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 th