'I, Robot,' 'Mad Max' Set 2004 Release Dates

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Twentieth Century Fox has announced release dates for summer tentpoles "I, Robot" and "Mad Max: Fury Road" -- the cornerstones of the 2004 slate.

"Robot," starring Will Smith, will march out on July 2.

Meanwhile, the fourth installment in the "Mad Max" series, with Mel Gibson reprising the starring role, will roll into theaters nationwide on July 23.

In "Robot," based on the classic story collection by famed sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, Smith will play a detective investigating a crime by a robot. The crime is considered unthinkable, for as robots proliferated in the future, the Three Laws of Robotics allowed them to be completely trustworthy companions. (The first law states that a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.) Alex Proyas (news) ("Dark City") directs.

Fox is mum on the details of the new George Miller-penned "Max" picture, which had been previously set up at Warner Bros.

I'm Not Sure This Story Is Post Worthy, But I Really Liked This Picture:

Anyway, Claudia Schiffer gives birth to boy

LONDON (AP) -- German supermodel Claudia Schiffer gave birth to her first child Thursday -- a boy by Caesarean section at a London hospital.

Schiffer's husband, British film producer Matthew Vaughn, was by her side as she underwent the procedure.

"Both parents are utterly thrilled at the birth of their first child and both mother and baby are doing very well," a spokeswoman for Schiffer said on condition of anonymity.

The spokeswoman said the couple had not yet decided on a name for the baby, who weighed in at 7 lbs.

New White Stripes album due in April

The White Stripes will release their fourth studio album, "Elephant," on April 15, Billboard reports.

The follow up to the Detroit rockers' breakthrough record, "White Blood Cells," will be released on their imprint, "Third Man," through V2 Records.

The 14-track album will include "In Cold, Cold Night," a song showcasing Meg's vocal talents, and "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself," and a Burt Bacharach cover.

In a effort to curb Internet leaks, the media received double vinyl copies of "Elephant" instead of CDs. Vinyl copies of the album will be available publicly at the same time as the CD version.

The band is not expected to tour until the April. Whirlwind Heat, the first act signed to the "Third Man" imprint, will also release its debut album this spring.

New Beatles 'Let It Be' coming

The Beatles' Apple Records is releasing a new, stripped down version of the group's last record, "Let It Be" this fall, Rolling Stone reports.

While the track listing will stay true to the original 1970 record, the newer album will lack the orchestration added by legendary producer Phil Spector. A more bare bones sound will recapture the "back to basics" concept Paul McCartney originally intended for it.

"It's the de-Spectorized version," Ringo Starr told Rolling Stone. "I was listening to it recently, and it was really great. I've been away from it a long time too. It fills my heart with joy to hear that band that I was a member of. They were just great. And also, the quietness of the tracks: It's a beautiful CD," he said.

Most of the material for the album was recorded in early 1969 for the film eventually titled "Let It Be," but the sessions were turbulent and the album was temporarily abandoned. After the group had effectively disbanded, John Lennon brought Spector in to compile the album, a move that irritated McCartney.

"Paul was always totally opposed to Phil," said Starr. "I told him on the phone, "You're bloody right again: It sounds great without Phil.' Which it does. Now we'll have to put up with him telling us over and over, 'I told you.'"

Glyn Johns, who engineered the original sessions will also take part in the project. "My version of 'Get Back' actually was released fairly quickly as a single, and my version of 'Let it Be' was also released, before Phil Spector puked all over it," he said, and added: "And I hope you quote me on that. If you hear 'The Long and Winding Road' without all that schlock on it, it's fabulous just like it is."

The re-release project has been in the works for a least two years already -- George Harrison approved the idea before his death in 2001, and it prompted the investigation that led to the January recovery of the original session tapes stolen more than 30 years ago.

"Let It Be" the film, will also be released on DVD at the same time as the new CD, although details are forthcoming.

Streep SAG snub caused by error

Meryl Streep's acclaimed performances in both "Adaptation" and "The Hours" will go unrecognized by the Screen Actors Guild due to a mistake by Sony Pictures, reports the Los Angeles Times.

An unidentified Sony Pictures' employee erroneously placed Streep's name on the Best Actress ballot for what was in fact a supporting role in "Adaptation." The mistake meant her name appeared twice in the same category - a second time for her part in "The Hours" - on the ballots sent to SAG voters.

Sony contends vote-splitting occurred and Streep was subsequentially not nominated for her performance in either film.

The studio offered to pay for the printing and mailing of new ballots in order to correct their slip up, but SAG declined the appeal over fear that it would set a bad precedent for a situation that has occurred before.

Last year a Universal employee wrongfully placed Jennifer Connelly's name in the lead actress category for her supporting role in "A Beautiful Mind." Connelly still received a nomination, but did not win. Although, she took home both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for the same performance categorized correctly.

Streep won the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe earlier this month for "Adaptation", and was also nominated in the Best Dramatic Actress category for her role in "The Hours." The Academy Award ballots were due yesterday and it's likely she will receive a nomination in both categories.

The Oscar nominees will be announced on February 11. The SAG awards will be handed out on March 9.

Liz Phair To Release first album in five years this May

Liz Phair debuted three new tunes during a nine-song set at the Ray-Ban Visionary Awards party at the Sundance Film Festival last week. The new material was a preview for her upcoming album, Happy Tragic Thing, due May 20th on Capitol Records.

It had been nearly five years since Phair released an album, and about three since she'd played in public. Despite so much time out of the spotlight, Phair -- known for paralyzing stage fright in her early years -- was confident and warm in delivering six older songs along with the soothing, upbeat "Extraordinary," the acoustic love song "Why Can't I?" and the name-checking rocker "Rock Me."

Her recognizable, husky delivery, which previously seemed a lo-fi instrument of dissonance, has grown and changed into an almost girlish alto. "My voice is so much better because I'm not as self-conscious as I used to be," she said afterwards. "Somewhere along the way I got rid of a lot of my fear about singing, and I've really been working hard on developing my voice."

Phair has been writing and recording with producers including Walt Vincent, Michael Penn and pop production team the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Nick Carter), and reports that theme-wise "a lot of the songs have to do with my own personal gender issues." Phair plans to release some alternate mixes of the Happy Tragic Thing tunes over the Internet, keeping the straight-ahead rockers for the album. "The songs that made it onto the album are the ones that rock," she says. "I wanna sell some records, goddammit!"

Jason Newsted & Metallica Settle Legal Issues

It's been a bit more than two years now since bassist Jason Newsted announced he was leaving Metallica. However, Newsted says that leaving and actually having left are two different things, and that the legal aspects of the separation have just now been fully resolved.

Nevertheless, Newsted adds that he wishes Metallica nothing but the best in the future. "We're just now actually coming to a resolution on all of our agreements for our business things and stuff," Newsted said. "It took awhile to pull all that together. Man, they sound strong, and I've heard, you know, reports from my little spies and stuff that everybody's kicking ass and they're doing some hours in the studio, so I hope that they can do it. I hope they can do what they say they can do, man. If (James) Hetfield's determined, it will happen."

Metallica is planning to release an album in the spring or summer--its first since Newsted's departure and Hetfield's stay in rehab. Newsted, meanwhile, has joined the Canadian heavy metal band Voivod, which will release a self-titled album in March.

CBS Plans Springsteen Concert Special

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Bruce Springsteen will appear in a concert special for CBS five days after he performs at the Grammy Awards.

The special, taped at one of the Boss' shows in Barcelona last year, will air with limited ad breaks. CBS is working with Springsteen and his management to sign an exclusive sponsor for the show.

"This is the guy who is one of the greatest live performers in the history of rock 'n' roll," Jack Sussman, who oversees specials for CBS, tells the New York Daily News. "This television show is an unbelievable translation of his live event."

HBO aired a Springsteen/E Street Band concert in 2001, but they've never done a special for a commercial network. The show will include songs from "The Rising," which is up for five Grammys, as well as some of the band's older material.

The special is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Friday, Feb. 28.

YOU'VE GOT MAIL, HOMER!

HOMER Simpson is ready to answer your e-mails.

Honest.

Earlier this month, fans of the show began sending email to Homer at an on-line address - chunkylover53@aol.com - shown during the Jan. 12 epsiode.

In the episode, a private-eye hired by Homer to keep tabs on his daughter emailed him at that address.

After the episode, thousands of fans began sending e-mail to the address as a joke, but were surprised when Homer answered them.

Well, sort of.

It's actually "Simpsons" writer/producer, Matt Selman, who registered the e-mail address before the episode aired.

"He logged in the night that the episode aired and it was immediately filled with the maximum number of responses," "Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean told The Post yesterday.

"He's tried to answer every one of them and then as soon as he answers a hundred, a hundred more pop in - it's like Sisyphus."

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned to an eternity of rolling a boulder uphill then watching it roll back down again.

"It's like letters to Santa Claus, he's trying to answer them as Homer and give advice," Jean says.

'8 Mile' DVD to Boast Exclusive Eminem Video

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - The new Eminem music video "Superman" will be made available only on the "8 Mile" DVD, to be released March 18.

The move represents the latest precedent-setting strategy by a record company in an effort to encourage consumers to buy music once more rather than download it.

Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) chairman Jimmy Iovine said that not putting the video on MTV or anywhere else is just another step record companies are taking to bring added value to packaged material as the industry defines a new relationship among consumers, artists and record companies.

The album on which "Superman" appears, "The Eminem Show," was the top seller last year, and "8 Mile" was the top soundtrack. IGA and "8 Mile" movie distributor Universal Pictures are both units of Vivendi Universal.

The Universal Studios Home Video (USHV) release also will include about 25 minutes of deleted scenes featuring Eminem spontaneously rising to the challenge in five "rap battle" sequences filmed by director Curtis Hanson, who introduces and describes the scenes on the DVD.

USHV president Craig Kornblau said it was important to reignite the heat for the movie, which had an opening weekend of $51 million on its way to $116 million in domestic box office.

Although terms were not disclosed, Iovine said a mutually satisfying deal was struck with Universal for the exclusive "Superman" video. The clip for "Lose Yourself," the enormously popular Eminem song from the movie, will not be included on the DVD, however.

The multimillion-dollar national media promotion for the DVD will kick off during the broadcast of the Grammys on Feb. 23. Eminem is competing for five Grammys.

Schwarzenegger Undergoes Surgery for 'T3' Injury

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It appears The Terminator isn't as indestructible as he used to be.

Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger was released on Thursday from a Santa Monica hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered while performing a stunt on the set of his upcoming film "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines."

The 55-year-old actor tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder last fall but put off surgery at the time to avoid holding up production on the film, according to a statement from his publicist.

Schwarzenegger was admitted to St. John's Health Center for the operation on Wednesday and left the hospital "feeling great and in very good spirits," the statement said.

Although he will have to keep his shoulder immobilized in a tight sling for the next three to four weeks, he plans to go ahead with previously scheduled appearances, including a multi-state tour of his Inner-City Games Foundation next week.

"I'm feeling great. I am very fortunate to have had such fantastic surgeons at St. John's work on my shoulder," the actor said in the statement.

The Austrian-born former body-builder reportedly earned $30 million to reprise his role as the unstoppable, lead-slinging, man-machine from the future in "Terminator 3," which is due for release next July.

It seems they don't make cyborgs like they used to. In December 2001, Schwarzenegger broke several ribs when he took a spill from his motorcycle.