Jam Master Jay Dies in NYC Shooting

NEW YORK (AP) - Jam Master Jay, part of the pioneering rap trio Run DMC, was shot and killed at a New York City recording studio Wednesday, the group's publicist said.

Publicist Tracy Miller confirmed the death of the 37-year-old rapper, whose real name was Jason Mizell.

He was shot once in the head and was dead at the scene, said Detective Robert Price, a police spokesman. He said the shooter remained at large and police had no information on a motive.

A second man, identified by police as 25-year-old Urieco Rincon, was shot in the leg and was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital. The hospital did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Run DMC is widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into music's mainstream, including the group's smash collaboration with Aerosmith on the 1980s standard "Walk This Way."

"We always knew rap was for everyone," Mizell said in a 2001 interview with MTV. "Anyone could rap over all kinds of music."

"It wasn't the soulful R&B of the '70s and '80s," he said of the group's early work. "So we didn't want to be like the soft R&B. We wanted to go hardcore, so we put the rock-and-roll on our rap."

Mizell served as the group's disc jockey, providing background for singers Joseph Simmons, better known as DJ Run, and Darryl McDaniels, better known as DMC.

Mizell was married and had three children, Miller said.

"He was a great producer, a hard worker," Miller said told The Associated Press. "He's a family man."

Dozens of fans gathered on the outskirts of the crime scene in Queens, where the members of Run DMC grew up.

"They're the best. They're the pioneers in hip-hop," said fan Arlene Clark, 39.

Another fan who lives nearby, Leslie Bell, 33, said the members of Run DMC often let local musicians record for free at their studio.

"That was their decision, to stay here and give back to the community," Bell said. "He is one great man. The good always die young. He's the good guy."

Miller said Mizell and McDaniels had planned to perform in Washington, D.C., on Thursday at a Washington Wizards basketball game. Mizell had performed on Tuesday in Alabama, Miller said.

The trio released a greatest-hits album earlier this year. In 2001, the rappers produced "Crown Royal," breaking an eight-year silence.

In 1986, the trio said they were outraged by the rise of fatal gang violence in the Los Angeles area. They called for a day of peace between warring street gangs.

"This is the first town where you feel the gangs from the minute you step into town to the time you leave," Mizell said at the time.

Thirteen Eleventh Hour Halloween Getups

It happens every year. You get these wildly ambitious ideas about making a costume, forget to buy anything, wait until the last minute, then wind up scrambling. We know the syndrome. And we can help.

1. In this age of self-help, it’s OK to go public with your Freudian SliP. Wear a dress slip and a dr. freud name tag, and carry a big unlit cigar. Then corner people on the couch. Materials: slip, cigar, hello my name is … sticker.

2. Ever wonder what Ronald McDonald does during off-hours? How does he live when he’s not filming ads or scaring small children? Does he hit the links, brandy in hand, wearing a pink Polo shirt and plaid trousers? Maybe he sports a pack of Luckies, pulls on a trench coat, and trolls the seedier side of town. Live your Mac Daddy fantasy. Materials: red wig, face paint, McDonald’s logo cut from a french fries box and pinned to your lapel or hung on a beefy gold chain.

3. Hell’s Bells DJ: Grab a pair of headphones and some death metal records from a local thrift store. [Your local thrift store has death metal? Address?! –Ed.] Dress badly: Dig out that old AC/DC tour shirt and make two little construction paper cones to pin in your hair as horns. Materials: construction paper, tour shirt, death metal records, headphones painted red.

4. Surrealist PainteR: Wear painter’s pants or overalls, and a painter’s cap turned backward. Carry a brush glued full of artificial flowers or other plastic doodads. If you do impressions, be an IMPRESSIONIST PainteR. Groan. Materials: overalls, cap, paint can, paintbrush, glue, plastic doodads.

5. Beat Poet: Man, those poetry slams are rough. Give Ginsberg, Kerouac, and the rest of the boys a run for their money by donning a beret, painting your eye black and blue, and wrapping yourself in bandages. Plan ahead and grow a goatee. Materials: black turtleneck, beret, bandages, black eyeliner, book of poetry (Howl suits Halloween nicely).

6. Famous worldwide, the American Tourist is easy to imitate. White socks and sandals are de rigueur. Add Bermuda shorts and a short-sleeve button-down shirt (preferably Hawaiian) and salaam, you’re Al Qaeda’s moving target. Materials: Hawaiian shirt, map, camera, wraparound sunglasses, suitcase with buy american! stickers.

7. Cereal KilleR: Work out childhood repression the inexpensive way. Stab a Trix box with a dull knife (or a sharp one—give that crazy rabbit what he deserves). Tape the knife in position and spatter the wound with fake blood. Strap the box to your chest or wear it on your head. Materials: dull knife, tissue paper, fake blood, cereal box.

8. Drowned Rat: Make cardboard concrete boots to clomp around in. Paint your face a morbid pale blue. Tangle yourself in fishing line and stick a plastic fish in your pocket. Materials: cardboard, face paint, fishing line, plastic fish.

9. If you’re planning to do serious damage this Halloween, consider being bubble-wraP MAN. Shroud yourself in packing material and hotties will be popping you all night. Getting fall-down drunk is just part of the look. Materials: bubble wrap, packing tape.

10. Anyone can dress as an angel, but how fun are they? Work, work, work. Piety, piety, piety. It’s Fallen Angels that have all the fun. Make yourself a tarnished halo from a wire hanger. Wear a toga with burn marks and slits in the back where your wings were clipped. Materials: sheet, matches (for burn marks), scissors, wire hanger.

11. Grab an old Polaroid and you’re Paparazzi GuY. The beautiful people are stepping out tonight. Carry a fake press pass and as many cameras as you can carry. Shoot anything that moves. Materials: cameras, press pass (use an old ID picture), flashlight (for spotting celebs).

12. You’re the hero of the watercooler, Stapler MaN! Staple a tie and cape to your suit. Fashion a hanger into a giant staple, then wear it as a belt. Better yet, shape a bunch of hangers into staples, glue them together, and wear them as a bulletproof vest. The impression is stronger when Bubble-Wrap Man and Stapler Man work together to save the day job. Materials: wire hangers, cape or bedsheet dyed red or black, tie, oxford shirt, blazer, staple gun.

13. Halloween costumes are best when scary, but vampires and werewolves don’t have the punch they once did. For a more modern fright, be as nondescript as possible. Remember, Psycho Killers look like everyone else. Materials: sick sense of humor.I say, ‘I’m David, and I’m an American.’”

Campbell Gives Us The Scoop

The "Evil Dead" actor Bruce Campbell squashed a whole bunch of rumours during an interview today. A fourth "Evil Dead"? No because he doesn't think Sam Raimi would go back to zero-budget filmmaking - "Hmm...a low budget EVIL DEAD sequel, or another SPIDER MAN...let me think". His involvement in the new "Phantasm" flick? A rumour on the IMDb only, no truth to it. The talk he's been cast as Lizard in "Spider-Man 2"? Again entirely false - no one has approached him, including Raimi.

SOUTH PARK creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk a bit about bringing Kenny back to life this season.

If South Park fans have heard this catchphrase once, they've heard it 1,000 times: "Oh my God, they killed Kenny! You bastards!" But the hapless red-hooded boy always lived to die again — that is, until the end of season five, when a muscular disease seemingly snuffed him for good. (Kenny was totally M.I.A. in season six.) But take heart, for TV Guide Online has learned Kenny McCormick will return!

"We're not exactly bringing Kenny back," teases South Park co-creator Trey Parker. "We're doing something more clever than that." Adds his partner, Matt Stone: "We're kinda sorta bringing him kinda back..." Finishing Stone's irksomely vague thought, Parker says: "In the very way you'd expect South Park to bring him back, we're bringing him back."

Is it true that Parker and Stone deep-sixed Kenny simply because they got tired of writing all of his unholy deaths and resurrections? "It actually came just from an idea that it would be really funny to do an episode where Kenny died and everyone cared," Parker laughs. "It was a whole sort of movie-of-the-week episode where this child was dying and everyone was concerned — whereas obviously it had been going on for years and no one gave a s--t.

"It turned out to be a really funny episode," Parker proudly adds, "and we were like, 'Let's keep him gone. Let's see how long we can ride this out.' We started focusing on other characters, like Butters, to take his place and really had fun. It's been cool."

Well, Kenny's impending exhumation is sure to have South Park fans in speculation overdrive. Might he turn up as a ghost again? Could he have a long-lost twin? Or will he rise out of Kyle's toilet bowl like Mr. Hanky the Christmas Poo?

Like the gleeful geeks they are, Parker and Stone reply in unison: "It's better than that! Better than that!"

WINONA TRIAL UPDATE

A former Saks Fifth Avenue security guard testifying Wednesday that she peered through the slats and saw Winona Ryder cutting antitheft tags off merchandise in a dressing room. Ryder, who turned 31 Tuesday, is on trial in Beverly Hills on shoplifting charges.

'CSI: Miami' Sniper Episode to Air

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A "CSI: Miami" episode about a sniper that CBS had considered postponing will air as planned Nov. 18, the network said Wednesday.

The decision to air the episode came after arrests were made Oct. 24 in the Washington area shooting attacks that left 10 people dead and three others wounded.

John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, face federal and state charges in connection with the attacks that began Oct. 2.

The "CSI: Miami" story was conceived in August and the script was delivered weeks before the real-life shooting attacks began, CBS said last week.

The episode features a forensics team studying crime scenes from an attacker who kills people from atop a building. The Monday night drama is a spin-off of CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

Earlier this month, 20th Century Fox said it was delaying the release of the movie "Phone Booth," a thriller about a man who answers a pay telephone and finds he's the target of a faraway gunman he can't see.

Sandler May Plant More 'Kisses' on Barrymore

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Adam Sandler, star of the critically acclaimed "Punch-Drunk Love," is attached to star in and produce "Fifty First Kisses," a romantic comedy that could reteam him with his "Wedding Singer" co-star Drew Barrymore.

The Columbia Pictures project revolves around a man who falls in love with a woman after a memorable encounter, only to find that she suffers from severe short-term memory loss and has no idea who he is. To win her, the man must get her to fall in love with him all over again every day.

It is based on a spec script by George Wing, and is being rewritten by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. No director is attached. Jay Roach ("Austin Powers") was initially attached, but he has since turned his attentions elsewhere. No offer has been made to Barrymore yet.

Fox Disbands 'Girls Club' After Two Episodes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After two airings, Fox has returned its verdict on its legal drama "Girls Club," and the news is not good for the defendant.

The network canceled the heavily promoted show on Tuesday, after it posted a significant decline from its already weak premiere episode.

That first showing finished fifth in its time slot, according to Nielsen Media Research, and was 82nd for the week out of 131 total rated programs.

The second episode was down 16 percent in total viewers from the first show and down 16 percent in the ratings among audiences aged 18 to 49, a key demographic for advertisers.

"Girls Club" was the latest drama from famed producer David E. Kelley. The show was dogged by negative reviews and largely failed to draw young women, its target audience.

Fox had counted on the show as the successor to another Kelley legal drama, "Ally McBeal," which was a hit for the network before ending its run last season.

Kelley, best-known for shows like "L.A. Law" and "Picket Fences," has two other shows on air this season: "Boston Public" Monday nights on Fox and "The Practice" Sunday nights on ABC.

Nicole Kidman Not Ready for New Relationship

BERLIN (Reuters) - Actress Nicole Kidman says she is not ready for a new relationship more than a year after the break up of her marriage to actor Tom Cruise.

"I'm not dating anybody; no dates," the German magazine Bunte quoted Kidman as saying in an interview published on Wednesday.

The magazine said Kidman would pull herself together soon and be on the look out for a boyfriend.

"But I'm not ready for that just yet," she said.

One of the best-known faces in Hollywood, Kidman won fame for her roles in films such as 'Batman Forever', 'Eyes Wide Shut', and 'The Others'. Her recent performance in the musical 'Moulin Rouge' earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress.

Santana Scores His First No. 1 Album Debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Three years after the release of his Grammy-winning blockbuster "Supernatural," rock guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana has outdone himself, shooting to the top of the pop charts with the first No. 1 album debut of his career.

Santana's latest multi-artist collaboration, "Shaman," sold nearly 300,000 copies its first week in stores, four times the first-week tally of "Supernatural" in September 1999, according to Nielsen SoundScan sales data issued on Wednesday by his label, Arista Records.

Country pop diva Faith Hill's latest release, "Cry," slipped a notch to No. 2 with sales of 195,000 copies in its second week, boosting her tally to nearly 668,000 units, according to her label, Warner Bros. Records, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.

Two other new releases, "One by One" from the rock group Foo Fighters, and Rod Stewart's collection of pop classics, "It Had to Be You ... The Great American Songbook," entered the charts in third and fourth place, respectively.

Stewart's album, featuring the veteran rocker singing standards from the likes of George Gershwin and Cole Porter, marked his highest debut in at least a decade.

Meanwhile, the new Elvis Presley greatest-hits package, "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits," fell to No. 5 in its fifth week.

Along with "Shaman" and the Elvis collection, the latest records from Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters and Stewart were distributed by BMG, the global music division of Bertelsmann AG.

Super-producer Clive Davis, the man behind Santana's last big hit, "Supernatural," also served as producer for "Shaman" and Stewart's "Great American Songbook."

A two-disc retrospective of Santana's work, "The Essential Santana," made a much smaller dent in the charts, selling just under 9,000 copies to debut at No. 125 in the top 200. That set, including such classics as "Evil Ways," "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va," was issued by Columbia/Legacy label the same day as "Shaman." The label is owned by Japan's Sony Corp.

Like "Supernatural," which sold a whopping 25 million copies, Santana's newest album pairs the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with a variety of contemporary stars, including Dido, Macy Gray, Seal, Michelle Branch and Musiq.

By comparison, "Supernatural" followed a more gradual path to its mega-hit status, debuting at No. 19 on the charts and working its way up to No. 1 after 18 weeks in release.

It remained in top echelons of the charts for weeks thereafter and went on to earn nine Grammy Awards, including the prize for album of the year, and three Latin Grammys.

The album's smash success marked a triumphant comeback for the 55-year-old guitarist who formed the band that bears his name in the 1960s, and it helped push Latin rock to the forefront of the American pop scene.

In Case You Are Interested

Tom Petty is pissed off!

...its The Dr. Phil Random Quote Generator!!

Yeoh Ready to Play Chinese Legend

Michelle Yeoh has agreed to produce and star in THE MASKED CRUSADER, film described as a "female Robin Hood." The story is based on China's legendary crusader for the poor and downtrodden, Wong Ngung. Yeoh's version will be set in 2009. Jingle Ma will direct and Thomas Chung will co-produce through his Han Entertainment. Filming will begin in January in Honk Kong and continue throughout various parts of China and Japan.

Women's Group Blasts TV, Calls it Sexist

In its third annual report on how women are portrayed in prime time TV, the National Organization for Women (NOW) is vilifying the six top networks, accusing them of pandering to an "adolescent boy's fantasy world." According to the study, the networks employ 134 more men than women. They also criticized the nets for those women being in the beauty standard of Jennifer Aniston (FRIENDS), i.e. "young, thin and white." "Network programming sends a distorted, often offensive image of women, girls and people of color brought to you through the point of view of white men and boys," said NOW Foundation president Kim Gandy. "Television remains very much a man's world, with women serving primarily as eye candy." Most of the networks say they have not seen the report yet and therefore do not have a comment.

BABY AND THE CITY!

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick welcoming a baby boy early Monday morning in Manhattan, the actress' publicist says. The tyke weighed in at 6 pounds, 8 ounces. No word yet on the child's name.

Seinfeld to Unveil New Comedy Routine on Letterman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Superstar comedian Jerry Seinfeld plans to try out an all-new routine this Thursday on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman," his first TV stand-up performance since his last visit with Letterman in March 2001.

Seinfeld's most recent "Late Show" appearance comes as the former television sitcom star promotes his newly released film "Comedian," a behind-the-scenes look at the stand-up circuit from his perspective and that of up-and-coming comedy talents.

Seinfeld recently appeared with Letterman's NBC rival, "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," to talk about his movie and the release of his illustrated children's book, "Halloween." And while he showed a clip from the movie in which he and Leno were seen joking together, Seinfeld did not perform any stand-up on the show.

Seinfeld's previous "Late Show" visit in March 2001 marked his return to television stand-up comedy after nearly three years. Prior to that, he had last performed TV stand-up during his August 1998 HBO comedy special, "I'm Telling You for the Last Time."

His self-titled NBC sitcom, starring Seinfeld as a New York comedian hanging out with three of his pals -- Elaine, George and Kramer -- was one of the biggest prime-time hits of the 1990s and was ranked this year by the editors of TV Guide magazine as the greatest television show of all time.

CBS is owned by Viacom Inc. and NBC is part of General Electric Co.

Wild and Whacky 'The Osbournes' Returns to MTV

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - They've met the Queen of England and President Bush. They've won their first Emmy Award, battled cancer, taken in another teenager and more dogs. Now television's wildest family is ready again for prime time.

British rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his raucous, foul-mouthed clan will return to the tube on Nov. 26, kicking off a second season of MTV's highest-rated show, the Viacom Inc.-owned cable music network said on Tuesday.

The future of "The Osbournes," which became an overnight media sensation last season, was thrown into doubt after Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, was diagnosed with colon cancer over the summer.

But the family decided to pick up where they left off last spring with 10 new episodes chronicling their lives in Beverly Hills as they simultaneously adjust to heightened fame and Sharon Osbourne's illness.

"We are excited to invite the world into our home for another dose of Osbourne insanity," Sharon Osbourne said in a statement issued by MTV. "This season the show takes on a whole new meaning as we share the highs and lows of the last six months with our viewers. With the Osbournes, you never know what you're gonna get."

The first season followed the daily exploits of the 53-year-old heavy metal legend in his off-stage role as a befuddled father puttering around his house, forever cleaning up after his incontinent dogs, taking orders from his wife, and sparring with their teenage children, Kelly and Jack.

The bleep-filled series became MTV's biggest hit, earned an Emmy as television's best "reality" series and turned the family into instant pop culture figures.

Ozzy-mania even extended to Buckingham Palace, where rock's heavily tattooed "Prince of Darkness" was introduced to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month at the Golden Jubilee pop concert in her honor.

This season, the show will feature a new member of the clan, 18-year-old Robert Marcato, a family friend whose mother recently died of cancer and has moved in with the Osbournes. They are in the process of legally adopting him.

Melinda the nanny also will return, along with an ever-expanding collection of dogs and cats and various other characters who drift in and out of the Osbourne household.

The show also will incorporate scenes from Ozzy's touring schedule over the summer, a trip to Washington last May to dine with the president, and Kelly's bid to launch a recording career as a singer.

The New Movies That Are Available In Your Neighbourhood

Hey, if you wanna watch some movies that are available now, and not on Friday, here is a list of the new DVDs and videos for release on Tuesday, October 29th, 2002:

The Sum Of All Fears- Jack Ryan must take on neo-Nazi terrorist group. (Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Liev Schreiber)

Eight Legged Freaks- Spiders grow after exposure to a chemical. (David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scott Terra)

Harvard Man- A Harvard basketball player shaves points in betting scam. (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Adrian Grenier, Eric Stoltz)

Malcolm In The Middle: The Complete First Season- This is the set that has the complete (hilarious) first season of a show called "Malcolm In The Middle."

Men With Brooms- Dysfunctional curling team makes a run at the Golden Broom. (Molly Parker, Paul Gross, Leslie Nielsen)

And if you need to know EVERYTHING that is coming out today, here is the complete list.

What Scares The Stars

* ANTHONY HOPKINS: "Psycho" is my favorite horror film. I just love Hitchcock. He had the ability to scare you and also make a brilliant movie at the same time. To this day, ever since I saw that film, I still look over my shoulder in the shower. That's the mark of a great director, to leave a lasting impression like that.

* JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT: "The Shining" scares me to death. To know that a supposed normal human being can go crazy, like Jack Nicholson does in that movie, is so freaky. Stanley Kubrick, who directed it, made the scariest movie ever.

* JACKIE CHAN: "The Exorcist" blows my mind. The first time I saw it I was in Australia. I was in a movie theater, and even the audience scared me. They were screaming when that girl's head spun around. An ambulance had to come to the theater to take away one person after they passed out.

* BENJAMIN BRATT: "I Was a Teenage Werewolf," with Michael Landon, still haunts me. I was 7 or 8 when I first saw it, and it gave me nightmares. The whole idea of a man turning into a wolf and then going out and randomly killing people terrified me. I'm also quite scared by the original classic "Night of the Living Dead." I even own a copy on tape.

* RALPH FIENNES: The scariest movie ever made is something called "Don't Look Now." If you've never seen it, just rent it, and I can almost guarantee that you'll be frightened out of your wits.

* EDWARD NORTON: I saw "The Exorcist" recently, and hadn't seen it in many years. I was amazed at how scary the movie still is. It freaked me out years ago, and still does.

* GREG KINNEAR: I saw "The Exorcist" in high school with a group of friends, and it was a really scary experience. Some of my buddies thought they were really tough guys, but they came out of that movie shaking in their boots. I, of course, was also shaking right along with them.

* KATIE HOLMES: I would have to say the first "Scream" movie frightens me. I know that most people don't really consider it that scary, but I won't watch harder-core slasher films, because they would keep me up at night. Making matters worse, I'm good friends with the guy who wrote "Scream," Kevin Williamson. He's such a nice person, and I can't believe he's capable of writing something scary like that.

* NAOMI WATTS: "Don't Look Now" scares me big time. So much that I don't even like to talk about it.

* REESE WITHERSPOON: Even though it's a very new movie, that "Red Dragon" scared the hell out of me. My heart was beating super fast throughout the whole film. Man, that was frightening.

* JOEL SCHUMACHER: "The Thing." Not the remake, but the original from the '50s. I remember when I was in grade school, my friends and I would crawl on the floor and pretend we were the monster from that movie, and we would try and scare each other.

New Nirvana Available Today That Is Mostly Old But Totally Awesome!

It was in 1994 when Kurt Cobain of Nirvana thought it was better to "burn out that fade away." One of the last songs that he recorded with Nirvana was "You Know You're Right" and until today it had never appearded in pristine condition on a CD. The versions that have been online for a while now have been less that superb. That all changes today when a must have collection of the band's best songs simply called NIRVANA appears in stores replete with the aformentioned gem. He was my generation's John Lennon and I miss hearing his words and voice on fresh material.

Which is why NIRVANA is a must own for those stuck in the rut of today's teenie-pop-sweet-ass-huge-boobs-and-tight pecs world of tunes.

So pick it up, introduce the band to your kids, and know that it IS NOT better to burn out than fade away!

And speaking of teenie bopper crap there are some other high profile releases due in stores today.

Here's a look at the big 'uns:

CHRISTINA AGUILERA- STRIPPED: "Here it is," Aguilera announces on her second album proper. "No hype, no gloss, no pretense. Just me." But if the youthful diva really wanted to make a bold, independent statement, why is she leaning so heavily on the hired help? The list of co-writers on Stripped — among them red-hot Pink collaborator Linda Perry and hip-hop-soul "it" girl Alicia Keys — suggests a naked bid for more critical and street credibility. There's something similarly opportunistic — not to mention self-aggrandizing — about Aguilera's sober emphasis on the troubles that accompanied her rise to fame. The smarmy boleros Beautiful and Fighter offer musical self-help manuals for vain women and solipsistic pop stars, and Aguilera's readings are as emotionally overwrought as her earlier singing was ostentatious. That's a shame, because Aguilera has one of the most supple voices in the business, and snappier tunes such as Can't Hold Us Down reveal glimmers of the breezy sass that could have made her a real pop contender. Don't girls just want to have fun anymore or do they all crave to be taken as serious as Aguilera does?

NICK CARTER (of the Backstreet Boys)- NOW OR NEVER: This disc proves that you can take the boy out of the boy band, but if he's as aggressively passive a presence as Carter, you'll be climbing uphill from there. The Backstreet refugee co-wrote many of these songs, some of them catchy in a generic, innocuous way. But none reveals more personality than Carter's colorless voice; instead, the singer emerges as a kind of wholesomely macho cypher. He's a Bryan Adams-like balladeer on the sappy Do I Have to Cry for You, a Jon Bon Jovi-esque crooner on Heart Without a Home (I'll Be Yours) and a leering frat boy on the witless Girls in the USA. The lyrics are as excruciatingly banal and dopey as the song titles suggest. Surely no one expected Carter to turn into Elvis Costello overnight, but it's hard to listen to the refrain "Take it off, take it off/Let's get it on, get it on" on a full stomach.

SHAGGY- LUCKY DAY: Shaggy's music may be a bit too pop- and R&B-infused for reggae purists, but the gravelly voiced singer has no problem inducing you to move. The follow-up to 2000's humongous smash Hot Shot is jammed full of pulsating rhythms and sensual grooves. The horn-kissed first single, Hey Sexy Lady, sets the tone with its pounding dance beat, while Get My Party On, featuring Chaka Khan, shimmers with funk. Thematically, the songs range from the socially conscious Lost to the comical Hookie Jookie, which provides tips on how to creep on your lady. Last time out, Shaggy started a roll with two unstoppable singles: It Wasn't Me and Angel. Time will tell whether he can maintain his Lucky streak.

Now here are the rest of the new music releases for Tuesday, October 29, 2002:

* 8 MILE OST 8 Mile OST (Interscope)
* BETH GIBBONS Out Of Season (Polydor)
* BLU CANTRELL TBA (Blu Cantrell) (Arista)
* BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY Thug World Order (Epic)
* ENNIS SISTERS Christmas (Domestic)
* ERIC CLAPTON One More Car, One More Rider (DVD) (Warner)
* ERIC HEATHERLY Sometimes It's Just Your Time (Dreamworks Nashville)
* FABOLOUS Street Dream (Elektra)
* FIELD MOB From Tha Roota To Tha Toota (MCA)
* FREEWAY Philadelphia Freeway (Def Jam)
* IRV GOTTI Irv Gotti Presents: The Remixes (Def Jam)
* JIMMY EAT WORLD TBA (Jimmy Eat World DVD) (DreamWorks)
* KELLY PRICE Priceless (Def Jam)
* KOUFAX Social Life (TVT)
* LAURA PAUSINI From The Inside (Atlantic)
* LEE ANN WOMACK The Season For Romance (MCA Nashville)
* LIL JON & THE EASTSIDE BOYZ Kings Of Crunk (TVT)
* LIZA MINNELLI Liza's Back (J Records)
* MEMPHIS BLEEK Misunderstood (Def Jam)
* P.O.D. Still Payin' Dues (DVD) (Atlantic)
* RASCAL FLATTS Melt (Hollywood)
* ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT Live From Camp X-Ray (TVT)
* SAMANTHA MUMBA TBA (Samantha Mumba) (Polydor)
* SIGUR ROS () (MCA)
* SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER Divine Discontent (Warner)
* STEVIE WONDER The Definitive Collection (Motown)
* SYLEENA JOHNSON Chapter 2: The Voice (Zomba)
* TONI BRAXTON Amplified (Arista)
* TOO $HORT What's My Favourite Word (Zomba)
* TORI AMOS Scarlet's Walk (Epic)
* TYPE O NEGATIVE TBA (Type O Negative) (Roadrunner)
* VINCE GILL TBA (Vince Gill) (MCA Nashville)
* YU-GI-OH: MUSIC TO DUEL BY OST Yu-Gi-Oh: Music To Duel By OST (DreamWorks/Universal)

All release dates are subject to change

MGM Gasses Up KNIGHT RIDER Spoof

MGM has acquired the rights to Ron Anderson's spec script WHEELS OF FURY, a film that is described as a cross between AUSTIN POWERS and KNIGHT RIDER. The story focuses on an '80s cop whose partner is a talking car. After waking up from a coma 16 years later, "hijinx ensue." David Heyman (HARRY POTTER) will produce. WHEELS may face a bit of competition from its source material, as Revolution Studios is working on a feature film adaption of the KNIGHT RIDER tv series.

I Guess His Ratings Are Low

Radio talk show host Art Bell, 57, whose overnight talk of UFO sightings and conspiracy theories made him famous, announcing on last Wednesday night's show that he plans to retire (again) because of ongoing back problems.

'Rudy' To Be Filmed in Canada

NEW YORK (AP) - Filmmakers are going to Canada to make a movie about former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, angering industry officials who say the film belongs in Giuliani's hometown.

"Rudy!" — based on an unauthorized biography of the man known as America's mayor — is set to begin filming Nov. 7 in Montreal. James Woods stars as the Brooklyn-born former mayor and Penelope Ann Miller plays ex-wife Donna Hanover in the film, which intersperses flashbacks from Giuliani's childhood and political career with his performance on Sept. 11, 2001.

Carlton America is producing the film for the USA Networks cable channel, which has scheduled a release for next year. Like the book "Rudy!" it was made without Giuliani's cooperation.

Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel declined comment on the film Monday.

Spokesmen for Carlton America and USA Networks declined comment on the decision to shoot the movie in Canada. Carlton America spokesman Les Eisner said a few scenes may be shot in New York.

The decision means less work for union members and comes at a time when New York's film industry is struggling, said Pamm Fair, national deputy director of the Screen Actors Guild.

"They have very little right now," she said. "Runaway production is a huge problem in this country."

The Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting said business was "average" in New York for the fall season. Films in production now include "Angels in America," an HBO project starring Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, and "Mona Lisa's Smile," starring Julia Roberts.

CBS Gives Full-Season Orders to Four Shows

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS, showing confidence in its new fall line-up, gave full-season orders to three dramas and a comedy on Monday, including the highest-rated new show of the fall season.

CBS said it had ordered an additional nine episodes, making a full 22-show season, for dramas "CSI: Miami," "Without A Trace" and "Hack" and the comedy "Still Standing."

"CSI: Miami" in particular has been a standout for the network, emerging as the most bona-fide hit among the new shows on the air this season. For the season through Oct. 20 it is the No. 5 show on television, according to Nielsen Media Research.

"Still Standing" and "Without A Trace" also both rank in Nielsen's top 20 for the season. "Hack" has not been as strong as the others but the network said it is still up 56 percent in total viewers from the same time period last season.

Ford Sponsors '24' Premiere Without Commercial Breaks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tonight's premiere of Fox's espionage drama "24" will run without any commercial breaks, but eagle-eyed viewers should take note of the Ford Expedition driven by its star, Kiefer Sutherland.

Ford Motor Co is underwriting the entire show, which will run without any commercial interruptions, in a flashback to the early days of television, when shows were often sponsored by a single company. Such deals may also represent the future of television advertising, as marketers look for new strategies to reach potential viewers.

Two Ford commercials that imitate "24's" trademark ticking clock, each about three minutes long, will bookend the premiere, and Sutherland will speak directly to the audience before the show, thanking Ford for its sponsorship.

Fans of "24," which last season told the tale of an attempted assassination attempt of a presidential candidate, will get a 54-minute premiere uninterrupted by ads. Subsequent episodes will have standard commercial breaks.

In future episodes, Sutherland's character will drive other Ford vehicles, including Thunderbirds and Mustangs, said Rick Novak, head of car advertising for Ford.

"We want a lot of good hero shots for our vehicles," he said. "It's an additional way, an innovative way to break through the clutter."

A Fox spokeswoman confirmed that Ford has purchased commercial time throughout the upcoming "24" season, and that the auto maker is one of the show's largest advertisers.

With television audiences fragmented by digital cable and satellite systems that offer hundreds of channels, and the introduction of personal video recorders like TiVo that make it easy to skip ads, marketers are seeking out new advertising methods.

Ford, which previously underwrote a commercial-free airing of the movie "Schindler's List" and sponsored Fox's blockbuster "American Idol" program, will also have prominent product placements in ABC's spy drama "Alias" and in the upcoming James Bond film "Die Another Day."

Among other car makers, BMW recently launched the second installment of short online films that feature its automobiles. In a similar vein, Mercedes-Benz has run a mock preview in movie theaters starring Benicio Del Toro and its 500 SL convertible.

Ryder Told Saks She Was Researching Role

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - Actress Winona Ryder claimed she was preparing for an acting role when she was first detained last December on suspicion of shoplifting at the posh Saks Fifth Avenue store, a Saks security manager testified on Monday.

But her "performance" was captured on a 90-minute store videotape of her ill-fated shopping spree, part of which was shown to the jury on the first day of Ryder's trial on charges of burglary, grand theft and vandalism.

Saks security manager Kenneth Evans testified that Ryder was "polite and apologetic" when she was stopped leaving the Beverly Hills store and found with some 20 items of designer clothes, handbags and accessories concealed about her person and in her shopping bags.

When Evans told Ryder that the police were being informed of the incident, "she immediately stood up and took hold of my hand and apologized for what had happened," Evans said.

Ryder then told him "my director directed me to shoplift in preparation for a role I am preparing," he added. It was not clear what role or which director Ryder was referring to.

In opening statements, prosecutor Ann Rundle told the jury that the Oscar-nominated actress went to Saks with intent to steal, even bringing scissors to clip security tags from purloined items and wads of tissue to conceal them.

A TWO-FOR-ONE PROGRAM

Although she did pay for three items, she had her "own two-for-one bonus program -- for every item she purchased she would help herself to another," Rundle said.

Ryder, who turns 31 on Tuesday, followed the proceedings looking serious and demure in a black dress.

Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, said Ryder was innocent of shoplifting items valued at more than $5,500 and had been singled out by security staff "who got out of control" because of her celebrity status.

Geragos said the famous video surveillance tape shows her doing nothing "except -- surprise -- shopping."

He said evidence would show that early on in her shopping trip, Ryder had told a store assistant to keep her account open, explaining she planned to pay for the items later.

The Saks surveillance tape, only a small section of which has been shown on television, showed the petite waif-like actress roaming the store, laden down with numerous shopping bags and with merchandise piled high in her arms.

At one point, she dropped her belongings and is clearly seen on the tape kneeling on the floor and stuffing socks, hair accessories and a soft hat inside another hat which she then placed in her arms while she continued to browse.

Saks manager Evans said he became suspicious because of the amount of non-Saks bags she was carrying in a store where most shoppers leave merchandise bought elsewhere in the store's own parking lot.

Evans said a female security agent watched Ryder through the specially designed slats of a dressing room door cutting the sensor tags off merchandise and putting the items in her shopping bags. He later recovered four of the tags still bearing pieces of fabric matching holes in the goods allegedly stolen by Ryder.

Evans said he had not realized for some time that the woman he was watching on store cameras was the star of "Girl, Interrupted" and "Age of Innocence."

"I couldn't care less who she was," he told the jury.

Geragos claimed Ryder was mistreated by store security personnel after she was taken back inside for questioning.

"They threatened her, did all kinds of things ... One of the guys lifts up her ... shirt -- she's not wearing a bra -- and she screamed at them to stop," Geragos said.

"My client did not believe this was happening to her."

The trial is expected to last for about a week. Ryder could face three years in prison if convicted.

First Member Of Ringo Starr's 2003 All-Starr Band Set

Ringo Starr has sent out invitations to the musicians he'd like to take part in the 2003 edition of his All-Starr Band. The greatest-hits collective--which has in the past featured the likes of Cream's Jack Bruce, Bad Company's Simon Kirke, Procol Harum's Gary Brooker, and Peter Frampton, among many others--will next summer feature Babys/Bad English frontman John Waite.

Fans will see Waite in an unusual position, however. "I'm gonna go and play bass guitar with Ringo in the summer for a couple of months." "I used to be the bass player in the Babys, before I became the lead singer, so I'm looking forward to hanging with Ringo and playing those songs and being the fifth Beatle, you know? They made the call, and it looks like it's a complete go."

Waite didn't know who else has accepted the offer. He expects his own Number One hit "Missing You" to be included in the tour's setlist.

...here are some plot details behind "Charlie's Angels 2- Full Throttle."

REMEMBER HIM IN YOUR OWN WAY AS WELL

Richard Harris will remembered in a private funeral service in London, before having his ashes scattered near his home in the Bahamas, the actor's agent said Saturday. The two-time Oscar nominee died Friday of Hodgkin's disease at age 72.

NOW WHAT ABOUT HARRY?

Harry Potter filmmakers saying they will reluctantly search for a replacement Professor Dumbledore for the next installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. "[Harris] is Dumbledore in many people's eyes. In truth he is irreplaceable," producer David Heyman told Britain's ITV News Saturday. "We will find a new Dumbledore, but there will only be one Richard Harris."

Artists Use TV to Sell New Songs

NEW YORK (AP) - For one week this summer, Bruce Springsteen was the biggest star on television.

There he was in Asbury Park, N.J., where the "Today" show transplanted itself for a day to watch him perform. Ted Koppel interviewed him on "Nightline." Two nights in a row, Springsteen and his E Street Band were featured on David Letterman's "Late Show."

The appearances were timed to coincide with the release of Springsteen's album, "The Rising," and the exposure paid off. The disc sold 526,000 copies its first week, the strongest debut of his career.

Springsteen's small-screen blitz made plain a change that might surprise generations that spent hours cranking the car stereo or hooked up to a Walkman: Television — and not just MTV — has supplanted radio as the chief means of exposing new music, particularly for veteran artists.

"You've just about got to do it for people to know that you have a record out," said singer Tom Petty, who was on "Today" earlier this month. "You've got to spread the word however you can."

Springsteen and Petty's most loyal fans aren't likely to be reading music magazines or visiting music stores every week to see what's new. They have jobs, kids, mortgages to worry about.

But they probably watch TV — perhaps "Today" while gulping their morning coffee, or Letterman just before drifting off to sleep.

At the same time, shrinking radio playlists have less room for new music. Far more radio stations are likely to play James Taylor's "Fire and Rain," for example, than take a chance on his new single.

So Taylor spread his easygoing charm liberally before the cameras — "The View," "Today," "The Charlie Rose Show," "60 Minutes II," on CNN and tabloid entertainment shows. He sang the song, "On the 4th of July," on NBC on a Fourth of July special.

Taylor's new album, "October Road," surprised many in the music industry by debuting at No. 5, his best start ever.

Television networks once synonymous with music — MTV and VH1 — are important for viewers under age 30. But they don't play videos that often anymore, and are less crucial for veteran artists than they were 10 or 15 years ago.

"The video thing has become irrelevant," Petty said. "They really don't play videos that much on the video channels, so it's almost become not worth your while to make one."

Not every artist can command a half hour on "Today" or a handshake from Letterman. Still, TV opportunities abound, especially for good performers, said publicist Marilyn Laverty, the architect of Springsteen's campaign.

"It's become possible for artists who have quality and are well known to have something of a saturation," she said.

David Bowie touted his new disc on A&E's "Live By Request." Bravo has started a musician's version of "Inside the Actor's Studio." PBS' "Austin City Limits" is another popular performance show.

Music marketers know other places to look where people wouldn't expect. CNBC's "Power Lunch" often features musicians in the summer, with a captive audience of Wall Street executives. Emeril Lagasse's cooking show has guest musicians. Local morning shows are grateful to book celebrities.

Prime-time dramas and comedies are eager for music, too. Songs by Norah Jones, whose debut album has sold 1.5 million copies, were in the background on "The West Wing," "Providence," "Crossing Jordan" and "Dawson's Creek."

That may not sell many discs by itself, but it tells viewers that "this girl's everywhere," said Zach Hochkeppel, marketing director at Blue Note Records.

"A lot of these older folks have kind of given up as music consumers," Hochkeppel said. "You have to sneak in there and get in their psyche without them knowing."

Stepping beyond background music, Jakob Dylan's Wallflowers appeared on an episode of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" this season. Aimee Mann performed at a political rally on "The West Wing."

One big factor in Taylor's success was a whimsical advertisement that featured the musician walking into a guitar shop as a young salesman struggles for the chords to "Fire and Rain." Unrecognized, Taylor grabs a guitar and sings a few lines from "October Road."

Many artists are reluctant to make commercials.

"We asked very, very nicely," said Larry Jenkins, senior vice president at Columbia Records. "We just felt it was something that would have a big impact, and James was gracious enough to do it."

Singer Tracy Chapman wouldn't mind a commercial that showed the cover of her album or a performance snippet. But she isn't about to act.

"There was talk of me being in a commercial and that didn't feel very comfortable to me," said Chapman, who released a new disc this month. "We couldn't think of a way of doing it in a dignified manner.

"I feel like that's the record company's job — to sell what I made," she said. Yet recent successes tied to commercial exposure are breaking down barriers. Musicians noticed that Sting's last disc doubled in sales in a few months after the song "Desert Rose" was featured in a Jaguar ad. Moby licensed every one of the songs on his "Play" album for commercial purposes and it boosted sales with little damage to his reputation.

Even Bob Dylan made an ad for his last album that depicted him playing poker.

Sheryl Crow seemingly hasn't turned down a TV opportunity this year. She's sung at the Super Bowl, at a NASCAR race and carried her guitar into the "Big Brother" house on CBS. She also filmed an American Express commercial at the same time she made a video for "Soak Up the Sun."

Some marketers say there's a danger of overexposure on TV. Crow's campaign has raised some eyebrows.

"There is always the issue of how much is too much, and what is crossing the line," said Steve Berman, senior executive at the Interscope Records family. "She's been very gung ho and aggressive. She's very proud of this album and is working very hard behind it. She wants to get it out there, and it's a very challenging environment in which to do that."

All the efforts count for nothing if the product isn't good. But in a business where first impressions are increasingly important, Laverty knows the Springsteen campaign hit its mark.

"Television definitely had a lot to do with the audience's awareness of the record that week," she said.

A Sign That The Apocalypse Is Near

"Jackass" has pulled its craziest stunt yet, debuting in first place at the box office.

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. "Jackass: The Movie," $22.7 million.

2. "The Ring," $18.8 million.

3. "Ghost Ship," $11.7 million.

4. "Sweet Home Alabama," $6.4 million.

5. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," $6.3 million.

6. "Red Dragon," $4.7 million.

7. "Punch-Drunk Love," $3.5 million.

8. "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie," $2.9 million.

9. "The Transporter," $2.85 million.

10. "Brown Sugar," $2.8 million.

'Failed Artist' Woody Allen Talks Up European Film

ROME (Reuters) - Quirky comedy director Woody Allen dismissed himself as a failed artist on Saturday and described American cinema as a sink-hole of mindless entertainment where everyone was obsessed with money.

"If I had to describe myself in three words, I would say: A Failed Artist," a deadpan Allen told reporters in Rome, where he is promoting his latest film "Hollywood Ending."

"I don't know how to act, I mean, I'm not an actor like Dustin Hoffman is an actor or Jack Nicholson is an actor, and I don't have enough talent to be a jazz musician. I'm very, very mediocre. In fact, I'm less than mediocre."

While characteristically self-deprecating, Allen was also full of criticism for U.S. films, and for Hollywood in particular, a place he had appeared to court in recent months, even making a first-ever appearance at the Oscars in March.

"I've always had a very critical attitude to Hollywood. Essentially, it's a place where people spend a huge amount of money and yet make very few, if any, decent films," he said.

"If I compare U.S. films to the European films I saw as a child, the European ones were so much more original, rich and imaginative, and they really contributed to the development of cinema as an art form.

"I've never really seen the same thing from Hollywood, which always has one eye focused on entertainment and money."

While Hollywood may have produced masterpieces such as Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane," Stanley Kubrick's "Paths of Glory" and John Huston's "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," Allen said overall it was small beef next to Europe's output.

"If you look at European films, there's no question that they are deeper works of art. You look at something like "The Bicycle Thief," or "Grand Illusion," or Fellini's "8 1/2" -- there's no comparison."

"JUST SILLY PICTURES"

While Allen's withering criticism may come as no surprise to those familiar with his laments, he seldom heaps scorn on his home country's film-making, and has certainly done so less since DreamWorks started producing and distributing his films.

But he seemed almost indignant on Saturday about American shortcomings.

"You know, it's got to the stage in the States that you struggle to find something to watch on a Saturday night -- it's all just silly pictures.

"Sometimes, like I did last Saturday night, you find a theater showing a European film and it can transform the evening. We watched Pedro Almodovar's movie and it was a great experience. It's an intelligent and very, very fine film."

Asked whether the lack of quality entertainment back home made him want to move to Europe, Allen turned evasive, however.

"Well, it's not easy to just pull up your life and move to Europe. It's something that I have at times considered, but it's not an easy thing to give up your home and your language," said the director, who has lived all his life in New York city.

"I would happily come and make movies in Rome, or Paris, or London, or Berlin if I had an idea that worked in those places, but it's having the idea that's difficult.

In the end, he said he would do whatever his wife, Soon Yi, whom he secretly married in Venice five years ago, decided.

"My wife likes to come to all these places in Europe. Whatever makes her happy makes me happy, so I'll do that."

Angels Win Their First World Series

This is definitely movie material — and the stars are the never-say-die Anaheim Angels.

They came out of nowhere to reach their first World Series, rallying past every team in their way.

Their rookie pitcher wins Game 7.

And the best hitter in the world watches from the losers' dugout, knowing he was once just six outs away from winning the only title he has ever wanted.

John Lackey, Garret Anderson and the Angels made it all come true, beating Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants 4-1 Sunday night for the franchise's first championship in 42 years.

Plus the most amazing thing — the Angels didn't even need to rely on their Rally Monkey. Anaheim third baseman Troy Glaus was voted MVP after hitting .385 with three home runs and eight RBIs.

"I can't believe it, man," Anderson said. "It's been a long year — a testament to the guys who never gave up."

Still, the highest-scoring Series in history came down to pitching, as it always seems to do in October. Behind Lackey and the bullpen, Anaheim had too much to win baseball's first all wild-card matchup.

The Angels became the eighth straight home team to win Game 7 of the World Series. History was on their side from the start and so was an omen — a skywriting plane put a gigantic halo over Edison Field before the first pitch.

A day after it blew a 5-0 lead in the seventh inning, San Francisco never got close to winning its first title. Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk to close out one of the most dominant Series performances ever, yet it wasn't enough.

When it ended, Bonds walked down the dugout and picked up his glove. He walked back, tapped his son on the back and walked down the runway as the Angels celebrated on the field.

Lackey wasn't even with the Angels, stuck in Triple-A, when they went 6-14 for the worst start in team history. But with both staffs worn down, the 24-year-old righty gave Anaheim exactly what it needed with five innings of one-run ball.

Anderson, finally due to get the recognition he's always deserved, hit a three-run double off Livan Hernandez in the third for a 4-1 lead. The monkey mascot made a brief, early appearance on the video board to celebrate the moment, then sat back and let the sellout crowd of 44,598 bang their ThunderStix like crazy.

"Well, I just wanted to get into a situation where I'd be able to hit my pitch, not do too much," Anderson said.

Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez and Troy Percival closed it for manager Mike Scioscia's bunch. Percival escaped a two-on, one-out jam for his third save of the Series.

"Unbelievable for us, for our fans," Percival said. "This team has worked as hard as any team ever. We deserve it."

And when it was over, Southern California, the land of celluloid stars, had just added a whole teamful of them while Hollywood luminaries Pierce Brosnan and John Travolta watched from the stands.

Before this year, the Angels were known mostly for heartbreak. Beloved owner Gene Autry never saw his team get this far before passing away, and it didn't look like these guys would do it, either, especially after finishing 41 games out of first place last season.

Somehow, the Angels pulled it together. They led the majors in hitting, overwhelmed the New York Yankees and Minnesota in the AL playoffs and then knocked out Bonds and Co.

"Somewhere, Gene Autry is smiling right now," commissioner Bud Selig said as he presented the trophy.

Owned by The Walt Disney Co., the Angels are still for sale. Before then, though, they can certainly travel the three miles or so to Disneyland to enjoy this most improbable championship.

Bonds wound up 8-for-17 (.471) with four homers, a .700 on-base percentage and 1.294 slugging percentage.

Anaheim and the Giants combined for a record 85 runs and 21 homers.

The game might have been the last for San Francisco manager Dusty Baker in the Bay. There are growing indications he'll soon leave, possibly to take over the Chicago Cubs or Seattle.

Tears streamed down the face of Darren Baker, the 3-year-old bat boy son of the Giants' manager, as he was carried from the dugout by his father.

Anderson doubled in the third to make it 4-1, and Angels fans went wild. A little too much, maybe.

David Eckstein made up for a rare baserunning mistake in the first by leading off the third with a single and Darin Erstad also singled. Tim Salmon came up and Hernandez cost himself, hitting the Angels star in the right hand.

No outs, bases loaded. The at-bat of a lifetime for Anderson, drafted by the California Angels in 1990 and out of the postseason until this year.

Unsung despite a stellar career, Anderson got the hit that will put him in highlight reels for a long time, sending a line drive into the right-field corner that easily scored all three runners.

As Reggie Sanders tried to corral the ball along the low wall, an Anaheim fan got into the act, bopping the right fielder on the back with a pair of red ThunderStix. There was no interference called, properly, although two security guards were soon standing in the area when Hernandez, who lost for the second time in the Series, was pulled.

Hernandez seemed uncomfortable from the start, constantly pawing at the mound while trying to find his control. He looked nothing like the MVP of the 1997 World Series for Florida and instead resembled the pitcher who tied for the NL lead in losses this season, which he did with 16.

A surprising lapse by Eckstein, who took off Anderson's liner to center field and was doubled off, enabled Hernandez to overcome two walks in the first.

Hernandez was not so lucky the next inning when he walked Scott Spiezio with two outs and Bengie Molina followed with a double that tied it at 1.

Molina added another double, and the hits were his way of honoring his father who was faraway. Earlier Sunday, former amateur outfielder Benjamin Molina Santana was in Puerto Rico, where he was inducted into the island's hall of fame.

The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the second on singles by Benito Santiago and J.T. Snow and a sacrifice fly by Sanders.

Notes: Goodwin's strikeout left Giants pinch-hitters at 0-for-16 in the postseason. ... The last rookie to start Game 7 in the Series was Jaret Wright of Cleveland in 1997. He got a no-decision in the Indians' 3-2 loss in 11 innings at Florida. ... Salmon stayed in the game after being hit, but did not look great in grounding out his next time up.

Details about the first transformation of Bruce Banner into The Hulk in the upcoming movie.

The latest issue of Wizard Magazine has details on the first time we see Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) first changing into the green meanie during next year's action epic from Ang Lee. Seems that Banner is "trapped in a watery tank called 'The Containment Unit' wearing a scuba mask and purple trunks. He starts to nod his head, then shakes violently, opens his eyes and changes into the Hulk for the first time".

WHOLE LOTTA TALK

Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones issuing a joint statement denying plans to get back together for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The three rockers said they were responding to "completely speculative" British press rumors.

I maintain that there is no such thing as a false rumour in the music industry.

ALL YOU NEED IS RECOGNITION

Late Beatle George Harrison set to receive a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to British cinema at the British Independent Film Awards next Wednesday.

CALLING IT QUITS?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon telling TV Guide Online that the Buffster might hang it up in May. "I'm beginning to suspect that it may be [Buffy's] last season," Whedon said. "Nothing's official, but. . .the way people are talking, there's a finality to it." Ratings for this season are off 16 percent compared to this time last year.

Actor Richard Harris Dies At Age 72

LONDON (Reuters) - Oscar-nominated Irish actor Richard Harris, whose stage and screen roles ranged from King Arthur of "Camelot" to the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in "Harry Potter" films, died on Friday at age 72.

Harris, for years one of the hard-drinking wild men of the stage and screen along with British compatriots Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole, died in a London hospital after a battle with Hodgkin's disease, a form of lymphatic cancer.

Familiar in later years for his shaggy white mane of hair, Harris made his name with such films as "Camelot," "This Sporting Life," and "A Man Called Horse" as he carved out a distinctive acting niche for himself.

But like Burton and O'Toole, Harris gained as much notoriety for his hell-raising off-stage exploits as for his acting talents, though he swore off alcohol in the 1980s.

Harris, who was twice married and twice divorced, told Reuters in an interview last year: "I have made 72 movies in my life and been miscast twice -- as a husband."

The Limerick, Ireland-born actor with a habitual twinkle in his eye endeared himself to a new generation of fans with his role as the benevolent wizard, Professor Albus Dumbledore, in last year's big-screen fantasy hit "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

It was a role he initially turned down, but was then nagged into taking it by his 11-year-old granddaughter, Emily, who threatened never to talk to him again if he refused.

"She called me up and said, 'Poppa, if you don't play Dumbledore, I will never speak to you again.' I hung up and called my agent and said I'd do it. I can't afford to lose that kid," he said at the time.

A brief statement from his three children announced his death.

"With great sadness, Damien, Jared and Jamie Harris announce the death of their beloved father, Richard Harris. He died peacefully at University College Hospital."

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

At a news conference earlier in the day to launch the second Harry Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," producer David Heyman said he and director Christopher Columbus had recently visited Harris in the hospital and he appeared to be fighting back.

"He did threaten to kill me if I recast (Professor Dumbledore). I cannot even repeat what he said. He still has got that fight inside of him," Columbus said.

Harris earned two Oscar nominations during his film career, once for his breakthrough 1963 supporting role as a bitter young coal miner who becomes a professional rugby star in "This Sporting Life" and again nearly 30 years later for his comeback role as an elderly curmudgeon determined to hold on to his property in the 1990 drama "The Field."

Other film credits included the role of King Arthur in the 1967 movie adaptation of the Lerner and Loewe musical "Camelot" and the portrayal of an English aristocrat captured and tortured by Sioux Indians in the 1970 western "A Man Called Horse."

Harris, whose gravelly voice made him an unlikely pop star -- despite his singing role in "Camelot" -- confounded critics by scoring a hit in 1968 with a recording of "MacArthur Park."

Harris spent several years on the British stage, including a London production of "View from the Bridge," before making his movie debut in the 1958 film "Alive and Kicking."

In addition to his film performance in "Camelot," he starred in stage revivals of the show, including a career-reviving turn as King Arthur after Richard Burton fell ill at the end of a 1982 tour. Harris ended up sticking with the tour for five years.

Other stage shows included "The Ginger Man,"" "Diary of a Madman" and a 1990 London run of "Henry V," which won several awards.

The actor, who long had a reputation as a hell-raiser, has said publicly he gave up drinking in 1982, going cold turkey after a "farewell" celebration in which he and friends indulged in two $370 bottles of Chateau Margaux.

"When the bottle was empty, and I had this much left in my glass, I looked at my watch, and it was 20 past 11, and I said, 'This is my last drink.' And I never touched the stuff again," he told the New York Times in a 1990 interview.

Here's hoping he's remembered for being more than just Professor Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films.

CBS Looking At Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Is CBS going scantily clad?

The network, which will air a Victoria's Secret lingerie fashion show next month, says it is also looking at the idea of a Victoria's Secret swimsuit special featuring that company's signature clothes and models.

A CBS spokeswoman said the network had talked with Limited Brands Inc. about the idea of such a show and was open to airing it. A spokeswoman for Limited Brands was not immediately available for comment.

This year's Victoria's Secret lingerie show is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 10 p.m., and CBS is promoting it as a major special during "sweeps," the periods where advertising rates are set based on network ratings.

The networks generally run a number of specials and promotions in the period to boost results.

Last year's special drew 12.4 million viewers for ABC in a November airing at the Thursday 9 p.m. time slot, but also garnered a slew of complaints to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, alleging the show was indecent. Those complaints were dismissed.

CBS is a unit of Viacom Inc. and ABC is a unit of Walt Disney Co.

Don't Resist!

Just watch this trailer!

McLachlan covers Kermit song

Sarah McLachlan will be croaking for charity with a version of The Kermit The Frog-sung Muppets' classic, "The Rainbow Connection."

The song will appear on the children's album, "For The Kids," and released through Nettwerk Records.

Proceeds from the release of the album will be donated to U.S. video channel VH1's Save The Music Foundation, which works towards restoring music programs in U.S. public schools.

The album also features songs by fellow Canadian artists Barenaked Ladies and Chantal & Raine Maida, as well as Cake, Guster, and Billy Bragg and Wilco.

It hits Canadian stores on November 5.

Hey Look!

It's online Rubik's Cube!

Fulks Invites Fans To Heckle Ryan Adams

Roots rock rabble-rouser Robbie Fulks is adding a little fuel to a recent controversy involving fellow singer/songwriter Ryan Adams. At one of the latter's concerts earlier this month in Nashville, someone in the audience yelled out a request for "Summer of '69," a hit for veteran Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. Ryan Adams reacted with a stream of profranity, located the fan, and paid him $30 as a refund before ordering him to leave. A similar incident had occured at a prior show in New York.

A note posted on Fulks' official Web site reads, "Any reader who attends a Ryan Adams show and disrupts the show with a Bryan Adams song request will receive in return merchandise of his or her choice, equal to the cost of the ticket, from my online store. You're on the honor system, necessarily; but please provide the date and location of the show, what you yelled, and what Ryan's reaction was."

Fulks is known for such irreverent tunes as "She Took a Lot of Pills and Died" and "Roots Rock Weirdos," the latter of which lambasted fans of the so-called "alt.country" genre. He and Ryan Adams have recorded for noted Chicago independent label Bloodshot.

"There's nothing really personal behind it," Fulks tells Billboard.com, noting that he has only met Adams on a handful of occasions. "I just don't like his music is all, or his persona. He's something of an ambassador for the roots music corner of the world to the public at large. I think he's the wrong person for that job. Not that he sees himself as occupying that role, but essentially that's what he's become. That's why I'd pick on him as opposed to Britney Spears."

Never one to rest on his laurels, Fulks says he is two-thirds done with a Michael Jackson covers album that he hopes to release next summer under the title "Dear Michael, Love Robbie." Among the tracks that have been recorded so far are "Billie Jean," "Ben," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," and "Privacy." Of the latter, Fulks says, "We did it in kind of a John Zorn/Metallica speed metal style with Bob Weston and Todd Trainer from [Chicago rock outfit] Shellac."

Tonight (Oct. 24), Fulks plays Elkhart, Ill., while Adams, whose rep had no comment on the situation, descends on San Francisco.

Mariah Carey Covers Def Leppard On New Album

Mariah Carey covers Def Leppard's 1980s song "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" on her upcoming album, Charmbracelet.

Carey was 11 years old when the song first came out, featured on Def Leppard's 1981 album, High And Dry. It was also included on the band's 1995 greatest hits set, Vault. The new cover version is done rock-ballad style, and boasts a guitar solo by musician Rob Bacon.

Other tracks on Carey's album include the current advance single "Through The Rain," and "My Saving Grace." In another song, the title of which has not been anounced, the half-Irish, half-Puerto Rican pop star sings a line sure to draw attention: "I was stigmatized for being black and white."

Justin Timberlake's vocals have reportedly been added to one of the numbers as well, to create a duet.

Charmbracelet arrives December 10 in stores, on Island-Def Jam MonarC Music.

Max Weinberg May Not Be Back to Conan For a While

According to Little Steven, guitarist for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, the group will be hitting the road for a second tour beginning in spring 2003. "Well, we're gonna continue. We're gonna step things up. Really, this first four months is really just a quick hit warm-up. The real tour is gonna start in March, April, I think. You know, we're gonna probably start camping out in cities. Right now, we're doing nothing but one-nighters, literally--I mean, we have not done two shows anywhere, and we won't through December--just sort of to introduce the record to as many different cities as we can," said Steven. The group is currently working on finishing its first tour in support of THE RISING; the last date is December 14 in Albany, New York.

TWIN HAPPENINGS

Filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly planning to direct Stuck on You, a comedy about the adventures of conjoined twins. The brothers are in talks with Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear to star.

UP FOR RE-ELECTION

Robert Redford and screenwriter Larry Gelbart hatching a sequel to their 1972 political drama The Candidate. Redford will reprise his role as idealistic politician Bill McKay.

The Final Frontier?

Who was it that said films aren't finished, they're abandoned? Such words may never have proven more true than in the case of the much-maligned Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. William "I am not Kirk!" Shatner's directorial debut failed to win over either critics or most Trekkers, yet rumors continue to swirl of a "Director's Cut" finally popping up on DVD.

As fans already know, Paramount will be releasing special editions of all the original cast Trek films (with installments I, II and III already out), and several sources have indicated that Shatner is currently in talks to supervise a new cut of the film, a la The Motion Picture - The Director's Edition, complete with new effects.

Stay tuned...

I Have No Will Power!

So I started watching the new E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial DVD on Wednesday night, and I wanted to see how long I could go without craving Reeses Pieces.

For the record I lasted 22 minutes before I went to the store to buy some.

Luckily I wasn't watching Charlie And The Chocolate Factory or Cannibal! The Musical.

The Hornby Top Ten
by Nick Hornby

The author of "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" picks the 10 record tracks he could not imagine living without.

1 Bruce Springsteen: 'Thunder Road', from Born to Run (Columbia, 1975)

At a crude estimate, I must have played 'Thunder Road' 1500 times. A lot in the first year - twenty times a week - and then probably once every couple of weeks since then. There's another version I play a lot as well, which is an acoustic one on a bootleg someone gave, that's very, very slow and very, very sad. It's completely different, completely re-imagined, and I would think recorded when he was a bit older and sadder. In the mid-'70s, sax wasn't such a big deal. And I can remember with Springsteen and Southside Johnny - who I used to see a lot at that time too - one of the amazing things about them is they had horns onstage. I never saw horns when I went to see Rory Gallagher or Dr. Feelgood, so that was a big deal. There was also that guitar sound that was almost a bit like the Shadows, a twangy thing, especially when Springsteen played live, and it just sounded like this great synthesis of all the music I'd ever liked up until that point. And I've really stuck by Springsteen. I still think he's a really interesting person, and much misunderstood and maligned. And I hate people who hate him!

2 The Clash: '(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais' (CBS B-side, 1979)

I couldn't imagine a list of ten records that didn't contain a punk record - that didn't contain a Clash record. And this is my favourite Clash record: this and 'Complete Control'. I still listen to it a lot, and I'm still struck by how unwieldy some of the lyrics are, and how out-of-tune some of the singing is. But it just builds up to such a fantastic climax, I think. And there are little pop hooks all over the place. I used to go and see the Clash a fair bit. I did think they were dead cool, and very handsome. It's funny, I was looking at that Mojo list of a hundred punk singles that they did, and it struck me how fantastically awful almost all of them were, and how I never wanted to hear any of them again! But it was great then, because I was at college, and it just seemed like every couple of days I could go into the local record shop and there would be something brilliant that I had never heard before. But the point seemed to be the plenty - that there were so many of them, and so many labels. Once you start thinking, 'Which ones would I choose?', you realise this one's horrible and that one's horrible… do you know what I mean? I suppose I still play the Buzzcocks: those singles, I think, were fantastic. I certainly couldn't bear to play Never Mind the Bollocks, I don't think.

3 Marah: 'My Heart is the Bums on the Street', from Kids in Philly (E-Squared, 2000)

I suppose my last new discovery, that I absolutely loved, is a little band called Marah. I met, on a book tour, a really nice guy called Dan DeLuca from the Philadelphia Inquirer, and we went out for a drink. He gave me this cassette and said, 'This is a local band and I think they're great'. I don't know why I put it on, but it was partly because Dan told me that Marah was the Tree of Bitterness in the Bible! And then he said, 'I think it's a Springsteen thing', which was a sort of subterranean connection. And it turned out they were absolute Springsteen nuts, which is quite interesting 'cause they're in their mid-20's. The band consists of two brothers, and whichever other two people can put up with them at the time! I think they're on their third rhythm section since I started listening to them. They're very ambitious. I was in New York about a year after I'd first heard this cassette, and I was looking in the New Yorker and noticed they were playing that night. I'd arranged to meet everyone I knew in New York for dinner, and I made them finish their dinner very quickly and go round the corner to the Mercury Lounge to watch Marah. They did a whole extended medley that included 'Magic Bus' and 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. And I met the band, and I've sort of kept in touch with them ever since. In a Clash way they're a good gang. They look the part. The two brothers are incredibly handsome. And then I was back in New York, and they said they were playing the Stone Pony, which obviously was a big deal to me. I was reading with Zadie Smith, and I'd been given a driver by the New Yorker who'd been told to take us where we wanted to go. So three of us got in this car and said we wanted to go to Asbury Park! And the band basically waited for us to get there, which took about an hour and a quarter. My Heart is the Bums on the Street' is sort of a little pop-soul song that sounds a bit Jackie Wilson-ish. Ideally I'd choose the Stone Pony version of that song. There was an embarrassing moment during that show when I was grabbed and shoved onstage to sing backing vocals on their encore version of 'Love Train'! At least it wasn't in England!

4 Teenage Fanclub: 'Your Love is the Place Where I Come From', from Songs from Northern Britain (Creation, 1997)

I love everything they do, but that one in particular. Last year I went to see the Fannies play an acoustic set at the Hammersmith Palais. When I walked in, they were doing a soundcheck and playing this song and it sounded completely beautiful. And when they played it later it was incredibly moving. And even though there's probably fifteen of theirs I'd have, that one more than any is the one I'd choose. What I love more than anything about Teenage Fanclub is just tunes. I don't think there are many other bands that have a back catalogue like that. I don't like very much British music, so it's nice for me to have something British that's roughly contemporary. It tends to be Scottish groups that I like rather than English ones. People say they're a direct Byrds ripoff, but I'm not that keen on the Byrds and I'm much keener on the Fanclub. I've got that Byrds box set and it's very hard to make your way through that. I suppose what I also love about Teenage Fanclub is an optimism and a lack of cynicism. You get ground down after a while by the dark stuff. I've got a homemade Fanclub tape in the car that gets an awful bashing. And Songs for Northern Britain is a desert island album for me.

5 Marvin Gaye: 'Let's Get It On', from Let's Get It On (Tamla Motown, 1973)

I think this is the best pop record ever made. I didn't think they should do it at the end of High Fidelity because I didn't think Jack Black would do it well, but he was so great. It was entirely appropriate for me that the movie ended like that, and it was very funny to write in the book - the idea of this nerd who was a pain in the ass but has this incredible singing voice. Still, I think, a lot of people don't believe it was him actually singing. I'd say I got into Marvin Gaye properly in college. I probably only bought it in 1977. I think we white rock fans tend to be slightly retro in our black music listening! When I was 19 I went through all the Motown and the Stax things. Then it was Al Green and so on. And in the '80s I listened more to soul than to rock, I think. I went to see Luther Vandross and things like that - Luther was one of the few people we got a chance to see. Let's Get It On' is just so bottomless, the way those voices are layered on top of each other. I still hear little 'oohs' and 'aahs' and little vocal melody lines that I didn't hear the last last time, and there's not many records that have got anything left in them like that. It's also, I think, got some of the greatest drumming I've ever heard on a soul record.

6 O.V. Wright: 'That's The Way I Feel About Cha', from The Bottom Line (Hi, 1978)

With Hi Records, it's Al Green followed by Ann Peebles followed by O.V. Wright. I love the O.V. Wright records, because it's one of the few times that you hear that Hi house band being allowed to let rip a bit. It's more sort of kitchen-sinky than the Al Green records. And I love it that O.V. Wright's got a lisp. It sounds like his teeth aren't in properly. [I think they'd fallen out - Ed.] Plus I love that Bobby Womack song, because it's a sort of old marriage song, isn't it?

7 The Bible: 'Glorybound', from The Bible (Ensign, 1989) - original single version currently unavailable

For a long time, Boo Hewerdine was the only person I knew who played music. He was a friend of a friend of mine who worked in a record shop in Cambridge, and I used to see him around. And there's always that sort of fantastically embarrassing thing when somebody suddenly says they've made a record, and would you give it a listen. And I thought it was quite good. It was very professional, and it had a tune, and I was quite surprised because Boo was quite a dour character. And the Bible just started playing locally and I used to go and see them all the time. I think being a fan of a band is, in a way, the best sort of criticism, because you're prepared to give songs a chance. When you love a band, any bad song is forgiven as an aberration. Any song you half-like you'll play another four times to make up your mind about it. And actually, that's what music criticism should be, and it just isn't! "Glory Bound" is a lovely song, and very romantic. It nicks that Horace Silver bass line from the beginning of 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number'. This was a time when I couldn't find very much that I wanted to listen to. I found the post-punk period very difficult, so what saved it for me at the time was - because I love songs so much - Paddy McAloon and Danny Wilson and Roddy Frame. And I thought Boo's best stuff was as good as theirs. And they were all doomed!

8 LL Cool J: 'Going Back to Cali', from Walking with a Panther (Def Jam, 1989)

There was a time when I thought hip hop was going to be fantastically exciting: there was an energy and a musicality there. But I've found almost nothing over the last few years. The second OutKast album, Aquemini, I liked a lot, but that's a soul album, really. The LL Cool J track I first heard on the soundtrack to Less Than Zero, and I think it still sounds fantastic. That scratching has got a real thump to it. I have it on in the car a lot: it's a fantastic driving song. I didn't learn to drive until two years ago, so music in the car is quite a new thing for me, and a pretty good thing. With the LL Cool J, it's a toss-up between that and Blackstreet's 'No Diggity'.

9 Prince and the New Power Generation: 'Sexy MF', from the 'Symbol' album (Paisley Park, 1992)

I loved him a lot, and I think the second best show I've ever seen was Prince on the Parade tour. It was just this soul revue that I've never seen the like of since. As I remember it, there were hardly any breaks. There were just these long jams, and he had a horn section and these three huge guys singing and dancing with him. It was just electric. And then the next time it was all rubbish with cars and beds and flowers unfolding. "Sexy MF" is the last great record he made. I've been doing a tiny bit of DJ'ing, at bits and pieces of things recently. And that is just such a fantastic record in a club. The whoompf of that riff, a great horn section, fantastic guitar and organ solos. It's too short, I think: I wish there was a ten-minute version of it. I remember a great interview with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis where they said they couldn't believe what he was asking them to play. They said, 'We can't do that', and he said, 'Yes, you can do that'. And then they did it, and then he said, "OK, now the dance steps…"

10 Steve Earle: 'Telephone Road', from El Corazon (Warner Bros., 1997)

It's got a fantastically understated gospel group on it - I think the Fairfield Four - doing a call-and-response thing, and that kind of tension in the record is great. It's a sort of rocker, with a great syncopated rocky beat. And he's someone that's meant quite a lot in dark days of not much good music. Just all those great records in a row. And I still think there's three, four, five great songs on probably every one of his albums since Train a-Comin'. He's such a great rock'n'roll writer, I think. He takes a lot of trouble writing rockers, whereas most people who do rockers just think that any kind of all-purpose boogie is enough, and they'll write tunes for the ballads. There aren't many great rock songs from the last few years, but this is one of them.

Christian Slater Joins THE WEST WING

NBC has announced that Christian Slater has agreed to making a multi-episode guest appearance on THE WEST WING, playing a submarine commander.

BACK TO HIS ROOTS

Director Terry Gilliam coming aboard to develop and possibly direct MGM's Brothers Grimm, fictional action-adventure tale about the famous folklore collectors and siblings who travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and are themselves put to the test.

COMEBACK KID

Fox is bringing back "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" starting on Sunday, December 1.

No word yet about "Greg The Bunny" returning.

What happened to the Christina who skipped on the beach with her little dancer friends, warbling about a genie in a bottle? This Christina is more likely to throw a bottle at a wall nowadays. And chances are you'll also find her brawling with other girls rather than being winsome in the sand. "I don't like pretty," she says.

Whoever said she was pretty?!?!

If you dare, read the Rolling Stone article.

Led Zeppelin Management Denies Reunion Reports

Led Zeppelin's management is officially denying reports that the group plans to reunite in 2003 for a new album and/or tour. A statement issued by the group's management office says, "Recent reports concerning an alleged Led Zeppelin reunion are completely speculative. We don't know where these sources are coming from--certainly not from anyone in our management offices. There is no tour, there are no plans for a tour, and no discussions have taken place."

The reports surfaced in August, when sources in the band's management office told LAUNCH that discussions were under way about a group reunion, including a tour, in 2003. The story gained steam earlier this month when producer Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Journey, the Black Crowes) was linked with a reported new Zeppelin recording for next year.

What is certain, however, is that guitarist Jimmy Page has been combing through filmed and videotaped performances of Led Zeppelin concerts for a DVD package that's slated for release sometime in 2003.

New R.E.M. Album Progressing, Out Within A Year

A new R.E.M. album can be expected within a year, according to the band's manager, Bertis Downs.

Downs, the manager and general counsel for the group, said work has started up again on the band's 12th album, the follow up to 2001's Reveal.

Singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, and bassist Mike Mills began new songs in their home base of Athens, Georgia, and more recently, spent time in studio in Vancouver.

"The guys plan to work in bursts on this record--a few weeks here, somewhere warmer in the winter, different in the spring, possibly some shows next summer," Downs said. "All should result in a new disc, available in a panoply of formats in a matter of months (more likely a year or so)."

"Peter, Mike, and Michael are doing great individually and collectively, and all seem supercharged to be back in the studio, writing, playing, trying things out, getting sounds," the message said. R.E.M. has been working with engineer/producers Pat McCarthy and Jamie Candiloro.

Downs also offered his own tour book view of Vancouver. "October everywhere is a pretty spectacular time of year, it seems especially crisp, cool, and vivid in British Columbia right about now. It's sort of like Seattle if Seattle was in Europe--very cosmopolitan--a true melting pot of cultures, and a wonderful city to explore on foot. Anyway...they're off, early days, but good vibes about the next one."

Ripken's streak most memorable moment

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games streak was voted baseball's most memorable moment in fan balloting.

The milestone by the Baltimore Orioles' shortstop in 1995 received 282,821 votes, out of more than 1.1 million cast. Many credit Ripken's feat with bringing many fans back to baseball following the 1994 players' strike.

"Mine was a heartfelt moment for many people,'' Ripken told The Associated Press. "I know that because they've told me. For me, it was a magical moment.''
 
Rounding out the top five memorable moments was Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record in 1974 (275,451 votes); Jackie Robinson becoming the first black to play in major league baseball in 1947 (251,564 votes); the home run chase by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to beat Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998 (242,279 votes); and Gehrig's farewell speech in Yankee Stadium in 1939 (237,131 votes).

The rest of the top 10 moments were Pete Rose breaking Ty Cobb's all-time career hits record in 1985 (230,852 votes); Ted Williams becoming the last player to hit above .400 in 1941 (203,982 votes); Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 (176,810 votes); Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win Game 1 of the 1988 World Series (157,716 votes); and Nolan Ryan's seventh career no-hitter in 1991 (146,269 votes).

Major league baseball and MasterCard, which sponsored the balloting, announced the results before Game 4 of the World Series in San Francisco.

Not making the top 10 were two moments dear to Giants fans: Bobby Thomson's ``Shot Heard 'Round the World'' in a 1951 playoff game to propel the New York Giants past Brooklyn into the World Series, and Willie Mays' over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series against Cleveland.

Mays was at Pacific Bell Park before Game 3 and recalled his play that robbed Vic Wertz at the Polo Grounds. Mays, however, added that he thought he'd made a few better plays in his career.

Other famous World Series moments not making the top-10: Joe Carter's title clinching home run in Game 6 against Philadephia in 1993; Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956 against Brooklyn; Bill Mazeroski's home run to beat the Yankees in 1960; and Carlton Fisk's shot to win Game 6 of the 1975 Series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Voting took place in all 30 major league ballparks, on major league baseball's Web site, and from ballots in selected magazines and at participating advertisers.

CBS Postpones Sniper-Themed 'CSI: Miami' Episode

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - CBS has postponed an episode of its hit crime drama "CSI: Miami" that deals with a series of shootings by a sniper because of the sniper attacks in the Washington D.C. area, the network said on Wednesday.

A network spokesman said the episode has been filmed but no decision has been made about when it will air. He said that if the sniper shootings had never taken place, the episode would have probably aired this year.

The show in question, first pitched to the network in August, features a sniper shooting people from a Miami high-rise building.

"CSI: Miami," a spin-off of "CSI," has proven to be a major hit for CBS in its freshman season. According to Nielsen Media Research, "CSI: Miami" is the No. 5 show of the season to date, and the No. 3 drama.

Last week, film studio 20th Century Fox pulled the sniper thriller, "Phone Booth," from its Nov. 15 release date.

The movie stars Irish actor Colin Farrell as a man who answers a ringing telephone in a phone booth only to learn he is in the gun sights of a sniper, played by Kiefer Sutherland of television's "24," who threatens to shoot if he hangs up.

A new release date for the film has not yet been set.

CBS is a unit of Viacom Inc. and 20th Century Fox is a unit of News Corp. Ltd.

Faith Hill Turns Queen of Record Sales

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Long live the Queen! Country pop diva Faith Hill knocked the King of Rock 'N Roll off his throne, replacing Elvis Presley at the top of album sales tallies on Wednesday with her new album titled "Cry."

Selling 472,000 copies in its first week of release ended Oct. 20, "Cry" nearly doubled Hill's record-breaking 1999 "Breathe" debut, which also hit No. 1 on the North American charts and sold 242,229 in its first week, her label, Warner Bros., a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., said.

But while Warner was pleased with the showing for "Cry," which blends country, pop, gospel, and rhythm and blues, the sales actually paled in comparison with the receipts earned by fellow country crooners Dixie Chicks, who sold 780,000 units in their first week of release in early September.

The Chicks have sustained good sales levels for the past eight weeks, with industry watchers predicting both the Hill and Chicks albums to serve as a prelude for more hits being released soon by divas like Christina Aguilera, Shania Twain, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey.

"These guys are crossing over in a big way. They're really not country records," said Sue Bryan, general manager of music for J&R Music World in New York City, referring to Hill and the Dixie Chicks.

"Business is stronger overall. As we have more big releases coming out this week and next week, we're expecting a big lift," Bryan said, noting Santana's just-released album, "Shaman," was already selling fast and was likely to be No. 1 next week. The album was released on Tuesday.

Other big releases due out soon include the soundtrack to Eminem's new movie "8 Mile" and a compilation of grunge band Nirvana's greatest hits.

Presley's "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits," which was released 25 years after his death and held the No. 1 slot on the Nielsen Soundscan album tracker charts for three weeks, fell from first to third place in the latest week, according to the King's label, Bertelsmann AG's RCA Records.

The album sold 143,304 units, taking its four-week domestic tally to nearly 1.2 million units, an RCA spokesman said.

Sandwiched between the queen and king in terms of sales was rapper LL Cool J, whose new album "10," released on Vivendi Universal's Def Jam label, sold an estimated 154,310 units in the latest week, industry sources said.

Play All Day!

Check out this groovy hela-fun South Park boombox. It's guaranteed to make you laugh for hours!

THE KING'S COIF

Thousands of strands of Elvis Presley's hair collected by the King's barber set to be auctioned off on October 28 via collectibles auction house MastroNet. Bidding starts at $10,000.

AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE?

Paramount Pictures, distributor of all three Godfather movies, getting the first shot at screen rights to a new installment of late author Mario Puzo's Mafia series, which is in the planning stages at Random House. The publisher and Puzo's estate are looking to draft a new writer to continue the Corleone saga.

WIZARD OF OZZ

MTV president Brian Graden telling TV Guide Online the second season of The Osbournes will start on schedule next month, despite Sharon Osbourne ongoing cancer treatment. MTV has at least four episodes in the can already. Published reports had speculated that MTV might delay the second season until next year.

World Series Striking Out in Early TV Ratings

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The World Series has been an offensive showcase in its first two games, full of homers, big hits, and big numbers -- except on television.

Fox Sports said on Tuesday total viewership for the first two games of this year's contest between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants was down 13 percent from 2001's series between the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Nielsen Media Research statistics.

In fact, the first two games, played on Saturday and Sunday, drew lower ratings than the first two games in the 2000 series, a four-game sweep by the New York Yankees over the New York Mets that was Nielsen's lowest-rated series in history.

This year's first two games drew 17.5 million average viewers compared with 20.1 million a year earlier.

Game One's rating, a measure of the percentage of homes with TVs that watched the game, was down 10 percent from 2001's Game One. Game Two was down 21 percent from the 2001 Game Two on the same basis.

The all-California series -- which opened at Edison International Field in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles -- has performed strongly among viewers in the western United States, but is down year-over-year in the Midwest and mountain states and is off a full 25 percent in the Eastern time zone compared with last year.

Fox, which paid $2.5 billion in 2000 for six years of baseball broadcasting rights, had been hoping to at least to break even with last year's results.

Fox Sports President and Executive Producer Ed Goren had said last week that the network's best-case scenario for this year's series would be to break even compared to last year's matchup.

Excluding the World Series, Fox's overall baseball ratings for the four divisional series and two league championship series this year were up 5 percent over 2001.

Fox also said it had won the nightly prime-time competition both Saturday and Sunday nights in total viewers and adults aged 18-49, a key demographic for advertisers.

Both of the first two games were close, with San Francisco edging Anaheim 4-3 in Game One and Anaheim powering out an 11-10 victory over the Giants in Game Two. Oddsmakers had San Francisco as a slight favorite to take Game Three, scheduled for Tuesday evening in San Francisco's Pac Bell Stadium.

Fox and Fox Sports are units of News Corp. Ltd.

Collins: Sex Preserves Beauty

LONDON, England (Reuters) - For really old 69-year-old really old looking British actress Joan Collins, sex is one of the best and cheapest beauty treatments there is.

The actress, currently on husband number five, said she was not a fan of plastic surgery, telling BBC World Service in an interview: "I think liposuction is something so horrible -- they have so many disasters with it."

"Dolly Parton has face like a doll, you know, it doesn't look right to me," said the actress, currently promoting her new book "Joan's Way -- looking good, feeling great."

Collins said she was convinced that sex was "one of the best and cheapest beauty treatments there is."

One word- "Ewwwwwwwww!"

Ozzy Shocked By Queen (Not The Band)

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Rock's Wild Man Ozzy Osbourne freaked out when he met Queen Elizabeth and can't remember a word she said to him.

Osbourne, whose outrageous stunts have ranged from biting the head off a bat to urinating on the Alamo while dressed as a woman, was introduced to Queen Elizabeth at this summer's Golden Jubilee pop concert at Buckingham Palace.

He confessed to Britain's Radio Times: "I freaked out. I assumed I was the in-house joke. The Queen spoke to me but I haven't a clue what she said. Look at photographs -- I'm in shock."

Of his nervous disposition he said: "I hyperventilate opening a box of chocolates. I'm the most nervous guy in the world, a frightened little man on red alert from when I wake until I go to sleep. I was born with fear."

And the star of the expletive-filled MTV reality show about his zany family is fully aware how fleeting fame can be. "I'm flavor of the month, hottest ticket in town, but eventually we'll be yesterday's news. Then I'll have serenity again," he said.

Today's New Releases

There are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of superb new DVD titles that are being released today and I want to buy them all!

How many will you pick up?

Here are the new DVD and Video releases for Tuesday, October 22nd, 2002.

UP FIRST, THE MAJOR, MUST HAVE TITLES

THE JAMES BOND COLLECTION: VOLUME 1- This 7-disc box set includes many goodies and the films:
* Dr. No (Special Edition) (commentary by director Terence Young, the cast and crew; 2 documentaries; featurette)
* Goldfinger (Special Edition) (commentary by director Guy Hamilton and commentary by the cast and crew; original radio interviews with Sean Connery; 2 documentaries; original publicity featurette)
* The Man with the Golden Gun (Special Edition) (commentary by director Guy Hamilton, the cast and crew; Inside The Man With The Golden Gun documentary; Double-0 Stuntmen documentary)
* The Spy Who Loved Me (Special Edition) (commentary by director Lewis Gilbert, the cast and crew; 2 documentaries)
* Licence to Kill (Special Edition) (commentary by director John Glen; commentary by producer Michael G. Wilson; documentary; promotional featurette highlighting stunt footage & theatrical publicity footage; music videos: "License to Kill" by Gladys Knight & "If You Asked Me To" by Patti LaBelle
* GoldenEye (Special Edition) (commentary by director Martin Campbell & producer Michael G. Wilson; documentary: The World of 007; "The GoldenEye Video Journal" featurette; music video "GoldenEye" by Tina Turner)
* Tomorrow Never Dies (Special Edition) (commentary by director Roger Spottiswoode; commentary by second unit director Vic Armstrong & producer Michael G. Wilson; Secrets of 007 featurette; stunning visual effects reel; music video "Tomorrow Never Dies" by Sheryl Crow; isolated music-only audio track & interview with composer David Arnold; innovative storyboard overlay technology that compares initial "Action-Scene" concepts with the final film).

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL- A Boy befriends the infamous homesick little alien in a California suburb. All versions of the DVD will have the original 1982 version and the altered/sanitized 2002 release. (Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace)

MR. DEEDS- A small-town guy gets inheritance and moves to big city. (Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder, Peter Gallagher)

Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN- An "older woman" gets caught up in an affair with two boys in this hard to find foreign film. (Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna)

THE BEST OF ARBUCKLE/KEATON COLLECTION- A series of superb short films starring silent film legend Keaton. (Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle)

MAD ABOUT YOU: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON- I mention that the complete first season of the TV series Mad About You is being released just to prove that even out and out crap can get released on DVD. (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt)

And then here is the rest of today's massive list of new releases.

Nirvana Best-Of Collects 14 Songs

The upcoming Nirvana collection, much-hyped due to the inclusion of the previously unreleased "You Know You're Right," will feature 14 songs overall, according to the Universal Music sales catalog. The album arrives October 29.

Tracks include the song responsible for the former Seattle band's breakout success, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and three others from the album Nevermind. Five songs from the In Utero era are also featured while three others date back to the band's pre-Geffen Sub Pop days. A cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World" is also featured.

The complete track listing is: "You Know You're Right," "About A Girl," "Been A Son," "Sliver," "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Come As You Are," "Lithium," "In Bloom," "Heart Shaped Box," "Pennyroyal Tea," "Rape Me," "Dumb," "All Apologies," and "The Man Who Sold The World."

Carey hopes new album is a charm

Mariah Carey's hoping her fans will be charmed by her first album since her nervous breakdown last year.

She's just revealed her follow-up to the critically panned album "Glitter" will be titled "Charmbracelet," reports MTV.com. It's her first album since signing with hip-hop label Island Def Jam earlier this year.

"Charm bracelets have always had a person