Tres Kewl!
From "The maker of 'The Professional' and 'La Femme Nikita'" is The Transporter.
FYI- It is only written and produced by Luc Besson.
Cash 'Comes Around' On New 'American' Album
Along with being treated to a slew of vault material and a pair of tribute records this year, Johnny Cash fans will be given yet another reason to smile Nov. 5, when the Man In Black's fourth collaboration with producer Rick Rubin arrives via American Recordings/Island Def Jam. The 15-track "American IV: The Man Comes Around" features such guests as Nick Cave, Fiona Apple, and Don Henley, and sees Cash cover songs by such diverse artists as the Beatles, Depeche Mode, Hank Williams, Nine Inch Nails, the Eagles, Sting, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Hooters in the Air?
Will Vanguard Airlines, known for its low fares, and Hooters Girls, known for their high-cut shorts, soon be corporate cousins?
Hooters of America Inc. chairman Robert H. Brooks is thinking about buying Vanguard, the Kansas City-based discount carrier that filed for bankruptcy protection and grounded its fleet last month. On Wednesday, a bankruptcy judge told Brooks he can give Vanguard $50,000 per week for the next three weeks to pay a skeleton staff, while Brooks examines the company's books and decides if he wants to buy.
A newly formed company called Hooters Air Inc. will make the payments.
So what kind airline would Hooters Air Inc. run? Vanguard spokeswoman Elizabeth Cattell said it's too soon to know.
"If it'll be 'Hooters Girls' flight attendants, it's too early," Cattell said.
But she didn't dismiss the idea.
Cattell called said there's more to Brooks than Hooters. Brooks, Cattell said, has built Hooters into a "fresh product" with 315 stores in the U.S. and overseas. To Vanguard, he would bring financial strength, "which is what we've needed all along," she said.
Brooks' Atlanta-based attorney, A.J. Block, said Brooks would decide in the next several weeks whether to buy Vanguard.
"Mr. Brooks is a pretty decisive guy," Block said.
In the meantime, the handful of Vanguard employees at the company's headquarters are working toward two goals: Vanguard's possible return to flying, and liquidation, Cattell said.
Vanguard suspended flights, laid off 90 per cent of its employees and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 30.
Vanguard attorney Dan Flanigan said Brooks' interest came out of the blue.
"He came out of such an unusual place -- no one would have predicted it would be him we would be talking to at this point," Flanigan said.
If Brooks doesn't buy Vanguard, it's not immediately clear whether the airline is likely to find any other suitors.
Flanigan said he believed discussions are happening with other potential investors, although he said he did not know details of those discussions. Analysts have expressed doubts, however, about Vanguard's prospects for getting financial help.
Vanguard served Myrtle Beach, S.C., where Brooks lives.
"So he is very much a supporter of Myrtle Beach, and the termination of Vanguard was disturbing to all of Myrtle Beach," Block said. Brooks also has a strong interest in aviation and owns an airplane, although he doesn't fly it himself, Block said.
Brooks founded Eastern Foods Inc. in 1966, which makes dressings and sauces. Hooters was founded in 1983, and Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors bought expansion and franchise rights for the chain in 1984. Brooks eventually bought majority control and became chairman.
Vanguard had never shown a yearly profit. But Sept. 11 made its problems worse, and it became one of three airlines to file for bankruptcy since the terrorist attacks. The others were US Airways, on Sunday, and Midway Airlines.
New DVD and Video Highlights For Tomorrow
Ah yes, it is that time again. The day when all of that money you have been saving gets spent as there are several great new DVD and Video titles to buy. Hopefully it is actually raining as tomorrow is a rainy day!
Enjoy...
The Simpsons Season Two- This is the season "The Simpsons" was saved from itself. An immediate smash hit on Sunday nights, the show was switched by Fox to Thursdays at 8 opposite the blockbuster sitcom "The Cosby Show." And thank God. "The Simpsons" - like Tarantino or God -seemed to be everywhere in 1989. It did well against "Cosby" but not near the numbers it did the first year, turning the animated classic from a pop cultural juggernaut to an almost below-the-radar hit. The show would appear in the Top 20 or 30 for years to come, but it didn't dominate the airwaves, letting the writers and voice cast go on to create some of the most subversive and funny half hours on television. (And I know that this set came out 2 weeks ago, but I just finished watching the whole thing, so I thought it was time to mention it again!)
Hopscotch- Movies given the Criterion treatment are almost always critically acclaimed works or cult favorites that deserve to be considered classics. Sure the occasional Armageddon sneaks in (hey, Criterion has to pay the bills, you know). But by and large its stamp of approval is given sparingly and with good reason. Hopscotch isn't the joke that Armageddon is, but it is surely the most unexpected addition to the canon in a while. An amusing little caper, it tells about an aging C.I.A. agent (the shambling Walter Matthau) shunted aside thanks to politics. He publishes a memoir revealing the secrets of virtually every spook agency in the world, making him a target for everyone from his old bosses to the KGB. Glenda Jackson plays the woman who gives him succor and shelter. They made a great team, having previously paired off in House Calls. And whenever I hear the letters FBI I think of their reference in this movie.
Reservoir Dogs: Special Edition/Pulp Fiction Collector's Edition/Jackie Brown Collector's Edition- Here's a shocker: Quentin Tarantino has been out of the spotlight so long, we actually miss the guy. That would have been heard to believe five years ago when he was virtually omnipresent. Just as surprising is the fact that all three of his features come bursting with extras, but without the de rigueur commentary track. It must be hard to say no in the first flush of fame, but Tarantino seems to have learned the trick. As for the movies, Reservoir Dogs is a gem; Pulp Fiction has a brilliant first act, a clever structure,and some serious flaws, but deserves its landmark status; and Jackie Brown - like its star Pam Grier - looks better and better with the passing of time.
Iris- With Ronald Reagan reportedly unable to recognize his wife Nancy and Charlton Heston announcing poignantly (if rather enigmatically) that he is exhibiting Alzheimer's-like symptoms, the timing is sadly right for Iris. This quietly ambitious drama shows author Iris Murdoch in the throes of that terrible illness while flashing back to her young romance with devoted husband John Bayley. The movie mostly sidesteps Murdoch's bisexuality (it's based on his memoir, after all) and doesn't really give you any sense of Murdoch the artist. But Judi Dench gives a bewildered stare and you're lost. Kate Winslet (who looks awesome) and Jim Broadbent are also strong, but the real find here is Hugh Bonneville who plays the young Bayley: he resembles Broadbent to a stunning degree and seems to have just as much talent to boot.
BAWDY BOSS
Proving that his engines haven't cooled just yet, Bruce Springsteen introduced his wife, vocalist Patty Scialfa, to a Madison Square Garden audience as "natural viagra," then said drummer Max Weinberg was the result of a "menage a trois between Keith Moon, Buddy Rich and Ed McMann."
No Crusher for STAR TREK X
Apparently the Wesley Crusher cameo has officially been cut from STAR TREK: NEMESIS. Wil Wheaton confirmed on his official Web site that his scene has been cut out of the upcoming Star Trek: Nemesis movie. Wheaton had shot a scene in which he reprised his Star Trek: The Next Generation role of Wesley Crusher.
Wheaton said that Trek executive producer Rick Berman personally delivered the bad news to him, saying that the scene was cut as part of 48 minutes of editorial trims to shorten the Nemesis rough cut's nearly three-hour running time.
Wheaton was philosophical about the cut scene. "The great thing is, I got to spend two wonderful days being on Star Trek again, working with the people I love, wearing the uniform that I missed, and I got to re-connect with you, the cast and the fans," Wheaton said he told Berman. "Nobody can take that away from me." Nemesis opens Dec. 13.
VISITING HOURS
Robert Blake's lawyer confirming Friday that several celebrities have been visiting the encarcerated actor. Among the guests, Anthony Hopkins, Quincy Jones, Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters. Blake remains in L.A.'s Men Central Jail on charges of murdering his wife. He has pleaded innocent.
WTC Rebuilding to Be Filmed
The long process of rebuilding the World Trade Center site is going to be captured on film.
The New York Times says a group of businessmen plan to record the rebuilding effort with six cameras deployed around ground zero.
Three cameras have been taking pictures of the site every five minutes since late May.
Three more cameras are expected to be added this September eleventh.
The project's sponsors hope to produce a time-lapse film spanning at least seven years of rebuilding with millions of images.
'XXX' Leads Struggling North American Box Office
The Vin Diesel action movie "XXX" led the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with a three-day haul of $23 million, while Eddie Murphy posted one of the biggest flops of the year with his new film.
"The Adventures of Pluto Nash," in which Murphy plays a lunar nightclub owner, debuted at No. 10 with ticket sales of just $2.2 million since its Aug. 16 bow, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday. It reportedly cost about $100 million to make.
The movie has collected dust -- and bad industry buzz -- since its summer 2000 shoot. There were no advance screenings for critics, and Murphy did not do any publicity.
It was produced by Australia's Village Roadshow Ltd. and Castle Rock Entertainment, and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Castle Rock and Warner Bros, are units of AOL Time Warner Inc. Ron Underwood ("Mighty Joe Young") directed.
"It's a disappointment and we're moving forward," said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros.
The top 10 contained one other new release, the female surfing movie "Blue Crush," which opened at No. 3 with a solid $15.2 million. Budgeted at about $15 million, the teen-targeted drama was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Vivendi Universal SA.
With the lucrative summer moviegoing season drawing to a close, overall receipts fell for the fifth consecutive weekend when compared with the year-ago period. However, sales for 2002 are on track to beat last year's record take of $8.4 billion, thanks in part to a strong start to the summer.
'XXX' EYES THIRD WEEK ON TOP
Columbia Pictures' "XXX" will likely benefit from the malaise with a third round at No. 1 next weekend, industry observers said. The only new releases then are "Serving Sara," a romantic comedy starring Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley; "Simone," a Hollywood satire starring Al Pacino; and "Undisputed," a prison boxing drama starring Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames.
"XXX," with a 10-day haul of $84.9 million, is outpacing Diesel's 2001 breakthrough film "The Fast and the Furious," which had pulled in $78 million after the same time and ended up with $144 million, said Jeff Blake, Columbia's president of worldwide marketing and distribution.
Columbia is a unit of Sony Corp.
The Mel Gibson supernatural thriller "Signs," which held steady at No. 2 with $19.5 million is also holding up well. After three weekends, it has pulled in $150 million. The film, written, directed and produced by M. Night Shyamalan, was released by Touchstone Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co.
"Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams," fell one spot to No. 4 in its second weekend with $11.6 million. After 12 days, its total stands at $45.7 million. The children's adventure was released by Disney's Miramax Films unit.
The super-spy comedy "Austin Powers in Goldmember" fell one spot to No. 5 in its fourth round with $8.7 million. The Mike Myers vehicle has a 25-day total of $183.9 million. It was released by AOL Time Warner's New Line Cinema unit.
'GREEK' HITS $53 MILLION
Sleeper hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" jumped two places to a new high of No. 6 in its 18th weekend. Its weekend haul of $5.8 million propelled its total to $52.9 million. The arthouse romantic comedy added 349 theaters for a total of 1,072 outlets, still only a third the reach of the films in the top five.
The film was released by IFC Films, a unit of Rainbow Media Holdings Inc., which is majority owned by Cablevision Systems Corp.
Elsewhere in the arthouse world, director Neil LaBute's adaptation of "Possession," starring Gwyneth Paltrow, opened in 270 theaters with a modest $1.6 million. It was released by Focus Features, a unit of Vivendi Universal.
"The Good Girl," a black comedy starring "Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston, grossed $828,000 after expanding to 56 theaters in 18 cities; it opened last weekend in four locations in New York and Los Angeles, and has grossed $1.2 million to date. It expands to 500 theaters nationally in two weeks, the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The film was released by Fox Searchlight, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
Paramount Classics' German-language culinary romance "Mostly Martha" debuted in two New York theaters with $42,000. Its screen average of $21,000 ranks as the highest in the Viacom Inc.-owned studio's history, a spokeswoman said. It expands to the top 10 markets next weekend.