S Club calling it quits
S Club have announced they are calling it quits at the end of May, reports NME.
The remaining six members of the pop group told fans at a concert in London that they would go their separate ways.
A statement released by the group said: "With any job there comes a time to move on and to face new challenges. We've experienced so much more than we ever imagined and we've enjoyed a huge amount of success."
Rumours of an impending split have dogged the band since member Paul Cattermole left S Club 7 last year, and recently when lead singer Jo O'Meara revealed she had a debilitating back condition.
While the band has decided to split, Rachel Stevens has plans to go in film and co-star with Summer Phoenix in "Suzie Gold" in which Stevens plays a demanding diva.
Mutants, cyborgs lead summer movies
If heroes are what's needed in these times, Hollywood aims to deliver.
The summer season is always is loaded with movies about gallant warriors beating the tar out of bad guys. And the Sept. 11 attacks and the war against terrorism that led to conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq may have audiences more primed than ever for big-screen heroes.
Adding to moviegoers' comfort zone, this summer reacquaints them with many old friends as favourite franchises such as The Matrix, X-Men, Charlie's Angels, Tomb Raider and Bad Boys deliver fresh adventures.
"Everywhere I went, all over the world, when people would come up to me, they always ask, 'When are you going to do another Terminator movie?'" said Arnold Schwarzenegger, who finally makes good on his promise that he'd be back as humanity's cyborg protector from the future.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, arriving in early July, pits Schwarzenegger's part-flesh, part-machine bruiser against a gorgeous female terminator that can count sex as a weapon along with the ability to control other machines.
"There's a huge audience out there that loves this character and wants to see more of it," Schwarzenegger said.
Likewise with X2: X-Men United and The Matrix Reloaded, two of the year's most highly awaited films. Hitting theatres weeks in May, X2 and Matrix Reloaded should give a jump-start to Hollywood's busy season after slumping box-office revenues so far this year.
The Matrix came out of the blue four years ago with an edgy new take on science fiction from brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, who simultaneously shot The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, which concludes the trilogy this fall.
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss are back as freedom fighters uploading themselves into a virtual world to battle Earth's machine conquerors, with the final two Matrix movies taking place over a 48-hour period.
Summer is prime time for escapism far removed from current events. Movies such as Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, reteaming Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as the chic private eyes trying to crack a conspiracy against a witness protection program, has no pretensions beyond action and eye candy.
"There's nothing about Charlie's Angels that is really related to anything but entertainment," Liu said. "There is violence in it, but we run around in stilettos fighting with people, and we don't have guns. We have great disguises, it's got tons of great dance numbers. It's saturated with colour, it's sexy and funny. It's a nice way to unwind."
The season's action movies remain dominated by men, but Charlie's Angels is among a growing number of franchises allowing women into the act.
Along with Moss in The Matrix movies, the X2 ensemble includes Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Anna Paquin, joining male counterparts Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, James Marsden and Alan Cumming. This time, good and evil mutants team up to fight a rogue military man trying to exterminate them.
Angelina Jolie goes globe-trotting again in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life, with the buxom video-game heroine on a quest to find Pandora's Box.
"We're at this place now where women are being very physical, very active in movies," said Jolie, who originated the character in 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. "The studio felt at first it was such a risk to spend that much money on an adventure film with a woman. We weren't sure if anybody would go see it. It was a relief that it worked, and hopefully we've made an even better one this time."
Studios will offer heroes in everything from action thrillers to comedies to family flicks. Among them, there's:
-- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, with Reese Witherspoon back as the lawyer with impeccable style on a lobbying mission to pass a bill against animal testing.
-- Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, pitting the espionage family of Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara against new villain Sylvester Stallone.
-- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, about a brotherhood of great literary heroes led by Sean Connery as Allan Quartermain.
-- The Hulk, a comic-book adaptation with Eric Bana as the scientist accidentally turned into a beastly superhero.
-- Bad Boys II, reuniting Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as hip Miami narcotics cops trying to crack a ring smuggling Ecstasy in from Cuba inside submerged coffins.
It's been eight years since the original Bad Boys, a long time between sequels by Hollywood standards. Attracting an audience should not be a problem, though, said producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
"I think they're such big stars now, that won't be an issue," said Bruckheimer, who also produced this summer's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, starring Johnny Depp.
Rival DreamWorks offers its own nautical saga with the animated Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, featuring the voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Other highlights: Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty, the story of a perpetual griper on whom God (Morgan Freeman) bestows omnipotence to run the world his way; Daddy Day Care, starring Eddie Murphy as an unemployed father who goes into the toddler-tending business; Seabiscuit, a drama about the legendary Depression-era racehorse, featuring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper; Ridley Scott's Matchstick Men, with Nicolas Cage as a con man whose swindle is disrupted by the arrival of his teenage daughter; Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell in S.W.A.T., an update of the '70s TV series about an elite Los Angeles police unit; Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor in Down With Love, a comedy that aims to resurrect the Technicolor hipness of '60s romances; and The Italian Job, a remake of the '60s gold-heist caper with Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton.
Also: American Wedding, reuniting some of the American Pie gang as Jason Biggs' and Alyson Hannigan's characters say "I do"; real-life partners Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the comic mob romance Gigli; and the action comedy Hollywood Homicide, which pairs Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett as detectives trying to crack the slayings of a rap group while tending to their alternate careers, Hartnett as a yoga teacher who wants to be an actor, Ford as a real-estate agent.
"The mystery of the movie is not really to solve the hip-hop murders but whether or not I'm going to sell the house," said Ford, noting that he needed a lighthearted movie after his grim submarine tale K-19: The Widowmaker last summer.
Highlights of Hollywood's summer film slate. Release dates are subject to change, and some films play in limited release.
Late April
City of Ghosts: Matt Dillon directs and stars in the story of con men on the run in Asia. With James Caan.
Confidence: A swindle goes sour, forcing a con man (Ed Burns) to pull a job for a crime boss (Dustin Hoffman).
Identity: Travellers stranded at an isolated motel discover there's a murderer among them. With John Cusack.
It Runs in the Family: Kirk and Michael Douglas star in a multigenerational comic family drama.
May 2
Blue Car: Newcomer Agnes Bruckner and David Strathairn in a student-mentor tale that turns ugly.
Bruce Almighty: A sourpuss (Jim Carrey) grouses to God -- who grants him infinite powers and challenges him to run the show. Morgan Freeman plays God.
Buffalo Soldiers: An Army hustler (Joaquin Phoenix) tries to outwit his superiors. With Ed Harris and Scott Glenn.
Daddy Day Care: Eddie Murphy's an out-of-work dad who opens an offbeat day-care centre.
The Dancer Upstairs: John Malkovich directs the story of a Latin American cop (Javier Bardem) tracking a terrorist.
Down With Love: This throwback to swinging '60s romances stars Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor.
Finding Nemo: An animated tale from Disney-Pixar ("Monsters, Inc.") about a father fish trying to rescue his son from a dentist's aquarium.
The In-Laws: A freewheeling spy (Michael Douglas) and a meek foot doctor (Albert Brooks) are prospective in-laws.
The Italian Job: Gold thieves retaliate against a double-crosser in their ranks. Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton star in a remake of the '60s caper.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie: The Disney Channel series goes big-screen as Lizzie (Hilary Duff) takes a class trip to Italy.
The Matrix Reloaded: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss continue the fight against Earth's machine rulers.
Only The Strong Survive: A reunion concert of soul singers, featuring Wilson Pickett, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Sam Moore.
Pokemon Heroes: The animated "pocket monsters" return for an adventure in a mysterious water city.
The Shape of Things: Neil LaBute directs a campus tale of love and sex adapted from his play. With Rachel Weisz and Gretchen Mol.
Sweet Sixteen: A British teen schemes for cash to build a new life for him and his mother, who's about to get out of prison.
Wrong Turn: Youthful travellers are hunted by inbred cannibals in West Virginia.
X2: X-Men United: Everyone's favourite mutants fight fresh evil. The ensemble includes Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.
June
Capturing the Friedmans: The top Sundance documentary winner traces the dissolution of a family amid child-molestation charges.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle: Angels Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu go undercover to solve witness-protection murders.
Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd: The dopes of Dumb and Dumber blunder their way through high school in this prequel.
From Justin to Kelly: American Idol personalities Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini team for a beach romance.
The Hard Word: Out on bail, three brothers reluctantly sign on to a major heist. With Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths.
Hollywood Homicide: L.A. detectives (Harrison Ford, Josh Hartnett) investigate the slayings of a rap group in this action comedy.
The Hulk: Ang Lee directs the comic-book adaptation about a scientist (Eric Bana) transformed into a beastly superhero. Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte co-star.
Jet Lag: Losers in love (Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno) have a romantic encounter at a Paris airport.
Prozac Nation: Christina Ricci as a depressed Harvard freshman in the days before Prozac.
Rugrats Go Wild: The cartoon toddlers meet the Wild Thornberrys clan on a deserted island.
28 Days Later: A virus turns most of Britain's inhabitants into murderous zombies. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) directs.
2 Fast 2 Furious: Vin Diesel's a no-show, but Paul Walker returns for the hot wheels follow-up to The Fast and the Furious.
Whale Rider: The film-festival hit from New Zealand tells the story of a girl who bucks tradition to seek leadership of her Maori tribe.
July
Bad Boys II: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back as Miami narcotics cops fighting a ring smuggling Ecstasy from Cuba.
Camp: Fame goes to summer camp in a musical story of youths at a retreat for performing arts.
Catch That Kid: Three youths plan a heist at a high-tech bank -- all for a good cause.
Exorcist: The Beginning: The prequel to The Exorcist pits a priest (Stellan Skarsgard) against the devil in Africa.
How to Deal: A teen (Mandy Moore) disillusioned with love finds herself open to romance after tragedy strikes.
Johnny English: A family comedy about a British agent (Rowan Atkinson) taking on the Frenchman (John Malkovich) who stole the crown jewels.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider -- The Cradle of Life: Angelina Jolie travels the world on a quest for Pandora's Box.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Sean Connery heads a cast of literary superheroes including Allan Quartermain, Capt. Nemo and the Invisible Man.
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde: Reese Witherspoon is back as fashionable barrister, on a lobbying mission to Congress.
The Magdalene Sisters: Peter Mullan spins a drama of four "fallen women" condemned to work in Ireland's cruel Magdalene Laundries.
Mondays in the Sun: Javier Bardem leads an ensemble cast in the humorous drama of workers left adrift by the closing of a shipyard.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: A mariner (Johnny Depp) commandeers a ship to save a kidnapped woman.
Seabiscuit: The adaptation of the best seller about the Depression-era racehorse stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer lend voices to an animated tale about the rascally sailor.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over: The spy family returns for a 3-D adventure against a power-mad villain (Sylvester Stallone).
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Arnold Schwarzenegger's back as the cyborg from the future, battling a deadly female terminator.
August
American Splendour: The top Sundance festival winner stars Paul Giamatti as grouchy cult-comic writer Harvey Pekar as he groans and sighs through life.
American Wedding: American Pie sweethearts Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan head for the altar.
And Now Ladies & Gentlemen: The lives of a jewel thief and jazz singer collide as they try to shed their pasts. With Jeremy Irons.
Civil Brand: A woman imprisoned for killing her abusive husband faces cruel injustice behind bars.
Dirty Pretty Things: Stephen Frears directs Audrey Tautou (Amelie) in a thriller at a London hotel.
The Fighting Temptations: Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles in the tale of a man who must form a gospel choir to collect an inheritance.
Freaky Friday: Jamie Lee Curtis stars in a remake about a mother and daughter who swap bodies.
Freddy Vs. Jason: In this corner, the Nightmare on Elm Street ghoul, in that corner, the Friday the 13th slasher.
Gigli: Real-life honeys Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are mobsters at romantic odds on a kidnapping assignment.
Highwaymen: People victimized by a highway killer (Jim Caviezel) team to hunt him down.
If You Were My Girl: A nerd (Nick Cannon) bribes a high school hottie to pretend they're dating.
Jeepers Creepers 2: The ravenous Creeper terrorizes a busload of high school athletes, cheerleaders and coaches.
Ken Park: An explicit tale of sex and emotional trauma among California teens. From director Larry Clark (Kids).
Le Divorce: Romantic misadventures of two American sisters (Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts) in France. From filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.
Marci X: A prissy woman (Lisa Kudrow) takes over her father's record label and tries to keep a rapper (Damon Wayans) in line.
Matchstick Men: Nicolas Cage as a skittish con man whose big score is endangered by a visit from his teenage daughter. Ridley Scott directs.
My Boss' Daughter: Unwanted visitors plague a klutz (Ashton Kutcher) who's house-sitting for his boss.
Shaolin Soccer: A hit in Hong Kong, this action comedy features a misfit gang that blends shaolin kung fu with soccer.
S.W.A.T.: The '70s TV show gets an update as S.W.A.T. officers (Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell) battle mercenaries out to free a drug lord.
Thirteen: A gritty tale about a 13-year-old girl and her single mom as their relationship decays. With Holly Hunter.
Uptown Girls: Brittany Murphy as a rock star's daughter who becomes nanny to a precocious girl.
Wonderland: A drama based on the true story of a porn star (Val Kilmer) linked to drug murders. Lisa Kudrow co-stars.
So enjoy the popcorn, and I'll see you at the movies!
Weaver, Scott eye another 'Aliens' film
Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott could be joining forces once again for another "Aliens" film, Zap2it reports.
"Ridley and I have talked about it a couple of times. He has some ideas," the actress told the Chicago Sun Times. "If we developed a good script, I'd love to play Ripley again."
The two worked together for the original "Alien" film back in 1979 and Weaver continued to work on the sequels as Ellen Ripley with James Cameron in 1986 and in 1997 with Jean-Pierre Jeanet.
Although a new "Alien" project has not been confirmed yet, Weaver already has plans of what she'd like to see in the film.
"The only thing I'm not interested in is going to earth," she said. "I saw that 'Star Trek' movie where they went to earth and...yawn. I think it's more fun to go to a foreign planet."
Weaver is currently promoting her new comedy "Holes" that came out last week.
Timberlake, Scott to Host MTV Awards
NEW YORK - Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync and Seann William Scott of "Bulletproof Monk" and the "American Pie" movies will co-host the MTV Movie Awards.
The ceremony, which includes categories such as best villain and best kiss alongside best movie and best male and female performance, is set for May 31 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The 12th annual show is scheduled to air on MTV at 9 p.m. EDT June 5.
"You could not ask for a more dynamic duo than Justin and Seann to help celebrate the year in movies," MTV president Van Toffler said Tuesday. "The MTV Movie Awards has always been about the twisted, unexpected moments and this year's show will no doubt provide our audience with a night of celebrity sloppiness and fun."
"Spider-Man" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" lead the nominations with five each. Viewers can vote for their favorites at MTV's Web site.
Dixie Chicks Fire Back at Critics
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Dixie Chicks' lead singer Natalie Maines says she spoke against President Bush (news - web sites) and war with Iraq last month out of frustration and regrets her choice of words, but she makes no apologies for thinking critically.
"I'm not truly embarrassed that, you know, President Bush is from my state, that's not really what I care about," Maines says in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer for "Primetime Thursday," airing 10 p.m. EDT Thursday. "It was the wrong wording with genuine emotion and questions and concern behind it. ... Am I sorry that I asked questions and that I just don't follow? No."
At a March 10 concert in London, Maines told the audience in reference to Bush's push for military action against Iraq: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Maines and the Texas-based trio's other members — Emily Robison and Martie Maguire, who are sisters — also tell Sawyer the fallout was too harsh for the offense and they've always supported U.S. troops even though they questioned the war.
"We know some of our fans were shocked and ... and upset, and we are compassionate to that," Maguire said. "My problem is, when does it cross the line? ... When is writing a threatening letter OK?"
The interview airs a week before they begin their U.S. tour May 1 in Greenville, S.C., and they appear nude on the May 2 issue of Entertainment Weekly, with epithets such as "Traitors" written on their bodies.
After Maines' remarks, some radio stations began boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though she publicly apologized for her statement in London.
The song "Travelin' Soldier," which was No. 1 on Billboard's country charts around the time Maines made the remark, tumbled completely off the charts afterward. And sales of the group's latest CD, "Home," plummeted, although sales have rebounded slightly, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which tracks music sales.
Even with the slide, however, "Home" remains the top-selling album on the Billboard country chart — 19 weeks at No. 1 — and No. 30 on the pop chart.
Most of the shows on their tour had already sold out before Maines' comments. Their agent, Rob Light, was unavailable for comment Wednesday but told Billboard this week that of the 59 shows, only six have seats left and those are all 85 percent to 90 percent sold.
First American Idol Winner Tops the Pop Charts
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - America's love affair with "American Idol" helped pushed the album debut of the reality show's winner, Kelly Clarkson, to the top of this week's U.S. pop charts, industry trackers said on Wednesday.
Winning the talent search contest on the smash hit TV show last year led the bubbly Clarkson, a former cocktail waitress, to instant celebrity and a recording contract with Bertelsmann AG's RCA Records.
Shortly after claiming victory on "American Idol," Clarkson scored a No. 1 hit single in September with "A Moment Like This," the song she performed on the show.
Now, more than six months after the single, Clarkson's long-awaited debut album, "Thankful," featuring 12 songs, sold nearly 300,000 copies for the week ended April 20, its first week of release.
The album features Clarkson singing pop, gospel, R&B and several ballads and tracks that will appeal to her 20-something peers.
While Clarkson's appeal is likely to continue, the album's top position is expected to be usurped next week by Madonna's new album "American Life," released on Tuesday by AOL Time Warner's Warner Bros., which is expected to sell between 200,000 and 250,000 units, retail experts said.
Despite mixed reviews for the pop icon's latest album, the CD arrived with Madonna's typical dose of controversy, which helped stoke public interest for her first album in almost three years.
In recent weeks, the video for the album's first single was pulled due to offending images of her throwing a hand grenade at a George W. Bush look-alike -- an image Madonna said might be misunderstood while the nation was at war with Iraq.
The move probably only helped fuel sales for the album, industry pundits said.
"There's a great awareness about the album. Madonna's one of the few people who can get a lot of attention for telling people not to see a video," said Geoff Mayfield, director of charts for Billboard Magazine, who predicts the album will open at No. 1.
Industry experts predict that Clarkson's "Thankful" will see a typical 40 to 50 percent falloff in the current week, particularly since last week got a push from the Easter holiday, which typically boosts retail activity.
Ranking second on the pop charts this week was the latest album by rapper 50 Cent called "New Breed," which sold 246,381 units in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The new album by the ex-crack dealer comes close on the heels of his hit album, "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' which sold a whopping 872,000 copies in its first week in February.
Issued on Interscope Records' Aftermath imprint, 50 Cent's launch in February ranked as the biggest opening week for a major-label debut by any recording artist since SoundScan began tracking sales.
Ranking third this week on the charts was Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Will," which sold 217,950 units.
The debut album of Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, who passed away over 25 years ago, slipped from No. 5 last week to No. 14 in the latest week, with her debut album, "To Whom It May Concern," selling about 85,000 units in the latest week.
Looks good on ya, Curtis!
Mulroney named host of CTV's Canuck Idol
Ben Mulroney has been named host of CTV's new music/reality spinoff, Canadian Idol.
The host of CTV's eTalk Daily, fast becoming this year's Carla Collins, greeted 2,500 contestants in Vancouver yesterday who were taking part in the second regional audition. Future stops for pop-star wanabees between the ages of 18-25 include Calgary (April 27), Montreal (May 3), Ottawa (May 7), Halifax (May 13) St. John's (May 21) and Toronto (May 25). Details are at idol.ctv.ca.
CTV also announced yesterday that Ottawa comedian Jon Dore and music reporter Tanya Kim have joined Canadian Idol as special correspondents.
Sass Jordan is among the four-member, Canadian judging panel that will try to make viewers forget all about Simon Cowell and those other American Idol bad guys. Canadian Idol is set to begin in June.
VERY SPECIAL REUNION
The cast of Bev-Niners are coming back for "Beverly Hills, 90210: 10-year High School Reunion" to share the memories. Sadly, Tori Spelling won't appear according to her representative. She "loved her time on the show...but has since moved on."
Bring back Tori! And Julia DeMato too, while you're at it!
THANKFUL?
Kelly Clarkson's debut album Thankful is expected to debut at number one when chart listings are released later today, while Madonna's American Life, released Tuesday, is expected to claim the top spot next week.
GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
Matthew Perry guest starring in tonight's episode of NBC'S West Wing, the first of two scheduled appearances on the Aaron Sorkin drama.
Springsteen Offers Support To Dixie Chicks
Bruce Springsteen has issued a statement supporting the country trio the Dixie Chicks, who have suffered backlash, including radio playlist bans, after singer Natalie Maines' comments to a British concert audience in March protesting President George Bush's actions towards Iraq.
Posted at brucespringsteen.net, Springsteen's statement reads: "The Dixie Chicks have taken a big hit lately for exercising their basic right to express themselves, To me, they're terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech. For them to be banished wholesale from radio stations, and even entire radio networks, for speaking out is un-American. The pressure coming from the government and big business to enforce conformity of thought concerning the war and politics goes against everything that this country is about - namely freedom. Right now, we are supposedly fighting to create free speech in Iraq, at the same time that some are trying to intimidate and punish people for using that same freedom here at home. I don't know what happens next, but I do want to add my voice to those who think that the Dixie Chicks are getting a raw deal, and an un-American one to boot. I send them my support."
Springsteen has made anti-war statements of his own during his concerts this year--sometimes playing the late Motown singer Edwin Starr's protest hit "War"--and in other concert comments has also bemoaned the loss of civil liberties.
Springsteen and his E Street Band have just finished a short swing through Canada. They kick off a European tour on May 6 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, before starting a North American tour July 15 with the first of 10 shows at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Bob Marley Fans Can Look Forward To New Music
Bob Marley fans can look forward to new music. Marley's family recently discovered they have cassette recordings of Marley songs that were never released. Marley's son Ziggy Marley said the tunes are being worked on and should be out by next year.
Ziggy said, "Next year, we are probably gonna have some new material from Daddy for the world. So we're working on that."
Bob Marley, whose hits included "One Love/People Get Ready," and "Who Shot The Sheriff," died of cancer in 1981.
Ziggy Marley successfully followed in his father's footsteps, and just released his latest album, Dragonfly.
Will Ferrell Finishes Boston Marathon
BOSTON - Will Ferrell, known for his antics on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," ran the Boston Marathon with his wife and achieved two goals: He finished in under four hours, and he beat the guy dressed as Elvis.
After saying at the start that he just wanted to finish, Ferrell did better than that with a time of 3 hours, 56 minutes, 12 seconds. The guy dressed as Elvis Presley — actually, a friend of Ferrell's named Bob Babbitt — came in at 4:28:33.
"It's truly an amazing event. Along with the history and everything, it's a bit of a blur," Ferrell said of Monday's race. "Heartbreak Hill felt like a lovely summer day ... and then you get hit over the head with a hammer."
There were no jokes along the route, reported 1968 marathon winner Amby Burfoot, who ran near the 35-year-old actor-comedian.
"He was completely serious," said Burfoot, who runs every fifth anniversary of his victory. "His coach had him on a short tether. They had something left at the end. It's great to see celebrities come into the race and treat it seriously."
Ferrell and his wife, Viveca, ran in the New York City Marathon in 2001, finishing together in 5 hours, 1 minute and 56 seconds.
O.J. Simpson Makes Pass for Reality Show
MIAMI (Hollywood Reporter) - O.J. Simpson is preparing for his debut as the star of his own "Osbournes"-esque reality show.
Fort Worth, Texas-based Urban America Television Network said it will distribute a 13-week series about the former football great -- who was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1995 -- to its 75 independent broadcast TV station affiliates starting in June.
The series will chronicle Simpson's daily life in Miami using footage collected over several months of filming in 2001 and 2002.