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.