Time to Put Record Straight, Says McCartney

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney hit back at critics on Saturday, saying a decision to reverse the traditional "Lennon-McCartney" songwriting credit on his new album was not a slur on his band mate but a chance to "put the record straight."

In an interview with Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, 60-year-old McCartney said he was simply "letting people know that the songs I sing today are my own."

And he added that he had no doubts that fellow Beatle John Lennon -- killed by a lone gunman on his New York doorstep 23 years ago -- would understand the decision.

"The bottom line is I know what I wrote and so did John," McCartney told the paper.

"I'm doing nothing wrong. There was an agreement between (us) that if we ever wanted to, we could switch the Lennon and McCartney thing."

And he dismissed claims from die-hard Beatles fans that he was tarnishing the legend of Lennon.

"It has come out like I'm trying to dance on John's grave which is a pity because I am his biggest fan," he said.

"I'm the guy who knew him best...I'd hate people to think I'm trying to do him down."

McCartney's decision to switch the credits sparked a high-profile dispute with Lennon's widow Yoko Ono in December last year.

Ono was reported to be considering legal action over the matter, which she said contravened a 40-year agreement.

Her spokesman Elliot Mintz told Reuters that Ono had repeatedly rejected McCartney's requests to reverse the credits on the grounds that a "deal is a deal."

But McCartney, who has long complained that Lennon, for instance, had no input in the hit "Yesterday," wants the songs fairly labeled.

"I personally don't see any harm in John's songs such as "Strawberry Fields" and "Help" being labeled Lennon and McCartney and my songs such as "Let It Be" and "Eleanor Rigby" being labeled McCartney and Lennon," he said last year.

Speaking to the Mirror, he reiterated that point: "I wasn't being big headed. I just asked that for once in 30 years, my name could be switched as a reward."

McCartney is currently in the middle of a 16 country, sell-out world tour, due in Britain on Saturday.

The tour grossed $70 million in America, breaking box-office records in 21 cities, won Billboard's Tour of the Year and has made the former Beatle the highest-earning celebrity on earth.

The Juno Twain Pulls In

There's a big question on everyone's minds about Sunday night's Juno telecast at the Corel Centre in Ottawa (8 p.m.-10 p.m., CTV).

What will host, performer and five-time nominee Shania Twain, wear when she opens the show?

Twain's sexy outfits aside, the people who stage the Juno Awards -- the Canadian Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences -- are hoping the pop-country singer's star power will help draw viewers.

The event itself sold out the day tickets went on sale.

"She's arguably the biggest Canadian artist in the world right now," said CARAS chairman Ross Reynolds. "And she's also proudly Canadian -- living in Switzerland, mind you -- but clearly very proud to be Canadian. You just look at her new video (for Up!) and she's wearing a Canadiens sweater and waving the flag. It just seemed like a natural fit. The Ladies were the Ladies last year and they were wonderful. This year will be different, and that's a good thing."

There are, however, other performances worth tuning in to see on Sunday night, including those by six-time nominee Avril Lavigne, who goes up against her biggest rival Twain in three of those categories; four-time nominees Our Lady Peace, and Remy Shand; double nominees Swollen Members, Sam Roberts and Blue Rodeo, and Canadian Hall Of Famer Tom Cochrane.

"It's funny, because everything has been about the Grammys, right?" said Shand, who was up for four Grammys earlier this year but went home empty-handed. (He didn't get to attend because of an ear infection.)

"Really, probably, the most important thing is my Canadian identity, because I feel so strongly about it. Just growing up here and not wanting to move from Canada. It's so awesome to be able have a career here and then jump into the States and do something," Shand said.

Twain rehearses at the Corel Centre today while literally dozens of other Juno nominees -- including Jane Bunnett, Ron Sexsmith, and Rascalz -- are scheduled to board an Ottawa-bound train leaving from Toronto's Union Station just after noon.

Snow will kick off the road trip with a performance in the Great Hall of Union Station.

"I was at the (Junos) in St. John's, and in Vancouver one year, and there is this extra, added excitement -- for the people of the towns too," said Sexsmith, whose album, Cobblestone Runway, got him a best songwriting nod. "It fills people with this national pride that maybe they wouldn't get so much if the awards were held just in Toronto every year."

Twenty-eight Juno awards will be handed out on Saturday night at the Casino du Lac-Leamy in a non-televised ceremony before Sunday's live broadcast at the Corel Centre where the remaining 11 trophies are presented.

Otherwise, Juno weekend is action-packed. "I think it's really important this year that when we get to Ottawa, we show some solidarity as a country," said Cochrane. "We're in some interesting times. I think music is so important right now and some of these kids coming up are just phenomenal -- Danko Jones, Remy Shand.

"Also a lot of cultural awards need to be emphasized. The jazz awards, the classical awards -- we have to remember that it's not just about pop success."
The Juno telecast presenters include three-time nominees Alanis Morissette and K-OS, double nominees Danko Jones, Sarah Slean, Shawn Desman, and Jane Bunnett, and solo nominees Kathleen Edwards, Molly Johnson, Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman, Glenn Lewis, Jully Black, Doc Walker and James Ehnes.

Also confirmed to present is Chantal Kreviazuk.

Notable no-shows this year will be four-time nominee Celine Dion, who is busy performing her new show in Las Vegas, and double nominee Diana Krall.

Along with Cochrane, Nettwerk Records founder and Lavigne's manager Terry McBride will also be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.

"The vibe is Ottawa. The excitement in Ottawa is beyond what we could have imagined," said the telecast's executive producer John Brunton. "And what we experienced last year in St. John's was something that was truly magical. So I'm really excited about this trend to take the Junos from various cities across the country. I think it's really paying off for the fans, it's paying off for the musicians, it's paying off for everybody."

'IDOL' FANS CRY 'YOU CHEATED'

'AMERICAN Idol 2" fans wailed a chorus of "we was robbed" after Wednesday's live episode ended with no one getting booted.

After disqualifying contestant Corey Clark for allegedly beating his kid sister, "AI2" producers decided to wait until next Wednesday to kick off the next contestant.

Unhappy fans lit up the show's online message board to complain. Here's a sampling of postings from bolt.com:

- From "HappyinOttawa": Last night's show was a complete waste of everyone's time. People only tune in to see who gets the boot."

- From "SummerNut": "Cracked me up when Ryan said that they wouldn't be kicking anyone off last night's show."

- From "boopatch": I thought last night's show was a waste of time. That is an hour in my life I can never get back."

- From "dan" : Bring back Julia DeMato!

A Fox spokesperson said: "We considered various ways to resolve the situation and felt this was the most fair, positive and equitable solution."

Indian Miss World could get licence to thrill James Bond

BOMBAY (AFP) - Top Indian film star and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai is in talks to appear in the next James Bond movie, her secretary told AFP.

A London-based agency, on behalf of the studio making Bond movies, has approached the actress to discuss a role in the next Bond movie, Rai's personal secretary Hari Singh, said Friday.

"It is still premature. But the agency guys are in town and have shown interest in discussing the role with Aishwarya," he said.

"I cannot name the agency as it is confidential. But they are keen to cast her. Let us see what Aishwarya says," he said.

If Rai, who won the Miss World title in 1994, got the role, she would be the first Indian to join the Bond girl clan, which includes Ursula Andress and recently Halle Berry.

Singh said the talks between the agency and Rai had been delayed because she had fractured her foot in an accident Wednesday.

Pearl Jam's Vedder unleashes anti-Bush tirade

Dozens of fans walked out of a Pearl Jam concert after lead singer Eddie Vedder took a mask of President George W. Bush and impaled it on a microphone stand.

Several concertgoers booed and shouted for Vedder to shut up as he told the crowd he was against the war and Bush. He impaled the mask during the encore of the band's opening show of a U.S. tour.

"It was like he decapitated someone in a primal ritual and stuck their head on a stick," fan Keith Zimmerman said of the Tuesday concert.

Vedder used a Bush mask in Australia and Japan to perform the song Bushleaguer, from the band's latest album, Riot Act. The song's lyrics say, "He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer."

During the show, Vedder said: "Just to clarify. . . we support the troops."

"We're just confused on how wanting to bring them back safely all of a sudden becomes non-support," he said. "We love them. They're not the ones who make the foreign policy . . . Let's hope for the best and speak our opinions."

Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Natalie Maines Says President Remark Was A 'Joke'

Dixie Chick Natalie Maines told a New Zealand TV reporter last week that her now-infamous slam at President George W. Bush was a joke.

Maines admitted that she told a London concert audience that the group was ashamed that the President is from their home state of Texas, but added, "It was a joke and it wasn't planned. And it was really funny at the time. It got lots of cheers, and that's what it was meant for. You see the trouble that you can get into if you speak religion or politics. It gets people very upset."

Maines issued a written apology after making the remark at a March 10 concert, but stations continued to ban the Chicks' music on radio stations across the country.

In addition, the Dixie Chicks' Home album saw a more than 40 percent decline in sales after Maines's remark.

Thomas Jane is THE PUNISHER!

Artisan Pictures and Marvel Studios announced today that Thomas Jane has been cast in the title role of The Punisher, the feature film production of Marvel Comics’ immensely popular comic book series of the same name.

The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ CEO Avi Arad and producer Gale Anne Hurd with renowned screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh writing and directing.

With the project’s other major roles currently being cast, The Punisher will commence principal photography in early July 2003 and the event film will arrive in theatres during the summer of 2004. Artisan Pictures President of Production, Richard Saperstein and Marvel’s Arad made the announcement.

The Punisher rises out of the ongoing Artisan and Marvel joint venture designed to develop, produce and distribute Marvel character based programming across all media with profits generated from each project shared equally after distribution fees are incurred. In addition to The Punisher, the two entities are in active development on the big screen adaptation of the venerable character, Iron Fist.

The Punisher tells the story of FBI undercover agent, Frank Castle, who until now has beat considerable odds. A former Special Forces operative, he is finally moving out of the field and into a desk job – and a normal life with his wife and son. Then Castle’s world is shaken to its core by a nightmare he has longed feared: his family is executed as a repercussion from his final undercover assignment. With unparalleled intensity, ferocious intelligence and fearless actions, Castle seeks to punish the murderers – and finds the one thing he least expected: redemption.

Marvel Comics’ The Punisher made his first appearance over 25 years ago as a supporting character. The hero proved so popular with readers that he could not be contained in a peripheral role and by the 1990’s he was starring in as many as three titles a month. In 2000, The Punisher reemerged as one of Marvel Comics’ highest selling solo books and remains a top seller for the Company.

Commented Marvel Studios’ Arad, “Although Frank Castle is a tough-as-nails vigilante, he is, at his very core, an extremely tortured soul, a victim of survivor’s guilt. Thomas Jane, being a character actor, is going to have all the dimension necessary to bring to life the depth of a character who is both the hero and the victim with the physicality of a Super Hero. By signing Thomas, we follow the Marvel tradition of bringing art-house actors in to tackle our complex characters. We are very excited to have him as part of our family.”

Added Artisan’s Saperstein, “Thomas is a very talented and focused actor who possesses both the physical and dramatic qualities we were hoping to find in our Punisher. He brings with him an intensity and strength that we believe will help to define the character and energize the film.”

Noted producer Gale Anne Hurd, “Thomas is one of our finest actors and comes from the indie world, as have other actors who’ve assumed Super Hero roles so successfully such as Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) and Eric Bana (The Hulk). We are thrilled that an actor of this caliber will be our Punisher.”

Thomas Jane is a versatile actor with a wide range of strong performances to his credit. Jane can be seen in the Warner Bros.’ film, Dreamcatcher, starring alongside Morgan Freeman and in the title role of Stander for director Bronwen Hughes. Jane starred opposite Cameron Diaz in Columbia Pictures’ The Sweetest Thing. Prior to that, Jane starred as legendary baseball player Mickey Mantle in HBO’s acclaimed film 61*. Additional credits for Jane include roles in Lions Gate’s Under Suspicion, Warner Brothers’ Deep Blue Sea, 20th Century Fox’s The Thin Red Line and New Line’s Boogie Nights.

The Punisher’s writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh has written some of the genre’s most notable action films including The Rock, Armageddon, Jumanji and Die Hard: With a Vengeance. Hensleigh also executive produced Armageddon as well as Gone in Sixty Seconds and Con Air. Gale Anne Hurd, whose next project is the epic superhero tent pole release from Universal, The Hulk, directed by Ang Lee, has produced such box office hits as Armageddon, Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Ghost and the Darkness, The Relic and Dante's Peak.

METEORIC DEBUT

Linkin Park's new album, Meteora, entering the charts at number one with the best first-week sales of 2003. Coming in second was Celine Dion's One Heart, though sales were nowhere near her 2002 effort, A New Day Has Come.

THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS

An online betting company stopping wagers on Survivor: Amazon after four CBS employees were suspected of betting on the outcome with insider information. FYI: Matt and Jenna were odds-on favorites.

RECOVERING

Johnny Cash released from the Nashville hospital where he'd been admitted March 10 suffering from pneumonia. Cash, 71, suffers from autonomic neuropathy, a disease of the nervous system, which puts him at constant risk of pneumonia.

Kidman Says Heart Stays Loving Toward Cruise

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Nicole Kidman shared her Oscar victory last month with ex-husband Tom Cruise, phoning him in New Zealand shortly after taking the best actress award for her performance in "The Hours."

"Your heart has to stay loving," Kidman told People magazine in an interview published on Thursday.

"It was so important for me to talk to Connor (her son) and yes, to Tom. We have very different lives now, but as I've said to Tom, I will be there for him for the rest of his life, always there," she said. Kidman and Cruise's 10 year marriage ended in 2001 in a bitter divorce.

Kidman now calls herself "very single" and she denied tabloid newspaper rumors about a romance with British actor Jude Law, her co-star in the upcoming movie "Cold Mountain."

"He's wonderful man and a good friend of mine, but there was no affair. We spent seven months shooting and it's an intense love story so we were waiting for that. They did it with Ewan McGregor too, on 'Moulin Rouge'," she said.

The flame-haired actress said her life was missing a big part of what it takes to be complete. "I want someone who says, 'I will stand by you and be there for you and your life is just as important to me as mine.

"No, I don't 'go out' really. I'm not someone who just says 'Oh yeah, this is silly and light and fun.' I like to be in love. Nothing casual. I'm not interested in casual.

"I'm waiting for someone to come rock my world," she said.

Uber Babe Liv Tyler Marries

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Lord of the Rings" star Liv Tyler has married her longtime musician boyfriend, Royston Langdon, in a private ceremony in the Caribbean, Tyler's publicist said on Thursday.

Tyler, 25, and Langdon, the former frontman of British band Spacehog, tied the knot on March 25, and will hold a small reception for friends and family in New York next month.

Tyler is the daughter of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler and former Playboy model Bebe Buell. Langdon, who played bass in the rock band Spacehog, recently launched a solo tour in the United States. The couple were engaged in April 2001.

'SOPRANOS' TUNE UP FOR 5TH SEASON

New Jersey's most infamous mobsters are shooting again.

Cast members put on their gold chains, black leather jackets and shiny sharkskin suits yesterday to begin filming what may be the final season of "The Sopranos."

As usual, the thespian Mafiosi kept quiet about family business.

As Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts, told The Post: "There'll be a lot of blood this year, that's all you can count on.

"It's a gangster show, anyone could get rubbed out," the actor added yesterday between scenes at Silver Cup Studios in Long Island City, Queens.

Fans are eager to get through a year of reruns until next January, when the fifth 13-episode season starts.

After gasping at last season's cliffhanger ending, they were holding their breath again last month when star James Gandolfini threatened to walk out.

But even with the new season on its way, they wait for word on how long the show will go on.

HBO said it had offered to double Gandolfini's paycheck to $600,000 per episode, but he wanted close to $2 million per show, and filed a lawsuit when negotiations broke down.

Shooting was to start March 24, but HBO pulled the plug until a deal with the actor was struck.

Details of a final agreement have not been released, but cast members said they were happy to be back.

"It's great to be back, but I hope it's not officially over yet. I hope it lives on forever," said Steven Van Zandt, who plays Silvio Dante and juggles his "Sopranos" role with his longtime guitar gig in Bruce Springsteen's band.

Michael Imperioli, who plays Christopher Moltisanti, was one of 300 people who would have been without an HBO paycheck had Gandolfini's contract dispute dragged on.

"It's like being home again," he said after filming a scene in which he beats the snot out of a guy in a parking lot.