BOWLING FOR DVD

MGM planning to release Michael Moore's Oscar-winning documentary, Bowling for Columbine, on DVD on August 19. Among the extras, the filmmaker gives an interview in which he discusses his controversial Academy Award acceptance speech.

'Casablanca' DVD set for release

BURBANK, Calif. (CP) -- Warner Home Video is planning an Aug. 5 release of a two-disc special edition of the classic film Casablanca starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

The film is already available in a special-edition DVD (on the MGM label) but the new one promises not only "a breathtaking new digital transfer" but also four hours of bonus material, including 10 minutes of newly discovered deleted scenes and outtakes.

Warner is also planning a gala tribute screening at New York's Lincoln Center on Aug. 11 to be attended by Bogie's widow Lauren Bacall and their son Stephen and Bergman's daughter Pia Lindstrom.

Other disc extras include optional commentaries by movie critic Roger Ebert and film historian Rudy Behlmer, a radio drama recording with original cast members, the premiere episode of the short-lived 1955 TV series that starred Charles McGraw, music scoring outtakes, a Looney Tunes cartoon takeoff, vintage trailers and new interviews.

"Recent advances in digital technology allowed us to revisit the early restoration work and create a new digital re-master directly from nitrate picture and sound elements," says Ned Price, vice-president of technical operations mastering for Warner.

Sting releasing new album

Sting is set to release his first studio album in four years, according to his official web site.

"Sacred Love," produced by Sting and his keyboardist Kipper, will hit North American retail outlets on September 23.

The first single, "Send Your Love," is due to hit radio in late June with a commercial release scheduled for September.

The album includes a guest appearance by Mary J. Blige who contributes vocals on the track "Whenever I Say Your Name."

After completing "Sacred Love" in Paris last month, Sting and his band flew to Los Angeles to record a performance DVD of the new material at the Mayan Theatre.

The DVD, which will also include some old material as well as the new songs, will be released in early October.

Sting is also planning a world tour in early 2004.

'American Idol' Winner to Release Single

NEW YORK - "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard won't have time to rest on his laurels — he's spending this weekend in the studio to work on his debut album, which is slated to come out by September.

Studdard, who edged Clay Aiken to win the second "American Idol" competition on Wednesday, has already been signed to J Records, founded by music mogul Clive Davis. And his first single, "Flying Without Wings," which Studdard sang during the competition, will be released next week.

Davis, who will be the executive producer of Studdard's disc, has shaped the careers of artists like Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys. He said Studdard "could very well be a major recording artist for many years to come."

"We're going to make a real state-of-the-art, strong musical album, and take a long term approach," Davis, who is chief executive officer and chairman of RCA Music Group, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Approximately 33.7 million people watched the "American Idol" finale, more than 10 million more than last year's competition.

Kelly Clarkson was crowned the first "American Idol" last September, and has since had a No. 1 single and album.

Studdard, whose sensual tenor is reminiscent of fellow J Records artist Luther Vandross, will record a mix of pop, R&B, and hip-hop-influenced tunes; there's even talk of a collaboration with rapper Fat Joe, one of Studdard's favorites, said Davis.

Already, Davis said he has fielded calls from top producers who want to work with the 24-year-old Birmingham, Ala., native.

Is Davis trying to mold Studdard, who sang mostly love songs on "Idol," into the next Vandross or Barry White? "We're not putting blinders on," Davis said. "We want to make it as exciting (as possible)."

Although Aiken, 24, lost the competition, he is also going to start work on his own album, to be released by RCA Records. His first single, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," is also expected to be released within a few days.

The margin of votes between Aiken and Studdard was so close, it apparently confused host Ryan Seacrest. He announced the number of votes that separated them as about 13,000 at one point and about 1,300 at another.

The actual spread was about 130,000 votes, said Fox spokesman Scott Grogin on Thursday.

"It's simply a case of someone misspeaking on live television," Grogin said.

The tally announced by Fox never changed, Grogin said. Out of more than 24 million votes cast, Studdard received a total of 50.28 percent while Aiken got 49.72 percent, the network said.

Shortly after Seacrest gave the first inaccurate figure, a publicist for the show told reporters at the Universal Amphitheatre about the error and said that the correct figure, about 130,000, would be announced later.

Seacrest, however, announced a second wrong figure on air.

Documents Reveal Some 'Matrix' Profits

LOS ANGELES - New divorce documents freezing some assets of "The Matrix Reloaded" co-director Larry Wachowski shed light on how much the mysterious filmmaker and his brother, Andy, were paid for the sci-fi sequels.

The court papers, which a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge signed May 14, restrained the brothers' company, Anarchos Productions, from disbursing "monies, property or anything of value" to Larry Wachowski.

Attorneys for Wachowski's wife, Thea Bloom, made the request. She's divorcing the 37-year-old filmmaker after about nine years of marriage.

The documents include letters between the couple's attorneys in which Wachowski's business representative, Peter Grossman, said the brothers were to be paid about $16 million for their work on sequels to 1999's "The Matrix" and a video game, not counting profit participation deals set to be paid in 2005.

Grossman's letter said Warner Bros. paid $5 million for the scripts, $2.2 million for preproduction services and $6.6 million during the shoot. The brothers were to receive an additional $2.2 million on completion of "The Matrix Reloaded" and the November sequel "The Matrix Revolutions," the letter said.

Grossman didn't immediately return a call for comment. Bloom's attorney, Dena Kleeman, declined to be interviewed.

The Chicago-raised siblings are notoriously secretive and have hidden from the press since the success of the original "Matrix." Since it debuted last week, "Reloaded" has earned about $152 million.

Fox: 'Idol' Host Given Faulty Numbers

LOS ANGELES - Turns out "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest can read.

On the Fox talent-search show's finale Wednesday, Seacrest twice announced incorrect numbers in describing how close the final vote was between winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken.

"It wasn't his fault," Fox spokesman Scott Grogin said Friday. The first incorrect figure — 13,000 — was displayed on the TelePrompTer; the second — 1,300 — was written on a card given Seacrest.

The actual spread between the two contestants, out of nearly 24 million votes counted, was about 130,000, according to the network.

Grogin did not detail how Seacrest was given wrong information or by whom.

Atari Sells 1 Million Matrix Games in Week

PARIS - Atari Inc. Friday said it had sold more than 1 million copies of "Enter the Matrix" one week after the computer and video game hit shelves in the United States and Europe.

New York-based Atari shares closed Friday up 73 cents, or 17 percent, at $4.96 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The heavily indebted company, a subsidiary of Infogrames Entertainment SA of France, is counting on blockbuster games such as "Enter the Matrix" to revive its fortunes.

The game was released May 15, the same day as the movie it is tied to, "The Matrix Reloaded." The game includes additional footage and is one of the most expensive ever made.

In early May, the company said it expected to sell 4 million units of the game for a total of $160 million in revenue. Infogrames had total sales of $770 million for the year ended in June and does about 65 percent of its sales in the United States.

Atari sales expectations, if reached, would put "Enter the Matrix" on track to be one of the best-selling games of all time.

Atari said the game will be released in Japan June 19.

Lawsuit: Michael Jackson Near Bankruptcy

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson, the King of Pop who amassed a half-billion-dollar fortune over the past 20 years, is saddled with debt and teetering near bankruptcy, his former financial advisers say in a lawsuit.

The lawsuit, set for trial June 18, claims Jackson's extravagant spending has created "a ticking financial time bomb waiting to explode at any moment."

Union Finance and Investment Corp. of South Korea filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming Jackson owes the firm $12 million in fees and expenses, plus interest. Jackson previously paid the firm $3 million, the firm said. The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages.

Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he does not believe the 44-year-old singer is near bankruptcy.

"I see no signs of this impending disaster," Oxman said. "I cannot say it for 100 percent sure because nobody knows his financial statements. But I can say it for a reasonable certainty."

Oxman also said that Union Finance has been paid for its work.

The lawsuit was filed in April 2002 by Union Finance, described as one of South Korea's leading financial advisory firms. Jackson hired Union Finance in 1998 to help straighten out his finances, according to the lawsuit.

"When they were retained, plaintiffs believed that Jackson was incredibly wealthy," the lawsuit states. "At the time plaintiffs agreed to work for Jackson, there was no clue that Jackson's extravagant lifestyle had all but bankrupted him."

The firm said it soon discovered that Jackson had only two months' worth of available funds.

Union Finance's lawyer said that he stands by the allegations in the year-old lawsuit and that he took Jackson's deposition last week in Beverly Hills.

"For whatever reason, Michael Jackson is not paying his debts," said Pierce O'Donnell, a leading entertainment finance lawyer. "He has little or no means of income. He lives off a line of credit."

He added: "The day of reckoning is near."

Forbes magazine last year estimated that Jackson was earning $50 million a year at the height of his popularity in the 1980s and '90s and had amassed $500 million over his career. Forbes estimated Jackson has $200 million in debts but a net worth of $350 million.

Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller," which has sold 26 million copies, is second behind the Eagles' first greatest hits album in all-time sales in the United States. But sales of recent Jackson albums have sagged.

Jackson's assets include his Neverland ranch in the hills above Santa Barbara and homes in Southern California and Las Vegas. Most of Jackson's assets are in musical holdings worth an estimated $450 million, including 200 Beatles titles and songs recorded by Elvis Presley, Forbes reported.

He is a voracious spender. In 2002, he racked up a $100,000 hotel bill on a brief trip to New York, according to Forbes.

Union Finance said it helped Jackson obtain $200 million in loans through Bank of America between 1998 and 2000. In his deposition last week, Jackson said he didn't know how much he owed on the loans, O'Donnell said.

Tim Burton in Talks to Direct 'Chocolate Factory'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Tim Burton, whose quirky credits range from "Beetlejuice" to "Batman," is in talks with Warner Bros. to direct a new movie adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's classic "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

The studio confirmed a report in Daily Variety on Thursday that Burton will meet in London in the next few days with surviving members of the Dahl family to discuss the project.

The Dahl estate, which holds rights to the late author's works, has the final say over a director for the film, and Burton is the family's leading candidate for the job, one source close to the situation told Reuters.

The studio, a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc., is hoping to begin pre-production on the film by the end of this year, the studio said.

The 1964 novel was first made into a movie in 1971's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," starring Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolatier who tempts children all over London with the possibility of finding a golden ticket hidden in one of his candy bars. He then leads the young winners, including meek little Charlie Bucket, on a tour of his mysterious candy factory.

Dahl, who died in 1990, wrote the original screenplay from his own book, though by some accounts was unhappy with the final product. The movie was a box office disappointment and initially drew lackluster reviews, as many critics found it to be too dark. But the film has become somewhat of a cult classic over the years.

"Willy Wonka" was released by Paramount Pictures, which reportedly is developing an adaptation of another Dahl book, "The BFG."

According to Variety, a screenwriter who worked on the "BFG" project, Gwyn Lurie, was tapped by Warner Bros. to pen a rewrite of the initial script for its "Chocolate Factory" adaptation.

Burton is best known in Hollywood for his creative renderings of such fantasy films as "Batman," "Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," "Sleepy Hollow" and a remake of "Planet of the Apes."

Springsteen Covers Set to Fight Disease

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Elvis Costello, Joe Ely, Graham Parker, Pete Yorn, and Billy Bragg are among the artists who have contributed tracks to "Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen."

The two-disc covers collection was released this week in Spain; a U.S. version with extra tracks will be issued in August. Proceeds will benefit the Parkinson's Disease Foundation and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, which raises money for research and treatment of sarcoma.

While several cuts have been previously released -- Costello's "Brilliant Disguise," Yorn's "New York City Serenade," and Bragg's "Mansion on the Hill," among them -- many artists have contributed new recordings. Joe Grushecky and his band the Houserockers added a new version of "Light of Day," Elliot Murphy offered a take on "Better Days," and Joe Ely has covered "Workin' on the Highway."

Others who have offered tracks include Cowboy Mouth, Patty Griffin, E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren, Willie Nile, Dion, Steve Wynn, and Rosie Flores.

Spanish Springsteen fanzine editor Sal Trepat and Grushecky manager Bob Benjamin organized the collection. Benjamin, a Parkinson's sufferer and former Billboard employee, tells Billboard.com that the set is "a labor of love. It's helping out two of my favorite causes, and the music is my favorite."

Benjamin is also the organizer of the Light of Day benefit concerts held annually in New Jersey. Grushecky has traditionally headlined the shows, which have been graced yearly by unannounced Springsteen appearances. He's been working with the Parkinson's Disease Foundation "...since a couple months after being diagnosed," and staged the first benefit concert in 1998.

Springsteen's co-manager Barbara Carr and her husband, music journalist Dave Marsh, founded the Kristin Ann Carr Fund as part of the TJ Martell Foundation in memory of their daughter, who died a decade ago from sarcoma, a little understood form of cancer. Springsteen has often donated his time and memorabilia to the organization's fundraising efforts.

Benjamin says that since word got out about the "Light of Day" project, he's fielded offers from more artists than can be included. Although the U.S. version will add bonus cuts, "we want to keep it to two discs," he stresses.

One song on the Spanish release, Cracker's cover of "Sinoloa Cowboys" from Springsteen's 1995 "The Ghost of Tom Joad" album, will not be on the U.S. version of "Light of Day," but is due to appear on the band's next studio album. In its place, Cracker guitarist Johnny Hickman recorded "Candy's Room" under the name Crazysloth, and keyboardist/accordionist Kenny Margolis covered "Valentine's Day" as Lucky 7 for the compilation.

Although he hasn't yet spoken with Springsteen about the project, Benjamin believes it's something to which the Boss would give his blessing. He'll find out for sure when he catches up with Springsteen next month on his ongoing European tour with the E Street Band during a planned trip to Italy.

Here is the tentative list of artists and songs for the U.S. release of "Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen":

Dan Bern, "Thunder Road"
Billy Bragg and the Blokes, "Mansion on the Hill"
Marc Broussard, "Back in Your Arms Again"
Cindy Bullens, "If I Should Fall Behind"
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, "E Street Shuffle"
The Clarks, TBD
Elvis Costello, "Brilliant Disguise"
Cowboy Mouth, TBD
Crazysloth, "Candy's Room"
Dion, "Book of Dreams"
Joe D'Urso and Stone Caravan, "Badlands"
Joe Ely, "Workin' on the Highway"
Rosie Flores, "Lucky Town"
Patty Griffin, "Stolen Car"
Sid Griffin, "Highway Patrolman"
Joe Grushecky, "Light of Day"
Garland Jeffreys, "Streets of Philadelphia"
Kirk Kelly, "Downbound Train"
Nils Lofgren, "Man at the Top"
Gary Lucas' Gods and Monsters, "Ain't Got You"
Lucky 7, "Valentine's Day"
Elliott Murphy, "Better Days"
The Mystic Knights of the Sea, "Johnny 99"
Willie Nile, "I'm on Fire"
Paradise Brothers, "Souls of the Departed"
Graham Parker, "Pink Cadillac"
Mike Rimbaud, "Atlantic City"
Jason Ringenberg, "My Hometown"
Graziano Romani, "The Promise"
Matthew Ryan, "Something in the Night"
Mark Wright, "Two Hearts"
Steve Wynn, "State Trooper"
Pete Yorn, "New York City Serenade"

Mariah Ditching 'Bells and Whistles' on Tour

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Although Mariah Carey is downsizing her North American tour plans from arenas to theaters, her agent tells Billboard the move had nothing to do with lower-than-expected ticket sales.

"Mariah had been speaking to people, monitoring her Web site, and listening to her fans, and the resounding note she heard was her fans wanted to see her in a more intimate environment and were less concerned about the big production aspects of an arena tour," says John Marx, senior VP of contemporary music at the William Morris Agency.

Beginning June 21 in Seoul, South Korea, the 47-date Charmbracelet world tour, Carey's first in more than three years, was to be her most extensive yet. The North American leg was initially scheduled to begin July 18 at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska, and conclude Sept. 23 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H.; international dates appear to be unchanged.

Marx maintains the tour would have been fine as booked. "Ticket counts were not that bad, and our average capacity on this tour was about 11,000," he says. "She'll have the same band, minus the bells and whistles. She's going to bring it back to what Mariah's all about: the music."

According to Marx, Carey could wind up playing as many as 27 dates, beginning July 26 at Celine Dion's Colosseum showroom at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Island/Monarc is planning to reissue Carey's latest album, "Charmbracelet," on July 29 with four new tracks.

Only four North American shows had gone on sale when plans began to change: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. (July 26), United Center in Chicago (July 29), Air Canada Center in Toronto (Aug. 7), and the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. Carey's official Web site advised her fans in cities where the shows had gone on sale to hang on to tickets and receipts, presumably for a refund or exchange. But some building officials were out of the loop.

Brian Miller, director of event development for the Xcel Energy Center, says he sold about 2,000 tickets out of the box. But when Billboard contacted him earlier this week, he had yet to be informed that the tour was being scaled back and that his date would be scratched. "Sounds like I need to call the promoter," Miller says. "We're still up and on sale."

Carey was not only supposed to perform July 26 at Xcel, she also had the building booked for rehearsals July 24-25.

Robert Hunter, senior VP/GM of the 20,000-seat Air Canada Center, says sales were at about 4,500 for his show, and the date was still on. It will likely take place in the building's 8,500-seat configuration concert bowl.