American animator, re-wrote the comedy rule books when they debuted on BBC television in 1969.
Known for a crushing cartoon foot and sketches about silly walks and a dead parrot, the troupe wrote a string of hit films. Members of the group, including John Cleese and Eric Idle, went on to successful television and movie careers.
McCartney Returns to U.S. for More Concerts
Paul McCartney, whose first U.S. tour in nine years was the top-grossing road show in the first half, will return in September for 22 shows, his publicist said on Tuesday.
The former Beatle, who turned 60 last month, will kick off his "Back in the USA" tour of indoor arenas in Milwaukee on Sept. 21. The tour will end Oct. 29 in Phoenix.
He will mostly play markets he did not play the first time around, although he will return to Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Las Vegas and the California cities of Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim.
The first leg of the tour, during which McCartney played to 407,000 people over 22 shows, grossed $52.8 million, according to concert trade publication Pollstar.
McCartney will compete for the same graying demographic as the Rolling Stones, who begin their North American tour in September. Fellow "British Invasion" rockers the Who began their tour earlier this month.
Pilot in Aaliyah Crash Used Cocaine
The pilot of the small plane that crashed in the Bahamas last year — killing 22-year-old singer and actress Aaliyah, himself and seven others — had traces of cocaine and alcohol in his body, aviation officials said Tuesday.
An autopsy performed on Luis Antonio Morales Blanes' body revealed cocaine in his urine and traces of alcohol in his stomach, the Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
Authorities are investigating how the substances might have affected the pilot at the time of the August crash. Morales, 30, was sentenced to three years probation on charges of crack cocaine possession 12 days before the crash.
Aaliyah, who was already a two-time Grammy nominee for best female R&B vocalist, was leaving the Bahamas following a video shoot when the Cessna 402-B crashed during takeoff. All nine people aboard died.
The aviation department also said Tuesday the aircraft may not have undergone fuel-pump wiring modifications required in August 1988. Unidentified particles and corrosion found in the fuel filters were "indications that routine maintenance was not being performed," the statement said.
The investigative committee has not yet been able to talk to the plane's owner of the airplane, or inspect the engine or aircraft log books, which would show maintenance, it said.
The twin-engine plane was also at least 700 pounds overweight, investigators have said. Although nine people were on board, the plane is certified to carry up to eight including the pilot.
Inspection of the plane's engine, airframe, propeller and fuel system, however, has shown no cause for malfunction, authorities said Tuesday.
In May, the parents of Aaliyah filed a lawsuit against Virgin Records, alleging that negligence and recklessness caused the plane crash.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Diane and Michael Haughton, also named several video production companies and Blackhawk International Airways, the company that operated the plane.
Neither Blackhawk nor Skystream, the plane's registered owner, had a permit to operate commercial charter flights in the Bahamas, investigators said.
Blackhawk officials couldn't be reached for comment.
Some Of These Posts Are Incredible!
imabitch; female, 31; Secret CO, USA
While I was married, my husband and I had quite a few problems. We were married for seven years, but he was the notorious philanderer; one night I came home only to find his newest interest there. They were in our bedroom, watching a movie. He pretended like there was nothing going on, which completely infuriated me. He had the unmitigated gall to invite his "friend" to spend the night. At that point, I began to drink heavily. She had left her clothes, lying neatly on the bathroom counter. Needless to say, after drinking so much I began to feel sick. I vomited in the toilet, and afterwards, dumped her pantcuffs into the mess. When I was done, I placed the pants neatly on the counter for them to dry overnight while they were sleeping. It has been over a year since I have been divorced, but after the debacle of my marriage, I have vowed to never date again.
Want to read more confessional stories?
Good Luck!
Wanna throw a punch like Jackie Chan?
S Club 7 Hits the Silver Screen
British pop sensation S CLUB has signed to star in SEEING DOUBLE for Sony Pictures, who also distributed SPICE WORLD. Simon Fuller (AMERICAN IDOL) will produce with Alan Barnette (SLIDERS). Music video director Nigel Dick will work from a script by Kim Fuller (SPICE WORLD), rewritten by Sally Robinson. The film will focus on the adventures of six twentysomething adults.
S CLUB, Simon Fuller's manufactured group, is comprised of Hannah Spearritt, Jon Lee, Tina Barrett, Rachel Stevens, Bradley Mcintosh and Jo O'Meara.
Mmmmmmm...., Rachel!
Jack Black Goes to the SCHOOL OF ROCK
Jack Black has signed to topline THE SCHOOL OF ROCK for Paramount Pictures. In the script, written by Mike White (ORANCE COUNTY), Black will play a musician that becomes a subsitute teacher at a private school and "influences the young students with his antics and music." Black is currently filming ENVY will Ben Stiller for director Barry Levinson. Paramount has set a November start date and expects the film to be released November 2003.
Dude, You're Gettin' a Fine
The Screen Actors Guild has punished Ben Curtis, better known as Steven the Dell Computers pitchman. The Guild punished Curtis for shooting commercials during the union's strike against advertisers in 2000. Total punishment details were undisclosed, although a hefty fine is likely.
Carrey, Shandling Toon Into 'Hedge'
Jim Carrey and Garry Shandling will make their feature animation debuts in "Over the Hedge," a DreamWorks project targeted for 2005.
Carrey will voice R.J., a mischievous raccoon and con artist, while Shandling will voice Verne, a sensitive turtle.
The pair deal with encroaching suburban development and become friends as they figure out how to co-exist with their human neighbors and exploit their proximity.
"Over the Hedge" is based on a popular comic strip of the same name by Michael Fry and T Lewis. The screenplay is being adapted by veteran screenwriter Len Blum ("Stripes," "Meatballs") in his first animation effort. The film will be directed by Tim Johnson, co-director of DreamWorks' "Antz."
Beatles' 'Night' to Dawn on DVD
Miramax Films will release the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" on Sept. 24 in a two-disc DVD set that includes six hours of bonus features.
"Give Me Everything! A Companion Anthology to the Beatles' First Film" was produced by Beatles historian Martin Lewis, who was chosen by the film's producer, the late Walter Shenson, to supervise the release and compile the new material.
Lewis conducted most of the 30 interviews, which include ones with director Richard Lester, musical director George Martin, members of the cast and crew and friends of the Beatles. It will have a retail price of $29.99.
The film was re-released theatrically in December 2000.
Today's New Releases
The following list of new video and DVD releases is over 100 titles long. But the only 2 titles that I give a hoot about are "Amelie" and "Better Off Dead." Well, maybe "Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy" and "Black Sheep" as well, but not as much.
So lets go to the list!
Here are the new video and DVD releases for Tuesday, July 16th, 2002:
FIRST UP, THE "BIG" TITLES
AMELIE- What a strange career path for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. First he and collaborator Marc Caro make the black-hearted cannibalism comedy Delicatessen, which is set in some bleak near-future. It has some of the most elaborate, flashy, "look-at-me" camerawork since the Coen Brothers got drunk on the possibilities of cinema with Blood Simple. Then the two men deliver the opaque City of Lost Children, a full-out sci-fi epic that plays more like a Rube Goldberg contraption than a movie. Jeunet and Caro split up and Jeunet is seduced by Hollywood into making Alien Resurrection, a flop that kills a franchise. So what does Jeunet do? He turns around and delivers Amelie, starring Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz. It's a valentine to love and possibility that delights in romance almost as much as it delights in filmmaking itself. Tautou becomes a star and Jeunet is redeemed as surely as her insecure but lovable waitress. The witty voice-overs make this an ideal double-bill with Y Tu Mama Tambien.
BETTER OFF DEAD- In 1985, the same year John Cusack made the marvelous romantic comedy The Sure Thing and the fine Disney flick The Journey of Natty Gann, he delivered this oddball flick about a teenager desperately trying to commit suicide and only embarrassing himself in the process. The Sure Thing may be considered by many to be the better film, but Better Off Dead proved Cusack was one to watch. The mere fact that he made a film with someone called Savage Steve Holland proved Cusack wasn't willing to play it safe. And his earnest charm grounded the bizarre, scattershot storyline (including that hilarious running gag about the newspaper delivery boy). After this, anyone paying attention knew Cusack had the smarts to forge a career. What would follow? Just Eight Men Out, Say Anything, The Grifters, Bullets Over Broadway, Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Being John Malcovich and High Fidelity, to name a few. Now if we can only get the other Cusack/Savage Steve Holland film, "One Crazy Summer" released then many a happy night will be had.
John Q- A man with dying son takes E.R. hostage for surgery. (Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, Kimberly Elise)
New Best Friend- A college student is murdered as part of class curriculum. (Dominique Swain, Taye Diggs, Mia Kirshner)
Pinero- The true story of a Latino poet-playwright-actor. (Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Talisa Soto)
AND THEN, THERES THE REST OF THEM
The '60s
The '70s
Ablaze
American Flyers
Arthur: Scary Stories
Assassins
Baby's Day Out
The Bachelor
Backflash
Battlefield Earth
Better Dayz
The Big Bus
The Big Tease
Black Cat Run
Black Sheep
Boys On The Side
Breaking Away
The Cell
Chasing Holden
Cheaters
Civil War Life: Left For Dead
The Clan Of The Cave Bear
Cleopatra's Second Husband
Conspiracy Theory
A Cry In The Dark
Demolition Man
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Earthly Possessions
The Eddy Duchin Story
Elmo Says Boo
Enter The Dragon
The Exorcist (Version You've Never Seen)
Fever Pitch
Fort Apache, The Bronx
Get Carter (Full Screen)
Gung Ho
Hairdo U
Home Fries
The Incredible Human Body
Jamie Foxx: I Might Need Security
Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy
La Terra Trema
The Last Boy Scout
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon 2 (Director's Cut)
Lethal Weapon 3 (Director's Cut)
Lethal Weapon 4
Liberty Heights
Life's Greatest Miracle
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Lovers Lane
Mad City
The Master Of The Rings
Mean Machine
Mr. Wonderful
Murder At 1600
My Bodyguard
My Giant
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
No Contest
Ossessione
Our Man Flint
Passenger 57
Playboy's Women Of Enron
Point Of No Return
Primal Instinct
Proof Of Life
Pump Up The Volume
Red Beard (B&W)
Robin And Marian
Rock-a-Doodle
Romeo Must Die
Rookie Of The Year
Rush Hour
The Sandlot
The Sea Wolves
Soldier
Space Cowboys
Spawn
Sphere
Stay Tuned
Storytelling
A Stranger Inside
Superman (Special Edition)
Surviving The Game
Sweet Dreams
Ten Tiny Love Stories
Three Brothers
To Die For
Top Secret!
Under Siege
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Victory
What Have You Done To Solange
White Sands
Wild Wild West
Without Limits
WWF: Insurrextion
It's New Release Tuesday!
There and some new CD's coming out today and I don't care because in 2 short weeks THE RISING from BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN will be released. But even though I don't care, you might.
Thus, I present the list of new CD releases for Tuesday, July 16, 2002:
* ALEX LLOYD Watching Angels Mend (EMI)
* AUSTIN POWERS 3 OST Austin Powers 3 OST (Warner)
* BONEY M. Greatest Hits (BMG Heritage)
* BREAKING POINT Coming Of Age (Epic)
* CHARLIE DANIELS BAND Ultimate (Legacy)
* DARRYL WORLEY I Miss My Friend (DreamWorks)
* DAVE MATTHEWS BAND Busted Stuff (BMG)
* DAVID BAERWALD Here Comes The New Folk Underground (Lost Highway/Universal)
* DAVID BOWIE The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust (30th Anniversary Edition) (EMI)
* DISHWALLA Opaline (Immergent Records)
* DRY CELL Disconnected (Warner)
* FLAMING LIPS Yoshimi vs. The Pink Robots (Warner)
* GREG ALLMAN No Stranger To The Dark: Best Of (Legacy)
* HOLLY VALANCE Kiss, Kiss (Warner International)
* JOE COCKER Respect Yourself (Spitfire/EMI)
* LOVHER To Know Her Is To Loveher
* MARAH Float Away With The Friday Night Gods (Artemis)
* MORCHEEBA Charango (Warner International)
* NAZARETH Homecoming: Greatest Hits Live (Eagle Rock Records/EMI Canada)
* PULSE ULTRA Headspace (Atlantic)
* RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS By The Way (Warner)
* RIDDLIN' KIDS Hurry Up And Wait (Aware/Columbia)
* ROBERT PLANT Dreamland (Universal)
* SCARFACE Greatest Hits: Mr. Scarface (Virgin)
* STUART LITTLE 2 Stuart Little 2 (Epic)
* SWIZZ BEATZ Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (Universal)
* THE VINES Highly Evolved (Capitol)
Artisan Looks for a SCANNERS Remake
Artisan has committed to remaking 1981's sci fi thriller, SCANNERS. Rights holders Pierre David and Rene Malo, as well as Clark Peterson will produce.
The film will closely follow the original, which followed a scientist that tries to infiltrate the Scanners, a group of people with telepathic abilities who are trying to take over the world. The famous sequence in the film was the last shot with an exploding head. "We were approached by Artisan just as we were about to hire a showrunner to do a TV series based on 'Scanners,"' said David. "But they persuaded us the film could reach new audiences unfamiliar with the original."
Sony Responds to Jacko
Sony Music has issued a statement in retaliation to Michael Jackson's comments last week that they were responsible for the poor sales of his lastest album, INVINCIBLE.
The statement reads, "As for Mr Jackson's complaints about what he perceives as poor sales of his most recent album, we can only say that Sony Music spared no expense in creating and executing a series of global marketing, promotion and publicity campaigns in support of the album. The bizarre, false statements Mr. Jackson made make it clear that his difficulties lie elsewhere than with the marketing and promotion of Invincible."
Warner Brothers denies any stoppage on TERMINATOR 3.
As production hit the two month mark, The National Enquirer published a report last week indicating the T3 set had apparently been shut down in a desperate attempt to stop the budget from flying out of control and past the US$200 million mark.
A car chase that was supposed to happen in central Los Angeles which would've involved hundreds of extras and expensive location shooting was apparently scrapped in favour of something more economical.
Well now a Warners spokesperson has responded and denied the allegations: "The production is currently underway, on schedule and on budget. The footage that has been filmed looks excellent. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the rest of the cast and crew are currently working and there was no cessation of work on the set at any time. That [National Enqurier story] was filled with erroneous statements."
Writer Frank Darabont talks INDIANA JONES IV
Frank Darabont, the writer/director who is penning the screenplay for the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones movie, is tight-lipped about the much-anticipated sequel's storyline, but revealed to SCI FI Wire that it will be set in the 1950s. That's in part to accommodate star Harrison Ford's age (the actor just turned 60), Darabont said in an interview.
Not surprisingly, Indy won't be facing down Nazis this time around, Darabont said. "We're going to give you some good villains, let me just put it that way," he said.
Darabont added that producer George Lucas and director Steven Spielberg are allowing Darabont (The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) to bring his own ideas to the script. "It winds up being a pretty good collaboration, a good exchange of ideas," he said. But, he added, "at the end of the day, I'll be writing what they ask me to. I'll be giving them the story that they want, so in that sense, I'm an employee. But a very excited and engaged employee. And what a fun project to work on."
When probed for specific details-such as the rumors that Indy will have a son-Darabont said, "If I told you, they'd kill me. I wouldn't leave here alive. I'm sworn to secrecy." Indy IV will begin production in 2004 for a release in 2005.
Ernest goes to DVD
Although he might not have as big a following as Spider-Man, Ernest P. Warrell somehow managed to get a string of films released in the late eighties and early nineties following his earlier acting work pitching electronics and dairy products with his ever-offscreen compatriot Verne. Buena Vista Home Entertainment has opted to release the first three big screen adventures of the bumbler on DVD this September. Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Goes to Jail and Ernest Saves Christmas are all on the slate.
The plots are far from complex in these or any other Ernest film. In "Ernest goes to Camp", the story follows Ernest as he goes to camp. "Ernest Saves Christmas" involves the saving of Christmas by Ernest, and not surprisingly "Ernest Goes to Jail" at some point has Ernest going to jail.
The discs will be featurless but will be presented in widescreen (with the exception of Christmas, which will be fullscreen.
All three will be priced at $9.99 and released on September 3rd.
But Would You Pay To See them?
Rush is back on the road again.
Warner concocts a Strange Brew
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is pulling the McKenzie brothers back into the light with a new DVD release of the cult classic Strange Brew.
Based ever so loosely on Shakespearean characters, Bob and Doug McKenzie must continue the family business after the death of their father, but to do so they must confront the mysterious brewmaster.
Presented in anamorphic widescreen, the disc will feature the film in its original Dolby Surround 2.0 mix and will contain several appearances of Bob and Doug both from SCTV and their short lived animated series. A theatrical trailer is also included.
Arriving on October 1st, the brew will boil with a suggested retail price of $19.95. So get off yer duffs and pick it up, eh.
NO CHANCE
A Beverly Hills judge refusing a request by Winona Ryder's lawyers to have the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office removed from her shoplifting case because they claim prosecutors have not treated her "in a fair manner." Ryder's lawyers wanted to have the California Attorney General's Office take over the case.
Will Scott Bakula "Leap" Again?
Ever since the Sci-Fi Channel announced its intention to produce a two-hour Quantum Leap movie earlier this week, one question has been on everyone's lips - 'Will Scott Bakula be involved?'
"You never know. You never know," was the response yesterday from a smiling Bonnie Hammer, president of the Sci-Fi Channel. Talking to Cinescape's Eric Mono, Hammer said Bakula, who played Dr. Sam Beckett during the show's original five-year run, may make a cameo in the television movie.
"Quantum Leap is absolutely a classic," she continued, explaining the reasoning behind the revival. "It's done well on our channel in repeats and we've always wanted to do a Quantum Leap reunion movie. And then when we started thinking about it and then we merged back with Universal, we said, 'Wow, let's do a two-hour movie. Let's see who we can attract from the original series and let's start our own.' So we're thrilled about that because [Quantum Leap] is so pure sci-fi, but so mainstream that I think we're going to pull in a whole new audience."
If a series is commissioned, the Sci-Fi Channel may be intending to use the original Quantum Leap premise, but with a new cast of characters. According to TV Guide, Hammer said the new version may feature a female leaper.
Don P. Bellisario, creator of the original series, will serve as executive producer of the two-hour movie, but as yet there has been no comment from Bakula or co-star Dean Stockwell ('Quantum's' Al) about any possible involvement.
Anderson Set for Aliens Vs. Predator
20th Century Fox has tapped Paul Anderson (RESIDENT EVIL) to direct the long rumored ALIENS VS. PREDATOR, based on the Fox Interactive PC game.
The story follows a group of scientists who try and experiment on the Alien brood and Predators. They decide to hatch Alien eggs to create an environment attractive to the Predators.
'Spider-Man' Spins $100 Million Video Campaign
"Spider-Man" will swing into video stores Nov. 1 with lofty expectations from Sony Pictures, which is mounting a marketing campaign worth more than $100 million.
Executives at the studio's Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment unit are certain that the $400 million superhero film will surpass "Men in Black" to become the bestselling DVD by any studio to date. But they want to fly even higher, setting their sights on surpassing the home rental industry's all-time top seller, Disney's "The Lion King."
That would mean selling nearly twice as many copies of Spidey as "Men in Black," which is estimated to have sold 15 million-16 million units.
"Spider-Man" will compete on video with some of the same hits it faced in theaters, including "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones." It also will face competition from last year's $312 million "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and $255 million "Monsters, Inc." as well as one of the few other $400 million theatrical films in the first DVD release of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial."
But some of the studio's stiffest competition will likely be from itself: "Men in Black II," "Mr. Deeds," "Stuart Little 2," the anticipated Vin Diesel action hit "XXX" and Dana Carvey comedy "The Master of Disguise."
Sony is giving the "Spider-Man" video an optimum and rare Friday release date that will capitalize on Halloween night retail events and four full weekends of sales leading into the Thanksgiving holiday.
The video division is continuing corporate marketing partnerships that "Spider-Man" had during its theatrical releases with Cingular, Dr. Pepper and Carl's Jr./Hardees. Combined with other partners to be announced, the marketing campaign will involve $45 million in media buys and overall promotions that create 8 billion impressions and increase the value to more than $100 million.
The studio's introductory DVD version of "Spider-Man" will be a two-disc set featuring such extras as Tobey Maguire's costume, makeup and screen tests; these reportedly convinced director Sam Raimi that Maguire could pull off the physicality of the role.
The DVD also will provide an extensive history of Marvel's superhero character. In addition to interviews with Marvel's Stan Lee and many of the artists who worked on "Spider-Man" comics, Sony was granted access to the Marvel archives in order to present galleries of drawings and collections of Spider-Man's loves and enemies in the comics.
Springsteen Documents 9/11's Heroes
The events of Sept. 11 have found their way into Bruce Springsteen's latest album.
The CD, "The Rising," features 15 songs that are influenced by the terror attacks, offering individual stories from all sides. It is Springsteen's first studio recording with the E Street Band in 15 years.
The singer-songwriter who has championed the daily lives of blue-collar workers naturally gravitated toward the heroes that emerged among police officers and firefighters.
"I felt that I saw nobility in people," he told The New York Times on Sunday. "Not the kind you read in the story books, but the kind where people go in to work every day, they come home every day and dinner's on the table every day ... These are the people that I want to write about.
"After the 11th, I think one of the things people were shocked at was that that was alive in some fashion. I think that we live in a particular pop culture moment, that there's a theater of humiliation on TV and on the radio, a reflection of self-loathing. I don't think anyone could imagine these sacrifices."
The CD is due for release July 30. Other Springsteen albums include "Born to Run," "Born in the U.S.A.," "Tunnel of Love" and "Nebraska."
Run To The Hills
Hey remember when some rock and roll was considered Heavy Metal, but is now thought of as hard rock. If you do then this awesome item is for you!
Warner Gives Dan What He Wants
Finally I get what I want! Finally the best film ever made will debut on DVD on October 1st! I am still in shock...I just can't believe it!
At long last Bob and Doug McKenzie come to DVD in "Strange Brew!!!" Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 surround, extras include excerpts from "Great White North" SCTV episodes and "The Animated Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie," and the trailer. And even though I would pay thousands for it, retail is $19.95.
Oh, and there are other titles coming out too as Warner, along with MGM, seem to be trying to set the record for the most catalog titles a studio can release in a single month, if only to drive us all to bankruptcy? Just announced is their October slate, with over a dozen more long sought-after titles due to hit stores on 10/1.
First up are three new entries in Warner's ongoing Clint Eastwood Collection, including the war drama Heartbreak Ridge, Clint as action hero in Firefox, and the anti-Kevin Costner in A Perfect World. Each features a new anamorphic widescreen transfer with English 5.1 Dolby surround tracks (except Heartbreak Ridge which is 2.0 surround only), plus filmographies and trailers. Retail is $19.95 each.
Raiding the classics vault comes James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan in The Shop Around the Corner, which features a new 1.37:1 full screen transfer, two featurettes "The Miracle of Sound" and "Catching Lubitsch at Work on the Set," production notes, and trailers. Next up is the Rosalind Russell classic Auntie Mame, featuring a brand-new 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, filmographies and the trailer. Last but not least we have Dashiell Hammett's lovable sleuths Nick and Nora in the 1934 version of The Thin Man, presented in 1.37:1 and mono along with production notes and trailers. Retail is $19.95 a pop.
Just in time for Halloween is another batch of horror flicks, including Stephen King's It, featuring the entire 193-minute miniseries presented in its original 4:3 broadcast aspect ratio and 2.0 surround, plus filmographies. More Stephen King includes the anthology scare-fest Cat's Eye, featuring a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 2.0 stereo mix, an audio commentary with director Lewis Teague, filmographies and the trailer.
Finally, some classic monster fun can be had with Horror of Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein, both presented in anamorphic widescreen and mono with filmographies and trailers. Retail is $19.95 each.
But who cares about the rest of the titles! "Strange Brew", baby! STRANGE BREW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
New Major DVDS This Week
There may be over one hundred DVD's actually coming out tomorrow, but I just don't care! There are only 2 that are worth your money. So here's an early look and I had better hear that you bought them both!
AMELIE- What a strange career path for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. First he and collaborator Marc Caro make the black-hearted cannibalism comedy Delicatessen, which is set in some bleak near-future. It has some of the most elaborate, flashy, "look-at-me" camerawork since the Coen Brothers got drunk on the possibilities of cinema with Blood Simple. Then the two men deliver the opaque City of Lost Children, a full-out sci-fi epic that plays more like a Rube Goldberg contraption than a movie. Jeunet and Caro split up and Jeunet is seduced by Hollywood into making Alien Resurrection, a flop that kills a franchise. So what does Jeunet do? He turns around and delivers Amelie, starring Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz. It's a valentine to love and possibility that delights in romance almost as much as it delights in filmmaking itself. Tautou becomes a star and Jeunet is redeemed as surely as her insecure but lovable waitress. The witty voice-overs make this an ideal double-bill with Y Tu Mama Tambien.
BETTER OFF DEAD- In 1985, the same year John Cusack made the marvelous romantic comedy The Sure Thing and the fine Disney flick The Journey of Natty Gann, he delivered this oddball flick about a teenager desperately trying to commit suicide and only embarrassing himself in the process. The Sure Thing may be considered by many to be the better film, but Better Off Dead proved Cusack was one to watch. The mere fact that he made a film with someone called Savage Steve Holland proved Cusack wasn't willing to play it safe. And his earnest charm grounded the bizarre, scattershot storyline (including that hilarious running gag about the newspaper delivery boy). After this, anyone paying attention knew Cusack had the smarts to forge a career. What would follow? Just Eight Men Out, Say Anything, The Grifters, Bullets Over Broadway, Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Being John Malcovich and High Fidelity, to name a few. Now if we can only get the other Cusack/Savage Steve Holland film, "One Crazy Summer" released then many a happy night will be had.
Timberlake Finding Love with an Older Woman?
Justin Timberlake's new squeeze is an older woman — Janet Jackson. Maybe it's just a fling, but the 'N Sync heartthrob, 21, has been seeing the diva, 36, for a while.
The pair went public last weekend at a Miami Beach birthday party for rapper Missy Elliott, where Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire were among the celeb guests. They also were spotted two weeks ago at an L.A. club. No comment on the matchup from a rep for Timberlake, who split from Britney Spears in March and is busy making his solo album. And none on Jackson from her reps.
Pricey Pop Concerts Keep More Music Fans at Home
Rock 'n' roll has turned music fans into rebels.
Not only are they pirating tunes on the Internet rather than paying upwards of $20 for a compact disc, they are also increasingly reluctant to fork out for costly concert tickets.
A survey of the North American concert industry by trade publication Pollstar showed the top 50 acts sold a combined 10.6 million tickets in the first half of the year, down about three percent from the year-ago period (10.9 million tickets) and off 18 percent from 2000 (12.9 million tickets).
The average ticket price for those top 50 tours rose 11.3 percent to $50.81 from last year, Pollstar said. By contrast U.S. consumer inflation rose 3.6 percent in the year to May.
"A substantial army of fans will still pay the freight for great seats to see their superstar heroes," Pollstar said. "But one has to wonder where the millions of ticket buyers we lost since 2000 have gone. Can we get them back or have they been priced out of the market for good?"
The report is more bad news for the music industry, which is reeling from Internet bootlegging and a paucity of exciting new acts. Album sales in the United States have tumbled 10 percent year-to-date, according to data from tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan published in Billboard magazine.
But rock royalty need not cry poverty. Even if their new albums are not big sellers, they can make lots of money on the road. Higher ticket prices propelled old soldiers like Paul McCartney and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to the top of Pollstar's top touring acts.
Indeed ticket sales for the top 50 acts reached $538.2 million during the first half, up 17 percent from the year-ago period, but off seven percent from 2001.
McCartney was the top earner with ticket sales of $52.8 million, Pollstar said. Undertaking his first North American tour in a decade, McCartney, now 60, received glowing reviews for his hits-heavy set. He played 27 shows in 20 cities, and is reportedly planning to return later this year. His average ticket price was $129.59.
The double bill of Billy Joel and Elton John was the No. 2 act with a $44.4 million haul from 23 shows in just eight cities. The average ticket price was $108.70. The piano men could have been No. 1 if Joel's "acute laryngitis" and other maladies had not postponed 10 dates until the fall; Joel checked into a substance abuse center last month.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were third with $34.9 million from 40 shows in 36 cities. The combustible folk quartet charged an average $80.08 per ticket.
Other veterans in the top 10 included the Eagles at No. 6 with $20.6 million, Jimmy Buffett at No. 9 with $17.0 million and Barry Manilow at No. 10 with $14.7 million.
Flying the flag for the youngsters were 'N Sync at No. 4 with $33.2 million, followed by the Dave Matthews Band with $24.0 million. A double bill of punk combos Green Day and Blink-182 came in at No. 7 with $19.7 million while Britney Spears was No. 8 with $18.9 million.
Green Day and Blink-182 were the busiest acts in the top 10 and offered the best value: 45 shows in 44 cities at an average cost of $31.56.
Pollstar was confident receipts for 2002 would surpass 2001's record of $1.75 billion. The Rolling Stones, whose 1994 tour grossed a record $121.2 million, will hit the road in September. Others gearing up for shows include Aerosmith and Bruce Springsteen.
Weinberg Off 'Late Night' for Bruce
Max Weinberg is packing up his drum kit to take a leave of absence from Conan O'Brien's "Late Night."
The NBC show's bandleader is going out on the road with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in a tour to support the new album, "The Rising," it was announced Friday.
The tour, which opens Aug. 7 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., will stretch into next year.
Jimmy Vivino, guitarist for the Max Weinberg Seven, will be the bandleader after Weinberg begins his hiatus on July 19. James Wormworth will sit in on drums.
"Mighty Max" Weinberg has been a member of the E Street Band since 1974. He took a previous leave from O'Brien's show for Springsteen's reunion tour in 1999-2000.
'Sopranos' to Focus on Marriage
Tony and Carmela Soprano's relationship will be at the heart of "The Sopranos" when the hit HBO series returns for its fourth season, series creator David Chase said.
The first year was about Tony and his mother, the second about Tony and his sister and the third about the Soprano children, Chase told the Television Critics Association on Friday.
"This season focuses on Tony and Carmela as a couple, on their marriage," said Chase, who was generally tightlipped about what will befall the neurotic mobster, his therapist and his friends and relations starting in September.
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be addressed this season, said Chase.
Next season, the fifth, will be his last with the show, he said. He wouldn't predict that the series will end, noting HBO holds the rights.
"I wouldn't say it's irrevocable. If they decide to go on, from a business standpoint, they could."
James Gandolfini, who stars as Tony Soprano, made a sixth season with him on board sound unlikely.
"I started with him (Chase). I'd like to finish with him," the actor said via satellite from New York, alongside Edie Falco. She co-stars as Carmela Soprano.
"Aye, aye. Same for me," said Lorraine Bracco, who plays psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi.
Viewers Could Pay for Skipping Ads
Television viewers could face paying for channels they now receive free if digital video recorders kill commercials, said Jamie Kellner, chairman of Turner Broadcasting System.
The wider use of systems like TiVo and ReplayTV, which allow viewers to easily skip through ads, would force a change in how broadcast and basic cable TV is supported, Kellner said Friday.
"Don't think for a moment there's a free lunch involved in this," Kellner told the Television Critics Association. Viewers could end up paying about $250 a year above any cable or satellite fees, he said, based on his own rough calculation.
Kellner had been asked to expand on remarks to CableWorld magazine in which he said viewers who skip commercials are "stealing" programming.
His comment was misinterpreted and not serious, Kellner said. But he said he was concerned about the impact new technology could have on TV, just as the music industry has been affected by Napster and other inventions.
A recent survey showed that about 70 percent of DVR users skip past commercials, Kellner said. Although only about 1 percent of TV homes have the devices, their use could proliferate if they are routinely included in set-top cable boxes and satellite systems.
Weekend Box Office
Somehow, and I think this may be a sign of the apocalypse, "Men In Black II" beat "Road To Peridtion" at the weekend box office.
Wow! If you need proff, as I did, here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Men in Black II," $25 million.
2. "Road to Perdition," $22.1 million.
3. "Reign of Fire," $16 million.
4. "Halloween: Resurrection," $12.3 million.
5. "Mr. Deeds," $11 million.
6. "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," $10 million.
7. "Like Mike," $7.6 million.
8. "Lilo & Stitch," $7.6 million.
9. "Minority Report," $7.4 million.
10. "The Bourne Identity," $5.8 million.
Production on TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES may have been shut down because of out of control costs.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER has been forced to shut up shop on his third TERMINATOR movie for the summer as producers desperately try to control the film's spiraling budget.
After just two months of filming, the sequel, RISE OF THE MACHINES, is busting the bank at a whopping $200 million, according to the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.
And so executives have shut down the movie while they try to find a way of reducing costs.
A source says, "The producers are afraid that if they don't do something they'll have another WATERWORLD on their hands.
"There are a lot of expensive scenes and special effects."
One expensive scene, which is yet to be shot, is causing headaches for the execs because it features a car chase through central Los Angeles and involves hundreds of extras and location costs.
"Everybody was sent home while the writer, director and producers try to find a way to do the scene more cheaply."
Hey Dan, What's New In Theatres This Weekend?
Well, let me tell you that "Road To Perdition" leads the pack of new films in theatres this weekend.
Actually, four new films with widely varying story lines debuted on Friday ranging from serious drama "Road to Perdition," to kid comedy "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course," with thrillers, "Reign of Fire" and "Halloween: Resurrection," tucked in between.
But if want to see class personified, go and see "Road To Perdition."
Paul Newman Not a Retiring Type
Paul Newman keeps trying to retire, and he keeps failing miserably.
The film legend, whose new film "Road to Perdition" opens Friday, is still acting and pursuing his other passions, auto racing and philanthropy. Newman raises funds for various charities through the Newman's Own line spaghetti sauce, salad dressing and popcorn.
"I keep trying to retire from everything and discover that I've retired from absolutely nothing," Newman told reporters.
At 77, Newman's schedule remains packed, and he said he's not quite ready for his swan song.
"I just finished the first play that I'd done in 35 years, which is like sticking a rifle in your mouth. So I don't seem to be able to retire. Maybe you could get me a different swan," he said.
Newman's is one of Hollywood's most storied careers, complete with eight best actor Oscar nominations, for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958), "The Hustler" (1961), "Hud" (1963), "Cool Hand Luke" (1967), "Absence of Malice" (1981), "The Verdict" (1982), "The Color of Money" (1986) and "Nobody's Fool" (1994).
Long denied the best actor trophy, Newman won for "The Color of Money," just one year after receiving an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement.
Newman's wife of 42 years, Joanne Woodward, has been a frequent collaborator. The two starred together in such films as 1958's "The Long Hot Summer" and 1990's "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge," and Newman directed her in 1968's "Rachel, Rachel" and a 1987 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie."
"I'd love to do a film with Joanne," he said. "We're looking at something down the pike. I can't really discuss it right now. But there's still a little vinegar left in the old dog yet."
Jerry Springer Show TV's Worst Ever
Worse than "Hee Haw Honeys." More trashy than "Celebrity Boxing." Even more painful than the "XFL."
TV Guide's editors have put "The Jerry Springer Show" atop their list of the 50 worst TV shows of all time.
"Awful television shows are a storied part of our society," TV Guide editor-in-chief Steven Reddicliffe said Friday. "Some of them actually are very successful and are great guilty pleasures. And no one has turned guilty-pleasure TV into more of an art form than Jerry Springer."
The list is in the magazine's July 20 issue, on newsstands Monday. It comes two months after TV Guide ranked "Seinfeld" No. 1 on a list of the best 50 shows.
Springer's syndicated, daytime talk show has aired since 1991.
Second worst on the list was NBC's "My Mother The Car" (1965-66), followed by NBC, UPN and TNN's "XFL" (2001); ABC's "The Brady Bunch Hour" (1977); and CBS' "Hogan's Heroes" (1965-71).
Rounding out the top 10 were "Celebrity Boxing" (Fox, 2002-present); "AfterMASH" (CBS, 1983-84); "Cop Rock" (ABC, 1990); "You're in the Picture" (CBS, 1961); and "Hee Haw Honeys" (syndicated, 1978-79).
MIB III Puts On Running Shoes
Columbia Pictures says that they are getting behind another sequel to MEN IN BLACK, after MIB II broke box office records on the July 4 weekend. Columbia also says they will not wait another five years for the second sequel. "We've already been talking about what we're going to do," she said Columbia head Amy Pascal.
NOT SO SHALLOW
The Jack Black/Gwyneth Paltrow comedy Shallow Hal debuted as the number one DVD and VHS rental, taking in about $14 million in rental revenue for the week ended Sunday.
LEGO LAND
Miramax teaming up with Lego for its first computer-animated movie, based on the toymaker's Bionicle action figures. The studio is eyeing a 2004 release date.
STITCHED UP
Disney announcing that its latest animated hit Lilo & Stitch will get a straight-to-video sequel and its own TV series. The sequel, tentatively titled Stitch! The Movie, is due out in 2003, while Stitch! The TV Series will hit the Disney Channel in fall 2003.
ROASTED QUAYLE
Former Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen telling reporters she actually agreed with former Vice President Dan Quayle's speech 10 years ago in which he criticized her series for its spin on single motherhood. "His speech was a perfectly intelligent speech about fathers not being dispensable and nobody agreed with that more than I did," she said.
They Are Ripe For The Taking On
"South Park" takes on George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Sesame Street to Introduce HIV-Positive Muppet
Sesame Street will soon introduce its first HIV-positive Muppet character to children of South Africa, where one in nine people have the virus that can lead to AIDS.
The upbeat female Muppet will join "Takalani Sesame" on Sept. 30 for its third season on the South African Broadcasting Corp.
The character -- which has yet to have a name or final color or form -- will travel to many if not all of the eight other nations that air versions of the educational children's show that began in the United States in 1969, said Joel Schneider, vice president and senior adviser to the Sesame Street Workshop.
Schneider said talks are under way to introduce an HIV-positive character to U.S. viewers.
Schneider announced the new character this week at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain, where he spoke by telephone on Thursday.
"This character will be fully a part of the community," Schneider said. "She will have high self-esteem. Women are often stigmatized about HIV and we are providing a good role model as to how to deal with one's situation and how to interact with the community."
The program is aimed at children from 3 to 7 and the messages delivered by the new character will be "appropriate," said Schneider, meaning that there will be no explicit mention of sex.
"Not every show will deal explicitly with HIV/AIDS," Schneider said. "We want to show that here is an HIV-positive member of our community who you can touch and interact with.
"We will be very careful to fashion our messages so they are appropriate to the age group. What do I do when I cut my finger? What do I do when you cut your finger? That sort of thing."
"Takalani Sesame" will be the second children's show in South Africa to have an HIV-positive character. But it is believed to be the first among shows designed for preschoolers, said Beatrice Chow, spokeswoman for the Sesame Street Workshop in New York.
In some parts of South Africa, 40 percent of women of child-bearing age are infected with HIV, and in 2000, about 40 percent of adult deaths in South Africa were attributed to AIDS, according to the State Department.
George Michael Feels Unsafe in U.S.
George Michael says he's nervous to return to his home in the United States because of the criticism he's received for his new song and video, "Shoot the Dog."
The British pop singer's video condemns Prime Minister Tony Blair for his close ties with the United States, portraying him as President Bush's obedient lap dog. The video shows a cartoon of Bush tickling a poodle representing Blair on the White House lawn.
When it was released, Michael called the video a political satire that should not be seen as unpatriotic in Britain or anti-American. But he also urged Blair to find the strength to challenge Bush's views, including his talk of a possible U.S. military attack on Iraq.
Since then, Michael said in an interview with ITV1's "Tonight" show Thursday night, he's been unfairly criticized in the United States as anti-American, which he blames on homophobia.
The 39-year-old singer, who announced in 1998 that he's gay, has lived mostly in America the past few years with his boyfriend, Kenny Goss.
Michael said a recent article in the New York Post branded him a "past-his-prime pop pervert." Negative media coverage has made life too difficult for him in the United States and forced him to undertake "damage control" interviews, he said.
"It's been very heavily inferred that I was actually an al-Qaida sympathizer, that somehow I thought that there was something not horrific and shocking and undeserved about the attacks on September the 11th," he said. "Americans are very reactionary right now, and I — because of that article — cannot return to America, even though my partner lives there."
He said he loves his home in the United States, Goss' family, and the time he's spent in Dallas and Los Angeles.
"I don't think that there's any real connection between what I'm saying (in the video) and the fact that I'm a gay man. But there's a lot of connection in the press as to those two things," Michael said.
"For some reason I don't have a right to talk about anything because I got caught four years ago ... in a Los Angeles toilet," he said. "Somehow that eradicates all possibility that what I'm saying might be for the best, or is worthy of being discussed. I can't fight that kind of homophobia."
Michael was charged with lewd conduct in a Los Angeles public toilet in 1998. Soon after, he said publicly for the first time that he's gay.
Later, his career rebounded with the single and video "Outside," which poked fun at the police.
Michael first shot to stardom in the 1980s as half of the duo Wham! When the group split up in 1986, Michael went solo with his first album, "Faith," which sold more than 10 million copies.
In 1987, many U.S. radio stations boycotted his hit, "I Want Your Sex," saying that it encouraged promiscuity. Michael said the song actually was about monogamy.
I Have No Explanation For This
Legodeath: A Museum Of Horrors.
Miller Exits HBO
Dennis Miller's long-running rant on HBO is ending next month.
The acid-tongued, high-brow comedian is quietly calling it quits after nine years of "Dennis Miller Live."
HBO officials confirmed that the last original episode will air Aug. 30. No word yet on the guest lineup.
Miller's weekly rant - a stream-of-consciousness diatribe on the political or cultural flavor of the week - was the trade mark segment of the show.
Miller hasn't decided what he'll do next, according to reports. But he is said to be in talks with HBO for specials and other potential projects.
Miller declined to talk to reporters yesterday.
The past six months have been something of a transition period for the mint-popping comic.
Last March he was abruptly dropped by "Monday Night Football" after just two seasons on the air as a color analyst - despite assurances from ABC officials that he'd be back this season - to make room for sports broadcasting legend John Madden.
His erudite "MNF" broadcasting style prompted many viewers to complain that they needed a dictionary in one hand and a thesaurus in the other to watch the games.
Miller first gained national notoriety when he joined that cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1985 and was best known as the anchor of "SNL's" faux newscast, "Weekend Update." He ended each broadcast with a pen flourish across his copy and a quick, "I am outta here."
Bruce To Barnstorm, And Dan Hopes To Be There!
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to play 46 shows in 46 cities this year. 'The Rising' Tour will continue in 2003 with dates in Australia, Europe, and finish next summer in the United States.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will spend the first part of their 2002-2003 tour barnstorming through North America and Europe. The band will play a total of 46 shows in 46 cities. Thirty-nine of the shows will take place in North America, and seven in Europe.
This year's rock concerts will be followed by the continuation of the tour in 2003. Springsteen's plans currently include Australia, a return to Europe, and then a return to the United States, where he and the band will do multiple shows in major cities throughout the summer of 2003.
The complete schedule for the 2002 dates of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's tour is below:
Date City Venue
August 7 East Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Arena
August 10 Washington, D.C. MCI Arena
August 12 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
August 14 Cleveland, OH Gund Arena
August 15 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace
August 18 Las Vegas, NV Thomas And Mack Center
August 20 Portland, OR The Rose Garden
August 21 Tacoma, WA Dome
August 24 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
August 25 Phoenix, AZ America West
August 27 San Jose, CA Compaq Center
August 30 St. Louis, MO Savvis Center
September 22 Denver, CO Pepsi Arena
September 24 Kansas City, MO Kemper Arena
September 25 Chicago, IL United Center
September 27 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
September 29 Fargo, ND Fargodome
September 30 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
October 4 Boston, MA Fleet Center
October 6 Philadelphia, PA First National Arena
October 7 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena
OCTOBER 14-27 EUROPEAN SHOWS
November 3 Dallas, TX American Airlines
November 4 Houston, TX Compaq Center
November 6 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
November 9 Columbus, OH Schotenstein Arena
November 10 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse
November 12 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
November 14 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
November 16 Greensboro, NC Coliseum
November 19 Birmingham, AL BJCC
November 21 Orlando, FL TD Waterhouse
November 23 Miami, FL American Airlines
November 24 Tampa, FL Ice Palace
December 2 Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena
December 4 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena
December 5 Toronto, ON Air-Canada Center
December 8 Charlotte, NC Coliseum
December 9 Columbia, SC USC Arena
December 13 Albany, NY Pepsi Arena
This full release and a full list of the tour dates also available at: brucespringsteen.net.
PRESIDENTIAL PAY RAISE
The New York Post reporting that Martin Sheen has renegotiated his West Wing deal, tripling his salary for the upcoming season to $300,000 per episode. The new contract also reportedly including guaranteed days off during the week and a recurring role for his daughter, Renée Estevez.
Pay Close Attention To The Last Title On This List
Well, Paramount really is raiding the vaults this fall and pulling out some of their top titles, aren't they?
Hot on the heels of all those musicals and horror faves already announced, they're releasing a whole other batch of top comedies on 9/24.
First up we have the Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd classic Trading Places, presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and English 5.1 and 2.0 surround, with extras including new retrospective interviews and the trailer. Up next is another Murphy hit, Boomerang, also in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 with audio commentary by director Reginald Hudlin and extended and deleted scenes with optional commentary.
Rounding out the batch is Major League in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 with no extras, but who cares! Finally Major League is being released on DVD!!!
Woo hooo!
Oh, and retail is $24.95 a pop.
Underdog Is Coming Back To DVD
There's no need to fear--Underdog is here! The cartoon superhero comes back to DVD in another special collector's edition.
This disc contains the original series pilot, "Safe Waif," unseen for over 30 years, as well as several fan favorites featuring Underdog vs. Riff Raff, Simon Barsinister and Overcat.
Each of the included episodes will be presented in their original fullscreen and mono. The show will also come with an interview with co-creator Joe Harris and trivia games.
With a price of $14.98, Underdog will arrive on August 6th.
Love Match?
It couldn't have helped Anna Kournikova's slim-enough chances in her Wimbledon doubles match against the Williams sisters that she had a night of wild sex just before.
Spies tell the London tabs that Kournikova and her boyfriend, Enrique Iglesias, were up until 4 a.m. having a raucous romp in their Four Seasons hotel room before Saturday's match.
The "moaning and screams" were so loud, managers "had to send someone up to their room to tell them to keep it down," one snitch said. Kournikova and partner Chanda Rubin were later trounced by Serena and Venus.
Rappers Nelly, Eminem Claim Top of Pop Charts
Hip-hop star Nelly topped the pop album charts again in the second week of his sophomore release, "Nellyland," while rapper Eminem stayed lodged behind him at No. 2, according to sales data reported on Wednesday.
"Nellyland," which ended Eminem's five-week reign at No. 1 with sales of 714,000 copies during its first week in stores, sold another 447,000 units for the week ended July 7 to keep its grip on first place, SoundScan said.
By comparison, Nelly's 2000 debut, "Country Grammar," opened at No. 3 with sales of 252,000 copies and ultimately spent five weeks at No. 1
"The Eminem Show," the third major-label LP from Eminem (a.k.a. Marshall Bruce Mathers III), held steady at No. 2 on the latest album charts, selling 263,000 copies to bring its tally to nearly 3.9 million copies.
The rap genre also claimed the No. 3 spot last week with the release of "Irv Gotti Presents... The Inc.," a collection of hard-core and East Coast rap from various artists.
The only other two new releases to crack the top 10 were a greatest-hits collection from veteran rock band Aerosmith at No. 4 and the debut album from teen pop newcomer Avril Lavigne, "Let Go," at No. 5.
Rounding out the top 10 were rookie R&B singer Ashanti's self-titled debut album at No. 6, followed by hard-rock band Korn's "Untouchables," "God's Favorite" from rap artist N.O.R.E., dance-pop artist Pink's sophomore album,"M!ssundaztood," and the hits compilation "Totally Hits 2002."
Further down the roster, the soundtrack to the new basketball movie starring Bow Wow, "Like Mike," opened at No. 18, and the latest album from British rockers Oasis, "Heathen Chemistry," entered the charts at No. 23.
He's Baaaaaaack!
Starting Monday, Phil Donahue is back!
Jokes For Today!
---------------
After the 9th Circuit ruled that it was unconstitutional to have school
children recite the pledge of allegiance because it contains the phrase "one
nation under god" the New Yorker magazine called Robin Williams and asked
him if he could suggest any alternatives.
His response: "Why don't they change it to 'One nation under Canada?'"
------------------------
A tourist driving through Arkansas passes a young boy walking along wearing
only one shoe. The tourist stops his car and asks the boy, "Did you lose a
shoe?"
"Nope," the boy replies. "Found one."
------------------------
When my wife had to rush to the hospital unexpectedly, she asked me to bring
her a few items from home. One item on her list was "comfortable underwear."
Worried I'd make the wrong choice, I asked, "How will I know which ones to
pick?" "Hold them up and imagine them on me," she answered.
"If you smile, put them back."
Foo Fighters' New Release Set For October 22
The Foo Fighters have set a release date for their follow-up to 1999's There Is Nothing Left To Lose. The still-untitled and still-unfinished album is set for release October 22.
The band took a break after getting a little stir-crazy in the studio earlier this year. While the rest of the Foos did their thing, band mastermind Dave Grohl decided to hop on tour as drummer for Queens Of The Stone Age. Grohl also played on their new album Songs For The Deaf, which will be released August 27.
The Foo Fighters' previous three albums, Foo Fighters, The Colour And The Shape, and There Is Nothing Left To Lose have all been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for sales of one million copies.
Warner Sets a Thursday Release for 'Matrix' Sequel
Warner Bros. Pictures has set the domestic release of "The Matrix Reloaded" for May 15, 2003 -- a Thursday -- one day earlier than expected.
The second Matrix sequel, "The Matrix Revolutions," also will be released in 2003, sometime during the holiday season.
"There's a pent-up demand for the movie, and we want to get it out there as soon as we can," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' executive VP and general sales manager, domestic distribution. "It's already an event, but we wanted to make it more pronounced."
This is the first time that Warners has released a film on a Thursday.
The first "Matrix" sequel will go out on more than 3,200 screens, eight days before the Memorial Day weekend. This release pattern mimics the one adopted by "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones."
"Matrix Reloaded" is the first film to put a claim on that weekend, with Columbia Pictures' Eddie Murphy starrer "Daddy Day Care" slated to follow May 23. The prior weekend, May 9, brings another Columbia title, the Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez starrer "Gigli."
"The Matrix Reloaded" reunites producer Joel Silver and writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski with stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving.
"The Matrix" opened in North America on March 31, 1999, and grossed $458 million worldwide and $171.5 million domestically. It also became the first DVD title to sell 1 million units.
Is This The Info For Attack Of The Clones DVD?
Star Wars: Episode II- Attack Of The Clones is still rumoured to bow this fall. Now no official announcement has been made yet, but here are the purported specs:
2-discs, anamorphic widescreen video (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and 2.0 audio, THX-certified with Optimizer, feature-length audio commentary (with writer/director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, sound designer Ben Burtt, animation director Rob Coleman and effects supervisors Pablo Helman, John Knoll and Ben Snow), eight deleted scenes with introduction by George Lucas, Rick MaCallum and Ben Burtt, From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in Episode II documentary, State of the Art: The Previsualization of Episode II documentary, Films Are Not Released: They Escape sound documentary, three featurettes, Star Wars.com web documentaries, Across the Stars music video, posters art and print campaign, trailers and TV spots, R2-D2: Beneath the Dome "mocumentary" trailer, production photo gallery, Visual Effects Breakdown montage, DVD-ROM weblinks to special DVD-only website, scene selection (50 chapters)
So is this the real deal? We'll let you know as soon as we know.
Muppet Mayhem For Me! And You!
Full specs have come in for the first-ever direct-to-video Muppet movie, Kermit's Swamp Years. Featuring 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers and English 5.0 and 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, extras are plentiful, and include audio commentary with Kermit the Frog and Horace D'Fly, "On The Set with Kermit" and behind-the-scenes featurettes hosted by Joe the Armadillo, outtakes, and trailers.
Street date is 9/3 and retail $24.95.
Michelle Rodriguez Negotiates for S.W.A.T.
Tough girl Michelle Rodriguez (RESIDENT EVIL) is in negotiations to join Collin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson in S.W.A.T. In the film, based on the 1970s tv show, Rodriguez would play Denise Sanchez, the only female member of the Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team that tries to protect a witness from assassination. Clark Johnson will direct.
ENTERPRISE Sets Premiere Date
UPN has announced that their new STAR TREK series, ENTERPRISE, will premiere its second season on September 18th at 8 PM EST. Cast and crew have already returned to the set to begin filming new episodes and will film the premiere, "Shockwave, Part II" shortly.
ENTERPRISE co-creator Brannon Braga said that the second season will deal with the Temporal Cold War and the foundation of the Federation.
SUPERFRIENDS
"The Perfect Storm" and "Das Boot" director Wolfgang Petersen coming aboard to direct Batman vs. Superman, a "clash of the titans"-style caper about the two superheroes who come to blows over differing philosophies. The film is expected to hit theaters in summer 2004.
Eddie Van Halen And His Actress Wife Valerie Bertinelli Have Split
Dutch-born rocker Eddie Van Halen and his actress-wife of 21 years, Valerie Bertinelli, separated several months ago but have no plans at the moment to seek a divorce, her publicist said on Tuesday.
The 47-year-old guitarist, who disclosed a year ago that he was undergoing treatment for cancer, split from Bertinelli, 42, in October 2001, according to a spokeswoman for the actress, Heidi Schaeffer.
She declined to give further details, other than to say the couple's separation was amicable and that no third party was involved.
Van Halen, who overcame a highly publicized battle with alcohol dependence in the late 1990s, has an 11-year-old son with Bertinelli.
"Because they're the parents of a young son, they've requested that their family's privacy be respected at this time," Schaeffer said.
Van Halen, regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in the history of rock music, married Bertinelli in 1981. She is perhaps best known for her role on the 1970s television sitcom "One Day at a Time."
I've Often Thought Of Them As Cartoons Anyway
Homer Simpson is joining The Rolling Stones.
Madonna to Make 'Bond Girl' Cameo
Madonna will make a cameo appearance in the latest James Bond movie, her spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Liz Rosenberg said the singer, 43, who has already recorded the title track for "Die Another Day," the 20th Bond film, was on the set in London to film her brief scenes this week.
London's Evening Standard newspaper said Madonna will wield a foil in the movie as a fencing instructor. The newspaper said she had shot a sequence that will be edited into a swashbuckling scene in which Pierce Brosnan, as Bond, duels with villain Gustav Graves, played by Toby Stephens, at a London gentlemen's club.
Rosenberg said Madonna was flying to Los Angeles next month to film a video for the movie's title song.
Legendary Actor Rod Steiger Has Died At The Age Of 78
Actor Rod Steiger has died of pneumonia and kidney failure at age 78.
Steiger won the Academy Award as best actor of 1967 for his role as the unrelenting police chief of a small Southern town in "In the Heat of the Night."
He died at a Los Angeles-area hospital at 9 a.m., said his publicist, Lori De Waal.
A devoted practitioner of method acting, Steiger prided himself in undertaking challenging roles, especially real-life persons. "My generation of actors was taught to be able to create different people; that's what an actor is supposed to do," he explained.
In movies and television, he convincingly portrayed such figures as Mussolini, Rasputin, Pope John XXIII, Rudolph Hess, Pontius Pilate, Napoleon, W.C. Fields and Al Capone.
"I'm 60 percent virgin and 40 percent whore," he claimed in a 2000 TV interview. "I've not sold out that much, and I've made my own mistakes."
He admitted that he made a big mistake in declining the lead in "Patton," believing the film would glorify war and killing. George C. Scott played the role, and it brought him an Academy Award (which he refused).
It Was 40 Years Ago On Friday
The Rolling Stones continue to roll.
Mike Myers Considers Keith Moon Film
"Austin Powers" star Mike Myers is discussing the possibility of starring in a new movie about The Who drummer Keith Moon.
Myers and The Who frontman Roger Daltrey have discussed plans for a forthcoming film, and the 39-year-old comic actor said Monday he hoped it would be made.
"I have talked to Roger Daltrey about the possibility of a film. I think Keith Moon was a fascinating character," said Myers, whose new movie, "Austin Powers in Goldmember," is scheduled for release later this month.
Moon was 32 when he died of a drug overdose in 1978.
Daltrey has long wanted to turn Moon's life story into a Hollywood film and said Myers would be perfect for the part.
"Mike is a genius. I can really see him as Keith. He's amazing when you meet him, so clever," Daltrey said.
Today's New Releases
Lets see...are there any CD's that are coming out today that I would buy?...Nope.
Oh well, that's me. What about you?
Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, July 9, 2002:
* ADAM GREGORY Workin' On It (Epic)
* ANDY GRIGGS Freedom (RCA Country)
* BOWLING FOR SOUP Drunk Enough To Dance
* COUNTING CROWS Hard Candy (Geffen)
* DJANGO REINHARDT Djangology: First Editions (RCA)
* DOLLY PARTON Halos & Horns (Sugar Hill)
* DREAM WARRIORS The Legacy Continues (ISBA)
* FUNKMASTER FLEX Volume V (Loud/Sony)
* KENNY BARRON Canta Brasil (Verve)
* LUIS FONSI Fight The Feeling
* MARIO Mario (J Records)
* MOBB DEEP Songs From The Murda Muzik
* PIXIES Pixies (SpinART/Linus)
* RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS By The Way (Warner)
* ROAD TO PERDITION The Road To Perdition (OST) (Decca)
* US 3 An Ordinary Day In An Unusual Place (Verve)
Tom Hanks would be willing to saddle up for a Toy Story 3.
Hanks says voicing Woody the cowboy doll is one of his favourite assignments.
"Though I haven't heard of any yet, if there are plans for a Toy Story 3, I'd be more than willing to talk to the folks at Pixar and Disney about being part of it," says Hanks, whose gangster film "Road to Perdition" opens Friday.
Warner Goes The Special Edition Route This Fall
Better have those credit cards ready come September, when Warner unleashes no less than five new 2-disc special editions of five of their top catalog titles. Each retails for $29.95 and include plenty of extras...
Singin' in the Rain is presented in its original 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratio with a new 5.1 Dolby Digital surround remix plus a French 2.0 stereo track. Extras include two audio commentaries, with Debbie Reynolds introducing the first with director Stanley Donen, Rudy Behmer and screenwriters Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and the second featuring new audio interviews with Donald O'Connor, Cyd Charisse, Rita Moreno, director Baz Luhrmann and Kathleen Freeman; the 30-minute "What a Glorious Feeling" documentary on the making of the film; an additional 96-minute documentary on the career of producer and songwriter Arthur Freed, the deleted number "You Are My Lucky Star" plus additional soundstage recordings, a still gallery and trailers.
Unforgiven is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital surround tracks, and includes an audio commentary by Clint Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel; Schickel's retrospective featurette Eastwood on Eastwood, additional "All on Account of Pullin' a Trigger" and the behind-the-scenes "Eastwood & Co. Making Unforgiven" featurettes with new interviews with the cast, and even a full episode of the television series Maverick "It's Duel at Sundown," featuring Eastwood, awards list, filmographies, and trailers.
Amadeus is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital surround tracks. This new Director's Cut of the film recently received a limited re-release this past spring and includes 20 minutes of additional footage. The DVD also features a new audio commentary by director Milos Forman and writer Peter Shaffer, "The Making of Amadeus" 37-minute documentary on the making of the film (which is not the same as the one featured on the previous laserdisc release), filmographies, awards list, and original and reissue theatrical trailers.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest includes a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film and English 5.1 and French 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, audio commentary with director Milos Forman and producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz, "The Making of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" 48-minute documentary by writer Ken Kesey (as seen on the previous laserdisc), 8 deleted scenes, filmographies, awards list, and trailers.
Finally, True Romance features the unrated cut of the film in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, English 5.1 Dolby and DTS and English 2.0 surrond tracks, three new audio commentaries with director Tony Scott, screenwriter Quentin Tarantino, actors Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, plus additional commentaries with cast Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt and Michael Rapaport, branching feature with access to storyboards throughout the film, a behind-the-scenes multi-angle featurette, the orignal 1993 featurette, 30 minutes of deleted scenes, an alternate ending with optional commentary, animated photo and publicity gallery, filmographies, trailers, and a ROM viewer with access to the script, additional storyboards and notes throughout the film.
Start saving now!
Today's New Releases
There's an instant classic (The Royal Tenenbaums), another bomb from MGM (Hart's War) and the debut film from pop-uber-babe Mandy Moore (A Walk To Remember) now on the shelves at your local video store.
What else is there? Take a look!
Here are the new DVD and video releases for Tuesday, July 9, 2002:
UP FIRST, THE BIG ONES
The Royal Tenenbaums- A family reunites when one of them becomes terminally ill. (Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow)
A Walk To Remember- A story of forbidden love in the South during the 1950's. (Mandy Moore, Shane West, Peter Coyote)
Hart's War- Lieutenant asked to defend black POW falsely accused. (Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard)
Impostor- Scientist on hunt for alien is accused of being one himself. (Gary Sinise, Vincent D'Onofrio, Madeleine Stowe)
AND THEN THE REST
Against The Wind
The Barbarians (B&W)
The Bare Wench Project
Bat Thumb
The Beijing Bicycle
Big Wednesday (Widescreen)
Bikini Academy
Black Friday
Blood On The Sun
Bounty Huntress
By Dawn's Early Light
The Cat O' Nine Tails
The Champ
Charlotte Gray
Cyclone
The Devil Bat
Doctor Dracula
Don King: Only In America
Drive
Eban & Charley
Edge Of Honor
Elite
Far Out Man
Graveyard Of Horror
Harry And Walter Go To New York
Hoop Soldiers
Horror Of The Blood Monsters
Innerspace (Widescreen)
The Inside Man
Jackie Chan And The 36 Crazy Fists
Killer Image
A Killing Affair
The Last Man
Lone Hero
The Magic Sword
The Master Touch
The Merchant Of Four Seasons
Metropolis
Mirror, Mirror
My Favorite Year
My Louisiana Sky
Night Of The Living Dead
Night Of The Sharks
No Such Thing
Nosferatu (Special Edition)
Octopus 2
Oh, God! (Widescreen)
Once In A Blue Moon
One Man Force
The Pandora Project
Prime Time Murder
Punchline
Queen Of Sheba
The Queen's Concert: Party At The Palace
The Queen's Concert: Prom At The Palace
Quick
The Remnant
Slave Of The Cannibal God
Sunset Park
Superman Vs. Monsters & Villains
Takedown
Tales Of The Kama Sutra
Tales Of The Kama Sutra 2: Monsoon
They Call Me Sirr
The Time Of Your Life
The Treat
Walter & Henry
When Popeye Ruled The Seven Seas
The White Dove
Why The Towers Fell
Willie Nelson Special
Zig Zag
She's Back
Here's that Amy Fisher column we've been hearing about for weeks.
No Wonder Woman for Bullock
Sandra Bullock talks about her lack of involvement in the adaption of WONDER WOMAN, plus some talk on some odd choices to replace her.
There's one feminine enigma Sandra Bullock doesn't solve in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood: Who will play the Amazonian adventuress in that long-in-the-works Wonder Woman movie? Bullock's name has long been attached to the project, but she tells TV Guide Online, "I just don't have the time or the capability to think that I can pull that off."
Indeed, it takes Herculean chutzpah to play bullets and bracelets! So who's woman enough to fill Lynda Carter's magic girdle? "Somebody who is really athletically inclined and can kick ass," Bullock muses. "She's agile. She's like a cat. That's what it deserves — it deserves someone who can enjoy the camp, but also play the serious or the dark side. Because Wonder Woman has such a dark core to it, if [producers] embrace that, there's a couple of women that could do a good job." Here's a list of ladies we could see piloting an invisible jet.
Pamela Anderson: With V.I.P.'s recent cancellation — she played a busty, baddie-bashin' bodyguard — this supervixen is out of work! But can the ex-Baywatcher convey Wonder Woman's sharp intellect? More importantly, would she make a convincing brunette?
Yancy Butler: Using Wonder-gear like an enchanted lasso — and a tiara that doubles as a boomerang — shouldn't daunt Butler. She currently wields a mean magic glove on TNT's Witchblade. Let's just hope the recently-rehabbed starlet stays off the sauce — otherwise she'll be Woozy Woman!
Jennifer Garner: On Alias, this TV spy has brains, beauty and brawn. Too bad she's already doing the comic book thing as Ben Affleck's super-sidekick, Electra, in Daredevil (due out Feb. 14).
Sarah Michelle Gellar: This fierce beauty can so save the world from vampy villains — she does it weekly on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Plus, she even paid homage to Wonder Woman by turning into her at this year's MTV Movie Awards. Holy hint-dropping, Batman!
Lucy Lawless: A long-rumored contender for the role, the Xena: Warrior Princess star already has played an Amazon royal who consorts with Greek gods. And since her Xena character always displayed lesbian leanings, Lawless shouldn't have any trouble fitting in on the females-only Paradise Island!
Jennifer Lopez: Voluptuous and curvy, J.Lo can fill out Wonder Woman's one-piece well enough to do Lynda Carter proud. Moviegoers who saw Enough also know she'll gladly open up a can of whupass on trifling male dogs! (Poor Billy Campbell.)
Kelly Osbourne: This reality TV brat's already an unlikely model and pop star, so why not a big-screen superhero? Actually, she'd be better off filling Debra Winger's old boots as WW's frumpy little sister, Wonder Girl.
Michelle Yeoh: Who cares if the comic-book icon isn't Asian? In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Yeoh showed the menacing moves (and compassionate heart) needed to do Diana Prince justice. And you just know she'd pull off that classic "transformation twirl" with style and grace.
Nickelback To Issue DVD, New Single
Despite prolonged major success for Nickelback and projects linked to its frontman, Chad Kroeger, the Canadian rockers don't look to be slowing down any time soon with promoting its multi-platinum album, Silver Side Up. The group has a new single and accompanying video with the song, "Never Again," a live DVD in the works, and tour dates now scheduled worldwide through December.
Nickelback once again collaborated on both the video and the DVD with Nigel Dick, who directed clips for the band's two previous singles, "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad."
The concept of the DVD is a simple one:
"That's gonna be Nickelback doing what we do best, actually, just playing--not shooting a video or not in the studio, just getting up there and the four of us just, like, giving her just as hard as we can," he said. "And blowing a lot of sh-t up, I might add. We filmed it on the Canadian tour, so we've got full pyro and we're playing arenas, so there's 15,000 people in attendance and it's just a lot of fun."
As for touring, Nickelback performs a pair of shows in Canada this week and then rounds out the month with gigs at festivals and fairs in the U.S. through the end of the month, including the Rolling Rock Town Fair 3.3 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on July 27.
The group then heads to Europe for the second week of August and plans more North American dates in September. The fall schedule looks to include more overseas shows, including stops in Japan, Australia, and possibly South America and Hawaii.
Forty-two weeks after debuting on the Billboard 200 album chart, Silver Side Up remains in the upper reaches of the listing, at Number 44. As well, the band's impact can be felt extensively throughout various rock and pop charts and playlists thanks to "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad," "Hero," Kroeger's collaboration with Saliva's Josey Scott; and the songs of Default, which Kroeger helped produce.
Rock's Power Women Celebrated in New Exhibition
The rock world's top 20 female icons are celebrated in a photographic exhibition opening at Britain's National Portrait Gallery Monday.
The exhibition, "She Bop," was inspired by former music journalist Lucy O'Brien's book "She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul."
Exhibits range from rocker Chrissie Hynde to soul diva Dusty Springfield and disco queen Madonna.
"Female artists haven't been given the recognition that they've deserved and I felt there was a whole history of women to be written to chart how big a part women have played in popular music," says O'Brien of her book and the exhibition.
"Images of women usually portray them as pretty or good looking. These photographs are different in that they show the charisma and power of the singers," adds the author, who used to work for British music newspaper New Musical Express.
The portraits -- "of singers on the front line, who demand to be seen and heard," says O'Brien -- were taken by noted music photographers such as Jill Furmovosky, Pennie Smith, Val Wilmer, Caroline Coon, Gered Mankovitz and Eric Watson. Furmovosky's pictures include Hynde, Joan Armatrading, Icelandic chanteuse Bjork and the Canadian kd lang, who is as well known for her outspoken lesbianism as for her soaring voice, while photographer Smith has collaborated with Debbie Harry.
Running to Nov. 3, the exhibition opens with the 1960s, a decade that unearthed ex-convent schoolgirl Marianne Faithfull, the bare-footed Eurovision-winning Sandie Shaw and Springfield.
"That was an era of innocence," says the display's curator, Terence Pepper. "Faithful posing wearing white socks and we all know what happened next," he adds of the husky-voiced singer who blazed a trail with a prodigious lifestyle of bed-hopping -- she lived with the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger for several years -- and drug abuse.
The 1970s saw the emergence of leather-clad Suzi Quatro, the soulful Armatrading, the swirling voice and movements of Kate Bush and female punk representatives Siousie Sioux and The Slits.
The 1980s are marked by Sade's cool and Annie Lennox in her post-Eurythmics career. More recent portraits include P J Harvey, as well as "honorary Brits" through marriage or residence, such as Madonna, Debbie Harry and Hynde.
Lang sneaks in to the top 20 by virtue of her Commonwealth connections says Pepper, who adds that, "We haven't done a proper countdown of women singers. We might do that at the exhibition's end."
Pioneering Disney Animator Ward Kimball Dies
Pioneering animator Ward Kimball, who helped modernize Mickey Mouse's look in 1938 and created the character Jiminy Cricket for the Disney classic "Pinocchio," died on Monday at age 88.
Kimball, a member of Walt Disney's trusted cadre of cartoon artists known as the "nine old men," died of natural causes at a hospital in Arcadia, a suburb northeast of Los Angeles, the Walt Disney Co. said in a statement.
During a Disney career that stretched from 1934 until his retirement in 1973, Kimball animated or served as directing animator on such feature classics as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Cinderella" and "Alice in Wonderland."
Two animated shorts he created for Disney -- "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Bloom" (1953) and "It's Tough to be a Bird" (1969) -- won Academy Awards.
In the late 1950s, he also wrote and directed three landmark shows about space exploration for the "Disneyland" television series -- "Man in Space," "Man and the Moon" and "Mars and Beyond" -- that were widely credited with sparking public interest in America's space program.
But perhaps Kimball's most distinguished achievement was his development of Jiminy Cricket, the affable, top-hatted sidekick and conscience of the living puppet who longed to be a real boy in Disney's 1940 adaptation of "Pinocchio."
Kimball also was credited with animating the famed crow sequence in "Dumbo" and playing a key role in developing a more sophisticated cartoon design for Disney's signature character, Mickey Mouse, in 1938.
"He was a brilliant animator and filmmaker with a distinctive style and humor all his own," said Roy E. Disney, vice chairman of the Disney company.
Film critic Leonard Maltin said of Kimball, "Ward had a pixie-ish spirit that was irresistible."
In addition to his animation career, Kimball was an accomplished trombonist and founding member of the popular jazz group the Firehouse Five Plus Two. He also led some of his fellow Disney employees in a Dixieland band that recorded albums, played concerts and appeared on TV and in films.
As an antique toy collector and model train enthusiast, Kimball and his wife built a full-sized steam locomotive railroad which the couple ran on their ranch in Southern California.
Hasselhoff Checks Into Alcohol Rehab
David Hasselhoff has checked himself into The Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcoholism.
The former "Baywatch" star, who turns 50 next week, issued a release Monday announcing the voluntary stay at the hospital.
"He realized his social drinking had increased more than he was comfortable with and he decided to do something about it," read the statement from publicist Richard Hoffman.
The actor checked in June 26, but his representatives did not know when he planned to check out.
Hasselhoff's recent roles included a cameo appearance as himself in the summer comedy "The New Guy" and he performed on Broadway last year in the musical "Jekyll & Hyde."
Colin Farrell Cops 'S.W.A.T.' Shot
Colin Farrell, currently co-starring in "Minority Report," has inked to play Officer Jim Street in the big-screen adaptation of the 1970s cop show "S.W.A.T."
Farrell's payday, knowledgeable insiders say, approaches $8 million for the Columbia Pictures picture. Samuel L. Jackson signed to head the cast in May.
The film will be directed by Clark Johnson, who played Det. Meldrick Lewis in NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street," and just helmed the pilot for HBO cop series "The Wire." Commercials veteran Zack Snyder had been poised to make his feature debut on the picture, but that deal did not come to pass.
The script for "S.W.A.T." comes from David Ayer, who penned both "The Fast and the Furious" and "Training Day."
"S.W.A.T.," based on the 1975-1976 ABC series, was originally set up as a feature at TriStar Pictures in the late 1990s with Arnold Schwarzenegger eying the lead.
Dublin-born Farrell's credits include "Tigerland" and "Hart's War," as well as the upcoming "Phone Booth," a thriller about a man pinned down in a sniper's line of fire.
Can 'Black' Buddies Beat One-Week Jinx?
Hollywood will be watching to see if "Men in Black II" can erase all memory of last summer's one-week-wonder dilemma.
But with the Tom Hanks starrer "Road to Perdition" among four wide openers set for next weekend, Sony's futuristic G-men face perhaps their toughest challenge yet in trying to repeat atop the box office heap in consecutive frames.
Yes, here we go again.
For 10 straight weekends last summer, no film finished No. 1 two weeks in a row after the Memorial Day opener "Pearl Harbor" managed that feat. Similarly this year, "The Sum of All Fears" finished first over the holiday frame and the next session, but no picture's put together repeat winning performances since then.
The super-sized $90 million five-day opening for "MIB II" poses the tantalizing possibility that it won't take until mid-August this year to find a movie strong enough to withstand the swelter of summer competition. After all, even a 50% fall-off from this weekend's Friday-Sunday gross would yield "MIB II" a $27 million sophomore session.
On the other hand, Tom Hanks is, well, Tom Hanks.
"I would assume Tom Hanks will hold his own," Sony marketing and distribution president Jeff Blake demurred when asked about the chances that "MIB II" will repeat at No. 1.
And in addition to the "Perdition" topliner's unsurpassed marquee appeal, which also includes Paul Newman, there's the added draw of Sam Mendes' helming his first feature since his Oscar-winning feature debut "American Beauty" in 1999.
"Certainly ('Perdition') will be significant competition," Blake said.
And the competition doesn't stop there. Also bowing in wide release Friday are Disney's video game spinoff "Reign of Fire," MGM's adaptation of cable TV's wild animal show, "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course;" and Dimension's installment No. 8 in the "Halloween" horror franchise, "Halloween: Resurrection."
Potentially working against a good second-week hold for "MIB II" would be its developing a case of "sequel-itis." It's a malady marking the offspring of an established movie franchise with a shorter life expectancy than the progenitor.
But some recent sequels have managed to shake the sequel-itis curse, including the picture that finally managed to break the one-week-wonder curse last summer. Universal's "American Pie 2" bowed last Aug. 10 with a bigger opening weekend than the original comedy -- at $45.1 million vs. $18.7 million. Its domestic run was longer-legged, too, at $143.8 million vs. $102.6 million.
Still, the same factors shaping last summer's bout of box office one-week-wonders are once again in place this season.
Distributors are releasing pictures with print runs of unprecedented breadth. "MIB II" is playing on some 6,000 screens, meaning just about anybody who wanted to see the movie over its opening weekend was able to do so.
Also, summer 2002 is chockablock with major releases -- perhaps even fuller than last summer's crowded schedule.
So, as Nielsen EDI executive VP Dan Marks observed, "The new movies each week make it difficult to sustain a position at the top."
Next weekend, Sony and the shades-wearing topliners from "MIB II" get to try.
Destiny's Child Star: Show Biz Can Drive You Crazy
Stay out of show business -- that is the message from Destiny's Child singer Beyonce Knowles to tomorrow's wannabe stars.
The 20-year-old said the industry is full of backbiters who "can drive you crazy and mess with your head. You have to be super-strong because people say things about you."
Knowles, interviewed by Britain's Radio Times, said she and fellow group members Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland would "remain together as long as we have fun on stage and make good records. But I wouldn't suggest this as a career for anyone."
The singer, who is to co-star as Foxxy Cleoptara in the new Austin Powers movie, said: "Sharks are all around and if you can survive them once you're successful, that's when the true you comes out."
Think Of Them As Timbits
Here are some breaking news headlines:
- Gwyneth Paltrow will star in a Sylvia Plath biopic
- A sequel to SCOOBY-DOO is expected to open in 2004
- SHREK 2 will open on June 18th 2004
- Bruce Willis will return for a WHOLE NINE YARDS sequel
- JERRY BRUCKHEIMER Films are developing a COYOTE UGLY sequel
- A sequel to DIRTY DANCING enters pre-production this fall
- David Goyer will direct an adaptation of JRLansdale's MUCHO MOJO
- Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) will adapt Greg Bear's FORGE OF GOD
Coming Soon, "Better Off Dead!"
Yesiree, you do see the John Cusack classic "Better Off Dead" on the list below of new DVD and video releases that are on the horizon. If you want your 2 dollars, and the movie, then mark July 16th on your calendar.
Here's a look at the major new releases on the way for the remainder of July.
- July 9th -
The ROYAL TENENBAUMS (VHS & DVD)
MY FAVORITE YEAR (DVD)
A WALK TO REMEMBER (VHS & DVD)
IMPOSTER (VHS & DVD)
HART'S WAR (VHS & DVD)
- July 16th -
TOP SECRET! (DVD)
BETTER OFF DEAD (DVD)
KIDS IN THE HALL: BRAIN CANDY (DVD)
AMELIE (VHS & DVD)
JOHN Q. (VHS & DVD)
IN LIFE FLINT & OUR MAN FLINT (DVD)
- July 23rd -
THE TIME MACHINE (VHS & DVD)
CROSSROADS (VHS & DVD)
M*A*S*H* Season Two (DVD)
- July 30th -
RESIDENT EVIL (VHS & DVD)
COLLATERAL DAMAGE (VHS & DVD)
DINOTOPIA (VHS & DVD)
DRAGONFLY (VHS & DVD)
ANNA NICOLE SHOW Set for August Premiere
In E!'s quest to find characters more outrageous than The Osbournes, the network has been following around former PLAYBOY Playmate Anna Nicole Smith for a look at her private life.
Set to premiere August 4th at 10pm, THE ANNA NICOLE SHOW follows Smith from trips to the dentist, dating and taking driving lessons, to her Hollywood parties and charitable events, as well as the raising of her 16-year-old son, Daniel.
Other regulars on the show include Smith's attorney Howard, her purple-haired assistant Kim, and her toy poodle, Sugar Pie.
What's On The CD Horizon?
In case you are one of those people who still buy CD's, I want to make sure that you have the opportunity to save yoru pennies, so here is a preview of the new music releases on the way in the next few weeks.
Oh, and by the way, you should be buying CD's! It is morally wrong to download them off of the internet for free!
And yes I do think I'm funny!
:)
- July 9th -
BIS Plastique Nouveau (SpinART)
ORBITAL Back to Mine (DMC)
SUPERDRAG Last Call for Vitriol (Arena Rock)
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS By the Way (WB)
COUNTING CROWS Hard Candy (Geffen)
MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES Jackknife to a Swan (Side One Dummy)
DJ SPOOKY Optometry (Thirsty Ear)
STEVE MILLER BAND King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents (King Biscuit)
DOLLY PARTON Halos & Horns (Sugar Hill)
Plus... VERDEN ALLEN, JEN CHAPIN, COUSTEAU, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE, MARIO, ABRA MOORE, QUIX*O*TIC, SIX BY SEVEN, STYX, SUN PALACE, TABLA BEAT SCIENCE, TWINEMEN and BUTCH WALKER.
- July 16th -
DAVID BOWIE Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust - 30th Anniversary Edition (Virgin)
MORCHEEBA Charango (WB)
SPACE MONKEYZ VS. GORILLAZ Laika Come Home (Astralwerks)
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND Busted Stuff (RCA)
THE VINES Highly Evolved (Capitol)
ROBERT PLANT Dreamland (Universal)
- July 23rd -
NOW, Vol. 10 (Sony)
O-TOWN: 02 (J)
BOYZ II MEN Full Circle (Arista)
MACK 10 Presents da Hood (Hoo Bangin)
PUBLIC ENEMY Revolverlution (Slamjamz/Koch)
RAS Rhythmic Altered State (Best Seven/Sonar Kollektiv)
DEF LEPPARD: X (Island)
BREE SHARP More B.S. (Trauma)
- July 30th -
BETH ORTON Daybreaker (Heavenly/Astralwerks)
(WHOOO HOOO!!!!) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND The Rising (Columbia)
LINKIN PARK Reanimation (WB)
BONE THUGS-N-HARONY Thug World Order (Ruthless/Epic)
DARIUS RUCKER Back to Then (Sony)
Kelly Osborne Recording Full-Length
If you just can't get enough of The Osbourne family, get ready for a full solo album from daughter Kelly this October. The middle Osborne child began recording her debut release for EPIC last week in New York.
"The Doors" Reunite For First Concert In 30 Years
The surviving members of The DOORS have announced plans for their first concert since disbandeding in 1973, September 6th, at the CALIFORNIA MOTOR SPEEDWAY.
Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and health willing, John Densmore, will be joined by The CULT's Ian Astbury on vocals, as well as other guest vocalists and musicians yet to be announced.
With the exception of the band's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1972, and last year's VH1 STORYTELLERS special, this show is nearly 30 years to the day of The DOOR's last concert, on September 2nd, 1972.
The bandmates plan to tour the U.S. and Europe in spring 2003, before entering a studio to record an album of new material.
GARBO SPEAKS
About 40 minutes of questioning by Ted Koppel was cut down to 22 minutes, and tonight ABC finally gets David Letterman onto its late-night schedule.
But while ABC suits were willing to sacrifice "Nightline" newsman Ted Koppel for the honor last year, it is Koppel who brings CBS' tormented late-night funnyman to the network for his first sitdown interview since 1997.
When it airs tonight at 12:05 a.m. on the debut episode of Koppel's new show "Up Close," it will have been more than 12 days since the highly anticipated interview was conducted, shortly after the June 26 edition of Letterman's "Late Show" finished taping.
"It was very casual," a source told The New York Post.
Koppel, dressed like a war correspondent in a khaki jacket and pants, conducted the interview at the Ed Sullivan Theater on the set of Letterman's show, while Letterman - wearing a navy sweater and khaki pants, reclined comfortably in a director's chair.
The source said the two spoke for more 40 minutes, but the interview itself will be edited down to less than 22 minutes when it airs tonight on the half-hour show.
It is not known what they talked about, but it's a good guess that last winter's fiasco - when ABC tried to steal Letterman away from CBS to displace Koppel's "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m. - was a hot topic.
In the end, Letterman agreed to a deal under which CBS will reportedly pay him $31.5 million annually for about 5 years, Koppel got "Up Close," and Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" was canceled.
Well, So Much For Anthony Stewart Head Playing Dr. Who.
Sometimes rumours become tomorrow's garbage and that's happened it seems.
An article by John Mosby in the latest issue of Dreamwatch magazine was picked up by People, Ananova, the UK tabloids etc. and it seems the confusion spread from there. Mosby got in touch to help clarify things: "David Fury has indeed said he is talking with various people at the BBC about ideas in which the BBC could make a new Dr.Who series viable. This is not to say a new series is guaranteed, simply that the BBC is actively looking for ways to make the franchise viable again as it approaches its anniversary. At no point did the article say that Tony Head would play the Doctor. In fact we said the exact opposite - that he loved the character and would find it a challenge, but had no inclination at the moment to be take another high profile fantasy role". The BBC have also denied the Head rumours saying "the BBC aren't currently making any such plans". The full quotes and full page news feature with Fury & Head are in the new Dreamwatch Issue 95, out now in the UK.
Marilyn Monroe 'God-Awful to Work With' -Widmark
Hollywood star Richard Widmark found Marilyn Monroe "God-awful to work with."
And when it comes to heroes, the 87-year-old Widmark has no doubt about his -- Spencer Tracy.
Widmark, one of the last survivors of Hollywood's golden era, told Monday's Daily Telegraph: "I liked Marilyn but she was God-awful to work with. Impossible, really. She would hide in her dressing room and refuse to come out."
Widmark, who appeared with Monroe in "Don't Bother to Knock" 50 years ago, said: "When she would finally show up, she was a nervous wreck. It was all a result of fear. She was insecure about so many things and was obviously self-destructive. She was a wounded bird from the beginning."
Widmark and Spencer Tracy worked together on "Broken Lance" and "Judgement at Nuremberg." Widmark loved every minute of it.
"He made everything look so easy and simple and I'd watch him like a hawk. Acting with him was like skating on ice. So smooth. He was a natural who was good when he started his career and good when he ended it," Widmark said of his idol.
Norville Gets 'Early' Wakeup Call for Tryout
Former "Today Show" anchor Deborah Norville will be a morning person once again -- for a week, that is.
In what is widely perceived as a test-drive as "The Early Show" co-host, Norville, currently the host of syndicated newsmagazine "Inside Edition," will appear with co-anchor Jane Clayson beginning Monday.
Ever since Bryant Gumbel vacated his seat last May, there has been some heated speculation surrounding his replacement on the third-place breakfastcast.
Former guest hosts -- or candidates perhaps -- who have appeared include "This Week in History's" Josh Bingswanger, CBS White House correspondent John Roberts, "Hollywood Squares" host Tom Bergeron and CBS weekend anchor Russ Mitchell.
Bergeron has gathered some heat, but some dismiss his chances because he's not a newsie.
Of course, former morning mainstays David Hartman of "Good Morning America" and Hugh Downs of "Today" didn't come from news, either: Hartman was an actor, Downs a "Tonight Show" laffalonger to Jack Paar.
But Norville is perhaps the most high-profile to appear in Gumbel's chair so far. She replaced Jane Pauley as a "Today Show" anchor in 1989 for two years. (When the baton was handed off, the two exchanged gifts: Pauley forked over a broken alarm clock, Norville a set of knives.)
In 1995, Norville succeeded Bill O'Reilly as host of "Inside Edition."
Her weeklong stint will also reunite her with executive producer and "Today Show" alum Michael Bass.
Jackson: Recording Industry Racist
Michael Jackson, already feuding with his record company, charged Saturday that the recording industry was a racist conspiracy that turns profits at the expense of performers — particularly minority artists.
"The recording companies really, really do conspire against the artists — they steal, they cheat, they do everything they can," Jackson said in a rare public appearance. "(Especially) against the black artists."
Jackson, 43, who began his recording career as a child, spoke at the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network in Harlem. Sharpton and attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. recently formed a coalition to investigate whether artists are being financially exploited by record labels.
Jackson, who records for Sony Music, also singled out company chairman Tommy Mottola, saying he was "mean, he's a racist, and he's very, very, very devilish." Jackson also accused Mottola of using "the n-word" when speaking about an unidentified black Sony artist.
Sony Music issued a statement calling Jackson's comments "ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful. It seems particularly bizarre that he has chosen to launch an unwarranted and ugly attack on an executive who has championed his career ... for many, many years."
Jackson's last album, "Invincible," has had disappointing sales despite an estimated $25 million in promotion. The singer's fans say Sony didn't do enough to launch the album. Others in the industry say sagging sales were indicative of Jackson's declining appeal.
Jackson mentioned several black artists as victims of the industry, including James Brown, Mariah Carey and Sammy Davis Jr. Jackson alleged that Davis died penniless, although Davis' attorney said in 1990 that the "Rat Pack" member left an estate worth more than $6 million when he died.
"If you fight for me, you're fighting for all black people, dead and alive," Jackson said, adding: "We have to put a stop to this incredible injustice."
Outside Sony's Manhattan headquarters, about 150 fans gathered later Saturday, hoisting signs reading "Please Sony, stop killing the music," "Terminate Tommy Mottola," and "Invincible is Unbreakable."
Jackson arrived at the Midtown building on a double-decker city tour bus that twice circled the block. He stood in the open top deck and, raising his fists, joined the crowd in chanting "Down with Tommy Mottola!"
Jackson held up a poster with three boxes marked "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" — with an image of himself in the "The Good" box and Mottola's face with devilish horns in "The Bad" box, while Mottola's real image adorned "The Ugly" box.
Weekend Box Office Results
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Men in Black II," $54.1 million.
2. "Mr. Deeds," $18.8 million.
3. "Like Mike," $13.1 million.
4. "Lilo & Stitch," $12.7 million.
5. "Minority Report," $12.4 million.
6. "The Bourne Identity," $9.1 million.
7. "Scooby-Doo," $7 million.
8. "The Sum of All Fears," $3.8 million.
9. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie," $3.6 million.
10. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," $2.9 million.
He Was One Of The Greats Of The Game
Hall Of Fame Baseball Player Ted Williams Has Died.
Phil Collins' new CD is a testimony to love
Phil Collins' first collection of all-new solo material in six years will reflect the veteran singer/songwriter's newfound contentment with marriage, fatherhood and modern technology.
Testify, scheduled for a Nov. 12 release, features songs inspired by Orianne, Collins' wife since 1999, and their 14-month-old son, Nicholas. The title track is "the most upfront, direct love song I've ever written," he says, while a lullaby-like tune called Come With Me (Close Your Eyes) combines music originally written when his 13-year-old daughter from an earlier marriage was an infant — and later adapted for a music box in Nicholas' bedroom — with a new lyric "about trying to do the best you possibly can for your kids."
In writing songs for the new CD, which includes "some harder-edged stuff" as well, Collins worked extensively with computers, a method he also is using for the soundtrack of a new Disney film due in 2004. "I had resisted computers for a long time, but the freedom they give you in composition is amazing," he says. In addition, Collins plans to write new material for a stage adaptation of his first animated Disney feature, 1999's Tarzan.
One thing Collins will be doing less of in the near future is touring. A year and a half ago, the singer developed "sudden deafness," a viral infection that killed cells and affected his aural comprehension in one ear.
"I can hear and write and sing, but loud noises aren't comfortable," he says. "So I may do some showcase gigs, but I'll be concentrating more on writing and recording than live performances."
Toronto's Opener Has 9/11 Insight
"Ararat," the controversial new film by Atom Egoyan, will kick off the opening-night gala at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs Sept. 5-14.
"Ararat," Egoyan's third festival opener, recounts the 1915-17 mass killing of 1.3 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.
In a statement read by actor David Alpay, one of the film's stars, Egoyan, who has Armenian heritage, said "Ararat" is a meditation on a new reality since the last festival — a reference to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"I am convinced ... that the film will provide the opening-night audience with an emotionally loaded event," said the 41-year-old-director, whose movie credits include "The Sweet Hereafter" and "Felicia's Journey."
"Ararat" has been the subject of criticism and even threats of protests from Turkish groups that insist an Armenian genocide never happened or that its extent has been exaggerated.
David Cronenberg's "Spider," which stars Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson and Gabriel Byrne, will have its North American premiere and a gala presentation.
Other films on the festival's lineup, announced Tuesday, include the world premiere of Peter Kosminsky's "White Oleander," starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Renee Zellweger; "Moonlight Mile," a world premiere from writer-director Brad Silberling, with Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon and Holly Hunter; and "Chihwaseon," a South Korean film about the life of a famous and passionate 19-century Korean artist.
Mitchell Appointed to Order of Canada
Singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn were among 99 appointees to the Order of Canada announced by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
Mitchell, a Saskatchewan native who wrote and performed songs such as "Big Yellow Taxi," "The Circle Game" and "Both Sides Now," was made a companion of the order, the highest designation.
Also appointed companions were former Supreme Court Justice Peter Cory, Toronto social activist and feminist author Doris Anderson and Roger Blais, a renowned engineer, scientist, teacher and entrepreneur from Montreal.
Cockburn, known as much for his outspoken social activism as his folksy music, was promoted to an officer of the order after previously being made a member.
Lorne Michaels, founder of TV comedies Saturday Night Live and a nine-time Emmy Award winner, was appointed a member of the order.
The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize Canadians for outstanding lifetime achievement and service.
I Only Have 10 Words For You
Here's "The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" trailer.
Yummy, Yummy!
Its the weekend so as a treat, enjoy "The Mystery of Britney Spears' Breasts."
Nope. There Are No New Releases Today.
Sorry, all of this week's new films opened up on Wednesday. So click on the date in the above right hand corner for JULY 3 and you will be able to read all about this week's new films.
Enjoy the link, and the popcorn, and I'll see you at the movies!
Mark December 13th On Your Calendar!
Hey look! Here's the brand new trailer for STAR TREK: NEMESIS.
Do you want some of Matt Damon's sperm? Apparently you're not the only one.
Some American women are so crazy about Hollywood hunk Matt Damon, they are demanding look-alike sperm donors to father their children.
The Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting star - who has a hit in his new movie The Bourne Identity - has become a favorite of hopeful single mothers at a Boston sperm bank (coupled moms usually request a donor who looks like the daddy-to-be).
John Rizza, director of New England Cryogenics, the region's only photo-matching sperm bank, tells the Boston Herald, "[Matt's] at the top of the list. I think it's a combination of things. What I hear most often is that he has charisma, he's gorgeous, they like the sound of his voice. He has that boyish charm." Rizza says most of his donors are Boston college students; he's still waiting for the actor's contribution.
Head for Who?
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER's Anthony Stewart Head may be taking on the legendary role of Dr. Who.
News hit these green shores this morning which seems to solves the problems of the world - or at least a few sci-fi franchises.
On one hand, The BBC want to continue 'Doctor Who' but up the budgets, which isn't feesable without an American audience.
On the other hand, Anthony Stewart Head wants to spend time in the U.K with his family, but loves the cult audience that 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' brings him. With t Whedon and the BBC STILL to announce a date for 'Watcher' 'Giles' or 'Ripper' - he may have found the perfect answer...
in a feat of impreccable casting, someone decided to put those hands together and consider something that makes this fanboy sign in post-orgasmic fullfillment: Giles taking on The Daleks!!!
But the BBC's Dr. Who Website suggests all this is fairly premature:
Following the usual media frenzy regarding this weekend's rumours of new Doctor Who, we'd just like to clarify a few things.
Dreamwatch magazine, Ananova and the Daily Express are all reporting that we're making plans to involve actor Tony Head and members of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer production team in a new 22 part series to celebrate the Time Lord's 40th anniversary.
Dreamwatch quotes Buffy producer David Fury as saying: "They want to do what we do on Buffy, produce 22 episodes a year and sell them internationally. I'm helping to take Doctor Who into a new universe." Whilst the Cult team quite like the idea of Tony Head as the Doctor in a show guided by members of America's finest fantasy production team, the BBC aren't currently making any such plans.
A BEAUTIFUL DEBUT
Best Picture Oscar winner A Beautiful Mind debuting on top of the video charts, earning nearly $13 million from DVD and VHS rentals for the week ended June 30.
STILL THE KING
The remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" debuting at number one on the U.S. singles charts. The track, which has been topping the British charts for the past three weeks, will now be added to the upcoming Elv1s 30 #1 Hits collection due in September.
Man Who Stabbed George Harrison Is Freed
A schizophrenic man who broke into the house of former Beatle George Harrison and attacked him with a knife three years ago was discharged from a secure British mental hospital on Thursday.
Michael Abram had been found not guilty by reason of insanity after breaking into Harrison's house in 1999 and repeatedly stabbing him and attacking his wife Olivia.
He was confined to the Scott Clinic secure mental hospital outside Liverpool, northwest England.
"Michael Abram, Scott Clinic patient, has been given a conditional discharge today by a mental health review tribunal," the National Health Service trust which runs the clinic said in a statement.
"In this case, the tribunal has given a conditional discharge. The conditions, which remain confidential, are to ensure the safety of the public."
Harrison survived the stabbing but died last November of cancer.
Abram's lawyer, Peter Edwards, told Reuters Abram had responded to drug treatment for his schizophrenia and had been symptom-free for two years.
"That's the great tragedy of Michael Abram's case," he said. "He had spent many years going to hospitals and doctors seeking treatment for his mental illness, and been rebuffed.
"If they had done their jobs properly, Mr. Harrison and Mrs. Harrison would never have been attacked," the lawyer said.
A spokeswoman for the trust said it would take a few days for Abram to be released, and that he would continue to live in a "structured care environment."
Harrison's family expressed shock and dismay at the news and said they had not been informed earlier of preparations for Abram's release.
"We certainly wish Mr. Abram no ill, but to be presented with this as a fact after the event is deeply upsetting and insulting and we feel completely let down by the system," Harrison's widow Olivia and his son Dhani said in a statement.
U2's Bono Would Rather Rock Than Rule
Irish rock star Bono said on Thursday music was his first love and that he had no interest in becoming a politician despite his work as a rights campaigner.
"Nothing comes close to the feeling of waking up with a melody in your head and having a band like U2 to help you capture it," the singer told Ireland's Hot Press magazine.
"Politicians don't turn me on, politics doesn't turn me on, the way music does. I have a lot more respect for them than I used to. They work a lot harder than I thought...but I don't want to be one."
The Dubliner has lobbied world leaders including French President Jacques Chirac to improve aid and debt forgiveness for poor countries and in May went on a high-profile 12-day trip through Africa with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, dubbed the "odd-couple tour."
Touted as a possible Irish presidential candidate, Bono said he had no interest in the job, a largely ceremonial position which usually attracts a wide-range of candidates from outside the political mainstream.
"I don't think I could live with the pay cut or moving to a smaller house," he said.
A participant in fellow Irishman Bob Geldof's 1985 Live Aid famine-relief concert, Bono has set up his own group called DATA (Debt, Aid, Trade for Africa), advocating economic aid, lower export tariffs and money to fight AIDS.
Renowned for his forthright personality, the 42-year old father of four said he was not getting mellower with age.
"I'm getting angrier and that's what makes me believe that with some smart thinking and simple changes to our lives, we can drastically improve the lives of so many other people."
Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, said U2 had been working on a follow-up album to the Grammy-winning "All That You Can't Leave Behind" since the end of their "Elevation" tour in December 2001 .
"We set up in a disused bar/nightclub in the South of France. Very punk rock and very like old clubs we used to play. Maybe it was being in that kind of venue, but the music we started to make was very lo-fi high energy."
"One of these songs might make it onto our new 'Best Of' which comes out later this year."
Duran Duran Seeks Fresh Domination of Planet Earth
British pop legends Duran Duran, which enjoyed a string of hits in the 1980s, wants to convert a new generation of "Duranies" during a worldwide tour announced on Thursday.
Duran Duran's business manager David Ravden told Reuters the band had almost finished a new album, which it is planning to release early next year and will follow with a worldwide tour.
The band, which has sold more than 60 million albums in the last 20 years and reformed last year, has not signed with a record label, but Ravden said negotiations were under way.
"We are talking to and are in negotiations with a number of major record companies, but I cannot name them," he said.
The news will be music to the ears of devoted Duranies who kept the flame for the idols of the New Romantic movement burning through hundreds of fan clubs from Moscow to New Zealand to Taipei.
Although often ridiculed for their stylized videos and penchant for eyeliner and pixie boots, more than 50,000 Internet pages are devoted to Duran Duran. Even Britain's late Princess Diana once gushed that they were her favorite band.
While the original band members -- singer Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor, John Taylor and Roger Taylor -- once graced the bedroom walls of countless teenage girls, they are not the young bucks they once were.
But Ravden was confident the five, now in their 40s, were in good shape to take on their younger pop rivals in the battle for a new generation of fans.
"Obviously when you are 20 you are invariably slightly slimmer that when you are 40. But the labels we have met have commented on how good everyone looks."
Duran Duran formed in 1978 but did not achieve great success until after they recruited frontman Simon Le Bon, who is married to model Yasmin Le Bon.
The band shot to fame with albums such as Big Thing, Rio and Arena in the 1980s but a line-up change and changing music tastes saw it fade into relative obscurity in the 1990s.
The original members came together for the first time 15 years in 2001 to record an album.
Seeing Her Electric Youth
Apparently PLAYBOY Magazine now wants former 1980s teen queen Deborah "Debbie" Gibson to do a pictorial.
Following the success of Tiffany's photo shoot for Playboy last year, it is rumoured that fellow 1980s mall queen Debbie Gibson (left) has also been approached to disrobe for Hugh Hefner's soft-porn publication.
Apparently, Gibson is demanding vast amounts of money to get her kit off, and Tiffers is already deeply peeved that they have already offered her one-time rival more than they paid her.
At the time, Tiffany actually tried to prevent Gibson from following her into the Playboy studios. 'I am the first teen star to ever do it, and I think it probably wouldn't have the same effect,' she said. We'll see.
BIRTHDAY BOY
Tom Cruise celebrated the big 4-0 on Wednesday. Cruise was reportedly feted by friends and family.
HARD TIMES
The Osbourne family matriarch, Sharon Osbourne, diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer and undergoing surgery Wednesday, the couple's publicist confirmed. "She has the loving support of her husband and three children who are by her side at this time," the statement said. The kind of cancer was not specified.
HARD TIMES II
The Price Is Right game show host Bob Barker checking into a hospital next week to undergo prostate surgery, his publicist said Tuesday.
Good luck to them both!
I Myself Have Been "Spoofed!"
In order to try and stop free downloading the music labels are planting online decoy tracks and mulling over the idea of lawsuits.
'Powers' Soundtrack Full of Remixes
The soundtrack for the movie "Austin Powers In Goldmember" will be full of remixed songs.
Dr. Dre remixed the Rolling Stones song "Miss You." It also includes remixes of "Boys" by Britney Spears and rapper Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" which has been remade by Dr. Evil. Paul Oakenfold's "1975" is his loose interpretation of Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band's "A Fifth of Beethoven" from 1976. Susanna Hoffs does a version of "Alfie."
Smash Mouth's "Ain't No Mystery" was written specifically for the soundtrack and the film's co-star, Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child, contributes "Work It Out."
Only one song appears in its original version: "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire. The film's producers thought the song was perfect as it is.
The soundtrack is due out July 16.
Nelly Unseats Eminem From No. 1 Spot
It's getting hot on the album chart for Nelly. The rapper unseated "The Eminem Show," which has been No. 1 for the past five weeks.
"Nellyville," which includes the No. 1 single "Hot in Herre," sold about 717,000 copies in its first week in stores, according to industry figures released Wednesday.
Nelly's second album topped Eminem's latest release, which has dominated the album chart since it came out on May 26. "The Eminem Show" dropped to No. 2 this week, selling another 308,000 copies for a total of 3.6 million.
Another rapper didn't fare nearly so well. Will Smith's "Born to Reign" debuted at No. 13, selling only about 60,000 copies. The disc features the song "Black Suits Comin'" from Smith's movie "Men in Black II," the sequel to the 1997 blockbuster "Men in Black," which opened Wednesday.
Julia Roberts Weds Cameraman
Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts married her cameraman boyfriend Daniel Moder early Thursday at her 40-acre estate outside Taos.
The wedding marks Roberts' second trip down the aisle. The star of "Runaway Bride" and "My Best Friend's Wedding" was married for 21 months to country and western singer Lyle Lovett.
The darkness of the cool New Mexico morning concealed the details of Roberts' wedding but provided the perfect backdrop for the midnight ceremony.
"Julia Roberts and Daniel Moder married during a midnight ceremony before family and friends at their home in New Mexico," Roberts' publicist, Marcy Engelman, told The Associated Press about an hour after the ceremony.
Engelman declined to give any details about the couple's nuptials, the bride's attire or the guest list, saying, "This is all we're going to release at this time."
A big white tent was seen on Roberts' estate Wednesday afternoon and the town was crowded with photographers and reporters, some of whom camped outside her gate.
A pitch-black sky was dotted with millions of sparkling stars as music and laughter could be heard coming from Roberts' home into the early morning hours.
The rumors heated up this week when The Daily Mail of London reported that 50 guests were being flown from Los Angeles to New Mexico for some sort of celebration at Roberts' estate. The paper said George Clooney, Roberts' co-star on "Ocean's 11," was to be among them and that invitees were to wear white linen.
"Pretty Woman" (1990) remains Roberts' biggest hit, with a domestic gross of $178.4 million. Her other $100 million hits include "Notting Hill," and "Erin Brockovich," for which she received a best-actress Oscar in 2001.
Roberts' love life has been tabloid fodder for years. She broke up with actor Benjamin Bratt last year after dating him for nearly four years. He went on to marry actress Talisa Soto in April.
Roberts broke up with Kiefer Sutherland in 1991 on the eve of their wedding. She also was linked to Jason Patric, Dylan McDermott, Matthew Perry and Liam Neeson.
I've Always Wanted To Know That
Have you ever wondered how your remote control works?
The Academy Is Cutting Kudos to Trim Oscarcast
As part of an attempt to cut the marathon Oscarcast running time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) has voted to trim the honorary awards.
According to the rules for the Academy's 75th Oscarcast disclosed Tuesday, AMPAS' board of governors agreed to toughen up the selection process and voting procedures for all honorary nods -- the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and honorary Oscars. They will thus limit the number of honoraries presented each year to one or, at most, two.
That should decrease the show's length. While not every honorary award is presented each year, the recent average has been three per year. This year's kudocast, which clocked in at a record four-and-a-quarter hours, handed out two honorary Oscars ( Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier), while Arthur Hiller was feted with the Humanitarian nod.
The previous year, Dino De Laurentiis was presented the Thalberg, while Ernest Lehman and Jack Cardiff were given Oscars.
The new procedure requires that two-thirds of the governors be present to vote on an award, and three-fourths of the governors will have to endorse a candidate for a second award. Nominating and voting in all three-award categories will be conducted as a single procedure.
The 75th annual Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 23, 2003.
Opening Today At A Theatre Near You
Hey look! Thursday is Indendence Day in America and that means that some new films are opening in our multiplexes today. Three new films, to be exact. Two of them aren't worth seeing, unless you are a kid or have an I.Q. that is the same as your shoe size.
The other...well, the other is, well its... Men In Black II, or MIBII as its known by some.
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back and so are some of those great little aliens that we loved in the original.
Is it any good, you ask? To put it bluntly- If you liked the original you will like the sequel.
A true sign of the apocalypse will be if they make a sequel to the insipid Like Mike. Like I said, if you have an I.Q. that is equal to or less than your show size, then enjoy!
Also make plans to enjoy The Powerpuff Girls Movie. The movie shows the origin of the Powerpuff Girls before the cartoon series. It explains why they were born and why they dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil.
The kids will love it, but it's REALLY for grownups...so enjoy! Dig down deep and find the child within and go nuts!
Myself, I enjoyed the two characters who talk entirely in Van Halen references.
So don't go runnin' with the devil, just jump at this chance to enjoy your summer nights with a pretty woman!
Hee hee heeee! Enjoy the popcorn and I'll see you at the movies!
Oh, and Happy Independence Day all you Americans!
Try Your Luck At Casino Royale
Enthusiasts of the Bond franchise know that there are still two pieces of Bond history that have never surfaced on DVD, the two versions of the never-quite-truly adapted Casino Royale. MGM Home Entertainment has finally gotten around to releasing not one, but both versions of the film on one disc this fall.
Loosly based on the first of Ian Flemming's novels, the 1967 version of "Casino Royale" tells the story of an aging Bond who comes out of retirement to save the world once again. But with six James Bonds already on the scene, one extra Bond may not be all that necessary.
MGM has gone to great effort to restore the film with a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and audio in Dolby Digital 5.1. A making of featurette and a theatrical trailer make nice bonuses, but not nearly as pleasing as the inclusion of the original and more faithful 1954 made for TV movie which predates the earliest big screen Bond outing by eight years.
Arriving October 15th, the spy romp will carry a $19.98 price tag.
Better install a DVD player in the Panic Room
It looks like Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment has changed it's mind and is about to release Panic Room as both a regular edition and a SuperBit title this fall.
Meg Altman and her daughter move into a new home in New York with many implements of home security, including the ultimate protection; a Panic Room – a room which no intruder can enter. Neither had an idea they'd have to use it their first night. But the intruders are after the goods in the house; they're after what's in the panic room.
The regular edition of the film gets a nice package with an anamorphic widescreen transfer and audio options in Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 audio or an audio commentary with David Fincher and Jodie Foster. Extras include a "Making-of" featurette, a "Production Design" featurette, deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer. The previously announced SuperBit version of course will have no features.
Both versions of film will be arriving on September 17th.
More Aliens for Sigourney Weaver?
In an interview with an L.A Correspondent, Sigourney Weaver again talked about the chances of a fifth "Alien" film and whether she's tired of answering questions about it.
"I have people coming up to me on the street talking to me about when is the next one, I’ve actually spoken to Ridley Scott a number of times. He would like to do five and I have to say that because its six months away from home, I have very mixed feelings about it. I don’t know. Maybe that will change" says Weaver.
"You know if I can physically perform her task, or have a very good stuntwoman, I love what happened to Ripley. I love playing an alien" Weaver also talked a bit about the role she is playing in the forthcoming "Holes". "Louis the writer, Louis and I have quite a bit of sympathy for the warden because in fact, she’s also cursed because she’s had to dig as a child, she’s had to dig her whole life for this treasure so her life has never started. So I can really feel how misunderstood she is but she does do some evil things".
Sarah Michelle Gellar talks about the possibility of Britney Spears joining the cast of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.
You just don't mess with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Britney Spears has discovered. Speaking about the rumour that Britney was to make an appearance on the TV show, Sarah Michell Gellar said, 'Our producers were saying she was gonna do it and I was saying, "I don't think so."' (Sun)...
HEATING UP
The summer movie season has scored its strongest start in history, with June box office grosses topping $800 million for the first time ($856 million, to be exact) and attendance jumping 9 percent compared to last year.
Bugs and Pals to Bring Shorts Back to Movies
Overture! Hit the Lights! Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck will soon bring back a cinematic phenomenon largely missing from movie theaters for decades -- the cartoon short.
The Warner Bros. film studio is producing a new series of animated briefs starring its stable of Looney Tunes characters to run in front of such upcoming feature-length family films as the next "Harry Potter" movie.
So far, the studio has given its animation department the go-ahead for a dozen cartoon "featurettes" of favorites like the wise-cracking Bugs Bunny ("Ehhhh, what's up, doc?"), the stammering Porky Pig (B-dee, b-dee, b-dee, that's all folks!"), loudmouth rooster Foghorn Leghorn ("That's a joke, son!") and the wide-eyed Tweety Bird ("I tawt I taw a puddy-tat!").
The project is part of a concerted strategy by Warner Bros., a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., to make the most of a 70-year-old brand dating to the earliest days of animation and familiar to generations of movie and TV audiences.
"Looney Tunes are classic characters, they're part of the culture," said Sander Schwartz, president of Warner Bros.' resurgent animation division. "It's a familiar and added attraction that we can offer our family feature audiences."
Revival of its theatrical shorts coincides with Warner Bros.' upcoming production of a new Looney Tunes feature mixing Bugs and his cartoon pals with a live-action cast starring Brendan Fraser. "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," slated for a November 2003 release, marks the first such feature since1996's "Space Jam" with basketball star Michael Jordan.
Extending the brand to yet another outlet of the AOL Time Warner family, the studio also plans to launch a new "Baby Looney Tunes" TV series on cable's Cartoon Network. The preschool-oriented show, featuring Bugs, Daffy, Tweety and friends as toddlers, debuts Sept. 3.
"Hopefully, all these different media will cross-promote each other," Schwartz said.
ON WITH THE SHOW
Looney Tunes are perhaps best known to Baby Boomers and younger generations for their longtime TV presence, starting in the 1960s with "The Bugs Bunny Show." But they got their start 70 years ago as theatrical shorts in an era when cartoons were as much a part of the moviegoing experience as popcorn.
In recent years, cartoon shorts have become almost as rare as the Hollywood musical, though notable exceptions include the Pixar Animation Studios Inc. short "For the Birds" which was released last year with Walt Disney Co.'s computer-animated feature "Monsters, Inc."
The very first Looney Tunes cartoon, an eight-minute musical short created by ex-Disney animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, was released by Warner Bros. in April 1930.
It starred Bosko and Honey, a diminutive pair of human-like characters who seemed loosely patterned after Disney's Mickey and Minnie Mouse while displaying some features of racially stereotyped blacks. In later adventures, they were joined by a dog named Bruno, again deriving from the formula of Mickey, Minnie and Pluto of Disney's "Silly Symphonies" cartoons.
Today's more familiar crop of Looney Tunes characters came a few years later, with Porky Pig making his debut in 1935, Daffy Duck in 1937 and Bugs Bunny and his goofy nemesis, Elmer Fudd, in 1940. Most of the original human talent behind those cartoons, including animators Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson, are gone, as is legendary Looney Tunes voice artist Mel Blanc.
But at least one veteran, voice actress June Foray, who has done the talking for Granny in the "Tweety & Sylvester" cartoons for 50 years (she's also the original voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel), is coming back for the latest round of shorts, Schwartz said.
Thank You For The Music!
Well, well, well! It's Tuesday and that means that new CD's are invading the shelves at a music store near you!
Today will see the bow of another Greatest Hits disc from Aerosmith (I don't know why), the soundtrack from the soon to be Summer blockbuster (the film opens tomorrow) MEN IN BLACK II, and the North American release of the debut disc from German babe Sarah Connor (Yes, she is the mother of the leader of the resistance!).
The latter release is also worth mentioning because I really dig the single, and the actual, FRENCH KISSING. It samples the Blackstreet song "No Diggity" and is an awesome summer song!
Plus, she is hot, and the mother of the leader of the resistance! (I include that joke a second time in case you missed it the first time!
So, without any further TERMINATOR references from me, I urge you to read the list of new music releases for Tuesday, July 2, 2002, before its too late!
* AARON TIPPIN I Believed
* ADAM GREGORY Workin' On It (Epic)
* AEROSMITH O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (Columbia)
* GRAND FUNK RAILROAD Live: The 1971 Tour
* GREEN DAY Shenanigans (Reprise)
* JARVIS CHURCH Shake It Off (Columbia/RCA)
* LAYO & BUSHWACKA Night Works (XL Recordings/Beggars Group)
* LIKE MIKE Like Mike (Columbia)
* MEN IN BLACK II Men In Black II
* MORCHEEBA Charango (Warner International)
* OASIS Heathen Chemistry (Epic)
* SARAH CONNOR Green Eyed Soul (Epic)
* SILVERCHAIR Diorama (Atlantic)
* SOULFLY 3 (Roadrunner)
Except For This Website, Of Course!
Does the Internet make you stupid?
So Here It Is!
I was looking for something cool, something neat, something worldy to use as the 2000th post on this website.
Something family oriented, but dirty and smutty. Something that has relevance, but is actually about nothing.
And this is what I came up with.
Meaningfull? Yes! Irrelevant! Of course!
Here's to post number 3000 and thanks for reading!
Quotes From Universal's Official Press Release For The Back to the Future Trilogy on DVD:
"It's a blast from the past, present and future this holiday season as Universal Studios Home Video releases the Back to the Future Trilogy on DVD for the very first time on December 17, 2002 for $39.95 MAP. An absolute must-have for any collection, the three-disc boxed set contains Back to the Future, Back to the Future II and Back to the Future III with newly re-mastered audio soundtracks and is fully loaded with an array of never-before-seen bonus features. Pre-order closeis October 29. In addition, the VHS boxed set is priced at $24.95 MAP with an order close date of November 12.
Befitting the prestige of its DVD debut, the Back to the Future Trilogy features exclusive new interviews conducted this year with actor Michael J. Fox, director Robert Zemeckis, screenwriter Bob Gale and producer Neil Canton, as well as newly discovered deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, a featurette on the making of the films with interviews of the cast and crew, a live audio commentary session conducted at the USC Film School, a Michael J. Fox Parkinson's Disease Foundation PSA, and other bonus materials associated with each of the three films.
The magic and wonder of the entire Back to the Future trilogy films is explored in the three disc set that includes over 10 hours of all-new, never-before-seen bonus materials. Presented in a holographic foil embossed pack that communicates the fun, exciting, fast-paced breakthrough adventure-comedy of the films, the collection is sure to please the most demanding fan. Trilogy bonus features include the Universal Animated Anecdotes, in which consumers can watch the feature film and simultaneously learn over 150 fun facts, including trivia and hilarious bloopers; Storyboards to Final Feature Comparison will allow viewers to experience the filmmaking process through storyboards and compare storyboards to the final feature sequence. In addition, the unique DVD-ROM destination, Universal Studios Total Axess, will provide viewers the opportunity to see behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, original scripts, and participate in fan mail and sweepstakes."
There you have it.
Today's New Video & DVD Releases
"I don't want to see it, I HAVE TO!"
That quote from SHALLOW HAL sums up some of the titles debuting today on video and DVD. You may not want to watch them, but you'll have to. Either because you have kids in your house (JIMMY NEUTRON), or just because you have to laugh sometimes (the aforementioned SHALLOW HAL).
Also being released today is a 4 DISC VISTA SERIES version of the horrible flop PEARL HARBOUR. I don't understand why STRANGE BREW and QUICK CHANGE have yet to debut on DVD and this P.O.S. has not only been issued in 3 versions, but now this is 4 Disc Version with extra, extra, extras! Seriously, who could possibly care! If you can give me a good enough reason for this DVD to exist I will give you one free! I'll even pay the shipping fees!!!! If you can think of said reason, email me at dan@anythingbut.com.
For now, here are the new DVD and video releases for Tuesday, July 2nd, 2002:
UP FIRST THE BIG ONES
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius- A boy genius in the making must save the world. (Debi Derryberry (voice), Martin Short (voice), Patrick Stewart (voice))
Shallow Hal- Man is taught to see inner beauty instead of outward looks. (Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Jason Alexander)
The Killing Yard- A lawyer defends an inmate suspected of murder in riot. (Alan Alda, Rose McGowan, Morris Chestnut)
Pearl Harbour 4 Disc Vista Series Edition- Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Why? Why!
AND THEN THE REST OF THE LIST
1776 (Director's Cut)
Asylum
Austin Powers
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
The Ben Affleck Gift Set (Set)
Blacktop
Boycott
Chat Room
The Convent
Dancing In September
Delta Force One-Lost Patrol
Dumb And Dumber
Eraser
Eye Of The Beholder
Fox And His Friends
The Harmonists
I Love Lucy: Season One, Vol. 1
I Love Lucy: Season One, Vol. 2
James Dean: Live Fast, Die Young
Kidsongs: Day With The Animals
Kidsongs: I Can Dance
Kidsongs: I Can Do It
Kidsongs: Play-Along Songs
Kolya
The Legend Of Boggy Creek
The Mask
Nickelback: Unauthorized-Fragile This Si
Powerpuff Girls: Meet The Beat Alls
Star Trek The Next Generation: Complete (7-Discs)
Teenage Caveman
Temptress Moon
Train: She's On Fire
Trouble On The Corner
True Life Stories
Z (Collector's Edition)
What Was The Greatest Moment In Baseball History?
GO ahead, take your pick - the greatest moment in baseball was. . .
Lou Gehrig's farewell speech? Babe Ruth's called home run against Chicago in the 1932 World Series? Don Larson's perfect World Series game? The Toronto Blue Jays winning the '92 Series? Or the dribbler Mookie Wilson hit through Bill Buckner's legs that turned the 1986 Mets into world champions.
What about Reggie Jackson's three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series? Or Willie Mays' backhanded catch off the Brooklyn Dodgers' Bobby Morgan in 1951? You be the judge.
Out of the thousands of golden moments in more than a century of pro-baseball, the Fox Sports pre-game for next Tuesday's All-Star game will attempt to include a lineup of what a group sportswriters, broadcasters and players consider to be the top 30 greatest moments in baseball history.
Twenty-nine will be revealed before the game starts, and the 30th will be saved until the seventh-inning stretch for a special tribute.
Viewers will get to vote on their favorites at Major League Baseball's Web Site and the top 10 will be named during Game 4 of the 2002 World Series.
"Since the All-Star Game is a celebration of the national pastime there isn't a better stage to unveil this great game's most memorable moments than the Mid-Summer Classic," said Ed Goren, President and Executive Producer of Fox Sports.
At Tuesday's game, each moment will be revealed on TV and on the Jumbotron at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Some of the players responsible for those moments will be on hand to put in an appearance on the field.
Here's A Story About Dick
Author Philip K. Dick has been dead for 20 years, but his work still influences Hollywood filmmakers. Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is only the latest movie to be adapted from a Dick story or novel. The writer's paranoid source material also has formed the basis for Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers and this year's Impostor.
Dick specialized in dystopian futures, altered realities and the effect of technology on humanity. He was a visionary, writing 40 years ago about issues that have only recently become significant.
"He resonates more than any other science-fiction writer with modern audiences," says Edward Kastenmeier of Vintage Books, which publishes many of Dick's novels. "What does it mean to be human? What is reality? These issues have only become more relevant as time goes by. When people imagine what virtual reality can become, it's more like a Dick dreamworld or a Dick nightmare."
His works contain "great concepts," says Scott Frank, the screenwriter for Minority Report. "They're simply terrific ideas, whether it's a man who can't remember his past in Total Recall or a detective tracking down replicants who may be a replicant himself in Blade Runner."
Dick's life was as weird as his work. Emotionally unstable, he ran through a series of bad marriages and periods of drug addiction. At one point he even claimed to have contacted an extra-terrestrial religious force named Valis, which influenced his work. (He even wrote a novel called Valis, which stands for Vast Active Living Intelligence System.)
Yet, during his bursts of creativity, Dick could produce outstanding creations. His novel The Man in the High Castle, in which America loses World War II and is occupied by Axis forces, won the Hugo, science-fiction's highest award. And Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the novel adapted as Blade Runner, has become a classic about what it means to be human.
"He deals with levels of reality in the sense that now we're obsessed with game playing and role playing," Frank says. "We're inhabiting all sorts of different realities now."
Dick wrote more than 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, so there's still plenty of material from which Hollywood can choose. Steven Soderbergh has purchased the rights to Dick's drug-related novel A Scanner Darkly, and Paramount is currently developing Paycheck, a Dick story about a man who has part of his memory erased.
"His writing continues to be as relevant as the day he wrote it," Kastenmeier says. "He was far ahead of his time, and for lots of people, only now can you come to grips with how real the worlds he was creating are. I don't think The Matrix could have been created without Philip K. Dick."
Here's Some Details On The Status Of Darren Aronofsky's Next Sci Fi Film Starring Brad Pitt And Word On A BATMAN & SUPERMAN Film.
Rumours surrounding director Darren Aronofsky's next film The Fountain, were confirmed this weekend by Warner Bros. Talking to Variety, a high-up executive at Warners admitted that work on the film – described by Aronofsky as 'a post-Matrix, metaphysical Sci-Fi movie' – has ground to a halt over budget problems.
'It was greenlit at a budget in the $60 million range,' said Warner Bros executive Alan Horn, 'and it came in higher, so it's off the table right now. It's not a go. Everything has to work together.' That'll be bad news for the film's star Brad Pitt who's recently been sporting a hefty helping of facial hair which most people presumed was in preparation for his role in this film. Now of course, we may have to conclude that Pitt was actually going for the hairy monster look all along – news that will have his many female fans in despair, whilst delighting the male population.
Happily, film fans will be soothed by the news that one of the projects Warner Bros is speeding into production is the long-mooted Batman & Superman. Perfect Storm director Wolfgang Petersen is in line to produce and possibly direct the movie.
New Pearl Jam Album Set For November
Pearl Jam has changed plans surrounding its forthcoming album releases. Eddie Vedder and crew will now release a still-untitled album of all-new original material in November with a B-sides album shelved until sometime early next year.
Adam Kasper produced the new album, and longtime Pearl Jam collaborator Brendan O'Brien mixed the collection. Pearl Jam is currently going over sequencing of the songs, and deciding on artwork and a name for the project.
Vedder's friend, known only as "Boom," plays keyboards, organ, and piano on the forthcoming effort.
Pearl Jam's last studio recording was Binaural. The 2000 release was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies.
No Kiss and Make Up for Britney, J.Lo, Fans Say
Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez, back on the market for love, should turn over a new leaf rather than kiss and make up with old flames Justin Timberlake and Sean "P.Diddy" Combs, according to TV Guide fans.
According to a poll in Monday's issue of TV Guide, 73 percent of fans do not want to see J.Lo getting back together with Combs following her separation in May from husband Cris Judd.
The 31-year-old singer and her dancer husband were married last year, only seven months after the end of Lopez's highly publicized two-year romance with rap singer Combs.
Spears, 20, and 'NSYNC singer Timberlake split up in March, citing the strains of conflicting schedules in their busy careers. Timberlake has been quoted as saying he is broken-hearted, but 59 percent of those polled by TV Guide said the pop princess should not get back together with her childhood sweetheart.
The poll formed part of a TV Guide look at some of Hollywood's most talked-about couples. No reasons were given for the fans' opinions.
Academy Board Backs Shorter Oscars Season
Organizers of the Academy Awards have decided that Hollywood waits too long every year to roll out the red carpet.
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tentatively voted to shorten the Oscar calendar by a month, moving up the film industry's highest honors from late March to late February starting in 2004.
Oscar nominations, balloting and voting also would be accelerated, assuming the compressed schedule "proves to be feasible," academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger said. The move was approved by the 40-member board last Tuesday, she said.
Supporters say they hope to boost public enthusiasm for the awards while making it easier for smaller-budget films and those opening early in the year to compete with end-of-the-year releases from big studios ready to spend big dollars on Oscar promotional campaigns.
"We would like to see much less hype, to let the films speak for themselves," said board member and DreamWorks SKG executive Marvin Levy. "It would just accelerate everything, and I think it would be really good -- good for the studios, good for the public and we hope, also good for television."
Unger said the academy has never been "particularly fond" of Oscar campaigning by studios but was mainly interested in keeping the awards process from dragging on too long.
"With the show in March, we're three months removed from when the last of the films have made their way out into theaters, and moving up a month makes those films fresher in the minds of not just academy voters, but everyone who sees films and sees our show," she said.
Next year's 75th Academy Awards presentation will remain set for March 23, telecast live on ABC, Unger said.
HARD-FOUGHT CAMPAIGNS
The Oscars have grown increasingly contentious in recent years, with studios waging hard-fought, expensive and sometimes nasty campaigns to win votes for their films and stars.
In the latest race, the filmmakers for best-picture winner "A Beautiful Mind" found themselves fending off a string of media stories suggesting they had distorted the truth by omitting unsavory aspects about the real-life mathematician depicted in the film, John Nash.
Before it was over, Nash publicly denied the allegations against him, while actor Russell Crowe, who portrayed the Nobel laureate in the film, joined director Ron Howard in condemning what Hollywood insiders widely viewed as an orchestrated smear campaign against the film.
The official Oscar season currently runs from the end of December, the deadline for films to qualify for Oscar eligibility, until the awards are handed out in late March, six weeks after nominations are announced. But Oscar handicapping typically begins months before then.
With the next awards still eight months away, studios already are sizing up the competition among an usually crowded field of early films viewed as having Oscar potential.
Oscar buzz has so far centered on such films as the romantic comedy "About a Boy," starring Hugh Grant; the Alaskan detective yarn "Insomnia," co-starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams; Steven Spielberg's the sci-fi thriller "Minority Report," starring Tom Cruise; and the female drama "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" with Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd and Sandra Bullock.
One consequence of moving up the Oscars would likely be to spur earlier presentations of other film awards, Levy said.
The Oscar calendar has changed several times since the first Academy Awards were handed out in May of 1929. In the early days, Oscar night was in November. During the 1960s, and for part of the '80s, the show was held in April. The late-March date has been the norm since 1989.
We Stand On Guard For Thee!
Hey, it's Canada Day, our nation's 135th birthday! Once known as Dominion Day, July 1 is the day that in 1967 Canada became a country.
I love my country, but instead of me waxing poetic about The Great White North, let me share this hilarious essay about our country that is guaranteed to make to smile.
It will also make you remember Phil Hartman, a Canadian who is missed.
Happy Canada Day everybody!
What Is The Song Of The Summer Of 2002?
Who will let the dogs out this year? In the race to steal the summer's airwaves, there's always one break-out single that finds its way into every nightclub, car, shop and ballpark in town.
So far this year, it's shaping up to be a battle between Eminem's "Without Me" and Nelly's "Hot in Herre" off "Nellyville."
Eminem seems to be king of the hill for the moment, though the overall race is too close to call.
Of course, there's the chance that neither could win.
Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation," the G-rated dance remix of a 1968 tune, grabbed the top of the charts in London and got big radio play in North America last week.
Watch out, Elvis is in the building.
Record sales really are stuck in a downward groove
In record sales, last year's down is starting to look up. Mid-year totals point to a far sharper decline than the 3% dip in 2001, the first no-growth year since Nielsen SoundScan began tabulating sales in 1991.
As of June 23, retailers had sold 299.2 million albums, compared with 331.4 million during the same period in 2001, a 9.7% drop. The total for albums and singles: 305.7 million, a 12% drop. The picture darkens against figures from 2000. This year's haul trails by 18% against the 372.6 million copies tallied by June 25, 2000.
"What we saw at the end of 2001 isn't as alarming as what we're seeing now," says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard 's director of charts. "Last year's decline had more to do with the cassette dying out than anything else. Except for Easter, there hasn't been a week where business was up over the same week in 2001, and that's far more disturbing than the decline of one configuration."
Despite predictable sales spikes, starting with this week's expected opening figure of 500,000-plus for rapper Nelly's Nellyville, a recovery by year's end, even to a break-even point with 2001, "is a long shot," Mayfield says. "The easiest thing to blame is CD burning, but we may be fighting more than one demon."
Mayfield compares the current nose-dive to the early '80s, when a dreary economy, rapid extinction of the eight-track and a dearth of fresh sounds contributed to a pop music crisis.
Evidence that the lack of compelling music is a culprit today can be found in the proliferation of oldies on non-oldies radio stations. "I'm getting the sense that programmers think the old stuff is better than the new stuff," says Airplay Monitor editor Sean Ross. "During the top-40 doldrums of '92, you had records by Nir vana, Snoop Dogg and others selling without airplay. There was a feeling that something was going on. There's not that feeling this year."
More indications of a slump:
* Fewer runaway hits. Eminem's The Eminem Show is the 2002 leader with 3.3 million copies, trailed by Alan Jackson's Drive with 2.2 million and three discs at 2 million each: the ninth volume of Now That's What I Call Music!, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Celine Dion's A New Day Has Come. Only 20 albums this year have registered sales of 1 million or more, compared with 34 at this time last year.
* Softer sales at the top. Billboard's top 10, typically stacked with brand names that serve as retail magnets, shows a weakening punch. In early May, when Big Tymer's Hood Rich entered the chart at No. 1, the top 10 accounted for sales of 1 million albums. The comparable week in 2001 yielded a top-10 tally of 1.8 million.
The industry's growing conservatism and reluctance to gamble on innovative artists or pour dollars into promotion make recovery unlikely anytime soon.
"There's definitely been a scaling back and a tendency among labels to believe they can save their way to prosperity, which isn't likely to happen," Ross says.
ALL YOU NEED IS STANDARDS
Paul McCartney writing to the 100 top shareholders of McDonald's, asking the fast-food chain to apply its U.S. animal welfare standards to all of its restaurants around the world. "Although McDonald's has made laudable efforts on behalf of farmed animals in the United States and United Kingdom, it now needs to do the same in other countries," he wrote.
George Michael on Dangerous Ground with New Song
British singer George Michael releases his latest single on Monday and admits the political satire is his most controversial career move to date.
"Shoot the Dog," in which the singer presents his views on the state of world affairs, is openly critical of the "special" relationship between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"I know this is dangerous territory," he told the Mirror newspaper on the eve of the song's release. "But I really feel this is such a serious time for us all that being silent is not an option."
The song, which was originally written before the September 11 attacks on the United States but shelved until now, is an attempt by Michael to get people thinking about what is really happening in the world.
He said his inspiration came from watching late-night news shows on television.
"I noticed a lot of stuff about the growing fear of a war between the secular world and the fundamentalist world," he told the tabloid.
"The more I learned, the more fearful I became. And I simple wanted to write a song that said to everybody, 'people lets be aware of this situation and understand that there are some very pissed off people out there'."
"Shoot the Dog" also takes a critical pop at Bush and Blair, labelling the British prime minister "a poodle."
The cartoon video sees Bush on the White House lawn petting a smiling poodle-shaped Blair and also depicts the two leaders dancing the tango, Blair in a flowing dress.
The song's release is bound to spark controversy and by the singer's own admission could "make my experience with a certain policeman in Los Angeles look like a tea party."
It was in 1998 that Michael was arrested in an LA toilet after exposing himself to a police officer.
That incident provided a much needed boost to his flagging pop career, but the singer is less than confident that his new song will have the same effect.
"I've been advised that radio stations which rely on government licenses might ban it," he said. "It could get slated, it could land me right in the shit. But I hope it just gets people debating."
They Must Need The Money!
The replacement used to tour with Paul Young.
She Is George Clooney's Aunt
Hollywood star Rosemary Clooney has died at the age of 74.
The Scene With The 7 Cats May Be The Funniest Thing You Will See This Summer
Adam Sandler's MR. DEEDS tales the Weekend Box Office Crown.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Mr. Deeds," $37.6 million.
2. "Lilo & Stitch," $22.2 million.
3. "Minority Report," $21.6 million.
4. "Scooby-Doo," $12.2 million.
5. "The Bourne Identity," $10.8 million.
6. "Hey Arnold! The Movie," $6 million.
7. "The Sum of All Fears," $4.8 million.
8. "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," $4 million.
9. "Windtalkers," $3.6 million.
10. "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," $3.56 million.