Need a break? Try gazing at fish.

What's on TV: Wednesday

-American Idol (Fox, 8 ET/PT) expands its results show to an hour again tonight, even though the number of contestants has dropped. Consider those seemingly incompatible factors, and you'll have some idea of how mercilessly padded this hour is likely to seem. How many recaps can you possibly watch? Really, people: Read a book until 8:50. I promise, you won't miss anything of import. Also, expect Josh, The Mean Marine, to be booted off tonight, followed next week by the female Eddie Griffin (Trenyce), then Kimberly The Cow, leaving Clay and Ruben as the two finalists.

- Matthew Perry completes his guest stint on The West Wing (NBC, 9 p.m. ET/PT), and lands right in the middle of a scandal and a crisis involving the vice president (Tim Matheson). Boy, you combine West Wing with 24, and it just isn't a very good season for vice presidents.

-What's in a name? Angel (WB, 9 p.m. ET/PT) hopes to find out, as this increasingly exciting series moves a step closer to next week's season finale.

-Over at Fox, Wanda at Large (9:30 p.m. ET/PT) ends its try-out run, as Wanda fights with Keith (Dale Godboldo) over an honorary degree. I'm not sure her show deserves a second season so why bother with this episode?

J.Lo Attends Packed Baseball Game

Conan O'Brien joked during his Late Night monologue last night: "The other day, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck surprised fans by showing up at a Boston Red Sox game. That's right. Yeah, apparently the game was packed because it was 'J.Lo Ex-Husband Day'."

Hasselhoff is in the RIDER's Seat

David Hasselhoff talks about his planned film adaption of KNIGHT RIDER.

Former Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff told SCI FI Wire that he's still executive producing a feature-film version of the 1980s TV show and is also developing a new TV series. Formerly known as Super Knight Rider 3000, the feature film is now simply called Knight Rider: The Movie and is in development at Revolution Studios.

Hasselhoff added that he is in talks to produce the new TV series. "Right now it's in this land of 'Which way are we going with it?'" Hasselhoff said in an interview. "I think for the film, we're going to go one way, and for the television series another way." Hasselhoff said that he hopes to have an acting role in both the film and the series. "I figure James Bond's about my age, so I could still be Michael Knight." No start date is announced for either project.

Indiana Jones DVD News?

Here's a bit of interesting Indy news from The Digital Bits

"Word has reached us from a number of independent industry and retail sources that Paramount is preparing their announcement of the Indiana Jones Trilogy DVD box set. The buzz is that the studio will make the news official in the next few weeks. Our sources are telling us that the set will be 4 discs in all - 1 each for the films (all in anamorphic widescreen) along with a 4th disc of bonus content. The films will reportedly only be available in the box set. And the set is expected to see worldwide release in November. Thanks to everyone who's sent in information on this. Keep in mind, that this is still very much in the rumor stage. But even the various talent involved has confirmed that the DVDs are in the works, so we felt it important to post this information as a sort of heads-up. Of course, we'll post any and all official news on this release in the daily column the moment it comes in. Stay tuned..."

Thanks to Chris for the tip.

Falwell Criticizes Dixie Chick's Remarks

JONESBORO, Ark. - The Rev. Jerry Falwell called the Dixie Chicks three "French hens," saying "politics should end at the shore when you leave the country," referring to antiwar remarks made by lead singer Natalie Maines.

At a March 10 concert in London, Maines told the audience in reference to President Bush's push for military action against Iraq: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

After Maines' remarks, radio stations began boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though she publicly apologized for her statement.

Maines and the Texas-based trio's other members — Emily Robison and Martie Maguire — told ABC's Diane Sawyer in a recent interview that the fallout was too harsh for the offense and that they've always supported U.S. troops even though they questioned the war.

Falwell said Maines was wrong to speak critically of the United States while overseas. "You don't talk about your own country, especially during war," he said Monday during an appearance at Jonesboro.

In 2001, Falwell apologized for saying God had allowed terrorists to attack America because of the work of civil liberties groups, abortion rights supporters and feminists.

He said his comments were ill-timed, insensitive and divisive at a time of national mourning. "In the midst of the shock and mourning of a dark week for America, I made a statement that I should not have made and which I sincerely regret."

On Monday, Falwell, a Baptist minister, characterized his statement as a clarification and "not so much as an apology."

"But I don't sell records," he said. "And I don't do it in England and I don't do it in France. I do all of mine head to head, face to face in America as a taxpaying citizen."

Music Industry Sends Warning to Song Swappers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The record industry opened a new front in its war against online piracy on Tuesday by surprising hundreds of thousands of Internet song swappers with an instant message warning that they could be "easily" identified and face "legal penalties" for their actions.

About 200,000 users of the Grokster and Kazaa file-sharing services received the warning notice on Tuesday and millions more will get notices in coming weeks, said Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for the music companies.

The message said in part: "It appears that you are offering copyrighted music to others from your computer. ...When you break the law, you risk legal penalties. There is a simple way to avoid that risk: DON'T STEAL MUSIC either by offering it to others to copy or downloading it on a 'file-sharing' system like this. When you offer music on these systems, you are not anonymous and you can easily be identified."

The mass messaging came after a federal judge on Friday delivered a setback to the music industry's efforts to shut down song-swapping services, and a day after Apple Computer Inc. unveiled an online music store aimed at wooing users from the free networks.

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson on Friday ruled the Grokster and Morpheus services should not be shut down because they cannot control what is traded over their systems.

Trade groups for the movie studios and record labels said they would appeal the ruling, the first significant legal setback for the entertainment industry in its battle against the popular "peer-to-peer" services that allow users to download files for free.

The RIAA's Sherman said that while the messaging effort was planned long ago, the timing was fortunate since some song swappers might misinterpret Friday's ruling to mean that copyright infringement was legal.

The move immediately angered some Internet users.

"Way to go, RIAA. Sue and threaten the public, your customers. I think I'll go and download," one posting on Yahoo said.

Sharman Networks Ltd, the Australian firm that owns Kazaa, said in a statement, said that rather than cooperating with the file-sharing network "the RIAA continues to choose to attack some of its most loyal customers."

Sharman said it objected to any effort to enforce copyrights that violated the law, its own user agreements or that would "indiscriminately spam, mislead or confuse."

Meanwhile, Verizon Communications, embroiled in a separate copyright infringement suit with the recording industry, said the move undermined the RIAA's argument in that case.

Last week, Verizon suffered a setback when a U.S. court said the phone company must reveal the names of customers suspected of downloading copyrighted songs from the Internet without permission.

The RIAA argued that Verizon is obligated under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act to help the music industry protect its copyrights. Verizon says it is willing to help, but argued that the law only applies to Web pages stored on its computers, not traffic on the "peer-to-peer" networks that merely travel across its wires.

Sarah Deutsch, an attorney for Verizon on Tuesday, said that the RIAA has said they could not contact users on their own.

"I think this undermines their case because now they are acknowledging they can contact the users on a massive scale," she said.

Its not the first time the recording industry has targeted individual users. In April, the RIAA sued four students who were operating networks on three college campuses where it claims the networks were being used to illegally trade copies of music files.

The warning on Tuesday was sent by the RIAA on behalf of the world's big record labels owned by AOL Time Warner, EMI Group Plc, Bertelsmann AG, Vivendi Universal and Sony Corp.

DON'T STEAL MUSIC

The RIAA said that by using song titles, it was identifying users who were posting copyrighted songs for others to download as targets for the messages, which were sent through the peer-to-peer networks' own systems.

Sherman said the trade group did not plan to take further action against the users it had contacted for now. "There is no next step. We are just letting them know it's illegal and they are not anonymous," said Sherman.

"We're not going to change behavior overnight. The only way we can measure this is to see if fewer people are offering files on Grokster and Kazaa," he said.

Some experts doubted the effectiveness of the campaign.

"I think a small number of users will be deterred by this effort. It's not going to come as a surprise to them the RIAA finds it unlawful," said Jonathan Band, a copyright lawyer for Morrison & Foerster.

Paul McCartney to End World Tour in Liverpool

LONDON (Reuters) - Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney will end his year-long world tour in his home town of Liverpool, birthplace of the Fab Four.

The last show takes place on June 1 near the banks of the River Mersey.

"I've been touring this show all around the world and we've been having a great time -- but it will be very special for me to now bring it on home to Liverpool," McCartney said in a statement on Wednesday.

"I've a feeling it will be a good and emotional ending to a wonderful year," he added.

McCartney began his tour in Oakland, California, in April 2002, playing 58 concerts in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan.

Last month he began the 32-show European leg of the tour which includes concerts in Rome's Colosseum and Moscow's Red Square, before ending in Liverpool.

By the time the tour ends, nearly two million people will have paid to see the ex-Beatle play.

Fer sure, totally!

The bitchin' 80's are back!

MGM Home Entertainment has just announced another wave of catalog classics to go along with their super-swell August lineup of horror faves. What's in this new batch? How about some of the most highly-anticipated teen comedies yet to hit the format? Can't wait!

On August 5th comes new special editions of Valley Girl and The Sure Thing. The former is way-loaded with extras: a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 remix, no less than 3 new commentaries (video commentary with members of the cast, audio commentary by director Martha Coolidge and an 80's text trivia track), three featurettes ("Valley Girl: 20 Totally Tubular Years Later," "In Conversation: Martha Coolidge and Nicholas Cage" and "The Music of Valley Girl"), storyboard-to-film comparisons, original music videos from Modern English and The Plimsouls, and trailers.

The Sure Thing also includes a nice set of specs: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 remix, audio commentary with director Rob Reiner, text trivia track, four featurettes: "The Road to The Sure Thing," Casting The Sure Thing," "Dressing The Sure Thing" and "Reading The Sure Thing," and trailers. Retail is a mere $19.95 each.

Also included in this August 5th lineup are more 80's classics, sorta-classics and not-quite-so-classics, in a variety of aspect ratios. Thrashin', The Rachel Papers, Adrian Lyne's Foxes and, at long last, The Last American Virgin all include new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers and Dolby Digital 2.0 surround tracks (Foxes is mono only). Thrashin' also includes a featurette and "Freestylin' Montage." The Matt Dillon comedy The Flamingo Kid is presented in non-anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, while Johnny Be Good, Hot Dog The Movie, Bright Lights Big City and the original Breakin' are presented in (sigh) full screen only. All include trailers, and retail is $14.95 each.

Rad, man, rad!

Sarah Kozer to Appear in June Playboy

NEW YORK - The first time Playboy magazine came calling, Sarah Kozer from "Joe Millionaire" said no. The second time, she said no again.

But the third time — after receiving unanimous approval from her family and friends — she changed her mind. Now, the reality show runner-up is on the cover of the magazine's June issue.

Kozer said she only agreed to pose for Playboy if the photos entailed no full-frontal nudity. "I was a women's studies major," she said Monday night at a party celebrating her appearance.

This isn't the first time the 29-year-old has modeled; as the Fox romance series was airing, it was revealed that she'd appeared in bondage and fetish films to help pay the bills during law school.

"Joe Millionaire" star Evan Marriott chose Zora Andrich over Kozer, but the two since have split up. The women were among 20 who competed for Marriott's affections under the belief that he was a millionaire, when he was actually a construction worker who made $19,000 a year.

Since the show's February finale, Kozer has been finishing a novel and a cookbook — and coping with the chaos of her newfound fame.

Sipping champagne and surrounded by pals and publicists at a trendy lounge Monday night, Kozer said of the whirlwind, "I don't like it, but I don't mind it."

"If this is the worst that life has to dish out for me," she said, "I can't really see any reason to complain."

Ozzy Osbourne's Son Jack Checks Into Rehab

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne's 17-year-old son, Jack, has checked into a Los Angeles-area rehabilitation center for treatment of drug and alcohol abuse, the family's spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

It was not disclosed exactly how the teenage co-star of MTV's reality hit "The Osbournes" landed in rehab, but Ozzy Osbourne has confronted his son about his drinking and drug use on the show and has acknowledged catching Jack with marijuana on several occasions.

According to family publicist Lisa Vega, Jack entered the residential detox and rehab facility last week after confiding in both parents, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, that he needed help.

"Not very many 17-year-olds have the wherewithal to realize that they have a problem, nor do they have the relationship with their parents that they can go to their parents and say they have a problem, and that is what occurred here," Vega told Reuters. "Sharon and Ozzy are very supportive of his decision and are very proud of him that he has the gumption to make a change."

The family went public after the syndicated TV show "Entertainment Tonight" broke the story Monday night, reporting that the teen MTV star, clad in a white patient smock, had been seen at the rehab center with his parents in what an eyewitness called "a very emotional moment" for the family.

Vega appealed to the media to maintain some modicum of respect for the very public family's privacy. "He (Jack) is trying to get his life together ... and he's not being given a chance to do that in private."

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are themselves no strangers to substance abuse, having both acknowledged excessive alcohol consumption in the past. Ozzy also has admitted to a previous cocaine addiction as well as to dabbling in heroin and other drugs over the years.

Ozzy has said he swore off drugs and booze in the early 1990s, though he admitted falling off the wagon last year when Sharon, the family's manager and matriarch, was diagnosed with cancer. Her illness is now in remission.

"The Osbournes" is slated to return for a third season in June with 10 new episodes produced earlier this year. Soon after its debut in the spring of 2002, the fly-on-the-wall show became MTV's biggest hit, earned an Emmy Award and turned the raucous, foul-mouthed family into overnight pop culture stars.

Jack's 18-year-old sister, Kelly, has sought to parlay her newfound fame into a recording career, while her brother has worked as a talent scout for Epic Records. He also had become a frequent denizen of the Los Angeles party and nightclub scene.

MTV has not revealed plans for the show beyond its upcoming third season, but a syndicated talk show hosted by Sharon Osbourne is slated to premiere in September.

Oscars® Announce Early Deadlines and Show

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Zap2it.com) -- In order to avoid the craze and the hoopla of other awards shows, the Academy Awards® is planning a schedule that's a whole month earlier than usual next year.

The 76th Annual Academy Awards, which has been scheduled for presentation three weeks earlier than usual, is now set for Feb. 29, 2004, according to Academy officials on Monday (April 28).

Other signficant dates are:

August 1, 2003: Scientific and Technical Award entry deadline.
Sept. 2, 2003: Documentary categories entry deadline.
Oct. 1, 2003: Foreign Language Film and Short Films categories entry deadline.
Nov. 3, 2003: Animated Feature film category entry deadline.
Dec. 1, 2003: Deadline for receipt of official screen credit forms to qualify feature films for award consideration. Music categories submission deadline.
Dec 31, 2003: Awards year ends at midnight.
Jan. 2, 2004: Nominations ballots mailed.
Jan. 17, 2004: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PST.
Jan. 27, 2004: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PST, Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Feb. 4, 2004: Final ballots mailed.
Feb. 9, 2004: Nominees Luncheon, Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Feb. 14, 2004: Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation, 6 p.m. PST, location to be determined.
Feb, 24, 2004: Final polls close 5 p.m. PST.
Feb 29, 2004: 76th Annual Academy Awards Presentation from the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland will be televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5:30 p.m. (PST), with a half-hour arrivals program preceding the presentation ceremony.

TOP DOGS

Ben Stiller, his wife Christine and Vince Vaughn all in talks to star in 20th Century Fox's Underdog, reports Variety, about a small gym that must defeat a swankier fitness center in a dodgeball competition.

HELLMOUTH COUNTDOWN

Buffy the Vampire Slayer kicking off four-episode run to the series' grand finale tonight on the UPN.

TIME UP FOR PREZ

Four hours remain on the clock before "24" once again ends its really long, real-time day - hardly enough time to start impeachment proceedings against President Palmer.

Fans who caught the final minutes of last week's program watched the clock implode just as the vice president and the President's cabinet were about to start a behind-closed-doors meeting to remove the President, played by Dennis Haysbert, from office.

But can they actually do that? TV can take a lot of liberties with the truth (for the sake of a good story, of course).

But in this case, it turns out they can.

Robert Cochran - the program's co-creator and one of its executive producers who also happens to be an attorney with a law degree from Stanford - remembers the brainstorming session.

"As soon as somebody mentioned the 25th Amendment, we knew that was a good way to go because there's no real precedent for it and it's very vaguely drafted," he said. Cochran said once he got a copy of the amendment and saw it had never been legally tested he realized, "Hey, we're in business - we have a lot of leeway there legitimately."

What's likely to ensue in tonight's episode?

Given how the 25th Amendment operates, any number of things need to occur, according to Michael Herz, a professor at New York's Cardozo School of Law, who agrees that because this legal mechanism has never been tested and no authoritative statement has been made with respect to its meaning, "it's very much up for grabs."

Herz says that, under this amendment, a majority of the cabinet members plus the vice president must write a letter to Congress declaring the president is no longer capable of discharging his duties, usually because he is either sick, crazy or missing. Once that letter is signed, sealed and delivered, the vice president immediately becomes acting president.

"At that point, the president can write his own letter that says, 'Wait a minute, I'm suffering no inability at all - I'm perfectly capable of doing my job,' " Herz said.

"And if the president writes that letter, then he becomes President again - unless the majority of the cabinet and the vice president stick to their guns. At that point Congress has 21 days to decide."

Time consuming overall, yes, but squeezing that initial letter into an hour-long drama is highly doable.

Cochran admits he's particularly sensitive to how the law is depicted on the small screen.

"Usually, it just drives you crazy if you're an attorney watching law shows on TV," he says, especially when programs depict "cases that would take years in real life, all taking place within the course of a week or so.

"Now," the producer admits, "I feel like anybody else whose interests have shifted from one side of the fence to the other."

Today's Biggest Releases

Counting re-releases and kiddie fare, there are over two hundred titles coming out today, TUesday, April 29th, 2003, on DVD and Video. In order to save you the time, I have perused the list and here's a look at the ones worth noting.

TWO WEEKS NOTICE - It's a credit to Sandra Bullock's beauty, and Hugh Grant's growing skills as an actor, that you can actually watch this by the books romantic comedy about a caddish billionaire and a lefty activist lawyer falling in love.

"MR. BEAN": THE WHOLE BEAN - Rowan Atkinson's "Mr. Bean" is a few notches below Keaton and Chaplin in the (mostly) silent comic sweepstakes, but every episode of his foolish antics is guaranteed to leave you giggling helplessly at least once or twice.

"XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS": SEASON ONE/"SON OF THE BEACH": VOLUME ONE/"AMERICAN FAMILY": FIRST SEASON

"Xena" is that rare TV spin-off that is better than the original. Why? Bad-girl gone (sort of) good Xena is more complicated than "Hercules," (the campy show it was launched from) and Lucy Lawless is a better actress than Kevin Sorbo. Besides, it's more fun to watch girls kick butt. "Son of the Beach" tries to lampoon "Baywatch," an attempt that is both unnecessary and harder than you think. At least producer Howard Stern knew enough to keep babes in bikinis front and center. You could call Gregory Nava's "American Family" a labor of love, but that would damn this network-worthy show (seen on PBS in 2001) with faint praise.

TREASURE PLANET/TREASURE ISLAND - Disney's latest animated flick was a bust at the box office, but it isn't all bad. It takes a rip-roaring tale and adds a moody teenager, some bland pop songs, and jarring comic relief via Martin Short in misguided attempts to hip it up. Disney has also released the fine - if rather broad - live-action version from 1950.

NAPOLEON - A lavish, eight-hour miniseries featuring Isabella Rossellini, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu, and a cast of thousands. Still, it comes up short.

OUT NEXT TUESDAY:The frothy caper "Catch Me If You Can," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kevin Kline's "The Emperor's Club," a Jack Ryan boxed set, and a slew of Jimmy Stewart Westerns, including the classics "Destry Rides Again" and "Winchester 73."

'X2' MARKS WIDE SPOT

"X2: X Men United" is apparently receiving a bigger screen debut than "Spider-Man" - but it isn't expected to spin the kind of massive box-office grosses Spidey did a year ago.

The sequel debuts in 93 countries and territories around the world simultaneously on Friday - which 20th Century Fox claims marks the broadest opening ever for a movie. Many big films are opening at the same time internationally because of concerns about piracy.

The first film, 2000's "X-Men," opened at $54.5 million and went on to rake in $294 million worldwide.

Last year, "Spider-Man" smashed records with a $114 million three-day debut in the United States before going on to gross $806 million worldwide.

Box-office analyst Len Klady of moviecitynews.com predicts "X2" will probably do $60 to $70 million in business this weekend.

Early reviews have called "X2" superior to the original.

'X2' EXPLAINED

When summer 2003's first big blockbuster, "X2: X-Men United," debuts this weekend, most moviegoers will have heard of mutant stars like Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Storm (Halle Berry). But only a select gang of comic-book geeks will get it when minor members of Marvel Comics' mutant universe like Gambit, Beast and Jubilee appear.

"The movie works both ways," says legendary comic book creator Stan Lee, who invented the X-Men in the early 1960s and worked as executive producer of "X2."

"For people who aren't comic-book fans, it's a good story. But there are also a lot of details for people who know the X-Men inside out."

To get the most out of the movie, here's an "X2" guide to the inside jokes, arcane trivia and behind-the-scenes gossip every X-fanatic ought to know.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF: At the end of 2000's "X-Men," Wolverine (the comic book answer to Edward Scissorhands) has left the X-Men to get in touch with himself. Meanwhile, villainous shape-shifter Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) has taken over the body of influential Sen. Robert Kelly, who then shocks the country by reversing his position on the crucial Mutant Registration Act, thus helping the bad mutants take over the world. No. 1 baddie Magneto (Ian McKellen) ends the first film imprisoned in plastic - but don't think for a second he stays there. The best special effects in "X2" come during his escape.

WHO IS THIS NIGHTCRAWLER? According to the comic books, this bendable blue mutant (played by Alan Cumming) is Mystique's son. When Nightcrawler was a baby, however, she abandoned him to save herself, and he was raised by gypsies. He was an acrobat in a German circus - thus the accent - before Storm and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) meet him at the beginning of "X2."

WHAT'S UP WITH ROGUE'S HAIR? In "X2," mutant high schooler Rogue (Anna Paquin) still has white streaks in her hair. They appeared at the end of the first movie, while her power was being drained to propel Magneto's mutation machine.

WHY DOES WOLVERINE HATE CYCLOPS? When Wolverine returns from his retreat, he's riding a motorcycle that belongs to Cyclops (James Marsden). The pair bickers over the bike momentarily, but the real fight is over Jean Grey. She's the love of Cyclops's life, but Wolverine has a thing for her.

FACES IN THE CROWD: Hundreds of mutants who show up in X-Men comics are never mentioned in "X2," but a few make cameo appearances. Hard-core fans will surely return again and again to spot them all. Watch for Gambit, or Remy LeBeau, who fights with exploding playing cards; Beast, or Dr. Hank McCoy, a furry blue mutant with superhuman quickness and brains; Colossus, who transforms his flesh into steel; Shadowcat, who slides through solid objects; Jubilee, who makes explosions with her hands; Artie, who communicates through visual images; and Siryn, who creates sonic waves with her superhuman vocal chords.

THE WING THING: We don't want to spoil the ending, but just so you know - that bird-like image on the water refers to an extraterrestrial being called the Phoenix Force, which takes over one of the mutant's bodies in the X-Men comic books.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS: Stan Lee wrote the first X-Men comic book at the height of the civil-rights struggle. "I wanted to show the evils of bigotry," recalls Lee. The idea is just as important today, says Alan Cumming. "I really liked the message that we need to be more tolerant and understanding of other cultures different than ours."

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN: Pulitzer Prize-winning author and comic-book fanatic Michael Chabon ("The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay") wrote a treatment for the first X-Men movie in 1996.

"I put way too much thought, time and energy into this thing, all for free," says Chabon, who went on to write the script for "Spider-Man 2." "The proposal was politely discussed, then just as politely rejected."

But Chabon's original proposal has become a cult favorite among literary comics fans. It's posted on Chabon's excellent Web site, www.michaelchabon.com/XProposal.html.

WILL THERE BE AN X3? Officially, the producers of "X2" aren't saying whether there will be another sequel, but rumor has it that Romijn-Stamos and others have already signed on. Bryan Singer, who directed both "X-Men" and "X2," says, "As long as there are stories to tell and they're taken seriously, I think this universe can be explored for decades."

Butler Offered PHANTOM Role

Joel Schumacher has reportedly offered Scottish actor Gerard Butler (REIGN OF FIRE) the lead role of the Phantom in his film adaption of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Anne Hathaway (THE PRINCESS DIARIES) and Emmy Rossum reportedly are Schumacher's top contenders to play Christine. Andrew Lloyd Webber is producing.

Dixie Chicks Hire 'Posse' To Protect Them From Angry Fans

After Natalie Maines made an anti-Bush statement while performing overseas in March, the Dixie Chicks have received threats from angry Americans and have had to employ round-the-clock security.

According to Emily Robison, the group now has an entourage of guards wherever they go to deal with the rage directed at the group, which Robison adds, has gone too far. She told syndicated radio host Bob Kingsley: "I feel like our safety is a huge, important issue right now. We officially have a posse now because we have to have security people with us at all times, and this has gotten to a point where enough is enough, you know? When you feel like your own safety is an issue, I think people have to step back."

Robison considers the reaction to Maines' comment "un-American," especially because she said it was misunderstood and taken out of context. "That is un-American to me,” Robison said. “That is un-American that something that somebody said can be, first of all, misconstrued and just totally taken out of context, and she's apologized for it which a lot of people don't know."

The Dixie Chicks will meet fans face-to-face for the first time since coming under such scrutiny when they kick off their Top Of The World tour on Thursday (May 1), in Greenville, South Carolina.

New George Harrison Single Coming

A new single from George Harrison's last album is on the way. The song "Any Road," which kicks off the album Brainwashed, is due at radio stations this week, and an accompanying video is also coming this week. There are no plans for a commercial release of the single.

"Any Road" features George Harrison on slide and acoustic guitars; Jeff Lynne on bass, piano, and backing vocals; Dhani Harrison on electric guitar and backing vocals; and Jim Keltner on drums.

The video, which features some unreleased film of Harrison, is a mix of studio and concert shots, along with casual footage and some animation.

Today's New Music Releases

Nope. Nada. Zero. Zip. Not a damn thing!

Sorry, but unless you are a person who just has to pick up a new CD every week, you are straight out of luck today. With the possible exception of the debut CD from Canadian babes APPLETON (Formerly of All Saints) there are no tempting discs coming out today. And for the record, I mention the APPLETON CD only for the pictures. Man are they sweet!

Of course, that's just my opinion, maybe they aren't sweet, and maybe there is something being released today that tickles your fancy. To that end, here are the new CD releases for Tuesday April 29, 2003:

APPLETON Everything's Eventual (Polydor)
CATHY & MARCY MARXER FUNK Bon Appetit! Musical Food Fun
CITY OF GHOSTS City Of Ghosts (Navarre)
COLD Year Of The Spider (Geffen)
DOUBLE DRIVE Blue In The Face (Roadrunner)
ERIK TRUFFAZ Walk Of The Giant Turtle (Blue Note)
JETHRO TULL A Passion Play (EMI)
JETHRO TULL Heavy Horses (EMI)
JETHRO TULL Songs From The Woods (EMI)
KEITH MURRAY He's Keith Murray (Def Jam)
KELLY PRICE Priceless (Def Jam)
KINNIE STARR Sun Again (Maple Music)
LIL MO Meet The Girl Next Door (Elektra)
LIVEONRELEASE Goes On A Fieldtrip (Her Royal Majesty's Records)
MAROON 5 Songs About Jane (J Records)
MARTIN GORE Counterfeit 2 (Mute)
MATRIX OST Matrix OST (Warner)
MORGAN HERITAGE 3 in 1 (VP)
MORNING STAR My Place In The Dust (D7)
MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY Us (Warner International)
NATALIE COLE Anothology (The Right Stuff)
RHONDA VINCENT One Step Ahead (Rounder)
STICKY FINGAZ Decade (EMI)
STYLOPHONIC Man, Music, Technology (EMI)
THE HARLOTS Crawl Space (Universal)
THICKE Cherry Blue Skies (Interscope)
TREY ANASTASIO Plasma (Elektra)
TRIBALISTAS Tribalistas (EMI)
TYRESE How You Gonna Act Like That (J Records)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Hypnotized: The Ultimate FM Collection (Strategic Projects)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Later-Louder (DVD Video) (Warner)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Paris City Coffee (Universal)
VARIOUS ARTISTS American Idol Season 2 - All Time Classic American Love Songs (RCA)
VARIOUS ARTISTS What The World Needs Now (RCA)
WILL HOGE Blackbird On A Lonely Wire (Atlantic)
WIRE Send (Pink Flag)
YEAH YEAH YEAH'S Fever To Tell (Interscope)

Get Your TV Broom Ready

The May sweeps are in full swing, with dozens of season finales, a few series enders (including final bows from Buffy and Dawson's Creek) and the usual assortment of movies, miniseries and specials. You'll find everything from Hitler to Hack. As well, there's wall-to-wall NHL playoff hockey on CBC and TSN.

Here's a handy clip-and-save schedule to help you through the glut. Ladies and gentlemen, start your VCRs:

TONIGHT

GUEST STAR: Frasier (Global/NBC, 9 p.m.). Dr. Phil meets Dr. Crane.

Say Yes And Marry Me! (Life Network, 7:30 p.m.). This romantic new reality series made a stop at the ACC earlier this season, where Raptors fan Marco Pasquali popped the question to unsuspecting girlfriend Manon Poulin -- with the help of a hundred or so billboard-toting fans. Even Vince Carter got in on the shenanigans. But did Manon say yes?

TOMORROW

The West Wing (CTV/NBC, 9 p.m.). Matthew Perry finishes a two-episode guest stint.

The Twilight Zone (New VR/UPN, 9 p.m.). A remake of the 1960 classic episode Eye Of The Beholder.

MAY 2

SEASON FINALE: Hack (Global/CBS, 9 p.m.). Is that still on?

MAY 4

Lucy (CH/CBS, 8 p.m.). Three-hour TV bio stars Broadway's Rachel York as Lucille Ball, Danny Pino as Desi Arnaz.

Tim Allen Presents: A User's Guide to Home Improvement (ABC, 8 p.m.)

SEASON FINALE: Alias (two hours, 7 p.m. on CTV and 9 p.m. on ABC)

MAY 5

Saturday Night Live: 25 Years Of Music (MuchMoreMusic (May 5-9, 9 p.m.). All the music highlights, including performances by Queen, The Grateful Dead, James Brown, Nirvana, Madonna, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney.

SEASON FINALES: The Practice (Global/ABC, 9 p.m. possible series finale). Bobby (Dylan McDermott) announces his resignation in an episode called Goodbye. Looks like curtains.

Crossing Jordan (Global/NBC, 10 p.m.).

MAY 7

SEASON FINALE: Angel (The WB, 9 p.m. potential series finale)

MAY 8

ER: 200th episode (CTV/NBC, 10 p.m.). Carter (Noah Wylie) has an especially rough day.

MAY 9

Say I Do (CTV, 8 p.m.).

A documentary about e-mail order brides from the Philippines. "Me love you two times go boom-boom."

MAY 11

SEASON FINALE: Survivor: The Amazon (Global/CBS, 8 p.m.). Find out who wins followed by the usual hour-long reunion show.

MAY 12

Behind The Camera: The Unauthorized Story Of Three's Company (CITY-TV/NBC). "Come and write me a cheque ..."

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (ABC, 9 p.m.), a TV-movie prequel to Stephen King's Rose Red.

SEASON FINALE: Boston Public (Global/Fox, 9 p.m.)

MAY 14

SERIES FINALE: Dawson's Creek (The WB, 8 p.m., two hours; airs Friday on Global). The gang jumps forward five years to find that Dawson (James Van Der Beek) has produced an autobiographical TV show called The Creek.

MAY 15

SEASON FINALE: Friends (NBC, Global, 8 p.m.). Romantic problems bedevil most of the gang in the 75-minute finale, set in Barbados. Will & Grace (Global/NBC, 9 p.m.), Without A Trace (Global/CBS, 10 p.m.)

SEASON FINALE: CSI (CTV/CBS, 9 p.m.). Look for one of the CSI team to wind up in the lab after a bank robbery/gun battle on the streets of Vegas.

MAY 16

The 30th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (ABC, 9 p.m.). Hosted by Wayne Brady.

MAY 17

C.D. Hoy: Portraits from the Frontier (Global, 7 p.m.). Documentary about photographer Chow Dong Hoy, who captured the gold rush on camera after moving from China to rural British Columbia in 1900.

MAY 18

Hitler: The Rise of Evil (CH/CBS. 9 p.m.) Concludes May 20. Robert Carlyle stars as the young dictator-to-be in his pre-swastika days. Shot in Toronto.

SEASON FINALES: The Simpsons (Global, Fox, 8 p.m.). Club rivals Bart and Milhouse wage war. Followed by another new episode.

King Of The Hill (Global/Fox, 7 p.m.). The 150th episode.

The Bachelor (CITY-TV/Fox, 9 p.m.)

Malcolm In The Middle (Global/Fox, 9 p.m.). Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) delivers her fifth child. Yikes!

MAY 19

ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration (ABC, 8 p.m.). Cast reunions from Bewitched, Happy Days, The Love Boat and other staples of the network's glory years. Look for Muhammad Ali, Tim Allen, Drew Carey, Dick Clark, Peter Falk, Farrah Fawcett, Dennis Franz, Jennifer Garner, Florence Henderson, John Ritter, Roseanne, John Travolta, Barbara Walters, Damon Wayans, Oprah Winfrey and, of course, The Fonz (Henry Winkler).

Martha, Inc.: The Story of Martha Stewart (NBC, 9 p.m.). Cybill Shepherd plays the scandal-plagued homemaker. Based on Christopher Byron's saucy biography.

SEASON FINALES: Everybody Loves Raymond (Global/CBS, 9 p.m.). Robert (Brad Garrett) and Amy (Monica Horan) get hitched (45 minutes). King Of Queens (CH/CBS, 8 p.m.)

Everwood (The WB, 9 p.m.)

MAY 20

America's Next Top Model (UPN, May 20). Follows 10 young women as they compete to become the next Tyra Banks, who hosts.

SEASON FINALES: 24 (CH/Fox, 9 p.m.)

8 Simple Rules (ABC, 8 p.m.), According to Jim (8:30 p.m.), Less Than Perfect (9:30 p.m), NYPD Blue (10 p.m.) Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and McDowell (Charlotte Ross) hit a major roadblock on their way to the altar.

Gilmore Girls (The WB, 8 p.m.), Valedictorian Rory (Alexis Bledel) addresses her graduating class (airs May 28 on Global).

Smallville (The WB, 9 p.m.).

JAG (CH/CBS, 8 p.m.). Harm (David James Elliott) supposedly quits. Right.

SERIES FINALE: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (New VR/UPN, 8 p.m.). The final showdown with evil incarnate, known only as "the First." Who will survive?

MAY 21

The 38th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards (CBS, 9 p.m.). Hosted by Reba McEntire.

SEASON FINALE: American Idol (CTV/Fox, 8 p.m.). Ruben, Clay or Kimberly The Cow?

Law & Order: 300th episode.

Presley Won't Discuss Her Bitter Songs

LOS ANGELES - Lisa Marie Presley knows people are wondering whether she's talking about one of her famous ex-husbands in some of the bitter songs on her new disc, "To Whom It May Concern."

But Presley, who has been married to Nicolas Cage and Michael Jackson, isn't talking. "I won't confirm or deny," the 35-year-old said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

The daughter of Elvis Presley released her first album to critical acclaim earlier this month. The disc contains plenty of songs that take verbal jabs at an unidentified ex-lover.

She anticipated that listeners might think she was talking about Jackson or Cage, her second and third husbands. It's part of the reason the album has the title it does, Presley says.

"It's a little on the sarcastic side," she said, and it's aimed at curiosity seekers. "Are you actually going to listen to this and look at it for what it is, or are you going to immediately go to some superficial bull and start trying to figure out, `Who's she talking about?'"

Presley is among the performers who have been added to VH1's "Divas" concert, along with Beyonce Knowles, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. The live show will air from Las Vegas on May 22.

Apple Launching New Music Store Service

SAN FRANCISCO - Two years after angering the recording industry with its "Rip. Mix. Burn" ad campaign, Apple Computer Inc. has won its cooperation in creating the Internet's least restrictive commercial music service yet.

The iTunes Music Store announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Monday draws from all five major labels in offering more than 200,000 songs at 99 cents a download — and includes some big name artists who previously shunned online distribution.

Unlike its competitors, the service has virtually no copy-protection — a major concession to consumer demand.

Apple lets customers keep songs indefinitely, share them on as many as three Macintosh computers and transfer them to any number of iPod portable music players. No subscriptions are necessary and buyers can burn unlimited copies of the songs onto CDs.

"There's no legal alternative that's worth beans," Jobs told of reporters and industry analysts at San Francisco's convention center.

Jobs has intensely courted music industry executives, who have been leery of digital music downloads and have aggressively used lawsuits and lobbying to stem the illegal copying and distribution of copyright works. That wariness has hamstrung other online music distribution models, keeping most of the best new music offline.

In contrast, Music Store already includes music by Bob Dylan, U2, Eminem, Sheryl Crow, Sting and other artists previously wary about music downloads. Eventually, millions of songs will be for sale on the site, predicted Doug Morris, the chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group.

Morris, attending Monday's launch, called it "a defining moment in the music business."

By allowing people to do pretty much as they please with their digital copies, Apple and the music industry are acknowledging that, due to digital technology, online file-swapping can't be eradicated.

"You can't stop piracy, so you have to work with technology, and you have to get into the rhythm of it. That's what Apple has done here," said the musician Seal, who was at the announcement.

Even Hillary Rosen, who as CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has led the fight against Napster and it's free online music-swapping successors, called Apple's new service "cool, cutting edge" in a statement.

"It's not stealing anymore. It's good karma," said Jobs, asserting that other industry-backed services' subscription-based models treat music fans as "criminals" with extra fees and restrictions. Apple also announced a new version of the iPod — thinner and lighter. It comes with 30 gigabytes, or about 7,500 songs, and costs $499.

Initially, Music Store only works on Macintosh computers, but by year's end, Apple plans to make it compatible with devices using the nearly ubiquitous Microsoft Windows platform — as it did for they iPod. Then, the service could have mass appeal.

While the service remains limited to Macs, which comprise less than 3 percent of the desktop computing market, the segment is big enough to let the music industry test a new business model, said Phil Leigh, an analyst at the research firm Raymond James & Associates.

"I think it'll change the world a little bit," Leigh said. "It'll be the first legitimate online music service that will have major brand recognition, and it's focused on portability and ease of use."

Until now, most music found online lacked the blessing of the major labels — BMG, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and Warner. Millions of users are downloading free copies of songs through file-sharing services such as Kazaa — services that the recording industry have sued in an effort to stem what they deem as revenue-robbing piracy.

The RIAA has sued four college students who allegedly offered more than 1 million recordings over the Internet, demanding damages of $150,000 per song. Music companies also are lobbying corporations, urging them to crack down on the downloading of songs using company computers.

But their efforts suffered a major blow Friday when a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc., the companies that distribute Grokster and Morpheus, aren't to blame for any illegal copying that their customers do using their file-sharing software. They've vowed to appeal.

Apple enters a market that has yet to establish much traction. Other providers of online music to paid subscribers have drawn only about 650,000 users, analysts estimate.

Pressplay, a joint venture of Sony and Universal, charges a flat fee of $9.95 a month to listen using their computer to an unlimited number of songs from the major labels. Consumers who want to purchase songs to store on their hard drive or burn them onto a CD pay an extra fee of 98 cents per song.

Apple charges no such fees but does incorporate some minor restrictions — playlists can be stored on no more than three Macs and once a user burns 10 copies of a playlist onto CDs, they have to "modify" the list before copying again. This can be as simple as shuffling the order of the songs.

All Music Store songs are encoded in the AAC audio format, which allows for faster downloads and higher sound quality than MP3 files of the same size. The format was developed by Dolby to provide the sound for industry-standard MPEG-4 video files.

Stroke-Stricken Singer Vandross Has Tracheotomy

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soulful balladeer Luther Vandross, described as barely conscious 13 days after suffering a stroke, has undergone a tracheotomy to fight off pneumonia, his business manager said in a statement on Monday.

The procedure was done in a way that did not affect the vocal chords of the Grammy-winning singer, who remains in intensive care at Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to business manager Carmen Romano.

Romano said in a statement that doctors reported Vandross was minimally responsive and "we're waiting for him to regain full consciousness. I am told that this may take some time."

Romano said the family and friends of Vandross appreciated the "tremendous outpouring of well wishes and prayers" received from his fans.

Vandross, who has battled weight and health problems for years, suffered a stroke on April 16 just days before turning 52.

Known for a silky singing style that helped him sell more than 20 million records worldwide, Vandross is also known for his songwriting and production prowess.

"Here and Now" brought Vandross his first Grammy Award in 1990, while "Power of Love/Love Power" won him Grammy honors for best Rhythm and Blues Song and best Rhythm and Blues male vocal performance the next year.

Summer DVD Releases Include 'Hulk,' 'Schmidt' and Stiller

HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com) -- The summer DVD and video releases will run the gamut, capitalizing on the upcoming summer blockbusters. The TV show for "The Incredible Hulk" is about to come out at the same time the summer "Hulk" is being released, "Speed Racer" TV shows will be out just in time for "2 Fast 2 Furious" and Jack Nicholson's Oscar-nominated "About Schmidt" performance is on its way.

To celebrate the release of the original television series premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" on June 3 there's a contest for fans to ask the original Hulk star Lou Ferrigno a question and win a $603 gift certificate for an online retailer.

That contest is available at The Hulk Contest and the DVD will include: an introduction by Ferrigno; commentary with director/writer Ken Johnson; a sneak preview of Ang Lee's "The Hulk"; The Making of The Incredible Hulk Coaster; The Hulk Interactive Game Trailer and The Hulk Novelization Excerpt.

Also out are the documentary, "Biggie and Tupac," with director Nick Broomfield doing in-store promotions nationwide throughout the summer, and "The Ben Stiller Show" DVD which is being changed to a later summer date from its previous June 3 release.

Warner Home Video is releasing Nicholson and Kathy Bates's performances -- Oscar®-Nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress -- along with Dermot Mulroney and Hope Davis in "About Schmidt."

The DVD has deleted scenes; Woodmen Sequences – Original “short films” of opening film sequences featuring the Woodmen Tower located in Omaha, NE created by Alexander Payne’s editorial staff showcasing their different perceptions of the film and the original trailer.

HILLARY SPEAKS!

"Living History", Hillary Rodham Clinton's memoirs, will hit book stores on June 9, her lawyer said. The Senator and former First Lady was paid an estimated seven figures to give her account of her years in the Clinton White House.

X-MEN 2 director Bryan Singer talks about some of the things he had to leave out of the film.

Bryan Singer, director of the upcoming X-Men sequel film, X2, told SCI FI Wire that a lot of comic mythology didn't make it into the second movie, but could end up in a third. "Possibly," he said in an interview. "You choose your battles. You figure out what serves the story and what is ultimately tangential."

Singer added, "[In] each X-Men film, we lost a character. I had to battle Beast out of the first film. I think Angel was a character that found its way into almost towards the final drafts of this script. I had a wonderful scene with Angel that I was very fond of, and had to get rid of, because you don't want to have characters and plot lines for the sake of having characters and plot lines."

Singer said that he had to cut other elements from X2, including a scene featuring Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in the Danger Room and others involving the Sentinels. X2 opens May 2.

Public Enemy to Take on Bush With CD-DVD

NEW YORK - Hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy are still fighting the powers that be.

The group, known for anthems including "Don't Believe the Hype" and "Fight The Power," will take on President Bush with their new CD-DVD, "Son of a Bush," scheduled for May 6 release.

The title track, which first appeared on last year's "Revolverlution," criticizes both the current president and his father.

Among the lyrics: "Have you forgotten/I been through the first term of rotten/The father, the son/and the holy Bush... I told y'all when the first Bush was tappin' my phone... Can't truss 'em."

The group joins other artists including the Dixie Chicks and the Beastie Boys who have spoken out against the president.

'Identity' Tops Weekend Box Office

LOS ANGELES - The murder-mystery "Identity" made a killing at the box office, taking in $17 million in its first weekend and displacing "Anger Management" as the top movie.

"Anger Management" slipped to second place after two weekends in the top spot. The Adam Sandler - Jack Nicholson comedy grossed $16 million, pushing its 17-day total to $104.5 million.

The weekend's other new releases debuted weakly. The con-men romp "Confidence," with Edward Burns and Dustin Hoffman, came in at No. 5 with $4.75 million.

"It Runs in the Family," a comic drama starring Kirk and Michael Douglas, opened at No. 9 with $3 million.

"The Real Cancun," a big-screen variation of MTV's "The Real World" produced by that show's creators, took in $2.3 million to finish in 10th place.

Overall revenues rose, with the top 12 movies grossing $78.6 million, up 9 percent from the same weekend a year ago. For the year, though, the box office is lagging about 7 percent behind 2002's revenues.

Business should heat up next weekend as "X2: X-Men United" opens. Analysts saying the sequel's debut could exceed the $54.5 million first-weekend haul of "X-Men" in July 2000.

"'X2' is probably going to do great business, but it's a tough comparison when you look at the year ago numbers of 'Spider-Man,'" which debuted with a record $114.8 million, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Sony, the studio behind "Spider-Man," had this weekend's No. 1 and 2 movies in "Identity" and "Anger Management."

"We're having a very good weekend," said Rory Bruer, president of Sony Pictures Releasing. "We really figured `Identity' would open fairly strong, but this is far better than anticipated."

"Identity," with John Cusack, Ray Liotta and Amanda Peet, is a thriller about travelers stranded in a rainstorm at a motel where guests are bumped off one by one.

Playing in 2,733 theaters, "Identity" averaged a solid $6,220 a cinema. Among other new movies, "Confidence" averaged $2,539 in 1,871 theaters, "It Runs in the Family" averaged $2,486 in 1,207 cinemas, and "The Real Cancun" averaged $1,017 in 2,261 theaters.

Among limited-release debuts, Al Pacino's thriller "People I Know" opened in five theaters with a $6,800 average. Pacino plays a publicist caught up in a murder mystery.

Matt Dillon's directing debut "City of Ghosts," in which he co-stars with James Caan in a thriller about insurance con men on the lam in Cambodia, averaged $6,269 at six theaters.

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. "Identity," $17 million.
2. "Anger Management," $16 million.
3. "Holes," $13 million.
4. "Malibu's Most Wanted," $7.7 million.
5. "Confidence," $4.75 million.
6. "Bulletproof Monk," "$4.65 million.
7. "What a Girl Wants," $3.35 million.
8. "Phone Booth," $3.1 million.
9. "It Runs in the Family," $3 million.
10. "The Real Cancun," $2.3 million.

'Star Wars' Faves Back for Prequel

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - George Lucas is bringing back the classic characters Chewbacca the Wookie, C-3PO and R2-D2 for the upcoming "Star Wars Episode III."

The director has already hired actors Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniel and Kenny Baker to reprise their respective roles as sprightlier versions of their characters for the prequel in preproduction.

All three actors have donned costumes in past "Star Wars" episodes, and in the case of Daniel and Baker, the thespians have loaned their voice talents to puppet and motion-control versions of their characters. Lucas has noted in the past that having Baker inside the R2-D2 suit brought "an element of humanity" to the character.

The film, whose full title has not yet been disclosed, is scheduled for a May 25, 2005 release.

'X-Men' Sequel to Mark Biggest International Debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It's bigger, faster and darker than the original movie, so perhaps it's not surprising that it is receiving a bigger screen debut than "Spider-Man" or "Harry Potter."

It's the new "X-Men" film, "X2: X-Men United," and studio Twentieth Century Fox hopes the sequel story about a universe of mutants will kick off the early summer movie season on Friday with a box office bang.

"X2" debuts in 93 countries and territories around the world simultaneously, marking the broadest opening ever for a movie -- wider than "Harry Potter" and "Spider-Man."

The first film, 2000's "X-Men," raked in the cash -- $294 million worldwide on a reported budget of $75 million, prompting film makers to believe the sequel could be even more profitable if they ratcheted up the action.

To some fans of the comic book series, the initial "X-Men" movie lacked energy and excitement that might be expected of the storied comic franchise.

Not so "X2." In early screenings in Los Angeles, fans have been cheering their favorite characters like Wolverine, Magneto, Storm and Mystique.

With a budget of more than $100 million and the initial work of explaining the "X-Men" universe of mutants and their enemies out of the way, the sequel was free to show the fire and ice, claws and body armor that are the hallmark of "X2."

MORE MORE MORE

"The marching orders in a sequel, I guess, are to top the first one -- bigger, better, more action," producer Lauren Donner said in a recent interview.

"X2" takes up where the first film left off, with Sir Ian McKellen's metal-controlling villain Magneto locked up in a plastic prison and Patrick Stewart's Prof. Charles Xavier still teaching gifted young mutants.

But a high-profile attack by a mutant with the ability to teleport -- Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler -- brings renewed attention to the brewing differences and struggles between mutants and humanity.

The attack draws in William Stryker, a military man with a shady past and even more suspect motives, to try and gain control of the "mutant problem." It also draws back Logan, the clawed mutant known as Wolverine, to Xavier's school. Played by Australian actor Hugh Jackman, Wolverine takes an aggressive role defending his fellow mutants.

The sequel goes farther than the first in the scope of its story." Having had success with the first, a certain kind of freedom has been earned," director Bryan Singer said.

The film, as with the comic book series, is an allegorical tale on the effects of discrimination against fundamentally decent people who happen to be different from others.

'BITTER BLUE MARRIED COUPLE'

The film's special effects, costumes and make-up are elaborate. Cumming as Nightcrawler and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as Mystique appear in head-to-toe blue makeup that took hours to apply each day.

"We were like an old, bitter, blue married couple," Romijn-Stamos said, adding that the make-up made her action work very difficult. "It's really hard to kick butt when you can't see the butt you're kicking."

Former beauty pageant queen Kelly Hu, who has a black belt in martial arts, appears in the film as Lady Deathstrike, whose sharp metallic nails would make any manicurist shudder.

Hu and Jackman have an intense fight scene in the film, though Hu said she had to beg the gentlemanly Jackman, a veteran of musical theater, to hit her harder in their scene.

"I've played rugby. I've been in a few fights, (and) there's not many people I've hit harder than Kelly," Jackman said.

STORIES AND ALLEGORIES

Director Singer, known for dealing with weightier material like the complex mystery film "The Usual Suspects," said he enjoyed bringing comic book super heroes to life.

"As long as there are stories to tell and they're taken seriously then I think this universe can be explored for decades," he said.

For their parts, producers Donner and Ralph Winter are already openly talking about the possibilities for an "X3" and even "X4" and "X5." The film leaves a number of potential avenues open for such sequels, and a number of key cast members are already under contract for those films.

But others, like Oscar winner Halle Berry, who plays Storm in the movie, are not. Many expect that Berry, who did little publicity for the film and whose career is surging beyond the world of comic book mutants, will not be back.

"I don't know about Halle," Singer said.

Fox Powers Up for Global Roll-Out of 'X2' Movie

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Twentieth Century Fox film studio is planning the largest ever global release for a Hollywood movie when thriller "X2: X-Men United" debuts in 93 markets around the world on May 2, a Fox spokeswoman said on Friday.

She said the studio hopes to place the film in as many as 3,700 theaters in the United States and up to 3,800 theaters in other countries.

If "X2" can get to 3,700 U.S. venues, it would become the widest domestic debut ever, surpassing last year's major hits, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Spider-Man," which each debuted on over 3,600 screens.

When "Spider-Man" premiered last May, it earned $114.8 million at domestic box offices, which stands as the record for the most revenues earned by a movie in a three-day debut. Twentieth Century Fox is a division of Fox Entertainment Group Inc., which is owned by News Corp. Ltd.

One Last Spring Fling at Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - With a summer heat wave scheduled to hit the multiplexes next weekend, Hollywood is mounting what amounts to a spring clearance this weekend.

Four wide releases debut in hopes of generating some business before the first of the wannabe summer blockbusters hits. At least that appears to be the strategy behind the debuts of the films bowing this weekend, in advance of 20th Century Fox's "X2: X-Men United," which arrives next weekend.

Till then, horror and gratuitous sex should dominate the theaters for this upcoming frame. And that could allow Sony Pictures' PG-13 comedy "Anger Management" to hold onto the box-office crown for the third week in a row.

Sony's primary "Anger" competition comes from one of the distributor's own -- its release of the Columbia Pictures thriller "Identity," starring John Cusack and others, which is setting down in 2,733 theaters. The R-rated feature, which has been tracking solidly, is directed by James Mangold, whose credits include the recent romance "Kate & Leopold" as well as the psycho-drama "Girl, Interrupted." At 87 minutes long, "Identity" could give "Anger" a run for its money with frequent show times and a solid ensemble cast that includes Rebecca DeMornay, Amanda Peet and Ray Liotta.

The key factor in determining which film occupies the top spot when the dust settles is the degree to which attendance drops off for "Anger" in its third weekend. A 50% decrease would put the film in the $12.8 million range for the weekend, a figure "Identity" could overcome if it measures up to the tracking numbers it has generated during the past week.

Expected to check in at No. 3 for the weekend is New Line Cinema's spring break T&A display "The Real Cancun," which bills itself as the first "reality" movie. Filmed last month and edited on the fly, the movie tracks a group of college students' exploits in the popular party destination in Mexico. The heightened buzz around the R-rated film could see it breaking double digits (in millions) this weekend. The film will bow in 2,261 theaters, the second-widest in the bunch.

Meanwhile, Lions Gate Films is behind the wide release of "Confidence" from director James Foley, most recently of "The Corrupter" and "The Chamber." With a stellar cast featuring Dustin Hoffman, Ed Burns and the incredible Rachel Weisz, the crime drama has received strong reviews and good buzz following its world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The film will debut on 1,871 screens and could gross north of $5 million.

The other wide opener is MGM's "It Runs in the Family." Starring practically the entire Michael Douglas family -- including father Kirk, son Cameron and Michael's mother Diana -- the film centers on the trials and tribulations of family life. "Confidence" and "Family" are targeting similar demographics and will be more dependent than the other films on strong reviews. The PG-13 "Family" is directed by Fred Schepisi and written by Jesse Wigutow.

"Holes," which Buena Vista Pictures launched last weekend, should have a strong second frame after beating expectations with its $17 million opening.

In the limited-release arena, Paramount Classics will debut Russia's official entry for the foreign language Academy Award, "House of Fools," directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Inspired by a true story of the patients of a Russian psychiatric asylum, the film will bow on three screens in New York and Los Angeles.

Miramax Films will release "People I Know" starring Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, Ryan O'Neal and Tea Leoni. Set in the world of celebrity doings, Pacino plays a New York press agent dealing with a client's scandal. The R-rated film, directed by Dan Algrant, will bow on five screens in New York and L.A.

"City of Ghosts" from MGM's UA division will bow on six screens in N.Y. and L.A. Starring Matt Dillon, in his directorial debut, and James Caan, the R-rated film centers on a con man fleeing to Southeast Asia when a scam goes sour.

Vegetarian Avril Lavigne Orders Beef & Booze

While Avril Lavigne says she's a vegetarian, Star magazine reports the Canadian singer was spotted ordering filet mignon for dinner at the trendy Arc Hotel in Ottawa. The 18-year-old singer ordered at least two glasses of wine to go along with it despit Ontario's drinking age limit of 19.

Cancer 'gone'

Cancel the flowers. Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins said yesterday his doctors have given him an all-clear on the cancer front.

Hawkins was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer and operated on, apparently unsuccessfully.

The prognosis was considered poor enough that the noticeably frail Hawk was given lifetime tributes at a series of gala shows, attended by the likes of Bill Clinton, Kris Kristofferson, David Foster and Arkansas "chicken king" Don Tyson. But The Toronto Sun has learned that Hawkins received results this week of a recent CT scan and MRI, which indicated the growth was gone.

The Hawkins family plans to release the news today.

"It was very serious, it disappeared, it's gone, and nobody knows how to explain it," said Hawkins, who chose not to undergo chemotherapy in the wake of the surgery. "I saw the growth myself on the X-ray. But it's true, I'm clean as an angel's drawers. The doctors can't believe it. They're doing a lot of thinking ... SARS doesn't stand a chance in my body, baby."

Though he didn't opt for conventional medicine, Hawkins said he tried every alternative medicine that was sent his way, "plus I doubled up on the whisky and dope.

"I'd have to go into hours to tell you about all the Indian recipes and stuff that was sent to me. What's that medicine, holistic?

"And then was a healer from Vancouver, a young kid, he's unbelievable. Robbie Robertson had these Indian healers, these Indian medicine men fix me up a batch of s---. (Blues-rocker) Lonnie Mack did the same thing.

"I don't know which one cured me, but it might have been a combination of all of it. Personally, I think it was the whisky and the pot."

Hawkins' surgeon, Bryce Taylor, was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The Hawk said he's begun rehearsing again, and his immediate plans are to throw together an Ontario tour in the summer.

"I'm not gettin' out too much yet. I've been hanging around the house a lot and I gotta build up some strength. I had three major operations in 90 days last year.

"But I've been feeling pretty good lately. I had a feeling I was getting better. I played some dates here and there, and I'm getting ready to tour.

"Baby, I'm chasing the girls already. I just don't wanna catch 'em for a week or two."

Michelle Branch's New Album 'Hotel Paper' Due In June

Michelle Branch's sophomore album, Hotel Paper, will be released June 24 on Maverick Records. The first single from the set, "Are You Happy Now?," will hit radio in May.

Hotel Paper is the follow-up to Branch's 2001 album, The Spirit Room, which spawned the hits "Everywhere," "All You Wanted," and "Goodbye To You." Branch is expected to preview some of her new material on her upcoming Are You Happy Now? tour, presented by hair-care product company Thermasilk. The tour kicks off on May 14 in San Francisco.

Not one to stand still, Branch will then open for the Dixie Chicks on their Top Of The World tour starting June 19 at the FleetCenter in Boston. The North American tour will wrap up August 4 in Nashville.

Yoko Ono Won't Fight Over Lennon-McCartney Credits

John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, says she will not fight with Paul McCartney over the changes he made to the songwriting credits on some of the Beatles songs he's recently re-released. Since 1962, every song John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote for the Beatles was credited as "Lennon-McCartney," even if the two songwriters worked independently. McCartney surprised fans and raised Ono's ire when he reversed the order of the names to read "McCartney-Lennon" on some of the Beatles songs he re-recorded on his 2002 live album, Back In The U.S., and this year's European release, Back In The World.

McCartney insists it wasn't his intention to discredit Lennon, but rather it was his way to "put the record straight." In an interview with Reuters last year, McCartney defended his position, saying, "I personally don't see any harm in John's songs, such as 'Strawberry Fields' and 'Help,' being labeled 'Lennon & McCartney,' and my songs, such as 'Let It Be' and 'Eleanor Rigby,' being labeled 'McCartney & Lennon.'"

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr stated that he believed McCartney should have consulted with Ono before making the switch. "He's wanted to do it for years," Starr said. "I'm not going to tell you his reasons--he'll tell you them. But I think the way he did it was underhanded. I thought he should have done it officially with Yoko. But he didn't. It was the wrong way to go about it."

Ono and McCartney have always had a strained relationship at best. After McCartney's credit switch, many people assumed Ono would take legal action. However, in an interview with Britain's Daily Record, Ono said, "I find it very strange and petty that he would want to do something like this after so many years. If it's something he feels he has to do, then I'll just let him get on with it."

SO LONG

Sinead O'Connor announcing plans to retire from the music biz this summer at the age of 36. The singer of '90s hits like "Nothing Compares 2 U" was famously booed offstage for ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live.

Sorry, wrong number

Just dial 1-800-SPEEDY. The race for the shortest theatrical-to-video window continues, with Fox Home Entertainment today announcing a July 8th DVD debut for Phone Booth, which debuted at number one at the box office only three weeks ago. This Joel Schumacher thriller will include both 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen transfers, English and French 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, an audio commentary by Schumacher and trailers. Retail is $27.95.

Patrick Stewart: No More TREK for Me

In a recent interview with Cinema Confidential, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION actor Patrick Stewart said that he likely won't be in another TNG movie. "I don't think so," Stewart said. "I think THE NEXT GENERATION is over with. I've probably said goodbye to Picard forever now."

Watts Joins ASSASSINATION

Naomi Watts (THE RING) has joined the cast of the indie film THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON, starring Sean Penn and Don Cheadle. In the film, Penn will star as true life furniture salesman Sam Byck. After repeatedly failing to achieve the "American dream," in the 1970s, Byck made plans to assassinate President Richard Nixon by hijacking a plane and crashing it into the White House. Cheadle would play Byck's only friend, Bonny, with whom Byck wanted to start up a business. Alfonso Cuaron, Jorge Vergara, Alexander Payne and Arnaud Duteil are executive producing. Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente are producing. Niels Mueller is directing.

SEXY SIDE OF FINANCE

Closed captions for ABC's World News Tonight mistakenly reporting that Alan Greenspan was being treated "for an enlarged prostitute." The Federal Reserve Chairman is in the hospital for an enlarged prostate.

NOT GOING ANYWHERE

Jon Stewart has signed on for another year of Comedy Central's Daily Show, which will take him through the 2004 Presidential election.

Beasties Question U.S., Chinese Regimes

TAIPEI (Billboard) - When the Beastie Boys traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, for an April 20 Tibetan Freedom Concert, they found themselves advocating their old cause in a unique political middle ground between the U.S. and China.

Adam Yauch (MCA) and Michael Diamond (Mike D) on Monday commented on issues related to both superpowers, namely corporate censorship of anti-war music in the U.S., and their continuing crusade against Chinese government oppression in Tibet.

On the American front, Yauch responded to a question about cuts in airplay for the anti-war Dixie Chicks, saying, "most of the media outlets are basically acting like cheerleaders for the whole war and for the Bush administration. Shortly after Sept. 11, some of these major corporations stopped playing things like John Lennon songs that just said anything about peace because they just wanted to be very careful not to do anything anti-American," he said.

Facilitating the trend, he added, "most of the radio stations are being bought up by Clear Channel and a few other corporations."

Neither Yauch nor Diamond expressed regret at releasing their own anti-war, anti-Bush administration views through their latest single, "In a World Gone Mad," which was made available for free download in March from the Beasties' official Web site.

"When we're making records it's kind of like a process of speaking out or speaking on what's happening to us, or things that are of concern to us or on our minds at that moment. Each record is just kind of a reflection of that," said Diamond, possibly giving some clues as to the content of the Beasties' next album, due next year. "We've been very, very fortunate in the sense that fairly early on we sold quite a number of records and that gave us a position of power."

However, when it came to playing Taiwan, those views presented something of an obstacle. Taiwan maintains its own democratic government, but China claims that the island is a "renegade province" and part of China. To warm up to the Chinese government and the world's largest market, Taiwan's music industry takes pains to avoid offending Beijing, especially by supporting Taiwanese independence or Tibetan freedom.

Even the local branch of the Beasties worldwide distributor, EMI Taiwan, was caught between a rock and a hard place. "We're promoting the Beastie Boys, not the concert itself," a label source admitted. "The concert is very sensitive to us. We're concerned about the China government's thinking. We don't know what this will bring out."

Yauch, who'd been in Taiwan three times before this visit, ended up arranging the concert through a small promoter who supports Taiwanese independence. Concert attendance hit around 7,000, which is large for Taiwan, and Tibetan flutist and Freedom Concert veteran Nawang Khechong commented that compared to prior events, "politically it was a much stronger response for Free Tibet."

Yauch agreed. "From what I've seen it seems that Taiwanese people are very supportive of Tibet, and more understanding of it than most," he said.

Now the only way the Beasties could attack the cause more directly would be to go a step further and play China. Yauch said he'd be eager for the chance but didn't think it would be practically possible. "We'd love to go to China," he said. "And at some point in the future hopefully we'll be able to do that if the government opens up a little bit more. But I don't think it would be wise for us to hold back on speaking out about oppression just so we could go there and entertain."

Madonna Slams American Values

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. pop superstar Madonna, one of music's richest performers, has attacked her fellow Americans for being obsessed with the "wrong values" such as getting rich and looking good.

Madonna told the Radio Times that Americans had opportunities people in other countries did not have but got caught up in superficial dreams.

"We as Americans are completely obsessed and wrapped up in a lot of the wrong values -- looking good, having cash in the bank, being perceived as rich, famous and successful or just being famous," Madonna told the television listings magazine.

"It's the most superficial part of the American dream and who would know better than me? The only thing that's going to bring you happiness is love and how you treat your fellow man and having compassion for one another."

The interview coincided with the release this week of Madonna's latest album "American Life."

The album -- her first in three years -- received poor reviews and left many critics asking if pop's most successful chameleon had lost her touch after 20 years at the top.

"American Life" comes hard on the heels of the biggest flop of her career as a movie actress -- "Swept Away" which was directed by husband Guy Ritchie and widely panned by critics and audiences alike.

But Madonna, who has embraced domestic bliss in Britain with Ritchie and her two children in recent years, brushed off the criticism.

"The critics have been writing me off for 20 years. That's nothing new. As far as I know I still have plenty of fans and sell lots of records. Do I care what critics say about me? No, and I don't read reviews."

Dixie Chicks Pose Nude in Answer to Critics

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The three women of country music band the Dixie Chicks pose nude on the cover of a weekly showbiz magazine in a defiant answer to a backlash over their opposition to the war in Iraq.

Entertainment Weekly on Thursday released next week's cover in which the Grammy-winning performers wear only contradictory slogans painted on their bodies, including "Traitors," "Saddam's Angels," "Dixie Sluts," and "Proud Americans."

"We don't want people to think that we are trying to be provocative. It's not about the nakedness," band member Martie Maguire said in an accompanying interview with the magazine. "It's about clothes getting in the way of labels."

Maguire and fellow musicians Emily Robison and Natalie Maines said they posed nude in response to the controversy created by pro-war advocates over Maines' remark at a concert in London on March 10 that they were "ashamed" President Bush was from their home state of Texas.

Maguire told the magazine Maines also said in introducing the song "Travelin' Soldier" in London that it was neither a pro-war nor a peace song. She said Maines' bandmate Robison took the microphone immediately after the comment about Bush and said, "But you know we support the troops 100 percent."

Within days of the comment being published, Maines apologized, but many U.S. country music radio stations all but banished Dixie Chicks hits from the airwaves, some fans smashed their CDs and sales plummeted. Trash was dumped outside Robison's house.

DEATH THREATS

Maines said in a separate ABC TV "Primetime" interview to air on Thursday night that the band members feared for their lives amid criticism they say was "out of control."

She told ABC's Diane Sawyer she criticized Bush out of frustration and remained "passionate" in her anti-war views, even if she now regretted the remark. ABC released a transcript of the interview on Wednesday.

"At that moment, on the eve of war, I had a lot of questions that I felt were unanswered," Maines told ABC. "I think the way I said it was disrespectful. The wording I used, the way I said it, that was disrespectful. I feel regret for, you know, the choice of words. Am I sorry that I asked questions and that I don't just follow? No."

Maines, who was interviewed with Maguire and Robison, said despite telling the London audience she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," she did not feel that way.

"No, I'm not truly embarrassed that, you know, President Bush is from my state, that's not really what I care about," she said. "I felt like there was a lack of compassion every time I saw Bush talking about this. I honestly felt a lack of compassion for people that are questioning this (war), for the people that are about to die for this on both sides."

Maguire said she understood why some fans would be upset by the remark but found much of the reaction to be disproportionate.

New Shania Twain Video To Air On CMT, VH-1

The video for Shania Twain's new single, "Forever And For Always," will have its world premiere on CMT's Most Wanted Live show on Saturday (April 26), at 7 p.m. ET. The clip will also go to VH1 on Monday (April 28) for potential airing.

Twain said she contributes to the direction on most of her videos because, having written her own songs, she has definite ideas already in mind. "I'm very involved with all of my videos," Twain said. "I think it's because I write all my songs and I already have a visual idea so way in advance."

"Forever And For Always" is from Twain's latest release, the multiplatinum-selling Up!. The song continues to climb the country singles charts.

Jane's Addiction Signs To Capitol, Farrell Considering Two Singles

Jane's Addiction has inked a deal with Capitol Records to release its forthcoming album Hypersonic. The first album of all new material by Jane's Addiction since 1990's Ritual De Lo Habitual is slated to hit stores June 24. Details of the deal with Capitol Records were not available.

The first single from the collection hasn't been chosen yet, but band singer/songwriter Perry Farrell is eager for people to hear the material. He's even open to having two new singles. "It might be creative to put out two singles at once," Farrell said. "It's something that is not done too often, but so what? I think it might be, in this case, an interesting ambition shall we say to put out two singles--being that summer's coming and no one has heard the music. And I'm sure people are excited and raring to hear this music."

Farrell is glad that by the time Jane's Addiction starts the Lollapalooza tour on July 3 in Grand Rapids Michigan, fans will have had a chance to absorb the album.

Jessica Andrews Struggles With Growing Up In Public Eye

Jessica Andrews said that growing from a teenager into an adult in the public eye hasn't been so easy in her chosen profession. The now 19-year-old singer just released her third album, Now, which represents Andrews' leap from childhood into womanhood.

Andrews first appeared on the scene in 1999 at the age of 16 with her debut album, Heart Shaped World.

With a new sound, more mature material and a sophisticated look, Andrews said she couldn't be happier living the life of a full-fledged adult, complete with her own home and total control of her career. "It was more difficult for me, I think, because you're growin' up and you go through changes and your music changes and you change -- your looks and everything about you, so I finally feel like I'm at a spot in my life where I'm very comfortable and happy with everything that's going on," Andrews said. "I'm in complete control of everything that I do and I love that. I feel like it's a whole new me, in a way."

Andrews said she accepts the fact that some will always consider her a child, just as long as they give her the chance to build a long career. "It's definitely more challenging than an adult artist who's in their 20's or 30's because for awhile I will always have this association with being 12 years old and 14 years old when I come on to the scene, you know?" Jessics said. "That's gonna' be with me for a long time, which I'm okay with that, but from the very beginning, it was all about longevity to me."

Andrews' current single, "There's More To Me Than You," which she co-wrote her boyfriend, fellow artist Marcel, continues to climb the country singles charts.

300 reasons why we love The Simpsons

by Euan Ferguson (The U.K. Observer)

The 300th episode of The Simpsons was broadcast earlier this year. Find a space on the sofa and read why, in 14 years, Matt Groening's show has become the world's best TV programme.

1 The Schadenfreude felt on recalling George Bush Sr's quote from 1992 - 'We're going to keep trying to strengthen the American family; to make them more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons.' Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie are now the most popular American family of all time, especially in America.

2 Homer being voted, in 2001, Britain's favourite TV character ever - above Basil Fawlty, Father Ted and Del Boy.

3-5 The 'three little sentences' that Homer argues will get you through life. 1: 'Cover for me.' 2: 'Good idea, boss.' 3: 'It was like that when I got here.'

6 The minor characters, such as Bad Jack Crawley, such a bad man that Bob Dylan wrote a song to keep him in jail.

7 Homer: 'Operator, give me the number for 911!'

8 Their proof to TV executives that dumbing up, rather than down, has nothing to recommend it except awards integrity, ratings, laughter and profits.

9-15 Number of days (seven), according to the sign outside Springfield Nuclear Plant, since the last accident.

16-17 Number of times (twice) Homer has saved the plant from meltdown by pressing the right button at the last minute. Accidentally.

18 Grampa Abe.

19-22 How not to play blackjack: Dealer:'19.' Homer: Hit me! Dealer: '20.' Homer: 'Hit Me!' Dealer: '21.' Homer: 'Hit me!' Dealer: '22.' Homer: 'D'oh!'

23 Ideally, you should be able to watch each episode anew at five distinct stages in life. As a toddler, marvelling at all the bright colours; as a teenager, enjoying the tilts at authority; as a student, relishing the in-jokes and movie references; as an adult, musing on the truths about life, love and death; and in your dotage, marvelling at all the bright colours.

24 Fabulously incompetent lawyer Lionel Hutz. ('This is the most blatant case of fraudulent advertising since my suit against the film The Never-Ending Story '), and in particular...

25 ...this exchange with Marge. Hutz: 'Now don't you worry, Mrs. Simpson, I - uh-oh. We've drawn Judge Snyder.' Marge: 'Is that bad?' Hutz: 'Well, he's kind of had it in for me, since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly", and replace "dog" with "son".'

26 And his mantra. 'If there's one thing America needs, it's more lawyers.'

27-36 The 10 Harvard-educated writers.

37 Those critics who got it wrong at the start by billing the Simpsons as 'America's most dysfunctional family.' It's now clear that Homer almost always ends up doing the right thing; it is, it could be argued, one of the most moral shows on television today. According to Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams: 'It's one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility and virtue.'

38 Patty and Selma. NB: Selma has parted hair and blue dress. Patty's the other one.

39 The sweet irony that the most profitable and arguably the greatest TV series ever came about because of the greed of copyright lawyers. Creator Matt Groening planned to recycle characters from a newspaper strip but was told this would involve mortgaging his soul to the studio. Forced to invent some instant unknowns, he drew a new family on a pad.

40 Maggie's first word ('Daddy') was voiced by Liz Taylor.

41 The deliberate mystery over which state Springfield is in. Always, just before we see a name, someone stands in front of the map. Interestingly, Portland, Oregon, where Groening grew up, has streets called Flanders and Lovejoy.

42 Bart's one trophy. Inscribed 'Everybody Gets A Trophy Day.'

43 Nathaniel West, in Day of the Locust, featured a character called 'Homer Simpson' - played by Donald Sutherland, who also guested in The Simpsons, as curator of the Springfield Historical Society.

44-57 The 14 glorious years since the first airing on 17 December, 1989.

58 The American love-love relationship with food, including:

59 Homer: 'Donut?' Lisa: 'No, thanks. Do you have any fruit?' Homer: [offers some of the donut he's eating] 'This has purple stuff inside. Purple is a fruit.'

60 ...and where it comes from: Homer: 'Lisa, honey, are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?' Lisa: 'No.' Homer: 'Ham?' Lisa: 'No.' Homer: 'Pork chops?' Lisa: 'Dad! Those all come from the same animal!' Homer: [chuckles] Yeah, right Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

61 And what to do with condiments.

Agent Mulder: 'We want you to recreate your every move the night you saw this alien.' Homer: 'Well, the evening began at the gentleman's club, where we were discussing Wittgenstein over a game of backgammon.' Mulder: 'Mr Simpson, it's a felony to lie to the FBI.' Homer: 'We were sitting in Barney's car eating packets of mustard. Ya happy?'

62 And what it's called. Bart (as Tom Sawyer): 'Hmm. Looks like we're out of cornpone, fatback, hardtack, fatpone, corntack...' Nelson (as Huck Finn): 'Any tackback?' Bart: 'Tackback?' Nelson: 'I mean backtack.' Bart: 'Plum out.'

63 They get British humour. And throw it back at us, as in... Bart: 'You're watching PBS?' Homer: 'Hey, I'm as surprised as you, but I stumbled across the most delicious British sitcom.' Bart: [reading title] 'Do Shut Up'? Homer: 'It's about a hard-drinking yet loving family of soccer hooligans. If they're not having a go with the birds, they're having a row with the wankers.'

64 Homer's Y-fronts. 'My favourite bits', according to novelist A.S. Byatt.

65 Napier University now uses The Simpsons to teach the defining characteristics of postmodernism.

66-75 Bart's 10 best blackboard lines: I was not touched 'there' by an angel; Fire is not the cleanser; Fish do not like coffee; Pork is not a verb; The hamster did not have 'a full life'; No one wants to hear about my sciatica; I am not my long-lost twin; The nurse is not dealing; I will not surprise the incontinent; Temptation Island is not a sleazy piece of crap.

76 Newspaper editor: 'We're looking for a new food critic, someone who doesn't immediately pooh-pooh everything he eats.' Homer: 'Nah, it usually takes a few hours.'

77 America's greatest love affair, between Marge and Homer. The most telling exchanges?

78 Marge: 'Homer, is this the way you pictured married life?' Homer: 'Pretty much. Except we drove around in a van solving mysteries.'

79 Marge: 'How do I know I can trust you?' Homer: 'Marge, look at me: we've been separated for a day, and I'm as dirty as a Frenchman. In another few hours I'll be dead! I can't afford to lose your trust again.'

80 Homer: 'Marge... I don't really want to go through with this. But being an astronaut is how I got you to respect me.' Marge: 'Homer, when I met you, you weren't an astronaut. You didn't even know how to use a touch-tone, but I still respected you and I always will, no matter what... [touch-tone sounds come from the phone] ... Homer, you already dialled...'

81-98 The 18 Emmys.

99 Getting away with the clip shows by making fun of clip shows.

100 D'oh was in the 2001 Oxford Dictionary.

101 The Simpsons star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

102-108 The four best lands of Itchy and Scratchy Land theme park -Torture Land, Explosion Land, Searing Gas Pain Land, Unnecessary Surgery Land - and the three most bizarre 'friends' of the psychopathic anthropomorphs: Disgruntled Goat, Rich Uncle Skeleton and Ku Klux Clam.

109 Itchy, by the way, is the mouse.

110 In 1997, the programme broke The Flintstones' record for longest-running animated show.

111 America's second-greatest love affair - Homer and various liquids.

112 Starting, while stranded in a lifeboat, with the least likely: Homer: 'Flanders! My socks feel dirty. Give me some water to wash them.' Flanders: 'Again? Homer, we have to ration the water carefully. It's our only hope!' Homer: 'Oh, pardon me, Mr "Let's ration everything", but what do you think we're floating on? Don't you know the poem? 'Water, water, everywhere, so let's all have a drink...'

113 And moving on to the more predictable. Homer: 'Got any of that beer that has candy floating in it? You know, Skittlebrau?' Apu: 'Such a beer does not exist, sir. I think you must have dreamed it.' Homer: 'Oh. Well, then just give me a six-pack of beer and a couple of bags of Skittles.'

114 And Red Tick beer: 'Hmm, bold, refreshing, and something I can't quite put my finger on,' says Homer. (Scene shifts to brewery, where dogs are swimming in vats of beer. Brewery worker: 'Needs more dog.')

115 The motto of the earliest Springfield settlers. 'First toil, then the grave.'

116 Friday nights in the Skinner household, where Principal Skinner's mother Agnes insists on them enjoying a quiet evening together - because Friday night is silhouette night.

117 The guest stars, including Stephen Hawking, whose appearance moved Homer to new heights of taste and empathy ('So, Lisa, did you have fun with your robot buddy?')

118 Loyal fans. 'My appearance on The Simpsons was the pinnacle of my career,' Helen Fielding told us yesterday. 'I was quite pleased with the way I turned out. Apart from the snout.'

119 And Jonathan Ross: 'After 300 episodes I can only think of a very few flat bits. That's an unbelievable achievement.'

120 'Lisa's my favourite character,' says Glenda Jackson, 'and I loved the episode where she got a new teacher that really made a difference.'

121 And the pop-star guest stars. Hard to forget Homer being introduced to a member of the Smashing Pumpkins: 'Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins.' ... 'Homer Simpson, smiling politely.'

122 Springfield and religion, and some simple truths, such as country singer Rachel Jordan explaining what happened to her band . 'They switched from Christian music to regular pop. All you do is change "Jesus" to "baby".

123 Or Ned Flanders, telling a bedtime story. 'And Harry Potter and all his wizard friends... went straight to hell for practising witchcraft.'

124 The fact, incidentally, that Ned's first name is actually Nedward.

125 Jebus. Many fans' favourite segment...

Homer [to Rev Lovejoy, as he is being forced into a plane to the South Pacific]: 'Wait, I'm no missionary! I don't even believe in Jebus! Let me out!' [Homer runs to the door and pounds on it. Cut to outside, looking in the window] Homer: 'Oh, save me Jebus!'

126 Homer [to God]: 'You're everywhere. You're omnivorous.'

127 And on death: 'Don't worry. Being eaten by a crocodile is just like going to sleep. In a giant blender.'

128 Homer, again, having swiftly forgotten Jebus. 'I'm not normally a religious man, but... if you're up there, save me, Superman!'

129-134 The five most emancipated sayings of the Malibu Stacy dolls (as collected by Smithers and Lisa) - 'I wish they taught shopping in school'; 'Let's bake some cookies for the boys'; 'Don't ask me - I'm just a girl'; Now let's forget our troubles with a big bowl of strawberry ice-cream'; 'Thinking too much gives you wrinkles' and 'My name is Malibu Stacy but you can call me (wolf-whistle).'

135 The 2002 Mori poll which showed 66 per cent of Britons were interested in the lives of the Simpsons (18 per cent said the same about the royals.

136 Homer on the American way. 'Lisa, if you don't like your job you don't strike. You just go in every day, and do it really half-assed. That's the American way.'

137 The name of Australia's Prime Minister is simply 'Andy'.

138 Baby Maggie. The cost of Maggie - $847.63 - as she is accidentally 'swiped' during the opening credits was once given as the amount required to raise a baby for one month in the US.

139 And she shot Mr Burns.

140 And she inspired this exchange. Homer: 'That baby-proofing crook wanted to sell us safety covers for the electrical outlets. But I'll just draw bunny faces on them to scare Maggie away.' Marge: 'She's not afraid of bunnies.' Homer (ominously): 'She will be.'

141 In 1999, in its century's end edition, Time magazine called it 'the best show in the history of television'.

142-144 The finest made-up names. The witch who tricks Bart and Lisa into her gingerbread house grows un-witchily touchy about her love life, insisting she does have a boyfriend. Bart/Lisa: 'Yeah, right.' Witch: 'What? I do!' Lisa: 'What's his name?' Witch: Uh... George. George... [looks around]... George Cauldron.'

Marge is also inspired, when she gives her address on the phone to the police as 'um... 123 Fake Street.' (Chief Wiggum, of course, later checks it out. There is, of course, a crime in progress). Homer's most devious masquerading comes as he tries to board a rocket for important people. ('I am the piano genius from the movie, Shine .' Guard: Uh-uh. And your name is?' Homer: 'Um... Shiney McShine?')

145 Brazil threatened to sue after the line: 'Rio is a city where all men are bisexual, fearsome monkeys roam the streets and tourists are kidnapped by taxi drivers.'

146 Marge's deepest secret. ('My hair isn't really blue.')

147 Homer on trust. 'But Marge, I swear to you, I never thought you'd find out!'

148 The New Bedlam Home for the Emotionally Interesting.

149 The producers turned down Al Gore for a guest role (after he had refused an earlier request, when they were less globally famous), and David Beckham.

150-153 Troy McClure's four most magnificent educational films, including 'Smoke Yourself Thin'; 'Get Confident, Stupid!'; 'Firecrackers: the Silent Killer' and 'Fuzzy Bunny's Guide to You-know-what.'

154-165 The steps in Barney's AA programme. Homer comes along as moral support, until he finds the donuts are on the other side of the room. ('That's a full, oh, 12 steps away! Who can be bothered with something that needs 12 whole steps?' etc).

166-172 Number of years between breeding, under the new Springfield Charter. According to the Comic Book Guy - supposedly Groening's cameo - 'Inspired by the most logical race in the galaxy, the Vulcans, breeding will be permitted once every seven years. For many of you, this will be much less breeding. For me, much, much more.'

173 Sex and Springfield, continued: Mayor Quimby's most successful chat-up-line ('How would you like to have a street named after you?'

174 And Bart's take on the whole affair. 'What a day, eh, Milhouse? The sun is out, birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them... as is my understanding.'

175 And Jimbo Jones's. Dolph to Nelson: 'Oh man, you kissed a girl?' Jimbo: 'That is so gay.'

176 The makers resisted Japanese calls to have the characters redrawn with four fingers - Japanese culture looks down on missing fingers as evidence of a menial job.

177-182 The world's worst television, show, 'Rock Bottom', is forced to apologise for labelling Homer a sexual harasser. The list of other apologies, scrolled unreadably fast down the screen, includes, 'Styrofoam is not made from kittens', 'The nerds on the internet are not geeks', 'Roy Rogers was not buried inside his horse' and 'Salt water does not "chase the thirsties away."' Oh, and 'If you are reading this you have no life.'

183 'Bleedin' Gums' Murphy, Lisa's sax mentor. Lisa: ' How come they call you Bleedin' Gums?' Gums: 'Well, let me put it this way. You ever been to the dentist?' Lisa: 'Yeah.' Gums: 'Not me. I suppose I should go, but I got enough pain in my life as it is.'

184 And, less groovily, her school music teacher, Mr Largo. 'Lisa, there's no room for crazy bebop in 'My Country 'Tis of Thee'.

185 The prank calls to Moe's which were based on real-life calls in the Eighties to the Tube Bar in New Jersey, whose owner, Louis 'Red' Deutsch, famously threatened the pranksters with the foulest language ever heard on God's earth. Down the years Moe has fallen for the likes of Heywood U Cuddleme ('Big guy in the back? Heywood U Cuddleme?') and Mike Rotch ('Has anyone seen Mike Rotch lately?')

186 The Michael Jackson episode - which he voiced uncredited.

187 The knowing cartoon references, as in this exchange between Bart and Chester J Lampwick (as played by Kirk Douglas).

Chester: 'He didn't create Itchy: I did.'

Bart: 'Huh?' Chester: 'He stole the character from me in 1928. When I complained, his thugs kicked me out of his office, and dropped an anvil on me. Luckily, I was carrying an umbrella at the time.'

188 The 166 couch gags, including the one when the living room had turned into a nightclub. A bouncer let all the family in. Except, of course, Homer.

189 Montgomery C. Burns, being forced to smile for a photo. ('I'm going to be sore tomorrow.')

190-192 Springfield's shops, such as the outdoor clothing store (Malaria Zone), boys' clothes store (Wee Monsieur) and joke shop (Yuckingham Palace)

193-195 Homer's code of the schoolyard. ' Don't tattle, always make fun of those different from you, never say anything unless you're sure everyone feels exactly the same way you do.'

196-199 The four food groups (of which, according to Bart's enforced blackboard lines, 'mud' is not one.)

200-202 The dogs in dog hell (because, as Homer points out, as Santa's Little Helper lies on his deathbed, there couldn't be heaven if there weren't a hell). 'Who's in there?' asks Bart.

Homer: 'Oh, uh ... Hitler's dog. And that dog Nixon had, whassisname, um...' Lisa: 'Checkers.' Homer: 'Yeah! One of the Lassies is in there, too. The mean one -- the one that mauled Jimmy.'

203 More Homer and animals. 'Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals. [Thinks] Except the weasel.'

204 And more weaselling genius.

Burns: 'Turn around, Simpson.' Homer: 'No! I can't get in trouble if I can't see you.' Smithers: 'I'm afraid he's got us, sir.'

205 The decision to release no other singles after the lousy 'Bartman'.

206 And the stroke of genius that allowed voice actor Dan Castellanata, in the second series, to 'get' Homer's voice perfectly. From then on, Homer, not Bart, was the true global star.

207 Number 742, Evergreen Terrace, home of the Simpsons.

208 Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel.

209 The one where Homer almost dies.

Homer: 'Ooh! My horoscope. Taurus: today you will die.' Marge: 'WHAT?' [checks own horoscope] 'Today your husband will die?' (gasp). 'Homer, I'm scared!' Homer: 'Oh, scary newspaper! Don't hurt me, horoscope! ... AARGH!' [gets a paper cut].

210-211 Krusty's Brand Goods, and what they say about corporate America. Krusty's Non-Toxic Kologne ('use in well-ventilated areas'); Krusty's home pregnancy kit ('may cause birth defects').

212-219 Itchy and Scratchy film titles. Bang the Cat Slowly, Field of Screams, The Last Traction Hero, Aesophygus Now, Skinless in Seattle, Scar Trek: The Next Laceration, Why Do Fools Fall in Lava? and... Reservoir Cats.

220 Groening calls one show 'The Worst Episode Ever'.

221-229 Number of months (nine), on average, between inception and final episode. Each episode is, ideally, 21 minutes and 41 seconds long.

230-232 Three of the best cases of interplay between father and daughter. Lisa: 'I'm studying for the math fair. If I win, I'll bring home a brand new protractor.' Homer: 'Too bad we don't live on a farm.'

Or Homer, to Lisa: 'You know-nothing know-it-all!'

Or, if you prefer, when they're lost in the countryside: Lisa: 'Remember, Dad. The handle of the Big Dipper points to the North Star.' Homer: 'That's nice, Lisa, but we're not in astronomy class. We're in the woods.'

233-272 Number of decimal points (40) to which Apu can recite pi. (Homer, naturally, greets the news with the phrase 'Mmmm... pie.').

273-274 The sly references to Fox and Rupert Murdoch, for whom Groening has created the most successful US TV series ever. For example, Marge: 'Lisa, normally I would say that you should stand up for what you believe in, but you've been doing that an awful lot lately.' Bart: 'Yeah, you made us march in that gay rights parade.' Homer: 'And we can't watch Fox because they own those chemical weapons plants in Syria.'

Or: Lisa: 'Wow, Dad, you're surfing like a pro!' Homer: 'Oh, yeah! I invested in something called 'News Corp.' Lisa: 'Dad, that's Fox!' Homer: [shrieks] 'Undo! Undo!' [hits key, sighs]

275 And the Devil uses Microsoft.

276-287 Number of years since Groundsman Willie said 'cheese-eating surrender-monkeys'.

288 Homer on aspiration. 'Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.'

289 And priorities. 'If a gun can protect something as important as a bar, then it's good enough to protect my family.'

290 And real priorities. 'To alcohol! The cause of - and solution to - all of life's problems!'

291 Lisa: 'And now you can go back to just being you, instead of a one-dimensional character with a silly catchphrase.'

292 Homer: [breaks a lamp] 'D'oh!'

293 Bart: 'Ay, caramba!'

294 Marge: 'Mmm.'

295 Maggie: [sucks her pacifier]

296 Flanders: 'Heidely-ho!'

297 Barney: [burps]

298 Nelson: 'Ha, ha!'

299 Burns: 'Ex-cellent!'

[Everyone looks at Lisa]

300 Lisa: [unimpressed] 'If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room.'

· Additional research by Carl Wilkinson

What's on TV: Thursday

-Fox has Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies (tonight, 8 ET/PT). My advice? Respect his privacy. After all, what could he possibly show, even on Fox, that you haven't already seen before?

-Friends (NBC, 8 p.m. ET/PT) launches another romantic triangle in a sweeps-extended episode, as Ross (David Schwimmer) and Joey fall for a beautiful paleontologist (Aisha Tyler, who begins an extended run on the show). Soap stars Kyle Lowder and Matthew Ashford also appear and make a play for a suddenly Joey-fied Rachel.

-The night's biggest guest, however, shows up on NBC an hour later as Madonna visits Will & Grace (9 p.m. ET/PT). She plays Karen's new roommate, and there's a duo if ever there was one. The episode is followed by a Will clip-show salute to the sitcom's best guests.

-ABC inserts a special edition of PrimeTime Thursday (9 p.m. ET/PT) devoted to developments in the Laci Peterson case.

-You can think of tonight's CSI (CBS, 9 ET/PT) as the show's revenge on its sitcom competition. The victim is a comic.

-From punch lines to punches: The investigators on Without a Trace (CBS, 10 p.m. ET/PT) are looking for a missing boxer. Davis Henry stars as the absent welterweight.

TEENAGE 'IDOL' IS IDLED

Carmen Rasmussen, the youngest "American Idol 2" contestant, got the heave-ho on last night's live episode.

"It's such a big stepping stone. It's been awesome," the blond, bubbly 18-year-old said after learning of her fate.

The Bountiful, Utah, native smiled bravely after being told by "AI2" host Ryan Seacrest that she was voted off by the show's fans.

With Rasmussen gone, that leaves five contestants: fan favorite Ruben Studdard, Marine Josh Gracin, jug-eared Clay Aiken and Tennessee natives Trenyce and Kimberley Locke.

Josh and Trenyce had, along with Carmen, received the least amount of votes from "AI2" viewers.

"Not one of these three have any chance of winning this competition," "AI2" judge Simon "Mr. Nasty" Cowell had said before Carmen learned of her fate. "Whichever two of you are left, you really have to raise your game."

That means Josh and Trenyce were put on notice by Cowell, whose opinions are deemed influential to the viewers voting at home.

Kelly Clarkson, who won the first "American Idol" competition last summer, was shown on last night's show receiving word that her first album, "Thankful," hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts.

Brokaw Lands Post-War Interview With Bush

NEW YORK - NBC's Tom Brokaw has landed the first one-on-one interview with President Bush since the start of the war with Iraq.

The NBC anchorman will travel with Bush on Air Force One Thursday to two events in the Midwest. It will be broadcast as a one-hour special Friday, with parts of the interview also being seen that night on "NBC Nightly News."

Brokaw will talk to the president about the war, the rebuilding effort, his plans for the economy and a potential re-election campaign.

Brokaw's "Nightly News" is the top-rated network evening news program, its lead over ABC and CBS widening in recent months. The president tries to spread television access around; CBS' Scott Pelley landed an exclusive chat during last fall's observance of the Sept. 11 anniversary.

Imax Plugging 'Matrix' Sequels Into Large Screen

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "The Matrix" sequels are coming to a big and bigger screen near you.

Large-screen theater operator Imax said Wednesday that Warner Bros. Pictures and producer Village Roadshow's upcoming "Matrix" films, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," will be released on Imax's 15 frames-per-second/70mm screen format to accompany the standard theatrical releases debuting this year.

Using Imax's new Digital Re-mastering (DMR) technology that allows 35mm films to be transferred to the larger format without compromising quality, the Imax version of Andy and Larry Wachowski's "The Matrix Reloaded" will open two to three weeks after the film's May 15 release in 35mm. Warner Bros. Pictures president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said Warners is looking at June 6 for the Imax release. The Imax version of "The Matrix Revolutions" will bow day and date with the film's Nov. 5 theatrical release, marking the first time a Hollywood event film is released concurrently in both formats.

"The Matrix" films, starring Keanu Reeves, are the third and fourth DMR-converted films, after Universal's rerelease of Imagine Entertainment's "Apollo 13" and 20th Century Fox's rerelease of Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Episode 2 -- Attack of the Clones" last year.

"We're excited to give fans the opportunity to experience the world of 'The Matrix' in this spectacular format," said Joel Silver, producer of "The Matrix" trilogy. "Throughout the Imax digital remastering conversion process, the Imax team took meticulous care in maintaining the technical integrity of the films."

Imax president of filmed entertainment Greg Foster said Warner Bros. initially planned to release "Revolutions" day and date, but when the executives and the film's creators saw the initial Imax footage, they wanted to adapt "Reloaded" as well.

"We've done a lot of tests for a lot of films, and for whatever reason, 'The Matrix' works for what we do," Foster said. "The sound and presentation is spectacular on the Imax screen."

Financial terms of the "Matrix" deal were not disclosed, but Imax co-chairman and co-CEO Brad Wechsler said the higher ticket price charged for the Imax experience should benefit both the exhibitor and Warner Bros.

"Those incremental dollars benefit both companies," Wechsler said. "We don't really make much money on the film business but rather on our theater network business. We believe that showing a film like 'The Matrix' will expand our audience in the 15- to 30-year-old range, a group we look forward to bringing back to Imax theaters."

The company plans to release "Reloaded" on more than 35 Imax screens in the United States.

"Down the road, the success of these movies should lead to the expansion of Imax around the country," Fellman said. "Imax is a process that needed to develop more content. This is a first step for them to maximize their potential, and I'm very pleased that we are the first company to enter into an (day-and-date) agreement with them."

The two companies will also distribute the first-ever 3-D motor sports film "NASCAR: The Imax Experience 3D" next spring.

Actor Alan Thicke Hurt by Flying Hockey Puck

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Never mind "Growing Pains." This must have really hurt. Alan Thicke, the Canadian-born actor best known as a TV dad on the hit comedy "Growing Pains," lost five teeth and required 30 stitches after getting hit with a hockey puck.

"I won't be playing any leading man roles in the next couple of months," Thicke said in a statement issued by spokesman Jerry Digney.

Digney said the 56-year-old Thicke was playing hockey alongside actor Michael Vartan, who plays a CIA agent on the ABC drama "Alias," and was not wearing proper headgear when he took an errant puck to the face.

The spokesman said Thicke, who is working on an updated version of his book "How Men Have Babies," will need extensive dental work and possibly cosmetic surgery to repair the damage.

S Club calling it quits

S Club have announced they are calling it quits at the end of May, reports NME.

The remaining six members of the pop group told fans at a concert in London that they would go their separate ways.

A statement released by the group said: "With any job there comes a time to move on and to face new challenges. We've experienced so much more than we ever imagined and we've enjoyed a huge amount of success."

Rumours of an impending split have dogged the band since member Paul Cattermole left S Club 7 last year, and recently when lead singer Jo O'Meara revealed she had a debilitating back condition.

While the band has decided to split, Rachel Stevens has plans to go in film and co-star with Summer Phoenix in "Suzie Gold" in which Stevens plays a demanding diva.

Mutants, cyborgs lead summer movies

If heroes are what's needed in these times, Hollywood aims to deliver.

The summer season is always is loaded with movies about gallant warriors beating the tar out of bad guys. And the Sept. 11 attacks and the war against terrorism that led to conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq may have audiences more primed than ever for big-screen heroes.

Adding to moviegoers' comfort zone, this summer reacquaints them with many old friends as favourite franchises such as The Matrix, X-Men, Charlie's Angels, Tomb Raider and Bad Boys deliver fresh adventures.

"Everywhere I went, all over the world, when people would come up to me, they always ask, 'When are you going to do another Terminator movie?'" said Arnold Schwarzenegger, who finally makes good on his promise that he'd be back as humanity's cyborg protector from the future.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, arriving in early July, pits Schwarzenegger's part-flesh, part-machine bruiser against a gorgeous female terminator that can count sex as a weapon along with the ability to control other machines.

"There's a huge audience out there that loves this character and wants to see more of it," Schwarzenegger said.

Likewise with X2: X-Men United and The Matrix Reloaded, two of the year's most highly awaited films. Hitting theatres weeks in May, X2 and Matrix Reloaded should give a jump-start to Hollywood's busy season after slumping box-office revenues so far this year.

The Matrix came out of the blue four years ago with an edgy new take on science fiction from brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, who simultaneously shot The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, which concludes the trilogy this fall.

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as freedom fighters uploading themselves into a virtual world to battle Earth's machine conquerors, with the final two Matrix movies taking place over a 48-hour period.

Summer is prime time for escapism far removed from current events. Movies such as Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, reteaming Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as the chic private eyes trying to crack a conspiracy against a witness protection program, has no pretensions beyond action and eye candy.

"There's nothing about Charlie's Angels that is really related to anything but entertainment," Liu said. "There is violence in it, but we run around in stilettos fighting with people, and we don't have guns. We have great disguises, it's got tons of great dance numbers. It's saturated with colour, it's sexy and funny. It's a nice way to unwind."

The season's action movies remain dominated by men, but Charlie's Angels is among a growing number of franchises allowing women into the act.

Along with Moss in The Matrix movies, the X2 ensemble includes Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Anna Paquin, joining male counterparts Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James Marsden and Alan Cumming. This time, good and evil mutants team up to fight a rogue military man trying to exterminate them.

Angelina Jolie goes globe-trotting again in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life, with the buxom video-game heroine on a quest to find Pandora's Box.

"We're at this place now where women are being very physical, very active in movies," said Jolie, who originated the character in 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. "The studio felt at first it was such a risk to spend that much money on an adventure film with a woman. We weren't sure if anybody would go see it. It was a relief that it worked, and hopefully we've made an even better one this time."

Studios will offer heroes in everything from action thrillers to comedies to family flicks. Among them, there's:

-- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, with Reese Witherspoon back as the lawyer with impeccable style on a lobbying mission to pass a bill against animal testing.

-- Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, pitting the espionage family of Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara against new villain Sylvester Stallone.

-- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, about a brotherhood of great literary heroes led by Sean Connery as Allan Quartermain.

-- The Hulk, a comic-book adaptation with Eric Bana as the scientist accidentally turned into a beastly superhero.

-- Bad Boys II, reuniting Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as hip Miami narcotics cops trying to crack a ring smuggling Ecstasy in from Cuba inside submerged coffins.

It's been eight years since the original Bad Boys, a long time between sequels by Hollywood standards. Attracting an audience should not be a problem, though, said producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

"I think they're such big stars now, that won't be an issue," said Bruckheimer, who also produced this summer's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, starring Johnny Depp.

Rival DreamWorks offers its own nautical saga with the animated Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, featuring the voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Other highlights: Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty, the story of a perpetual griper on whom God (Morgan Freeman) bestows omnipotence to run the world his way; Daddy Day Care, starring Eddie Murphy as an unemployed father who goes into the toddler-tending business; Seabiscuit, a drama about the legendary Depression-era racehorse, featuring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper; Ridley Scott's Matchstick Men, with Nicolas Cage as a con man whose swindle is disrupted by the arrival of his teenage daughter; Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell in S.W.A.T., an update of the '70s TV series about an elite Los Angeles police unit; Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor in Down With Love, a comedy that aims to resurrect the Technicolor hipness of '60s romances; and The Italian Job, a remake of the '60s gold-heist caper with Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton.

Also: American Wedding, reuniting some of the American Pie gang as Jason Biggs' and Alyson Hannigan's characters say "I do"; real-life partners Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the comic mob romance Gigli; and the action comedy Hollywood Homicide, which pairs Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett as detectives trying to crack the slayings of a rap group while tending to their alternate careers, Hartnett as a yoga teacher who wants to be an actor, Ford as a real-estate agent.

"The mystery of the movie is not really to solve the hip-hop murders but whether or not I'm going to sell the house," said Ford, noting that he needed a lighthearted movie after his grim submarine tale K-19: The Widowmaker last summer.

Highlights of Hollywood's summer film slate. Release dates are subject to change, and some films play in limited release.

Late April

City of Ghosts: Matt Dillon directs and stars in the story of con men on the run in Asia. With James Caan.

Confidence: A swindle goes sour, forcing a con man (Ed Burns) to pull a job for a crime boss (Dustin Hoffman).

Identity: Travellers stranded at an isolated motel discover there's a murderer among them. With John Cusack.

It Runs in the Family: Kirk and Michael Douglas star in a multigenerational comic family drama.

May 2

Blue Car: Newcomer Agnes Bruckner and David Strathairn in a student-mentor tale that turns ugly.

Bruce Almighty: A sourpuss (Jim Carrey) grouses to God -- who grants him infinite powers and challenges him to run the show. Morgan Freeman plays God.

Buffalo Soldiers: An Army hustler (Joaquin Phoenix) tries to outwit his superiors. With Ed Harris and Scott Glenn.

Daddy Day Care: Eddie Murphy's an out-of-work dad who opens an offbeat day-care centre.

The Dancer Upstairs: John Malkovich directs the story of a Latin American cop (Javier Bardem) tracking a terrorist.

Down With Love: This throwback to swinging '60s romances stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.

Finding Nemo: An animated tale from Disney-Pixar ("Monsters, Inc.") about a father fish trying to rescue his son from a dentist's aquarium.

The In-Laws: A freewheeling spy (Michael Douglas) and a meek foot doctor (Albert Brooks) are prospective in-laws.

The Italian Job: Gold thieves retaliate against a double-crosser in their ranks. Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton star in a remake of the '60s caper.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie: The Disney Channel series goes big-screen as Lizzie (Hilary Duff) takes a class trip to Italy.

The Matrix Reloaded: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss continue the fight against Earth's machine rulers.

Only The Strong Survive: A reunion concert of soul singers, featuring Wilson Pickett, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Sam Moore.

Pokemon Heroes: The animated "pocket monsters" return for an adventure in a mysterious water city.

The Shape of Things: Neil LaBute directs a campus tale of love and sex adapted from his play. With Rachel Weisz and Gretchen Mol.

Sweet Sixteen: A British teen schemes for cash to build a new life for him and his mother, who's about to get out of prison.

Wrong Turn: Youthful travellers are hunted by inbred cannibals in West Virginia.

X2: X-Men United: Everyone's favourite mutants fight fresh evil. The ensemble includes Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.

June

Capturing the Friedmans: The top Sundance documentary winner traces the dissolution of a family amid child-molestation charges.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle: Angels Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu go undercover to solve witness-protection murders.

Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd: The dopes of Dumb and Dumber blunder their way through high school in this prequel.

From Justin to Kelly: American Idol personalities Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini team for a beach romance.

The Hard Word: Out on bail, three brothers reluctantly sign on to a major heist. With Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths.

Hollywood Homicide: L.A. detectives (Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett) investigate the slayings of a rap group in this action comedy.

The Hulk: Ang Lee directs the comic-book adaptation about a scientist (Eric Bana) transformed into a beastly superhero. Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte co-star.

Jet Lag: Losers in love (Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno) have a romantic encounter at a Paris airport.

Prozac Nation: Christina Ricci as a depressed Harvard freshman in the days before Prozac.

Rugrats Go Wild: The cartoon toddlers meet the Wild Thornberrys clan on a deserted island.

28 Days Later: A virus turns most of Britain's inhabitants into murderous zombies. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) directs.

2 Fast 2 Furious: Vin Diesel's a no-show, but Paul Walker returns for the hot wheels follow-up to The Fast and the Furious.

Whale Rider: The film-festival hit from New Zealand tells the story of a girl who bucks tradition to seek leadership of her Maori tribe.

July

Bad Boys II: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back as Miami narcotics cops fighting a ring smuggling Ecstasy from Cuba.

Camp: Fame goes to summer camp in a musical story of youths at a retreat for performing arts.

Catch That Kid: Three youths plan a heist at a high-tech bank -- all for a good cause.

Exorcist: The Beginning: The prequel to The Exorcist pits a priest (Stellan Skarsgard) against the devil in Africa.

How to Deal: A teen (Mandy Moore) disillusioned with love finds herself open to romance after tragedy strikes.

Johnny English: A family comedy about a British agent (Rowan Atkinson) taking on the Frenchman (John Malkovich) who stole the crown jewels.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life: Angelina Jolie travels the world on a quest for Pandora's Box.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Sean Connery heads a cast of literary superheroes including Allan Quartermain, Capt. Nemo and the Invisible Man.

Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde: Reese Witherspoon is back as fashionable barrister, on a lobbying mission to Congress.

The Magdalene Sisters: Peter Mullan spins a drama of four "fallen women" condemned to work in Ireland's cruel Magdalene Laundries.

Mondays in the Sun: Javier Bardem leads an ensemble cast in the humorous drama of workers left adrift by the closing of a shipyard.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: A mariner (Johnny Depp) commandeers a ship to save a kidnapped woman.

Seabiscuit: The adaptation of the best seller about the Depression-era racehorse stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper.

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer lend voices to an animated tale about the rascally sailor.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over: The spy family returns for a 3-D adventure against a power-mad villain (Sylvester Stallone).

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Arnold Schwarzenegger's back as the cyborg from the future, battling a deadly female terminator.

August

American Splendour: The top Sundance festival winner stars Paul Giamatti as grouchy cult-comic writer Harvey Pekar as he groans and sighs through life.

American Wedding: American Pie sweethearts Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan head for the altar.

And Now Ladies & Gentlemen: The lives of a jewel thief and jazz singer collide as they try to shed their pasts. With Jeremy Irons.

Civil Brand: A woman imprisoned for killing her abusive husband faces cruel injustice behind bars.

Dirty Pretty Things: Stephen Frears directs Audrey Tautou (Amelie) in a thriller at a London hotel.

The Fighting Temptations: Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles in the tale of a man who must form a gospel choir to collect an inheritance.

Freaky Friday: Jamie Lee Curtis stars in a remake about a mother and daughter who swap bodies.

Freddy Vs. Jason: In this corner, the Nightmare on Elm Street ghoul, in that corner, the Friday the 13th slasher.

Gigli: Real-life honeys Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are mobsters at romantic odds on a kidnapping assignment.

Highwaymen: People victimized by a highway killer (Jim Caviezel) team to hunt him down.

If You Were My Girl: A nerd (Nick Cannon) bribes a high school hottie to pretend they're dating.

Jeepers Creepers 2: The ravenous Creeper terrorizes a busload of high school athletes, cheerleaders and coaches.

Ken Park: An explicit tale of sex and emotional trauma among California teens. From director Larry Clark (Kids).

Le Divorce: Romantic misadventures of two American sisters (Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts) in France. From filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.

Marci X: A prissy woman (Lisa Kudrow) takes over her father's record label and tries to keep a rapper (Damon Wayans) in line.

Matchstick Men: Nicolas Cage as a skittish con man whose big score is endangered by a visit from his teenage daughter. Ridley Scott directs.

My Boss' Daughter: Unwanted visitors plague a klutz (Ashton Kutcher) who's house-sitting for his boss.

Shaolin Soccer: A hit in Hong Kong, this action comedy features a misfit gang that blends shaolin kung fu with soccer.

S.W.A.T.: The '70s TV show gets an update as S.W.A.T. officers (Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell) battle mercenaries out to free a drug lord.

Thirteen: A gritty tale about a 13-year-old girl and her single mom as their relationship decays. With Holly Hunter.

Uptown Girls: Brittany Murphy as a rock star's daughter who becomes nanny to a precocious girl.

Wonderland: A drama based on the true story of a porn star (Val Kilmer) linked to drug murders. Lisa Kudrow co-stars.

So enjoy the popcorn, and I'll see you at the movies!

Weaver, Scott eye another 'Aliens' film

Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott could be joining forces once again for another "Aliens" film, Zap2it reports.

"Ridley and I have talked about it a couple of times. He has some ideas," the actress told the Chicago Sun Times. "If we developed a good script, I'd love to play Ripley again."

The two worked together for the original "Alien" film back in 1979 and Weaver continued to work on the sequels as Ellen Ripley with James Cameron in 1986 and in 1997 with Jean-Pierre Jeanet.

Although a new "Alien" project has not been confirmed yet, Weaver already has plans of what she'd like to see in the film.

"The only thing I'm not interested in is going to earth," she said. "I saw that 'Star Trek' movie where they went to earth and...yawn. I think it's more fun to go to a foreign planet."

Weaver is currently promoting her new comedy "Holes" that came out last week.

Timberlake, Scott to Host MTV Awards

NEW YORK - Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync and Seann William Scott of "Bulletproof Monk" and the "American Pie" movies will co-host the MTV Movie Awards.

The ceremony, which includes categories such as best villain and best kiss alongside best movie and best male and female performance, is set for May 31 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The 12th annual show is scheduled to air on MTV at 9 p.m. EDT June 5.

"You could not ask for a more dynamic duo than Justin and Seann to help celebrate the year in movies," MTV president Van Toffler said Tuesday. "The MTV Movie Awards has always been about the twisted, unexpected moments and this year's show will no doubt provide our audience with a night of celebrity sloppiness and fun."

"Spider-Man" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" lead the nominations with five each. Viewers can vote for their favorites at MTV's Web site.

Dixie Chicks Fire Back at Critics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Dixie Chicks' lead singer Natalie Maines says she spoke against President Bush (news - web sites) and war with Iraq last month out of frustration and regrets her choice of words, but she makes no apologies for thinking critically.

"I'm not truly embarrassed that, you know, President Bush is from my state, that's not really what I care about," Maines says in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer for "Primetime Thursday," airing 10 p.m. EDT Thursday. "It was the wrong wording with genuine emotion and questions and concern behind it. ... Am I sorry that I asked questions and that I just don't follow? No."

At a March 10 concert in London, Maines told the audience in reference to Bush's push for military action against Iraq: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

Maines and the Texas-based trio's other members — Emily Robison and Martie Maguire, who are sisters — also tell Sawyer the fallout was too harsh for the offense and they've always supported U.S. troops even though they questioned the war.

"We know some of our fans were shocked and ... and upset, and we are compassionate to that," Maguire said. "My problem is, when does it cross the line? ... When is writing a threatening letter OK?"

The interview airs a week before they begin their U.S. tour May 1 in Greenville, S.C., and they appear nude on the May 2 issue of Entertainment Weekly, with epithets such as "Traitors" written on their bodies.

After Maines' remarks, some radio stations began boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though she publicly apologized for her statement in London.

The song "Travelin' Soldier," which was No. 1 on Billboard's country charts around the time Maines made the remark, tumbled completely off the charts afterward. And sales of the group's latest CD, "Home," plummeted, although sales have rebounded slightly, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks music sales.

Even with the slide, however, "Home" remains the top-selling album on the Billboard country chart — 19 weeks at No. 1 — and No. 30 on the pop chart.

Most of the shows on their tour had already sold out before Maines' comments. Their agent, Rob Light, was unavailable for comment Wednesday but told Billboard this week that of the 59 shows, only six have seats left and those are all 85 percent to 90 percent sold.

First American Idol Winner Tops the Pop Charts

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - America's love affair with "American Idol" helped pushed the album debut of the reality show's winner, Kelly Clarkson, to the top of this week's U.S. pop charts, industry trackers said on Wednesday.

Winning the talent search contest on the smash hit TV show last year led the bubbly Clarkson, a former cocktail waitress, to instant celebrity and a recording contract with Bertelsmann AG's RCA Records.

Shortly after claiming victory on "American Idol," Clarkson scored a No. 1 hit single in September with "A Moment Like This," the song she performed on the show.

Now, more than six months after the single, Clarkson's long-awaited debut album, "Thankful," featuring 12 songs, sold nearly 300,000 copies for the week ended April 20, its first week of release.

The album features Clarkson singing pop, gospel, R&B and several ballads and tracks that will appeal to her 20-something peers.

While Clarkson's appeal is likely to continue, the album's top position is expected to be usurped next week by Madonna's new album "American Life," released on Tuesday by AOL Time Warner's Warner Bros., which is expected to sell between 200,000 and 250,000 units, retail experts said.

Despite mixed reviews for the pop icon's latest album, the CD arrived with Madonna's typical dose of controversy, which helped stoke public interest for her first album in almost three years.

In recent weeks, the video for the album's first single was pulled due to offending images of her throwing a hand grenade at a George W. Bush look-alike -- an image Madonna said might be misunderstood while the nation was at war with Iraq.

The move probably only helped fuel sales for the album, industry pundits said.

"There's a great awareness about the album. Madonna's one of the few people who can get a lot of attention for telling people not to see a video," said Geoff Mayfield, director of charts for Billboard Magazine, who predicts the album will open at No. 1.

Industry experts predict that Clarkson's "Thankful" will see a typical 40 to 50 percent falloff in the current week, particularly since last week got a push from the Easter holiday, which typically boosts retail activity.

Ranking second on the pop charts this week was the latest album by rapper 50 Cent called "New Breed," which sold 246,381 units in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The new album by the ex-crack dealer comes close on the heels of his hit album, "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' which sold a whopping 872,000 copies in its first week in February.

Issued on Interscope Records' Aftermath imprint, 50 Cent's launch in February ranked as the biggest opening week for a major-label debut by any recording artist since SoundScan began tracking sales.

Ranking third this week on the charts was Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Will," which sold 217,950 units.

The debut album of Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, who passed away over 25 years ago, slipped from No. 5 last week to No. 14 in the latest week, with her debut album, "To Whom It May Concern," selling about 85,000 units in the latest week.

Looks good on ya, Curtis!

Mulroney named host of CTV's Canuck Idol

Ben Mulroney has been named host of CTV's new music/reality spinoff, Canadian Idol.

The host of CTV's eTalk Daily, fast becoming this year's Carla Collins, greeted 2,500 contestants in Vancouver yesterday who were taking part in the second regional audition. Future stops for pop-star wanabees between the ages of 18-25 include Calgary (April 27), Montreal (May 3), Ottawa (May 7), Halifax (May 13) St. John's (May 21) and Toronto (May 25). Details are at idol.ctv.ca.

CTV also announced yesterday that Ottawa comedian Jon Dore and music reporter Tanya Kim have joined Canadian Idol as special correspondents.

Sass Jordan is among the four-member, Canadian judging panel that will try to make viewers forget all about Simon Cowell and those other American Idol bad guys. Canadian Idol is set to begin in June.

VERY SPECIAL REUNION

The cast of Bev-Niners are coming back for "Beverly Hills, 90210: 10-year High School Reunion" to share the memories. Sadly, Tori Spelling won't appear according to her representative. She "loved her time on the show...but has since moved on."

Bring back Tori! And Julia DeMato too, while you're at it!

THANKFUL?

Kelly Clarkson's debut album Thankful is expected to debut at number one when chart listings are released later today, while Madonna's American Life, released Tuesday, is expected to claim the top spot next week.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN

Matthew Perry guest starring in tonight's episode of NBC'S West Wing, the first of two scheduled appearances on the Aaron Sorkin drama.

Springsteen Offers Support To Dixie Chicks

Bruce Springsteen has issued a statement supporting the country trio the Dixie Chicks, who have suffered backlash, including radio playlist bans, after singer Natalie Maines' comments to a British concert audience in March protesting President George Bush's actions towards Iraq.

Posted at brucespringsteen.net, Springsteen's statement reads: "The Dixie Chicks have taken a big hit lately for exercising their basic right to express themselves, To me, they're terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech. For them to be banished wholesale from radio stations, and even entire radio networks, for speaking out is un-American. The pressure coming from the government and big business to enforce conformity of thought concerning the war and politics goes against everything that this country is about - namely freedom. Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create free speech in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home. I don't know what happens next, but I do want to add my voice to those who think that the Dixie Chicks are getting a raw deal, and an un-American one to boot. I send them my support."

Springsteen has made anti-war statements of his own during his concerts this year--sometimes playing the late Motown singer Edwin Starr's protest hit "War"--and in other concert comments has also bemoaned the loss of civil liberties.

Springsteen and his E Street Band have just finished a short swing through Canada. They kick off a European tour on May 6 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before starting a North American tour July 15 with the first of 10 shows at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Bob Marley Fans Can Look Forward To New Music

Bob Marley fans can look forward to new music. Marley's family recently discovered they have cassette recordings of Marley songs that were never released. Marley's son Ziggy Marley said the tunes are being worked on and should be out by next year.

Ziggy said, "Next year, we are probably gonna have some new material from Daddy for the world. So we're working on that."

Bob Marley, whose hits included "One Love/People Get Ready," and "Who Shot The Sheriff," died of cancer in 1981.

Ziggy Marley successfully followed in his father's footsteps, and just released his latest album, Dragonfly.

Will Ferrell Finishes Boston Marathon

BOSTON - Will Ferrell, known for his antics on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," ran the Boston Marathon with his wife and achieved two goals: He finished in under four hours, and he beat the guy dressed as Elvis.

After saying at the start that he just wanted to finish, Ferrell did better than that with a time of 3 hours, 56 minutes, 12 seconds. The guy dressed as Elvis Presley — actually, a friend of Ferrell's named Bob Babbitt — came in at 4:28:33.

"It's truly an amazing event. Along with the history and everything, it's a bit of a blur," Ferrell said of Monday's race. "Heartbreak Hill felt like a lovely summer day ... and then you get hit over the head with a hammer."

There were no jokes along the route, reported 1968 marathon winner Amby Burfoot, who ran near the 35-year-old actor-comedian.

"He was completely serious," said Burfoot, who runs every fifth anniversary of his victory. "His coach had him on a short tether. They had something left at the end. It's great to see celebrities come into the race and treat it seriously."

Ferrell and his wife, Viveca, ran in the New York City Marathon in 2001, finishing together in 5 hours, 1 minute and 56 seconds.

O.J. Simpson Makes Pass for Reality Show

MIAMI (Hollywood Reporter) - O.J. Simpson is preparing for his debut as the star of his own "Osbournes"-esque reality show.

Fort Worth, Texas-based Urban America Television Network said it will distribute a 13-week series about the former football great -- who was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1995 -- to its 75 independent broadcast TV station affiliates starting in June.

The series will chronicle Simpson's daily life in Miami using footage collected over several months of filming in 2001 and 2002.

Brother Records sues ex-Beach Boy

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Brother Records Inc. is suing former Beach Boys singer-guitarist Al Jardine for using the band's name when he tours.

The Superior Court lawsuit, filed Monday, claims Jardine is touring under: Beach Boys Family & Friends; Al Jardine, Beach Boy; and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Jan. 28 that Jardine can't use the Beach Boys name, which belongs to Brother Records, a company jointly held by Jardine, Mike Love, Brian Wilson and the estate of Carl Wilson. Love is the sole licensee to perform under the name.

Brother Records wants a court order preventing Jardine from using the name, $2 million in court costs, and unspecified damages from loss of earnings because of unfair competition pitting Jardine's concert appearances against Beach Boys lead singer Love's.

Brother Records said Monday that the 60-year-old Jardine "did not agree to abide by terms of a proposed license" so he was denied use of the name.

Recorded messages left after business hours for plaintiffs' attorney Alfred G. Rava and Jardine attorney Jeffrey Benice were not immediately returned.

The issue has been in litigation since 1998. Jardine appealed a 2002 ruling in favor of Love, whom Jardine says excluded him from Beach Boys concerts in 2001. Jardine is seeking $4 million in damages.

McCartney Meets 'The In-Laws'

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Paul McCartney will have a previously unreleased song on the upcoming soundtrack to "The In-Laws," due May 20 on Rhino Records.

The McCartney song, "A Love for You," was originally recorded in 1971. McCartney also has two other tracks on the album that he recorded with his former band, Wings: a previously unreleased version of "Live and Let Die" and "I'm Carrying," a song that first appeared on Wings' 1978 album, "London Town."

"The In-Laws," a Warner Bros. Pictures comedy, arrives May 23 in U.S. theaters. The film stars Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks as two future fathers-in-law who have a series of misadventures leading up to their children's' wedding. It's a remake of the incredible 1973 film of the same name, which starred Peter Falk and Alan Arkin.

The soundtrack to the movie is comprised mostly of songs from the 1960s and 1970s, including tracks from Elvis Presley, Badfinger, Chic, Electric Light Orchestra, and KC & the Sunshine Band.

Here is the track listing of "The In-Laws: Music from the Motion Picture":

"A Love for You," Paul McCartney
"No Matter What," Badfinger
"Don't Bring Me Down," Electric Light Orchestra
"Live and Let Die," Paul McCartney/Wings
"It's Now or Never," Elvis Presley
"Wedding Day," Bee Gees
"I'm Carrying," Paul McCartney/Wings
"Get Down Tonight," KC & the Sunshine Band
"Good Times," Chic
"Word Up," Cameo
"More Than a Friend," All Too Much
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," B.J. Thomas
"Sunshine of Your Love," Ella Fitzgerald
"Too Close for Comfort," Mel Torme
"Di-Gue-Ding-Ding," Michel Legrand
"A Man and a Woman (Un Homme Et Une Femme)," Claudine Longet
"Gopher Mambo," Yma Sumac

Game 7, Tonight!

Go Leafs, go!

Music, For The Good Of Us All

Okay, so here it is! The day that Madonna finally releases an album that the majority of people, myself included, won't care about. That is honestly too bad.

For years we have always been able to count on Madonna to do something interesting just when we thought she was down for the count, and she never let us down. Before today that is. AMERICAN LIFE is a disc that is totaly irrelevant, and for true fans only. Sorry Maddy!

As for the only other release today that is worth mentioning, MARIA McKEE, from Lone Justice, is back! Not in a big way, and she likely won't ever be back in a big way, but she is back. Who is she?, you ask. Find out! Her new disc HIGH DIVE is in stores today.

Here is the complete list of new CD releases for Tuesday April 22, 2003:

A.B. QUINTANILLA III 4 (EMI)
APRIL VERCH TBA (Rounder)
APRIL WINE Greatest Hit Live 2003 (EMI)
B-52'S Cosmic Thing (DVD Audio) (Rhino)
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY The Blessed Hellride (EMI)
BLUE MAN GROUP The Complex (Atlantic)
BLUSHED It's Too Little, You're Too Late (Overture)
CAROL MCCARTNEY Let The Girl Drive (Page)
COOLER KIDS Punk Debutante (DreamWorks/Universal)
DANIEL LANOIS Shine (Anti/Epitaph)
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL So Impossible (EP) (TVT)
DEATH BY STEREO Into The Valley Of Death (Epitaph)
DONALD FAGAN Kamakiriad (DVD Audio) (Rhino)
EARLIMART Everyone Down Here (Palm)
EL GRAN SILENCIO Super Riddim Internacional (EMI Latin)
EVAN DANDO Baby I'm Bored (Bar None)
FLAMING LIPS Fight Test (EP) (Warner)
FLEETWOOD MAC Say You Will (DVD) (Warner)
HOT HOT HEAT Scenes One Through Thirteen (Navarre)
JACKSON BROWNE The Naked Ride Home (DVD Audio) (Rhino)
JACKSON BROWNE Running On Empty (DVD Audio) (Rhino)
JACO PASTORIUS Punk Jazz: Anthology (Rhino)
JADE Victim Of Love (AEG)
JAMES LAST Songs From The Heart (EMI)
JASON COLLETT Motor Motel Love Songs (EMI)
JONI MITCHELL Blue (DVD Audio) (Rhino)
JULIANA THEORY Music From Another Room (Tooth & Nail)
LYNCH & PILSON Wicked Underground (Spitfire)
MADONNA American Life (Maverick)
MADONNA American Life (Limited Edition) (Warner)
MARIA MCKEE High Dive (Mailboat Records)
MICHAEL JONES Echoes Of Childhood (Narada)
NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALL STARS Polaris (Artemis)
NOTHINGFACE Skeletons (TVT)
QUEENSRYCHE Classic Masters (Capitol)
ROXETTE The Pop Hits (EMI)
RYMES WITH ORANGE One More Mile (Page)
SIDESTEPPER 3AM: In Beats We Trust (Palm)
SOUNDS FROM THE GROUND Natural Selection (EMI)
THALIA Hits Remixed (EMI)
THE CARTER FAMILY 1935-41 Volume 2 (EMI)
THE CEASARS 39 Minutes of Bliss (In An Otherwise Meaningless World) (Virgin)
THE FLAMING LIPS Fight Test (EP) (Warner)
THE PLANETS Classical Graffiti (EMI)
THICKE Beautiful World (Interscope)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Credence Club Hits Vol 1 (EMI)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Electrokill (Nettwerk)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Lost Songs Of Lennon & (EMI)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Cdn. Caribbean Riddums 2 (Rituals Music)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Panorama 2003 (Rituals Music)
VARIOUS ARTISTS The Old Home Place: Bluegrass And Old-Time Music (Rounder)
YARDBIRDS Birdland (Favored Nations)

50 Cent album put on hold

50 Cent is delaying the release of his second album until February 2004, MTV reports.

With the huge success of "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", 50 said he doesn't want the hype to wear out.

"I was thinking (this) November, but I'm gonna wait," 50 told MTV. "I don't think it will be over by then. I don't want to get ahead of myself."

But fans of the rapper won't have to wait until next year to hear new material. 50 Cent's collaboration with the G-Unit will hit stores this fall.

Shania Twain Wants Single Sales Credit For Double CD

Despite that fact that Shania Twain's current album, Up!, could qualify for twice the album sales for every one unit sold due to its two-CD content, the singer said she won't go down that road. Twain wants the Recording Industry Association Of America to only certify sales of Up! based on each single unit sold because she said to do otherwise would be deceitful. And she never wants to be accused of that.

"I technically can claim two, but it's not true," Twain said. "I mean it's technically true, but it wouldn't be true. That would just be some kind of trickery or something. I'm not interested in that. I don't want to be accused of doing anything like that. I wouldn't even want that, so when it legitimately qualifies for whatever number it qualifies for, it will be for the sale of each unit as a double, period."

Twain said that her idea to record different versions of the same songs was just a further expression of who she is as an artist, and not a ploy for marketing or sales purposes. "Even the packaging of this album is not a gimmick," Twain said. "If anything, the label was saying to me, 'How are we gonna market this?,' you know, cause it was such kind of a crazy idea having all these different styles of music and everything. I just wanted to give more. I wanted to give more choice. I wanted to portray all the different sides of me and I enjoyed experimenting but I'm not interested in the gimmick of the whole number game."

Both mixes--pop and country--included in Twain's already multi-platinum-selling Up! contain 19 tracks.

White Stripes Deny Reports Of Imminent Break-Up

The White Stripes are denying reports about their imminent demise. Mojo magazine and other British publications have quoted Jack White as saying the band will release one more album and then break up. White said he "never made a statement like 'Elephant is our last record' or 'The one after Elephant is the last record.' That's stupid. It was actually Mojo magazine misquoting us, which is surprising because they are usually on the ball. I only said that the band isn't going to last forever, and that maybe we'd just do a couple more albums and that would be it. But it wasn't some fake retirement ploy crap, I hate when people do that."

The new White Stripes album, Elephant, is at Number 13 in the U.S. and has spent two weeks at Number One in the U.K.

The White Stripes begin a four-night run on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on Tuesday (April 22).

The group's next concert is Sunday (April 27) at the Coachella Valley Music Festival on the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.

"I loved the title Pigeonhole This, but (management was) like, 'Some people might take that bad.'"

Kelly Clarkson, on her new CD, now titled Thankful

DVDS THIS WEEK

BLOODY SUNDAY- Because of a silly technicality, one of the best movies of 2002 wasn't eligible to be nominated for an Oscar. Mind you, "Bloody Sunday" is probably too fiercely intelligent and complex to have garnered votes anyway. Director Paul Greengrass recreates the sad day of Jan. 30, 1972, when British soldiers gunned down unarmed Irish demonstrators. It's clear where his sympathies lie, but Greengrass doesn't demonize the British and the movie's docudrama style - which is so effective, less clever viewers might assume it is a documentary - helps you understand how events can spiral out of control. Unshakeable.

YOUNG GUNS: SPECIAL EDITION- The silly "Teen Beat" Western with an all-star cast including Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips may not be good cinema, but it is good fun. And if Estevez doesn't do it for you as Billy the Kid in the 1998 flick, you'll be relieved to see the package includes a substantial half-hour documentary on the real Billy the Kid.

THE BELIEVER- Russell Crowe received some of his best early reviews playing a neo-Nazi skinhead in the Aussie flick "Romper Stomper." Ryan Gosling deserves the same career boost for playing Daniel, the neo-fascist, closeted Jew in "The Believer". His anti-Semitic rants are compelling, but Danny is especially compelling when he's especially conflicted - he may be planting a pipe bomb in a synagogue, but when his friends start trampling on a Torah, a deeply hidden part of Danny can't handle it.

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN- This infectious documentary/concert film celebrates the legendary Motown band the Funk Brothers, who played on more No. 1 records than probably any other group of musicians in history. "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" isn't just nostalgia, since the heart of the film is a new concert with guest singers like Joan Osborne and Chaka Khan. A CD extra lets you sing or play along with samples of the Funk Brothers' music - or, you could just belt out these numbers in the shower.

SPEED RACER: LIMITED EDITION- One of the first Japanese anime to break through in the U.S., the TV show "Speed Racer" from 1966 is notable for the somber tone, multipart episodes, and soap-like story lines that stretch out over the entire season. (Who is Racer X, anyway?) Why Tom Cruise made "Days of Thunder" instead of adapting this will always be a mystery. The 11 episodes come in a nifty tire-tread package.

THE CRIME OF PADRE AMARO- Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was introduced here in the 1980s via Pedro Almodovar. "The Crime of Padre Amaro" is his latest film, a huge box-office smash in Mexico despite vehement protests by the Catholic Church about its portrayal of corruption and a priest who sleeps with a female parishioner. The magnetic and sexy Bernal also scored in "Amores Per ros" and especially "Y Tu Mama Tambien."

Britney Spears shows her new color on the streets of New York

Madonna has done it. So have Gwyneth Paltrow and Mandy Moore.
What's behind Britney Spears' decision to go brunette - and trade in her flowing goldilocks for a perky chocolate bob over the weekend?

"We'd been talking about making a big change, both in cut and color," says hairstylist Kevin Mancuso, who has been cutting Spears' hair for three years.

"We decided the whole idea would be to give it a jagged edge, both hard and beautiful at the same time."

Mancuso, who performed the transformation along with colorist Steven Amendola for Manhattan's Peter Coppola salon, said it took "hours" to apply the color, which includes golden, reddish and dark blond highlights.

Mancuso says Spears' "personal" new songs inspired the coif.

"She's working on some great stuff," he says.

Lauren Solomon, a New York image consultant, says Spears' new hair color is a bid for attention. "We have not heard much about her recently and she had to do something to get her back in the spotlight. A new, dark sultry look instead of the blond flighty look is going to get a whole new message in the media," she says.

Spears hasn't been much in the spotlight lately.

According to her Web site, she is currently "in production" on her new album, and she was recently seen on the arm of Hollywood hotshot Colin Farrell.

But with Madonna's new album set to hit stores today and Christina Aguilera signing on as the new face of Versace, Spears has been laying low, aside from the recent announcement that charges against a Japanese stalker have been dropped.

"I don't think that [the stalker] was a life-changing experience," says Solomon. "This is not Rudy looking to get over prostate cancer. It's time for a change. We've had too much of the same for too long. The easiest way to get attention is to change the look."

Spears' publicist, Nathalie Moar, insists the new hair wasn't a premeditated ploy.

"She's young. She can do whatever she wants," says Moar.

"Even though she's never changed her color, Britney always changes. Next week it could be something different."

Silverstone Gets Groovy With SCOOBY TOO

Alicia Silverstone has taken a role in SCOOBY-DOO 2. In the sequel, Scooby and The Gang investigate a new villain that is trying to take over Coolsville with the aid of a machine that recreates classic Scooby villains such as the Creeper, Captain Cutler and the 10,000-Volt Ghost. Silverstone will play Heather, a relentless reporter that is helped by the Coolsville Museum curator (Seth Green).

Catherine Zeta-Jones Gives Birth to Daughter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has given birth to a daughter, her second child with her husband, actor Michael Douglas, publicists for the couple said on Monday.

Carys Zeta Douglas was born at 4:50 a.m. EST on Sunday at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the publicists said.

Zeta-Jones last month won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role as a homicidal hoofer in "Chicago." She and Douglas also have a 2-year-old son, Dylan Michael Douglas.

Singer Luther Vandross 'Critical' After Stroke

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy-winning singer Luther Vandross, who suffered a stroke last week, was in "critical but stable" condition on Monday, a hospital said.

"Mr. Luther Vandross suffered a stroke on April 16 and is hospitalized at the Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital," the hospital said in a statement. "He is in critical but stable condition."

The hospital said it would release "no further details" on Vandross, who has battled weight and health problems for years and suffered the stroke just days before his 52nd birthday.

Famed for his silky, soulful crooning as well as for his songwriting and production prowess, Vandross turned 52 on Sunday.

Since launching his solo career in 1981 after a successful stint as a back-up vocalist for the likes of David Bowie and Bette Midler, he has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.

Stefani working on solo material

No Doubt may be on hiatus, but singer Gwen Stefani is keeping herself busy.

Gwen Stefani is in the studio with hitmakers the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears) working on solo material, MTV reports.

"I am not quite sure if it will become a full-blown solo project, singles for a soundtrack or just songs," Stefani posted on the band's official web site. "I am just kind of letting it take me where it takes me and see what happens."

Stefani has already seen success from her solo work with hit singles she made with Moby and Eve.

She has also been busy working on her own clothing line and reading scripts for possible movie deals.

"Although I really haven't made a decision yet, if the right part were to come along, I think I would try working in film. I think it might be another challenging place to express myself creatively."

Jazz-Soul Singer Nina Simone Dies in France

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jazz and soul singer Nina Simone, famed for her civil rights songs and interpretations of gospel, ballads and George Gershwin, died on Monday at her home in the south of France, her manager said. She was 70 years old.

Simone, a North Carolina native who had been living in France off and on for the past eight years, had been ill for some time, Clifton Henderson told Reuters when reached by telephone in France.

Among her biggest hits were the 1959 recording of Gershwin's "I Love You Porgy." Her repertories also included the socially conscious song "Mississippi Goddamn" and "Old Jim Crow.""

Raised in a family of eight children, she studied piano at New York's prestigious Juilliard School of Music, a rare opportunity for a black woman in the 1950s.

Lord Of The Rings II: The Fellowship Of The DVD And Video

New Line Home Entertainment has officially announced the DVD release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers!

The 2-disc theatrical cut will street on August 26th (SRP $29.95) in both full frame and anamorphic widescreen versions. The set will include audio in Dolby Digital 5.1, along with the On the Set: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Return to Middle-earth documentaries, 8 featurettes on the people and places in Middle-earth, a 10-minute behind-the-scenes sneak preview of The Return of the King (due in theaters on December 17th), Sean Astin's short film The Long and Short of It, a documentary on the making of the short film, the Gollum's Song music video by Emiliana Torrini, previews of the Return of the King video game and the Special Extended DVD Edition of The Two Towers and more.

That will be followed by... you guessed it... The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Special Extended DVD Edition on November 18th. As with extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring, this will be a massive 4-disc affair, including a 40+ minute longer version of the film in anamorphic widescreen video, with Dolby Digital and DTS audio. You'll also get audio commentary and a massive bounty of extra features beyond what you'll find on the 2-disc version.

Further details on these two editions should be announced shortly, and I'll show you the cover art here as soon as it is available.

'Toy Story' to be put away

Woody, Buzz and all the boys and toys associated with them are going back in the box. Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Pixar Animation Studios are withdrawing all Toy Story VHS & DVD releases from circulation.

The cutoff date is May 1.

"This is a firm moratorium date," a Disney-Pixar press release says.

It means that on May 1 no more Toy Story and Toy Story 2 tapes and DVDs will be shipped to retailers.

Some stores may run out by May 1 or soon after and others will continue to sell until stocks run out.

The withdrawal is part of a horrible, but longtime Disney strategy of making its products more desirable by periodically taking them off the market and then re-releasing them in the future. The date for the re-release of the Toy Story products has not been announced.

On DVD, the withdrawal includes separate Toy Story and Toy Story 2 discs as well as the DVD 2-Pack and The Ultimate Toy Box DVD Collector's Set.

Next up for Pixar, John Lasseter's brilliant computer animation studio, is "Finding Nemo", which Disney is releasing on May 30. In 2004, Pixar is planning to bring out "The Incredibles" and, in 2005, an animated film called "Cars".

In the meantime, watch for prices of used Toy Story tapes and discs to soar.

That's Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller as Starsky & Hutch! This is our first look at the guys in character and the famous car.

MARKETING A METEOR NAMED MONICA

The re-invention of Monica Lewinsky starts today.

The former portly pepperpot will be unveiled today - first as a guest host on "The View" then later tonight to emcee a new reality show called "Mr. Personality" - as a new woman, with a new career, a new look and a new view on life.

"I think enough time has passed for Monica to step out like this - there's no question she's famous, and after all the hype, I think she'll be judged on her ability to entertain," says Lou Colasuonno of Westhill Partners, a Manhattan-based "strategic communications" firm.

"She needs to give the media something else to focus on now, so that talking about the event that made her famous becomes one paragraph at the bottom of the story."

Fox, the network that hired her to host "Mr. Personality," has managed her comeback like a Presidential campaign.

Plenty of people are talking for her - but Monica herself has been very scarce.

She has granted only one print interview (with Newsweek magazine last week) and one TV appearance (sitting in for Barbara Walters on "The View" today).

No Letterman, no Leno and, above all, no Howard Stern.

It's a bold move - since reality TV seems to thrive on maximum publicity. It may just be that Monica Lewinsky hosting a dating show needs no introduction.

On "Mr. Personality," a bachelorette named Hayley must choose a suitor from among a group of guys wearing masks - in essence, choosing her guy based on his wit and charm rather than his looks.

Lewinsky will host the show and provide advice to Hayley before she kicks off a suitor each week.

"Monica doesn't just walk in and say her lines and leave - she has a very personal interaction with Hayley," says a show spokesman. "They formed a very good friendship. They're the only two who don't know what the men look like."

So is Monica ready for her close-up?

Judging by the recent promotional photos for "Mr. Personality," she is slimmer and more quietly dressed than when we last saw her.

"Her image is important," says Colasuonno. "She has to look smart and be smart."

RUBEN 'IDOL'-IZES THEIR JERSEYS

Ruben Studdard's "American Idol" style is turning into big business.

The maker of Ruben's trademark 205 shirts has grown a business from two employees last February when the show started to 150 workers this week.

The 205 refers to the area code of Studdard's hometown, Birmingham, Alabama, and ever since he first appeared on "Idol" wearing a custom-made jersey with the code, the two brothers who designed and make the shirts, Frederick and Willie Jenkins, say the phones have not stopped ringing.

Orders jumped from a few dozen in the first week to a few hundred last month to several thousand a week now.

"Our phone started ringing and everything went crazy," Jenkins told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"We've had people drive here [Birmingham] from a couple of states away to get shirts."

Ruben is now so identified with the shirts that when he sang on the show last week wearing something else, host Ryan Seacrest questioned him about "the 205."

Studdard said he was "mixing it up" but promised the 205 shirts would be back.

And for the results show the next night, he had a new one: The Jenkinses send Ruben a few new jerseys every week in his custom size, 8-10X.

Boston Marathon Serious for Will Ferrell

BOSTON - Will Ferrell is dressed to run, wearing jogging shoes and ankle socks, a windbreaker and black Lycra tights that show how thin his legs have gotten since he began training for the 26.2-mile distance of The Boston Marathon.

It is only the second-most revealing thing Ferrell has been seen running in lately. In his movie "Old School," which grossed $73.9 million in its first eight weeks, there is a scene of him streaking down the street.

"It might improve my time," he says when asked for assurances that he would not reprise the scene Monday in the oldest and perhaps most prestigious marathon in the world. "But it might upset people along the race course."

So the interview goes, with Ferrell weaving back and forth between movie junket jocularity and earnest training talk. He knows that the half-dozen reporters allotted 10 minutes each are there because he is a comedian and movie star — perhaps the biggest non-sports celebrity to run the race (Michael Dukakis ran in 1951, long before he was governor). But when it comes to his running, Ferrell isn't kidding around.

"Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful," he says. "It does help to have a sense of humor, but I'm also respectful of the race."

Ferrell's wife, Viveca, is from the Boston suburb of Needham. The two started running seriously while on vacation on Martha's Vineyard. They decided since he was in New York for "Saturday Night Live," they should try to run the New York City Marathon.

They ran New York together in the 2001, finishing in 5 hours, 1 minute, 6 seconds; now, he's gotten faster ("but don't tell her," he whispers) so they run apart. They also ran the Stockholm Marathon last June, where he finished in 4:28:02. In November, he ran a half-marathon in 1:45:02.

"His goal is to break four hours," says his coach, Gary Kobat.

Monday's winner will finish in around 2:09, give or take a couple of minutes.

"As long as the guy in the Gumby costume doesn't pass me, or someone dressed like Elvis, I'll be OK," Ferrell says. "I'm going to try not to cry, or wet my pants."

Will and Viv Ferrell have bib Nos., 9999 and 9998, respectively. That might be the only way for those on the course to recognize the man who played a dingbatty George W. Bush on SNL. He's lost 25 pounds in the past 2 1/2 years, his hair is curly and he's grown a mustache for a role in a film set in the 1970s called "Anchorman"; in his next movie, "Elf," he plays an overgrown elf in Santa Claus' workshop.

Those who do see him pass by on the way from Hopkinton to Boston's Back Bay should not expect to see him clowning around, like his SNL predecessor Bill Murray does on the golf course. While running the New York race, Ferrell decided to play a joke on his coach by pretending he was stopping by a friend's apartment to say "Hi."

That was in the first mile or so.

"Then, I'm really playful," Ferrell says, "By the end of the race, I'm like, 'Ohhhhhh....'."

As part of his training, Ferrell has also immersed himself in the latest running technology, from the heart-rate monitor on his wrist to the special testing he had done at Pepperdine University to check how his body burns sugars and fats.

"He's very serious about doing it the right way," says Kobat, whose other acting clients include Jim Carrey and Calista Flockhart. "He's such a student of the craft of running, and he's very coachable. Where a lot of marathoners are just interested in getting faster, he wants to know how it's done."

Kobat runs alongside Ferrell during the races, telling him to speed up or slow down. "Probably speed up," Ferrell corrects himself.

Despite having a mobile support staff not available to most runners, and a waiver from the qualifying standards as a "special invitee," Ferrell still has to do the hard part.

"It has been really tough on him at times," says Viveca, who was also running the race. "When he had a 7 a.m. call (for "Old School"), he'd get up at 5. If the call went until 11, he'd be on the treadmill at midnight. But even if he got a little less sleep, it made him feel better."

Ferrell spent seven years on SNL — not exactly a crowd known its healthy lifestyle. His castmates would go out most nights of the week until early in the morning.

"I had to skip all that," he says. "People were actually mad at me, that I was doing the show and training for a marathon."

But the work has paid off. He is now a thin 195 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame.

"It really does improve my energy level. I feel different. I feel better," he says. "And I just love having that part of the day, where you're going on a run and you don't have phone calls or mail to answer."

Pop Stars Unite to Raise Money for Iraqi Children

LONDON (Reuters) - Eighteen top pop stars, including Paul McCartney and George Michael, released an album on Monday to raise money for child war victims in Iraq.

All profits from the 18-track album will go to War Child, the relief and development charity set up after the war in former Yugoslavia.

Former Beatle McCartney, who made a live recording of his song "Calico Skies," said: "Whatever the politics, whatever the rights and wrongs of war, children are always the innocent victims. So I am delighted to make this small contribution."

The charity said the "Hope" album, whose contributors also include David Bowie and Avril Lavigne, was not a political album.

"The plight of children transcends politics. These songs are a plea for hope without which the children of Iraq have nothing at all," it said.

...actsofgord.com

Romano Hints at Ending Popular TV Show

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Emmy award winning comedian Ray Romano is hinting next season, the ninth, may be the last for his "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Answering a question on how he keeps the TV series fresh and original, Romano joked: "You stop after one more year."

Romano, attending a concert Saturday to benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation, indicated he wanted the popular CBS show to end on a high note.

"It's hard work," Romano said. "You start repeating yourself."

But Romano credited his writers for always drawing on their own lives and bringing new material to the show.

"The trick is to get out when you're still wanted," said Romano, 45. "Not too soon, but not too late."

After being nominated several times, Romano won his first Emmy Award last year.

'Anger Management' Keeps Box-Office Punch

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Anger Management" kept its grip on the No. 1 spot at the box office for a second weekend.

The Adam Sandler - Jack Nicholson comedy took in $25.6 million in ticket sales, giving it a 10-day total of $80.3 million.

That means it should hit $100 million by next weekend and does not face serious competition from new films until May 2, when "X2: X-Men United" opens, said Tom Sherak, a partner in Revolution Studios, which produced "Anger Management" for Sony.

The family flick "Holes," based on Louis Sachar's book about the adventures of juvenile delinquents forced to dig holes in a dry lake bed, debuted a strong second with $17.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Holes," whose cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight and Patricia Arquette, had the strongest average among the top 10 films, at $7,336 in 2,331 theaters. "Anger Management" was next at $7,171 in 3,570 cinemas.

"Malibu's Most Wanted," with Jamie Kennedy as a white rapper whose gangsta demeanor cramps his father's political ambitions, opened at No. 3 with $13.1 million. Chow Yun-Fat's martial-arts action comedy "Bulletproof Monk," about a Buddhist superhero charged with protecting a sacred scroll, debuted in fourth place with $8.6 million.

In narrower release, the comedy "Chasing Papi," about a ladies man with three women on the line, opened at No. 12 with $2.21 million.

"A Mighty Wind," the latest "mockumentary" from director Christopher Guest ("Best in Show"), nearly equaled the gross for "Chasing Papi" while playing in fewer than a fourth as many theaters.

"Mighty Wind," a spoof about a reunion concert of '60s folk groups, took in $2.2 million in just 133 theaters for an impressive $16,541 average, compared to a $3,778 average in 585 cinemas for "Chasing Papi."

Box-office analysts were surprised by "Holes," whose returns exceeded even distributor Disney's expectations by a few million dollars.

"`Holes' was sort of off the radar," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "But kids know this book, and there's really no movies out there for kids right now. Almost every time when there's a void in the marketplace for family films, all of a sudden one pops up, and families rush out."

"Mighty Wind" also had a built-in audience of fans who loved the "mockumentary" format of "Best in Show" and Guest's earlier comedy, "Waiting for Guffman." The movies largely feature the same performers, including Guest, writing partner Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Fred Willard and Parker Posey.

"Chris Guest has created a real niche for himself in the hearts of the moviegoing audience," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show."

Warner plans to expand "A Mighty Wind" to about 600 theaters by early May.

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. "Anger Management," $25.6 million.
2. "Holes," $17.1 million.
3. "Malibu's Most Wanted," $13.1 million.
4. "Bulletproof Monk," $8.6 million.
5. "Phone Booth," $5.7 million.
6. "What a Girl Wants," $4.8 million.
7. "Bringing Down the House," $3.3 million.
8. "A Man Apart," $2.6 million.
9. "Chicago," $2.5 million.
10. "House of 1,000 Corpses," $2.4 million.

Grammys, American Music Awards Shuffle Dates

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Look for the next Grammy Awards and the American Music Awards (AMAs) to move from their traditional annual calendar slots.

For 2004, the Grammys are switching from their usual late-February date to Sunday, February 8. The move is taking place to avoid a head-on collision with the Academy Awards, which will be moved next year from their usual late-March perch to late February. Additionally, the 2004 Grammys are expected to return to L.A. after this year's stint in New York.

Taking a bigger leap forward are the AMAs. That show is migrating from its usual early-January slot to Nov. 16, 2003, also a Sunday. According to sources, the move was in the works before the Grammys decided to shuffle forward.

"ABC has wanted the AMAs to move back to November so the show could air during sweeps, but the problem was always Monday Night Football," a source says. "And there was no way the show could air during the February sweeps period because of the Grammys."

In its usual January time, the AMAs also found itself competing with numerous other awards shows, as well as scrambling to hold a ceremony immediately after the holidays.

Liz Phair Goes Acoustic with Flaming Lips

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Singer/songwriter Liz Phair will embark on her first tour in several years with a string of acoustic performances opening for the Flaming Lips. The seven-date trek begins May 23 in Portland, Ore., and wraps June 3 in Denver.

Phair will also be on hand June 7 for the inaugural Field Day Festival in Calverton, Long Island, N.Y.

The artist is touring in advance of the June 24 release of her self-titled Capitol album. Fans who sign up for Phair's online mailing list will be entered into a drawing for a 7" vinyl single featuring the unreleased track "Greased Lightning."

"Why Can't I?," "Extraordinary," "Rock Me," and "Favorite" were co-written by Phair with the Matrix production team, best known for its work on Avril Lavigne's smash Arista debut, "Let Go." The slickly produced cuts are a far cry from Phair's humble indie roots, captured on her acclaimed 1994 Matador debut "Exile in Guyville." Other contributors on the new set include Michael Penn, veteran session drummers Matt Chamberlain and Victor Indrizzo, and former Prince guitarist Wendy Melvoin.

During an interview at the South By Southwest music conference last month in Austin, Texas, Phair admitted some fans may balk at her decision to collaborate with a mainstream outfit such as the Matrix. But she added, "I think that people who stay indie are very 'us vs. them.' I say, 'Why paint yourself into a corner?"'

Here is the tracklist to "Liz Phair":

"Extraordinary"
"Red Light Fever"
"Why Can't I?"
"It's Sweet"
"Rock Me"
"Take a Look"
"Little Digger"
"Firewalker"
"Favorite"
"Love/Hate Transmission"
"H.W.C."
"My Bionic Eyes"
"Friend of Mine"
"Good Love Never Dies"

Here are Liz Phair's tour dates:
May 23: Portland, Ore. (Crystal Ballroom)
May 24: George, Wash. (Sasquatch Festival)
May 25: Vancouver (Plaza of Nations)
May 28: San Francisco (Warfield Theater)
May 30: San Diego (4th & B)
May 31: Los Angeles (Palladium)
June 3: Denver (Ogden Theater)
June 7: Calverton, Long Island, N.Y. (Field Day Festival)

McCartney Says He Won't Quit Even When He's 64

BERLIN (Reuters) - Paul McCartney has no plans to quit even "When I'm 64" -- and said on Sunday he'll keep singing in small-town taverns if that's the only place anyone will have him once his concert-playing days are over.

"And if the day comes when they even throw me out of the pubs, I'll keep on singing outside the door," McCartney said in an interview in Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

"I'm always going to be a musician."

"It's strange -- I'm approaching the age when people officially go into retirement. But sorry, I don't feel like that at all. Retiring is not something I'm thinking about."

The former Beatle, who turns 61 in June, said he couldn't imagine becoming a pensioner because he feels fitter now than he did a decade ago -- thanks in part to his new wife Heather.

The author of the 1967 pop hit "When I'm 64" isn't at all worried about "losing his hair" or any of the lyrics in his song on the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

McCartney told the German Sunday newspaper that applause from crowds is a fountain of youth for him. McCartney said his new wife Heather, 34, has also keeps him young.

"I love my job, the public loves me and the band," he said. "I feel like a boxer -- when you're winning, the punches don't hurt. Only when you lose is it hard and difficult. My body has learned to cope. I'm used to working hard up on the stage."

GOOD FORTUNE

Speaking ahead of a concert tour starting in Cologne on April 27 and ending in Hamburg in late May, McCartney said he had had a lot of good fortune in his life and that kept him fit.

"Perhaps it's just luck?" he said when asked how he had managed to remain so vital at 60. "Another reason is certainly my wife Heather. For her I watch what I put on and what I look like. Love is a wonderful thing. It keeps you young."

McCartney is on a 16-nation world tour from the United States to Japan. He grossed $70 million in the United States, breaking box-office records in 21 cities, won Billboard's Tour of the Year and has made him the highest-earning celebrity ever.

McCartney has been performing 22 Beatles songs at each of his world tour dates, almost twice as many as the pioneering 1960s-era band ever played during its own British shows.

"It's just magic," he said of the crowd's reaction to his music. "It's a great feeling, every artist does it to get the applause. It sounds so simple but that's the whole story."

HOW TO HEAR THE ALBUM

Madonna has put her new disc, "American Life," on the Internet so fans can get a free preview, but you can't download it.

You might need to jump through a few digital hoops to hear the disc, which is playing on MTV.com through Tuesday right here.

If you click on the song title and nothing happens, try these steps:

First, download RealOne Player software from the RealPlayer.com Web site. Ignore the "14-Day Trial" and get a free version by clicking the "Free RealOne Player" link on the upper right-hand corner of the window.

At the next window, click "Download the Free RealOne Player" on the lower right-hand side of the window. The program will automatically begin to download. When prompted, click "yes," then, "express install."

When the licensing agreement pops up, hit "accept." You will then have the option of setting RealOne Player as your default media player (click the boxes if you don't want that option).

The last step is to register your player, which requires an e-mail address, ZIP code and country/region. Now you can play.

Metallica Announces 'St. Anger' Tracklist

Metallica has finished production on its forthcoming album, St. Anger, which is set for a June 10 release. The album's track listing is as follows: "Frantic," "St. Anger," "Some Kind Of Monster," "Dirty Window," "Invisible Kid," "My World," "Shoot Me Again," "Sweet Amber," "Unnamed Feeling," "Purify," and "All Within My Hands."

The album artwork is still being developed, and the collection will come with an additional DVD of the band rehearsing the 11 songs at Metallica's San Francisco headquarters.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Whitney Houston to guest star as herself on the May 12 season finale of Boston Public as one lucky kid's prom date.

No word yet on whether she supplied the "party favours."

WELCOME BACK!

Kelly Ripa returning to LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY on Monday after taking time off to give birth to her third child in February.

PROJECT DIES HARD

Bruce Willis amicably pulling out of the amnesia thriller Me Again opposite Diane Lane two months before production was due to begin because Intermedia couldn't pony up a $25 million paycheck.

OFF THE HOOK

A Santa Monica jury finding Tommy Lee not liable for the wrongful death of a four-year-old boy who drowned in the rocker's pool. Lee had been sued by the boy's parents for negligence.

Limp Bizkit May Start Over on Album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The upcoming Limp Bizkit album could be receiving yet another facelift, according to a post from frontman Fred Durst on the group's official Web site.

Durst indicates that the group may scrap some or all of the 19 songs originally intended for the set, in favor of brand new tracks written with new guitarist Mike Smith.

"We will still have it ready to release before the tour with Metallica," Durst said. "The 19 songs we wrote without Mike are still amazing and sitting on the shelf waiting on me to do whatever the hell I want to do with them."

Last month, Limp Bizkit was thought to be in the final stages of work on the album, which has been given myriad release dates and titles. But Durst then announced that the group had recorded further material with rappers Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, and publicly wrestled with which cut should be released as the first radio single. The Summer Sanitarium tour, which also features Linkin Park, kicks off July 4 in Detroit.

Singer Luther Vandross Suffers Stroke

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - R&B singer/songwriter Luther Vandross, known as "The Love Doctor" for sultry, romantic hits like "Here and Now," has suffered a stroke, his record label said on Thursday.

J Records, a unit of Bertelsmann AG, issued a statement saying the New York-born Vandross was undergoing medical treatment after suffering a stroke on Wednesday.

"Vandross is under medical care and his family and friends are hopeful for a speedy recovery," Carmen Romano, Luther Vandross' business manager, said in the statement.

Vandross, a five-time Grammy winner who turns 52 on Sunday, is considered by music critics to be one of the most successful singer/songwriters and producers of R&B music of the 1980s.

His first break in show business was in 1972 when his composition "Everybody Rejoice (A Brand New Day)" was included in the hit Broadway musical "The Wiz."

Two years later, David Bowie asked Vandross to arrange and sing backgrounds on his "Young Americans" album, which also included the Vandross song "Fascination."

Vandross also toured with Bette Midler as a back-up vocalist. In 1981, he signed with Sony Corp's Epic label and released his debut album, "Never Too Much," which topped the R&B charts and sold two million copies.

Vandross produced several million-unit selling albums throughout the 1980s, including "Busy Body" in 1983 and "The Night I Fell in Love" in 1985.

The gifted tenor finally crossed over into pop success in 1989, when Epic released "The Best of Luther Vandross...The Best of Love," a greatest-hits album containing the new track "Here and Now."

That song became Vandross' first Top Ten pop hit and something of a classic wedding ballad.

During an interview with Reuters in 1996, Vandross said he got mad when people referred to him as the "Love Doctor."

"I've never once sung about making love. I don't do it. I sing about being in love," he told Reuters.

"I want to be remembered as one of the premier singers of our time, not as the 'Love Doctor' or the 'Master of Bedroom Music,"' he said during the interview.

Run-DMC Tops VH1's Greatest Hip-Hop Acts

NEW YORK - The pioneering rap group Run-DMC tops VH1's list of the 50 greatest hip-hop acts, which includes Tupac Shakur, Nelly, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and MC Hammer.

Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels told The Associated Press he's humbled by the music channel's choice. The complete list will be revealed Friday during a "50 Greatest Hip-Hop Artists" special.

"What Run-DMC always wanted to do," McDaniels said Wednesday, "was represent hip-hop the way it should be represented."

Rounding out the top 10 is Public Enemy, Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Grandmaster Flash, Salt-N-Pepa and Jay-Z.

McDaniels said if he were compiling the list, Public Enemy would be No.1 because the politically charged group "said something with (rap). A lot of these cats now coming into the business, they are about show business."

He said he also would have put fellow old-school rappers Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh near the top; they didn't make the list at all.

Run-DMC — McDaniels, Joseph "Run" Simmons and DJ Jam Master Jay, or Jason Mizell — helped take rap mainstream with multiplatinum records and hits including "It's Tricky," and "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith in the 1980s.

Mizell, 36, was shot to death in his Queens, N.Y., recording studio in October. His killing remains unsolved. McDaniels said: "We'll try to, in the remembrance of Jam Master Jay and everybody before us ... keep it real."

Other acts who made the list include The Roots, Lil' Kim, the Beastie Boys, Ja Rule, Afrika Bambaattaa, De La Soul, Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah.

Madonna Has Choice Words for Music Pirates

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Madonna camp is looking to clamp down on online peer-to-peer piracy of her new Maverick album, "American Life," by flooding file-sharing networks with decoy files.

Those who download tracks from such services as KaZaA are greeted by the voice of Madonna asking, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The new album is due in stores on April 22.

Madonna is no stranger to pre-release piracy. In the lead-up to her 2000 set "Music," unfinished portions of the title cut flooded such services as Napster. No advances were sent to journalists for "American Life"; instead, in what has become a common practice, writers were asked to listen to the record at the office of Madonna's publicist.

Meanwhile, Madonna is making her major-label repertoire available to digital music services, but is restricting permanent ownership offers to those who buy an entire album; individual tracks are not available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

What's more, the artist is not making her music available on a rental basis. Such usage rules leave subscription services like MusicNet, Pressplay, and Rhapsody out in the cold. Those services offer their music as streams or conditional downloads, then allow subscribers to select individual tracks for burning; they do not offer albums for purchase in a bundled form.

The strategy is not in step with Maverick parent company Warner Music Group's primary digital music stance. The major has made more than 45,000 tracks from its catalog available for a la carte purchase, with virtually no usage restrictions. Warner Music declined comment on Madonna's online offerings.

Goalie Curtis Joseph fails to stop the final shot of the Red Wings' season — a blast from Steve Rucchin that gave Anaheim a 3-2 overtime victory Wednesday night. The Ducks won the series in a sweep.

John Lennon's Widow May Sue Kelloggs Over 'Strawberry Fields'

The widow of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, may take legal action against a new breakfast cereal called "Strawberry Fields," which she believes is too close in name to Lennon's famous Beatles song, "Strawberry Fields Forever." Ono has no appetite for the product marketed by Kashi, an organic-food company owned by Kelloggs, and has asked her lawyers to look into the matter.

In a bit of breakfast cereal irony, Lennon once admitted he wrote the song "Good Morning, Good Morning" on the Beatle's Sgt. Pepper album after hearing the phrase on a TV commercial for Kelloggs' brand of corn flakes.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" was inspired by a Salvation Army orphanage in Liverpool, England, known as Strawberry Field. It was a large Victorian building located on Beaconsfield Road, in the community of Woolton, about a five minute walk from Lennon's home on Menlove Avenue. Young John used to play in the trees there and attended events with his Aunt Mimi.

There were two different versions of "Strawberry Fields Forever," recorded in entirely different tempos and keys. Beatles' producer George Martin edited both together, adjusted tape speeds and came up with the final version, which appeared on the Beatles 1967 album, Magical Mystery Tour, and on two-sided hit single, with the song "Penny Lane" on the other side.

Enrique Iglesias Holed Up Over Mole Mystery

The Sun reports that since there was word Enrique Iglesias had his mole removed, the singer has spent three days locked inside his Miami mansion while a photographer has waited patiently waits outside to picture the evidence.

'IDOL' JUDGES JOLTED AS FANS KICK KIM

In A vote that came as a surprise to the "American Idol" judges, all-American blonde Kimberly Caldwell of Katy, Texas, was booted from the Fox talent show on Wednesday night.

Caldwell, 21, was voted off by "American Idol" viewers who cast their ballots by phone.

But if it had been up to judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, Caldwell would have survived at least another week. Each of them expressed surprise that Kimberly had received the most negative votes.

The judges all agreed she performed better Tuesday night than 18-year-old Carmen Rasmusen of Bountiful, Utah, who narrowly escaped ejection on last night's show.

Caldwell maintained her composure when she received the bad news from host Ryan Seacrest. "Thank you so much for this incredible, incredible experience," Caldwell said.

Her surprise exodus leaves six finalists: Rasmusen; Clay Aiken, 24, of Raleigh, N.C.; macho Marine Joshua Gracin, 22, of Oceanside, Calif.; sultry Kimberley Locke, 25, of Nashville; Ruben Studdard, 25, of Birmingham, Ala.; and Trenyce, 23, of Memphis.

Faith Hill Turns the 'Lights' Down

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Faith Hill will release her first live DVD, "When the Lights Go Down," May 6 via Warner Bros.

The bulk of the release is drawn from Hill's NBC special of the same name, taped last September in Los Angeles and broadcast in November. Ten tracks are featured, including such hits as "The Way You Love Me," "There You'll Be," "This Kiss," "Breathe" (featuring Carlos Santana on guitar), and the title cut from her most recent studio album, "Cry."

Three bonus cuts that did not appear on the broadcast are also included: "Stronger," "Back to You," and "If You're Gonna Fly Away." Behind-the-scenes footage and a "making of" story narrated by Hill round out the DVD.

"When the Lights Go Down" recently won the hottest female video of the year award at the 2003 CMT Flameworthy Music Video Awards. Hill is also up for top female vocalist at the 38th annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, to be handed out May 21 in Las Vegas.

Hill has no plans to tour this year in support of "Cry," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and Billboard's Top Country Albums tally. It has sold 2.4 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

NBC's 'Ellie' Strives to Break 'Seinfeld' Curse

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It looks like comic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus still has a chance to break the "Seinfeld" curse after all.

The Louis-Dreyfus sitcom "Watching Ellie" made a convincing return to the NBC lineup on Tuesday night, ranking No. 2 in total viewers and the key demographic of adults aged 18-to-49 for its new 9:30 p.m. time slot, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Averaging 9.8 million viewers overall, "Ellie" was outpaced by the Fox espionage thriller "24," which has been thriving in the ratings thanks in large part to the strong lead-in it gets from the hit talent show "American Idol."

NBC boasted that among viewers aged 18-49, the demographic most prized by advertisers, "Ellie" retained a solid 88 percent of its own lead-in audience from the network's 90-minute special "Great Women of Television Comedy."

"Ellie," which was on the verge of being canned last season after struggling in the ratings, also decisively beat its closest comedy rival, ABC's "Lost At Home," in both young adults and overall viewership.

The next big test for "Ellie" will come next Tuesday, when it will air following the venerable sitcom "Frasier," which has been weathering its own ratings slump of late.

NBC is hoping "Ellie" will benefit from a revamp given the show, which has done away with its "real-time" format and is now being taped with three cameras instead of one before a live studio audience.

Louis-Dreyfus, who played the self-absorbed Elaine Benes on the NBC hit "Seinfeld" for nine years, stars in "Watching Ellie" as a young, single nightclub singer.

The show debuted to hefty viewership in February 2002 following a promotional buildup during NBC's Winter Olympics coverage. But as its audience dwindled steadily over the next four broadcasts, the show appeared in danger of succumbing to what some TV critics were calling the "Seinfeld curse," referring to the ill-fated TV returns of fellow "Seinfeld" co-stars Michael Richards and Jason Alexander.

But the show got a reprieve and a make-over after viewership picked up again, and NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., decided to bring it back this year as a mid-season replacement.

Britney Spears to Drop 'Stalking' Case Against Man

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Britney Spears will drop her bid for a restraining order against the Japanese man she claimed had stalked her after lawyers for the two sides reached an agreement, a court spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Attorneys for the 21-year-old singer were expected to file court papers on Friday asking that the case be dismissed, the spokeswoman said, but were not expected to release details of the out-of-court agreement.

Spears went to court last December to request that 41-year-old Masahiko Shizawa of Yokohama, Japan, be ordered to stay at least 1,000 yards away and claiming that he had been "stalking" her for months.

A spokesman for Spears could not be reached for comment. Lawyers for Spears and Shizawa also could not be reached.

Spears asserted in court papers that Shizawa had sent her hundreds of love notes, many with photographs of himself and one that said: "I'm chasing you." The Louisiana-born superstar also alleged that Shizawa had tracked her to the homes of her divorced parents, her Hollywood home and a third residence.

But during a brief January court hearing, Shizawa's lawyer called the stalking allegations a "cultural misunderstanding" and insisted that his client -- reportedly a computer programmer -- had no intent to bother Spears.

Spears, who as a child starred on The New Mickey Mouse Club, exploded onto the pop charts in the late 1990s with her debut album "...Baby One More Time" and followed it with two more hit albums.

Enchantment: 'Potter' Moves 6 Million on Day 1

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The second installment of the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," worked its magic on the home video front, selling more than 6 million VHS and DVD combined units nationwide in its first day in release, according to several industry sources.

While Warner Home Video executives declined comment on sales of the latest "Potter" release, when taking into account that the title was released Friday simultaneously in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Spain and Scandinavia, combined VHS and DVD sales are estimated to have topped 11 million units as of Sunday, according to several industry sources.

Nevertheless, "Potter" is considered an evergreen title that will continue to build up steam over time, unlike most other home video releases that do the vast majority of sales during their first few weeks on store shelves, several retail sources said.

This was the first Friday release for a "Potter" title, making logistics at retail more complicated than the industry standard of a typical Tuesday release date.

Since DreamWorks Home Entertainment set the precedent of releasing a major title on a Friday with "Shrek," several studios have followed suit, especially when the title is marketed for sale rather than rental as the "Potter" series has been.

The home video release of the second "Potter" movie, which earned $260 million at the box office, topped both Nielsen VideoScan's First Alert DVD and VHS sales charts during its first three days in release and came in at No. 3 on Video Store magazine's weekly rental chart, earning an estimated $7.96 million in gross domestic rental revenue during its first three days on rental shelves.

Revolution Studios' romantic comedy "Maid in Manhattan," starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes, continues to top the weekly rental charts, regaining its No. 1 slot last week after dipping briefly to No. 2 the previous week, when Universal Studios Home Video's "Red Dragon" topped the rental chart during its debut week.

"Maid," which is distributed by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, earned an estimated $10.96 million in rental revenue for the week ending April 13 for a 19-day cume of $40.5 million, according to Video Store data. The DVD slipped slightly from its No. 3 slot to No. 5 on VideoScan's First Alert weekly sales chart but continued to sell more than 1 million units during the same frame, according to industry sources other than VideoScan. "Maid" is priced for rental on VHS.

"Red Dragon," starring Anthony Hopkins and Edward Norton, slipped slightly during its second week on rental shelves, taking the No. 2 slot and earning a respectable weekly estimate of $9.77 million for a 12-day cume of $22.8 million, according to Video Store data.

The "Dragon" DVD continued to do well at retail during its second week in release, taking the No. 2 slot behind the second installment of "Potter," according to VideoScan's First Alert sales chart for the week ending April 13.

Nielsen VideoScan is a service of VNU that collects VHS and DVD sales data from a sampling of all categories of retail stores. VideoScan charts do not include sales data from Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us. Most other sell-through retailers are represented.

Video Store magazine, a leading business-to-business weekly serving the home entertainment industry, compiles and analyzes VHS and DVD rental data through an interactive methodology using a multisource predictive model with data from a statistically significant national sample of video retailers.

Fifth 'Potter' delivered on June 21

TORONTO (CP) -- Canada Post will deliver pre-ordered copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to homes across Canada on Saturday, June 21, it was announced Wednesday.

Customers who pre-order either the adult or children's version from Amazon.ca or Indigo Books and Music, can use a select Express Shipping option to have the long-awaited fifth book in J.K. Rowling's popular series delivered to their door the day it is released.

Tracy Nesdoly, spokesperson for Indigo Books and Music, also said the chain's stores will be open at midnight Friday night.

"As soon as the clock turns to Saturday, we will be selling the books."

She said Indigo had a similar arrangement with Canada Post when the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released.

Canada Post employees will cover some 40 cities across the country, Amazon.ca said in a news release. They will use more than 40 transportation routes and a dozen flights to deliver the pre-ordered books between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 21.

"Our customers have been feverishly ordering the book since it became available for purchase in January," said Marven Krug, general manager of Amazon.ca. "And we are thrilled to work with Canada Post to deliver it to their homes the day it becomes available."

After the book became available for pre-ordering on Jan. 15, it quickly turned into a bestseller for Amazon and Indigo.

The special Saturday delivery does not apply to postal codes outside of Canada Post's Saturday delivery service area, P.O. boxes, and orders of more than eight copies. Customers can use Amazon.ca's postal code finder to determine whether they are eligible.

Lisa Marie Presley Makes Respectable Album Debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nearly 25 years after the death of her legendary father, Lisa Marie Presley claimed her own place in the pop charts on Wednesday with a respectable No. 5 opening for her debut album, "To Whom It May Concern."

The album, a collection of songs whose lyrics were written mostly by the 35-year-old performer, sold 142,000 copies its first week in release from EMI Group Plc's Capitol Records, according to retail sales tracker Nielsen SoundScan.

That was enough to edge out R&B love man Ginuwine's latest release, "The Senior," from the top five for the week ended Sunday. But Presley was crowded out of the chart's highest rungs by the No. 1 opening of hard rock group Godsmack's third album, "Faceless," followed by metal band Linkin Park's "Meteora," rap artist 50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' and the latest "Now" compilation of various artists.

Still, the debut of Elvis Presley's only child, coming a quarter century after the "king of rock 'n' roll" passed into history, marked a solid start for the latest in a long line of pop music progeny following in their parents' footsteps.

Whether Lisa Marie Presley achieves the success of Jakob Dylan, Julian Lennon or Hank Williams Jr. remains to be seen. Her recording debut poses the twin challenges of overcoming inevitable comparisons to her legendary father and years of tabloid headlines borne of her high-profile former marriages to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage.

But Presley already has drawn generally warm reviews and considerable airplay for the album's bluesy first single, "Lights Out," which contains an eerie lyrical reference to her heritage.

"Someone turned the lights out there in Memphis/That's where my family's buried and gone/Last time I was there I noticed a space left/Next to them there in Memphis in the damn back lawn," she sings.

Presley, 9 years old when her father died in August 1977, was raised by her mother, actress Priscilla Presley.

Although she penned the album's lyrics almost entirely herself, Presley received songwriting help from Glen Ballard, the producer who signed her five years ago to this then-Capitol-distributed label and is best known for his work on Alanis Morissette's blockbuster release "Jagged Little Pill."

Actress Meg Ryan Adds Glitz to Cannes Film Panel

PARIS (Reuters) - Sassy Hollywood actress Meg Ryan and Bollywood pin-up Aishwarya Rai will add some sparkle to the jury of the 56th Cannes film festival when it opens next month, the official jury list showed on Wednesday.

The panel will be headed by French director Patrice Chereau, who won two Cannes awards in 1994 for "Queen Margot," and includes Bosnian director Danis Tanovic whose war film "No Man's Land" took best screenplay at Cannes in 2001 and won an Oscar last year.

This year's festival opens on May 14 with a remake of the 1952 film "Fanfan La Tulipe," a swashbuckling 18th century drama starring Penelope Cruz, and will close on May 25 when the judges announce the top Palme d'Or prize and other awards.

The list of films competing will be announced on April 23.

French actress Karin Viard and actor Jean Rochefort will sit on the jury alongside American Ryan, of "When Harry met Sally" fame, and India's Rai, a former Miss World who brought Bollywood to Cannes last year with the glittering musical "Devdas."

Outside France, film and theater director Chereau is known as screenwriter of the 1998 blockbuster "The Truman Show."

Also on the jury are Italian writer Erri de Luca, "Sex, Lies and Videotape" director Steven Soderbergh, who won the coveted Palme d'Or for that film, and Chinese director Jiang Wen, who won the Grand Jury prize in 2000 for "Devils on the Doorstep."

Last year's Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) went to Franco-Polish director Roman Polanski for his Holocaust film "The Pianist," setting him on the way for an Oscar in March.

This year, the festival will get an Italian flavor from sultry actress and former model Monica Bellucci who will be mistress of ceremonies for the two weeks.

Lord Of The Rings Gets Extended

According to director Peter Jackson, direct from The Lord of the Rings: Official Fan Club Magazine, the 4-disc The Two Towers: Extended Edition (tentatively set for release in November) will have 43 additional minutes of footage. Much of it will reportedly expand upon the various characters, as was the case with The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition. Word is more than 150 new effects shots have been completed for the new cut as well (since there are many new scenes with Treebeard).

Fans of the Griswolds can finally add the 20th Anniversary Edition of National Lampoon's Vacation to their shelves on August 19th.

The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season will finally debut on August 29th. Each episode is presented in their original 4:3 full screen aspect ratio with English Dolby Digital 5.1 surround remixes, and this four-disc set contains a bevy of extras: audio commentaries with series creator Matt Groening and various collaborators on every episode, a "pop-up" on each disc ("When Flanders Failed," "Flaming Moe's," "Radio Bart" and "Colonel Homer"), storyboards and conceptual sketches for select episodes, a Simpsons character poster, an 11-song jukebox feature, audio outtakes and a table read for "Treehouse of Horror II," and even a "Baby Translator."

Daredevil Comes Home

Valentine's Day release DAREDEVIL it will be released on July 29th in separate 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions, each with Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, audio commentary with director Mark Steven Johnson and producer Gary Foster, a trivia fact track, an enhanced viewing version with making-of vignettes, and a whole second disc with even more extras: the "Behind Hells Kitchen" and "The Men Without Fear" documentaries, four additional featurettes, screen tests, multi-angle effects comparisons and dailies, a still gallery, three music videos and trailers. Retail is $26.95.

Not to be overshadowed by all the Daredevil hype is Steven Soderbergh's underrated remake of the sci-fi classic Solaris, which will also debut on the 29th. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, extras include what is sure to be a great audio commentary with Soderbergh and producer James Cameron, the HBO First Look special and Soderbergh's own "Making Of Solaris" documentary, a "screenplay still gallery" and trailers.

Mariah Not Good Enough For Justin?

According to Kyle & Jackie O, hosts of the Hot30.com Countdown - Australia's most popular and influential radio program, Justin Timberlake "doesn't want to be associated" with Mariah, and that is why he personally will not allow the release of "Yours". Not only that, but he said that Mariah is "uncool" and she "desperately" wants the duet released to regain her lost popularity."

Which means that she turned him down for something other than music.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Bob Hope named "Citizen of the Century" Tuesday by the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ailing Hope, who turns 100 next month, didn't attend the ceremony, but his wife and daughter did, along with Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Miller, Cindy Williams, Eva Marie Saint and Phyllis Diller.

THE PITTS

Jennifer Aniston signing on to star in and produce a dark comedy about a politician's wife who's confronted by a 10-year-old son she gave up for adoption, reports Variety. Hubby Brad Pitt is reportedly interested in a producing credit.

Andy Wants A New Godfather

Andy Garcia has an offer he thinks Paramount Pictures shouldn't refuse.

Make Godfather 4.

"Every single day, someone asks me about the status of Godfather 4," says Garcia who played Vinny Corleone in 1990's The Godfather: Part III.

"The irony and fascination for me is that -- with all the movies Paramount takes risks on each year -- they have this franchise people are desperate to see and they won't green-light it."

Garcia says when he was shooting The Godfather: Part III "there were already things Mario Puzo and Francis Coppola had worked out for a fourth film.

"It would be about Sonny Corleone in his 20s because that was Mario's favourite character."

James Caan played Sonny in 1972's The Godfather.

"I suggested Leonardo DiCaprio to Francis, who says he's very interested, but Paramount would have to hire (Coppola) simply as a director and writer."

Garcia says there would be a parallel story dealing with his character, so the film would take place in two eras flashing back and forth.

"On one side of the movie, you'd have a young demographic, which Hollywood is looking for, and then there's the other side with older actors.

"It seems the concept appeals to everyone except the executives at Paramount Pictures."

J.Lo voted top 'celebrity monster'

Jennifer Lopez tops the list of "celebrity monsters," according to a new U.S. magazine.

According to Radar magazine, to be a celebrity monster someone has to have, "distinguished themselves in the areas of physical and verbal abuse, overweening arrogance, and by the imposition of a particularly nasty influence over the culture at large."

J.Lo is guilty of a "cynical bid for urban authenticity," Radar says, citing reports when J.Lo returned to her native Bronx to film a video, her guards shoved excited kids out of her way-- leaving one young fan in tears.

Radar also blasts filmmaker Michael Moore for acting like a working class man while owning a $1.27 US million apartment.

Murphy and Baker Join SPIDER-MAN 2

Dylan Baker and Donna Murphy have joined the cast of SPIDER-MAN 2. Baker is set to play Dr. Curt Connors, a man who at one point in the Spidey mythos becomes the villain The Lizard. Murphy will play Rosalie Octavius, wife of Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Dr. Octavius becomes the evil Dr. Octopus and is the chief nemesis in the Spidey sequel.

Courtney Love In Label Talks

Courtney Love is in talks for a label deal with EMI, V2, Sanctuary, and several other companies, according to Dave Lory, who has signed her for personal management in partnership with David Leach, his colleague at Worldwide Entertainment Group. Love is in France recording the album "America's Sweetheart" with producer Jim Barber for an expected fall release. A number of tracks were co-written with 4 Non Blondes' Linda Perry, who has penned hits for Pink and Christina Aguilera.

In September, Love ended months of legal wrangling with Universal Music Group (UMG) and was released from her recording contract. Love is already signed to Poptones/Telstar in the U.K.

"America's Sweetheart" will be Love's first album since her band Hole's 1998 swan song, "Celebrity Skin."

Rocker Melissa Etheridge, Partner to Wed

LOS ANGELES - Rocker Melissa Etheridge plans to tie the knot at the end of this year with her companion of two years, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels.

"This is the first wedding for both of them," Etheridge's publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said Tuesday. He declined to reveal plans for the ceremony except to say it would take place in Los Angeles.

Etheridge, 41, has been dating Michaels, 28, for about two years, Pariseau said.

The musician shares custody of a daughter and a son with former partner Julie Cypher. The two made news in 2000 when they revealed that musician David Crosby was the sperm donor for their children, who were delivered by Cypher.

X-MEN'S Wolverine Will Likely Get Spun Off

Although even the director and the actor don't know anything about the project, producers of the "X-Men" movie and the upcoming "X2" sequel foresee a film spin-off for their most popular character, Wolverine.

In an interview with Zap2it.com on Sunday (April 13), producer Lauren Shuler Donner confirms that she wants to see a spin-off live action film of "Wolverine" -- played by Hugh Jackman -- and possibly the bad-guy Magneto, who is played by Ian McKellen.

"I can definitely see that happening, yes," says Donner, who has owned the rights to the Marvel characters for nearly a decade. "When I first read about the characters, I though that Wolverine was the most amazing character, he's a tragic hero."

Wolverine, played by the Australian actor Jackman, is a hairy mutant with retractable knives that come out of his hands during battle and cause him great pain, but he also has super-healing powers and his wounds close quickly. He is a loner, has no memory of his past, and is in love with another superhero, who is already committed.

Producer Ralph Winter says that the "X-Men" director Bryan Singer will undoubtedly be a part of any of the spin-offs because he has so intensely delved into the world of the team of mutants who are battling evil. "Bryan has a great insight into what makes the series such a popular piece of pop culture," Winter says. "He makes these characters seem real, like they live next door."

Singer, who says he has not yet signed the deal for a third film in the series, also says he knows nothing about any spin-off projects at this time.

And neither does Jackman, who tells Zap2it, "I'd do it if there is such a project, I love this character so much, it's a gift."

And Donner can see no one better to play the part, although at one point Dougray Scott (the bad guy in "Mission Impossible 2") was cast to play the part of Wolverine. Scheduling conflicts kept the actor from taking the part, and Jackman was pulled from doing the musical "Oklahoma" and cast at the last minute with some initial hesitation from the director -- until the 6-foot-3-inch Aussie walked onto the set in person.

"I can't see anyone playing Wolverine except Hugh Jackman, he has the sensitivity and testosterone to play the part," Donner gushes. "And he's a terrific actor!"

Cable TV's TNN Changes Name to Spike

NEW YORK - Spike is no longer just the name of a famous film director or a volleyball move. Now it's the name of a cable network, too.

Struggling TNN — which just two years ago changed from The Nashville Network to The National Network_ announced Tuesday that, effective June 16, it will call itself Spike TV and become the first network aimed specifically at men.

"We just like the idea of having a guy's name," said Albie Hecht, network president. "We thought that was smart and fun and irreverent."

TNN's switch isn't exactly a stretch. Since it already airs World Wrestling Entertainment, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and a made-up game of basketball played on trampolines called "slam ball," nearly two-thirds of TNN's audience is male, anyway.

Lifetime, Oxygen and the Women's Entertainment network all seek female viewers. Although outlets like ESPN have a mostly male audience, Hecht said Spike TV is the first to explicitly identify this as a goal.

The switch also enables TNN, and parent company Viacom, a chance to outmaneuver the publishers of Maxim magazine. Dennis Publishing is developing a cable channel called the Maxim Entertainment Network, or MEN.

Viacom's attempt two years ago to keep the TNN initials, though, confused some viewers who still saw it as a regional, country music-oriented channel.

TNN's ratings have been sagging, with an average prime-time audience of a little more than 1 million viewers during the first three months of 2003, down 16 percent from the same year-earlier period. TNN dropped from the eighth-most popular basic cable station to 14th.

Its most popular programs, Monday's two WWE wrestling shows, are off 22 percent in viewership, with "Star Trek" down 32 percent, Nielsen Media Research said.

They will remain on Spike TV. Spike will also work with Men's Health magazine to produce segments on fitness or relationships, and CBS Marketwatch to provide financial updates.

New programs in the works include "A Guy and His Stuff," about gizmos and gadgets, and "Top 10 Things Every Guy Should Experience," which will follow men to top sporting events like the Super Bowl.

Spike TV is already available in 86 million television homes.

Despite the name, Hecht promises the network will be no He-Man Woman Hater's Club.

"We'll be unapologetically male," he said. "But it will also be a place where women are welcomed."

Beat Street and The Family Guy Both In One Day?!

One of the best films from the 80's about break dancing, BEAT STREET, is finaly bowing on DVD today (in my world and opinion!), alongside THE FAMILY GUY!

Family Guy: Volume 1 - Seasons 1 & 2 - All 28 episodes for the first two seasons of the Fox sitcom are featured in this four disc set. You can now watch Stewie anytime you want!

The fact that these two "classics" are now available almost makes up for the fact that my poor computer is on the fritz.

Oh well!

Here are the rest of the major titles that are available on video and DVD today, Tuesday, April 15th, 2003:

Drumline - Street drummer leads his college marching band in this surprisingly great film. (Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones, Candace Carey)

The Transporter - This formula ridden action films sees a delivery man break the rules and end up in trouble. (Jason Statham, Qi Shu, Ric Young)

Miyazaki's Spirited Away - The recent WELL DESERVING Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature allows you to witness a girl's quest to rescue her parents who were turned into pigs.

Rabbit-Proof Fence - A young aboriginal child leads uprising in Australia. (Kenneth Branagh, Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury)

Evelyn - Story of an Irishman who fights for custody of his children. (Pierce Brosnan, Julianna Margulies, Sophie Vavasseur)

Potential

The one thing that all fo today's new music releases have in common is potential. New discs from Jessica Andrews, 50 Cents, Fleetwood Mac and ZZ Top all have the potential to be: a) Full of good music and b) Best sellers.

The main disc seeing the light of day on this fifteenth day of April is the debut disc from Kelly Clarkson, the winner from the original "American Idol."

For the record, her first feature, From Justin to Kelly, hits theaters June 13.

Here are the rest of the New Music Releases for Tuesday April 15, 2003:

50 CENT The New Breed (DVD Video) (Shady Records/Interscope)
50 CENT The New Breed (DVD) (Interscope)
ARMORED SAINT Symbol Of Salvation (Metal Blade)
BILL FRISELL The Intercontinentals (Nonesuch/Warner)
BILLY GILMAN Heartsongs (Epic)
EDWYN COLLINS Doctor Syntax (Instinct Records)
FLEETWOOD MAC Say You Will (Warner)
GENERATION X Anthology (Capitol)
JESSICA ANDREWS Now (DreamWorks)
KELLY CLARKSON Thankful (RCA)
LISA GERMANO Lullaby For Liquid Pig (Imusic)
MARQUES HOUSTON MH (A&M)
MELLOWDRONE A Demonstration of Intellectual Property (Imusic)
SOUNDTRACK - MOVIE Holes (Hollywood)
STACIE ORRICO Stuck (CD Single) (Virgin)
THE DEARS No Cities Left (Maple Music)
WHIRLWIND HEAT Do Rabbits Wonder? (V2)
WIDESPREAD PANIC Ball (Sanctuary Records)
ZIGGY MARLEY & THE MELODY MAKERS Dragonfly (Private Music)
ZZ TOP Mescalero (RCA)

Canadian Idol fever has officially begun.

Yesterday, the first of the auditions kicked off in Winnipeg and the celebrity judges were announced.

"You wouldn't believe the scene here in Winnipeg. The line wrapped around the hotel and then for two blocks," says Canadian Idol executive producer John Brunton.

"I'm thrilled with some of the singers here."

As for the four judges -- singer Sass Jordan and a trio of industry insiders, Farley Flex, Jake Gold and Zack Werner -- Brunton says they won't be mimicking the successful American Idol team.

"The Canadian Idol starts with the credibility of our judges.

"We were looking for people who were smart and had a great depth of knowledge of the industry and a good eye for picking talent," says Brunton, who has been involved with nine Juno Award shows.

He also predicts the only female on the panel won't be shy. "Sass was one of my No. 1 choices ... she's a woman with balls. She won't be a wallflower."

Canadian Idol's 26 episodes will follow the basic format of the popular American Idol and the original British production Pop Idol.

A new set is being built and the finalists will compete in Toronto.

"I think there are a few points of difference (between the homegrown and U.S. Idol productions)," says Brunton. He points out that the Canadian competitors are more diverse -- not just Britney Spears clones.

"Our view of who can be special ... is a lot more broad than pop idol."

For more information on auditioning, check out the official website.

COMEBACK?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus' single gal sitcom Ellie returns to NBC tonight minus the countdown clock and real-time format.

IDOL FIXATION

Meanwhile, Billy Joel sits in as the guest judge on tonight's American Idol as the finalists sing tunes from the Piano Man's songbook.

ON THE MEND

Rodney Dangerfield, who underwent 12-hour brain surgery last week, is breathing on his own and could be moved out of intensive care later this week. The 81-year-old comic needed the surgery to increase his blood flow in preparation for an upcoming heart-valve replacement.

Kid Rock's True Love Reflected In 'Picture'

Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow's hit duet, "Picture," continues to rapidly climb both the country and adult contemporary singles charts, but it might never have seen the light of day had it not been for Rock's eccentric girlfriend, actress Pamela Anderson. Anderson said she personally brought the song to syndicated radio show host Rick Dees and had him play it, creating a domino effect with stations around the country who immediately picked up on it and added it to their playlists. Prior to recording "Picture" himself, Rock tried to pitch the song to various country singers, including Faith Hill.

Anderson adds that the irony in the song's success is that Rock's label told him he'd be committing career suicide if he recorded and released a country song.

"He doesn't have a lot of support on the West Coast and so I brought it into Rick Dees and I made him play it, and it started gettin' picked up and stuff and now it's all over the place," Anderson said. "I love Sheryl. She's real cool and we kind of laughed at some of the stuff that was goin' on in the press, but it's all good. He's been tryin' to get someone to sing that song for years and years and years, like Faith, and I think he tried to give it to someone else, and his record company told him it would ruin his career if he sang a country song, and that's just who he is."

While Rock's recorded music is rap- and rock-heavy, Anderson said that his true love is country music, which he plays at every opportunity with friends like Travis Tritt, Hank Williams, Jr. and Rascal Flatts, among others.

"I think everyone's really surprised, but, you know, I hear him play, like every night, play the blues, play with all his friends, and his friends are from Travis to Hank to Rascal Flatts--I mean, anyone that's around," Anderson said. "This is the music that he plays. Everything else is sides of him too, but I think more so country."

"Picture" is featured on Rock's current album, Cocky.

Faith Hill Locks In 'Stepford Wives' Role

Faith Hill will make her big screen debut in the feature film re-make of the 1975 thriller The Stepford Wives. The singer is currently in talks with Paramount execs about playing the role of suburban wife Charmaine Wimperis in the film, which also stars Nicole Kidman, John and Joan Cusack, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken and Roger Bart.

The Stepford Wives is currently in pre-production, with a tentative release date of 2004.

Oh, and by the way, Hill will release her new single, "You're Still Here," on April 28.

Schwarzenegger to Host Villians Special

LOS ANGELES - Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's portrayed robots both killing and kindly, will host an upcoming TV special about the top 100 heroes and villains of the screen.

An American Film Institute poll asked voters to choose among 400 nominated characters from American film history and decide which should be considered wicked or virtuous.

Schwarzenegger's T-800 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.

The show is scheduled for June 3 on CBS and will feature interviews with actors including Kirk Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper and Christopher Reeve.

AFI has sent ballots to nearly 1,500 directors, actors, studio executives, critics and others in the entertainment industry.

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.

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.

Johnny English Bungles His Way to Box Office Crown

LONDON (Reuters) - "Johnny English," the spoof spy thriller starring Rowan Atkinson, has outwitted its contenders to go top of the UK box office.

The comedy about an accident-prone secret agent made 3.4 million pounds (about $5.34 million) in its first weekend, according to figures from Screen International released on Tuesday.

The film, which also stars Australian actress Natalie Imbruglia and U.S. actor John Malkovich, has also topped the charts in Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia.

Atkinson -- who gained movie fame as the hapless "Mr. Bean" -- stars as an agent on a mission to rescue the crown jewels and save the monarchy from a French tyrant, played by Malkovich.

Disney sequel "The Jungle Book 2" opened in second place. The film, which continues the tale of Mowgli and his old jungle friends like Baloo the bear, raked in 1.44 million pounds.

Spy thriller "The Recruit" starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell dropped from top spot back to number three with action-comedy "Shanghai nights" falling back to fourth.

Pop group S Club's first venture from TV to the big screen -- "S Club Seeing Double" -- debuted in fifth spot. The film, which tells of a mad scientist cloning the band as part of a plot to take over the world, has been widely panned by critics.

"Blue Crush," the tale of a surfer-babe in love, dropped to sixth, with comedy "Just Married" seventh and Vin Diesel thriller "A Man Apart" in eighth.

Jennifer Lopez's "Maid in Manhattan" clung on at nine, just ahead of romantic drama "The Rules of Attraction."

'Two Towers,' 'Spider-Man' Top MTV Movie Nominees

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Just when they thought it was over, moviegoers were served up a new plate of film award nominees on Monday from cable TV network MTV, topped by popular hits "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "Spider-Man."

Unlike March's serious-minded Oscars, which are the U.S. film industry's top honors and mark the climax of Hollywood's annual award season, MTV's June movie bash cheers on youthful flicks with cheeky categories like best kiss and best fight.

"We plan on mounting the funniest, loudest, most high-flying show to date," executive producer Joel Gallen said in a statement.

SWEET NEW (VIRTUAL) CATEGORY

This year, MTV added a new group for actors who exist only in the digital world; best virtual performance, where computer generated Yoda from "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" will fight off competition from digital dog Scooby-Doo in "Scooby-Doo," creepy Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," Dobby of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," and Kangaroo Jack of the comedy of the same name.

Just like the Oscars, however, MTV fans want to know who their peers pick as the favorite movies and stars. Nominees are chosen from MTV and MTV2 viewer polling.

The best film group was led by box office hits "Spider-Man" and "Two Towers." Each earned five nominations. Joining them among best film nominees were "8 Mile," starring rapper Eminem in his film debut, "Barbershop" headlined by rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube and thriller "The Ring."

BEST KISS

Eminem also landed in the category for best actor where he will take on Spider-Man Tobey Maguire and action hero Vin Diesel of "XXX." Pitted against that trio will be a pair of Hollywood's hottest leading men, Leonardo DiCaprio for "Catch Me If You Can" and Viggo Mortensen for "Two Towers."

Best actress nominees are topped by Maguire's "Spider-Man" love interest Kirsten Dunst along with Reese Witherspoon for "Sweet Home Alabama" and Halle Berry for portraying James Bond's sidekick Jinx in "Die Another Day." Also included are Kate Hudson in "How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days" and Queen Latifah for movie musical "Chicago."

Maguire and Dunst made the list for the coveted best kiss trophy for "Spider-Man." They face off against Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner of "Daredevil," Nick Cannon and Zoe Saldana in "Drumline," DiCaprio and "Gangs of New York" co-star Cameron Diaz, and Adam Sandler and Emily Watson in "Punch-Drunk Love."

Best fight features the lightsaber contest between Yoda and Christopher Lee in "Attack of the Clones," as well as Jet Li versus the Ultimate Fighters in "Cradle 2 the Grave," Fann Wong versus the Palace Guards in "Shanghai Knights" and Johnny Knoxville versus boxer Butterbean in "Jackass: The Movie."

The MTV Movie Awards will air on June 6. Last year's show was watched by over seven million viewers and was MTV's most-viewed movie award show ever among audiences aged 12 years-old to 34 years-old.

Lewinsky to Host Dating Reality Show

NEW YORK - Handbag maker, gossip-column fodder and former presidential intern Monica Lewinsky has a new gig: host of a dating game on Fox called "Mr. Personality."

"I've come to realize that I've already had my own reality show," Lewinsky told Newsweek for a story in this week's editions, out Monday.

"Mr. Personality," which debuts April 21, will feature a stockbroker named Hayley and 20 masked men vying for her affection. Hayley must choose a man based on his inner beauty.

In addition to hosting the show, Lewinsky offers dating advice in her role as Hayley's confidante.

The woman who has pleaded for privacy in the past told Newsweek she realizes she is a public figure.

"I walk down the street and people recognize me," Lewinsky said. "That happened before I decided to do this show, and it will happen after."

Lewinsky is not sure if she'll continue in television. She's still designing purses and is considering law school or graduate school in psychology.

"I'm trying to see what is going to work best for me and what is my career," she said. "I'm trying to figure out my life."

Daytime TV to Get First Lesbian Kiss

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Daytime television viewers -- considered to be among America's most conservative audiences -- will see their first on-screen lesbian kiss next week, ABC television said on Monday.

The kiss will take place during the April 22 episode of the Emmy-award winning soap opera "All My Children," making what ABC said would be a first in the world of daytime television.

It comes in a scene featuring gay teen character Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel), who came out as a lesbian in 2000, and her new friend Lena (Olga Sosnovska) who "in a moment of truth and true love ... comes to terms with her feelings."

"All My Children" has tackled a number of controversial topics during its 33 years on the air including AIDS, abortion, drug abuse, racial bias and teenage alcoholism.

"The theme of 'All My Children' from the beginning is the belief that, as God's children, we are all bound to each other by our common humanity despite our many personal differences; that it is our failure to understand and respect those differences that causes most of life's pain and suffering," said the show's creator, Agnes Nixon, in a statement..

"The Bianca story is our latest effort to dramatize that belief," she added.

'Matrix Reloaded' Trailer Debuts on Web

Warner Bros. has released the final trailer for "The Matrix Reloaded," the long-awaited sequel to "The Matrix."

The two-and-a-half-minute trailer can be seen in small, medium or large size and mixes martial arts fight scenes, car chases and special effects.

Wanna see it?!?

"The Matrix Reloaded" will have its world premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival on May 15. It re-teams Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss, with Jada Pinkett Smith joining the cast. The final part of the trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions," will be released in November.

Jewel's Latest Project Inspired By War

Jewel's upcoming album, 0304, was done with war time in mind. The singer recently told VH1: "During the Second World War, big band music was at its zenith. I knew we were headed to war, and I wanted to make a record that was fun, that made you have the same feelings as big band music and just makes you want to lose yourself in rhythm and feel passionate and young."

Jewel, who has an aunt and an uncle in the Marines, has been closely following the war in Iraq. "I'm glad people are talking about it now," she told VH1. "It's gotten to where it's frightening to see how little people are being encouraged to speak against it. I wish it wasn't happening, but I'd hate for the troops to feel unsupported. I don't make the decisions.

It's frustrating."

The singer-songwriter is still completing 0304, which is set for release on June 3. The album's first single, "Intuition," was recently released to radio.

Prinze Jr. Hopes For Writing Career

RADNOR, Pa. - Freddie Prinze Jr. says he plans to stop acting eventually to pursue a writing career.

"I'm going to stop acting in the next few years because it's just too weird," Prinze says in the April 19 issue of TV Guide. "You have to constantly be willing to live in a scary, emotional place, which is why actors are in therapy all the time."

Prinze has acted in such films as "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Scooby-Doo" and is now shooting the sequel to the latter opposite wife Sarah Michelle Gellar.

But in the future, he plans to turn his efforts to writing and has already written one episode of the TV series "Mutant X" that will air this month.

"People don't think I can construct a sentence, let alone write a script," he said.

'Anger Management' Tops Box Office

LOS ANGELES - "Anger Management" bullied its way to the No. 1 spot with a whopping $44.5 million box office in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson comedy revived the box office after four straight slumping weekends as the top 12 movies took in $86.9 million, up 6 percent from the same weekend last year.

"Anger Management" grossed more than the rest of the top 12 combined. Last weekend's No. 1, "Phone Booth," fell to second place with $7.5 million.

Playing in 3,551 theaters, "Anger Management" averaged an impressive $12,532 a cinema. The weekend's other main new release, Rob Zombie's gory horror tale "House of 1,000 Corpses," was No. 7 with $3.4 million in 595 theaters, for a $5,714 average.

"Anger Management" had the highest gross ever for a movie opening in April, beating the previous record of $36.1 million set by last year's "The Scorpion King."

Sandler plays a mild-mannered man railroaded into anger counseling with a therapist, played by Nicholson, who puts him through ordeals that goad him into comic outbursts.

Audiences have gobbled up comedies this year, possibly because they are looking for escape from news about the Iraq war. The $100 million hit "Bringing Down the House" was No. 1 for three straight weekends, and "Head of State" debuted at the top of the box office.

"The comedy genre this year is just incapable of burning out," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "People are looking to blow off steam. What better way than seeing a movie that combines Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler?"

In limited release, the low-budget "Better Luck Tomorrow" had a huge first weekend, grossing $398,489 in just 13 theaters for an average of $30,653. Directed by Justin Lin, the film features a cast of unknowns in the story of straight-A, Asian-American teens who, bored with their suburban lives, slide into petty crimes that lead to violence.

MTV Films acquired the movie at last year's Sundance Film Festival, feeling its fresh faces, dark humor, eclectic music and ambivalent ending would appeal to the network's youthful audience.

Asian-Americans made up a bit more than half the audience, but the filmmakers hope it can cross over to a wider crowd as the movie expands to more theaters over the next two weekends.

"These kids could be anybody," said Van Toffler, MTV president. "It's silly to underestimate the eclectic moviegoing tastes of our demographic. The cast doesn't have to look or feel like them for them to want to see it."

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. "Anger Management," $44.5 million.
2. "Phone Booth," $7.5 million.
3. "What a Girl Wants," $6.7 million.
4. "Bringing Down the House," $4.6 million.
5. "A Man Apart," $4.5 million.
6. "Head of State," $4 million.
7. "House of 1,000 Corpses," $3.4 million.
8. "Chicago," $3.3 million.
9. "The Core," $3.2 million.
10. "Basic," $2.2 million.

D'oh! British PM Blair Meets Homer Simpson

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair put aside his concerns about Iraq for a few minutes to star as an animated version of himself in an episode of cult TV cartoon "The Simpsons," a Downing Street spokesman said on Saturday.

Blair, a longtime fan of the show, spent a short time on Friday recording a few lines of dialogue for a special edition of the hit series in which the dysfunctional yellow cartoon family come to Britain for a holiday.

"The Prime Minister takes every opportunity he can to promote Britain and the script enables him to bang the drum for the tourist industry to a worldwide audience," the spokesman said, adding that the long-planned episode had nothing to do with the war on Iraq.

U.S. citizens make up the largest number of tourists to Britain but visitor numbers have fallen sharply this year because of the war on Iraq and its lead-up.

The series is known for the steady parade of guest celebrities -- including former U.S. President George Bush and actress Elizabeth Taylor -- who queue up to be lampooned by lending their voices and animated caricatures in guest appearances.

Blair's cartoon alter-ego is depicted with a big cheesy grin and sticky-out ears.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and actor Sir Ian McKellen also feature in the British episode.

Poll: Fans Still Burned By Dixie Chicks

WASHINGTON - A new online survey by a Web marketing company shows that a majority of the 1,200 people polled are "less likely" to purchase Dixie Chicks CDs, concert tickets and merchandise.

New Media Strategies cites online responses as proof that country music fans are still rankled by Natalie Maines' comments to a London audience almost four weeks ago.

NMS asked a subset of country music fans from Texas "Are you are embarrassed that Natalie Maines and The Dixie Chicks are from the Lone Star State?" The marketing firm says 75 percent said, "Yes."

The Texas trio's lead singer, Natalie Maines, irked many of the group's fans last month when she told a London audience, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

Maines has since issued an apology but that hasn't stopped the firestorm of criticism.

Gunmen Shoot at Car Carrying Snoop Dogg

LOS ANGELES - Three gunmen shot at a convoy of cars, one of which was carrying Snoop Dogg. The rap star wasn't hit but one of his bodyguards was injured.

Police said the shooting happened Thursday night in the Mid-City area as up to five cars, including one carrying Snoop Dogg, were traveling through the area. Another car pulled alongside the convoy and three men with guns began shooting, said police Officer Don Cox, a police spokesman. Bullets hit two of the vehicles.

The wounded man, an off-duty police officer with the Inglewood Unified School District, was shot in the back, police Sgt. Brian Owen said. The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was taken to a hospital and released early Friday, Owen said. It was unclear whether he was in the same vehicle as Snoop Dogg.

Owen said it appears that one of the shooters wanted to speak with the rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus. Words were exchanged, followed by gunfire. It wasn't immediately known what was said.

No arrests have been made.

The rap star's entourage included seven bodyguards, five from the Inglewood school district and two state parole officers, Owen said.

Police questioned Snoop Dogg, the bodyguards and other people who were with him. Owen said he didn't expect them to be booked for a crime.

James Cameron may direct another ALIEN movie.

James Cameron, who directed Aliens, held out the possibility of helming another installment of the popular SF franchise in an interview with the Edmonton Sun newspaper. Cameron told the paper that it would have to be truly scary and likely an R-rated film.

The 1979 original Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, "holds a special classic niche as one of the great terrifying experiences," Cameron said. "And the trick [to making a new Alien film] is you don't go crazy and make a $150-million movie, because you don't want to have to compromise. You don't want to try to do a PG-13 Alien that is all things to everyone."

Cameron added, "It's got to still maintain its roots in this kind of cinematic id. Ridley did it really beautifully. He just kind of put you into this Freudian nightmare space."

Schwarzenegger, Rice Eye Calif. Gov. Race

WASHINGTON - The Terminator versus the national security adviser for California governor in 2006?

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, weighing a run for the job, met Thursday with Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser.

If he decides to run, Schwarzenegger may face a challenge from national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, who has spoken to senior Republicans about running for California's top job, according to a Bush adviser. Rice's candidacy is a "real possibility," this adviser said, adding that Rice wants to take on an executive role.

A senior Republican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Rice has told friends and associates she will not run for the Senate in 2004, but she has been careful in conversations not to rule out a gubernatorial bid two years later. This official, who talks frequently with Bush and his top advisers, said that while Rice does not seem to spend much, if any, time talking about politics, no one in the White House, including the president, would be surprised to see her run in 2006.

Rice's spokeswoman, Anna Perez, said the adviser "is not thinking about it, is not talking about it, is not considering it. She's very busy."

Rice, originally from Birmingham Ala., is on leave from Stanford University and was the school's provost from 1993 to 1999.

White House officials said Schwarzenegger simply dropped by to talk about an after-school program that California voters approved last year and to see what he could do to support U.S. troops overseas. Schwarzenegger also met with Lezlee Westine, director of the White House Office of Public Liaison; Education Secretary Rod Paige and lawmakers.

Politics didn't come up in the actor's session with Rove, the officials said.

But Rove plays a powerful role in selecting Republican candidates across the country and courting him could give Schwarzenegger's political fortunes a lift.

Schwarzenegger is also monitoring an effort under way in California to unseat Democratic Gov. Gray Davis through a recall campaign. "If it were to happen, he'd really have to think about it, because otherwise it could pass him by," said Rob Stutzman, communications consultant to the California GOP.

A political adviser to Schwarzenegger did not immediately return a call Thursday.

Report: Apple May Buy Universal for $6B

LOS ANGELES - Apple Computer Inc. is in discussions about buying Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, for as much as $6 billion, according to a published report Friday.

Talks between Apple and Vivendi Universal, Universal Music Group's parent company, have been held secretly for months, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Apple may offer $5 billion to $6 billion for the music company before Vivendi's April 29 board meeting, the newspaper said, citing sources it did not identify.

When reached by the newspaper, representatives for both Apple and Vivendi declined to comment about the possible deal.

Vivendi has been trying to sell some of its assets and raise about $7 billion this year after barely staving off bankruptcy in 2002 as it struggled to cope with billions of debt, a collapsing share price and boardroom infighting. Top executives such as Barry Diller and former chairman Jean-Marie Messier have departed within the last year.

Investor Marvin Davis has offered about $13 billion for 65 percent of the entertainment assets and has been the only known bidder to express serious interest in the music company. A separate sale of the music operation would appear to work in favor of Liberty Media Corp. and others that are focused on the company's other entertainment properties.

Apple, which has annual sales of about $5.7 billion, owns less than 3 percent of the desktop computing market but has indicated that supplying music to customers may be its future.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been testing a service that allows users to buy and download digital music for their computers. The service is expected to debut by the end of April.

Universal reaps about $6 billion in sales annually from artists such as 50 Cent, Shania Twain and U2, but has seen operating profits slide 23 percent last year. It accounts for about 25 percent of all CD sales and has such top labels as Interscope and Def Jam.

Vivendi first approached Apple CEO Steve Jobs in December, not long after its music executives visited Apple's headquarters to view a demonstration of Apple's new digital service, sources told the Times.

And its AWESOME!

Sales Value Sees 7.2% Decline In 2002

Piracy, competition for consumer spending, and economic uncertainty helped send the value of global music sales down 7.2% to $32.2 billion last year, according to figures released Wednesday by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Unit sales fell 8% from 2001.

Global sales of CD albums suffered a 6% drop from 2001 to 2.25 billion units. Singles fell 16% to 265 million units, and cassette albums plummeted 36% to 487 million units. Combined audio product --including the vinyl LP format -- reached a value of $30.98 billion, down 7.5% from 2001.

Music videos, on the other hand, saw growth in value of 12% to $1.25 billion. This was driven by growth in DVD music titles of 58%, which offset a 42% decline in VHS sales.

On a regional basis, all territories except Africa experienced significant downturns. The economic difficulties in Asia and Latin America served to exacerbate the industry's problems in those territories: Asia excluding Japan saw value fall 16.5%, while Latin America suffered a 13% fall.

"2002 was just about what people expected; there were no great surprises during the year," IFPI chairman/CEO Jay Berman tells Billboard Bulletin. He says he believes 2003 will be similar to 2002, with the "worst-case scenario" being a value downturn of 5%. "I sincerely believe we're getting close to the turnaround," he says.

Another Michael Jackson Special for Fox

LOS ANGELES - The Michael Jackson television frenzy isn't over.

Jackson, who delivered millions of viewers to ABC, NBC and Fox during the February ratings sweeps, will be the subject of a two-hour Fox special to kick off the next sweeps period.

The program, with the working title "Michael Jackson's Private Home Movies," will offer a peek into the pop star's private home movie collection, Fox said.

The April 24 show will provide "unprecedented access to thousands of hours of never-before-seen footage revealing his real life, family and friends," the network said.

A wave of Jackson programming hit the networks for February sweeps, one of several periods of intense ratings measurement used to help set advertising rates.

A "Dateline NBC" special on Jackson's changing face drew more than 14 million viewers, while an interview with Jackson by British journalist Martin Bashir attracted an audience of 27 million to ABC.

Jackson, displeased with the Bashir program, gave his side of the story on a Fox special that drew 14 million viewers. Brad Lachman, who produced the Fox special, also is producing the home movies show.

'Anger Management' Targets Box Office Records

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Anger Management" appears to already have the competition crying uncle.

Rival studio executives have essentially conceded the weekend in advance to the new PG-13 comedy from Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. "Anger" is the only wide release entering the fray this week, and industry expectations are that it is likely to shatter April box office records.

Opening in 3,551 theaters, the movie will be saturating multiplexes from coast to coast. Boasting a head-to-head confrontation between explosive generational icons Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, the comedy -- directed by Peter Segal and produced by Sandler's Happy Madison production company -- is as close to a sure thing as the business ever offers up.

The premise centers on Sandler playing a wrongly accused criminal who must take part in an anger management program run by Nicholson's character, who harbors his own anger issues.

With the two stars set to bring in a considerably wide demographic, coupled with the recent success of comedies and the lack of competition in the theaters, most expect the film to break the April record set last year by Universal Pictures' "The Scorpion King," which brought in $36 million in its opening weekend.

"The question at this point is not an issue of competition but how much a movie can do in the month of April," one distribution executive said.

With a script credited to David Dorfman, the movie is expected to jolt the box office out of its doldrums. "Anger" also is likely to take a chunk out of last weekend's openers. Distribution execs predict that 20th Century Fox's "Phone Booth" could lose close to 50% in its second frame, while Warner Bros. Pictures' "What a Girl Wants" may drop by more than 30%. New Line Cinema's "A Man Apart" also is likely to fall considerably in its follow-up weekend.

But with the spring holidays also arriving next week, "Anger" could face new competition as early as Wednesday. Rather than launch April 18, which happens to be Good Friday, both MGM and Fox will unveil new pictures Wednesday. MGM has the action-comedy "Bulletproof Monk," starring Chow Yun-Fat, while Fox hopes to lure Latino moviegoers to the romantic comedy "Chasing Papi," starring Eduardo Verastegui.

But first, this weekend must play out. While Sony's "Anger" takes the extra-wide release route, Buena Vista is taking a chance on an experimental documentary by "Titanic" director James Cameron as he explores the actual sunken superliner, an underwater grave where 1,500 passengers of Titanic's doomed cruise rest. The unscripted, 3-D "Ghosts of the Abyss," produced in conjunction with Walden Media and narrated by Bill Paxton, uses state-of-the-art technology developed expressly for this expedition and will bow in 97 theaters, in both 35 mm and large-screen format.

Meanwhile, a fearless Lions Gate is releasing Rob Zombie's horror film "House of 1000 Corpses," which had been shelved by Universal Pictures until Zombie bought the film back and found distribution elsewhere. The film marks the feature directorial debut for the rock singer. Lions Gate will release the R-rated film in 595 sites.

On the indie front, two films with considerable buzz bow this weekend in very limited release. Paramount Classics is releasing director Jason Lin's "Better Luck Tomorrow" under the MTV Films label. The movie, which follows a group of Asian-American friends who dabble in crime, was acquired at 2002's Sundance festival for less than $1 million.

Also acquired after debuting at last year's Sundance fest is IFC Films' limited release "XX/XY." Starring indie fave Mark Ruffalo and Kathleen Robertson, the R-rated film centers on three friends who begin a three-way relationship that spirals out of control. The film, set to open in New York and Los Angeles, is written and directed by newcomer Austin Chick.

Who are you?

Get to know her by scrolling down!

Poppy rocks, and not just in November!

Buscemi Joining THE SOPRANOS

Steve Buscemi has agreed to join the cast of HBO's THE SOPRANOS in the fifth season. No word on what character he'll play, but his deal includes an option for the sixth season as well.

Carmen Electra Up For STARSKY AND HUTCH

Carmen Electra is in negotiations to join the cast of Warner Bros' film adaption of the '70s cop show STARSKY AND HUTCH, starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. The film will star Stiller as Detective David Starsky, Owen Wilson as Detective Kenneth Hutchison and Snoop Dogg as informant Huggy Bear. Electra will play Stiller's girlfriend. Stuart Cornfeld, Akiva Goldsman, Tony Ludwig, Alan Riche and William Blinn are producing. Stiller and Gil Adler are executive producing. Todd Phillips is directing from a script he wrote with Steve Long, John O'Brien and Scott Armstrong.

HOSPITALIZED

Rodney Dangerfield undergoing a brain operation Tuesday to improve his body's blood flow in preparation for upcoming heart-valve-replacement surgery, his publicist confirmed. Doctors will examine the comic later today to determine whether the operation was successful.

POWER PLAYERS

Steven Spielberg tops Premiere magazine's annual power list. At number 13 Tom Hanks is the most powerful actor, while Julia Roberts is the most powerful actress at number 18.

Kelly Clarkson Says Thanks on Debut Album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Kelly Clarkson gets a hand from a host of high-profile songwriters and producers on her debut album, "Thankful," due April 15 from RCA.

The "American Idol" queen is joined by fellow former competitor Tamyra Gray on "You Thought Wrong," a songwriting collaboration between Clarkson and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The up-tempo first single "Miss Independent" was written and produced by Rhett Lawrence, and was one of the songs in consideration to be recorded by Christina Aguilera for her latest RCA set, "Stripped."

The 12-track "Thankful," which was executive produced by Clive Davis, also features new mixes of "A Moment Like This" and "Before Your Love," the star-making tracks that sewed up Clarkson's "American Idol" victory. Upon its commercial release last October, "A Moment Like This" broke the Beatles' 28-year-old record of making the biggest leap to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 when it rocketed 52-1 on the chart.

Other contributors to the album include power ballad songwriting titan Diane Warren (Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing," LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live") and producers Matthew Wilder (No Doubt, 'N Sync) and Clif Magness (Avril Lavigne, O-Town).

Clarkson performed "Miss Independent" Wednesday night on "American Idol." She will be seen co-starring with fellow "Idol" finalist Justin Guarini in the film "From Justin to Kelly," which opens June 13 in U.S. theaters.

Here is the track list for "Thankful":

"The Trouble With Love Is"
"Miss Independent"
"Low"
"Some Kind of Miracle"
"What's Up Lonely"
"Just Missed the Train"
"Beautiful Disaster"
"You Thought Wrong" featuring Tamyra Gray
"Thankful"
"Anytime"
"A Moment Like This" (new mix)
"Before Your Love" (new mix)

A 'Trace' of Poppy Montgomery

NEW YORK (AP) -- On "Without a Trace," Poppy Montgomery plays an FBI agent who carefully, methodically tracks down people gone missing.

But Montgomery landed this plum role on the hit CBS drama only after she threw herself headlong into a crazy adventure halfway around the world from her native Australia.

Granted, Montgomery was no overnight discovery when she became part of the splendid "Without a Trace" troupe, also comprising Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Enrique Murciano, Eric Close and, as the head of the Missing Persons task force, Anthony LaPaglia.

Nor was "Trace" (Thursdays at 10 p.m. EDT, with a special airing this Sunday at 10 p.m.) Montgomery's maiden series. Just 27, she also starred on the brief-but-well-thought-of "Relativity" and "The Beat," and, last season, the brief-but-never-noticed "Glory Days."

She also won praise for the 2001 TV film "Blonde," playing Marilyn Monroe in that four-hour adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oates novel.

She also played Party Girl No. 2 in "Tammy and the T-Rex" (1994), her first film, from which, with no prompting, she can still re-enact her big moment: "Omigod, it's a dinosaur!"

But first Montgomery had to get to Los Angeles and hound an agent into taking her on, remarkable considering her total lack of experience at the time.

"I didn't have a SAG card," she says, still marveling at her naivete. "I didn't know you needed head shots or a resume. I'd never acted before!"

'Everyone thinks I'm an American'

One thing she could do: talk like an American, which she figured would increase her employability.

One of Montgomery's co-stars in "Trace" is fellow Australian Anthony LaPaglia (out of focus in rear).

"When I got here, I decided I would do an American accent all the time," she recalls in a voice whose only Aussie remnant sounds like a soft Texas twang.

"To do it, at first I had to speak ... very ... slowly .... It drove my friends crazy. Now I can't really do an Australian accent anymore. I went home at Christmas, and everyone thinks I'm an American: They're rude to me in restaurants."

Montgomery grew up in Sydney with a brother and four sisters (Rosie, Lily, Daisy, Marigold -- sense a theme?), where she exhibited a rebellious streak that led her to drop out of school the first moment she legally could: at 14 years and nine months.

Her meandering search for a career path led to a youth acting class. In a production of "Twelfth Night" that toured Sydney area schools, she played one of two officers, her world premiere as an actress.

" 'No, sir. No jot' -- that was my line." Then a lot of standing around. "You know how people say there are no small roles, only small actors? ... At one point, I got so bored, I looked at the girl playing the other guard and just lost it onstage. You know when you get the giggles and you try to stop and it gets worse?

"Afterwards, I was telling myself maybe I'm not cut out for this."

But Montgomery abandoned all doubts when, at 19, she left her homeland for the United States, where she was sure she could make it as an actress.

"I arrived in Tampa, Florida," she recalls, "to see a friend of my brother's who I had a huge crush on.

"Then I thought I would come to New York and audition to go to Juilliard. But the people I knew in New York City weren't home when I called from the bus station, and the people I knew in L.A. were. So I got on a bus to L.A. It's a loooong trip."

Trying to 'do this role differently'

The trip eventually brought her to "Without a Trace," where she plays Agent Samantha Spade, whose demeanor -- tough, guarded -- is quite the opposite of Montgomery's.

Like her fellow co-stars, Montgomery brings impressive dimension to her largely stereotypical character (and makes the most of the occasional groaner dialogue such as: "I'll check all the pawn shops in the area. Maybe we'll get lucky").

Sunday's repeat gives Montgomery some of her best moments thus far, as Sam wrestles with a painful reaction to the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl.

"The great challenge, and the fun, is figuring out how I can do this role differently than it's been done before," Montgomery says. And now lodged, with her series, in the Nielsen top 20, she'll have plenty of time to take stock of how she got there.

"I had no fears," she sums up. "I think it helped that this wasn't my country. I figured, well, if I make a fool of myself, I can always go home. I think I have more fear now, with more success in my life, than I did then."

TOP DAVE GUY QUITS

David Letterman's "Late Show" has shuffled its deck behindthe scenes.

Leaving "Late Show" after eight years is director Jerry Foley, who snagged four Emmy nominations while working on Letterman's late-night CBS talk show.

Foley is developing a biopic and wants to work in episodic TV, according to Variety. He will be replaced by Randi Grossack until a new director is hired.

"They're big shoes to fill and he won't be an easy person to replace, but we understand why he thought it was time to move on," "Late Show" executive producer Rob Burnett told The Post.

"Randi will fill in for the time being and we're in the process of looking for someone right now," Burnett said. "We have no one in mind just yet, but we'll see."

Also on the "Late Show" front, Jude Brennan has been named an executive producer, joining Burnett, Barbara Gaines and Maria Pope in that capacity. Brennan had been consulting producer on the show.

"Really, the way to think about it is that everyone kind of gets together and makes decisions together," Burnett said of the four executive producers. "But Dave is the one who ultimately makes all the creative decisions on the show. It's really us presenting our ideas to Dave and Dave deciding what he'll do and won't do."

Burnett also said that, contrary to published reports, cue-card guy Tony Mendez, otherwise known as "Big Ink," won't be leaving the show.

"He's actually staying," Burnett said of Mendez, who appears in on-air skits. "He's not going anywhere right now."

Letterman, 55, returned to big numbers last week after missing four weeks battling shingles.

A roster of 14 celebrities (Elvis Costello, Bonnie Hunt, Brad Garrett and more) filled in for Letterman while he recovered.

How Will & Grace Nabbed Madonna

Madonna's April 24 guest shot on NBC's Will & Grace caps a two-year pursuit on the part of the sitcom's coexecutive producer Tim Kaiser — a mission that involved some wishful thinking, a little behind-the-scenes diplomacy and, perhaps most importantly, a bribe no material girl could resist. "I sent a lot of flowers," Kaiser laughs. "Madonna loves English roses, so I began to send these fantastic arrangements."

The floral fawning helped Kaiser penetrate Madonna's inner circle, although, "There wasn't much interest," he notes. "I was informed Madonna didn't own a television, or know Will & Grace existed." But, crazy for the pop icon, the scribe didn't give up. "I sent tapes of appearances by Matt Damon, Michael Douglas and whatnot, and... pitched how wonderful it would be for her to come on the show."

But it wasn't until last November — shortly after her latest film, Swept Away, tanked — that the singer showed any true blue consideration. However, Madonna's manager, Caresse Henry, denies that her client saw an opportunity to justify her acting ambition in the wake of the movie's failure. "She didn't do it to redeem herself," insists Henry, adding that the Evita star wanted a chance to "show her comedic side, because she's very funny." Another perk? The episode coincides with the April 22 release of her latest album, American Life.

Armed with a tentative OK, Kaiser — along with W&G exec producers Jeff Greenstein and Jhoni Marchinko — ran by the "Music" maker a number of potential plots. "She had one parameter," notes Kaiser. "She would not play herself. She wanted to act." After passing on several ideas (including one that cast her as a pupil in Jack's acting class), Madonna — a quick convert to the cult of Megan Mullally's alter ego Karen — jumped at a storyline that had her playing the socialite's new working class roomie. "She's a wannabe Sex and the City girl," says Greenstein.

Despite her insane schedule, the Queen of all Media showed up on time for rehearsals and displayed no diva behavior on the set. "I expected to put a PA on full alert," jokes Kaiser, "but she was a real professional." Just as startling, at the March 18 taping, the sitcom virgin discovered what it feels like for the new girl. "She had a few nerves," he concedes, "but once she got the first take down, she hit it out of the park."

With that success story in the bag, Kaiser is already counting the hours until he corrals his next big get. Hints the ex-Seinfeld exec: "We're big Nicole Kidman fans." We hear she thinks red roses are to die for.

Slim Pickens

There is almost absolutely nothing even worth mentioning that is being released on DVD and video today.

So why bother?

The head of Elvis Presley Enterprises releases her debut CD today.

Thirty-five year old Lisa Marie Presley bows musically with TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, an odd mixture of Sheryl Crow and over-produced pop that isn't all that bad.

There are other new discs hitting stores today, and here they are. These are the new Music Releases for Tuesday April 8, 2003:

* ANTHONY B Street Knowledge (VP)
* ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL 20 Greatest Hits (Capitol)
* BAABA MAAL Lam Too (Palm)
* BLACK UHURU Chill Out (Palm)
* BLUES BROTHERS The Essentials (Rhino)
* BOOMKAT Boomkatalog One (Universal)
* BRAVE SAINT SATURN The Light Of Things Hoped (Tooth & Nail)
* CHRIS COWIE Best Behaviour (System Recordings)
* CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE Exposure 4 (System Recordings)
* CLAUDE CHALLE Near Eastern Lounge (EMI)
* COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN Greatest Hits Live (EMI)
* DAVE RALPH Resident Alien (System Recordings)
* DON CAMPBELL Any Day Now (VP)
* DON MCLEAN Legendary Songs Of (Capitol)
* ELEFANT Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid (Palm)
* FEAR FACTORY Hatefiles (Roadrunner)
* FISHBELLY BLACK Crusader (Liquid)
* FLASHLIGHT BROWN My Degeneration (Hollywood)
* FRANKIE BONES Army Of One (System Recordings)
* GILLIAN WELCH The Revelator Collection (DVD Video) (Stony Plain)
* GOB Foot And Mouth Disease (Nettwerk)
* GODSMACK Faceless (Universal)
* GROVER WASHINGTON JR. The Essentials (Rhino)
* HAL KETCHUM The King Of Love (Curb)
* I MOTHER EARTH Quicksilver Meat Dream (Universal)
* JAMES TAYLOR Best of James Taylor (Warner)
* JOSH WINK Profound Sounds Vol. 1 (System Recordings)
* JOY ELECTRIC The Tick Tock Treasure (Tooth & Nail)
* JUNIOR SANCHEZ Best Of Dirty House Vol. 1 (System Recordings)
* KELLY PRICE Priceless (Def Jam)
* KENNY GARRETT Standard Of Language (Warner)
* LEO SAYER The Essentials (Rhino)
* LISA MARIE PRESLEY To Whom It May Concern (Capitol)
* LORD PRETENDER The Man Who Never Ever (Rituals Music)
* LUCINDA WILLIAMS World Without Tears (Lost Highway/Universal)
* MADONNA American Life (CD Single) (Maverick)
* MATCHBOOK ROMANCE West For Wishing (EP) (Epitaph)
* MC HONKY I Am The Messiah (Linus Entertainment)
* MISSY ELLIOTT Gossip Folks (CD Single) (Elektra)
* MOLLY HATCHET Greatest Hits Live (EMI)
* NIGEL RICHARDS Futurematic (System Recordings)
* NO FUN AT ALL Master Celebrations (Burning Heart)
* ORLEANS The Essentials (Rhino)
* R. CARLOS NAKAI Fourth Word (Canyon)
* RANDY TRAVIS The Essentials (Rhino)
* RUSSELL CROWE & 30 ODD FOOT OF GRUNTS Other Ways Of Speaking (Artemis)
* SAM KINISON Live From Hell (The Right Stuff)
* SANCHEZ He Has The Power (VP)
* SAWYER BROWN True Believer (Curb)
* SOOZIE TYRELL White Lines (Valley Entertainment)
* THE HOLLIES Greatest Hits (EMI)
* TONY ALLEN Home Cooking (Shakti)
* TRAPT Trapt (Warner)
* WINK Herehear (System Recordings)
* X-ECUTIONERS Scratchology (Sequence)
* YO LA TENGO Summer Sun (Matador)

Junos a smash hit for CTV

TORONTO (CP) -- The Juno Awards pulled in more Canadian viewers than the Grammys this year, with 2.2 million people tuning in to watch host Shania Twain and other stars of the music industry, CTV said Monday.

It's a sharp increase from last year's Junos broadcast from St. John's, Nfld., when the Barenaked Ladies hosted the event and 1.4 million viewers tuned in.

The Junos were held at the Corel Centre in Ottawa on Sunday night, capping a weekend of festivities in the nation's capital.

The Grammys on Feb. 23 in New York City, when music sensation Norah Jones claimed a total of eight prizes, pulled in 2.1 million viewers.

"The only award shows that have beat the Junos are the Oscars, of course, and the Golden Globes, which came in at just under three million viewers," said CTV spokesman Mike Cosentino.

The numbers were compiled by Nielsen Media Research and BBM. By night's end, BBM said 6.2 million viewers tuned in to watch some part of the show.

Still, the music award shows didn't come close to the achievements of the Academy Awards, which pulled in 4.76 million viewers this year, and the Golden Globes at 2.9 million.

The previous high for a Junos telecast was 1996, when CBC had the broadcast and drew 2.27 million viewers.

Dude, Where Am I?

American Pie and Dude, Where's My Car? star Seann William Scott tapped to host MTV's annual Movie Awards, set for May 31 in Santa Monica.

HITCHED

Russell Crowe marrying longtime gal-pal Danielle Spencer today. The bride, dressed in Giorgio Armani, arrived at Crowe's Down Under estate in a limo flanked by three Harley Davidson motorcycles.

Toby Keith Wins Country Video of Year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Toby Keith took home three awards Monday for his patriotic song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" at Country Music Television's 2003 Flameworthy Video Music Awards.

Keith, who was the host along with actress Pamela Anderson, was the biggest winner at the fan-voted awards show. He hauled in video of the year honors and also won in categories for cocky and male video.

"I dedicate this great award to Mr. Rumsfeld and Tommy Franks, and all the people over there (in Iraq) putting it down for us tonight," Keith said.

The fan-voted awards show aired live on Country Music Television from the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The show was CMT's second since last year's inaugural event.

About 3 million fans cast votes by Internet — nearly a million more than last year. Voting was completed in all categories before the awards show, except for video of the year. Fans were allowed to vote for their favorites in that category during the program.

Patriotism was a recurring theme during the show. Darryl Worley performed his hit, "Have You Forgotten." Singer Chris Cagle wished the troops "Godspeed" and a safe return home.

Comedian Brett Butler drew some boos when she mentioned the Dixie Chicks. Natalie Maines, lead singer for the group, attracted criticism last month when she reportedly told an audience in London, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."

The show included a tribute to Johnny Cash, hosted by Vince Gill, who was dressed in black in honor of singer known as "The Man in Black."

Cash was honored for his work on a video for a Nine Inch Nails song he recorded called "Hurt." The song and video are drawing attention from rock and country audiences.

"I can't begin to tell you how cool it is for this whole new young generation to be going, 'Who is this guy?,'" Gill said.

Because of the video's release date, it was not eligible for an award.

Cash, who suffers from a disease of the nervous system that makes him susceptible to pneumonia, was released from a Nashville hospital last week and did not attend the show.

Wife June Carter Cash accepted the award on Cash's behalf.

Anderson and Kid Rock brought some rock 'n' roll swagger to the show.

Rock, seated next to Hank Williams Jr., took sips from what appeared to be a tiny whiskey bottle, while Anderson brought a man onstage clad in underwear and cowboy boots with "Naked Cowboy" written across his bottom.

"I love country music. I grew up with it," Anderson said after the show.

Rock and Sheryl Crow performed their duet, "Picture," a surprise hit that landed Rock a male video of the year nomination.

The winners included:

_ Video of the Year: Toby Keith — "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue."

_ Group/Duo Video of the Year: Rascal Flatts - "These Days."

_ Female Video of the Year: Martina McBride - "Concrete Angel."

_ Male Video of the Year: Toby Keith - "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue."

_ Breakthrough Video of the Year: Joe Nichols - "Brokenheartsville."

_ Fashion Plate Video of the Year: Tim McGraw - "She's My Kind of Rain."

_ Concept Video of the Year: Shania Twain - "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!"

_ Hottest Female Video of the Year: Faith Hill - "When the Lights Go Down."

_ Hottest Male Video of the Year: Tim McGraw - "She's My Kind of Rain."

_ Cocky Video of the Year: Toby Keith - "Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue."

_ Video Director of the Year: Deaton Flanigen - Martina McBride - "Concrete Angel."

Winona Ryder Completes Service in Shoplifting Case

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - Actress Winona Ryder wants to hold a charity auction to sell the $5,500 worth of clothes and accessories that she stole from a posh department store but a judge on Monday was reluctant to buy into the plan.

Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Elden Fox praised the 31-year-old actress for completing the community service part of her three-year probation ahead of schedule but sparred with her lawyer, Mark Geragos, over whether she could dispose of the merchandise by holding a charity auction.

Ryder, sentenced on Dec. 6, 2002, for shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue, had to pay $10,000 in fines and restitution and became owner of the property.

Fox said he was not keen on the idea of a celebrity auction to dispose of the merchandise because as he told Geragos, "Your client should not benefit" from her crime. But he postponed making a final ruling.

Geragos told the judge it was "ironic" that the court would turn down such a money-making opportunity in the face of the county court system's steep budget problems. "It seems awful silly to take thousands of dollars of merchandise and burn it in a bonfire," Geragos said.

Outside of court, he told Reuters that he really did not understand why the judge was against the idea other than it was also being opposed by the district attorney.

Geragos said, "I can probably raise $100,000 on that stuff." He did not identify a charity or give any other details.

PRAISE FOR ACTRESS

Judge Fox praised Ryder, who stood silently beside her attorney during the half-hour hearing, for completing all 480 hours of community service that he ordered -- an amount that translated into 60 eight-hour days.

She read to children and helped out in the offices of the children's ward of City of Hope, a nationally renowned cancer treatment center in Duarte, northeast of Los Angeles.

"She has done more hours than the court ordered," Geragos said. "She developed a close relationship and really bonded with a couple of kids, one of them undergoing a bone marrow transplant and another with leukemia," he added outside court.

Ryder has not worked in films since her sentencing and instead has concentrated on completing her community service and going to a court-ordered therapist.

Fox told her, "I want you to continue to do what you have been doing. These are positive reports and I expect to continue to see more of the same."

He also said that he had no objection to Ryder traveling out of the state or even out of the country for any movies that would require her to do so.

Geragos said the actress was at first was not free to travel anywhere because she had to fulfill the term of her probation.

A Beverly Hills jury convicted her of felony grand theft and vandalism for taking more than $5,500 worth of merchandise a year earlier from Saks.

Police had found eight prescription drugs in Ryder's possession when she was detained at Saks. Court papers said she had used a half-dozen different names to get the drugs, which included Valium and Diazepam.

Sellers Biopic Gains Lithgow and Tucci

John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci have signed on for THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS, HBO's biopic of the actor. Lithgow will play writer/director Blake Edwards, while Tucci will play director Stanley Kubrick. Geoffrey Rush is already set to play Sellers, and Emily Watson and Charlize Theron will play his first and second wives, respectively. Stephen Hopkins is directing. Production begins April 16 in London.

Seth Green Joins The Scooby Gang

Seth Green is set to star in SCOOBY-DOO 2, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini. In the sequel, Scooby and The Gang investigate a new villain that is trying to take over Coolsville with the aid of a machine that recreates classic Scooby villains such as the Creeper, Captain Cutler and the 10,000-Volt Ghost. Green will play Patrick, the curator of the Coolsonian Museum. Raja Gosnell is directing.

Kirsten Dunst talks about how the character of Mary Jane Watson has evolved in SPIDER-MAN 2.

Kirsten Dunst—who reprises the role of Mary Jane Watson in the upcoming sequel film The Amazing Spider-Man—told SCI FI Wire that moviegoers should expect a very different character. "She's going to be a much stronger woman and empowered by herself and her sexuality and her choices in life," Dunst said in an interview. "She's going to be a very strong woman."

Dunst added, "I felt that Mary Jane was a little insecure in the beginning and didn't know what she wanted. Now she's taking hold of her life and her decisions and not letting Peter [Tobey Maguire] dictate how their relationship should go."

Dunst said that the sequel deals with loneliness and picks up the first film's theme of responsibility and great power. She added that she met with director Sam Raimi and the screenwriters last year, before any script was written. "[They] asked where I saw my character going and what I wanted," she said. "And they gave it to me. That's really nice, to be able to change things and to really be creatively involved in where you want your character to go. ... I think it's going to be better than the first one, for sure."

The Amazing Spider-Man starts production on April 12, with an eye to a July 2, 2004, release.

Juno Loves Shania & Avril

OTTAWA (CP) -- After a weekend-long bash in a city renowned for politics rather than all-night parties, the music industry rewarded the faux face of rebel rock, Avril Lavigne, for her successes over the past year.

The 18-year-old singer, Canada's latest contribution to the international music scene, scored single of the year for Complicated, album of the year for Let Go, best new artist and best pop album.

Approaching the microphone she laughed at the video clip of her breakout song Complicated that was playing overhead on a large screen. "I smile every time I see this video because it feels like 10 years ago," she said. "We all look like little kids."

Her tally was followed closely by country sweetheart Shania Twain with three awards -- artist of the year, fan choice and best country recording.

Twain hosted the Juno soiree Sunday night, held at the 15,000-seat Corel Centre and attended by a full complement of Canadian talent including Nickelback, Blue Rodeo and Alanis Morissette.

It was a reunion of sorts for the two; Lavigne's first stage performance came after winning a radio contest to sing with Twain at the stadium.

Twain got the show started singing Up! in a sequined Montreal Canadiens track suit. She continued the hockey theme returning from a commercial break in a white, red and black Ottawa Senators floor length gown

"So how's your hockey team doing these days?" she asked the home-town crowd which included team captain Daniel Alfredsson.

Morissette was named producer of the year for songs Hands Clean and So Unsexy. It was the Ottawa singer-songwriter's first time in the producer seat. She beat out Our Lady Peace's producer Bob Rock, a music veteran who's produced tracks for Metallica, Bon Jovi, The Cult and Motley Crue.

Alberta rockers Nickelback won songwriter of the year for Too Bad and How You Remind Me. Lead singer Chad Kroeger's effort for Hero, from the Spider-Man soundtrack, also shared the award. The band beat out Lavigne, Twain, Ron Sexsmith, and Remy Shand.

Kroeger's proteges Theory of A Deadman, signed to his newly formed 604 Records label, took best new group. Default, another Kroeger project, took the award last year.

Winnipeg's Shand got his due with best R&B/soul recording for The Way I Feel. The singer was shut out of this year's Grammy Awards after being nominated in four categories.

A visibly moved Shand said it was an honour to win in the soul category.

"This year has been a fantastic year for everyone who is Canadian playing R&B," he said.

Bad boy rapper Eminem's The Eminem Show was named best international album. He didn't attend the show but offered a profanity-filled taped message apologizing for not attending because he was in the studio.

The subject of war was largely absent from the show with the exception of "No war" written on a white flag held up by rapper K-OS before performing with Montreal singer Sam Roberts.

Twain proved an energetic host, largely relying on her wardrobe to surprise and energize the crowd. She managed to represent all of the country's hockey teams in her flamboyant outfits.

But she also pulled a few surprises, at one point showing up in the audience next to hip hop quartet Swollen Members. Leaning over in front of the band to face television cameras, she smiled suggestively saying she "wouldn't dare sit on a swollen member."

Sunday's celebration was the second of two Juno nights. The majority of awards were handed out at a gala dinner Saturday night at Le Theatre du Casino in nearby Gatineau, Que. Among the 28 statuettes awarded: Our Lady Peace won best rock album for Gravity, Diana Krall took vocal jazz album for Live In Paris and Fred Penner for children's album.

Here's the complete list of winners,

Voiceless McCartney suspends first British tour in decade

LONDON (AFP) - Sir Paul McCartney, Britain's best-known living pop star, lost his voice and had to suspend his first tour of his native land in 10 years.

"I woke up this morning with virtually no voice," ex-Beatle McCartney said.

The superstar singer-composer went hoarse after his opening night Saturday before an audience in Sheffield and had to disappoint fans looking forward to a second, Sunday-night appearance in the northern English city.

His repertoire includes 22 Beatles songs -- almost twice as many as his old band ever played during any single stage show in Britain.

"I've been doing all that I can to try and get my voice back and I tried singing a couple of numbers at a sound check this afternoon," McCartney said in a statement released by the show organisers:

"But nothing has worked and so I am afraid I have to cancel this show in order to save the other gigs on the tour," he added apologetically:

"I'm sorry to all the people who all bought tickets for the show, at least we got to do one gig in Sheffield.

"We'll be back to do the show here at some other time."

As well as classics like "She's Leaving Home," "Back in the USSR," "Eleanor Rigby" and "Fool on the Hill," McCartney was adding to his repertoire more than a dozen hits from his post-Beatles solo period and time with Wings.

He has already taken his "Back in the World" tour around the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan, playing 58 concerts in 37 cities, performing to more than one million fans over the past year.

After concerts in Manchester, Birmingham and London later this month, he plans to take his 2-1/2 hour act to Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna, and Antwerp, Belgium.

Saturday night marked McCartney's first full-dress concert in Britain since his "New World Tour" of 1993.

'Phone Booth' Debuts at No. 1 With $15M

LOS ANGELES - "Phone Booth," starring Colin Farrell as a man trapped in a phone booth by a sniper, rang up $15 million in ticket sales to debut as the weekend's No. 1 movie.

The teen flick "What a Girl Wants," with Amanda Bynes as an outgoing American reunited with her stuffy British dad, opened in second place with $12.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Vin Diesel's action tale "A Man Apart," about a rogue federal agent battling a Mexican drug cartel, premiered at No. 3 with $11.2 million.

Last weekend's top movie, "Head of State," fell to fourth place with $8.8 million.

Hollywood remained in a box-office slump, with the top 12 movies grossing $84 million, down 10 percent from the same weekend a year ago. It was the fourth straight weekend that revenues declined, and the box office so far is down about 7 percent compared to last year.

Studio executives say the war in Iraq might be dampening the moviegoing mood. But analysts said movie choices so far this year generally have been weaker than the first part of 2002, when hits such as "Ice Age," "Blade II," "John Q" and "Panic Room" opened to big audiences.

"The fact that it's down four weekends in a row, everybody says, hey, this has to do with the war and people's moods," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "But no matter what the mood of the country, if there are good movies out there, people will want to go see them."

The box office should heat up this coming weekend, when the Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson comedy "Anger Management" opens. Coming a few weeks later is the "X-Men" sequel "X2," followed by "The Matrix Reloaded," the middle chapter of Keanu Reeves' sci-fi saga.

"Phone Booth," directed by Joel Schumacher, stars Farrell as a publicist held hostage in Manhattan's last remaining phone booth by a sniper (Kiefer Sutherland).

The movie originally was set for release last November, but it was put on hold because of the sniper attacks around Washington, D.C., that killed 13 people. After two suspects were caught in those shootings, 20th Century Fox rescheduled the film, reasoning that enough time had passed and that its story line of a gunman targeting a specific victim was dissimilar.

Eddie Griffin's stand-up comedy concert movie "DysFunKtional Family" opened with $1.1 million in 602 theaters for a weak average of $1,827 a cinema, compared with $6,056 in 2,481 theaters for "Phone Booth."

In limited release, Nick Nolte's casino-heist caper "The Good Thief," directed by Neil Jordan, opened strongly in nine theaters with $137,626 for a $15,292 average.

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. "Phone Booth," $15 million.
2. "What a Girl Wants," $12.1 million.
3. "A Man Apart," $11.2 million.
4. "Head of State," $8.8 million.
5. "Bringing Down the House," $8.5 million.
6. "The Core," $6.3 million.
7. "Basic," $5.4 million.
8. "Chicago," $5.3 million.
9. "Agent Cody Banks," $3.7 million.
10. "Piglet's Big Movie," $3 million.

Oh My Gawd, Nooooooooooooooooo!

Hollywood couple J.Lo and Ben Affleck have secured a deal to remake the classic movie Casablanca, according to reports.

The pair are said to be delighted with the multi-million pound deal and are now in talks with American producers.

The original film was a hit in 1942 starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman and J.Lo and Affleck want to repeat the success.

Affleck will take the romantic lead as Rick, the Daily Star reports.

Lopez will play the former lover who had jilted him but comes back into his later life - married to a French resistance leader.

Actor Ben is reportedly a big fan of old movies and the project will give him a chance to indulge his passion.

It will not be the first time the two have appeared on screen together - they recently starred in the hit romance Jersey Girl.

A friend said: "They are overjoyed at the propspect of being in Casablanca together.

"It is the chance for them to show how much they love each other through their on-screen chemistry."

Natalie Imbruglia Doesn't Feel Sexy Like Kylie Minogue

The Sun reports L’Oreal cosmetics stunner Natalie Imbruglia believes she would never wiggle her bum about like Kylie Minogue, because she hates her body. The gorgeous Aussie said, "I don’t wake up thinking I’m ugly but I don’t feel sexy. I can’t do that provocative Kylie thing because I don’t have a great body."

Has Madonna lost her Midas touch - and her mind?

On the heels of last year's bomb, "Swept Away" (a starring vehicle for the 44-year-old mother of two, directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie), comes her sudden decision to yank her new video, "American Life" - in which she dances around in military gear and tosses a grenade onto the lap of an actor playing President Bush - before it ever hits American airwaves.

(It has, however, been broadcast on German TV.)

Of her decision, she said in a statement: "[The video] was filmed before the war started, and I do not believe it is appropriate to air it at this time."

It may be a world of shock and awe - but Madonna's not doing her best to be a part of it.

The one-time queen of controversy is mellowing with age - and losing her grip on pop culture.

She recently slammed the bulk of today's young chart-toppers as largely talentless, well-packaged, photogenic pop stars.

Apparently, the irony is lost on the woman who gained worldwide attention by writhing around on stage in a wedding dress, slamming the Catholic Church, and releasing a sexually explicit video ("Justify My Love") deemed too racy for MTV.

In fact, Joni Mitchell recently attacked Madonna as a "manufactured" talent-free pop star. Elton John was quoted as saying that Madonna's tune "Die Another Day," for last year's James Bond movie of the same name, was the "worst Bond tune ever."

Even that well-known arbiter of all thing hip, the Queen of England, dissed her - she didn't know who the longtime London resident/internationally famous pop star was when she met Madonna at the London premiere of the film last winter.

Most importantly, Madonna once posted record sales of 10 million (1984's "Like a Virgin"). But those numbers have waned in comparision to her younger competitiors, like Britney Spears and Eminem. Her last record, 2000's "Music," sold 2.9 million copies. (Eminem's last record sold over 1 million copies in its first week alone).

Her 10th record, "American Life," is in stores April 22, and while a new Madonna album would be nothing without attendant controversy, her new video - as well as her decision to pull it and yet make it available on DVD, seems less like a typically shrewd moves and more of a massive stumble.

(She did show one flash of cleverness, however: In an effort to combat Internet piracy, she uploaded funny fake tracks of her new album onto the Web).

Still, it's hard not to expect more from one of the savviest marketers of all time. Even her most ardent fan would have a tough time defending some of her recent behavior as cool, much less cutting edge.

Aside from suddenly worrying about offending people with her new video, the author and subject of the X-rated book "Sex" has announced plans to write five children's books with her husband. The first, "The English Roses," is due in September.

Then there's her upcoming guest shot on the sitcom "Will & Grace" - a stunt that everyone from Cher to Demi Moore to Matt Damon to Harry Connick Jr. has done.

Could it be more uncool at this point? And what's up with the tracks suits?

Madonna was never a follower of mainstream fashion - she was the one who made an armful of rubber bracelets a must-have accessory for teenage girls, made crucifix necklaces cool, and changed her look as often as most people change their underwear.

But now she's often photographed wearing matching tracksuits - a look popularized by Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears. She's also taken to wearing a tweed newsboy cap - a trend that's nearly exhausted its shelf-life.

Finally, there's the 44-page photo essay of the Michigan-raised diva in the new W magazine. The last time anyone saw this much of Madonna was in her "Sex" book, which at least had the ability to shock.

The W pictures feel like reheated, tame outakes from "Sex." Here's Madonna winding herself around a stripper's poles. Here she is curled up in bed, wearing fishnets and a corset. Here she is lying on a table with one leg literally yanked behind her head.

The most shocking thing about Madonna just may be, in fact, her inability to truly shock anyone anymore.

Time to Put Record Straight, Says McCartney

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney hit back at critics on Saturday, saying a decision to reverse the traditional "Lennon-McCartney" songwriting credit on his new album was not a slur on his band mate but a chance to "put the record straight."

In an interview with Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, 60-year-old McCartney said he was simply "letting people know that the songs I sing today are my own."

And he added that he had no doubts that fellow Beatle John Lennon -- killed by a lone gunman on his New York doorstep 23 years ago -- would understand the decision.

"The bottom line is I know what I wrote and so did John," McCartney told the paper.

"I'm doing nothing wrong. There was an agreement between (us) that if we ever wanted to, we could switch the Lennon and McCartney thing."

And he dismissed claims from die-hard Beatles fans that he was tarnishing the legend of Lennon.

"It has come out like I'm trying to dance on John's grave which is a pity because I am his biggest fan," he said.

"I'm the guy who knew him best...I'd hate people to think I'm trying to do him down."

McCartney's decision to switch the credits sparked a high-profile dispute with Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in December last year.

Ono was reported to be considering legal action over the matter, which she said contravened a 40-year agreement.

Her spokesman Elliot Mintz told Reuters that Ono had repeatedly rejected McCartney's requests to reverse the credits on the grounds that a "deal is a deal."

But McCartney, who has long complained that Lennon, for instance, had no input in the hit "Yesterday," wants the songs fairly labeled.

"I personally don't see any harm in John's songs such as "Strawberry Fields" and "Help" being labeled Lennon and McCartney and my songs such as "Let It Be" and "Eleanor Rigby" being labeled McCartney and Lennon," he said last year.

Speaking to the Mirror, he reiterated that point: "I wasn't being big headed. I just asked that for once in 30 years, my name could be switched as a reward."

McCartney is currently in the middle of a 16 country, sell-out world tour, due in Britain on Saturday.

The tour grossed $70 million in America, breaking box-office records in 21 cities, won Billboard's Tour of the Year and has made the former Beatle the highest-earning celebrity on earth.

The Juno Twain Pulls In

There's a big question on everyone's minds about Sunday night's Juno telecast at the Corel Centre in Ottawa (8 p.m.-10 p.m., CTV).

What will host, performer and five-time nominee Shania Twain, wear when she opens the show?

Twain's sexy outfits aside, the people who stage the Juno Awards -- the Canadian Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences -- are hoping the pop-country singer's star power will help draw viewers.

The event itself sold out the day tickets went on sale.

"She's arguably the biggest Canadian artist in the world right now," said CARAS chairman Ross Reynolds. "And she's also proudly Canadian -- living in Switzerland, mind you -- but clearly very proud to be Canadian. You just look at her new video (for Up!) and she's wearing a Canadiens sweater and waving the flag. It just seemed like a natural fit. The Ladies were the Ladies last year and they were wonderful. This year will be different, and that's a good thing."

There are, however, other performances worth tuning in to see on Sunday night, including those by six-time nominee Avril Lavigne, who goes up against her biggest rival Twain in three of those categories; four-time nominees Our Lady Peace, and Remy Shand; double nominees Swollen Members, Sam Roberts and Blue Rodeo, and Canadian Hall Of Famer Tom Cochrane.

"It's funny, because everything has been about the Grammys, right?" said Shand, who was up for four Grammys earlier this year but went home empty-handed. (He didn't get to attend because of an ear infection.)

"Really, probably, the most important thing is my Canadian identity, because I feel so strongly about it. Just growing up here and not wanting to move from Canada. It's so awesome to be able have a career here and then jump into the States and do something," Shand said.

Twain rehearses at the Corel Centre today while literally dozens of other Juno nominees -- including Jane Bunnett, Ron Sexsmith, and Rascalz -- are scheduled to board an Ottawa-bound train leaving from Toronto's Union Station just after noon.

Snow will kick off the road trip with a performance in the Great Hall of Union Station.

"I was at the (Junos) in St. John's, and in Vancouver one year, and there is this extra, added excitement -- for the people of the towns too," said Sexsmith, whose album, Cobblestone Runway, got him a best songwriting nod. "It fills people with this national pride that maybe they wouldn't get so much if the awards were held just in Toronto every year."

Twenty-eight Juno awards will be handed out on Saturday night at the Casino du Lac-Leamy in a non-televised ceremony before Sunday's live broadcast at the Corel Centre where the remaining 11 trophies are presented.

Otherwise, Juno weekend is action-packed. "I think it's really important this year that when we get to Ottawa, we show some solidarity as a country," said Cochrane. "We're in some interesting times. I think music is so important right now and some of these kids coming up are just phenomenal -- Danko Jones, Remy Shand.

"Also a lot of cultural awards need to be emphasized. The jazz awards, the classical awards -- we have to remember that it's not just about pop success."
The Juno telecast presenters include three-time nominees Alanis Morissette and K-OS, double nominees Danko Jones, Sarah Slean, Shawn Desman, and Jane Bunnett, and solo nominees Kathleen Edwards, Molly Johnson, Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman, Glenn Lewis, Jully Black, Doc Walker and James Ehnes.

Also confirmed to present is Chantal Kreviazuk.

Notable no-shows this year will be four-time nominee Celine Dion, who is busy performing her new show in Las Vegas, and double nominee Diana Krall.

Along with Cochrane, Nettwerk Records founder and Lavigne's manager Terry McBride will also be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.

"The vibe is Ottawa. The excitement in Ottawa is beyond what we could have imagined," said the telecast's executive producer John Brunton. "And what we experienced last year in St. John's was something that was truly magical. So I'm really excited about this trend to take the Junos from various cities across the country. I think it's really paying off for the fans, it's paying off for the musicians, it's paying off for everybody."

'IDOL' FANS CRY 'YOU CHEATED'

'AMERICAN Idol 2" fans wailed a chorus of "we was robbed" after Wednesday's live episode ended with no one getting booted.

After disqualifying contestant Corey Clark for allegedly beating his kid sister, "AI2" producers decided to wait until next Wednesday to kick off the next contestant.

Unhappy fans lit up the show's online message board to complain. Here's a sampling of postings from bolt.com:

- From "HappyinOttawa": Last night's show was a complete waste of everyone's time. People only tune in to see who gets the boot."

- From "SummerNut": "Cracked me up when Ryan said that they wouldn't be kicking anyone off last night's show."

- From "boopatch": I thought last night's show was a waste of time. That is an hour in my life I can never get back."

- From "dan" : Bring back Julia DeMato!

A Fox spokesperson said: "We considered various ways to resolve the situation and felt this was the most fair, positive and equitable solution."

Indian Miss World could get licence to thrill James Bond

BOMBAY (AFP) - Top Indian film star and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai is in talks to appear in the next James Bond movie, her secretary told AFP.

A London-based agency, on behalf of the studio making Bond movies, has approached the actress to discuss a role in the next Bond movie, Rai's personal secretary Hari Singh, said Friday.

"It is still premature. But the agency guys are in town and have shown interest in discussing the role with Aishwarya," he said.

"I cannot name the agency as it is confidential. But they are keen to cast her. Let us see what Aishwarya says," he said.

If Rai, who won the Miss World title in 1994, got the role, she would be the first Indian to join the Bond girl clan, which includes Ursula Andress and recently Halle Berry.

Singh said the talks between the agency and Rai had been delayed because she had fractured her foot in an accident Wednesday.

Pearl Jam's Vedder unleashes anti-Bush tirade

Dozens of fans walked out of a Pearl Jam concert after lead singer Eddie Vedder took a mask of President George W. Bush and impaled it on a microphone stand.

Several concertgoers booed and shouted for Vedder to shut up as he told the crowd he was against the war and Bush. He impaled the mask during the encore of the band's opening show of a U.S. tour.

"It was like he decapitated someone in a primal ritual and stuck their head on a stick," fan Keith Zimmerman said of the Tuesday concert.

Vedder used a Bush mask in Australia and Japan to perform the song Bushleaguer, from the band's latest album, Riot Act. The song's lyrics say, "He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer."

During the show, Vedder said: "Just to clarify. . . we support the troops."

"We're just confused on how wanting to bring them back safely all of a sudden becomes non-support," he said. "We love them. They're not the ones who make the foreign policy . . . Let's hope for the best and speak our opinions."

Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Natalie Maines Says President Remark Was A 'Joke'

Dixie Chick Natalie Maines told a New Zealand TV reporter last week that her now-infamous slam at President George W. Bush was a joke.

Maines admitted that she told a London concert audience that the group was ashamed that the President is from their home state of Texas, but added, "It was a joke and it wasn't planned. And it was really funny at the time. It got lots of cheers, and that's what it was meant for. You see the trouble that you can get into if you speak religion or politics. It gets people very upset."

Maines issued a written apology after making the remark at a March 10 concert, but stations continued to ban the Chicks' music on radio stations across the country.

In addition, the Dixie Chicks' Home album saw a more than 40 percent decline in sales after Maines's remark.

Thomas Jane is THE PUNISHER!

Artisan Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today that Thomas Jane has been cast in the title role of The Punisher, the feature film production of Marvel Comics’ immensely popular comic book series of the same name.

The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ CEO Avi Arad and producer Gale Anne Hurd with renowned screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh writing and directing.

With the project’s other major roles currently being cast, The Punisher will commence principal photography in early July 2003 and the event film will arrive in theatres during the summer of 2004. Artisan Pictures President of Production, Richard Saperstein and Marvel’s Arad made the announcement.

The Punisher rises out of the ongoing Artisan and Marvel joint venture designed to develop, produce and distribute Marvel character based programming across all media with profits generated from each project shared equally after distribution fees are incurred. In addition to The Punisher, the two entities are in active development on the big screen adaptation of the venerable character, Iron Fist.

The Punisher tells the story of FBI undercover agent, Frank Castle, who until now has beat considerable odds. A former Special Forces operative, he is finally moving out of the field and into a desk job – and a normal life with his wife and son. Then Castle’s world is shaken to its core by a nightmare he has longed feared: his family is executed as a repercussion from his final undercover assignment. With unparalleled intensity, ferocious intelligence and fearless actions, Castle seeks to punish the murderers – and finds the one thing he least expected: redemption.

Marvel Comics’ The Punisher made his first appearance over 25 years ago as a supporting character. The hero proved so popular with readers that he could not be contained in a peripheral role and by the 1990’s he was starring in as many as three titles a month. In 2000, The Punisher reemerged as one of Marvel Comics’ highest selling solo books and remains a top seller for the Company.

Commented Marvel Studios’ Arad, “Although Frank Castle is a tough-as-nails vigilante, he is, at his very core, an extremely tortured soul, a victim of survivor’s guilt. Thomas Jane, being a character actor, is going to have all the dimension necessary to bring to life the depth of a character who is both the hero and the victim with the physicality of a Super Hero. By signing Thomas, we follow the Marvel tradition of bringing art-house actors in to tackle our complex characters. We are very excited to have him as part of our family.”

Added Artisan’s Saperstein, “Thomas is a very talented and focused actor who possesses both the physical and dramatic qualities we were hoping to find in our Punisher. He brings with him an intensity and strength that we believe will help to define the character and energize the film.”

Noted producer Gale Anne Hurd, “Thomas is one of our finest actors and comes from the indie world, as have other actors who’ve assumed Super Hero roles so successfully such as Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) and Eric Bana (The Hulk). We are thrilled that an actor of this caliber will be our Punisher.”

Thomas Jane is a versatile actor with a wide range of strong performances to his credit. Jane can be seen in the Warner Bros.’ film, Dreamcatcher, starring alongside Morgan Freeman and in the title role of Stander for director Bronwen Hughes. Jane starred opposite Cameron Diaz in Columbia Pictures’ The Sweetest Thing. Prior to that, Jane starred as legendary baseball player Mickey Mantle in HBO’s acclaimed film 61*. Additional credits for Jane include roles in Lions Gate’s Under Suspicion, Warner Brothers’ Deep Blue Sea, 20th Century Fox’s The Thin Red Line and New Line’s Boogie Nights.

The Punisher’s writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh has written some of the genre’s most notable action films including The Rock, Armageddon, Jumanji and Die Hard: With a Vengeance. Hensleigh also executive produced Armageddon as well as Gone in Sixty Seconds and Con Air. Gale Anne Hurd, whose next project is the epic superhero tent pole release from Universal, The Hulk, directed by Ang Lee, has produced such box office hits as Armageddon, Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Relic and Dante's Peak.

METEORIC DEBUT

Linkin Park's new album, Meteora, entering the charts at number one with the best first-week sales of 2003. Coming in second was Celine Dion's One Heart, though sales were nowhere near her 2002 effort, A New Day Has Come.

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS

An online betting company stopping wagers on Survivor: Amazon after four CBS employees were suspected of betting on the outcome with insider information. FYI: Matt and Jenna were odds-on favorites.

RECOVERING

Johnny Cash released from the Nashville hospital where he'd been admitted March 10 suffering from pneumonia. Cash, 71, suffers from autonomic neuropathy, a disease of the nervous system, which puts him at constant risk of pneumonia.

Kidman Says Heart Stays Loving Toward Cruise

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Nicole Kidman shared her Oscar victory last month with ex-husband Tom Cruise, phoning him in New Zealand shortly after taking the best actress award for her performance in "The Hours."

"Your heart has to stay loving," Kidman told People magazine in an interview published on Thursday.

"It was so important for me to talk to Connor (her son) and yes, to Tom. We have very different lives now, but as I've said to Tom, I will be there for him for the rest of his life, always there," she said. Kidman and Cruise's 10 year marriage ended in 2001 in a bitter divorce.

Kidman now calls herself "very single" and she denied tabloid newspaper rumors about a romance with British actor Jude Law, her co-star in the upcoming movie "Cold Mountain."

"He's wonderful man and a good friend of mine, but there was no affair. We spent seven months shooting and it's an intense love story so we were waiting for that. They did it with Ewan McGregor too, on 'Moulin Rouge'," she said.

The flame-haired actress said her life was missing a big part of what it takes to be complete. "I want someone who says, 'I will stand by you and be there for you and your life is just as important to me as mine.

"No, I don't 'go out' really. I'm not someone who just says 'Oh yeah, this is silly and light and fun.' I like to be in love. Nothing casual. I'm not interested in casual.

"I'm waiting for someone to come rock my world," she said.

Uber Babe Liv Tyler Marries

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Lord of the Rings" star Liv Tyler has married her longtime musician boyfriend, Royston Langdon, in a private ceremony in the Caribbean, Tyler's publicist said on Thursday.

Tyler, 25, and Langdon, the former frontman of British band Spacehog, tied the knot on March 25, and will hold a small reception for friends and family in New York next month.

Tyler is the daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and former Playboy model Bebe Buell. Langdon, who played bass in the rock band Spacehog, recently launched a solo tour in the United States. The couple were engaged in April 2001.

'SOPRANOS' TUNE UP FOR 5TH SEASON

New Jersey's most infamous mobsters are shooting again.

Cast members put on their gold chains, black leather jackets and shiny sharkskin suits yesterday to begin filming what may be the final season of "The Sopranos."

As usual, the thespian Mafiosi kept quiet about family business.

As Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts, told The Post: "There'll be a lot of blood this year, that's all you can count on.

"It's a gangster show, anyone could get rubbed out," the actor added yesterday between scenes at Silver Cup Studios in Long Island City, Queens.

Fans are eager to get through a year of reruns until next January, when the fifth 13-episode season starts.

After gasping at last season's cliffhanger ending, they were holding their breath again last month when star James Gandolfini threatened to walk out.

But even with the new season on its way, they wait for word on how long the show will go on.

HBO said it had offered to double Gandolfini's paycheck to $600,000 per episode, but he wanted close to $2 million per show, and filed a lawsuit when negotiations broke down.

Shooting was to start March 24, but HBO pulled the plug until a deal with the actor was struck.

Details of a final agreement have not been released, but cast members said they were happy to be back.

"It's great to be back, but I hope it's not officially over yet. I hope it lives on forever," said Steven Van Zandt, who plays Silvio Dante and juggles his "Sopranos" role with his longtime guitar gig in Bruce Springsteen's band.

Michael Imperioli, who plays Christopher Moltisanti, was one of 300 people who would have been without an HBO paycheck had Gandolfini's contract dispute dragged on.

"It's like being home again," he said after filming a scene in which he beats the snot out of a guy in a parking lot.

Guitarist: Leaked Radiohead Tracks Were 'Stolen'

As MP3 files purportedly featuring tracks from Radiohead's upcoming album "Hail to the Thief" continue to circulate online, guitarist Jonny Greenwood took to the band's official website on Wednesday to decry the files as "a stolen copy of early, unmixed edits and roughs."

When the cuts from "Hail to the Thief," due June 10 from Capitol, leaked last weekend, Greenwood seemed bemused by the situation. "We're not angry really," he said. "Shame it's not a package with the artwork and all, but there you go." But he says it has now become apparent that these versions constitute "work we've not finished, being released in this sloppy way, 10 weeks before the real version is even available. It doesn't even exist as a record yet."

"So yes, we're annoyed -- the songs are good on the recordings, which you can hear," he continued. "But we worked on them after this point until we were happy with them. This is why we're pissed off -- we didn't give up on them in February (which is what you're hearing) and it's just a shame that, to your ears, we did."

A source told Billboard that album producer Nigel Godrich reviewed the files that are circulating and confirmed they may date from as far back as the first day of mixing. In the past two days, Capitol parent EMI has sent cease-and-desist orders to a number of individuals who were hosting the files on their personal Web pages. A spokesperson says the company is "taking a variety of actions to make sure the works are protected as much as we can."

"So of course people will still download them and hear them, I can understand the temptation," Greenwood said. "It's not you lot I'm pissed off about, it's just the situation I guess. It's stolen work."

Radiohead's past two albums, "Kid A" and "Amnesiac," were also were available online several weeks before street date, despite the fact that no advance copies were circulated and journalists were required to listen to them at the office of the band's publicist. Nevertheless, the sets debuted at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on The Billboard 200, and have sold more than 1.7 million copies in the U.S. combined, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Turn off the house lights and hold the commercials

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — Rita Blume paid $9 for her movie ticket, $6 for her popcorn and $4 for her drink to see The Core in high style over the weekend.

So she was more than a little miffed by the eight commercials touting everything from Pepsi to the Army to HBO that preceded the coming attractions.

"I can see those commercials at home," the 29-year-old fumed. "Why am I paying 20 bucks to watch them in a theater?"

Moviegoers are asking themselves the same question as theaters revolutionize what they show customers before the start of a movie. Chains are replacing decades-old billboard slide shows with big-screen commercials — often to a chorus of boos.

Last month, an English teacher in Chicago filed a lawsuit against Loews Cineplex for showing advertising after the lights go down. The suit, which is pending and seeks class-action status, says the practice is deceptive because it delays the advertised start of the film.

It asks that theaters state films' actual start times in their advertisements. If successful, the suit could cost theaters millions of dollars; it asks for up to $75 per patron as "lost time."

"Commercialization has gotten out of hand," says Douglas Litowitz, the lawyer who filed the suit against the Chicago-based chain. "Stadiums are named after phone companies. College bowls are named after potato chips. It's disgusting. But movies are the worst."

Since his firm launched a Web site, www.nomovieads.com, more than 700 people have expressed interest in joining the lawsuit, Litowitz says.

"We want them to pull the ads or at least be honest about when a movie will start so people don't have to be subjected to product placement the moment they step into a theater," he says.

In a statement, Loews said it does not intend to change its format. "This lawsuit is frivolous and completely without merit. The moviegoing public has come to expect this type of content prior to viewing the main feature."

Regal Entertainment Group, the largest exhibitor in the nation with 6,217 screens, recently launched a 20-minute block of ads and short features before its movies. Cliff Marks, president of marketing and sales, says the company has received few complaints.

"People have told us they either enjoy the pre-show programming or aren't bothered by it," he says. "And we aren't forcing people to watch it. They can talk, relax, go get popcorn and a drink."

The ads are critical to keeping many theater chains afloat, says John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners. In 2000, he says, 12 chains filed for bankruptcy.

"Unlike Julia Roberts, we don't make $20 million a feature film," Fithian says. "It's a relatively low-margin business."

And the alternative to ads, he says, would be even less popular: "You can either have movies with ads and pay $7 a ticket, or you can pay $12 a ticket and not have commercials."

But Litowitz does not buy that argument. "They're putting in the ads, and the tickets are still going up. We just want some escape from corporations bombarding us."

WISE GUY

Steve Buscemi in talks to play a recurring character on The Sopranos for the next two seasons and to direct several episodes. The series began shooting its fifth season March 24.

Motown singer Edwin Starr dies of heart attack

LONDON, England (AP) -- Edwin Starr, the soul singer who produced No. 1 Motown hits such as "War," died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday, his manager said. He was 61.

Starr, who lived in England, died at his home near the central city of Nottingham, said manager Lilian Kyle.

Last year, Starr -- from the Motown stable and similar in style to James Brown -- performed at the wedding of Liza Minnelli and David Gest in New York. He also had sung live with Bruce Springsteen.

Born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, Starr formed his first group, the Future Tones, in 1957, recording one single before his three-year army service. In 1965, he was offered a solo deal following two years of touring with another band.

Early hits included "Agent Double-O Soul" and "Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S)."

But his biggest success came with "War," a No. 1 hit in 1970 during a time of growing anti-Vietnam War protests. Other top 10 hits included "Contact" and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio."

Starr, who made a brief comeback during the disco craze, later spent most of his time touring Europe on the oldies circuit.

Last weekend, he performed at two shows in Stuttgart, Germany.

Suzi Quatro, a '70s rock star who had known Starr since she was a teenager in Detroit, praised him Wednesday.

"He was the best," she said. "There was nobody better on stage, and he was the nicest man you could ever wish to meet."

Rainer Haas, Quatro's husband and the promoter of the Stuttgart shows, said: "He was just superb. He played to 16,000 people over the two nights and he put on a great show. The shows were actually recorded for television, so we will have an enduring memory of how brilliant he was live."

In England, Starr participated in an award-winning British Broadcasting Corp. radio series on the U.S. civil rights movement. In 1995, he was featured on a Walt Disney children's workout album entitled "Mousercise."

"His death has come as a total shock," said Paul Carvell, a friend. "His health hasn't been brilliant recently, but he kept that away from most people and continued to give it his all when he performed.

"There is one more star in heaven tonight."

Idol Diva Julia DeMato Sounds Off!

Let's face it, Julia DeMato endeared herself to no one during the first few weeks of American Idol 2. Crying fits? Check. On-stage outbursts? Check. Petty feuds? Check. But a funny thing happened to the 24-year-old prima donna once the competition entered its final phase: She extracted that nasty chip from her shoulder. Of course, three consecutive weeks in the bottom three would humble the most diehard of divas. Still, DeMato's classy, graceful reaction upon getting voted off last week offered proof that the wannabe pop star had indeed turned a corner in the personality department. Six days later, DeMato was still on her best behavior when she phoned TV Guide Online to answer some rather tough questions posed by our readers.

TV Guide Online: First off, do you have any comment on Corey Clark's ejection?
Julia DeMato: I really don't know what's going on, so I can't comment on it.

TVGO: Fair enough. We received a lot of questions from readers wondering what the deal was with Kimberly Caldwell's crying fit last week. John wants to know if you think "Kimberly was crying because you were voted off or because she herself was in the bottom three?"
DeMato: It was 110 percent because I was getting kicked off the show. We became really close, and I think she was kind of crying for me. It had nothing to do with her being in the bottom three.

TVGO: Will you two remain friends?
DeMato: I talk to her every day. I think it will be cute if people knew that, too, so they can get over the fact that we had gotten into an argu... little disagreement. Now, we're really good friends.

TVGO: Was too much made of the rift between the two of you?
DeMato: It was blown out of proportion. We didn't really know each other [in the beginning]. And we got to know each other and [realized] we're actually very much alike. Everybody gets into argu... disagreements.

TVGO: Jason writes, "Julia, you're beautiful — and hot! Do you plan on moving to L.A. to model, act or continue singing?"
DeMato: Absolutely. I'm going back out this weekend. I'm gonna start networking, and I'm definitely going to get a vocal coach and work on my stage performance. And I really love being in front of the camera.

TVGO: Anthony wants to know, "Do you have a boyfriend?"
DeMato: No, I don't. I don't comment on... No, I don't.

TVGO: Erica asks, "Do you regret acting like a diva in the beginning?"
DeMato: I'm definitely not a diva. (laughing) My sister does not defend me in everything I do, I'm not a little cry baby...

TVGO: What about that time you lashed out at Simon on stage when he advised you not to bend over with that skimpy outfit on?
DeMato: That was a misunderstanding. I would like you to say that.

TVGO: Consider it said.
DeMato: When Simon said to me, "Don't bow," I thought he meant, "You're really not that beautiful, don't bow for it." But he was referring to my top. I totally misunderstood what he said. I was going to apologize, but then I [remembered] that Justin Guarini did that last year, and I decided not to say anything. But now that I have the opportunity to [set the record straight], yes, I do regret that. I don't want people to think I was being a diva.

TVGO: Moving on, R. Montgomery is dying to know...
DeMato: Oh, there is one other thing I would take back. The comment I made when me and Kimberly were fighting. I said, "Well, we'll see who's here at the end and who's not." That was really wrong of me.

TVGO: Okay. R. Montgomery is dying to know, "If you received an offer to pose for Playboy, would you do it?"
DeMato: (laughing) Oh God. No.

TVGO: Erin has more of a message than a question: "When you talk to Julia, ask her why she didn't fire her stylist after the horror that was movie night. Crimped hair?!! She's a hairstylist for God's sake!"
DeMato: I did it for the '80s theme. Personally, I liked it.

Julia, we liked you. Good luck in the future, and please reconsider that whole Playboy thing.

Museum in Rush for new exhibit

OTTAWA -- When rock critics said Canadian superband Rush would go down in history, the Canadian Museum of Civilization took them literally.

Yesterday, curator Carmelle Begin announced the museum has received a major gift of rock memorabilia from the Toronto-based arena-rock giants to be displayed in the permanent exhibition of popular culture.

The trio was one of the first of the generation of internationally renowned bands to come from Canada in the 1970s. In an industry dominated by bands from the U.K. and U.S., Rush became a global phenomenon that Canadian teens could proudly identify with.

The donation from singer/bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart includes guitars, drum kits and a samples of their gold and platinum records.

"We're glad to welcome Rush to our collection," said museum director Victor Rabinovitch. "This acquisition is part of an ongoing joint project ... to develop a national collection of popular music artefacts."

Rush was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994, received the Order of Canada in 1997 and a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 1999.

"It's an honour for us to be included in the national collection," said Lifeson.

"To know that the spirit of our contribution to Canadian music will live on for years, and that it will be shared by so many, makes us very proud."

No date has been set yet for the exhibition's opening.

'Clerks' actor ordered drug rehab

FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) -- Jason Mewes, who played a pot-smoking slacker in the Kevin Smith films "Clerks" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," has been ordered to complete drug rehabilitation or face jail.

Mewes, 28, who failed to report for a court hearing stemming from a 1999 heroin conviction, had a warrant issued for his arrest in December 2001.

On Tuesday, he surrendered and pleaded guilty to probation violation charges.

He admitted failing to report to his probation officer, take drug tests or undergo counseling. He also admitted leaving the state without permission and lying to his probation officer.

Superior Court Judge Michael D. Farren ordered Mewes to begin treatment within 10 days at Discovery House, a rehabilitation center in Marlboro.

Mewes, a Highlands native now living in Hollywood, Calif., must complete the program before he's allowed to leave New Jersey, Farren said.

If he violates his parole again, he faces up to five years in prison.

Mewes, who didn't speak during the hearing, declined comment afterward.

Let's All Go To The Movies

Debuting April 4th at a theatre near you:

A Man Apart
Phone Booth
What a Girl Wants

And on April 11th:

Anger Management
House of 1000 Corpses
Timeline

Now how about every other week for the rest of 2003?

The Offspring swipes GN'R title

The Offspring have announced the title for their new album, and Gun's 'N Roses frontman Axl Rose won't be pleased with the choice.

In a characteristically cheeky move, the pop-punk band have chosen "Chinese Democracy" as the name of their sixth album, which is the same title Gun's N' Roses had been eying for their long-delayed upcoming album, Rolling Stone reports.

"You snooze, you lose," Offspring singer Dexter Holland said via their official web site. "Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title."

This is one of several pranks the Offspring have sprung in their career -- the band sold unauthorized Napster merchandise on their official web site in 2000, which drew a cease and desist order from the now-defunct file sharing site.

"Chinese Democracy" is being produced by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen), who also worked with the band on their last album, "Conspiracy of One."

The album will be released in early summer.

Duchovny Joins Drag Comedy 'Connie and Carla'

HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com) - David Duchovny will be falling for Nia Vardalos in "Connie and Carla," a comedy described as "Some Like It Hot" meets "Tootsie."

Directed by Michael Lembeck ("The Santa Clause 2") for Spyglass Entertainment, the story follows two working class dinner theater singers (Vardalos and Toni Collette) who are forced to go undercover in West Hollywood as drag queens, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Duchovny will play Jeff, a man looking for his drag queen brother and becomes Vardalos' romantic interest. Vardalos will executive produce the musical project, which is slated to start shooting in May.

Since leaving the popular sci fi TV series, "The X-Files," Duchovny has appeared in a handful of movies, including "Evolution," "Zoolander" and "Full Frontal." He also has two high profile projects in the works for next year; "My Dark Places," a feature adaptation of James Ellroy's autobiographical novel directed by Robert Greenwald ("Steal This Movie," "Xanadu"), and "The X-Files 2," the follow-up to the series which wrapped in 2002.

'Idol' Contestants Record Greenwood Songs For Charity

The song choice for the first "American Idol" charity single has been changed to a pair of cover versions of Lee Greenwood's "I'm Proud To Be an American" and "God Bless the U.S.A." Performed by the show's second season finalists, the double-A side single will be released April 15 or April 22 via RCA Records. As previously reported, the single was originally going to be a remake of the Burt Bacharach-penned "What the World Needs Now Is Love."

The contestants sang the Greenwood songs during the March 26 "Idol" episode. "They got such an overwhelming, positive response from viewers for doing those songs that we decided to release them as the 'American Idol' charity single," RCA executive VP/GM Richard Sanders told Billboard magazine.

BARING ALL

Former Idol finalist Vanessa Olivarez to pose in the buff on Wednesday for a PETA campaign titled "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur."

Jennifer Garner, Husband Decide to Split

LOS ANGELES - "Alias" star Jennifer Garner and her husband, actor Scott Foley, are splitting.

Garner and Foley "have mutually decided to separate," according to a statement Tuesday from their publicist, Nicole King.

The couple, both 30, met in 1998 on the set of "Felicity," the WB drama in which Foley co-starred. They married in 2000. Foley is currently in the NBC sitcom "A.U.S.A.," while Garner plays a spy in ABC's "Alias."

She co-stars with Ben Affleck in the movie "Daredevil."

The fact that Garner, a presenter at last month's Oscar ceremony, attended without Foley earned a mention in People magazine.

In a delicate evening gown, the magazine said, she left behind her tough-girl "Alias" image. She also "left behind her husband, Scott Foley, and partied with a pal," People reported.

This Is The Only Reason Madonna Is In The News These Days

She wants you to know she has a new CD coming out.

Period.

So let's all ignore her and maybe she'll finally go away.

Period.

'Late Show' Host Letterman Returns to High Ratings

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian David Letterman received a big welcome back to the CBS "Late Show" from a monthlong illness, scoring his second-highest ratings this season and his biggest victory over NBC late-night rival Jay Leno in three years.

And Letterman said he owes his recovery to duct tape.

According to preliminary Nielsen Media Research figures from the nation's 55 largest media markets, Letterman's return on Monday night posted a 5.3 rating, his highest rating since self-help guru Dr. Phil McGraw appeared on the show Feb. 17.

It was only the second time this season (Dr. Phil's visit was the first), that Letterman bested NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in overall ratings. And it marked the steepest percentage gain (23 percent) over Leno since Letterman returned to the program in February 2000 following open-heart surgery.

The 55-year-old star of the "Late Show with David Letterman" last hosted his own show on Feb. 25 of this year, when he complained on the air about the visible inflammation of his right eye, which turned out to have been caused by shingles, a viral infection related to chickenpox.

Insiders said swelling around Letterman's eye cleared up relatively soon, but lingering pain associated with the infection is what kept him away for so long.

Joking about the duration of the illness Monday night, Letterman alluded to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's insistence that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was proceeding according to plans.

"Thirty days it took me to get over the shingles. And according to Donald Rumsfeld, that's right on schedule," Letterman said.

Then, in a reference to supplies the U.S. government suggested Americans have on hand in the event of a biological or chemical weapons attack, he added: "You know what cleared this up? Duct tape."

Letterman's guests Monday night included actor-comedian Billy Crystal, who traded barbs with the host about his own past experience with shingles, and 18-year-old world whistling champion Michael Barimo.

During Letterman's absence, a parade of celebrities filled in for him as guest host, including actor Bruce Willis, tennis star John McEnroe and TV personality Regis Philbin. Before a heart operation took him off air in January 2000, Letterman had never missed an appearance in his more than 20 years of late-night television.

Bugs & Company Need Your Help!

Want to help Warner Home Video decide how to best release the classic Looney Tunes cartoons on DVD? Should it be a four-disc Golden Collection? A two-disc Premiere Collection? Or a single-disc a Bugs Bunny best of?

Voice your opinion and take the online survey now. Once they come out you can't complain if you didn't vote!

Letterman returns from illness

After five weeks on sick leave, David Letterman returned to CBS' "The Late Show" acting happy, jazzed and just a little bit wacky.

"I am still under the influence of high-powered pharmaceuticals," he explained Monday. "If it turns out the show goes great, I've still got the guy's number."

Letterman has been recuperating from a painful case of shingles, an infection of the nerve roots caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.

"It hurt so much I was Michael Jackson-crazy," Dave raved.

With that in mind, the evening's Top 10 List summed up all the good things about shingles. It was a list of just one statement declaring there is nothing good about shingles -- but expressing that sentiment in far more colorful terms.

With a series of guest hosts subbing for him since Feb. 26, Letterman may have been out of sight, but he hasn't been out of touch.

"You know how they cured my shingles?" he asked in a sly reference to the nation's current state of alert: "Duct tape!"

Then, with a proud smirk, he added, "Thirty days it took me to get over the shingles -- and according to (Secretary of Defense) Donald Rumsfeld that's right on schedule."

He welcomed as his first guest Billy Crystal, who with dread amusement recalled his own case of shingles.

"I couldn't put a sheet on me!" said Crystal, who then took a close look at Letterman's eyes and chuckled, "Hey, you're really waxed!"

For Letterman, who turns 56 on April 12, the evening was a loopier version of the joyous welcome he got in February 2000, when he returned to the Ed Sullivan Theater after missing five weeks for heart bypass surgery. At the time he brought onstage his six doctors and two nurses from New York-Presbyterian Hospital and tearfully thanked them for saving his life.

Monday night, pretending to get emotional, he introduced his dermatologist who diagnosed and treated his shingles.

"I'm back from my annual bypass!" Dave told his fans.

War leads Madonna to cancel video debut

Madonna has decided not to release her controversial American Life video out of respect for armed forces in Iraq.

The clip, which was completed before the war started, depicts Madonna as a heroine in military garb alongside camouflage-clad dancers on a fashion runway. Trapped in a bathroom stall, she uses a knife to carve "protect me" on the wall. Scenes are intercut with images of war, and the video ends with Madonna lobbing a grenade that changes into a cigarette lighter.

In a statement prepared Monday night, Madonna says it's inappropriate to air the video because of the state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect for the troops. She says she doesn't want to risk offending those who might misinterpret the video.

The video for the title track from an album due April 22 was scheduled to premiere Friday on VH1. Director Jonas Akerlund shot American Life in Los Angeles in early February. When details of the shoot stirred controversy and rumors of an anti-American stance, Madonna issued a statement declaring herself pro-peace, not anti-Bush or pro-Iraq.

What does she stand for?

"I'll tell you what I'm against," she said in an interview Monday afternoon. "I'm against widows and orphans."

American Life, she points out, is not anti-war. It addresses materialism and the illusion of the American dream. Sample lyrics:

"I tried to stay ahead, I tried to stay on top/I tried to play the part, but somehow I forgot/Just what I did it for and why I wanted more."

Before she decided to pull the video Monday afternoon, Madonna told USA TODAY she had it edited for length, removing expletives and jarring interruptions in the music.

"Jonas was trying to tell a story, and he put so many stops in the song," she says. "It was about 10 minutes long. It was just too long."

American Life isn't Madonna's first controversial video. She also raised eyebrows with 1990's erotic Justify My Love, which was banned by MTV, and the burning crosses in 1989's Like a Prayer, which prompted Pepsi to drop her ads and its sponsorship of her tour.

Just like those situations, this is all being done by a person universally renowned as a marketing genius. She creates these situations in order to get press and publicity for her new releases.

Well, you've succeeded Madonna, but at what cost?

Which makes it Avril Fool's Day!

Woo hoo!

One of my favourite films from my youth is (finally) coming out on DVD today in a widescreen version!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to: ONE CRAZY SUMMER!!!!

If you liked Better Off Dead, then you'll love this wonderfully mastered thrill ride. The beauty of Demi Moore combined with the charm of John Cusack, surely a movie you'll want to add to your collection. The challenging life of the college grad Hoops McCan finds conflict and love in a small New England town with his buddy George. Look for the brightness of Bobcat in his role as a Stork twin. This movie is all laughs from beginning to end - 80's style!

Man I love this movie!!

I am quite stoked about it coming out. I am also excited about:

DVD Features:
* Contains all 8 original video programs on 4 DVDs
* Bonus disc of rare and never-before-seen footage, including:
* Recollections (June 1994): Paul, George, and Ringo spend a summer's day together singing, playing and warmly remembering the early days
* Back at Abbey Road (May 1995): Paul, George, and Ringo at Abbey Road Studios with George Martin, play back the multi-tracks of some of their classic recordings and reveal the inventive techniques used during the original sessions
* Recording "Free as a Bird" & "Real Love": Paul, George, and Ringo, along with Jeff Lynne discuss the story behind these recordings - includes intimate footage of them at work in the studio
* Real Love Video: The video not screened as part of the original Anthology series, now in glorious 5.1 surround sound
* Compiling the Anthology Albums: Paul, George, Ringo, and George Martin talk about how the three Anthology double albums were compiled
* Making the "Free as a Bird" video: An intriguing insight from director Joe Pytka into how the Grammy Award winning video was created
* Production Team: The team behind the Anthology series discuss how the programmes were made
* Newly mixed in 5.1 surround sound with picture restoration
* Number of discs: 5

Okay, so even though the above are the two main releases that I will be picking up today, I guess I have to list all of this day's other new releases as there are some high profile titles.

They aren't all great, but they are high profile.

Most notably, is hack director Brett Ratner's RED DRAGON

RED DRAGON - An FBI agent elicits help from a serial killer to catch another. MANHUNTER, the original film version of this story, is a better movie, but if your wofe is a fan I guess you have to buy it. (Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes)

Here are the other video and DVD releases for Tuesday, April 1st, 2003:

THE WILD THORNBERRYS MOVIE - The Thornberrys go to Africa where Eliza uses her talents in this charming animated film that features a wonderful song from Paul Simon. (Lacey Chabert, Tim Curry, Brenda Blethyn)

FAR FROM HEAVEN - A 1950's housewife has a taboo affair as her husband thinks he's gay. This is a great little movie. (Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert)

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE - A rich widow is pursued by many men to get her money. Man does this remake of CHARADE suck. Marky Mark in a role originated by Cary Grant?!?! Who was the marketing genius who came up with that one?!? (Mark Wahlberg, Thandie Newton, Tim Robbins)

SECRETARY - A twisted love affair takes place between a lawyer and his assistant. This film is whack! (James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lesley Ann Warren)

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: Film About Wilco - Documents the recording of Wilco's 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'. (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy Bach)

Dawson's Creek: The Complete First Season - The complete first season of the TV series Dawson's Creek. (James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes)

Friends: The Complete Third Season - The complete third season of the TV series Friends. (Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox-Arquette)

Married... With Children: Most Outrageous Volume 2

Sex And The City: The Complete First Four Seasons - The complete first four seasons of Sex And The City. (Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall)

The Spirit Of '76 - Time travelers retro to 1776, get 1976 instead. (David Cassidy, Olivia d'Abo, Geoff Hoyle)

Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Complete 2nd Season

New Music Releases

I can't decide which one of today's new CD releases is the most irrelevant. THE FUGEES' GREATEST HITS or the new CD from former Spice Girl Melanie C.

I guess deep within the bowels of our own souls, in the dark of the night, we'll have to make that decision for ourselves.

Until you make up your mind, here are the new CD releases for Tuesday April 1, 2003:

* ATARIS In This Diary (CD Single) (Sony)
* CHRIS CAGLE Chris Cagle (Capitol)
* DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars OST (EMI)
* DERAILERS Genuine (Sony)
* DF DUB Country Girl (Sony)
* EVANESCENCE Fallen (Wind-Up)
* FUGEES Greatest Hits (Sony)
* GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS Ride Til I Die (Eagle Rock Records/EMI Canada)
* GHOSTFACE KILLAH Shaolins Finest (Sony)
* GRATEFUL DEAD Live In Europe '72 (Remastered) (Rhino)
* GRATEFUL DEAD Skull & Roses (Remastered) (Rhino)
* GRATEFUL DEAD History Of The Grateful Dead Vol. 1 (Remastered) (Rhino)
* GRATEFUL DEAD Birth Of The Dead (Remastered) (Rhino)
* HEAVILS Heavils (Metal Blade)
* IRS Welcome To Planet IRS (Universal)
* KAZZER Go For Broke (Sony)
* KAZZER Pedal To The Metal (CD Single) (Sony)
* KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL Surrender To Love (Sony)
* LUCY WOODWARD While You Can (Atlantic)
* M.O.P. 10 Years & Gunnin' (Sony)
* MELANIE C Reason (Virgin)
* OVERKILL Killbox 13 (Spitfire)
* RANDY TRAVIS Rise And Shine (Warner)
* RANKINS Souvenir 1989 - 1998 (EMI)
* SNITCHES Star Witness (Sony)
* SPIRITUALIZED Complete Works Volume 1 (Arista)
* SWORN ENEMY As Real As It Gets (Elektra)
* THE EXPLOITED Fuck The System (Spitfire)
* THE JAYHAWKS Rainy Day Music (American Recordings)
* THE KILLS Keep On Your Mean Side (Sanctuary Records)
* THE WHO Who's Next (Deluxe Edition) (Universal)
* TOURNIQUET Where Moth & Rust Destroy (Metal Blade)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Live From The Bonnaroo Festival 2002 Vol. 2 (Sanctuary Records)
* VERTICAL HORIZON Go (RCA)
* WHAT A GIRL WANTS OST What A Girl Wants OST (Atlantic)
* WHITE STRIPES Elephant (V2)

New Radiohead album hits web early

Radiohead's upcoming album "Hail To The Thief" was leaked onto the Internet over the weekend, appearing in its entirety on various file sharing and fan sites, NME reports.

The appearance of the album comes two months before the official release date of June 10.

Their last two albums, "Kid A" and "Amnesiac," were also available on the Internet several weeks before their official releases.

Guitarist Jonny Greenwood commented on the leak via Radiohead's message board on their official site: "I feel bemused, not annoyed," he said. I'm glad people like it, most of all. It's a little earlier than we'd expected, but there it is."

Meanwhile, the band has lined up a short tour of the U.K. and Ireland in May followed by a series of headlining gigs at several European festivals in June and July.

Plans are in the works for a North American tour in late summer or early fall.

Elvis's '#1 Hits' Could Have Follow-Up In September

The successful 2002 collection of Elvis Presley's hits, Elvis: 30 #1 Hits, could be followed up by another anthology in September.

While BMG--the music corporation that has the rights to Presley's RCA recordings--would not confirm a release, sources say the company is looking to create another remix hit like last year's JXL remix of "A Little Less Conversation."

Elvis: 30 #1 Hits topped charts in 15 territories, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Sweden, Ireland, and Denmark.

Other reissues of Elvis material include a new version on DVD of the documentary Elvis, The Colonel & Me, packaged with a new cover. The DVD looks at photographer Ed Bonja's life on tour with Elvis, and the new release includes 20 minutes of previously unseen film clips from 1971 and 1976.

In additional Elvis movie news, his film with Mary Tyler Moore, Change Of Habit, has been re-released by Universal and NBC Era Home Entertainment in China. For collectors, the actual DVD is a picture disc with the same photo as the cover packaging.

BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT!

South Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone signing a two-year renewal pact with Comedy Central that will keep them and their boundary-pushing cartoon pals on the network through at least 2005. The series serves up its 100th episode on April 9.

WHAT A GIRL DOESN'T WANT

Warner Bros. changing posters of 16-year-old thespian Amanda Bynes flashing the peace sign for its upcoming movie What a Girl Wants to avoid any political overtones. The poster now shows her with her arms hanging at her side.

Actor Hugh Grant Wants to Settle Down

NEW YORK - After years as a bachelor, Hugh Grant said he wants to take some time off from making movies to concentrate on his romantic life.

"I'm ready, baby," he tells Vanity Fair for its May issue. "I need to get married and have children. Put it this way: If I went to a party tonight and bumped into a fantastic girl — whereas three years ago it might have led to a short-term relationship, now I definitely keep my thoughts open to the idea of settling down and breeding. Definitely."

Grant, 42, spent 13 years with model Elizabeth Hurley, with whom he shares a production company, but the two never married.

He said he also wants to take a break from acting because it's something he's never loved, even though it's made him famous and wealthy.

"I kind of hate it. In fact, I hate it quite a lot — all acting, but especially movie acting," said Grant, whose latest romantic comedy, "Love Actually," comes out this fall.

Emmy-Winning Actor Michael Jeter Dies

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jeter, the character actor who won a supporting actor Emmy as a shrimpy assistant football coach on CBS's "Evening Shade" and was known on "Sesame Street" as The Other Mr. Noodle, has died, his publicist said Monday. He was 50.

Jeter's body was found in his Hollywood Hills home Sunday, publicist Dick Guttman said. Friends said they had communicated with him as recently as Saturday, Guttman added.

An autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death. Guttman said Jeter, who was HIV - positive but had been in good health, apparently died of natural causes.

Jeter had been filming the Christmas movie "The Polar Express." Guttman said the producers believe there is enough footage to preserve Jeter's role in the film.

Jeter, a slim, 5-foot-4 actor with thinning red hair, bushy mustache and a broad grin, played tough runts, sniveling wimps and big-hearted underdogs.

"I often see myself in my private life as being a pinched and confined person. When I get on the stage I can open up," he said in a 1992 interview.

Among his favorite roles was the kindly Mr. Noodle on PBS's children's show "Sesame Street." The character was nicknamed The Other Mr. Noodle when Jeter took over the role from Bill Irwin. The two Noodles, the show explained, were brothers.

"Kids would recognize him and come running up to him, 'Mr. Noodle! Mr. Noodle,'" Guttman recalled. "He really loved that."

On "Evening Shade," which ran from 1990 to 1994, Jeter played the blustery assistant football coach Herman Stiles opposite the calm, paternal lead character played by Burt Reynolds. He won his Emmy in 1992.

He had film roles as a kindhearted mental patient in 1998's "Patch Adams," a mouse-loving prisoner in 1999's "The Green Mile" and a dinosaur-hunting mercenary in 2001's "Jurassic Park III."

Jeter started as a stage actor and won a 1990 supporting actor Tony Award as provincial German Jewish bookkeeper Otto Kringelein in the musical "Grand Hotel."

Jeter grew up in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., and studied acting at Memphis State University.

He worked in theater and in small film roles in the 1970s and '80s, but after two bouts of drug and alcohol abuse he decided the irregular life of a performer was too much for him.

He became a legal secretary and abandoned acting until a casting director sought him out in 1987. He was offered a small role in CBS's "Designing Women," made by the same people who would later produce "Evening Shade."

Another 'American Idol' Kicked Off Fox Show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It's more than just a talent contest. The would-be pop stars competing on the Fox reality hit "American Idol" seem these days to be running into trouble over past personal scandals.

A month after Fox disqualified a singer from the show amid revelations that she had posed topless on an Internet porn site, the network said on Monday it was expelling another finalist, Corey Clark, who is facing trial on misdemeanor charges of battery against his sister and resisting arrest.

Fox said in a statement that Clark "withheld information about a prior arrest which, had it been known, might have affected his participation in the show."

"Due to his failure to disclose, compounded by an error in a police report which misspelled Corey's name, the incident was not discovered during a background check," Fox said. "The producers and network feel that Corey's behavior warrants his disqualification."

The charges against the 22-year-old Kansas native stem from an arrest at his family's home in Topeka last October, months before he was picked as one of 32 semifinalists for the second edition of "American Idol," which debuted in January.

As of last Wednesday, he was one of nine remaining finalists who could be seen performing on the show twice a week. Fox said no decision has been made about whether Clark will be replaced on the show.

Clark's arrest record first came to light in a report posted on the Web site The Smoking Gun, which is known for unearthing obscure legal records dealing with numerous celebrities and entertainment figures.

Clark is the third "American Idol" contestant ejected from the show this year because of a checkered past.

Frenchie Davis, a 23-year-old competitor whose powerhouse vocals dazzled the judges and made her a strong contender for the title, was dismissed from the show in February following the discovery that she posed topless on a porn site that purports to feature pictures of underage girls. Davis was reportedly over 18 at the time.

Earlier, "American Idol" semi-finalist Jaered Andrews was kicked off the program after it came to light that he had been arrested on an assault charge in connection with a bar fight in Pennsylvania that ended with a man's death. Fox officials said they learned of Andrew's arrest on their own after he had made the cut as one of 32 semi-finalists but before the first episode aired in January.

A fourth contestant, finalist Lashundra Cobbins who now calls herself Trenyce, was arrested on a theft charge in Tennessee in 1999 but has since successfully completed a pretrial diversion program and had her criminal record expunged. Unlike the others, Fox said, Cobbins disclosed her background in advance and was allowed to remain on the show.

It's Now Pronounced Pee-Ann-Ist, Not Pee-nist

Roman Polanski's Oscar winning "The Pianist" will street on May 27th. Both anamorphic widescreen and full frame versions will be available.

Extras will include the Story of Survival featurette, the theatrical trailer, a soundtrack TV spot, cast and filmmaker bios and production notes.

That’s Chicago

Hot off it’s Oscar win for Best Picture, the musical Chicago will hit DVD this fall from Miramax Home Entertainment.

The Windy City’s promise of adventure and opportunity dazzle Roxie Hart, an outwardly innocent performer who dreams of singing and dancing her way out of her ho-hum life. Roxie’s one wish is to follow in the golden footsteps of sensational vaudeville performer Velma Kelly. Roxie gets her wish when some very wrong steps land both the star and the starlet in prison for separate murder charges. Under the crooked care of the prison’s Matron Morton, Roxie meets up with legendary lawyer Billy Flynn. He agrees to take Roxie’s case for an immodest fee. Roxie’s career explodes to the chagrin of her mentor. But the clever Miss Kelly has a few surprises left for her second act…

The disc will contain an anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, plus a bevy of features yet to be announced.

Chicago, made in Toronto, will arrive on August 18th.