What's on TV: This weekend

* Whoopi Goldberg , Joan Cusack and David Arquette join Kermit and company for It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (NBC, Friday, 8 ET/PT) The plot salutes a host of Christmas classics.

* Here's something you probably never thought you'd see: TLC revives the ancient world's favorite sport with Chariot Race 2002. (Sunday, 8 ET/PT) .

* How many ways are there to rip off Die Hard? Apparently, at least one more: Christmas Rush(TBS, Sunday, 8 p.m. ET/7 PT) which stars Dean Cain as a suspended cop trying to foil a heist in a shopping mall. Yes, there are hostages - and yes, the cop's wife is among them. The thief is played by Eric Roberts, who has a much better full-time job over at ABC's delightful Less Than Perfect.

* And finally, Fox (finally) brings back Andy Richter Controls the Universe (Sunday, 9:30 pm ET/PT) and just like that, the sitcom season looks immeasurably brighter. In Sunday's frequently hilarious outing, a misjudged racial comment lands Andy in sensitivity training, where he is taught to celebrate the differences we're not allowed to admit exist.

Clooney Wasn't First Pick For 'Solaris'

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - Despite his friendship with Steven Soderbergh, actor George Clooney wasn't always the director's first choice for "Solaris."

Soderbergh told the Orange County Register on Tuesday he first considered casting actor Daniel Day-Lewis to play the hero of his space station romance that opened last week.

But Day-Lewis was busy with Martin Scorcese's "Gangs of New York." Soderbergh said he didn't initially approach Clooney about the role, even though the pair are partners in the production company Section Eight.

"I thought he could do it, but I didn't know if George thought he could do it now," the director said. "Maybe in a year or two, when he was in a place in his career when he was more comfortable and had more faith in his skills, he would realize that he could do it."

A few months later, Soderbergh received a letter from Clooney. "It said, 'I think I would like to try to do this,'" the director recalled. "As soon as I read the letter, I knew he was ready to play this role."

"Anger Management."

Good stuff!

Quentin Tarantino Returns With "Kill Bill"

Ooooooh, and it stars Uma Thurman!

For more on "Kill Bill" you know what yo do with this highlighted part.

(Oh, by the way, it is in German!)

THE OZZMAN COMETH (AGAIN)

Tuesday night's second season premiere of MTV's The Osbournes drew 6.6 million viewers, up 84 percent from last season's opener, but down from the record-setting finale.

Ramis: Murray blocked 'Ghostbusters 3'

Who you gonna call? If you're director Harold Ramis, not Bill Murray.

In the new issue of Script Magazine, Ramis tells journalist David Cohen that he cites Bill Murray as one of the reasons why a "Ghostbusters 3" never materialized.

"Bill Murray wouldn't appear in it. I think he didn't want to see a sequel made so he became kind of obstructionist about it," Ramis is quoted as saying.

In the draft script entitled "Ghostbusters: Hellbent" written by Dan Aykroyd (based on a story by Aykroyd and co-star Ramis), the Ghostbusters team once again to fight spirits and demons. Due to an overpopulation problem in hell, the Devil evicts diabolical souls back into the living world. The Ghostbusters have to then use their high-tech gadgets to send the souls back where they belong.

"Analyze That," Ramis' sequel to 1999 comedy hit "Analyze This" starring Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, hits theatres on December 6th.

McCartney to Join Stars at Harrison Benefit

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney will join some of the biggest names in music Friday for a memorial concert to George Harrison.

McCartney is due to appear on stage with Fab Four drummer Ringo Starr, former Cream frontman Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne, co-founder of British band Electric Light Orchestra.

Harrison's widow arranged the concert at London's Royal Albert Hall with Clapton to mark the first anniversary of the former Beatle's death from cancer.

"The tribute for George will resound not only within the Albert Hall but hopefully reach the spirit of the man so loved by his friends who will be performing and attending," Olivia Harrison said in a statement.

Other performers due to appear include British musician Jools Holland, American singer Tom Petty and Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitar player who influenced Harrison.

The sell-out concert will raise money for one of Harrison's favorite charities, the Material World Charitable Foundation, which supports the arts, education and people with special needs.

Zsa Zsa Gabor in LA Hospital After Car Crash

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hungarian-born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, beloved by generations of Americans for her flamboyant lifestyle and ability to marry rich and often, was hospitalized with head injuries on Thursday after a car crash, officials said.

A spokeswoman for Cedars-Sinai Hospital said Gabor, believed to be in her mid-80s, was in serious condition. She was rushed to Cedars after the car in which she was riding struck a utility pole on Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday.

The Cedars spokeswoman declined to comment on a report from a spokesman for Gabor's eighth and current husband, German Prince Frederic von Anhalt, that she was in a coma. The couple married in 1986.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Gabor was injured when a car driven by her hairdresser hit a utility pole. Gabor was not wearing a seat belt, a department spokesman said.

Her husband's spokesman, Gerd Birkman, told Reuters in Berlin: "Prince Frederic von Anhalt was crying 'Oh my dear wife, why does she have to suffer so? At home I was able to take such good care of her and now as soon as she went out this terrible accident happened."'

Birkman said von Anhalt was devastated and had canceled all his engagements for the rest of the year.

Gabor, who came to the United States with her mother and sisters as World War II was about to begin, became famous in her adopted country for her glamour, wit, hot temper and ability to snare a succession of well-to-do husbands.

Acting played second-fiddle to her career as a celebrity fueled by a preposterous Hungarian accent in which all and sundry were called "Darling" -- a term she said she used because "I don't remember anyone's name."

Her movie career started well with such films as "Lili" and "Moulin Rouge," both in 1953, but degenerated into camp favorites as "Queen of Outer Space" in 1958 and "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Save Hollywood" in 1983.

But she launched a second career as television talk show favorite dispensing advice on love: "A girl must marry for love and keep on marrying until she finds it."

SLAPPED AN OFFICER

In 1989 Gabor's temper led to a weeks-long trial for slapping a police officer who had stopped her Rolls Royce for having an expired license plate. Her belligerent attitude prompted the judge to sentence her to 72 hours in jail, fines and 120 hours of community service.

Once branded "the most expensive courtesan since Madame de Pompadour," Gabor insisted she married only husband No. 2, hotel baron Conrad Hilton, for his money. "I've always said, don't marry a man for his money. You can borrow it cheaper," she once said.

Gabor lists her birthday as Feb. 7 but has steadfastly refused to reveal the year of her birth. Born Sari Gabor, she was named Miss Hungary in the 1930s, but with the approach of World War II she and her two sisters, Eva and Magda, were forced to give up their lives of chauffeurs and private schools.

Together with their mother, Jolie, they made their way to the United States. Gabor left behind her first husband, Burhan Belge, a press spokesman for the Turkish government.

Soon after arriving in Hollywood, Gabor met and married Hilton, with whom she had a daughter, Francesca.

In 1949, after divorcing Hilton, she married actor George Sanders, whom she later was to call her one true love. They divorced after five years.

Exploiting her romantic reputation, Gabor wrote "Zsa Zsa Gabor's Complete Guide to Men," and "How to Catch a Man, How to Keep a Man, How to Get Rid of a Man."

Gobble, Gobble!

Hey, pin the beard on the turkey!

DIRRTY GIRL?

The New York Post reporting that Christina Aguilera is in talks with Playboy to pose for the magazine. She'd be the first-ever non-nude celebrity featured.

WALK THIS WAY

VH1 recruiting Grand Master Flash, Chuck D and Kid Rock to present a tribute to Run-D.M.C. and the late Jam Master Jay during the VH1 Big in 2002 Awards. Reverend Run and D.M.C. will be on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award. The show premieres on VH1 on December 15 at 9 p.m.

There's Beer to Wash Away Your Troubles

BERLIN (Reuters) - There are days when you feel like a bath full of beer, not just a glass.

Now you can have both -- thanks to a German brewery which has developed a beer you can wash down your food with or wash down your body.

Klosterbrauerei, or monastic brewery, was looking for ways to mop up excess capacity in a slumping beer market and struck upon the bathtime supplement to help tipplers soak away their stresses and strains.

The brewery, in Neuzelle, near Leipzig, eastern Germany, says the dark brown brew has restorative powers for both the mind and body to improve the skin and pep up spirits.

"It opens up the pores, the yeast penetrates the skin and after 15 minutes your skin feels softer everywhere," company spokesman Dirk Vock told Reuters. "It is also a good remedy for people with skin problems."

"The beer cloaks bathers in a delicate aroma of malt," said, Vock who recommended about three liters of beer per bathtub.

But Klosterbrauerei, which showed the bath beer to shoppers in Leipzig Thursday, said those taking a boozy dip would not end up smelling like a brewery.

"When you get to work, you won't smell like you've just emerged from the corner bar," Vock said.

Although once the beer has been mixed with the bathwater, Vock says it is best not to take a sneaky sup.

"Obviously you wouldn't want to drink bath oil once you've bathed in it either," he said.

Weekend Movies: 'Solaris' Leads Packed House

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After teaming up for some light fun in last year's "Ocean's 11," George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh take a deadly serious turn with sci-fi film "Solaris," which opened nationwide on Wednesday.

"Solaris" leads a pack of new films including Disney's animated "Treasure Planet," cartoon "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights" and action flick "Extreme Ops" that Hollywood's studios will usher into theaters for this Thanksgiving holiday.

But the problem for "Solaris," its filmmakers acknowledge, is that audiences may not be sure what the movie is about. Is it science-fiction? Is it a romance? Is it serious art house drama, or is it just a chance to see Clooney's naked rear end.

"It's been hard to talk about the cosmos without talking about George Clooney's ass," Soderbergh joked in interviews.

The movie's marketers have found it hard to put "Solaris," based on a novel by Stanislaw Lem and adapted for a classic Russian film in 1972, into any specific film genre.

It has been easier to show superstar star Clooney walking around in a space suit or talk about shots of him hugging co-star Natascha McElhone clad only in his birthday suit.

Forget the fact that big-time action director James Cameron of "Titanic" fame produced the film, because "Solaris" has no action -- although but it does have other virtues.

"Anyone who has experienced any significant loss or any significant love will find something" with which to identify, said Oscar winning director Soderbergh.

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE?

Clooney plays Chris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to a space station orbiting the energy-rich galactic sphere, Solaris.

A series of strange deaths have occurred on the station, and only two scientists remain alive. Kelvin is sent to negotiate with whoever or whatever is on Solaris that led to the deaths and, at worst, bring the survivors home.

Once there, he learns people who travel to Solaris contact people important to their lives. In Kelvin's case, his deceased wife (McElhone) returns to his bed.

What "Solaris" asks audiences to consider is what lengths a person will go to in order to regain a lost love and whether love transcends life as we know it.

Is it a science fiction? Yes, but only because it is set in the future. Is it a romance? Yes, but only in that it questions the boundaries of love. Is it serious art-house drama?

"We're trying to raise the bar (for filmmaking)," said Clooney, "if we blow it, at least we did it taking a chance."

Leave the popcorn at the candy counter. "Solaris" is rated PG-13 for sexuality and nudity, language and theme elements.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, but also set in space, is Disney's "Treasure Planet," which is an animated re-telling of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island."

The movie uses hand-painted Disney animation compared with the new computer-generated films like "Monsters, Inc." that have been big hits in recent years. But never count out Disney when it comes to family films, regardless of the style. "Lilo & Stitch" was a hit, and it used hand-drawn characters.

In "Treasure Planet," 15 year-old Jim Hawkins joins a space ship that looks exactly like an old Spanish galleon. He is the cabin boy and is tutored by ship's cook, John Silver.

But Hawkins discovers Silver is a scheming pirate plotting mutiny, and the boy must quickly grow from teen to man to faces the pirates. It is rated PG for action adventure and peril.

SAME OLD TRICKS

Even though it is animated, "Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights" is not aimed at children and, in fact, it has the same sort of crude sexual and bodily function humor audiences got in Sandler's live-action films such as "Mr. Deeds."

Sandler voices several characters including the lead role of Davey, who looks and dresses a lot like Sandler, himself.

When Davey is arrested on the first night of the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, he is saved from jail only by a kind old man named Whitey who promises to help reform him. Over the next eight days, Davey learns to spread kindness on Earth.

The movie is rated PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual humor, drinking and drug references.

Finally, "Extreme Ops" is perhaps better for its ski and snowboard footage than its story, which sounds very much like a half-baked plot dreamed up so the movie's makers could capture some radical skiing and snowboarding.

In the film, a group of commercial directors set out to tape a sequence of skiers and snowboarders racing down a slope ahead of an avalanche. In the process, however, they film a group of terrorists camped out in the Austrian Alps.

Given that sequence of events, our erstwhile extreme sports enthusiasts are now put in the position of saving the world.

"Extreme Ops" is rated PG-13 for violence, peril, language and some nudity.

Enjoy the popcorn and I'll see you at the movies!

Shania Twain's New Album Debuts at No. 1

It didn't take long for Shania Twain to climb up the album chart — her new disc, "Up!" debuted at No. 1.

The country star's first release in five years sold a whopping 874,000 copies in its first week in stores, according to industry figures released Wednesday.

That nearly doubles the first-week sales of another country star who's enjoyed major crossover success, Faith Hill, whose "Cry" debuted at No. 1 a month ago with about 472,000 copies sold.

"Up!" is composed of two discs, with the same songs in the same order on both; the "red" disc contains the pop-rock versions, while the "green" disc holds the country-tinged versions.

Debuting at No. 2 was the 11th volume of the US version of the "Now That's What I Call Music!" series. The latest compilation, which includes Nelly's ubiquitous "Hot in Herre" and songs from Coldplay, Norah Jones, Eve and Creed, sold about 316,000 copies.

And Audioslave's self-titled debut entered the chart at No. 7, selling 162,000 copies. The band features members of Rage Against the Machine and former Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell, who stepped in when Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha left the band two years ago.

Crowe tops 'coldest person' list

NEW YORK (AP) -- Russell Crowe could make a lot of people's lists of the hottest celebrities, but an online film magazine calls him the coldest person in the entertainment world.

The "Gladiator" star tops Film Threat's "Frigid 50," an annual ranking designed to refute lists of Hollywood's hot and powerful in magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Premiere.

Film Threat calls Crowe "our favorite wild boor, whose bad-boy big mouth and Redwood-sized chip-on-the-shoulder easily cost him an Oscar for 'A Beautiful Mind."'

Among the 50 celebrities on the list are Winona Ryder, Cuba Gooding Jr., Richard Gere, Barbra Streisand and Anna Nicole Smith.

Of Jennifer Lopez, the magazine's writers said this week, "We're just trying to remember when she was any good at all."

Last year, Freddie Prinze Jr. topped the "Frigid 50," and Robin Williams had the dubious distinction in 2000.

BACK ON THE BEAT

NBC ordering eight new episodes of '80s cop show Hunter, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The network scored strong ratings earlier this month with a TV movie reuniting stars Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer.

SPY GAMES

Ethan Hawke signing up for a guest gig on ABC's Alias. He'll play an undercover agent who needs rescuing--but may be a traitor. The episode is slated for January.

Cage, Presley to End Three-Month Marriage

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage has filed for divorce from second wife, Lisa Marie Presley, after just three months marriage in a short-lived union even by Hollywood standards.

The 38-year-old star of "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," cited irreconcilable differences with the only child of Elvis Presley in divorce papers filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Presley issued a statement saying the marriage was doomed from the start.

Cage and Presley were married in a secret ceremony in Hawaii in August, cementing an 18 month on-off romance between two of the more eccentric figures in show business.

Cage declined to comment on the reasons for the divorce. "I did not talk about the marriage and I am not going to talk about the divorce," he said in a brief statement.

Presley said; "I'm sad about this but we shouldn't have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake," she said in a statement.

It was the third marriage for Presley, 34, a budding singer who was married to superstar Michael Jackson for less than two years and who previously had two children with musician Danny Keogh.

Cage, who once ate a live cockroach for the movie "Vampire's Kiss," is a big Elvis fan. He recorded the Elvis hit "Love Me Tender" for the soundtrack of the 1990 movie "Wild at Heart" and reportedly has a voicemail message using his Elvis voice.

He impersonated Elvis in a scene from the 1992 movie "Honeymoon in Vegas" and his marriage to Lisa Marie took place on the eve of the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death.

Cage, known for his edgy, risky screen characters, split from actress Patricia Arquette in May last year after a six- year marriage. He has a son with model Kristina Fulton.

Cage and Presley's relationship was known to be stormy, and tabloid newspapers reported blazing arguments between the pair a few weeks ago.

They began dating in early 2001 but announced they had parted ways in January 2002. But by June they emerged as a couple again, appearing together at the premiere of Cage's war movie "Windtalkers."

Backstreet Boys Sue Zomba Seeking $100 Million

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Backstreet Boys say they are the victim of boardroom politics and are fighting back with a $100 million lawsuit against their record label.

They have sued Zomba Music Group, saying the record label effectively barred the group from recording a new album because of a preoccupation with a now-completed merger with German media giant Bertelsmann AG.

A lawyer for the boy band, one of Zomba's biggest acts, said on Tuesday the group was seeking $75 million for violationof trademark, $5 million for a lost advance and at least $20 million in punitive damages in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan.

"They've been using the Backstreet Boys' trademark to shuttle traffic to other Web sites," Carla Christofferson, the band's lawyer said, adding that Zomba's right to use the trademark was limited to promoting records by the band.

Officials for both Zomba and Bertelsmann declined comment.

The lawsuit filed on Monday charges that Zomba had promised a $5 million advance to the group if they completed a fourth album by April 2002, with the full participation of all five band members.

But the suit said Zomba then made that deadline impossible by withholding approval of producers and songwriters.

"They were busy negotiating their deal with Bertelsmann and were not available at all. They were withholding approval rights and the band could not move forward," Christofferson said.

SOLO ALBUM

The lawsuit alleges that rather than release the fourth album, Zomba decided to produce and promote a solo album by one of the band members, Nick Carter.

"We are committed to the Backstreet Boys, and we will protect our group from anybody or anything that tries to break us apart," the band said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We are disappointed that our longtime label has attempted to irresponsibly exploit our group. The five of us are writing for our new CD and setting concert dates for our upcoming worldwide summer tour," the group said.

Between 1994 and 2001, the Backstreet Boys produced and released three albums through Zomba's Jive records, which sold more than 65 million copies, the lawsuit says.

"The success of the Backstreet Boy albums revitalized a musical genre and provided a springboard for Zomba and its label Jive records to capitalize on other popular artists who followed in its wake," the complaint says.

Earlier on Tuesday, Clive Calder, the press-shy mastermind behind such pop stars as the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and 'NSync, cashed out and walked away from his Zomba label in a $2.74 billion deal with German media giant Bertelsmann AG.

Bertelsmann said Calder was resigning as chairman and chief executive of the Zomba Music Group he founded in the 1970s but would remain in a part-time advisory role.

Zomba leaves behind its ranking as the world's biggest independent label as it moves under the umbrella of BMG, home to stars such as Christina Aguilera and the Foo Fighters and a catalog including Elvis Presley.

Pick A Flick!

There are several great movies to choose from in your local video store starting today. Some will go for "Men In Black II", while others might check out "Ice Age."

What will you pick?

Here are the new DVD and Video releases for Tuesday, November 26th, 2002:

24 Nights
The 34th Ryder Cup
Al Fresco
Anastasia
Angela
Audrey Hepburn Collection (Set)
Backstage Pass 1 (Unrated)
Backstage Pass 2 (Unrated)
Barely Brooke
Big Fat Liar
The Billy Wilder Collection (Set)
Bruce Li The Invincible
Captain Fracasse
Celebrate With Celtic Tenors
Chicken, Booze & Booty
Dr. Dolittle (Widescreen)
Dr. Dolittle (Full Screen)
Dr. Dolittle 2 (Widescreen)
Dr. Dolittle 2 (Full Screen)
Eddie Izzard: Dress To Kill
Fast Food, Fast Women
Hello Kitty: Pretty Kitty
Home Alone
Hooded Angels
Horsey
I Love Budapest
Ice Age
IMAX: India - Kingdom Of The Tiger
Iron Ladies
It All Starts Today
Killer Of Snake, Fox Of Shaolin
Larryboy: The Yodel Napper
Lethal Force
Liquid Courage
Los Nuevos Pistoleros Famosos (Spanish)
Love & A Bullet
Lovely & Amazing
Medea
The Men In Black Collection (Set)
Men In Black II (Special Edition)
Men In Black II (Widescreen Special Edition)
The Miles Davis Story
The Millionaires Daughters Exposed
Mrs. Doubtfire (Widescreen)
Mrs. Doubtfire (Full Screen)
MTV Yoga (Full Screen)
One Special Night
One Take
The Overnight Sensation
Paul McCartney: Back In The U.S. Concert Film
Pressure
The Pretty Devils (Subtitled)
The Price Of Milk
Punk Rawk Show: New American Standard
Road Fools
Roman Holiday (Special Edition)
Romance And Rejection
The Scarlet Diva
Shafted
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon
Skinwalkers
Solaris (2 Disc Collector's Edition)
Splash
Still Struggling
Sunset Boulevard (Special Edition)
The Transformers Season 2 Part 1
The Transformers Season 2 Part 2
The Transformers Season 2 Part 3
The Transformers Season 2 Part 4
The Transformers Season 2 Set
Undisputed
Une Ravissante Idiote
Virgil Bliss
When In Rome

New Mucas, Oops, Music Releases

Here are the new music releases for Tuesday, November 26, 2002:

* ADAPTATION OST Adaptation OST (Astralwerks/Virgin)
* BUSTA RHYMES It Ain't Safe No More (J Records)
* CANADIAN BRASS Amazing Brass (Linus Entertainment)
* CHEMICAL BROTHERS American EP (Astralwerks/Virgin)
* COLDPLAY The Scientist (CD Single) (EMI)
* CULTURE CLUB Culture Club (Box Set) (EMI)
* DEMON HUNTER Demon Hunter (Tooth & Nail)
* DRU HILL Dru World Order (Def Soul)
* DULFER, HANS & CANDY Dulfer & Dulfer (Spitfire/EMI)
* DWIGHT YOAKAM Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years (Box Set) (Reprise)
* ELVIS COSTELLO Imperial Bedroom (Deluxe Edition) (Rhino)
* ELVIS COSTELLO Mighty Like A Rose (Deluxe Edition) (Rhino)
* ELVIS COSTELLO Armed Forces (Deluxe Edition) (Rhino)
* FATBOY SLIM Illuminati (EP) (Astralwerks/Virgin)
* FATBOY SLIM Camber Sands (EP) (Astralwerks/Virgin)
* FATBOY SLIM The Pimp (EP) (Astralwerks/Virgin)
* FOUR 80 EAST Round 3 (Virgin)
* FRANK SINATRA My Way: The Best Of Frank Sinatra (Limited Edition) (Reprise)
* GZA/GENIUS Legend Of The Liquid Sword (MCA)
* IRON MAIDEN Eddie's Archive (Box Set) (EMI)
* JENNIFER LOPEZ This Is Me...Then (Epic)
* JOE MAVETY Live (Sextant Records)
* JOHN DALY & FRIENDS My Life (Navarre)
* JONI MITCHELL Travelogue (Warner)
* K-CI & JOJO Emotional (MCA)
* KYLIE MINOGUE Come Into My World (CD Single) (EMI)
* LIVING SACRIFICE Conceived In Fire (Tooth & Nail)
* MUDVAYNE End Of All Things To Come (Sony)
* NELLY Dilemma (CD Single) (Universal)
* NORAH JONES Come Away With Me (CD Single) (Blue Note)
* OK GO OK Go (Capitol)
* P.O.D. Live (Navarre)
* P.O.D. Snuff The Punk (Navarre)
* P.O.D. Brown (Navarre)
* PAUL MCCARTNEY Back In the U.S. (Capitol)
* PRIMAL SCREAM Evil Heat (Sony)
* PULP Hits (Island)
* QUEEN Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert (DVD) (Capitol/EMI)
* R.E.M. Live In Cologne (DVD) (Warner)
* SANTANA Fillmore Performance (Cleopatra)
* SLICK SHOES Slick Shoes (EMI)
* SLIPKNOT Disaster Pieces (Roadrunner)
* SMASHING PUMPKINS Earphoria (EMI)
* SNOOP DOGG Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Boss (Capitol)
* SUM 41 Does This Look Infected? (Island)
* SYLEENA JOHNSON Chapter 2: The Voice (Zomba)
* SYSTEM OF A DOWN Steal This Album (Sony)
* THE ROOTS Phrenology (MCA)
* THE STROKES Videos & More (RCA)
* THE SWALLOWS The Beauty Of Our Surroundings (Warner International)
* TIM MCGRAW Tim McGraw & The Dancehall Doctors (Curb)
* TOM COCHRANE & RED RIDER Trapeze: The Collection (EMI)
* TONY LEVIN Double Expresso (Narada)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS MuchDance 2003 (BMG)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Mac Wiseman Sings Gordon Lightfoot (Navarre)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS 80's Tribute: Volume 1 (Tooth & Nail)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS The Stardust Collection (Cleopatra)
* WARRIOR KING Virtuous Woman (VP)
* WILD THORNBERRYS OST Wild Thornberrys OST (Zomba)
* WILL SMITH Greatest Hits (Sony)

My Big Fat Greek DVD

Just in from HBO Home Video are specs for one of the biggest sleeper smashes of all time, the unstoppable romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Arriving just in time for Valentine's Day, the DVD is due in stores on February 11th. Features include anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, an audio commentary with director Ed Zwick and stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, additional footage, and trailers.

She Speaks!

Ellen Feiss finally speaks! In this interview, the 15-year-old star of an insanely popular commercial talks about her newfound recognition, a proposed MTV series about her and rumors of her, er, altered state while filming. "I was as on Benedryl, my allergy medication, so I was really out of it anyway," she says. "That’s why my eyes were all red, because I have seasonal allergies. But no one believes me." The long-awaited interview is so darn popular that Wired even wrote a story about it.

Paul McCartney, back in the U.S. with gusto

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Anyone who missed Paul McCartney's 2002 tour will find the performer here, there and everywhere this week.

Today brings a live double album and a 30-song DVD, both titled Back in the U.S. On Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, CBC and ABC airs a "rock and road" special of the same name spotlighting performances of Yesterday, Hey Jude, Let It Be, Live and Let Die, Getting Better and other tunes that wowed crowds on McCartney's two-tiered trek. On Friday, he'll pop up at an all-star George Harrison tribute concert at Royal Albert Hall in London.

Producer/director Mark Haefeli and his crew gained unprecedented access to McCartney on and off stage for 14 weeks during the tour's 34-city Driving USA spring leg. The sold-out first leg generated the 22-city Back in the U.S. fall swing, which broke house records at several venues.

The shows have drawn fawning praise from critics and Beatlemania levels of approval from audiences.

"I can't explain it," McCartney says, relaxing backstage before one of the tour's final shows. Incense wafts through the darkened and lavishly appointed dressing room that is re-created nightly at each stop. "I'm just happy it happens."

He's also at a loss to explain why oldies marathons by fellow British vets such as the Rolling Stones and The Who have packed houses this year.

"I haven't seen the Stones show, but I hear it's great," he says, adding cheekily: "I think ours is, uh, better, just because we're cooler. No, no, no, just kidding. Well, I do really think ours is better. It's uplifting at a time when people are looking for that."

Exciting rehearsals and early crowd feedback convinced McCartney that the show should be preserved. "I said, 'Let's record a show or two because this is going to be over soon.' If you're feeling really good on a holiday, you want to get a camera and make a home movie."

For the DVD, he insisted on a small crew that could blend into the scenery, the same low-key approach that yielded Albert and David Maysles' 1964 documentary, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit.

"I didn't want a cumbersome thing with a huge film crew and makeup and lights," McCartney says. "I wanted to imitate the Maysleses. So we got a couple of guys. They're still hanging around. We can't get rid of them. I wasn't keen to have them invade my privacy, but they've become friends, so we started letting them into intimate situations."

McCartney debated cutting one scene. On the final night of Driving USA, friends and colleagues clustered near the front of the stage. Just as McCartney launched into The Long and Winding Road, they all hoisted placards with large red hearts.

"Well, I lost it completely," McCartney says. "I was overcome with emotion, and I couldn't get the notes out. I didn't sing it well. But (director) Cameron Crowe saw it and told me, 'God, we wait thousands of hours to get a moment like that. You can't pay an actor to do that.' I said, 'I couldn't have acted it.' It was a very lovely moment. So the solution was I added a bit of commentary: "If you're wondering why I sang that so lousy, it's because I love these people.' "

The two-hour show, which features poignant nods to fallen comrades George Harrison and John Lennon, is packed with Beatles classics as well as Wings hits and solo tunes as recent as the title track for 2001's Driving Rain.

The tour milks multigenerational Beatles nostalgia, and even McCartney says he succumbs.

"I didn't have Beatles nostalgia when I was in Wings because we had to establish new ground," he says. "I put The Beatles to one side. Having proved I could have a group that didn't do Beatles songs, I'm able now to look at all my songs and see them as equals. It's opened up a real interesting door.

"Some of these songs are more emotional now. Until this leg of this tour, I had never sung She's Leaving Home live. When I sing 'She breaks down and cries to her husband, Daddy, our baby's gone,' I know the depth of feeling, having had babies. When I wrote it, I was just imagining it as a novelist would. I'm awakening to new possibilities."

The successful spring and fall tours are bookends to an even happier chapter in McCartney's enchanted year.

"I had some important things to do during the summer," he says. "A wedding, a honeymoon and a birthday. Sweet little 60."

He and activist/model Heather Mills, 34, were married in June in Ireland and spent "a very private beautiful honeymoon" in the Seychelles, where they eluded paparazzi and reporters.

The honeymoon isn't over. When Mills darts through the dressing room, McCartney leaps to his feet and plants a kiss on her cheek. She's the reason he's jumping barefoot in promotional photos for Back in the U.S.

"Heather likes my feet," he says, acting embarrassed. "She says, 'You've got very cute feet.' I say, 'Oh stop it!' But when your girlfriend, now wife, says you've got great feet, you know what? Your shoes never go back on again."

SPLITSVILLE

Supermodel Heidi Klum and her husband, celeb hairstylist Ric Pipino, announcing their "mutual and amicable" separation Monday on Access Hollywood. The couple had been married for five years. A divorce is in the works.

MAKING HIS DAY

Die Another Day, the 20th James Bond movie, scored $47 million atop the weekend box-office chart, the best-ever opening in the 40 year franchise. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets earned $42.2 million in second place in its second week.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

A European museum exhibit devoted to 007 making its U.S. debut next year in Dearborn, Michigan. Bond, James Bond, which features more than 100 objects from 20 Bond films, will be on display at Dearborn's Henry Ford Museum from June 20 through December 31.

Director Explains Madonna's Bond Role

LOS ANGELES (AP) - No one who saw the new James Bond movie "Die Another Day" over the weekend had any doubt that there was Madonna playing the character Verity.

The movie's director, Lee Tamahori, says Madonna was doing the title song and had mentioned she'd like to have a small part in the movie, just for fun.

Tamahori told her "'there's this great little part." At the time he signed Madonna the character was "a little murky," but he envisioned it as a "quasi-Lesbian, dominatrix fencing instructor."

He says he thought that would be perfect for her. And, Tamahori told her he'd give her "a smashing costume."

Tamahori enjoyed he cameo. "It's nice when you can just slip someone into the picture and they just appear and people go 'wasn't that Madonna?'" the director said.

'The Osbournes' Enters Second Season

NEW YORK (AP) - "The Osbournes" becomes a reality show in the bleakest sense this season, as Ozzy and the kids cope with matriarch Sharon Osbourne's colon cancer.

Yet as the second batch of episodes begins this evening, MTV also is trying to maintain the wackiness that made the series the network's biggest hit.

The heavy-metal rocker, his wife and two of their three children are very different people than they were when they opened their home to us a year ago — and opened the floodgates to a slew of copycats.

They still spew plenty of profanities for the censors to bleep out. And Ozzy still shuffles around the house rambling incoherently about that tricky remote control.

But the Osbournes are no longer just a cuddly dysfunctional family: They're a multimedia empire, with everything from books to bobblehead dolls.

The change is obvious in the first episode, which airs at 10:30 p.m. EST.

Ozzy and Sharon fly to Washington for the annual White House Correspondents' dinner, where they're the guests of Fox News Channel's Greta van Susteren. (Ozzy even gets a shout-out from President Bush).

Back home, 17-year-old son Jack turns the hose on fans who lurk on the Osbournes' front lawn, longing for a peek at the now-famous family and their ever-growing menagerie of dogs and cats.

And daughter Kelly, 18, rehearses for the MTV Movie Awards, where she'll perform her cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach," the first single off her new album, which also comes out Tuesday.

"Things are kind of like so good right now," Sharon says as the episode ends, adding prophetically: "Everything is really great for us, that I think something's going to come and like, you know, knock us on the chin."

That something comes at the start of episode two: Sharon's diagnosis of colon cancer.

The 50-year-old is characteristically practical in discussing the disease, and even invites MTV's cameras along for her first chemotherapy treatment. But the show's tone — and the rest of the family — change irrevocably.

Ozzy alternates between boozing heavily and practicing yoga backstage during the Ozzfest tour, which Sharon invented. After a series of phone calls, he eventually collapses emotionally.

"I'm worried about him," Sharon says. "I don't know how he's going to last."

Ozzy admits, "My heart was breaking every night on stage."

But then the action goes back to Jack, surfing in Malibu with guys from the rock band Incubus and fracturing his elbow when he tries to show off by leaping from a pier.

The juxtaposition may seem awkward, but the show's producers have little choice but to document everything that happens in these people's lives if they're going to create authentic reality television.

"The heart and soul will continue to be this extraordinary family set in ordinary situations," said Lois Curren, MTV executive vice president of series and movie development, who helped plan "The Osbournes" from the beginning.

"It's all about their incredible love and respect for each other and protection for each other, and also the fact that they deal with situations so bravely and yet so magnificently absurdly," Curren said. "It's still a comedy."

Twenty episodes are planned for the second season, which is still being shot. Ten will air now, with the other 10 scheduled for 2003.

Despite the Osbournes' ubiquity, the world won't grow tired of them, says University of Florida professor James B. Twitchell, whose books on modern pop phenomena include "Carnival Culture." He admits he's as "addicted as anyone."

"This is not normal shame TV," he said. "Most of the modern reality TV is watching people do things that are shameful. This isn't. This is not a dysfunctional family. ... This is a family that has had to make its own way."

Twitchell compared "The Osbournes" to "An American Family," the 1973 PBS series that chronicled the daily activities of the Loud family.

"People kept saying, 'Well, we're going to get enough of this.' Some people like myself never got enough.

"There's a lot more to go because there's a lot more in this family," he said of the Osbournes. "We're getting an incredible dose of them but they're as interesting in the 15th episode as they are in the first."

Georgia Judge Orders Singer Bobby Brown to Trial

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Georgia judge denied a motion on Monday to dismiss 6-year-old traffic charges against rhythm and blues singer Bobby Brown, and ordered the entertainer to face a Jan. 21 jury trial.

DeKalb County State Court Judge Wayne Purdom refused to drop misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to maintain a lane, speeding and no proof of insurance stemming from a 1996 traffic stop.

Brown, 33, was accompanied to court by his wife, pop superstar Whitney Houston.

The 1996 charges resurfaced when Brown, a former member of the group New Edition, was arrested two weeks ago in Atlanta and charged with possessing a small amount of marijuana, speeding and having no driver's license or proof of insurance.

Atlanta police discovered a bench warrant for Brown's arrest that had been issued in nearby DeKalb County when the singer failed to show up for a court date on the charges.

Xavier Dicks, Brown's lawyer, argued the 1996 charges should be dismissed because too much time had passed.

But Judge Purdom said the delay in arresting Brown was irrelevant, and set the new court date.

After the hearing, Dicks said Brown and his wife were confident a jury would exonerate the singer. "He feels he's getting a fair shake," Dicks said.

Brown, whose hit songs include "My Prerogative" and "Don't Be Cruel," remains free on bond. He is scheduled to appear in court next month to answer the charges stemming from his recent Atlanta arrest.

'21 Jump St.' Leaps to Big Screen

NEW YORK (Variety) - Paramount Pictures will give big screen treatment for "21 Jump Street," the series that launched the career of Johnny Depp and helped establish Rupert Murdoch's then-fledgling Fox network as a youth-demo stronghold.

The film will be written by the series' co-creators, Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh, in a deal potentially worth seven figures if it goes into production.

The series, which ran from 1987-1990 on Fox and one subsequent season in syndication, has an easily updateable premise for a film that should have strong youth appeal. A group of fresh-faced police officers are assigned the nightmarish undercover duty of returning to high school to crack crimes and bust drug dealers infiltrating the hallways. The narcs were played by Depp, Peter DeLuise, Holly Robinson Peete, Dustin Nguyen and Richard Grieco.

Cannell, whose series creations include "The A-Team," "Wiseguy" and "The Commish," will produce the film with Douglas Rosen. Cannell also adapted his novel "King Con" for a feature set up at MGM, and makes a cameo appearance in current release "Half Past Dead."

They're available for both men and women!

The Day Has Arrived

In case you want to know if it's worth your money before you go, here are a few dozen reviews.

Fametracker's Ten Least Essential Holiday Films

The new Spike Jonze film, Adaptation, hits theatres on December 6. Steven Soderbergh's Solaris opens November 27. Scorsese's Gangs of New York drops December 20.

But enough about the films you want to see. What about the season's must-miss flicks? Sure, you have a general sense of which films to avoid. But what about an itemized list, counting down from ten, of the season's most egregious wastes of celluloid? We hear and obey:

10. The Hot Chick

Release Date: December 13
The Plot: Witchy-looking goth teen turns out to be actual witch; puts spell on obnoxious cheerleader type, who then wakes up in body of Rob Schneider.
The Pitch: If you like Rob Schneider, you'll love Rob Schneider sausaged into little girl's halter tops!
Why It's Inessential: "Hi, I'm Rob Schneider. Can I put on your underwear? What? It's research!"

9. Narc

Release Date: December 20
The Plot: Ray Liotta plays a rogue cop who helps a narc (Jason Patric) solve a murder.
The Pitch: It's murder! It's drugs! It's two cost-effective co-stars!
Why It's Inessential: We love Ray Liotta and Jason Patric both. We do. But we worry that when a director says "They never make movies like The French Connection anymore" and "It's more about characters than explosions," what he really means is "They never make movies this boring anymore" and "Don't expect any big action sequences to distract you from the boring."

8. Blue Collar Comedy Tour

Release Date: January 10
The Plot: Four stand-up comics tour America, united by their white-trashiness.
The Pitch: It's like The Original Kings of Comedy, without all the black people!
Why It's Inessential: Because no one sat through The Original Kings of Comedy thinking, "You know, this would be better with more Jeff Foxworthy."

7. Maid in Manhattan

Release Date: December 13
The Plot: Dashing politician (Ralph Fiennes) falls for hotel chambermaid (Jennifer Lopez) in a modern-day Cinderella story.
The Pitch: (Pretty Woman + sheet-folding) - blowjobs
Why It's Inessential: Because no one sat through The English Patient thinking, "You know, this would be better with more J.Lo."

6. Kangaroo Jack

Release Date: January 17
The Plot: Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson race across Australia chasing a kangaroo that's stolen money from the Mob. Yes, really.
The Pitch: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, except with Jerry O'Connell, Australia, no Greeks, and kangaroos.
Why It's Inessential: Because no one sat through Tomcats. Bonus reason: Kangaroos? Kangeriffic!

5. A Guy Thing

Release Date: January 17
The Plot: Man sleeps with his fiancée's cousin during his bachelor party, sort of.
The Pitch: Wait a second! My fiancée's a frigid bitch! Phew! Thanks, fiancée's cousin!
Why It's Inessential: Because, by being released in January, it becomes Jason Lee's first shitty comedy of 2003, rather than his sixty-third shitty comedy of 2002

4. Adam Sandler's 8 Crazy Nights

Release Date: November 27
The Plot: An animated Adam Sandler film -- with a special appearance by Hanukkah!
The Pitch: "I find the live-action Adam Sandler comedies too nuanced and confusing. Why can't they make a movie just for me?"
Why It's Inessential: Involves the word "poopsicle"

3. Extreme Ops

Release Date: November 27
The Plot: Some rad snowboarders and skiers end up in a remote ski lodge, where they run into bad terrorists, whom they proceed to stop by using their snowboards and skis.
The Pitch: There is a big market for films that show extreme snowboard tricks. Ergo, there must be an even bigger market for films that show extreme snowboard tricks, plus Rufus Sewell.
Why It's Inessential: Overheard in movie theatre, following film's trailer: "'Extreme Opes'?"

2. The Lion King

Release Date: December 25
The Plot: Hey, check out this crazy lion cub! And watch out for those hyenazis!
The Pitch: Hey kids, you know that video you have at home? The one that you've watched fifty-one times? Why not come see the same movie again, except in a theatre, for money!
Why It's Inessential: Who? What? Why? Are divorced dads really so hard up for things to do with their kids on the one afternoon of the week that they actually see them?

1. Pinocchio, starring Roberto Benigni

Release Date: December 25
The Plot: Benigni! Benigni! Benigni!
The Pitch: Benigni! Benigni! Benigni!
Why It's Inessential: Benigni! Benigni! Benigni!

CLUED IN

Clueless star Alicia Silverstone making her TV debut in Sex and the City producer Darren Star's upcoming pilot for NBC. She'll play a new matrimonial attorney who doubles as a high-end matchmaker even though her own love life is less than perfect.

New Everclear Album Moves In 'Slowmotion'

Everclear will release a new studio album, "Slowmotion Daydream," March 11 via Capitol. A single, "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom," is due to arrive Jan. 14 at radio. A video for the song is being shot this week by director Francis Lawrence (P.O.D.'s "Alive").

Expressing concerns over music piracy relating to advance copies of "Slowmotion Daydream," Alexakis writes, "When Capitol sends the CD out for reviews, some writer somewhere will send it to somebody who will download it. I don't like it. It's something I've worked on for a year and put my heart and soul into and I would like to be able to show it to the world in my own way and in my own time. But that said, if you do download it, and you like the record, I would like to ask you to buy it when it comes out. It's the right thing to do."

The disc, which was originally due out in October, was rescheduled to allow time for some retooling. "It didn't seem finished to me," Alexakis wrote in a previous post. "I was still writing songs. So I went back in the studio to record these new songs and they came out great! One of these songs is called 'The New York Times,' and everyone at [Capitol] freaked out and decided that this should be the first single.

"We had agreed before that 'Volvo Driving Soccer Mom' should be the first single," he continued. "I still believe that... so therein lies the rub." Despite the friction, the band won out, but the Everclear frontman still has issues with Capitol, despite the company's pledge to fully promote "Slowmotion Daydream."

"This is a totally different label than the one we signed to 8+ years ago," he adds. "There is no one at the label that was there when we were signed. We have tried to get off the label and they won't consider it. They know they can make money off us."

"Slowmotion Daydream" is the follow-up to 2000's "Good Time for a Bad Attitude."

'Two Towers' Ticket Sales Begin

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - New Line Cinema has partnered with movie theater owners to begin advance domestic ticket sales on "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" Friday, four weeks ahead of the film's Dec. 18 North American release.

Ticket sales began two weeks in advance for last year's release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." That picture broke presale records, with online sales ultimately representing more than 8% of the film's domestic opening weekend. The film grossed $860 million worldwide.

"The Two Towers" will debut in multiple premiere showings around the world, with a North American bow in New York on Dec. 5 and in Toronto, Canada, Dec. 6, followed by Paris Dec. 10 and in London Dec. 11.

On Dec. 15, the film will premiere in Los Angeles and in Copenhagen, with the Queen of Denmark in attendance. A special screening in Seattle follows Dec. 16.

The film premieres in New Zealand, where "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was shot, in Wellington on Dec. 18, and in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 19.

Already, hundreds of Scandinavians braved up to three weeks of waiting in below-freezing weather to buy tickets. Scandinavian sales on "Two Towers" topped 140,000 in the first day, four times the day-one presales for "The Fellowship of the Ring."

The first film has shipped 35 million DVD and VHS units worldwide.

Shania Twain Plans Tour for 2003

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Shania Twain plans on going out on tour early next year to promote her latest Mercury album "Up." It's the first new music from the Canadian superstar in five years.

Twain, who took some time out for the birth of her son, wrote all 19 songs on the album. Just ask her, she'll tell you.

"I'm really happy with it. I think its the best album I've written so far," she said. "There is a lot of music on the album, there is a lot of music for everybody. I think its for all the different audiences I've been lucky enough to pick up along the way. I've had a great chance to explore."

She said she's planning on going back out on the road.

"The tour I'm sure will start next year at some point. I really don't know when," Twain said. "It's hard to say. There is a lot to do between now and then. But that is what I'm hoping for. I'm really looking forward to it. I really look forward to getting on tour again. I enjoy it, being up on stage, singing my songs, and doing my thing."

Twain said she enjoys being on stage.

"For me, being on stage in concert is like being at a party with a bunch of friends. It's the way I see it," she said. I'm really a bar singer that ended up on a concert stage, to be honest with you. I mean, I started off in bars from a very young age, when I was eight years old, and that's what it feels like."

The double CD was recorded in different versions for different audiences. The North Amrican edition is color coded, with the green CD containing the country version and the red CD featuring the pop version. Around the world the release features the Red CD and a Blue, world music mix version.

Actor Wants 'Truth to Come Out' in L.A. Porno Case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Jeffrey Jones, who played a principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and a Puritan in "The Crucible," broke his silence on Thursday on the child pornography charges he faces, saying he wants "the truth to come out."

Appearing with his lawyer outside a Los Angeles courthouse after his arraignment was postponed to Jan. 9, Jones said he has cooperated with the police department and prosecutors "from the beginning."

Jones, 55, who remains free on $20,000 bail, was charged last Friday with hiring a 14-year-old boy to take sexually explicit photos. He faces up to three years in prison and would have to register for life as a sex offender if convicted on a felony charge of using a minor for sex acts and a misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said the charges do not involve any sex act being performed or any video or film being taken.

"All I want is for the truth to come out and for this matter to be resolved as quickly as possible," the actor, dressed in a suit and tie, told reporters in brief remarks outside the courthouse.

Jones' lawyer, Jeffrey Brodey, said his client was "pleased that the matter finally has come to court."

"After meeting with the prosecution and the police department, it's our belief and hope that this matter will be very quickly resolved," the attorney said.

Jones' most notable film roles include the truant-hunting principal out to catch Matthew Broderick in the 1986 teen comedy "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and the malignant Puritan landowner Thomas Putnam in the 1996 film adaptation of Arthur Miller's witch hunt drama "The Crucible," which starred Winona Ryder. He also was the music-loving Austrian emperor in the Oscar-winning film "Amadeus."

The case against Jones stems from a search police conducted at his home last year under the same warrant issued for a search the same day of comic actor Paul Reubens' home. Reubens, best known as children's TV character Pee-wee Herman, was charged separately on Friday with a misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography.

A spokesman for Reubens, whose career was derailed in 1991 after he was arrested for allegedly masturbating in an adult movie theater, said the investigations grew out of allegations lodged by a teenager against the two performers. Reubens' lawyer said her client was innocent.

I Have Almost All Of These

Pitchforkmedia.com has compiled the top 100 albums of the '80s. How many do you still own?

007 reasons James Bond rules

By Andy Seiler, USA TODAY

The new James Bond movie is called Die Another Day. But 40 years and 20 movies on, Bond's caretakers are doing everything to make sure that day never arrives.

Despite hundreds of rip-offs, knock-offs and spoofs, the adventures of Secret Agent 007 remain the most popular movie franchise of all time — by a long shot.

Die Another Day is poised to propel the series into its fifth decade in smashing shape. The movie, which opens Friday, was an extra year in the making and cost more than $130 million, a series record. It stars Pierce Brosnan, the most popular Bond since Sean Connery.

"For me, it was always about making him real and owning him," says Brosnan, now on his fourth Bond.

Every man wants to be Bond, says Oscar winner Halle Berry, who plays bikini-clad assassin Jinx in Day. "And every woman wants to be with him."

That Bond is red-hot again is proved by the biggest parade of wannabes and satirists since Connery's heyday. In the 1960s, Dean Martin was Matt Helm, James Coburn (who died this week) was Our Man Flint and, spoofing it all, Don Adams was Maxwell Smart. Today, Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible, Vin Diesel is XXX and, spoofing it all, Mike Myers is Austin Powers.

Yet Bond rules, for 007 reasons:
* 001: Nobody does it better — really. "The worldwide audience knows exactly what to expect from Bond and enjoys every minute of it," says Danny Biederman, author of The 007 Collection and owner of a 4,000-piece memorabilia collection.

"XXX tried its hardest to act like Bond with a character who is supposed to be cooler than Bond," Biederman says. "The problem is, you can't be cooler than Bond."

"Bond's combination of humor, sarcasm and danger is a tough mix to get right," adds Paul Levinson, chair of Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City. "He tosses off great one-liners right in the middle of life-and-death struggles."

* 002: You and I get old. Bond gets replaced. Brosnan, 49, wasn't even born when Ian Fleming wrote the first Bond novel. The original Bond would be living in an assisted-living retirement community by now, if not dead from drink and tobacco and bullet wounds.

And when Bond gets younger, so does the supporting cast. Roger Moore had already replaced Connery by the time new Bond girl Rosamund Pike was even born (in 1979).

"By being able to recast Bond, we have been able to make changes," says producer Michael G. Wilson, who has been involved with the series since 1965 and who, along with half-sister Barbara Broccoli, now runs the show.

"These people are leading men, they're not character actors, so they bring their own personalities to the role," Wilson says. "Roger Moore played it much lighter and wouldn't have been successful in some of the scripts for Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan or Tim Dalton. And Tim wouldn't have worked with a Roger Moore script."

In other words, Bond is the star. And every Bond, even one-shot George Lazenby, has his fans.

"You'd be surprised at how many young people think Roger Moore was the best Bond, which is ridiculous for a Connery fan to hear," says Steven Jay Rubin, author of The Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia. "Brosnan fans are even more numerous today."

Brosnan's secret? "You cannot mock it," he says. "You have to respect it. Yes, you can be flippant within it. But you're in this fantastical world, so you must play it as life and death."
* 003: Bond girls are cool. And as times have changed, it took shrewd moves to keep them that way. "Gee, if you work in a Bond film, it could destroy your career,' " Wilson recalls potential Bond girls being told in the 1970s and early '80s. Feminists criticized Bond for his promiscuity and for treating women as sex objects.

"But casting Judi Dench as M (in GoldenEye) nailed that to death," Wilson says. Before that, Bond's boss, M, had been a man. With a respected actress in the role, screenwriters were able to make accusations of sexism part of the plot. In Dench's debut, she calls Bond "a sexist, misogynist dinosaur" and "relic of the Cold War."

"Judi Dench cast as M was a big shift," says Pike, a Shakespearean stage actress who went to Oxford, speaks three languages and plays the cello. She has never paid to see a Bond film and would not have played a Bond girl when she was younger. "But Judi Dench gave it license and respectability."

Berry, who is negotiating with MGM to spin off her character in a separate movie series (the first Bond character to do this), finds the very issue irritating.

"I'm really tired of making excuses for being a sexy woman and wanting to play a sexy woman," Berry says. "For a long time, women were taught to take that part of ourselves and stuff it somewhere. Jinx is pound for pound as powerful as James Bond." (Director Lee Tamahori says he patterned Jinx after the '60s cult comic-book heroine Modesty Blaise.) Pike and Berry enjoy a thrilling swordfight in Day, which would have been inconceivable in earlier Bond films.
* 004: Bond boasts those terrific trademarks. No, we don't mean all the luxury product placements. We're talking about Bond's own trademarks: that theme music, that credit sequence with undulating nude models, that opening action scene. No other movie series has so many.

It's no wonder that directors who have tried to impose their own identity on 007 have had a rough time of it. They still had to have the M scene (in which the testy boss gives Bond his mission) and the Q scene (in which the inventor, now played by scene-stealer John Cleese) shows Bond all the weaponry that will eventually save Bond's life. Then there's that extraordinary minor key theme music, written by Monty Norman and originally orchestrated by John Barry, with a surf guitar riff set against ominous strings.

"It's a challenge to poke out through every little corner that's available," says Tamahori, who did figure out a way. "I just wanted to make a Bond movie like the great ones, such as The Spy Who Loved Me. I wanted to make Bond lighthearted without bordering on parody like Austin Powers."
* 005: Bond movies are a family affair. "Although they are mammoth, multimillion-dollar productions, they are still a family business," says Bruce Scivally, co-author of the new coffee table book James Bond: The Legacy. Albert "Cubby" Broccoli originally shepherded the Bond films to the screen with co-producer Harry Saltzman, he notes. When Saltzman left the series after 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun, Broccoli mentored his own son and daughter to take over the dynasty. (Broccoli died in 1996.)

Now, the offspring and nephews and nieces of Wilson and Broccoli are coming up behind them in wardrobe, script and sound editing, and merchandising.

And that's the pattern all down the line. "We got the third generation of some of the crew working in London," Wilson says. "Some of the prop guys are the grandsons of prop guys." Adds Scivally: "They're not just people punching a clock. They're carrying on their family tradition, and doing it with dedication and pride."

Rick Yune, who plays villain Zao in Day but also graduated from the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia, calls it "a great business model. They have a tremendous product, and they have a tremendous audience that they've cultivated over the years. The endorsement and merchandising tie-ins help pay for the film."
* 006: New blood keeps Bond fresh. The crew may be constant, but Wilson and Broccoli like to bring in young and hungry writers and directors. As a result, Bond has transcended the Cold War that spawned him. Fleming's '50s Bond was a romantic fantasy of what a Cold War intelligence officer might have been like, says Peter Earnest, a former government agent who recruited spies for 26 years.

"People knew so little about the reality of the intelligence war that popular culture stepped in to fill that vacuum." Even John F. Kennedy was a fan of the books.

But Bond became much more like Superman or the Lone Ranger through the years, Earnest says ("and he doesn't even have a Tonto"), even as people learned that real spies were nothing like him.

"Bond is high profile," says Earnest, who is now the executive director of the new International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. "He actually is the reverse of real spies. He announces his arrival with the latest luxury car. The average real spy wants to blend in as much as possible."

Meanwhile, even Bond's smoking and drinking habits change with the times. Once a chain smoker, Bond smokes only Cuban cigars in Day — and only in Cuba.

"In the Brosnan era, you're seeing a lot more whiskey," says Michael Butzgy, "minister of martinis" and Webmaster of the Make Mine a 007 Web site (home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/007), which is dedicated to cataloging every cocktail Bond sips. "You're not going to see the day where he's having six or seven drinks in a movie anymore."

Butzgy is glad that Bond still drinks: It's the only aspect of his personality that most fans can actually copy. Though many fans believe Bond's favorite drink is a vodka martini, it's actually No. 2 after champagne, Butzgy reports. "Sean Connery only says 'shaken not stirred' once in the movies, in Goldfinger. In the first two Roger Moore films, he does not have a vodka martini at all."

Tamahori does let Bond knock back a martini, but he pushes him in several other ways. "There's a bit more texture, and there are unexpected twists," says Toby Stephens, a lifelong fan who plays villain Gustav Graves.

The first shocker comes even before the opening credits — but we won't spoil it.

007: Bond's creator was a genius. Because, after all, only a handful of writers have ever created a character that can endure for generations on the big screen. When Fleming created the first Bond novel in 1952, he thought the result was "miserable."

We should all be so miserable as James Bond.

Snoop Getting Huggy

Rapper Snoop Dogg (TRAINING DAY) is in negotiations to play Huggy Bear in the remake of the 1970s cop show STARSKY AND HUTCH. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson star in the film, playing two cops. Huggy Bear is a street informant. Stuart Cornfeld, Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig and Alan Riche are producing and Stiller is executive producing. Todd Phillips will work from a script he wrote with Scott Armstrong.

THE TRUTH ABOUT JANEANE

Janeane Garofalo developing Slice o' Life, an ABC sitcom set at a prestigious newsmagazine show. Garofalo would star as a mid-30s woman in New York who produces the hokey feature pieces that air at the end of the newsmagazine.

D'OH!

Bart Simpson will try to divorce his parents in honor of The Simpsons' 300th episode, set to air next February. Also, the entire Simpsons cast will appear for a group interview on Bravo's Inside the Actor's Studio, which is slated to air the same night as the 300th episode.

WHO'S BAD?

After terrifying images of him dangling his own baby off a fourth-floor balcony yesterday were broadcast around the world, Michael Jackson issuing an apology Tuesday night. "I made a terrible mistake," he said. "I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children."

Ben Affleck Named People's 'Sexiest Man Alive'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood actor Ben Affleck was named on Wednesday as People magazine's "sexiest man alive" of 2002 -- but girlfriend Jennifer Lopez says she didn't need an outsider to tell her just that.

Affleck, the 30-year-old star of "Good Will Hunting" and "Pearl Harbor," has been hitting headlines this summer because of his whirlwind romance with Lopez -- the twice-divorced actress-singer who is herself considered one of the sexiest women in showbusiness. The pair announced their engagement earlier this month.

"I didn't need People magazine to tell me he's the sexiest man alive," Lopez was quoted as telling the magazine, which hits newsstands on Friday.

"The difference between me and People magazine is that he'll still be the sexiest man alive in my eyes when he's 100 years old," she added.

California-born Affleck took Hollywood by storm in 1997 by co-starring in and co-writing the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" with his boyhood friend Matt Damon. Both men won best screenplay Oscars for their efforts.

Affleck, whose past romances include Gwyneth Paltrow and Dutch model Famke Janssen, checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation center in July last year before meeting up with Lopez on the set of the mob comedy "Gigli."

Affleck's parents said told People they were delighted with their son's engagement to Lopez, and were hoping for grandchildren.

"She's just a lovely person...she's very warm. She's like the ideal daughter-in-law," his mother Chris told the magazine.

"Recently he has matured a lot. It's no longer 'I'm in love, but I'm young' it's 'I want to make a life now. I'm ready for this'. I've been urging him for the longest time," she added. "I want grandchildren."

Affleck followed in the footsteps of James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, who was named People's sexiest man last year. Past winners have included George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

People Magazine named 23 other sexy men for 2002, including Clooney (sexiest director), British actor Hugh Grant (sexiest import), Enrique Iglesias, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (sexiest cabinet minister).

One in Four Men Fakes Orgasms

LONDON (Reuters) - Women are not the only ones to turn on the acting abilities in the bedroom, said a survey released ahead of the world's largest adult festival in London.

The survey of 2,500 Britons, by organizers of the Erotica 2002 festival, said 23 percent of men claimed to have faked an orgasm, compared to 56 percent of women.

Almost half of the participants confessed to enjoying threesomes, the survey added.

Erotica said in a publicity statement sent over the weekend its survey had destroyed the myth the British are a nation of prudes. "Orgies, lust, cheating and faking it -- you name it, the British are doing it," the statement said.

Organizers of the festival, which begins on Friday, expect more than 60,000 people to attend the three-day event, where tantric sex tutors will be schooling willing pupils in the arts of sexual awareness and non-tactile arousal.

"The mass love-in will be closely monitored by security guards to stop things getting out of hand," Erotica's publicity statement added.

Ashanti Leads American Music Award Contenders

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer Ashanti, who made a big splash this year with her debut album, led the contenders for the 30th annual American Music Awards, picking up nominations in five categories, organizers said on Tuesday.

Rappers Eminem and Nelly will go head-to-head in four categories, while Latino star Enrique Iglesias, country trio the Dixie Chicks and rock band Linkin Park were among the 10 acts with two nods each.

The awards will be presented on Jan. 13 during a nationally televised ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. Heavy metal maven Ozzy Osbourne and his family, stars of the MTV reality series "The Osbournes," will host the three-hour event.

Ashanti (last name Douglas), 22, was nominated for favorite album and favorite new artist in both the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories. Additionally, she will compete for favorite female hip-hop/R&B artist.

After shooting up the charts with a series of high-profile duets with the likes of Ja Rule and Fat Joe, the New York native released her self-titled debut album in April. It has since sold about 2.9 million copies in the United States.

Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers) and Nelly (aka Cornell Haynes, Jr.) were nominated for favorite male artist and favorite album in both the pop/rock and hip-hop/R&B categories. Eminem's "The Eminem Show" is the biggest release of 2002 with sales of more than 6.6 million units, while Nelly's "Nellyville" has shifted four million copies.

Other acts with two nominations each included pop singers Pink and Celine Dion, rookie hip-hop combos B2K and Nappy Roots, country singers Alan Jackson and Toby Keith, and rock band Creed.

Winners are determined by a survey of about 20,000 members of the public; the nominees are drawn from retail sales and radio airplay data. The more prestigious Grammy Awards, which will be presented on Feb. 23 in New York, are determined by music industry voters.

Michael Jackson Thriller: Dangles Baby Out Window

BERLIN (Reuters) - Singer Michael Jackson briefly dangled a barefoot baby over the railing of his fourth-floor hotel window on Tuesday, providing a momentary if odd thriller for fans waiting on Berlin's central square below.

The "King of Pop" arrived in the German capital after three days of testimony last week in California in a $21 million lawsuit by a German promoter over canceled concerts.

A crowd of screaming fans greeted the reclusive entertainer, in town to receive a lifetime achievement award at a ceremony on Thursday night, in front of the Adlon Hotel.

When he got up to his room, Jackson opened his window and held a light-skinned baby, a white towel over the tot's head, briefly over the metal railing. He held the baby with one hand.

Jackson also showed off another child who was about four or five years old. The child, whose face was also covered in white, waved to the crowd below.

A spokeswoman said Jackson was traveling with his children.

Jackson has three children, two by ex-wife Debbie Rowe, five-year-old son Prince Michael and four-year-old daughter Paris. He also has a baby who is less than one year old.

Jackson arrived to the hotel wearing a white surgical mask over his mouth and nose, but later removed it.

Victoria's Secret to Keep Heating Up the Networks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - It is the kind of ratings battle that could only take place on American television: the finale of "The Bachelor" versus the second annual televised "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" -- or, to put it another way, true love versus skimpy underwear.

In some households there may be a battle for the remote. At network CBS, it was a fight to find a time slot when it realized that rival ABC was presenting the last chapter of "The Bachelor" from 9 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday when it had planned to reveal Victoria's risque secrets starting at 10 p.m.

The Viacom Inc. -owned network, which has come under fire from women's groups and family values proponents, yanked the program from its 10 p.m. slot and in favor of the 8 p.m. slot, prime-time for mom, dad and the kids to watch TV.

That idea didn't last long and the program now struts down the runway at 9 p.m. competing against the start of "The Bachelor" and NBC's "The West Wing," which contains neither nudity nor much romance, mostly just politics. NBC is owned by General Electric Co.

Victoria's Secret, a unit of Columbus, Ohio-based Limited Brands Inc., has spent $7 million to produce the show, operating on the theory that audiences can never tire of gorgeous women stalking around in high heels and scanty lingerie.

The show was taped last Thursday in New York City's 69th Regiment Armory before a crowd of celebrities, investors and paparazzi, and it reaped immediate attention after anti-fur protesters jumped on the runway to heckle Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who has a contract with a mink company.

Amid the confusion, some observers wondered if the interruption was actually a planned part of the production but Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek rebuffed the suggestion, saying that part will not be shown.

DENIGRATING?

Last year, the first time the show was televised, it drew 12.4 million viewers to Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network. It also drew the ire of some feminist and media watchdog groups, who considered the material either denigrating to women or too risque for network TV. The Federal Communication Commission received hundreds of complaints.

But Razek said the show meets broadcast standards.

"The level of exposure is controlled by standards and practices at the network. It's not something that we do, it's CBS' domain. And I really thought last year's show was very modest, particularly the show that got on TV."

He added that this year's show was just as restrained.

"There was no nudity, no bare breasts, nothing to have a significant concern about."

The TV special is hosted by German model Heidi Klum and singer Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, and will feature musical performances by Destiny's Child, Marc Anthony and Phil Collins. Victoria's Secret has also promised red carpet interviews, model profiles and behind-the-scenes segments.

The most extravagant ensemble of the night on the show was the $10 million "Star of Victoria" bra and panty ensemble that features a 60-carat pear shaped diamond at the center of the bra. A rose and leaf pattern of rubies, emeralds and diamonds covers the rest of the bra and embellishes the waist of the panty, for a total weight of 168 carats.

With 2001 sales of $3.3 billion, the brand's message of over-the-top glamour and femininity has certainly taken hold. Victoria's Secret has grown to more than 1,000 lingerie stores, and the catalog has a circulation of 375 million, far exceeding the population of the United States.

Sharen Turney, chief executive of Victoria's Secret's direct selling arm, said the company plans to keep televising the show annually, and it is also in talks with CBS about possibly doing a swimwear show around February.

She said the company's $7 million investment comes back five-fold in marketing value. That's especially important as the company heads into the holiday season, a crucial selling period that specialty retailers are approaching with caution in the current economy.

Victoria's Secret does 35 percent of its business in the fourth quarter, which includes the holidays.

Wanna Find Something New To Watch?

Today's new DVD and video releases leave a lot to be desired. Much of it is just crap, especially "Reign Of Fire." Man, does that film suck! Sucks donkeys!

Luckily, hidden deep within the load that is today's list of new releases, there are two flicks worth your time. One of them is the extraordinary "Glengarry Glen Ross."

The other is the animated flick "Spirit," which features music from Bryan Adams.

So take a look at one, or both of these great flicks. Or take a look at some crap.

The choice is yours so here's the complete list.

Robert Englund, who plays Freddy Kreuger, talks about the plot for FREDDY VS. JASON.

The "King Kong vs. Godzilla"-style matchup was hinted at not-so-subtly way back at the end of 1993's "Jason Goes to Hell," when Freddy's glove was seen clutching at Jason's equally distinctive hockey mask.

"I've been signed, sealed and delivered on this for a couple of years," Englund explained. "And it went through a lot of incarnations, both with scripts and with directors." It wasn't until "Bride of Chucky" director Ronny Yu came along that Englund felt "Freddy vs. Jason" could be made into a picture as fun as the title suggested, without robbing either character of their scariness via " 'Abbott and Costello Meets Freddy and Jason' kind of crap."

"I always thought the real trick of 'Freddy vs. Jason' [is that] you had to get into Jason's nightmares. We've got to see what makes Jason tick," Englund offered. "In this movie we get in there. And Freddy's walking around in there, getting his feet dirty. And it's pretty sick stuff."

Buried in the plot of "Freddy vs. Jason" is (gasp!) a bit of social commentary. The Elm Street folks have managed to escape Freddy by stuffing their teens with pills to prevent them from dreaming. Freddy uses Jason to get around all that, and get back to the killing.

"[It's] a metaphor about how easy it is to medicate society these days," Englund said, chewing on his spectacles. "And it's discovered that people need to dream. ... Freddy's at loose ends to get people afraid of him anymore, [because] if you don't dream, Freddy can't hurt you."

"Freddy's trying to regenerate himself and he's using Jason to instill fear in the relatives of the offspring of the original Elm Street vigilantes," he said. "Freddy needs to manipulate Jason, and when he's in the dreams he can. What happens is that Freddy creates a Frankenstein. ... Freddy kind of spoils him, gives him a little too much dog food and he kind of turns on his master. And that's the gist of the plot."

THE NEED FOR SPEED

Film producer Mark Gordon revving up a prequel to his 1994 action hit Speed for ABC focusing on the relationship with between the SWAT team members originally played by Keanu Reeves and Jeff Daniels.

Posthumous George Harrison Album Finally Released

LONDON (Reuters) - The album ex-Beatle George Harrison recorded in the last months of his life as he fought a losing battle with cancer will be released in North America today.

"Brainwashed," the first release of new solo material from the Beatles's former lead guitarist since his 1987 album "Cloud Nine," features 11 new Harrison compositions and a cover of "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea."

The record was produced by Harrison in collaboration with his son, Dhani, and longtime friend and fellow musician Jeff Lynne. Put out by Harrison's own Dark Horse label in conjunction with EMI.

Harrison, known as the "Quiet Beatle," died on November 29, 2001, at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.

"We started working on the album in 1999," said Lynne. "George would come round my house and he'd always have a new song with him. He would strum them on a guitar or ukulele. The songs just knocked me out."

Dhani Harrison and Lynne have spent much of this year completing the album. "George talked about how he wanted the album to sound," added Lynne, who performed with Harrison as part of the Grammy-winning Traveling Wilburys in the 1980s.

"He told Dhani a lot of things he would like to have done to the songs and left us little clues. There was always that spiritual energy that went into the lyrics as well as the music."

During the final months of his life, Harrison was reported to have been quietly working on 25 previously unreleased tracks for a final album then provisionally titled "Portrait of a Leg End."

The first anniversary of Harrison's death is to be marked by an all-star benefit concert -- organized by his wife Olivia and Eric Clapton -- at London's Royal Albert Hall, with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Lynne, Jools Holland, Joe Brown, Ravi Shankar and Tom Petty all slated to appear.

Shania Is Back!

George Harrison is not the only superstar who is releasing a new disc today. After all Audioslave features Chris Cornell from Soundgarten and members of Rage Against The Machine; Canuck songstress Chantal Kreviazuk gives us her third CD; uber- rockers Matchbox Twenty offer up another collection of superb tunes; and rapper Jay-Z "drops" The Blueprint 2.

But who cares! Shania Twain is back!

Shania Twain's fourth disc features 2 CD's. One of them is country and the other is pop/rock. Its the same songs on both, but they are different. Oh, and as always, there are pictures! Enjoy!!!!

Here is the complete list of New Releases for Tuesday, November 19, 2002:

* AUDIOSLAVE Audioslave (Epic)
* BLACKSTREET Level II (DreamWorks)
* BLONDIE Greatest Video Hits (DVD) (EMI)
* CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN Cigarettes & Carrot Juice (Box Set) (SpinART/Linus)
* CHANTAL KREVIAZUK What If It All Means Something (Sony)
* CRAIG DAVID Slicker Than Your Average (Warner)
* DAVINCI'S INQUEST OST Davinci's Inquest OST (Strategic Projects)
* DEBORAH COX The Morning After (J Records)
* DJ QUIK The Best Of DJ Quik (Arista)
* ERICK SERMON React (J Records)
* GEORGE HARRISON Brainwashed (Dark Horse/EMI)
* GROOVE ARMADA Lovebox (Zomba)
* HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS OST Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets OST (Atlantic)
* JA RULE Last Temptation (Def Jam)
* JAY-Z Blueprint 2: The Gift And The Curse (Def Jam)
* JENNIFER LOPEZ Jenny From The Block (CD Single) (Sony)
* LED ZEPPELIN Early Days & Latter Days: Volumes One And Two (Atlantic)
* MARIAH CAREY Through The Rain (CD Single) (Island)
* MARVIN SEASE I Got Beat Out (Zomba)
* MATCHBOX TWENTY More Than You Think You Are (Atlantic)
* METALLICA Live Shit (DVD) (Elektra)
* MICKEY FINN Mixer Presents (Razor & Tie)
* O-TOWN O2: An Exclusive V.I.P. Look (DVD) (J Records)
* PRETENDERS Loose Screw (Sony)
* ROBBIE WILLIAMS Escapology (EMI)
* ROBIN WILLIAMS 2002: Live (Sony)
* ROCH VOISINE Higher (R.V. International)
* SHANIA TWAIN Up! (Mercury Nashville)
* SIZZLA Da Real Thing (VP)
* TALIB KWELI Quality (MCA)
* TONI BRAXTON More Than A Woman (BMG)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Now! Christmas (Universal)
* WIDESPREAD PANIC Panic In The Streets (DVD) (Zomba)
* YES Fragile (DVD Audio) (Rhino)

Bear in mind that release dates are subject to change.

James Bond Back on Her Majesty's Secret Service

LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth went to the movies on Monday to see her most famous secret agent James Bond celebrate 40 years as the silver screen's top spy.

She attended the glittering premiere of "Die Another Day" starring Pierce Brosnan as the debonair secret agent with enough guns, gadgets and girls to thwart any villain plotting world domination.

More than half the world's population has seen a James Bond film. It is the most successful franchise in cinema history -- and still retains its magic after taking more than $8 billion at the box office over four decades.

For Brosnan, playing one of the great movie icons is "like slipping on a comfy pair of old slippers."

"I am very proud of Bond and very proud to have completed four films," said the suave Irishman, greeted by a barrage of adoring fans outside London's Royal Albert Hall. "This was the best one," he boasted.

Madonna, who sings the theme song for the latest Bond movie, was accompanied to the premiere by her film director husband Guy Ritchie.

The 20th Bond movie takes fans down memory lane from the moment Halle Berry emerges from the waves in a nostalgic echo of Ursula Andress' spectacular entrance in the 1962 classic "Dr No."

Fresh from her Oscar-winning triumph in "Monster's Ball," Berry revelled in playing the feisty Jinx, who is more than a match for the elegant spy.

She loves the way the Bond girls have evolved. "Year after year, they have gotten a little stronger, a little smarter," she said of the role. "Now they are Bond's intellectual equals and physical rivals."

Bikini-clad starlets have launched a million male fantasies and Berry should leave fans both shaken and stirred in the latest Bond saga, which opens in Britain on November 20 and in the United States on November 22.

"Die Another Day" has been dubbed "Buy Another Day" for its string of product placements from martinis to cars. Anti-smoking groups are outraged that Bond is seen smoking a cigar.

Bond now faces a real Christmas box office battle with the two other festive blockbusters -- the latest "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" sagas.

And once more debate rages as to who is the best Bond -- Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan.

Both Moore and Dalton attended Monday's premiere. For Dalton it was a night for happy memories. He recalled: "It was wonderful. I had great fun. I enjoyed every minute of it."

Producer Barbara Broccoli, whose father "Cubby" was the mastermind behind the silver screen saga, refuses to be drawn on who is the best Bond.

"It is like asking someone who their favorite sibling is. Each one has meant a lot to me growing up and I have been lucky to be friends with them," she said.

"People always ask me who the next Bond is. That is like asking a bride walking down the aisle who her next husband is going to be," she said.

Hollywood Actor James Coburn Dead at 74

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actor James Coburn, famed for his action roles and poignant characterizations in a career spanning more than 40 years, died of a heart attack on Monday, his manager said. He was 74.

Coburn had been listening to music at his Beverly Hills home with his wife, when he was struck by a massive coronary about 4:30 p.m. PST, said his manager, Hillard Elkins. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

"He died happy," Elkins told Reuters.

The Nebraska native won an Academy Award in 1999 for his supporting role as an alcoholic father opposite Nick Nolte in the acclaimed drama "Affliction."

He is currently in North American theaters playing a terminally ill novelist in "The Man From Elysian Fields," an independent movie starring Andy Garcia and Mick Jagger.

Other films included the Westerns "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" and "Young Guns II," the spy spoof "Our Man Flint" and his 1960 breakthrough "The Magnificent Seven."

He is survived by his wife, Paula, two children, Lisa and James Jr., and two grandchildren.

Keeping it real on 'Sports Night'

"Sports Night," a series depicting what goes on behind the scenes of "Sports Night," a show that looks a lot like "SportsCenter," first aired on ABC on Sept. 22, 1998. It got rave reviews and picked up a couple of Emmy Awards, but never moved beyond the middle of the pack in the ratings. The 45th, and final, episode aired on May 16, 2000.

It says a lot when you can put an entire series on six DVDs.Aaron Sorkin, who created the show and wrote much of the series, says he aimed for realism, even spending some time at the ESPN campus in Bristol. But he also, obviously, was attempting to produce a funny and compelling series that would be wildly popular.

Recently, the complete run of "Sports Night" came out in a six-disc box set. If every episode of "SportsCenter" were released in a DVD set, the box would be the size of an 18-wheeler. So that's one difference.

Are there any others?

Nirvana Tops 50 Million Mark In Worldwide Sales, 'Journals' Number One

Nirvana's self-titled "best of" collection has debuted in the top 10 in more than 11 countries, pushing the total sales of Nirvana's catalog past the 50 million mark in worldwide sales. Nirvana's groundbreaking Nevermind has sold 10 million albums alone in the U.S., and for that feat, it's been certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Nirvana features the never-before-released song "You Know You're Right," which now stands at Number Two on the Billboard Modern Rock chart after four weeks at Number One. Ironically, this week the Foo Fighters, fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, own the top spot with "All My Life."

In related news, Journals, a book culled from the actual journal entries of late Nirvana singer/guitarist/songwriter Kurt Cobain, is set to make its debut at Number One on the New York Times' Best Seller List for Hardcover Non-Fiction. That chart is published November 24.

Shania's gonna getcha with pop-and-country 'Up!'

Whether you prefer pop or country, Shania Twain has a new CD for you. Twain's "Up!" boasts two discs, each with a different version of the 19-song collection. Shania Twain's latest album arrives on Tuesday and has the same songs in country and pop.

These color-coded discs — "red" for pop, "green" for country — don't just contain alternate mixes. Twain recorded the entire album no less than three times, with different groups of musicians on each session. (A "blue" disc recorded partly in Mumbai, India — think "Shania goes Bollywood" — is being packaged with the red version internationally.)

Because she doesn't have to worry about striking a musical balance that will please multiple formats, Twain indulges herself. She loads the green disc with banjo and mandolin, instruments that rarely appeared on 1995's The Woman in Me and 1998's Come On Over. The red arrangements often take on the grandiosity of a modern-day version of ABBA — especially C'est la Vie, the chorus of which sounds remarkably similar to Dancing Queen.

On some songs, the difference is largely a matter of instrumentation. On first single I'm Gonna Getcha Good!, for example, a pedal steel guitar may take the place of strings, but it's still playing basically the same lines.

Other changes are more pronounced: On the green version of Thank You Baby! (For Makin' Someday Come So Soon), a fiddle and pedal steel trade licks in an instrumental break. That break in the red version sounds as if Twain and husband/producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange lifted it from the Beach Boys' Good Vibrations.

Not every song works equally well in both adaptations. I Ain't Goin' Down, a story from the viewpoint of a single mother, works best in its green version, where it sounds like something Dottie West might have recorded. The minor-key Ka-Ching! and Ain't No Particular Way are better suited to red arrangements. But the album's ballads — particularly When You Kiss Me and Forever and Always— are sure to become staples of both pop and country playlists.

Twain's varying approaches to her music render moot any discussion about whether she's country or pop. She's both, she's neither, she's whatever suits her at a given time. Twain has always seen herself as a woman with unlimited horizons, and with the ambitious Up! she has just broadened them.

Call for Condom Testers Swamped by Offers

LONDON (Reuters) - An appeal for British students to volunteer to rigorously road test condoms and be paid 100 pounds ($240 Canadian) a term into the bargain has been overwhelmed by applicants, manufacturer Condomi said Friday.

Within a week of the appeal for sexually-active men and women to come forward, the firm had received 10,000 applications and is combing the list selecting 100 who will get lucky.

The winners will be required to perform what the firm called "rigorous pleasure tests" on its entire range and fill in a detailed questionnaire on their reactions.

"The response has been phenomenal," marketing manager Victoria Wells said. "It is quite surprising how much detail some people go into when answering intimate questions."

Fast-Food Customer Loses Appetite Over Toilets

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A customer in an international hamburger chain outlet in western Sweden lost his appetite when he discovered the restaurant's toilet seats were being washed in its dishwasher alongside the kitchen utensils.

The man noticed on a visit to the bathroom in the restaurant in Arvika, Sweden, that all the toilet seats had been removed.

When he asked staff about the missing seats, an employee took them out of a dishwasher where they had been cleaned together with trays and kitchen utensils, the Swedish TT news agency reported on Thursday, quoting the regional newspaper Nya Wermlands-Tidningen.

The employee tried to reassure the customer by saying that the freshly washed toilet seat would be warm and pleasant to sit on.

A senior representative of the restaurant chain said the incident was a mistake and not standard company procedure. Arvika's environmental and health inspector later visited the restaurant.

Sabrina Lloyd Heads to 'Ed'

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Sports Night" veteran Sabrina Lloyd is moving to Stuckeyville.

Lloyd is joining the cast of NBC's "Ed" for a four-episode arc that's slated to begin airing in mid-January. She'll play a woman who convinces Ed (Tom Cavanagh) to hire her as a lawyer at his bowling alley practice.

"She's charming and persistent, and Ed just finally gives in," said executive producer Rob Burnett.

Lloyd is contracted to appear in six episodes, but there's a chance the role could be extended.

Burnett wouldn't say whether Lloyd will end up romantically involved with Ed.

"Every woman on the show is a potential love interest for Ed," he said.

Lloyd played Natalie Hurley on "Sports Night," the critically worshipped but short-lived half-hour from "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin. She later appeared on ABC's "Madigan Men." Other credits include Fox's "Sliders" and the feature "Father Hood."

"Ed," which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m., is in its third season. Last week's non-wedding wedding episode, with guest star Kelly Ripa, attracted 12.6 million viewers -- the series' best performance in more than a year.

Weekend Box Office Totals

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," the second installment in the fantasy franchise based on J.K. Rowling's novels, took in $87.7 million, the third-best debut weekend ever, according to studio estimates Sunday.

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. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," $87.7 million.

2. "8 Mile," $21.3 million.

3. "The Santa Clause 2," $15.1 million.

4. "The Ring," $11 million.

5. "Half Past Dead," $8.2 million.

6. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," $4.7 million.

7. "Jackass: The Movie," $4.03 million.

8. "I Spy," $4 million.

9. "Frida," $2.9 million.

10. "Sweet Home Alabama," $2.4 million.

James Bond Resumes Smoking After 13-Year Break

LONDON (Reuters) - After 13 years without a smoke, world famous secret agent James Bond has started puffing again, Britain's Sunday Times newspaper reported.

It published an image from the latest Bond film, "Die Another Day," in which Bond actor Pierce Brosnan is smoking a cigar.

The decision to feature cigars in the film, which premieres in London Monday, has outraged the anti-smoking lobby.

Bond, better known for his vodka-martinis than his nicotine habit, smoked in his early films but has not been seen with a cigarette since the 1989 film "License to Kill."

When Brosnan took over the role in the mid-1990s he adopted a strong anti-smoking stance but agreed to smoke cigars in the latest movie because it is set in Cuba, the paper reported.

Britain is expected to toughen its rules on cigarette advertising next year, outlawing the use of cigarettes in films and television dramas.

The paper said "Die Another Day" is littered with blatant plugs for a variety of brand names, prompting critics to dub it "Buy another Day."

TV Promos Rock with Elton

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - In an innovative bid to market a new Elton John greatest hits package, the crooner's label is giving TV networks and producers easy -- and cheaper-than-usual -- access to his three-decade catalog of tunes.

Searching for a creative way to market last week's release of "Elton John: Greatest Hits 1970-2002," Universal Music Enterprises has been approaching network hypemeisters and music supervisors about injecting John's tunes into both promos and programming. As an incentive, the label offered extended terms and dramatically lower-than-usual licensing costs.

The networks have jumped at the offer. In recent weeks, astute viewers may have noted NBC's use of "Your Song" to hype the budding romance on "Good Morning, Miami" and "The Bitch is Back" to herald Heather Locklear's arrival on "Scrubs."

CBS, meanwhile, has made use of "Tiny Dancer" in ads for "Presidio Med," while spots for "Hack" feature footage of star David Morse pushing bad guys into walls while "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" plays in the background.

Producers are also incorporating John's tunes into specific scenes.

The USA Network TV movie "Murder in Greenwich," which bowed Friday, boasts two John songs. "Rocket Man" -- now being used to hype UPN's "Enterprise" -- is also set to be heard in an upcoming episode of HBO's "Six Feet Under," while WB midseason comedy "The O'Keefes" will feature "Bennie and the Jets."

UME prexy Bruce Resnikoff said the label wanted to take an unconventional approach to marketing an artist whose demo appeal ranges from teens to grayhairs. The wide reach and short lead time associated with TV seemed a perfect match.

"We wanted people humming these songs almost in a subconscious manner," he said.

John and his management team were also key to making the strategy work, giving UME carte blanche to license his music to networks and producers without having to go through the usual red tape. He is also hitting the talk show circuit and will appear on an episode of "Will & Grace" next month.

Clerks Fans Unite!

Uber-filmmaker George Lucas references CLERKS and JAY AND SILENT BOB on the audio commentary of the Star Wars- Episode II: Attack Of The Clones DVD.

Remember the part in CLERKS when Randall and Dante are discussing the contractors who built the Death Star? Well, so does George Lucas!

Give it a listen!

Time to watch the 'Wedding' DVD

My Big Fat Greek Wedding, still one of the top 10 movies in theaters 30 weeks after its release, is coming to DVD on Feb. 11, HBO Video senior vice president Cynthia Rhea says.

"Just a week ago, it became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time," Rhea says. The movie, which has grossed $192.9 million, was made for a paltry $5 million.

So why watch it again at home? The film includes cast and director commentary from star and writer Nia Vardalos, leading man John Corbett and director Joel Zwick. Vardalos reveals that the young actress who plays her as a child was so much like her that her family thought it was really Vardalos — tweaked by a special-effects crew.

Weekend Movies: Potter Mania Returns

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One year older, one year wiser, British boy wizard Harry Potter whizzed back into movie theaters on Friday to see if he can stir the same box office magic that made last year's film the No. 2 grossing movie of all time next to "Titanic."

Only action hero Steven Seagal's "Half Past Dead" is brave or dumb enough to go up against mighty "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," but Seagal's new jail house flick looks like old hat compared to the bag of special effects tricks in "Potter."

Early on Friday, kids were skipping classes -- with their parents approval, of course -- donning capes, brandishing wands and topping off their costumes with a sorcerer's pointed hat to catch the first Potter screenings in theaters nationwide.

Online ticket seller Fandango.com reported Potter tickets comprised 96 percent of their total sales Thursday and Friday.

"It looks as good or better than last year for 'Harry Potter,"' said Fandango.com Chief Executive Art Levitt. "We're seeing a lot of sold out conditions, early on."

Last year's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" debuted in U.S. and Canadian theaters to a whopping $90.3 million box office in its first weekend and another $23.7 million in the U.K. where it was "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone."

This new version, based on the second book in the best-selling series from British author J.K. Rowling, is darker than the first with more sinister evil afoot at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry (Daniel Radcliff), and friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) take their lessons in magic.

But Radcliffe, for one, likes the newer movie's tone.

"Everybody has a dark side, really," he told reporters at a recent gathering. "I think it was great to show Harry's dark side, show that he's not flawless, not a perfect person.

"Chamber of Secrets" also clips along at a faster pace than "Sorcerer's Stone" without much of the character and scene explanation necessary to the first.

"I tried to make a 2-1/2 hour movie feel about 30 minutes long," director Chris Columbus told Reuters.

MORE EVIL AFOOT

In the new movie, Harry returns to Hogwarts for his second year of school only to find that a hidden "chamber of secrets" has been opened and a serpent unleashed that threatens to kill all wizards-in-waiting who aren't of pure wizard blood.

If the serpent is not killed and the chamber closed for good, Hogwarts will cease to exist, and it is up to Harry and his friends to make sure that doesn't happen.

Potter fans will see the return of favorite characters like Hagrid and Professors Dumbledore -- played by the late Richard Harris, who died last month -- McGonagall and Snape, along with additions such as the mysterious elf, Dobby, and the foppish Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.

Dark moments come when Harry and Ron are chased from a spider's lair by hundreds of the creepy eight-legged creatures, and younger kids may find the serpent who swims through Hogwarts sewer pipes too menacing with his sharp fangs.

But in early screenings in Los Angeles, Harry's legions of young fans seem to be pleased.

Adult critics seem mixed, however, with the Los Angeles Times thinking it was too dark, but the New York Times gives it a passing grade and said it is a little better than the first.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is rated PG for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language.

Meanwhile, "Half Past Dead" looks to field more of the same gun-blasting and punch-throwing that made Seagal a star in 1990s flicks like "Under Siege. Trouble is, the 90s are over.

The 51 year-old action hero portrays a car thief named Sascha who, with his buddy Nick (rap star Ja Rule), is tossed into a "new" Alcatraz just when a corrupt prison cop (Morris Chestnut) stages a "break-in" to coerce a death row inmate into telling him where $200 million in gold is hidden.

Together, the prisoners must overcome the corrections official and restore justice to civilized society -- all from inside a jail.

"Half Past Dead" is rated PG-13 for pervasive action violence, language and some sexual content.

Actors Paul Reubens And Jeffrey Jones Charged in Child Pornography Investigation

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Paul Reubens, best known as children's television favorite "Pee-wee Herman," and veteran character actor Jeffrey Jones were charged Friday in related child pornography cases, prosecutors said.

Reubens, whose career was nearly derailed in 1991 by a lewd conduct scandal, faces a misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography stemming from a search of his home by police in November 2001, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said.

Jones, an acquaintance of Reubens who played a malevolent Puritan in "The Crucible" and a school principal in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," was charged with a felony count of using a minor for sex acts and misdemeanor possession of child pornography.

The felony count relates to allegations he hired a 14-year-old boy to pose for sexually explicit photographs between September 2000 and May of last year, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the charges do not involve any sex act being performed or any video or film being taken.

Charges against the performers grew out of searches conducted by police at their homes in related investigations. While prosecutors declined to specify how the two cases were linked, a spokeswoman for Reubens said the probes resulted from accusations made by a teenager against both men.

Reubens' attorney, Blair Berk, said the charge against the comedian were untrue. The charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and $2,500 fine.

HANDFUL OF IMAGES

At issue in Reubens' case were a "handful of images" from "an extensive collection of vintage physique art photography" seized at his home by police, a spokeswoman for Reubens told Reuters. Berk said Reubens was unaware that the collection contained anything improper.

Jones' attorney, Jeff Brodey, could not immediately be reached for comment, but he was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying the charges against his client involve only pictures, not physical contact. "This is all about photos. There's not allegations of any touching or any improper acts with a minor," Brodey told the Times, adding that Jones "is a very decent guy, and his life shouldn't be ruined."

Jones, 55, surrendered to authorities on Thursday and was released on $20,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and would have to register for life as a sex offender.

The district attorney declined to file any charges against Reubens but his spokeswoman said the City Attorney's Office waited until the last day possible under the statute of limitations to bring its misdemeanor case.

Officials said Reubens allegedly took photographs of the same boy as Jones, but prosecutors declined to bring charges against him because his photos were not found to be sexually explicit.

Reubens, best known for his nerdy, man-child Pee-wee Herman persona, had his career nearly destroyed in 1991 when he was arrested for allegedly masturbating in an adult movie theater. But he gradually has made a comeback with various offbeat character roles for television and film.

Which Winona are you?

CHEST A MINUTE, MARGE!

MARGE Simpson is getting breast implants just in time for American Thanksgiving.

In an upcoming episode of "The Simpsons" called "Large Marge," Bart's blue-haired mother is mistakenly given a breast augmentation when she goes into the hospital for liposuction on her stomach.

In the episode, scheduled to air Sunday, Nov. 24, it's revealed that the implants were actually meant for a younger patient, who turns out to be one of Mayor Quimby's escorts.

Marge decides to go under the knife for the liposuction when she gets jealous of all the younger women she mistakenly thinks her husband Homer is drooling over when he sees them on the street.

At first Marge wants the implants removed, but later decides she likes them because of all the attention she gets.

She soon becomes a fashion model and ends up flashing her breasts at the residents of Springfield - giving an eyeful to a crowd including Krusty the Clown, Sideshow Bob and Police Chief Wiggum.

Marge's enhancement is one of the few known instances of a breast job on an animated prime-time show - but not the first one on "The Simpsons."

Several years ago, Krusty the Clown tried to have plastic surgery to change his identity, but ended getting a breast enlargement by mistake.

When he looks exactly the same after his plastic surgery, his doctor argues and says, "Plus I did your breasts," to which Krusty answers: "Does anyone hear me complaining about the breasts?"

Marge's new chest puts her on a list of celebs who are either rumored to have gotten or admit to cashing in on a new pair of surgically enhanced breasts, including Pam Anderson (who's since had them downsized), Demi Moore and Melanie Griffith.

Amanda Marsh, last season's winner of "The Bachelor," admitted on the show that her ample bosom was the result of a pair of breast implants

And it's rumored that pop-tart Britney Spears has gotten implants - a charge she has denied.

This is the 14th season of "The Simpsons," which will celebrate its 300th episode in February.

THE SOPRANOS Will Take a Shorter Break This Time

According to creator David Chase, THE SOPRANOS will take a shorter break between seasons after the fourth one concludes than it did between the third and the fourth (16 months). Chase says that his writing staff is already working on the fifth (and possibly final) season. Filming on new episodes will then begin in March and the season will begin in the early fall of next year. Chase said he expects all remaining characters to be back next year as well - providing no one else gets whacked this season.

I HOPE ALF IS NEXT?

Muppet mainstay Kermit the Frog got his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame Thursday. Congrats, buddy!

Corgan's Zwan Signs To Reprise

Billy Corgan's post-Smashing Pumpkins group Zwan has signed to Reprise and will release its debut album in late January or early February, a spokesperson confirms. The group features Corgan on guitar and vocals, former Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, former Chavez guitarist Matt Sweeney, ex-Slint guitarist David Pajo, and bassist Paz Lenchantin, previously a member of A Perfect Circle.

Before the release of the as-yet-untitled album, Zwan has lined up several performances at radio station-sponsored holiday concerts, as well as a Dec. 5 club date at the Joint in Las Vegas. The group will then play Dec. 11 in Boston with Coldplay and OK Go for WBOS' Honor the Earth Benefit, Dec. 12 at K-Rock's Clausfest in New York, Dec. 13 at WHFS' Nutcracker in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15 at the Y100 Festival in Philadelphia, and Dec. 17 at The Night 89X Stole Xmas in Detroit.

"The Zwan album is just about done and we are all very excited and proud that we were able to come together to make this possible," Corgan wrote last month on the band's official Web site. "We've been having a lot of fun, working like wizards under red lights here in the studio."

The group has played sporadically since forming late last year, but of late its members have been active at a weekly open-mic night at Chicago's Hideout club, hosted by Sweeney. During one performance, Sweeney and Pajo performed as a duo. Lenchantin played some classical pieces on cello and violin with her sister. And over the course of a few weeks, Corgan debuted a number of new songs solo on pump piano or guitar -- some written that morning.

On the final night of the series, just past the club's 2 a.m. curfew, Corgan himself closed out the run. For the last word, he chose "the longest song [he had] ever written." A concept piece, "Woman With a Cruel Face" compiled "all the cruel things women have ever said" to him. Earlier in the night, he was joined by bassist Paris Delane and harmonica player Jeff "Hyper Harp" Grossberg for a few tunes from Chicago bluesman Howlin' Wolf.

"Star Wars: Episode II- Attack Of The Clones" DVDs Are Flying Off Retail Shelves

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Consumers attacked video stores Tuesday to get their hands on the latest DVD installment of the Star Wars franchise, "Episode II: Attack of the Clones."

Although Fox would not give actual sales figures, industry sources estimate the title may have sold about 4 million copies in the first 24 hours, for an estimated $75 million in retail value.

Although that doesn't top the 7 million units claimed by Columbia for "Spider-Man" or the 5 million claimed by Disney for "Monsters, Inc.," Fox said "Clones" is selling a higher percentage (more than 25%) of the units that were shipped to retailers than any title this year.

Columbia shipped 26 million copies of "Spider-Man" and Disney shipped 21 million copies of "Monsters, Inc." while Fox shipped just 15 million units of "Clones."

Part of the reason for strong sales of "Clones" is steep discounting by retailers, said Mike Dunn, executive VP of sales and marketing at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Not surprisingly, about 75% of the copies shipped and being purchased are on DVD.

Meanwhile, sources said sales of "Spider-Man" slowed considerably in the second week and even more this week, with the release of both "Clones" and the special edition of the first installment of "The Lord of the Rings," and may not reach the lofty record-breaking heights, initially projected by Columbia, of more than 30 million units.

The special four-disc extended edition of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" is selling at many outlets for $25 (US). Sources say New Line shipped well under 1 million copies of the special edition after shipping an estimated 14 million-18 million units of the initial release in August.

...what time is it?

We'll Live To See "Die Another Day" Another Day

Nev Pierce of the BBC in London has posted his review of the new James Bond flick, which opens November 22nd in North America.

I didn't read the whole review as I don't want to know anything about it, but I did take a look at his opening words. They are:

"In "Die Another Day", her majesty's finest regains his killer touch.

Sexy, funny and spectacular, Bond's first mission of the new millennium is one of the best of the series - not simply a great Bond movie, but a great Action movie, full stop."

Sweet! Now I can't wait to see it, even more!

And then I read this German review and I was even more psyched!

Oh yeah, baby!

Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You

With the busy Holiday Season soon to be upon us you will likely want to make some time for the incredible films that are being released in North America in the next 7 weeks. Here's a look at all of the movies that are Coming Soon.

Enjoy the list and I'll see you at the movies!

Of Course He Does

Wyclef Jean telling a press conference in Barcelona that he'd like to get the Fugees back together. "The Fugees still didn't break up. We are still trying to make stuff and work stuff out. I want to do a Fugees record." He said that convincing Lauryn Hill "is the problem." Wyclef is in Europe for the MTV Europe Awards.

THE PRODUCERS

The Producers Guild of America announcing its annual batch of honorary award recipients. MPAA boss Jack Valenti will get the Milestone Award for contributions to the Industry, Godfather producer Robert Evans will receive the David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award, George Lucas will take home the Vanguard Award for technical achievement and Rita Wilson will pick up the Visionary Award for producing My Big, Fat Greek Wedding. The PGA Awards will be handed out March 2.

TILL SHADY

The soundtrack to Eminem's 8 Mile, remaining number one for the second week in a row on the album charts, selling 508,000 copies. Debuting in the two spot was Justin Timberlake's solo release, Justified, followed by U2's The Best of 1990-2000 at three.

Rolling Stones Would Have No Chance Today - Wyman

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones would have no chance on the music market if they were to start as newcomers today, the band's former bassist Bill Wyman said on Wednesday.

Wyman, who left the Rolling Stones after the band's 30th anniversary 10 years ago, said record companies would no longer sign people whose style was different to that of the charts.

"That's why many talented young people don't have a chance. The Rolling Stones would be too different today. They were different then but in those days the record companies and the media were open to new ideas," Wyman told Reuters in Berlin.

"Now it's completely closed to only two or three kinds of music. And if you don't play those you don't get signed by a record company and you are not played on the radio. So, the Rolling Stones would never make it now," he added.

Wyman, 66, who was in Berlin to present his new book "Rolling with the Stones," said he did not regret leaving the band and was still in good contact with the other band members.

"We are very good friends," he said, adding that drummer Charlie Watts often phoned him from the band's tour.

"Charlie says: 'I was playing on the show tonight and I turned around to speak to you again and you weren't there. Come back."

He said he expected to see the band members when they come to England and they have been talking about a show together.

"A last time or something," he said.

While the remaining Stones -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Watts and Ron Wood -- have spent the past year preparing for their "Forty Licks" world tour, Wyman has been compiling what he hopes will be the definitive book on the band.

"Rolling With The Stones" is based on the diaries Wyman has kept all his life and features personal insights and insider information on the band.

"Nobody collected in the other bands. Nobody. And everybody thought I was crazy, stupid. They don't think now I'm stupid. It's very valuable. Now everybody starts to make a collection," Wyman said at the book's presentation in Berlin.

In his new book, Wyman writes about the band's music and behind-the-scenes history, including the death of founder Brian Jones in 1969, the drugs, the groupies and the fights.

Honestly, who cares about what he was doing, what a freaky picture!

Mommy, I'm scared!!

Worst Episode, Ever?

Guest stars rocked 14th season premiere of The Simpsons. The episode, Long Live Rock!, featured a who's who of music superstars, including Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Lenny Kravitz and Brian Setzer.

Like most animated programs, The Simpsons' voices are recorded first. Animators then follow the vocal cues in rendering the characters. Most of the drawing takes place in Korea. Each episode takes nine months to create.

Being a guest voice on The Simpsons is like getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's proof that you've arrived, are still in the game or at the very least are cool to kids.

Usually, casting celebrities on the show begins with an idea from one of the writers. But not always.

As the series closes in on 300 episodes, more than a hundred celebrity guest voices have been featured. In just one episode last May, Stan Lee, Jan Hooks, Carmen Electra, Reese Witherspoon and Dennis Weaver all took part.

Some, of course, work better than others. Many fans complain that celebrity-filled episodes are usually pretty lame. However, some celebs belong in Springfield. Setting aside semi-regulars Kelsey Grammer (as evil Sideshow Bob) and the late Phil Hartman (legal dud Lionel Hutz and B-movie idol Troy McClure), here's a Top Ten list of who worked best, divided into two categories.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CELEBRITIES AS CHARACTERS
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Dustin Hoffman: Lisa's Substitute
Hoffman shone as substitute teacher Mr. Bergstrom in this early episode, in which he was coyly billed as "Sam Etic."

Michael Jackson: Stark Raving Dad
If this was Jackson (no one at The Simpsons has ever confirmed it), he never appeared more human or sympathetic than he did here as a cartoon. He plays Leon Kampowsky, a hulking mental patient who thinks he's Michael Jackson. Jackson as a crazy white guy? Could be. The voice over was credited to John Jay Smith. Lisa later makes a sly reference to Jackson and Hoffman in Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie: "Everyone had a cameo. Even Michael Jackson and Dustin Hoffman. Of course, they weren't credited, but you knew it was them."

Jackie Mason: Like Father Like Clown
Another oldie but a goodie, with Mason as Krusty the Klown's cranky pop, Rabbi Krustofski, in a send up of The Jazz Singer. "Seltzer is for drinking, not for spraying," sez Krustofski.

Rodney Dangerfield: Burns, Baby Burns
Dangerfield was a perfect fit as Burns' boorish son Larry in this eighth-season outing. "Whoa, this guy's got more bread than a prison meatloaf."

Jon Lovitz: A Streetcar named Marge
Lovitz perfectly overplays Springfield director Llewellyn Sinclair, who casts Marge (opposite bare-chested Ned Flanders) in a musical version of A Streetcar named Desire. "I have directed three plays in my career, and I have had three heart attacks," Sinclair says. "That's how much I care, I'm planning a fourth." Lovitz has popped up in a few episodes, even resurrecting his old Critic character Jay Sherman.

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CELEBRITIES AS THEMSELVES
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ringo Starr: Brush With Greatness
Decades after she sent Ringo a portrait she painted, Marge receives a belated thank you note from the former Beatle. "Dear Marge," he wrote, "Thanks for the fab painting of yours truly. I hung it on me wall. You're quite an artist. In answer to your question, yes, we do have hamburgers and fries in England, but we call french fries 'chips.' Luv Ringo." Two other Beatles, Paul McCartney (with wife Linda) and George Harrison, also jammed with The Simpsons.

Adam West: Mr. Plow
In this great episode, Homer meets West behind the wheel of a battered Batmobile at an auto show. Homer: Gasp! Adam West! Kids! Batman!
Lisa: That's not the real Batman. Adam West: Of course I'm the real Batman. See, here's a picture of me with Robin. Bart: Who the hell is Robin?

Kim Basinger, Alec baldwin and Ron Howard: Brush With Greatness
The stars head to Springfield for peace and quiet until Homer, their personal assistant, blabs. Howard, who also once appeared as a Hollywood Square on The Simpsons, does a great job goofing on himself. Homer calls him both Fonzie and Horshack, but not Opie.

James Woods: Homer And Apu
The intense actor takes Apu's place at the Kwik-E-Mart in order to research a role as a convenience store clerk. Naturally, he is robbed. Robber: All right, you. Hand over the cash and don't try any funny stuff. Woods: Hey, pal, I assure you -- if I tried any funny stuff, you would be in hysterics.

Mel Gibson: Beyond Blunderdome
At a test screening, Homer declares Mel Gibson's new movie, a remake of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, to be "more boring than church." Gibson hires Homer to rework the film and he turns it into a mindless, ultra-violent mess. Producer: You desecrated a classic film. This is worse than Godfather III. Gibson: Whoa, whoa, hey, whoa! Let's not say things we can't take back.

Good night, Springton ... there will be no encore!

This Is The Cover Art From Ben Affleck's Fiance's New Disc

Sort of reminds me of Carly Simon and Linda Ronstadt in the 70's.

Film Group to List Heroes, Villains

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The American Film Institute is trying to separate the good from the bad, announcing plans Tuesday for a new top-100 list that will rank the top screen heroes and villains.

Voters can choose among 400 nominated characters from American film history and decide which should be considered wicked or virtuous.

That may seem easy when considering Kevin Spacey's serial killer from "Seven" or the pure-hearted pig from "Babe" — but voters may have a tougher time when categorizing nominees such as Robert De Niro's loner vigilante Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver."

"It gets trickier as the characters become more complicated," said Bob Gazzale, producer of the planned CBS special in June that will reveal the final list of 50 good guys and 50 bad guys. "We're asking people not only to determine who is the greatest, but also decide if they're good or bad."

The institute is sending ballots to nearly 1,500 directors, actors, studio executives, critics and others involved in the entertainment industry.

Real-life astronaut Jim Lovell, played by Tom Hanks in "Apollo 13," is up for consideration, along with Malcolm X, as performed by Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's biopic of the civil rights leader.

Some characters are nominated en masse, such as the zombies from 1968's "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Wild Bunch" cowboys from director Sam Peckinpah's 1969 western.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's killer robot is nominated twice, once for the attacking character he played in 1984's original "The Terminator," and again for 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," in which the android he played was a protector.

Previous AFI lists included the 100 best American films, led by "Citizen Kane," and the 100 funniest movies, with "Some Like It Hot" at No. 1.

Jean Picker Firstenberg, the institute's director, said the contests are designed to "excite Americans to see movies they haven't seen for a while or see movies they've never seen."

Joni Mitchell Says New Album Will Be Her Last

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, disgusted with the music business, has said her latest album will also be her last.

"These are my last two records," the influential Canadian songstress said of her forthcoming double album "Travelogue."

"I'm quitting after this because the business has made itself so repugnant to me," Mitchell, 59, was quoted as telling the December edition of W magazine in an interview.

Mitchell, whose eclectic career spans 35 years across the genres of folk, rock and jazz, has been hinting for weeks that she might end the recording career that made her one of the most respected and outspoken artists of her generation.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, published in October, Mitchell described the music business as a "cesspool," saying she would never take another deal in the record business, "which means I may not record again."

In the W magazine interview, she blasted the recording industry as "the most corrupt one of all. They try not to pay you whenever possible."

Venting her scorn on contemporary artists -- including Madonna -- Mitchell said of music industry executives;

"They're not looking for talent. They're looking for a look and a willingness to cooperate. And a woman my age, no matter how well preserved, no longer has the look. And I've never had a willingness to cooperate."

As for Madonna, who was once quoted as saying that as a teenager she had adored Mitchell: "She has knocked the importance of talent out of the arena. She's manufactured. She's made a lot of money and become the biggest star in the world by hiring the right people," Mitchell said.

Canadian-born Mitchell, whose syncopated rhythms and introspective lyrics brought a breath of fresh air to the early 1970s music scene, inspired musicians ranging from Sting to David Bowie and Madonna herself. Yet her own records, even those like "Both Sides Now," "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Woodstock," never sold in huge numbers.

She has refused to do anything to make her music more salable. "What would I do?," she asked in the W magazine interview.

"Show my tits? Grab my crotch? Get hair extensions and a choreographer? It's not my world," she said.

"Travelogue," a two-disc collection, features some but not all of Mitchell's greatest hits. It was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and a backing band that includes Herbie Hancock, Billy Preston and Wayne Shorter and will be released on November 18.

Spider Man Creator Sues Marvel for Profit Cut

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The creator of Spider-Man and other superheroes sued Marvel Enterprises Inc. on Tuesday, alleging it has trampled on his rights and broken promises to pay him a cut of the profits from the commercial success of his characters.

Stan Lee, the 79-year-old artist behind Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men and Daredevil, is seeking 10 percent of the profits earned from this year's hit film "Spider-Man: The Movie" and other films and television shows. The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, also names Marvel Characters as a defendant.

The Spider-Man movie grossed $114 million in its record-breaking opening weekend and has earned more than $1 billion worldwide, the suit said. Lee said he created the Spider-Man character about 40 years ago.

The DVD and videocassette versions of the movie went on sale Nov. 1 and executives of Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Entertainment reported that sales were expected to generate more than $190 million in North America alone in the first three days on the market, according to the suit.

"Mr. Lee has made contributions to Marvel and the comic book industry in the past, for which he continues to be well compensated," Marvel said in a statement on Tuesday. "Marvel believes it is in full compliance with, and current on all payments due under, the terms of Mr. Lee's employment agreement and will continue to be so in the future."

The company had said in regulatory filing last week that Lee was threatening litigation.

'SHAMEFUL SCHEME'

Lee alleged in his suit that despite all the acclaim for his characters, the defendants "embarked upon a shameful scheme to keep Mr. Lee from participating in the commercial success of his creations.

"In so doing, the defendants have trampled upon Mr. Lee's rights -- particularly the profit sharing commitment which they made to Mr. Lee which entitled him to share in the profits derived from the Marvel superhero characters," the suit alleged.

The suit said the defendants' actions are especially egregious given that Lee was initially employed by the defendants or their predecessors in 1939, and his 60-plus year association with them followed. Lee was first hired at age 17 to be an office errand-boy for Marvel's predecessor, Timely.

"During these many years, while defendants' business was built on the wings of his creations, Mr. Lee placed his trust and confidence in defendants -- ultimately entering into a profit sharing venture with defendants for the exploitation of his creations," the suit said.

Under the agreement, Lee said Marvel had a duty to pay Lee 10 percent of the profits from production using his characters in television and movies. The suit alleges that Marvel executives have already received "enormous windfalls" from X-Men and Spider-Man films and related merchandise.

Lee said in the suit that future films will be based on his characters including Daredevil, which is currently in production and scheduled to open in February.

On Saturday, Lee was named one of the winners of the inaugural Golden Panel Awards presented by The New York City Comic Book Museum, the nation's only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book. Lee was selected "Legend of 2002" for his lifetime achievements in the comic book industry.

Boooooooooooooooooooooooo!

This is from Kevin Smith's online diary for the flick JERSEY GIRL...

"...we wanted to use a clip from JAWS in JERSEY GIRL -- the shot of Quint being eaten by the shark. It was the focus of a short scene between George Carlin's character Bart and his granddaughter (the titular Jersey Girl) in which he used the movie to instruct the child of the perils of swimming at the beach. The word came back from Amblin that Spielberg didn't want to license scenes featuring the shark, based on the primitive special effects in the flick (i.e., the shark looks fake).

When we chose another scene that didn't showcase Bruce himself (we opted for the death of the raft-riding Kintner boy -- the one whose remains the Mayor didn't want to see spill out all over the dock), the word came back that Spielberg didn't want to license the use of any scenes in JAWS that reminded people how scary the movie was.

The long and short of this story, kids?

I smell a digitally manipulated re-release of JAWS in which the shark menaces Amity with a walkie-talkie."

Today's New Releases

Of all of today's new discs I have to admit that I really like...and don't hate me for this...the new Phil Collins. It is just good to hear his voice again.

It's also good to see that Pearl Jam haven't stopped the downward career trajectory path that they began after their second disc. Each one of their releases has done worse than the one before.

And there are other good things coming out today as well. Take a look!

Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, November 12th, 2002:

PHIL COLLINS- TESTIFY: Adult contemporary titan Phil Collins is back this week with "Testify" (Atlantic), his first all-new solo album in six years. The set also marks the first release of new Collins music since the 1999 soundtrack to "Tarzan," which won the artist an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy on the strength of the single "You'll Be in My Heart." Much of it is exactly what you'd expect from Collins, and that is exactly what I wanted. I quite like this disc.

JAY-Z- THE BLUEPRINT 2- THE GIFT AND THE CURSE: This is a sequel of sorts to 2001's Grammy Award-nominated "The Blueprint" and its a double-disc collection, the first for a Def Jam artist. In addition to Beyonce Knowles, who appears on first single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde," the album features appearances by Dr. Dre, Rakim, Truth Hurts, and Lenny Kravitz. There are all different types of music on there, from rock to soul to reggae -- it's very experimental." Unfortunately there is too much filler on this set. It would have been an awesome single disc release.

TLC- 3D: There was a point when Arista considered compiling a TLC greatest-hits package and adding on the new songs that the trio had recorded before the untimely death of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in April. But that notion was tabled. For remaining members Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, there was nothing to discuss. "When the greatest-hits idea was put out there, I said, 'It's not time for that now. I'm not done,'" Watkins recalls. "Nobody knows Lisa better than us girls. She'd have said, 'Girl, you better get out there and finish [an album]'." The result of Watkins' and Thomas' inspirational momentum is TLC's fourth full-length, "3D." A little more than half of the 13-track album was completed before the car accident in Honduras that left Lopes dead. She already had conceived the title, devised the visuals, and written six songs, including lead single "Girl Talk." Envisioned by Lopes as another look at the three different personalities that comprise TLC, "3D" finds the threesome once again setting their sexy, sassy, girls-just-want-to-have-fun attitude to music while also showing a vulnerable side. The dishy "Girl Talk" -- described by Watkins as "No Scrubs, part two" and peppered with Lopes' signature salty rap -- takes male half-steppers in relationships to task, while the lush "In Your Arms Tonight" calls to mind old-school Prince. "Damaged," one of the six songs Watkins penned, paints a moving picture of a woman who is scared to go forward with a new relationship. After several listens I still can't think of this as anything other than a way to capitalize on the death of Lopes. The tunes are good, but I wish they had waited until at least late NEXT year to release this CD.

PEARL JAM- RIOT ACT: Seven albums into its career, Pearl Jam has yet to surrender to the musical complacency that often comes with advancing age. The first single "I Am Mine" is an awesome track, but the rest is "been there, done that." Perhaps its time for Pearl Jam to call it quits.

Additional noteworthy titles hitting stores this week include:

-- A new album from Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, "Under Construction" (Elektra), featuring the hit "Work It."

-- The latest sets from modern rock acts 3 Doors Down ("Away From the Sun"), Crazy Town ("darkhorse"), and Saliva ("Back Into Your System").

-- Dancehall star Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light."

-- TV-bred boy band O-Town's "02."

-- The soundtrack to the upcoming James Bond film "Die Another Day," featuring the title theme by Madonna.

-- The Artemis label debut from veteran rock outfit the Pretenders, "Loose Screw."

-- A four-CD collection from Irish vocalist Enya, "Only Time."

-- A concert set from Jimi Hendrix, "Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight."

-- A double-disc best of from Elton John, "Greatest Hits 1970-2002."

-- A holiday collection from Barry Manilow, "A Christmas Gift of Love."

-- Chewin' The Fat by Rapper Fat Joe.

Van Halen Bassist Says He Hasn't Left The Band

Is Van Halen now a duo? Rumors have been circulating that Michael Anthony has parted company with Edward and Alex Van Halen, but the bassist says it's just not true.

In a message on his website, Anthony writes, "There's a rumor floating around...that I've left Van Halen, and that rumor has picked up some steam, so I thought I should put it to rest before it goes any further. I haven't met with any lawyers, and I haven't quit Van Halen. I'm still the bass player for the baddest rock 'n' roll band on the planet and have always been!"

Anthony adds, "I had a great time out on the road with my buddy Sammy (Hagar) and we've got some cool ideas planned for our Planet Us side project, but Van Halen is always my number one priority." Anthony made several appearances with Hagar and his band, the Waboritas, on Hagar's co-headlining tour with David Lee Roth earlier this year.

Planet Us is the supergroup featuring Hagar, Anthony, and guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo from Journey. Hagar has described the music they've recorded as "a combination of Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, and Tool." There's no word on when- or if- it will be released.

Wooo hooo! I Now Own It!

Admittedly I am still depressed that the SPORTS NIGHT DVD set that I was looking forward to last week was delayed in Canada (with no new date announced), but I can guarantee you that today's biggest release WILL NOT be delayed.

So, may the DVD be with you!

Here are the new DVD and Video releases for Tuesday, November 12th, 2002.

UP FIRST, THE BIGGEST OF THE BIG

Star Wars: Episode II-Attack Of The Clones- Obi-Wan tutors Anakin as a Jedi and the Empire gains power. And even if you didn't like the movie I did! Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor star.

Lucas and his team, as they did on the Phantom Menace DVD, excel in presenting the film and layering in bonus materials. On disc one, Lucas and six collaborators provide the methodical, insightful commentary. The picture, originally shot on digital video and transferred from a digital source, is crystal sharp. The sound, of course, is amazing.

The second disc, with its dynamic menus, offers trailers, TV spots, a music video, exclusive web links, posters, production photos, eight deleted scenes with optional intros, 20 separate documentaries on every aspect of filming from casting to design, costumes, sound, music, locations and special effects. Lucas even shows his dry sense of humour with a mock-doc on the history of R2-D2 as a temperamental diva movie star. Overall, this release does Star Wars fans proud.

Episode II is being released in both widescreen and fullscreen DVD editions.

OH, AND THERE ARE THESE "BIG" FLICKS TOO

Bad Company- A twin brother goes from street hustler to CIA agent in this movie that is one of the worst flicks of 2002. The absolute worst! (Chris Rock, Anthony Hopkins, Brooke Smith)

The Importance Of Being Earnest- Two men using same name fall in love with same girl. (Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Rupert Everett)

South Park: The Complete First Season- All of the 13 episodes from the first year of this awesome show are on this DVD set. WHAT IS NOT is Matt and Trey's commentary which has been taken off since the studio deemed it too offensive. In the words of Cartman, "Screw you guys, I'm going home!"

And then there are the rest.

The Lord Of The DVD's

Peter Jackson's classic "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring" is also coming out today. Jackson has extended his thrilling fantasy epic by 30 minutes and offered the new 208-minute version in a remarkable four-disc box set, the widescreen only Platinum Series Extended Edition.

This version does not replace the two-disc set released Aug. 6, which is the only place on DVD you can see the original theatrical release intact. Also, the original extras -- including a teaser for the release of the next instalment, The Two Towers -- are substantially different.

Now, with five new scenes and 20 others with added bits of footage, the film is rich and fuller and more beautiful and absolutely exhausting (in this case, that's wonderful).

A HUGE peeve is that the film is abruptly split with one half on disc one and the rest on disc two. The exact moment of this pause could have been better chosen. In teh end, it reminded me of having to flip a laserdisc (remember those?).

Everything else here is classy and unbelievably generous. There are four different commentaries involving 22 crew members and 10 star actors. All have useful Surtitles indicating who is talking.

Then, on discs three and four, ace DVD producer-director Michael Pellerin organizes six hours of documentary materials, plus 2,500 still images and another 75 minutes of on-set video footage.

The offerings include creative bonuses such as the active Middle-earth map that, with film clips, lets us follow both Frodo and Gandalf on their great adventures. The only thing missing is a character-by-character analysis and family trees that would help newbies figure this thing out.

So enjoy the pleasure of your own living room, and the movies!

Stuff Magazine names its 2002 Biggest Loser List.

Steven the Dell Guy, the perky pitchman for Dell Computer Corp., is the biggest loser of the year, according to a tongue-in-cheek list compiled by Stuff magazine.

The beanie cap-wearing actor, whose real name is Ben Curtis, fended off tough competition from the likes of fellow thespian Russell Crowe and airport security workers, according to the list published in Stuff's upcoming December issue.

"We chose people that just make your skin crawl by being there," Stuff editor-in-chief Greg Gutfeld told Reuters on Thursday. "The Dell Guy was ubiquitous, and the only reason he's perceived as being successful was because he was ubiquitous."

A spokesman at Austin, Texas-based Dell said he "disagreed wholeheartedly" with the No. 1 ranking, noting that the Steven campaign had been very successful. Curtis does not appear in Dell's current ad campaign, but the company still has a relationship with him, the spokesman said.

Gutfeld said airport security workers would have been a lock for the top spot, but he was worried he would be thrown off future flights. Instead, the federal employees made the list at No. 5 with the citation: "they couldn't spot a real terrorist if they had 'Death to Infidels' tattooed on their foreheads."

Crowe, who missed out on an Academy Award this year for "A Beautiful Mind," was ranked No. 2 with the recommendation that he should lighten up.

Other "losers" included the FBI, for publicly identifying a suspected anthrax mailer who now plans to sue the agency for defamation; and "The West Wing" star Martin Sheen for apparently thinking he really is the president.

Fox Preps New X-MEN, ANGEL, NYPD BLUE DVDs

Fox is prepping a busy late winter with three big DVD releases in February and March.

A six-disc set of the first season of NYPD BLUE drop on March 18 and include various audio commentaries from co-creator David Milch and director Brad Siberling.

The WB's ANGEL will see its first season released in a six-disc set somewhere in that two month span. It will contain featurettes from co-creators Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, as well as writer Jane Espenson.

The first X-MEN movie will also get a long-awaited two disc, Special Edition treatment with new deleted scenes, commentaries, featurettes, and 17 behind the scenes featurettes. It will be labeled as X-MEN 1.5 and retail for $26.98.

Other Fox features to be released in that two month span are THE BANGER SISTERS and BROWN SUGAR on February 11 and SORDID LIVES on February 18.

GOING THE WAY OF CABLE

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is close to a deal with HBO to have the pay TV network air the annual Primetime Emmy Awards for five years, starting with the September 2003 ceremony, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

WEDDING BELLS!

Surprising no one, singer-actress Jennifer Lopez confirming her engagement to Ben Affleck in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer set to air Wednesday. The couple, who've been dating since December, hope to wed early next year.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' Voted All-Time Top Tune

LONDON (Reuters) - Twenty-seven years after it was first released, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has once again topped a chart of all-time greatest hits.

The mini rock-opera saw off competition from fellow usual suspects The Beatles to claim the pop crown in a poll to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK charts.

John Lennon's "Imagine" came in second, followed by The Beatles' "Hey Jude." George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" was at number five.

The Beatles claimed 14 of the top 100 hits, way ahead of any other act.

Other top 10 entries included the Animals' "The House of the Rising Sun," Abba's "Dancing Queen" and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations."

But perhaps more noteworthy was who didn't feature in the top 100.

Contemporary stars barely got a look in with only four number one singles from the past decade making the grade with listeners -- and one of those was a remix.

Kylie Minogue's 2001 hit "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" featured at number 35, with revamped Elvis song "A Little Less Conversation," which topped British charts earlier this year, at 39.

Oasis were at 41 with their 1996 hit "Don't Look Back In Anger" and Irish rockers U2's were at 83 with their 2000 single "Beautiful Day."

The most contemporary track in the first 25 was Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" from 1984.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" has proved an enduring favorite among music fans, regularly topping "greatest ever" polls.

In May, it crowned a national poll of 30,000 people organized by Guinness World Records.

The single has also occupied the number one spot on the British chart twice, despite record bosses initially being reluctant even to release it.

Eminem's '8 Mile' Debuts at No. 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Eminem hip-hopped over the movie competition as his film debut "8 Mile" collected $51.2 million in its opening weekend.

That was more than double the amount of second-place "The Santa Clause 2," which had $24.7 million in its second week, but slightly less than Sunday's estimated returns of $54.5 million for "8 Mile."

Universal Pictures reported that about 30 percent of the audience for the R-rated film was older than 25.

"I think everybody was wondering what all the fuss was about," said box-office analyst Robert Bucksbaum of Reel Source Inc. "People who wouldn't necessarily spend money on his album or a soundtrack, were just drawn in by the music, the critics and the director, Curtis Hanson."

Hanson shared a screenwriting Academy Award in 1998 for "L.A. Confidential," which he also directed. His other films have included "Wonder Boys" and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle."

"8 Mile" co-stars Kim Basinger as Eminem's mother and Brittany Murphy as his love interest. The setting is the impoverished Eight Mile neighborhood of Detroit, where Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was raised.

The film got positive reviews in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Rolling Stone, USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan praised the film, but described it as a "somebody-up-there-likes-me" story that allows "audiences to feel the safety and security of familiarity that's simply not in the cards when listening to Eminem's earlier, more nasty and threatening work."

The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. are:

1. "8 Mile," Universal, $51.2 million, 2,470 locations, $20,745 average, $51.2 million, one week.

2. "The Santa Clause 2," Disney, $24.7 million, 3,352 locations, $7,379 average, $60 million, two weeks.

3. "The Ring," DreamWorks, $15.5 million, 2,927 locations, $5,298 average, $85.6 million, four weeks.

4. "I Spy," Sony, $8.8 million, 3,182 locations, $2,769 average, $24.4 million, two weeks.

5. "Jackass: The Movie," Paramount, $7.1 million, 2,532 locations, $2,807 average, $53.2 million, three weeks.

6. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," IFC Films, $5.8 million, 1,975 locations, $2,964 average, $192.8 million, 30 weeks.

7. "Sweet Home Alabama," Disney, $3.8 million, 2,004 locations, $1,902 average, $118.5 million, seven weeks.

8. "Ghost Ship," Warner Bros., $3.1 million, 2,361 locations, $1,337 average, $26.1 million, three weeks.

9. "Femme Fatale," Warner Bros., $2.7 million, 1,066 locations, $2,604 average, $3.4 million, one week.

10. "Frida," Miramax, $2.7 million, 319 locations, $8,634 average, $4.5 million, three weeks.

11. "Punch-Drunk Love," Sony, $2.5 million, 1,293 locations, $1,935 average, $14.5 million, five weeks.

12. "Red Dragon," Universal, $1.5 million, 1,324 locations, $1,180 average, $91.4 million, six weeks.

13. "Bowling for Columbine," MGM-UA, $1.5 million, 222 locations, $7,024 average, $6.7 million, five weeks.

14. "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones," Fox-IMAX, $1.3 million, 58 locations, $23,963 average, $2.7 million ($303.6 million total domestic gross), two weeks in large-format IMAX theaters.

15. "Tuck Everlasting," Disney, $1.08 million, 1,090 locations, $997 average, $17.6 million, five weeks.

16. "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie," Artisan, $1.06 million, 1,497 locations, $710 average, $23.1 million, six weeks.

17. "Barbershop," MGM, $1.05 million, 984 locations, $1,074 average, $74 million, nine weeks.

18. "Brown Sugar," Fox Searchlight, $1.03 million, 649 locations, $1,599 average, $26 million, five weeks.

19. "The Tuxedo," DreamWorks, $649,104, 755 locations, $860 average, $49.1 million, seven weeks.

20. "The Transporter," Fox, $588,301, 569 locations, $1,034 average, $24.5 million, five weeks.

Halle Berry's 'Jinx' Headed for Bond Spin-Off

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar winning flake Halle Berry may be joining the exalted ranks of secret agent superheroes -- becoming the star of the first movie ever spun off from the James Bond film series, one of the great moneymakers in Hollywood history.

Fueled by a series of weekend interviews, talk swirled around Hollywood on Monday that Berry, who plays the beautiful but dangerous U.S. agent Jinx in the latest Bond caper, "Die Another Day," may be headed for her own spinoff movie.

Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and Berry herself confirmed to interviewers over the weekend that the idea was being seriously considered.

Series producer Barbara Broccoli has been quoted as saying, "There are talks about it. We are considering it." And celebrity cable network E! Entertainment quoted Berry as telling its reporter that if a spinoff movie was planned, "I would do it in a heartbeat."

Berry made similar comments in some other interviews promoting the film but added cautions in others. She said she was currently developing four to five projects.

"What happens in this town is when you start talking about a project, when you are thinking about if you want to be involved, all of the sudden it's in the paper that you are doing it," she said.

"That's how it goes. It's out of my control," she added.

Berry did say she loved playing Jinx, who both rivals Bond and works with him to catch a villain whose evil plan threatens the balance of world power in "Die Another Day."

SEX AS A WEAPON

"She is sexy. She is sure of her sexuality and how to use it, almost as a weapon. She is very intelligent. She is Bond's equal ... She saves him a few times in the movie, and they have a great partnership," Berry said.

"Die Another Day" makes its American debut on Nov. 22.

Buzz about creating a spinoff on Bond featuring one of his female co-stars is not exactly new. When martial arts movie star Michelle Yeoh played Bond girl Wai-Lin in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies," the same sort of rumor kicked into high gear.

Then, it was all talk, no action.

For years, film makers have speculated on the type of box office muscle a woman might flex in a role as a super secret spy and trained assassin like 007 or as an intense private detective and several have tried.

But the fact is, that as action flicks have become big at the box office and as women's roles have changed throughout the 1990s, women have appeared in parts that kick just as much tail as any man could, even Bond.

Does anyone remember Kathleen Turner in 1991's "V.I. Warshawski?" Probably not, because it was a major flop.

Berry portrayed comic book superhero Storm in the 2000 action hit "X-Men," and she is reprising that role in the sequel "X-Men 2," which is set to hit theaters next year.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae

Feast On This!

Alanis Morissette will release a CD/DVD entitled Feast on Scraps on December 10th. The album contains eight unreleased songs that were recorded during the singer-songwriter's sessions for Under Rug Swept, which was released this past February, as well as an acoustic version of the album's first single, "Hands Clean."

The DVD contains two-and-a-half hours of concert footage from an August show August in Holland. The behind-the-scenes footage was culled from all dates on Morissette's 2002 world tour. The DVD also comes with three video vignettes of the making of Under Rug Swept, and both the CD and DVD are enhanced with links to other Alanis material available online.

Rolling Stone honours 'The Simpsons'

Rolling Stone magazine is commemorating the 14th season of "The Simpsons" by featuring them on its cover.

The magazine is releasing three different versions that depict Homer and the gang on famous album covers.

One shows "The Simpsons" as The Beatles on the cover of "Abbey Road", another features Homer as Bruce Springsteen on the cover of "Born in The U.S.A.", and the third shows Bart as the baby on Nirvana's "Nevermind" cover.

"Simpsons" creator Matt Groening designed all three covers.

Inside the magazine there are special features celebrating Springfield's best rock 'n' roll moments and the family's many brushes with famous rock stars.

Sunday's new episode of "The Simpsons" features Homer going to rock 'n' roll fantasy camp.

BUSTED AGAIN

Bobby Brown arrested early Thursday morning in Atlanta for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, speeding and having no driver's license or proof of insurance. He was expected to post bond at the Atlanta jail.

Has Warner Censored South Park

Diehard South Park fans anxiously awaiting The Complete First Season set due this Tuesday may end up coming away more than a little disappointed by the lack of any audio commentaries that originally announced for the set. Why? According to the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the incendiary nature of the audio commentaries they recorded for the set were dropped by Warner Home Video.

Trey and Parker have since issued a statement via The Comedy Central website, where fans can order the set directly and receive bonus CDs containing all the commentaries as audio-only tracks: "This is our audio commentary for the first 13 episodes of the international comedy super-hit South Park. Warner Brothers would not release it on the DVD without editing some of it's content for "standards" issues. Trey and I simply love the sounds of our own voices too much to let this happen. We also believe in a little thing called the First Amendment."

Given the always-controversial nature of the show, Warner's apparent refusal to include the commentaries on the set has already drawn fire from the series' legions of fans, few who are likely to be offended by anything Trey or Parker might say. For more information on how to obtain the commentaries, visit The Comedy Central website.

'Greek Wedding' Star Set for SNL

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Nia Vardalos, whose "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" has become a surprise box-office hit, is taking on a new role as "Saturday Night Live" host.

Vardalos will appear on the NBC show this Saturday, the network said. The musical guest is hip-hop artist and actress Eve.

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding, written by and starring Vardalos, has slowly accumulated more than $185 million in ticket sales since it was released last April. A sitcom based on the movie and starring Vardalos is planned for CBS.

'Apocalypse Now' Named Top Film

LONDON (AP) - "Apocalypse Now," Francis Ford Coppola's anti-Vietnam War classic, is the greatest film of the past 25 years, according to a survey of British film critics and writers.

Two movies by Martin Scorsese also made the top 10 in the poll released Friday by the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine.

The 50 respondents chose Scorsese's "Raging Bull" as the second-best movie of the past quarter-century, followed by Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny And Alexander" in third place. Scorsese's "GoodFellas" was fourth, with David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" coming in fifth.

The highest-ranking British film was Terence Davies' "Distant Voices, Still Lives" at No. 9.

Films dating from January 1978 to this year were eligible.

Nick James, editor of Sight & Sound, said "Apocalypse Now" topped the list because it's a richly complex, madcap experiment in war film-making that "never falls from the tightrope it walks between extravagance and profundity."

James said "Raging Bull" was a close second, thanks to Scorsese's direction, the wonderful texture of its black-and-white cinematography, and Robert De Niro's performance as boxer Jake La Motta.

In August, another Sight & Sound poll chose "Citizen Kane" as the best film of all time.

In the latest poll, the top 10 are:

1. "Apocalypse Now" (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

2. "Raging Bull" (Martin Scorsese, 1980).

3. "Fanny and Alexander" (Ingmar Bergman, 1982).

4. "GoodFellas" (Martin Scorsese, 1990).

5. "Blue Velvet" (David Lynch, 1986).

6. "Do the Right Thing" (Spike Lee (news), 1989).

7. "Blade Runner" (Ridley Scott (news), 1982).

8. "Chungking Express" (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994).

9. "Distant Voices, Still Lives" (Terence Davies, 1988).

10. (tie) "Once Upon a Time in America" (Sergio Leone, 1983).

10. (tie) "Yi yi (A One and a Two ... ) (Edward Yang, 1999).

Steve Martin to Return as Oscars Host

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor-comedian Steve Martin will once again trade in his arrow-through-the-head for a tuxedo as he returns to host the 75th Academy Awards in March, the show's organizers announced on Thursday.

The March 23 presentation of the film industry's highest honors will mark Martin's 10th appearance on an Oscars telecast and his second as master of ceremonies.

"I'm very pleased to be hosting the Oscars again, because fear and nausea always make me lose weight," the 57-year-old entertainer joked in a statement issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Last year's telecast was hosted by comic actress Whoopi Goldberg, who did an absolutely horrendous job. She was horrible in every sense of the word!

Martin first hosted the Oscars in 2001 with a performance that eschewed the "wild and crazy" persona that propelled him to fame in favor of a more understated, biting humor, with many of his jabs aimed at Hollywood stereotypes.

The silver-haired funny man and film star also has served as presenter on six Oscar shows, introduced a best-picture clip in 1997 and took part in a gag film sequence in 1995.

"The 75th anniversary show is a meaningful one for the academy, and it is wonderful to work with a host who's done it before, Oscar producer Gill Cates said. "A host who's witty, clever, sharp, intelligent, quick on his feet and always on top of the unfolding action."

A spokeswoman for the academy declined to say whether perennial emcee favorite Billy Crystal, who has hosted the Oscars seven times, was asked back for the 75th show. He last hosted in March 2000.

Martin sprang to fame as the zany, banjo-playing stand-up comedian who coined such catch phrases as "Well, excuuuuse ME!" and "I am a wild and crazy guy!" He became a hit with several wildly popular appearances on TV's "Saturday Night Live" before embarking on a successful film career as an actor, writer and producer.

He has appeared in more than two dozen moves, including "Pennies from Heaven," "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and "Parenthood," but has never been nominated for an Oscar.

Martin recently completed filming an upcoming Disney comedy, "Bringing Down the House," with co-stars Queen Latifah and Eugene Levy. In January, he is due to being production on "Shopgirl," adapted for the screen by Martin from his own best-selling novella. He will star in that film with Claire Danes and Jimmy Fallon.

The 2003 Oscars will be televised live on ABC from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Names 2003 Inductees

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Australia's heavy-metal rockers AC/DC along with three British groups -- Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Police and The Clash -- climbed to the ranks of rock's pantheon after being named the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2003 inductees, organizers said on Thursday.

They were joined by The Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, whose 1965 chart-topping hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" helped define what came to be called "blue-eyed soul" during that decade.

"These inductees represent many influential genres of rock, including 60s soul, heavy metal and 1970s English punk," said executive director Suzan Evans in a statement.

The Hall of Fame's 18th annual induction ceremony will be held in New York on March 10 and as in recent years, it will likely reunite bands that parted ways several years ago, sometimes acrimoniously.

The Police, The Clash and Costello followed in the footsteps of The Ramones and Talking Heads, who last year became the first punk and new wave bands to break into the Hall of Fame. Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record.

Sting, the solo artist who was bassist and lead singer for The Police, told his web site Sting.com: "I am very proud of the legacy of The Police. We were a damn good band and it still holds up."

The Police fused punk with reggae grooves and intricate arrangements to gain global popularity. With Andy Summers on guitar and Stewart Copeland on drums, The Police's rise culminated with the 1983 album "Synchronicity" which featured the hit song "Every Breath You Take." The trio broke up in 1985.

The anti-establishment Clash rose to prominence at the dawn of the punk era, lashing out against war, racism and the sorry state of the British economy to gain global fame with hits like "Rock the Casbah" before splitting in 1982.

Critically respected, Costello drew from the energy of punk with his first solo album "My Aim Is True" in 1977 before joining with the Attractions, made up of keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas, until the mid-1980s. Since Costello has jumped music genres from jazz to a collaboration with Burt Bacharach.

The hard-charging guitars of Angus and Malcom Young combined with the growl of AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson to power the band's aggressive sound with anthems such as "You Shook Me All Night Long" in 1980.

Alan Jackson dominates CMA Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Alan Jackson couldn't go wrong Wednesday, taking home his second entertainer of the year award and four other honors at the annual Country Music Association Awards.

His five awards tied a record for most received in one year. Johnny Cash had that many in 1969, as did Vince Gill in 1993.

"CMA's been a little too generous to me tonight," Jackson said while accepting the top honor. "There's probably people who are a little more exciting on stage, but I just walk out there and sing."

Jackson, who was nominated a record 10 times, was also named male vocalist of the year, won album of the year for "Drive," and song and single of the year for his Sept. 11-themed "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)." His debut of the song at last year's telecast stopped the show.

Jackson's album award was the second such nod of his career. His first came in 1994 when he shared the honor for his contribution to the all-star collaboration "Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles." He won entertainer of the year for the first time in 1995.

An emotional Martina McBride accepted her second female vocalist of the year award after performing her new single "Concrete Angel" for the crowd at the Grand Ole Opry House. She also won in 1999.

"I was not prepared for this emotion that I'm feeling, it's just so amazing that I get to live this dream," she said, her voice cracking as she wiped away tears.

The Dixie Chicks were named vocal group of the year for the fourth time; Brooks & Dunn took home their 10th award for vocal duo of the year; and Brad Paisley beat out Jackson for music video of the year honors for "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)."

The night also signaled the return of Shania Twain to the national spotlight. She added a bit of pop to the show, bounding onto the stage in a black catsuit to sing "I'm Gonna Getcha Good" -- her first network performance since beginning an almost three-year hiatus in 1999, when she was CMA entertainer of the year.

"It didn't have the scary impact that I thought it would," Twain said of her performance. Her new CD "Up!" hits stores on November 19th.

Gill, hosting the show for the 11th straight year, joked after Twain's performance about his yearly effort to lose weight before the awards.

"I've lost 26 pounds for this year's show. I lose 20 more, I'm showing my belly button like (Twain)," he said with a laugh.

Dolly Parton welcomed the Country Music Hall of Fame's newest inductees -- Bill Carlisle and Porter Wagoner -- with a video montage of their careers.

"I like to think of myself as a link, a link between the real pioneers of country music and the stars of tomorrow," Wagoner said after taking the stage. Carlisle waved from his seat in the audience, but didn't speak.

Country trio Rascal Flatts won the Horizon Award, which goes to a performer or group considered to have good career prospects.

Before the show, Willie Nelson received the vocal event of the year award for "Mendocino County Line," his single with Lee Ann Womack. And Jerry Douglas, who plays dobro with Alison Krauss and Union Station, was named musician of the year.

Country music sales are up in a generally sluggish year industry-wide. As of Oct. 27, country music sales for 2002 totaled 51.9 million, up 5.5 percent from the same period last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Overall music sales were down 10.5 percent over the same period.

The CMA is a trade organization which promotes country music. About 6,000 members nominate and vote for award winners.

ENTERTAINER
Alan Jackson
MALE VOCALIST
Alan Jackson
FEMALE VOCALIST
Martina McBride
HORIZON AWARD (for most promising artist)
Rascal Flatts
VOCAL GROUP
Dixie Chicks
VOCAL DUO
Brooks & Dunn
SINGLE (award to artist and producers)
Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning); Alan Jackson; producer Keith Stegall
ALBUM (award to artist and producer)
Drive; Alan Jackson; producer Keith Stegall
SONG (award to songwriter and primary publisher)
Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning); Alan Jackson; EMI April Music/Tri-Angels Music
VOCAL EVENT
Mendocino County Line; Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack
MUSICIAN
Jerry Douglas, dobro
MUSIC VIDEO (award to artist and director)
I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song); Brad Paisley; director Peter Zavadil

HE'LL BE BACK

Arnold Schwarzenegger emerging victorious as California voters approved a statewide referendum he spearheaded on after-school programs for children. The ballot initiative was widely seen as a dry run for a potential gubernatorial bid by the Terminator star in 2006.

HANGING UP THE ADIDAS

During a press conference Wednesday announcing their support of their late deejay Jam Master Jay's family, Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels said Run-D.M.C. won't record or tour again. "As a tribute to the positive legacy of Jam Master Jay, we started together and we want the Run-D.M.C. legacy to always reflect the three of us together," said Simmons.

Eminem Reigns on the Charts Ahead of Movie Release

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Eminem show was everywhere this week as two albums by the rapper commanded top spots on the U.S. sales charts ahead of the Friday opening of his highly anticipated debut movie.

The newly released soundtrack to his film "8 Mile" -- which features music by Eminem as well as other rappers such as Jay-Z, Nas and D-12 -- debuted at No. 1 on the charts, selling an estimated 702,000 units in the week ended Nov. 3, according to music tracker Nielsen SoundScan.

The album features three new solo songs by Eminem, who has the starring role in the movie about a white kid who faces down his fear of failure in the largely black world of Detroit's hip hop clubs.

If the early buzz and positive reviews are any indication, legions of his fans are expected to hit the theaters this week, which will likely boost record sales for the star, who has sold some 30 million albums worldwide.

"It's going to be a big week for Eminem. The movie opens Friday and it's already gotten great reviews," said Dennis Dennehy, a spokesman for Eminem's label Interscope, a unit of Vivendi Universal .

Another Eminem album -- "The Eminem Show," which is the bad-boy rapper's third album -- has remained among the Top 10 selling albums for over five months since it first hit stores on May 28, ranking No. 8 in the latest week.

Nielsen SoundScan said "The Eminem Show" sold about 100,000 units in the latest week, bringing its cumulative tally to a whopping 6.4 million units.

The movie "8 Mile," is not meant to be a biography of the rapper, born Marshall Mathers III, or the story of how he won over the largely black world of rap music while angering politicians, women and gay groups with his lyrics.

But the character's life has strong and similarities to that of Eminem, who also grew up in Detroit, where 8 Mile is the road that divides the city from the richer suburbs beyond.

Meanwhile, sales of rock guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana's "Shaman" -- which shot to the top of the charts last week with his first No. 1 album debut ever -- fell to about fourth place with 174,965 units, according to his label, Bertelsmann AG's Arista Records.

"Shaman," Santana's latest multi-artist collaboration, sold nearly 300,000 copies its first week in stores, four times the first-week tally of "Supernatural" in September 1999, according to Arista Records.

Coming in at No. 2, behind the Eminem soundtrack was Christina Aguilera's "Stripped," also a new release, which sold about 330,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan .

Ranking third was the hotly anticipated greatest hits compilation of legendary grunge band Nirvana, which sold an estimated 234,000 units in the latest week.

Actress Winona Ryder Found Guilty of Shoplifting

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - After all the hype, all the insinuation and a defense conspiracy theory that could only have been written in Hollywood, actress Winona Ryder was convicted on Wednesday of shoplifting from one of the most upscale stores in Beverly Hills.

A jury that included at least three people from the entertainment industry convicted the "Age of Innocence" star of walking out of Saks Fifth Avenue last December with shopping bags stuffed full of $5,500 in designer tops, handbags, glittery rhinestone hair bows and socks.

Prosecutors, who suggested that Ryder may have stolen for thrills, said they would not seek jail time for the 31-year-old actress when she is sentenced on Dec. 6, although the charges carry a possible prison sentence of up to three years.

The jury found her guilty of grand theft and vandalism but not guilty of commercial burglary. That charge required proof that she had gone to the store intending to steal.

Ryder did not testify in her own defense during a humiliating six-day trial, where her haul of ripped silk tops and leather handbags costing up to $700 each were put on display for all to see.

The "Girl, Interrupted" star, whose career has been on hold during the 10 months since her arrest, looked tense but poised in a standing-room-only courtroom as the verdicts were read.

She was whisked out of court and away from the media but her publicist told Reuters her car was followed by news helicopters and paparazzi.

WHY DID SHE DO IT?

Ryder later issued a one-sentence statement thanking her family, friends and supporters for standing by her.

Why a rich celebrity should commit such a tawdry crime was left to guesswork. "I cannot get inside her head. She may have been stealing for the thrill of it, or to see if she could get away with it," trial prosecutor Ann Rundle told a news conference on Wednesday.

Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said he hoped the court would "address the problems of the defendant that may have led her to engage in the criminal conduct of which she now stands convicted."

One of the jurors was quoted as telling the TV show "Celebrity Justice" that the jury was "especially impressed" by the merchandise displayed in court and thought the Saks security guards called as witnesses were "very credible and admirable."

The unidentified juror said Ryder's star status had "absolutely no impact whatsoever."

Ryder's flamboyant attorney, Mark Geragos, declined to address the waiting media throng. His defense case was based on an elaborate alleged conspiracy involving planted evidence, perjury by Saks staff and singling out Ryder as a target because of her celebrity.

But Geragos' main defense witness left with the courtroom reeling with laughter. The witness, a former Saks employee, testified that a Saks security manager had vowed to "nail" Ryder and would "make the evidence" to convict her.

Under cross-examination, the witness admitted an unresolved personal grievance with Saks which led to a lawsuit and the store taking out a trespass warning against him.

NO DIRECTOR, NO RECEIPTS, NO OPEN ACCOUNT

Rundle dismissed the defense case during the trial as "a story that could only have been written in Hollywood."

The prosecution's case against Ryder was overwhelming. It featured a 90-minute surveillance video of Ryder roaming around the store, dressed in a long coat, and struggling with multiple shopping bags while piling merchandise over her arm or under a garment bag.

The most damaging testimony came from a Saks security guard who testified to seeing Ryder in a Saks dressing room -- not trying on designer gowns but kneeling on the floor with a bleeding finger, snipping security tags off handbags, wrapping up socks in tissue paper and hiding them in her shopping bags.

Four witnesses testified how polite, calm and apologetic Ryder had been after her arrest, claiming first that she thought her assistant had paid for the goods and then claiming she had been told by her director to shoplift in preparation for a movie role.

The "director" was never found. Most of the Saks witnesses did not recognize Ryder -- some thought her a homeless woman.

There were no receipts for the 20 items found in Ryder's bags and strapped under her coat. No evidence was offered about an account at the store that had been "left open."

Rundle said the prosecution would ask for "probation, community service and restitution to Saks" rather than jail time for Ryder. "I find Ms. Ryder to be very nice. This was never about her character, only her conduct."

Rundle denied that the district attorney's office had devoted extra resources to the case because of Ryder's celebrity.

Just crank up your speaker volume and have a few laughs!

PS- Thanks Mags!

BIG APPLE-BOUND

Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Tori Spelling set to star in and coexecutive produce a still-untitled comedy for NBC about an up-and-coming corporate publicist at a large New York firm who is assigned the dregs of the company's accounts.

FULL CIRCLE

Former Spin City costar Alan Ruck, who nearly died last year from a strep infection but recovered in time for Spin's series finale, signing on to play a cancer patient who's going to die in Scrubs. The episode airs December 5.

LICENSE RENEWED?

Pierce Brosnan telling Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd that he will play James Bond for a fifth time in a still untitled 007 film due to begin shooting in 2005. Brosnan's fourth Bond, Die Another Day, is due out November 22.

Master Of Disguise

Following a mildly successful theatrical run this summer Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment will bow the very funny Dana Carvey comeback comedy The Master of Disguise on January 28th. Presented in both anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers and English 5.1 Dolby surround, this one comes feature loaded, with an audio commentary by director David Blake and Carvey, the "Man of a Thousand Faces," "Magic of Disguise" and "Identity Crisis" featurettes, deleted scenes and an alternate ending with new "Turtle Guy" intros, a music video, and trailers. Retail is $27.95.

Fricken' Osbournes

The first season box set of The Osbournes, originally planned for a holiday release, will finally hit stores on March 4th. Although Buena Vista Home Entertainment has not yet released official specs on the set, word is to expect each episode in its original 4:3 original broadcast aspect ratio, audio tracks sans all the #$%@! bleeping, and extras including four bonus episodes and a drinking game! Stay tuned for full specs and retail price...

Buena Vista's March DVD catalog slate includes some films that I have been witing for! Namely Krzysztof Kieslowski's Red, White and Blue trilogy (each available separately), plus Wayne Wang's Smoke and Blue in the Face!

Sweeet!

Thousands Mourn Slain NY Rapper Jam Master Jay

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of people, some wearing unlaced Adidas sneakers and booming the music of Run-DMC, poured into a Queens neighborhood on Tuesday to pay their last respects to DJ Jam Master Jay, whose point-blank gunshot murder last week stunned the hip hop world.

Hip hop stars Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Queen Latifah joined members of Jam Master Jay's group, the groundbreaking Run-DMC, family and neighbors at the funeral in Allen AME Cathedral to mourn the slain DJ.

Fans were shocked at the violent death of the 37-year-old Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell and who was known for being a friendly family man, a devoted neighborhood citizen and for preaching a positive message in contrast to the more violent aspects of hip-hip culture.

But with the shooting in his Queens studio by unknown assailants last Wednesday, Mizell joined other hip-hop stars such as Tupac Shakur, gunned down in September 1996 in Las Vegas, and The Notorious BIG (Christoper Wallace), shot and killed in Los Angeles in March 1997.

Providing the beats and scratches behind the rappers Run (Joseph Simmons), and DMC (Darryl McDaniels), Mizell and the group helped propel hip hop to a mainstream and global phenomenon from its roots within inner city New York.

Run-DMC was the first rap group to score gold and platinum albums, the first to have a video on MTV and the first to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

"It's a sad day," said Barry Tillery, a 30-year-old transport worker who lives in the Jamaica section of the borough of Queens, near where Mizell grew up, lived and had his studio.

"He was such a nice guy. Rappers today have to walk around with bodyguards or some entourage. He would walk around the neighborhood like he wasn't even famous," he said, remembering talking with Mizell and his three sons at a nearby bus stop a year ago.

Other friends recalled Mizell's big smile, how he would be willing to chat while eating fish in fast food joints in the neighborhood and how he would say "peace" twice before hanging up the phone.

About 2,000 people squeezed into the cathedral for the funeral service, some waiting up to several hours on the chilly fall morning. A few hundred fans and neighbors stood in front of the cathedral during the service to catch a glimpse of the procession.

Some wore the unlaced Adidas sneakers with three stripes in the style that Run-DMC turned into a trademark of hip-hop wear.

One fan held a boombox up high and kept repeating the first verse from the title song of Run-DMC's second album "King of Rock," (1985) the first platinum hip-hop album: "I'm the King of Rock, there is none higher ... I won't stop rockin' 'till I retire."

Today's New Releases

Some of the titles contained within the list of today's new CD releases have the potential to be blockbusters. Others only have the potential to be sold at Blockbuster.

The choice is yours!

Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, November 5, 2002:

* ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION Live (Rounder)
* BARENAKED LADIES Barelaked Nadies (DVD Video) (Warner)
* BJORK Greatest Hits (Elektra)
* BJORK Family Tree (Box Set) (Elektra)
* BOSTON Corporate America (Artemis)
* BOXCAR RACER TBA (Boxcar Racer DVD) (MCA)
* BRIAN MCKNIGHT From There To Here (Motown)
* BUBBA SPARXXX TBA (Bubba Sparxxx) (Interscope)
* CARLY SIMON Christmas Is Almost Here (Rhino)
* CLINT BLACK TBA (Clint Black) (RCA Country)
* CMC Est. Since '93 (TVT)
* CRAIG DAVID What's Your Flava (Warner International)
* CRANBERRIES Stars Best Of The Cranberries 1992-2002 (DVD) (Island)
* DAVE MATTHEWS BAND Live (RCA)
* DAVID BOWIE Best of Bowie (DVD) (EMI)
* DAVID GRAY TBA (David Gray) (RCA)
* DEBORAH COX The Morning After (J Records)
* DEFAULT The Fallout (Limited Edition) (TVT)
* ERIC CLAPTON One More Car, One More Rider (Warner)
* ERIC CLAPTON One More Car, One More Rider (DVD Video) (Warner)
* FAITH HILL Cry (DVD Audio) (Warner)
* JAHEIM Still Ghetto (Warner)
* JAY-Z Blueprint 2: The Gift And The Curse (Def Jam)
* JOHNNY CASH The Man Comes Around (Lost Highway/Universal)
* JULY FOR KINGS Swim (MCA)
* LAURA PAUSINI From The Inside (Atlantic)
* MARK WILLS Greatest Hits (Mercury Nashville)
* MELISSA ETHERIDGE Live...And Alone (Island)
* MICHELLE BRANCH The Spirit Room (DVD) (Warner)
* NATE DOGG TBA (Nate Dogg) (Elektra)
* OURS Precious (DreamWorks)
* R. KELLY Love Land (Zomba)
* RED STAR PRESENTS... Volume 2: B Sides (Def Jam)
* ROCH VOISINE TBA (Roch Voisine) (R.V. International)
* THE STROKES TBA (The Strokes DVD) (RCA)
* THE WALLFLOWERS Red Letter Days (Interscope)
* TOM JONES Live At Cardiff Castle (DVD) (Warner International)
* TRICK PONY On A Mission (Warner)
* TWISTA Kamikaze (Atlantic)
* U2 Greatest Hits 1990-2000 (Island)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Big Shiny Tunes 7 (Universal)
* WHITNEY HOUSTON Just Whitney (Arista)

Release dates are subject to change. So is the mind of a beautiful woman.

Today's New Releases

Lots of goodies are available for your viewing or purchase today, including BAND OF BROTHERS, THE DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTER BOYS and SPORTS NIGHT! SPORTS NIGHT, baby! The precursor to The West Wing by creator Aaron Sorkin was on the air and cancelled too soon. Now we can own it and watch it all the time.

PLUS, the Barenaked Ladies bow on DVD today as well! Enjoy!

SPORTS NIGHT, baby! SPORTS NIGHT!

Here are the new DVD and video releases for Tuesday, November 5th, 2002:

10 Tigers Of Shaolin
5 Element Kung Fu
Babylon 5: The Complete First Season
Band Of Brothers
The Barenaked Ladies
The Base
The Base 2: Guilty As Charged
Beast Of Blood
A Beautiful Mind (Full Screen)
A Beautiful Mind (Widescreen Awards Edition)
Beenie Man & Bounty Killa-Gu
Behind The Sun
Beneath Loch Ness
Blood Of The Vampires
Blues Clues: It's Joe Time
Bob The Builder: The Big G
Bounty Killa: Warload
Chain Of Command
The City Of Lost Souls
Conversation With An Alien
Dancehall Bashment
The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys (Widescreen)
Dave Matthews Band: Live At Folsom Field
The Dead Zone
Death Factory
Decameron (Widescreen Awards Edition)
Disney's Very Merry Christmas Sing-Along Songs
Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Widescreen)
Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Full Screen)
Dog Soldiers
The Duel Of Tao Toughs
Eric Clapton: One More Car, One More Rider
Eternal Ganstas
Eugenie
Felicity: The Complete First Season (Set)
Fingers
The Fraternity (Full Screen)
Geek Maggot Bingo
Good Evening, Mr. Wallenberg
A Great Wall (Widescreen)
Hairspray
Hawk The Slayer
Hidden Agenda
HipHopMovie.com
Honeybee
Houseboat
How High
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Deluxe Edition)
Hypersonic
Interceptor
Iron Eagle IV
Jive Chicken
Kudzu Christmas
Le6ion Of The Dead
Legionnaire (Collector's Edition)
Madame Bovary (Widescreen)
My Father's Glory (Widescreen)
My Mother's Castle (Widescreen)
The Niklashausen Journey
Once & Again: The Complete First Season (Set)
One Special Moment
Point Blank
The Powerpuff Girls Movie
Powerpuff Girls: Meet The Beat Alls
Pumpkin
Reign In Darkness
Return To The Blue Lagoon
Shaolin Fist Of Fury
The Shipping News
Snakefist Of Buddist Dragon
Spetters (Widescreen)
Spongebob Squarepants: Sea Stories
Sports Night: The Complete Series (Set)
Star Trek The Next Generation: Complete 5th Season (Set)
Tail Sting
The Time Machine
To Catch A Thief
Too Beautiful For You (Widescreen)
Toy Soldiers
Voodoo Tailz
Westside
Widespread Panic: The Earth Will Swallow You
WWE: Global Warning - Melbourne
The X Files: The Complete Sixth Season (Collector's Edition)

MOURNING JAM MASTER JAY

A took place Monday for slain Run-D.M.C. disc jockey Jam Master Jay, followed by a funeral Tuesday. Meanwhile, the New York Times reporting that police are planning to question a man Monday in the Wednesday night murder. The suspect had been known to be feuding with the musician for as long as a decade.

'Fear and Loathing' on DVD

It may have made little impression at the box office, but that hasn't stopped Criterion from giving Terry Gilliam's surreal adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the 2-disc deluxe DVD treatment. Already available as a single-disc, movie-only edition from Universal (which will remain on the market), this deluxe edition streets on January 28th and features a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround tracks, plus tons of extras. Goodies include an audio commentary by director Terry Gilliam plus a second track by producer Laila Nabulsi and actors Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, an audio interview with Hunter S. Thompson, the BBC documentary "Fear And Loathing On The Road To Hollywood," deleted scenes with commentary, multiple still galleries with storyboards, production designs and original artwork by famed illustrator Ralph Steadman, a selection of Thompson's correspondence as read by Johnny Depp; rare material on Oscar Zeta Acosta, and trailers.

Cobain's 'Journals' Hits Bookstores

NEW YORK (AP) - A collection of Kurt Cobain's journal entries was released Monday, more than eight years after the Nirvana singer's death.

"Journals" is a collection of photocopies of the actual journals, not transcribed text. They include Cobain's doodles, practice letters he wrote, a quiz he made up for driver's education, comic strips he drew, a love letter to wife Courtney Love and even a recipe for shrimp salad.

It also features a discussion of an album he wanted to call "I Hate Myself and I Want To Die," which eventually was released as "In Utero."

Aside from the letter, there are only passing mentions to Love, who gained fame after Cobain's death as lead singer of Hole and as an actress in such films as "The People vs. Larry Flynt" and "Man on the Moon."

With the release of "Nevermind" in 1991, Nirvana led a wave of Seattle artists who dominated music in the early 1990s. Cobain committed suicide on April 5, 1994, at 27.

Kidman Calls Tom 'Force to Be Reckoned With'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nicole Kidman says she is only beginning to understand now what caused the breakup of her marriage to Tom Cruise last year and that, whatever people say, the couple had a "real marriage" for the nine years it lasted.

In an interview with Vanity Fair contributing editor Ingrid Sischy to be published in the December issue of the magazine, Kidman said: "The marriage existed because it was two people in love. It's that simple."

Referring to rumors that questioned the couple's sexuality, she added, "They've said I'm gay, they've said everyone's gay. I personally don't believe in doing huge lawsuits about that stuff. Tom does. That's what he wants to do, that's what he's going to do. You do not tell Tom what to do. That's it. Simple. He is a force to be reckoned with.

"I have a different approach. I don't file lawsuits because I really don't care. Honestly, people have said everything under the sun. I just want to do my work, raise my kids, and hopefully find somebody who I can share my life with again .... I don't know what my future is. But I really don't care what anybody else is saying."

Kidman said that when she and Cruise first started dating, "I was willing to give up everything.... The marriage existed because it was two people in love. It's that simple.... He basically swept me off my feet. I fell madly, passionately in love."

Kidman said that after her marriage broke up she went into a depression feeling that "My life collapsed ... People ran from me, because it was 'Oh my God! It's over for her now!"'

Kidman said she was so upset that she was lying on the ground in a fetal position, weeping, while her parents were trying make her snap to.

Asked if she knew why her marriage ended, Kidman said, "I'm starting to understand now. At the time I didn't."

Reporter Sischy said she had the feeling that Kidman would do anything to reverse events, but she also sensed that Kidman knew there couldn't have been any other outcome -- in part, it seems, because of her own artistic needs.

When Sischy said that women could have both a marriage and a career, Kidman said, "I think I had to choose. I think (the marriage) would have come down to it. I suppose it wasn't meant to be."

Got Some Extra Cash?

Scott wants you to help pay his rent.

PAGING TIFFANY, AND DEBBIE GIBSON, AND TONI BASIL, AND OXO, AND LIMAHL, AND...

Fox developing a summer reality series called Second Chance, which would give washed-up pop idols an opportunity to kick-start their careers. Variety describes the show as a blend of VH1's Behind the Music and American Idol.

MOURNING JAM MASTER JAY

A wake will take place Monday for slain Run-D.M.C. disc jockey Jam Master Jay, followed by a funeral Tuesday. Meanwhile, police continue to investiate the Wednesday night murder, but have not yet settled on a motive.

MASTER THESPIAN

The American Film Institute to present the 31st AFI Life Achievement Award, its highest honor, to Robert De Niro for being "one of the greatest actors of his generation" and "changing the way we look at an actor." The award will be presented June 12, 2003.

CBS Gives 'Survivor' a Thanksgiving Break

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - CBS is making some last-minute sweeps shifts that will give "Survivor" Thanksgiving off, and have the Victoria's Secret models take it off a little earlier than planned.

CBS has decided to move the planned Thanksgiving evening edition of "Survivor: Thailand" from Thursday, Nov. 28, to the previous night at 8. Last year's Turkey Day episode of "Survivor" took a noticeable Nielsen dip, and network executives didn't want to make viewers decide between seconds on stuffing and seeing the Survivors squabble.

More importantly, since the November sweeps end Nov. 27, the move means CBS will get five rather than four episodes of its hit reality franchise on the air during the ratings frame. CBS made a similar scheduling move in May.

CBS has also confirmed that the season finale of "Survivor: Thailand" will air Dec. 19.

In other sweeps scheduling news, CBS has blinked in the face of ABC reality juggernaut "The Bachelor."

Until last week, CBS had been planning to air its Victoria's Secret fashion show special Nov. 20 at 10 p.m. But after ABC confirmed plans to air a two-hour "Bachelor" finale from 9-11 p.m. that night, CBS executives decided to shift the Secret special to 8.

No doubt the same critics who howled when ABC aired a Victoria's Secret special last year in a 9 p.m. slot will howl even more now that it's airing at 8. A CBS spokesman, however, said the program will carry plenty of viewer advisories.

"Everyone will know in advance what this special is and where it's going to air," he said.

As for moving away from "The Bachelor," the CBS rep said it was simply a matter of smart counterprogramming.

"The Bachelor" has been "building momentum over the last few weeks, and it didn't make sense to make viewers choose," he said.

Merry Box Office

Flying reindeer beat flying fists as "The Santa Clause 2" debuted as the weekend's top move, trouncing "I Spy."

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. "The Santa Clause 2," $29 million.

2. "The Ring," $18.5 million.

3. "I Spy," $14 million.

4. "Jackass: The Movie," $13.1 million.

5. "Ghost Ship," $6.6 million.

6. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," $5.6 million.

7. "Sweet Home Alabama," $4.6 million.

8. "Punch-Drunk Love," $4.2 million.

9. "Red Dragon," $2.7 million.

10. "Brown Sugar," $1.7 million.

'Spider-Man' Scales New Heights on Video

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Spider-Man," the biggest movie of the year at the box office, is also shaping up to be a monster hit on home video, smashing sales records in its first weekend, Sony Pictures Entertainment said on Sunday.

The superhero saga sold an estimated 11 million DVD and videocassette copies worth $190 million in its first three days after going on sale across North America on Nov. 1. By contrast, the movie opened in theaters last May with $114.8 million, setting a new record for three-day sales.

Some seven million copies were snapped up on the first day alone, with DVDs accounting for about 80 percent or 5.6 million copies, according to Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony's Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment unit.

The previous one-day record was set in September when the animated comedy "Monsters, Inc." sold five million DVD and videocassette copies.

Weekend comparisons are trickier, since Sony broke with industry tradition and released "Spider-Man" on a Friday instead of a Tuesday. But "Monsters, Inc." sold 11 million copies in its first week. The cartoon, produced by Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios Inc., is the top-selling DVD title, with sales of between seven million and eight million copies, according to industry sources.

A Sony spokesman said the studio released "Spider-Man" on a Friday in order to have two weekends to itself, correctly forecasting that no major videos would bow the following Tuesday. The icing on the cake was that Friday was preceded by Halloween, and many stores started selling "Spider-Man" to revelers on the stroke of midnight.

The DVD carries a minimum advertised price of $19.95, and the videocassette was priced for sale at $15.95. Anecdotal evidence showed large retailers were selling the DVD in the $15 range for the first few days.

All told, Sony has shipped a record 26 million video copies and expects "Spider-Man" to become the biggest selling video title in history, at least until the next big hit.

"Spider-Man," which starred Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, has grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office. A sequel, "The Amazing Spider-Man," is scheduled for release in May 2004. Sam Raimi is returning as director.

The DVD is available as a two-disc set in both wide and full screen editions. A collector's edition, with extra gimmicks, is priced at $39.95.

DVD players can currently be found in about 43 percent of U.S. households, and that number is expected to reach 50 percent by the New Year, according to industry sources. Color televisions took 20 years to reach the 50 percent mark; DVD players will have taken five years.

Five Charged in 'Posh Spice' Kidnap Bid Inquiry

LONDON (Reuters) - Police said Monday charges of theft and conspiracy to rob had been laid against five men arrested over an alleged plot to kidnap Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, the wife of England soccer captain David Beckham.

Nine people were seized by armed officers over the weekend after a tip-off from a Sunday newspaper that a gang intended to kidnap the pop star, who shot to fame in the 1990s as Posh Spice, by knocking her out with a chemical spray.

The News of the World tabloid said the gang had planned to demand a five million pound ($7.82 million) ransom after seizing Victoria and, if necessary, her sons Brooklyn, three, and two-month-old Romeo some time before the end of the year.

Police investigating the alleged plot said three men, Kosovan Azem Krifsha, Briton Joseph Rivas, and Romanian Rusu Sorin, had been charged with stealing a 60,000-pound jewelled turban belonging to Sotherby's auction house.

Two other Romanians, Adrian Razvan Pasareanu and Alin Turcu, were charged with conspiracy to rob a Sotherby's employee.

The men were due to appear at London's Horseferry Road magistrates court later on Monday.

"Inquiries into an alleged conspiracy to kidnap continue and all five men are also on police bail to return to central London police stations on November 18 pending further inquiries into these matters," Scotland Yard said in a statement.

Police said two men and a woman had been released on bail pending inquiries into matters unconcerned with the alleged theft or kidnap, and one woman had been released without charge.

The Beckhams beefed up security at their mansion, dubbed "Beckingham Palace," in Hertfordshire, north of London, and at their home in Cheshire, northern England, following the arrests.

"The first role of a father and husband is to keep his family safe," David Beckham said in a statement. "Because of this incident we will be reviewing our security arrangements."

British newspapers on Monday carried pictures of police officers guarding the entrances to their homes.

"We have good security. But if people want to do this to my family how can you be 100 percent sure you'll prevent it?" Victoria told the News of the World.

Victoria shot to stardom with the Spice Girls band that has sold about 40 million albums worldwide. But her solo career failed to take off and these days her soccer star husband is the one making headlines.

The Sunday Times' annual "rich list" said David Beckham earned 15.5 million pounds over the past year, making him the 45th highest-paid Briton, one place above Queen Elizabeth.

Victoria has been the target of a kidnap scare before. The Beckhams hired a bodyguard in 2000 after reports police had uncovered a plan to snatch Victoria and Brooklyn and hold them for a ransom of one million pounds. No arrests were made.

...and name that beard!

Hey, it's the weekend! Have some fun!

First Single Selected From Aaliyah's Last Album

Blackground/Universal Records has announced that the first single from R&B singer Aaliyah's posthumous album I CARE 4 U will be "Miss You." The single will hit airwaves soon, if it hasn't already. The album, which is comprised of recordings the singer made before her plane crash as well as remixes of old songs, will drop December 10.

SPIDER-MAN director Sam Raimi talks about his plot plans for the sequel.

Spider-Man director Sam Raimi told SCI FI Wire that he envisions the proposed sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man, as a much more personal journey than the Webslinger's first adventure. "I think my job, and what I'm eager to do, is really get inside the head of Peter Parker [Tobey Maguire] and Mary Jane Watson [Kirsten Dunst] and Aunt May [Rosemary Harris]," Raimi said in an interview. "I want to find out where we left them in the minds of the audience and find out what journey the audience was on and accurately determine what they would now want to see and what conflicts there may be next in the characters' lives and what the characters' next evolution as human beings would be."

Raimi added, "That's the most important part of Spider-Man for me: Peter Parker as a human being, watching him as somebody that I really identify with, as somebody who's got daily struggles [and] is wrestling with responsibility and personal desire. I want to tell a story where the audience can really relate to him on a deeper level than they did in the first one, maybe not [with] a diminishment of the action, but [with] a deeper exploration of Peter Parker as a human being." Spider-Man crawls into video stores today.

The Amazing Spider-Man goes into production in March 2003.

Ewan McGregor says he's willing to do a sequel to the cult classic TRAINSPOTTING.

If freaky head-spinning babies, brutal shooting-up sequences and diarrhoea-stained sheets were too much for you the first time round, you might not be exactly over the moon to hear that a sequel to 1996 classic Trainspotting is looking more and more likely. On the other hand if supreme direction, style in bucket loads and fantastic acting is your kind of thing, we think you might be a tad excited.

With director Danny Boyle indicating that he wouldn't balk at the idea of revisiting Sick Boy and friends to Empire Online only last month, Ewan McGregor added more heat to the rumour fire last night at the British Independent Film Awards. He let slip that his attitude towards a reunion with Begbie has significantly shifted. "At first, I was quite sceptical about it. Quite some time ago I was asked if I wanted to play Renton again and I said no – it's a funny thing to go back. I've never done it before – except for the Star Wars character – and I thought it was best left. What if you made a sequel to Trainspotting and it wasn't good? It would be a terrible shame."

But - we're more than slightly thrilled to say - McGregor completed a neat turnaround when he read writer Irvine Welsh's follow-up book, Porno. "But then I read the book and went, "Ah, it's fantastic!" 'Cause it was so nice to find what they're all up to, you know. Sick boy and wee Spud and Begbie – fuckin' hell…so we'll see. The only thing to say is that if the script is good enough you'd go for it. I've lost that immediate negative feeling I won't do it."

McGregor also gave us the inside nod on his next film to be released, Down with Love with Renee Zellweger. "It's set in the 60s and is an absolute homage to the 60s sex comedies – the Doris Day, Rock Hudson movies. It's a brilliant laugh," he commented. What, chaste kissing and separate beds for Ewan, we spluttered. "Well, I might have slipped the tongue in. You've got to ask Renee. Probably!" Ah, yes, that's the Ewan McGregor we know and love.

SURFACING SOON

Finding Nemo, the new Disney-Pixar 'toon about two fish on an undersea adventure, slated to debut May 30, 2003, the studios announced today. The feature will be accompanied by a short called Knickknack about a snowman trying to escape from a snow globe.

Bottle Battle Brewing in Beer Industry

TORONTO (Reuters) - Trouble is brewing between Ontario's dominant beer retailer and a small-city brewer over the use of 1970s-style "stubby" bottles, following the launch of a nostalgia marketing campaign for its Red Cap beer.

Brick Brewing Co. launched its Red Cap beer earlier this year in the short-neck, retro-style stubbies, the most common bottle style in Canada a generation or more ago.

But the retro-marketing plan ran up against Brewers Retail Inc., the near-monopoly beer retailer in Ontario, which said that as of as of Nov. 1, it will stop returning Brick's reusable long-neck bottles until the brewer agrees to stop using the non-standard stubbies.

Brick is now seeking an injunction against Brewers Retail, demanding it continue to return the reusable long-necks, which it still needs for its other products.

Brewers Retail officials say Brick, along with several other breweries, entered into an agreement in the early 1990s that prevents them from being supplied with standard bottles if they also market beers in non-standard containers.

Short-neck stubbies hold a special place in the Canadian consciousness, bringing back memories of a time when the domestic dollar matched the worth of the U.S. greenback and the country's world dominance in hockey, its beloved game, went unchallenged.

Brewers Retail -- jointly owned by Molson Inc., Sleeman Breweries Ltd. and Labatt Brewing Co., a division of Belgium-based Interbrew -- lords over the Ontario market and also returns customer empties to brewers for reuse.

But Brick, based in Waterloo, Ontario, said it has never signed an agreement that would prohibit it from using both long-neck bottles and stubbies.

"I just don't understand why they'd want to open this up," said Jim Brickman, chief executive of Brick. "The only thing that we can think of that triggered this had to be the success of the stubby and the Red Cap launch that we did."

Brick said Red Cap has captured nearly 1 percent of the Ontario bottled beer market since it's April introduction, a major success in a largely flat market dominated by big players Molson and Labatt.

Brickman calls the decision an attempt to disrupt Brick's business.

The short, squat bottles filled beer shelves until the early-1980s, when they were replaced by U.S.-style long-neck bottles, which are now the industry standard.

"What we're learning now is (the stubby) crosses a whole range of generations, to our surprise," added Brickman.

With two-thirds of Brick's beer still marketed in standard bottles, Brick says it will have to look for bottles from alternative sources.

'Santa,' 'Spy' Bows Look to Exceed Low Expectations

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Executives at the studios sending out this session's two wide openers are hoping mediocre pre-release tracking data will be proved wrong at the box office.

Disney's "The Santa Clause 2" and Sony's "I Spy," both relatively high-profile releases, have drawn underwhelming responses in studios' surveys of prospective moviegoers, industry sources said.

But the Mouse's Tim Allen starrer is G-rated, and it's notoriously tough to predict how ankle-biter pictures will perform. And Sony's Eddie Murphy-Owen Wilson action comedy -- a PG-13-rated adaptation of the classic TV show -- looks to emulate "Jackass: The Movie" and "The Ring," which did much better business with young males than had been projected.

All things considered, handicappers forecast each of the openers should ring up at least $15 million-$20 million through Sunday. But it's unclear which of the new films is more likely to finish No. 1 or No. 2 on the frame.

"We both are targeting audiences that are hesitant to commit early," Sony distribution president Rory Bruer conceded. "We've had a lot of word of mouth screenings for 'I Spy' that have gone excellent with young males. But the tracking is definitely hard to figure out in that quadrant."

Bruer has nailed down a sizable 3,182 playdates for "Spy" despite continued crowded conditions in the theatrical marketplace. Double-screening in many venues will produce a screen count of more than 4,200.

"We've definitely got the locations," Bruer said. "And even though it's crowded, we like our positioning in the calendar."

But that may be an eloquent way of saying it ain't gonna get easier to attract young males for a while.

Universal/Imagine bows the highly anticipated Eminem pic "8 Mile" Nov. 8, and Warner Bros. unspools "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" Nov. 15. Then, MGM debuts "Die Another Day" -- the latest James Bond actioner, with a decidedly younger orientation this time around -- on Nov. 22.

Disney, which bows its "Treasure Planet" toon Nov. 29, has a clearer field for the next few weeks, though "Harry Potter" is sure to preoccupy many family patrons along with most other auds. Disney has lined up 3,350 engagements for the "Santa" sequel, in keeping with the time-honored practice of bowing family pictures as wide as possible.

A bright spot in "Santa's" pre-release tracking data was decent interest expressed by older women -- who presumably would be accompanied by kids or grandkids.

Friday's limited openers include Lions Gate's Sean Penn starrer "The Weight of Water," which unspools in 27 locations. Sony/Revolution's Adam Sandler starrer "Punch-Drunk Love" moves from limited to wide release, now set for 1,252 playdates.

So enjoy the popcorn and I'll see you at the movies!

Police Investigate Rapper's Shooting

NEW YORK (AP) - While police investigated whether a feud led to the fatal shooting of hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay, friends and family mourned him Thursday and puzzled over the slaying.

"There's no reason," said the victim's teenage son, Jason Mizell Jr. "He didn't really do anything wrong."

The 37-year-old rap star, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was shot once in the head at close range with a .40-caliber semiautomatic in the Wednesday night attack on the second floor of his recording studio, police said.

Two witnesses told investigators conflicting stories about the killing, which took place as Mizell played video games in a lounge with a 25-year man, who was shot in the leg.

A woman who was at the studio told police two armed attackers were buzzed into the three-room facility about 7:30 p.m. and opened fire almost immediately. But the wounded man, Uriel Rincon, who was released from a hospital Thursday, told investigators that one masked man opened fire after a struggle, police said.

Police said they recovered two shell casings from the shooting.

"They're checking out varying theories, including, `Was it the result of a personal feud? Was it linked to this East Coast-West Coast rappers?' and other possible motives," a law enforcement source said.

By Thursday evening police had not established a motive or identified any suspects.

Many in the rap industry questioned whether Mizell, known as a family man and social activist, would ever be caught in a violent flare-up.

"Before the media rushes to attribute this to East Coast-West Coast violence, they should examine Run-DMC's two decades of contributions and Jam Master Jay's personal character," said hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, whose brother Joseph founded the group with Mizell and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels.

Bereaved fans outside the crime scene laid flowers, candles, personal notes and an Adidas sneaker — a reference to the group's hit song "My Adidas" — with "R.I.P JMJ" handwritten in marker.

"Whoever did this, they should know that they really just took a piece of history away," said Nassau Community College student JaCmine Mitchell, 20. "When I was a kid, my mother never sang me lullabies. She sang me Run-DMC."

Police investigating the shooting discovered what one source described as a "credible threat" against rapper 50 Cent, whose Thursday night show planned for a midtown nightclub was cancelled on their recommendation.

Chris Lighty, 50 Cent's manager, said he doubted the killing and the reported threat were linked.

"There's a threat against anyone in this business every day," he said.

He said he had no idea who would want to harm Mizell.

"This is the worst thing that could happen to a guy that has nothing but kindness to spread," Lighty said. "He's an icon in our business. It's a disaster in our community."